JPH0326992B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Field of application of the invention> The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser treatment device.

<Conventional technology> Conventional semiconductor laser treatment devices include, for example,
Those shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-89278, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-105445, etc. are known.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, there is much room for improvement in such conventional semiconductor laser treatment devices. For example, it is the degree of convergence of light beams emitted from a plurality of semiconductor lasers.

In other words, semiconductor lasers in practical use today have limited light output, and in order to obtain the output required for medical use, multiple semiconductor lasers must be combined and the light rays from the multiple semiconductor lasers must be converged to a predetermined level. It is necessary to use the laser beam by focusing it at a certain degree.
It is necessary to make the emitted light emitted as a parallel light beam from the corresponding first lens enter the second lens at right angles and on a predetermined circumference. However, each semiconductor laser has variations in quality, and the emission position of the light beam, that is, the light emitting point, may vary depending on the semiconductor laser.
Since the emission angle of the light beam is different on the left and right and front and rear, the semiconductor laser - first lens - second
It is difficult to obtain the above-mentioned incidence unless the mutual positional relationship between the lenses is adjusted. Therefore, firstly, the semiconductor laser and the corresponding first lens are arranged on a predetermined circumference corresponding to the second lens with an error of several tens to several microns or less, and secondly, the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser is The focus of the first lens is aligned with the focus of the first lens to ensure the necessary degree of collimation of the light beam by the first lens, and the optical axis of the parallel light beam emitted from the first lens is aligned with the focus of the first lens.
to be approximately parallel to the lens axis of the lens [i.e.
The output angle of the output light from the first lens - the angle formed by the optical axis of the output light and the lens axis of the first lens - should be approximately zero] and thirdly, the second consistency described above is not sufficiently achieved. If the optical axis of the parallel ray is not obtained and the optical axis of the parallel ray is somewhat tilted with respect to the lens axis of the first lens, it is necessary to make an adjustment to make this tilted parallel ray enter the second lens at a right angle and at a predetermined position. becomes. Moreover, since this adjustment has to be made in units of several microns, conventional semiconductor laser therapy devices require extremely high skill, which not only makes the initial assembly of the semiconductor laser therapy device difficult. This was particularly inconvenient in that the semiconductor laser therapy device itself had to be sent back to the manufacturer, which has experts, for maintenance, inspection, and adjustments when replacing the semiconductor laser.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor laser treatment device that can easily adjust the degree of convergence required for medical use by adjusting the light beams emitted from a plurality of semiconductor lasers without requiring special skills.

<Means for solving the problems> As a means for achieving the above object, the semiconductor laser treatment device according to the first invention (hereinafter, the invention described in claim 1 is referred to as the first invention) has a plurality of The light beams emitted from each semiconductor laser are collimated by a first lens for collimating each light beam provided corresponding to each of the semiconductor lasers, and the plurality of parallel light beams are converged into a single point by a second lens for focusing. The laser beam is focused into a therapeutic laser beam, and each of the semiconductor lasers is held in a corresponding laser holder. Each first lens is tightly fitted into a plurality of fitting holes provided on the circumference, and each first lens is held in each lens holder provided with a holding hole having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the first lens. Each lens holder is held in the hole so that its forward and backward position can be adjusted freely, and each lens holder is attached to the tip of the laser holder with a screw that is inserted into the screw hole provided in the lens holder and screwed into the female screw at the tip of the laser holder. Each laser holder and each lens holder form a subassembly that is attached to the body when the laser holder is fitted into the fitting hole, and in this subassembly, the first lens is inserted into the holding hole. The gist of the present invention is to adjust the longitudinal position and the vertical and horizontal adjustment of the mounting position of the lens holder relative to the laser holder by utilizing the slight play (clearance) provided between the screw and the screw hole, and also the second invention [hereinafter referred to as the second invention] , the invention described in claim 2 is referred to as the second invention], the first lens for collimating each light beam provided corresponding to each of the plurality of semiconductor lasers Each of the light beams emitted from the laser beam is made into parallel light beams, and the plurality of parallel light beams are focused at one point by a second condensing lens to form a therapeutic laser beam, and each semiconductor laser is held in a respective corresponding laser holder. , these laser holders are each tightly fitted in advance into a plurality of fitting holes provided in the body of the semiconductor laser treatment device on a predetermined circumference approximately corresponding to the position of light beam incidence on the second lens, and each Each lens consists of a rotating body equipped with a holding hole having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the first lens, and a base equipped with a curved hole into which the rotating body is mounted so as to be rotatable in all directions. Hold each lens holder in the holding hole so that the front and back positions can be adjusted freely, and insert this lens holder into the screw hole provided in the base and attach it to the tip of the laser holder with a screw that is screwed into the female thread at the tip of the laser holder. The respective laser holders and lens holders form a subassembly body that is attached to the body when the laser holder is fitted into the fitting hole, and this subassembly body holds the first lens. The vertical and horizontal position adjustment of the lens holder with respect to the laser holder is performed by adjusting the longitudinal position within the hole and the slight play (clearance) provided between the screws and the screw hole, and the rotation of the rotating body relative to the base is performed. The gist of the present invention is to adjust the angle of the lens axis of the first lens with respect to the lens axis of the second lens so that the light emitted from the first lens enters the second lens at a substantially right angle.

