公开(公告)号：US06651799B1

公开(公告)日：2003-11-25

申请号：US09897746

申请日：2001-07-02

申请人： Robert R. Rice ,  Lawrence David Weber ,  Douglas M. Alward

发明人： Robert R. Rice ,  Lawrence David Weber ,  Douglas M. Alward

IPC分类号： B65G4700

CPC分类号： B23Q1/0054 ,  B23Q7/1426 ,  B65G37/02

摘要： A modular chassis for use in a manufacturing process line wherein manufacturing process steps are performed by manufacturing devices on workpieces carried by pallets. The chassis top plate is machined attaching one or more different types of manufacturing devices to the chassis, such as a robot or automatic parts feeder. A non-synchronous incoming pallet conveyor is aligned horizontally to receive a set of incoming pallets. A pallet transfer and index module is attached and aligned to accept the set of incoming pallets from the incoming pallet conveyor. The transfer and index module includes an indexing mechanism to accurately position each of the retrieved incoming pallets in one of a plurality of workstations so that at the end of the transfer cycle the process steps can be performed on each of the workpieces. An outgoing pallet conveyor is also aligned horizontally on the top plate to receive the set of pallets from the pallet transfer and index device and move the set of pallets to an outgoing side of the chassis at the end of the process cycle. A pallet return conveyor is aligned on the top plate parallel to the incoming and outgoing pallet conveyors proximate an operator side of the chassis. The chassis further includes at least one power and control sub-system for providing operational power to, and control of, one or more of the manufacturing devices that are attachable to the chassis, and a process control panel viewable from the operator side of the chassis.

摘要翻译： 一种用于制造工艺线的模块化底盘，其中制造工艺步骤通过在托盘承载的工件上制造装置来执行。 将底盘顶板加工成将一个或多个不同类型的制造装置附接到底盘，例如机器人或自动零件进给器。 水平地对准非同步进入托盘输送机，以接收一组进入的托盘。 托盘传送和索引模块被连接并对准以接收来自托盘输送机的一组进入的托盘。 传送和索引模块包括一个分度机构，用于将每个检索的进入的托盘精确地定位在多个工作站之一中，使得在传送周期结束时，可以对每个工件执行处理步骤。 输出的托盘输送机也在顶板上水平对准，以从托盘传送和索引装置接收一组托盘，并且在加工周期结束时将托盘组移到底盘的出口侧。 托盘返回输送机在顶板上对齐，平行于靠近底盘操作者侧的进出托盘输送机。 底盘还包括至少一个功率和控制子系统，用于向可附接到底盘的一个或多个制造装置提供操作功率和控制，以及从底盘的操作者侧可以看到的过程控制面板 。

公开(公告)号：US07991021B2

公开(公告)日：2011-08-02

申请号：US10729261

申请日：2003-12-05

申请人： Robert R. Rice ,  Sami Ali Shakir

发明人： Robert R. Rice ,  Sami Ali Shakir

IPC分类号： H01S3/30

CPC分类号： H01S3/067 ,  H01S3/0672 ,  H01S3/06729 ,  H01S3/094003 ,  H01S3/094007 ,  H01S3/0941 ,  H01S3/302

摘要： A multimode optical fiber has a core that includes radially dependent dopant materials to provide a desired refractive index profile and a desired Raman gain coefficient profile. A laser diode pump laser array provides high brightness light that is launched into the fiber and is subject to maximum Raman gain along the optical axis, thereby favoring the lowest order mode of the fiber, discriminating against higher order modes and providing a high brightness, diffraction limited output. The fiber can be incorporated into oscillators, amplifiers and other optical devices.

摘要翻译： 多模光纤具有包括径向依赖的掺杂剂材料的芯，以提供期望的折射率分布和期望的拉曼增益系数分布。 激光二极管泵浦激光器阵列提供发射到光纤中的高亮度光，并且沿着光轴受到最大拉曼增益，从而有利于光纤的最低阶模式，区分高阶模式并提供高亮度衍射 输出有限。 光纤可以并入振荡器，放大器和其他光学器件中。

公开(公告)号：US20100238538A1

公开(公告)日：2010-09-23

申请号：US12407470

申请日：2009-03-19

申请人： Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham ,  Hiroshi Komine ,  Peter Livinaston ,  Peter Thielen ,  Charles Phillip Asman

