JPH0556974B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a laser irradiation device used for treating the human body, processing objects in factories, and the like.

Configuration of conventional examples and their problems Recently, laser irradiation devices using optical fibers as light guide paths have reached the stage of practical use, and YAG laser beams, CO ₂ laser beams, etc. are used.
YAG laser beams use optical fibers made of quartz or glass materials for the light guide path and irradiate fine areas with excellent operability, but CO ₂ laser beams have different wavelengths and are highly efficient and effective for incision and hemostasis Optical fibers for laser beams are made of materials such as halides and are now in the stage of practical use, but at present they have not yet achieved the minimum curvature of quartz fibers, and the irradiated area is a small, deep hole. At times, the part held in the hand and the part to be irradiated can only have a large curvature, making the work difficult as the field of view of the irradiated part is blocked by the hand. One way to solve this problem is to use a mirror to reflect the laser beam emitted from the optical fiber, bend the beam, and then focus it with a lens. Can't get to the easiest angle. Furthermore, since a mirror is used, the cost is high, the structure is complicated and large, and it is not suitable for illuminating detailed areas.

Purpose of the Invention In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention provides a laser irradiation device that further improves the operability of a light guide path using an optical fiber and has an output end configured to adapt to the work and obtain an easy working angle. This is what we provide.

Structure of the Invention The present invention includes a laser light source, an optical fiber that guides the laser light of the laser light source, a protective tube that has a sealed structure for the optical fiber and has both ends made of a transparent member, and the protective tube on the output end side of the optical fiber. a holding member that allows the protective tube on the output end side of the optical fiber to be freely rotated in a bending direction or a twisting direction with respect to the longitudinal direction; and a holding member that is extendable and retractable and into which the output end of the protective tube can be inserted. This is a laser irradiation device equipped with a pipe member.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a laser irradiation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is the main body of a laser device that controls the irradiation of, for example, a CO ₂ laser beam, 2 is a housing part in which a CO ₂ laser oscillation tube is installed, and 3 is an optical fiber made of a material such as a halide, which will be described later. A hand piece 4 is held at the output end by an optical fiber cable that is built in and covered on the outside with a protective flexible tube. The input end is connected to the housing part 3 via a fiber connector 5.

The handpiece 4 will be explained in detail below using FIGS. 2 to 5.

The optical fiber 6 is inserted into a protective tube 7 protected by metal or plastic, and locking members 8 are fixed to both ends of the protective tube 7 with screws 9. The input/output end of the optical fiber 6 is a laser-transmissive member (window or lens made of ZnSe, etc.) 10
is locked to the locking member 8 by the holder 11. The laser transmitting member is pressed against the holder 11 with an O-ring 13 via a collar 12,
The space 14 where the end face of the optical fiber 6 is located is completely isolated from the outside air. Although FIG. 2 shows the output end of the optical fiber 6, the input end has a similar configuration and is not shown, but due to this sealed structure, if the optical fiber 6 is somehow damaged and burnt out, the gas will be released. It is safe and will not leak. The above-mentioned output end is a telescopic pipe member 15
An opening member 18 through which the assist gas path 16 and the laser beam 17 emitted from the optical fiber 6 pass is fixed to the tip of the pipe member 15 inserted into the pipe member 15.
The opening member 18 on the holder 11 is urged in the direction of arrow 20 by a spring 19. Pipe member 15
One end is inserted into the first holding portion 21 and is slidable in the longitudinal direction. Also, the first holding part 21
is rotatable by a pin 22, and the pin 22 is inserted into a second holding portion 23. Second holding part 23
is locked with the third holding part 24, and a fourth holding part 25 is inserted into the third holding part 24, and the protective tube 7 and the protective tube 7 are inserted into the fourth holding part 25. Flexible tubes 26 are fixed at 27 and 28, respectively. Moreover, the third holding part 24 and the fourth holding part 2
5 is locked by the cap 29 and is attached to the third holding part 2
4 is configured to be rotatable in the outer circumferential direction of the fourth holding portion 25. Next, regarding the angle detection means of the first holding part 21, an angle detector (for example, a potentiometer) 30 is attached to the pin 22, and this output signal is fed back to the control part (not shown) of the main body 1. The laser oscillation output is variable. Further, when the expanded/contracted position of the pipe member 15 is determined by a detector (in this case, a micro switch or the like) 31, the detector 31 is activated, and this operational signal may be fed back to the control circuit.

The operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained below.

When the worker performs the work, the handpiece section 4
is held in hand and brought close to the irradiation area. In this case, the operator twists the hand piece 4 and lowers the first holding part 21 with a finger to maintain an arbitrary angle with respect to the irradiation area so as to be able to observe the area well. At this time, against twisting, the pipe section 15, the first holding member 21, and the second holding member 23 rotate independently of the protective tube 7, the third holding member 24, and the protective flexible tube 26. Therefore, the optical fiber 6 is not twisted.
Furthermore, bending the first holding part with your fingers shortens the length of the protective tube 7 and the optical fiber 6 by the amount of bending, but the spring 19 biases the pipe member 15 and Therefore, the positional relationship between the pipe member 15 and the output end of the optical fiber 6 is always constant. Furthermore, due to this bending, the optical fiber 6
When the transmittance of the laser changes or an attempt is made to bend the laser beyond the allowable curvature, the detectors 30 and 31 operate and feed back their output signals to a control unit (not shown) to correct the laser oscillation output. By emitting abnormal sounds, you can perform work safely and with stable irradiation output.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the angle of the output end of the handpiece can be arbitrarily set, the optical fiber can be twisted in the twisting direction regardless of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber can be bent. Since there is no fluctuation in the irradiation output due to irradiation, work on minute parts can be done easily and safely, and its industrial value is great.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a laser irradiation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the handpiece output end of the device, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the entire handpiece portion of the device. , FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tip of FIG. 3 when it is bent, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the detector mounting portion of the hand piece. 1...Device body, 6...Optical fiber, 7...
Protective tube, 15... pipe member, 21... first holding member, 30, 31... detector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A laser light source, an optical fiber that guides the laser light from the laser light source, a protective tube that forms a sealed structure for this optical fiber and has both ends made of a transparent member, and the protective tube on the output end side of the optical fiber. a holding member that is rotatable in a bending direction or a twisting direction with respect to the longitudinal direction; a pipe member that is expandable and retractable into the holding member and into which the output end of the protective tube can be inserted; A laser irradiation device with a configuration in which the part is constantly energized in the optical axis direction. 2. The laser irradiation device according to claim 1, comprising means for detecting a bending angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the protective tube. 3. The laser irradiation device according to claim 1, comprising means for detecting expansion and contraction of the pipe member.