<Operation> Next, the operation will be explained. In the following description, the first invention will be the main subject, and the second invention will be mentioned only when necessary.

First, the semiconductor laser and the first lens are placed on the circumference corresponding to the second lens in units of tens to several microns, and the laser holder is tightly fitted into the fitting hole to assemble the subassembly. This can be done easily by simply attaching it to the body.Secondly,
In the subassembly before being attached to the body, the alignment between the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser and the focal point of the first lens, that is, the degree of parallelization of the light beam by the first lens, and the output angle of the emitted light from the first lens are determined in advance. can be easily adjusted by adjusting the front and back position of the first lens in the holding hole and adjusting the mounting position of the lens holder relative to the laser holder due to the slight play (clearance) between the screw and the screw hole. Therefore, the light beams emitted from the plurality of semiconductor lasers can be easily converged to a degree of convergence required for medical use. Furthermore, since the semiconductor laser can be replaced simply by replacing the subassembly that has been adjusted in advance, anyone can easily and quickly replace the semiconductor laser without requiring special skills.

Furthermore, in the semiconductor laser treatment device of the second invention, if the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser and the focal point of the first lens cannot be sufficiently aligned, and the optical axis is slightly tilted with respect to the lens axis. The lens of the first lens held by the rotating body by rotation with respect to the base of the rotating body can adjust the tilted light beam to enter the second lens at a right angle and at a predetermined position. This can be easily done by tilting the shaft.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the first invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In this specification, "front" and "front" mean the direction in which light rays are emitted, and "back" means the opposite direction. Therefore, the arrow Z direction in Fig. 4 is "front and back"
The X direction and Y direction of the same arrow mean the "left and right" direction and the "up and down" direction, respectively.

This semiconductor laser treatment device 1 has an outer shell formed by a body 2, a nozzle body 3 attached to the front side of the body 2, and a cap 4 attached to the rear side of the body 2. A grip is attached below the body. 5 is attached.

A flange body 10 is provided inside the cylindrical body 2, and a second lens 1, which will be described later, is attached to this flange body 10.
Three fitting holes 13 are provided at approximately equal intervals on the circumference O, which corresponds exactly to the incident position of the light beam 12 on the laser holding ring 1.
Three cylindrical laser holders 16 fixed inside by 5 are each tightly fitted. and,
A female screw 17 is provided at the tip of this laser holder 16, and a lens holder 20 is attached using a screw 18 that is screwed into this female screw 17 through a screw hole 19 that has a slight play (clearance) with respect to the screw 18.
This lens holder 20 and the laser holder 16 form a subassembly body 36, and a cylindrical lens 22 as a "first lens" is inserted into a holding hole 21 provided in this lens holder 20 with an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter. is maintained. Further, a step portion 23 is provided on the front side of the flange body 10, and the plano-convex lens 11 serving as a “second lens” is held on this step portion 23 by a holding ring 24. Therefore, in this semiconductor laser treatment device 1, the semiconductor laser 14, the cylindrical lens 22 as the "first lens", and the plano-convex lens 11 as the "second lens" are linearly arranged.

The nozzle body 3 has a conied outer shape, and a passage 25 for the light beam 12 is provided inside thereof.

Note that the integrated circuit board 2 for controlling the semiconductor laser 14
7 is a laser holder 1 via a spacer (not shown).
It is screwed to the flange portion 26 on the rear end side of the 6.

Next, to explain the generation and focusing state of the light beam 12 in this semiconductor laser treatment device 1, the integrated circuit 2
The light ray 12 emitted from the semiconductor laser 14 under the control of the cylindrical lens 22 is first converted into a parallel beam by the cylindrical lens 22, and then refracted and condensed by the plano-convex lens 11 so as to be focused slightly beyond the tip 28 of the nozzle body 3. This is used as therapeutic laser light.