发明人： Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham ,  Hiroshi Komine ,  Peter Livinaston ,  Peter Thielen ,  Charles Phillip Asman

IPC分类号： H01S3/30 ,  H04B10/12 ,  H01S3/14 ,  C03B37/02 ,  C03B37/016 ,  C03B37/018 ,  C03B37/075

CPC分类号： H01S3/06716 ,  C03B37/01211 ,  C03B37/01413 ,  C03B37/016 ,  C03B37/02763 ,  C03B2201/08 ,  C03B2201/28 ,  C03B2201/31 ,  C03B2201/32 ,  C03B2201/42 ,  C03B2203/18 ,  G02B6/028 ,  H01S3/0672 ,  H01S3/06729 ,  H01S3/09415 ,  H01S2301/03

摘要： A method is provided for forming an optical fiber amplifier. The method comprises providing a composite preform having a gain material core that includes one or more acoustic velocity varying dopants to provide a longitudinally varying acoustic velocity profile along the gain material core to suppress Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) effects by raising the SBS threshold and drawing the composite preform to form the optical fiber amplifier.

摘要翻译： 提供一种形成光纤放大器的方法。 该方法包括提供具有增益材料芯的复合预制件，增益材料芯包括一个或多个声速变化掺杂剂，以沿着增益材料芯提供纵向变化的声速分布，以通过提高SBS阈值和绘制来抑制受激布里渊散射（SBS）效应 复合预成型件形成光纤放大器。

公开(公告)号：US07756169B2

公开(公告)日：2010-07-13

申请号：US12009935

申请日：2008-01-23

申请人： Peter M. Livingston ,  Robert R. Rice

发明人： Peter M. Livingston ,  Robert R. Rice

IPC分类号： H01S3/10

CPC分类号： H01S3/2383 ,  H01S3/1305 ,  H01S3/1307 ,  H01S3/2316

摘要： A high-power laser system includes a laser master oscillator, a plurality of fiber laser amplifiers producing intermediate output beamlets, a combiner for combining the intermediate beamlets into a combined output beam, and a piston error controller for minimizing errors related to beam combination that may degrade the quality of the combined output beam. A piston error controller processes a sample of the combined output beam using a Diffractive Optical Element to isolate a signal representing the total piston error of the combined beam. The controller uses amplitude modulation based on Hadamard code words to tag each non-reference intermediate beamlet with a unique code sequence orthogonal to those used for the other beamlets. For each intermediate beamlet, the associated piston error contribution is recovered using a Hadamard decoder. A very small phase dither is also introduced to allow the sign or direction of the piston error to be recovered. The decoded piston error contribution is processed by a cascaded product detector unit to derive a piston error control signal, which is provided to a phase modulator to thereby adjust the phase of a beamlet and minimize the piston error contributed thereby.

摘要翻译： 高功率激光系统包括激光主振荡器，产生中间输出子束的多个光纤激光放大器，用于将中间子束组合成组合输出光束的组合器以及用于最小化与光束组合相关的误差的活塞误差控制器， 降低组合输出光束的质量。 活塞误差控制器使用衍射光学元件处理组合输出光束的样本，以隔离表示组合光束的总活塞误差的信号。 控制器使用基于Hadamard码字的幅度调制，以与用于其他子束的那些正交的唯一代码序列来标记每个非参考中间子波束。 对于每个中间子束，使用Hadamard解码器恢复相关的活塞误差贡献。 还引入了非常小的相位抖动以允许恢复活塞误差的符号或方向。 解码的活塞误差贡献由级联产品检测器单元处理以得到活塞误差控制信号，其被提供给相位调制器，从而调节子束的相位并使由此贡献的活塞误差最小化。

公开(公告)号：US07436588B2

公开(公告)日：2008-10-14

申请号：US11543596

申请日：2006-10-05

申请人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

发明人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

IPC分类号： H01S3/00

CPC分类号： B23K26/0604 ,  B23K26/067 ,  B23K26/705 ,  H01S3/005 ,  H01S3/1307 ,  H01S3/2391

摘要： A hybrid beam combining system or method combines a plurality of coherent and incoherent light beams into a composite high power diffraction limited beam. N oscillators each transmit light at one of N different wavelengths and each wavelength is split into M constituent beams. M beams in each of N groups are phase locked by a phase modulator using phase correction signals. The phase locked beams are amplified and coupled into an M×N fiber array. Beams emerging from the array are collimated and incident on a diffractive optical element operating as a beam combiner combining the M outputs at each N wavelength into a single beam. The N single beams are incident and spectrally combined on a grating which outputs a composite beam at a nominal 100% fill factor. A low power sample beam, taken from the N beams emerging from the diffractive optical element, is measured for phase deviations from which the phase correction signals are derived and fed back to the phase modulators. The diffractive optical element may include a weak periodic grating for diffracting the low power sample. The diffractive optical element may also be combined with the spectral combining grating into a single optical element.

