CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefits of Taiwan application Serial No. 108143406, filed on Nov. 28, 2019, the disclosures of which are incorporated by references herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates in general to a power-measuring protection method and a laser protection system.

BACKGROUND

A laser is a kind of light that is emitted through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. One of many applications of the laser is in the measurement field, particularly in a high-power laser measurement system. In the high-power laser measurement system, a photo detector is generally used for real-time measuring output power of the high-power laser system. However, a conventional photo detector has its own limit in power endurance, and yet it is usually the case that intensity of the light to be detected or the reflected light from the high-power laser system is higher than the power endurance of the photo detector purchased from the marketplace. In other words, since the output power of the conventional high-power laser is too high, a normal photo detector can't be directly used for detection. Thus, to meet the aforesaid power limit, multiple optical elements are applied in advance for attenuating the output power of the emission light prior to a power measurement can be made. Alternatively, a power meter is also introduced for measurement and protection. Namely, in the art, several optical elements are used for attenuating power of the high-power laser, before the photo detector can effectively and safely perform detection. In addition, the higher the emission power of the high-power laser is, so the higher the reflection power is. Therefore, the required number of the attenuator would go high. In other words, beside that the conventional device can't be directly applied for light detection, another problem is the cost hike and cumbersome size caused by the inclusion of these optical attenuators.

In addition, the conventional mechanism for high-power measurement can perform only the detection without feedback and modulation. Thus, in meeting an abnormal optical signal, only an error or abnormal message can be displayed in the high-power laser system. Namely, no feedback and modulation mechanism exist to prevent the high-power laser system from being damaged by the power abnormality.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a power-measuring protection method and a laser protection system, that utilizes an optical diffuser to form a protection mechanism. With this protection mechanism, the overall cost and the entire space occupation of the laser protection system can be substantially reduced, the high-power laser system can be protected, and an apparatus with feedback, modulation and reaction functions can be established.

In one embodiment of this disclosure, a laser protection system includes a high-power laser source, an optical diffuser, a photo detector, a signal-processing device and a control module. The high-power laser source is used for evaluating a setting data to generate a first laser light beam. The optical diffuser is used for receiving the first laser light beam and attenuating a laser power of the first laser light beam so as to form a second laser light beam. The photo detector is used for detecting the second laser light beam to obtain an optical detection signal of the second laser light beam. The signal-processing device, connected with the photo detector, includes a signal conversion module, a processor and an encoder. The signal conversion module is used for transforming the optical detection signal into a measurement data eigenvalue. The processor is used for receiving the measurement data eigenvalue and a setting data eigenvalue, and further for transmitting the measurement data eigenvalue and the setting data eigenvalue to the encoder. The setting data eigenvalue is transformed from the setting data. The encoder is used for encoding the measurement data eigenvalue into a measured encoded data, and also for encoding the setting data eigenvalue into a set encoded data. The control module, used for transmitting the setting data to the high-power laser source, is connected with the signal-processing device. The encoder is used for transmitting the measured encoded data and the set encoded data to the control module, then the control module can evaluate the set encoded data and the measured encoded data to determine whether or not the high-power laser source needs to be stopped.

In another aspect of this disclosure, a power-measuring protection method, applied to a high-power laser system including a high-power laser source further having a setting data eigenvalue, includes a step of applying an optical diffuser to attenuate a laser power of a first laser light beam to form a second laser light beam; a step of applying a photo detector to detect the second laser light beam to obtain an optical detection signal; a step of applying a signal conversion module to transform the optical detection signal into a measurement data eigenvalue; a step of applying a processor to receive the measurement data eigenvalue and the setting data eigenvalue, and to further transmit the measurement data eigenvalue and the setting data eigenvalue to an encoder; a step of applying the encoder to encode the measurement data eigenvalue and the setting data eigenvalue, and then to transmit a corresponding measured encoded data and a corresponding set encoded data, respectively, to a control module; and, a step of applying the control module to evaluate the set encoded data and the measured encoded data to determine whether or not the high-power laser source needs to be stopped.

As stated above, unlike a conventional resort of using multiple attenuators simultaneously or a dynamometer to reduce the power of laser, the power-measuring protection method and the laser protection system provided by this disclosure introduce the optical diffuser to reduce the number of the required attenuators and the like optical devices, and so the cost and the occupied space can be reduced as well. Namely, upon minimizing the entire high-power laser system, protection on the same high-power laser system can be still upheld.

Further, since the measurement data eigenvalue and the setting data eigenvalue are encoded and encrypted in advance, thus possible noise interference while in transmitting the measured encoded data and the set encoded data can be substantially reduced or evenly avoided. Thereupon, the transmission of the measured encoded data and the set encoded data can be protected from foreign electromagnetic disturbance or noise interference caused by significant external electric currents. Namely, the system of this disclosure is thus equipped with a mechanism for defending noise interference, by which possible measurement errors caused by the noise interference can be reduced.

Further scope of applicability of the present application will become more apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