Further, the degree of convergence of the light beam in this semiconductor laser treatment device 1 is adjusted as follows. That is, first, the subassembly body 36 before being attached to the body 2
By adjusting the front and rear positions of the cylindrical lens 22 in the holder hole in the Z direction, the alignment between the light emitting point P and the focal point F of the cylindrical lens 22 in the Z direction is adjusted, and the cylindrical lens 22 Outgoing light 1 from
Adjust the parallelization degree of 2. Further, the attachment position of the lens holder 20 to the laser holder 16 is determined by the slight play (clearance) between the lens holder attachment screw 18 and the screw hole 19 provided in the lens holder 20 as indicated by the arrow X.
Adjust in the Y direction to align the light emitting point P of the semiconductor laser 14 and the focal point F of the cylindrical lens 22 in the arrow X and Y directions, and adjust the emission angle, that is, the optical axis S of the emitted light 12 and the lens axis L of the cylindrical lens 22. Adjust the angle between the two so that it is approximately zero. Next, by fitting the laser holder 16 into the fitting hole 13 provided accurately on the circumference O, this adjusted subassembly body 36 is attached to the body 2, and the semiconductor laser 14 and the cylinder are attached to the plano-convex lens 11. The lens 22 is placed with an accuracy of several tens to several microns.

That is, in this semiconductor laser treatment device 1, firstly, the semiconductor laser 14 and the cylindrical lens 22 are arranged in units of tens to several microns on the circumference O corresponding to the plano-convex lens 11, and the laser holder 16 is fitted. This can be easily done by simply fitting the subassembly 36 into the body 2 by tightly fitting it into the mounting hole 13.Secondly, in the subassembly 36 before being attached to the body 2, the semiconductor The alignment between the light emitting point P of the laser 14 and the focal point F of the cylindrical lens 22, that is, the degree of parallelization of the light beam 12 by the cylindrical lens 22 and the adjustment of the output angle of the emitted light 12 from the cylindrical lens 22, is maintained by holding the cylindrical lens 22. Adjustment of the front and back position in the hole and screw 18 and screw hole 19
This can be easily done by adjusting the mounting position of the lens holder 20 with respect to the laser holder 16 due to the slight play (clearance) between the lens holder 20 and the laser holder 16. can be easily converged to the desired degree of convergence. Furthermore, since the semiconductor laser 14 can be replaced simply by replacing the subassembly 36 that has been adjusted in advance, anyone can easily and quickly replace the semiconductor laser 14 without requiring special skills.

Next, an embodiment of the second invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, parts common to the first invention are indicated by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description will be omitted.

Lens holder 12 of this semiconductor laser treatment device 1
0 is composed of a base 121 having a screw hole 19 and a rotating body 123 that is rotatably mounted in all directions in a curved hole 122 provided in this base 121. A cylindrical lens 22 is held in a holding hole 21 similar to that in the embodiment of the first invention.

Therefore, in this semiconductor laser treatment device 1, the light emitting point P of the semiconductor laser 14 and the cylindrical lens 2
This is necessary when the optical axis S is tilted to some extent with respect to the lens axis L due to insufficient alignment with the focal point F of the lens 1.
1, the lens axis of the cylindrical lens 22 held in the lens holding hole 21 of the rotating body 123 is adjusted by rotating the rotating body 123 with respect to the base 121 (in the direction of arrow Θ). This can be easily done by tilting L with respect to the lens axis L of the plano-convex lens 11, and together with the first and second effects described in the explanation of the first invention, the degree of convergence of the light ray 12 is further improved. You will be able to do that.

In addition, in the above description, the state in which the cylindrical lens 22 as the "first lens" is adjusted in all of the X, Y, Z, and Θ directions has been described.
It goes without saying that some of these adjustments may not be necessary depending on the quality of the "semiconductor laser." Further, in the above, an example in which the cylindrical lens 22 is used as the "first lens" has been explained, but it goes without saying that a "plano-convex lens" may be used instead of the cylindrical lens 22. This also applies to the case of "plano-convex lenses."