摘要翻译： 混合光束组合系统或方法将多个相干和非相干光束组合成复合高功率衍射受限束。 N个振荡器各自以N个不同波长中的一个发射光，并且每个波长被分成M个构成波束。 N组中的每一个的M个波束通过使用相位校正信号的相位调制器锁相。 锁相光束被放大并耦合到MxN光纤阵列中。 从阵列出射的光束被准直并入射在作为将每个N波长处的M个输出组合成单个光束的光束组合器的衍射光学元件上。 N个单个光束入射并光谱地组合在光栅上，该光栅以标称的100％填充因子输出复合光束。 测量从衍射光学元件出射的N个光束取得的低功率采样光束的相位偏差，相位校正信号从该衍射反馈到相位调制器。 衍射光学元件可以包括用于衍射低功率样品的弱周期光栅。 衍射光学元件还可以与光谱组合光栅组合成单个光学元件。

公开(公告)号：US20080085128A1

公开(公告)日：2008-04-10

申请号：US11543567

申请日：2006-10-05

申请人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

发明人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

IPC分类号： H04B10/04

CPC分类号： G02B27/0087 ,  G02B19/0014 ,  G02B19/0057 ,  G02B27/0944 ,  G02B27/108 ,  G02B27/1093 ,  G02B27/144 ,  G02B27/145 ,  H01S3/005 ,  H01S3/1307 ,  H01S3/2383

摘要： A system or method coherently combines a large number of light beams at a single wavelength in multiple stages to form a high-power diffraction limited output beam. A two-stage system, or method based thereon, includes a master oscillator transmitting a light beam to a first phase modulation stage, which splits the beam into N beams and locks beam phases using phase correction signals from a first feedback loop. A second phase modulation stage splits each N beam into M beams and locks the phases of M beams in each N group using phase correction signals from a second feedback loop. A two-dimensional fiber array directs M×N beams to a first diffractive optical element combining the beams into N coherent beams of M beams each, and phase correction signals for the second stage are derived from a sample extracted from the N coherent beams. A second diffractive optical element combines the N coherent beams into the output beam, and phase correction signals for the first stage are derived from a sample extracted from the output. The diffractive optical elements may operate as both beam combiners and beam samplers.

摘要翻译： 系统或方法在多个阶段相干地组合单个波长的大量光束以形成高功率衍射限制输出光束。 基于此的两级系统或方法包括将光束发射到第一相位调制级的主振荡器，该第一相位调制级使用来自第一反馈回路的相位校正信号将光束分成N束并锁定光束相位。 第二相位调制级将每个N波束分成M个波束，并使用来自第二反馈回路的相位校正信号来锁定每个N组中的M个波束的相位。 二维光纤阵列将MxN光束引导到第一衍射光学元件，将第一衍射光学元件组合成每个M束的N个相干光束，并且从从N个相干光束提取的样本中导出第二阶段的相位校正信号。 第二衍射光学元件将N个相干光束组合成输出光束，并且从从输出提取的样本中导出第一阶段的相位校正信号。 衍射光学元件可以作为光束组合器和光束采样器操作。

公开(公告)号：US20080084605A1

公开(公告)日：2008-04-10

申请号：US11543596

申请日：2006-10-05

申请人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

发明人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

IPC分类号： H01S3/00 ,  H04B10/12

CPC分类号： B23K26/0604 ,  B23K26/067 ,  B23K26/705 ,  H01S3/005 ,  H01S3/1307 ,  H01S3/2391

摘要： A hybrid beam combining system or method combines a plurality of coherent and incoherent light beams into a composite high power diffraction limited beam. N oscillators each transmit light at one of N different wavelengths and each wavelength is split into M constituent beams. M beams in each of N groups are phase locked by a phase modulator using phase correction signals. The phase locked beams are amplified and coupled into an M×N fiber array. Beams emerging from the array are collimated and incident on a diffractive optical element operating as a beam combiner combining the M outputs at each N wavelength into a single beam. The N single beams are incident and spectrally combined on a grating which outputs a composite beam at a nominal 100% fill factor. A low power sample beam, taken from the N beams emerging from the diffractive optical element, is measured for phase deviations from which the phase correction signals are derived and fed back to the phase modulators. The diffractive optical element may include a weak periodic grating for diffracting the low power sample. The diffractive optical element may also be combined with the spectral combining grating into a single optical element.

摘要翻译： 混合光束组合系统或方法将多个相干和非相干光束组合成复合高功率衍射受限束。 N个振荡器各自以N个不同波长中的一个发射光，并且每个波长被分成M个构成波束。 N组中的每一个的M个波束通过使用相位校正信号的相位调制器锁相。 锁相光束被放大并耦合到MxN光纤阵列中。 从阵列出射的光束被准直并入射在作为将每个N波长处的M个输出组合成单个光束的光束组合器的衍射光学元件上。 N个单个光束入射并光谱地组合在光栅上，该光栅以标称的100％填充因子输出复合光束。 测量从衍射光学元件出射的N个光束取得的低功率采样光束的相位偏差，相位校正信号从该衍射反馈到相位调制器。 衍射光学元件可以包括用于衍射低功率样品的弱周期光栅。 衍射光学元件还可以与光谱组合光栅组合成单个光学元件。

公开(公告)号：US07346085B1

公开(公告)日：2008-03-18

申请号：US11543567

申请日：2006-10-05

申请人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

发明人： Joshua E. Rothenberg ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham

IPC分类号： H01S3/13

CPC分类号： G02B27/0087 ,  G02B19/0014 ,  G02B19/0057 ,  G02B27/0944 ,  G02B27/108 ,  G02B27/1093 ,  G02B27/144 ,  G02B27/145 ,  H01S3/005 ,  H01S3/1307 ,  H01S3/2383

摘要： A system or method coherently combines a large number of light beams at a single wavelength in multiple stages to form a high-power diffraction limited output beam. A two-stage system, or method based thereon, includes a master oscillator transmitting a light beam to a first phase modulation stage, which splits the beam into N beams and locks beam phases using phase correction signals from a first feedback loop. A second phase modulation stage splits each N beam into M beams and locks the phases of M beams in each N group using phase correction signals from a second feedback loop. A two-dimensional fiber array directs M×N beams to a first diffractive optical element combining the beams into N coherent beams of M beams each, and phase correction signals for the second stage are derived from a sample extracted from the N coherent beams. A second diffractive optical element combines the N coherent beams into the output beam, and phase correction signals for the first stage are derived from a sample extracted from the output. The diffractive optical elements may operate as both beam combiners and beam samplers.

摘要翻译： 系统或方法在多个阶段相干地组合单个波长的大量光束以形成高功率衍射限制输出光束。 基于此的两级系统或方法包括将光束发射到第一相位调制级的主振荡器，该第一相位调制级使用来自第一反馈回路的相位校正信号将光束分成N束并锁定光束相位。 第二相位调制级将每个N波束分成M个波束，并使用来自第二反馈回路的相位校正信号来锁定每个N组中的M个波束的相位。 二维光纤阵列将MxN光束引导到第一衍射光学元件，将第一衍射光学元件组合成每个M束的N个相干光束，并且从从N个相干光束提取的样本中导出第二阶段的相位校正信号。 第二衍射光学元件将N个相干光束组合成输出光束，并且从从输出提取的样本中导出第一阶段的相位校正信号。 衍射光学元件可以作为光束组合器和光束采样器操作。

公开(公告)号：US07088743B2

公开(公告)日：2006-08-08

申请号：US10801902

申请日：2004-03-15

申请人： Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham ,  Hiroshi Komine

发明人： Robert R. Rice ,  Michael G. Wickham ,  Hiroshi Komine

IPC分类号： H01S3/30 ,  H01S3/10 ,  H01S3/91 ,  H01S3/00

CPC分类号： H01S3/2383 ,  B23K26/0604 ,  B23K26/0608 ,  B23K26/705 ,  G01J9/02 ,  H01S3/0014 ,  H01S3/005 ,  H01S3/0064 ,  H01S3/0604 ,  H01S3/06758 ,  H01S3/094003 ,  H01S3/094038 ,  H01S3/0941 ,  H01S3/10007 ,  H01S3/10015 ,  H01S3/10053 ,  H01S3/1301 ,  H01S3/1304 ,  H01S3/1305