<Effects of the Invention> Since the present invention is as described above, in the semiconductor laser treatment device according to the first invention, the number of semiconductor lasers and the first lens on the circumference corresponding to the second lens is The semiconductor laser and the first lens should be arranged in units of ten to several microns easily, and the alignment between the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser and the focal point of the first lens, that is, the light beam from the first lens. It takes special skill to easily adjust the degree of collimation and the angle of emission of the light emitted from the first lens, and to converge the light beams emitted from multiple semiconductor lasers to the degree of convergence required for medical use. It has the excellent effect of being easy to replace without requiring any special skills, and anyone can easily and quickly replace the semiconductor laser by simply replacing the adjusted subassembly. Furthermore, in the semiconductor laser treatment device of the second invention, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser and the focal point of the first lens cannot be sufficiently aligned. Even if the optical axis is somewhat tilted with respect to the lens axis, this tilted light ray can be easily made to enter the second lens at right angles and at a predetermined position.
In combination with the above-mentioned effects, there is an excellent effect that the degree of convergence of light rays can be further improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view including a partial cross section of a semiconductor laser treatment device according to the first invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view including a partial cross section of only the body, and FIG. 3 is an arrow shown in FIG. A schematic side view of the body seen from the direction shown;
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the coupling relationship of the laser holder, lens holder, screw, and cylindrical lens as the "first lens", and FIGS. Arrangement relationship between the semiconductor laser, the cylindrical lens, and the second lens, and
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser, the focus and alignment relationship of the cylindrical lens as the "first lens", and the state of the emitted light, and FIG. 6 shows the assembled state of the lens holder according to the second invention. FIG. 1... Semiconductor laser treatment device, 2... Body, 1
1...Plano-convex lens (second lens), 12...Light ray,
13... Fitting hole, 14... Semiconductor laser, 16...
... Laser holder, 17 ... Female screw, 18 ... Screw, 19 ... Screw hole, 20, 120 ... Lens holder, 21 ... Holding hole, 22 ... Cylindrical lens (first lens), 36 ... Sub Assembly body, 121
... Base, 122 ... Curved hole, 123 ... Rotating body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A first lens for collimating each light beam provided corresponding to each of a plurality of semiconductor lasers converts the light beams emitted from each semiconductor laser into parallel light beams, and condenses the plurality of parallel light beams. A semiconductor laser treatment device that focuses a laser beam on a single point using a second lens for treatment, and each of the semiconductor lasers is held in a corresponding laser holder, and these laser holders are
Each of the first lenses is tightly fitted in advance into a plurality of fitting holes provided in the body of the semiconductor laser treatment device on a predetermined circumference approximately corresponding to the position of light beam incidence on the second lens. Each lens holder is provided with a holding hole having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of one lens, and each of the lens holders is held in a position adjustable in the longitudinal direction within the holding hole, and each lens holder has a screw hole.
Each of the laser holders is attached to the tip of the laser holder by screwing a screw inserted into the screw hole into a female screw provided at the tip of the laser holder, and each laser holder and each lens holder are:
A subassembly body is formed which is attached to the body when the laser holder is fitted into the fitting hole, and in this subassembly body, the front and back position of the first lens in the holding hole is adjusted and the distance between the screws and the screw holes is adjusted in advance. A semiconductor laser treatment device characterized in that the mounting position of a lens holder relative to a laser holder can be vertically and horizontally adjusted by utilizing a slight play provided in the laser holder. 2 The light beams emitted from each semiconductor laser are made into parallel light beams by a first lens for collimating each light beam provided corresponding to each of the plurality of semiconductor lasers, and the plurality of parallel light beams are collimated by a second lens for converging the plurality of parallel light beams. It is a semiconductor laser treatment device that focuses laser light on one point to produce therapeutic laser light, and each of the semiconductor lasers is held in a corresponding laser holder, and these laser holders are
Each of the first lenses is tightly fitted in advance into a plurality of fitting holes provided in the body of the semiconductor laser treatment device on a predetermined circumference approximately corresponding to the position of light beam incidence on the second lens. 1. Each lens holder consists of a rotating body equipped with a holding hole having an inner diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of one lens, and a base equipped with a curved hole into which this rotating body is attached so as to be rotatable in all directions. This lens holder has a screw hole in the base, and by screwing the screw that passes through the screw hole into the female screw provided at the tip of the laser holder, the laser holder can be attached. Each laser holder and each lens holder are attached to the tip of the
A sub-assembly body is formed which is attached to the body when the laser holder is fitted into the fitting hole, and in this sub-assembly body, the front and back position of the first lens in the holding hole is adjusted and the screws are connected to the screw holes. The mounting position of the lens holder relative to the laser holder can be vertically and horizontally adjusted using the slight play provided in between, and the light emitted from the first lens is roughly adjusted relative to the second lens by rotating the rotating body relative to the base. A semiconductor laser treatment device characterized in that the angle of the lens axis of the first lens with respect to the lens axis of the second lens is adjusted so that the laser beam enters at a right angle.