摘要： A hybrid laser source including a solid state laser driven by an array of fiber laser amplifiers, the inputs of which are controllable in phase and polarization, to compensate for distortions that arise in the solid state laser, or to achieve desired output beam properties relating to direction or focus. The output beam is sampled and compared with a reference beam to obtain phase and polarization difference signals across the output beam cross section, at spatial positions corresponding with the positions of the fiber laser amplifiers providing input to the solid state laser. Therefore, phase and polarization properties of the output beam may be independently controlled by predistortion of these properties in the fiber laser amplifier inputs.

摘要翻译： 一种混合激光源，包括由光纤激光放大器阵列驱动的固态激光器，该激光放大器的输入可以在相位和极化方面控制，以补偿在固体激光器中产生的失真，或实现与 方向或焦点。 输出光束被采样并与参考光束进行比较，以在对应于提供对固态激光器的输入的光纤激光放大器的位置的空间位置处，在输出光束横截面上获得相位和偏振差信号。 因此，输出光束的相位和偏振特性可以通过光纤激光放大器输入中的这些特性的预失真来独立控制。

公开(公告)号：US5847816A

公开(公告)日：1998-12-08

申请号：US782175

申请日：1997-01-14

申请人： Mark S. Zediker ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Wil S. Otaguro

发明人： Mark S. Zediker ,  Robert R. Rice ,  Wil S. Otaguro

IPC分类号： G01P3/36 ,  G01P5/26 ,  G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S7/493 ,  G01S17/50 ,  G01C3/08

CPC分类号： G01S7/4818 ,  G01P3/36 ,  G01P5/26 ,  G01S17/50 ,  G01S7/4802 ,  G01S7/4815 ,  G01S7/4917 ,  G01S7/493

摘要： A micro-doppler ladar system for identifying and analyzing a target of interest includes a transmitter and coherent receiver pair, each of which includes a fiber optic power amplifier, and a controller. Preferably, the transmitter includes a master oscillator for generating a primary laser beam, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) for generating a VCO signal having a predetermined, repetitive frequency pattern, a frequency shifting circuit for varying the frequency of the primary laser beam responsive to the VCO signal to thereby produce a frequency-varying primary laser signal, and the optical fiber amplifier, which amplifies the frequency-varying primary laser signal to thereby produce a transmit laser beam. In addition, the coherent receiver, which responds to backscattered light produced by the interaction of the transmit laser beam with the target of interest, includes an optical fiber pre-amplifier for amplifying the backscattered light to thereby produce an amplified return laser beam, and a phase locked loop receiving the primary laser beam and the amplified return laser beam for generating an electrical signal indicative of range, velocity and a characteristic signature of the target of interest. The transmitter and coherent receiver can be operated in a target acquisition mode of operation for determining range and velocity, and a signature acquisition mode of operation for determining a characteristic signature of the target of interest responsive to the electrical signal. A method for operating the micro-doppler ladar system is also described.

摘要翻译： 用于识别和分析感兴趣的目标的微多普勒载入系统包括发射机和相干接收机对，每个发射机和相干接收机对都包括光纤功率放大器和控制器。 优选地，发射机包括用于产生主激光束的主振荡器，用于产生具有预定的重复频率模式的VCO信号的压控振荡器（VCO），用于改变主激光束的频率的频移电路， VCO信号，从而产生频率变化的初级激光信号，以及光纤放大器，其放大频率变化的初级激光信号从而产生发射激光束。 此外，响应于由发射激光束与感兴趣的目标物的相互作用而产生的反向散射光的相干接收器包括用于放大后向散射光从而产生放大的返回激光束的光纤预放大器，以及 接收主激光束的锁相环和放大的返回激光束，用于产生指示感兴趣目标的范围，速度和特征签名的电信号。 发射器和相干接收器可以在用于确定范围和速度的目标获取操作模式中操作，以及用于根据电信号确定感兴趣的目标的特征签名的签名获取操作模式。 还描述了用于操作微多普勒系统的方法。