JPH0334940B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to safety measures used in laser devices, particularly medical laser devices.

Medical laser apparatuses require a high degree of safety because the object to which laser light is irradiated is the human body, and the laser probe is directly handled by a doctor. For this reason, medical laser devices are provided with safety devices to deal with various accidents. However, in conventional medical laser devices, the excitation lamp can be turned on even when the lamp current supplied to the excitation lamp that irradiates the laser resonator with excitation light energy is set to a large value. Therefore, if the excitation lamp is turned on without making sure that the lamp current to the excitation lamp is set high, a high-output laser may be emitted inadvertently and pose a danger to the human body. isn't it.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a safety measure for a medical laser device that prevents the excitation lamp from being turned on and emitting a high-output laser when the excitation lamp current is set to exceed a safety standard value. There is a particular thing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a laser resonator 1 is arranged to receive the optical energy of an excitation lamp 2. In the embodiment of FIG. Excitation lamp 2 is connected to power supply 3 . This power supply device 3 is provided with an output control circuit 4, and this output control circuit 4 controls the lamp current to the excitation lamp 2 according to the output setting value of the output setting circuit 8 connected to this output control circuit 4. It is composed of The output setting circuit 8 consists of a variable resistor 9 connected to the control device 6 and a variable resistor 10 interlocked with the variable resistor 9 and connected to the output control circuit 4.
Consists of a series of variable resistors. The control device 6 is connected to the power supply device 3, the safety device 5, and the warning device 7, and is configured as shown in FIG. That is, variable resistor 9 is connected to A/D converter 11, and this A/D converter 11 is connected to CPU 13 via bus buffer circuit 12. CPU13 is I/
It is connected to the power supply device 3, the safety device 5, and the warning device 7 via the O circuit 14.

In the above circuit configuration, when the excitation lamp current value is set by the output setting circuit 8, the resistance value of the variable resistor 9 is converted into a corresponding voltage signal, and this voltage signal is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 11, and the bus buffer CPU1 via circuit 12
3 is input. CPU13 is the value of the digital signal,
That is, the excitation lamp current value is read and the lamp current is monitored. Further, this CPU 13 can also display the laser output corresponding to the set current value. If the excitation lamp current value is set to a small value, the CPU
13 gives an excitation lamp lighting permission command to the morgue 5 via the I/O circuit 14. At this time, if the lighting circuit in the power supply device 3 is set, the power supply device 3
lights up the excitation lamp 2 in response to the lighting command.
At this time, the excitation lamp 2 is turned on according to the lamp current value set by the output setting circuit 8. Light energy emitted from the excitation lamp 2 is converted into laser light by the laser resonator 1. The output of the laser beam at this time is within safety standards and is quite small, so even if the laser beam is inadvertently emitted, it poses almost no danger to the human body. When the excitation lamp current value set by the output setting circuit 8 exceeds the safety reference value, the CPU 13 issues an excitation lamp lighting prohibition command to the safety device 5 via the I/O circuit 14. In response to the lighting prohibition command, the safety device 5 locks the lighting circuit of the power supply device 3 into a non-lighting state, and lighting of the excitation lamp 2 is prohibited. Therefore, a high-power laser is not emitted carelessly, and safety can be ensured.

The control device 6 performs sequence control of the operation of the laser device, manages laser irradiation time and safety devices, and issues abnormality alarms. The abnormality alarm is issued by the warning device 7 by displaying or sounding an alarm. Further, the safety device 5 detects an abnormality in each part of the laser device, and cuts off the lighting current to the excitation lamp 2 in the event of an abnormality.

In the first embodiment, if the excitation lamp current setting value is not set smaller than the safety standard value when the excitation lamp is turned on, the CPU 13 can activate the warning device 7 to report a warning. Also,
The variable resistor or switch for detecting the current setting value provided in the output setting circuit may be replaced by a photocoupler or the like, or by a combination of a magnet and a magnetic sensor. Furthermore, a semiconductor switch may be used as the current setting value detection switch.

As described above, according to the present invention, a safety measure is provided to prevent the excitation lamp from being turned on when the set value of the lamp current supplied to the excitation lamp is larger than the safety standard value, so that a large output may be caused by inadvertently. The safety of the laser device is improved because the laser is not emitted.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a medical laser device equipped with an embodiment of safety means according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device for the laser device of FIG. 1. 1... Laser resonator, 2... Excitation lamp, 3...
...Power supply device, 4...Output control circuit, 5...Safety device, 6...Control device, 7...Warning device, 8...Output setting circuit, 9, 10...Double variable resistor, 11
...A/D converter, 12...Bus buffer circuit, 13...CPU, 14...I/O circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a safety measure used in a medical laser device having an excitation lamp and a resonator that converts the light energy of the excitation lamp into laser light, an output control circuit that controls the lamp current and a lamp current setting value are connected to the detection means. output setting means for setting the lamp current supplied to the excitation lamp, which is comprised of a double variable resistor; detecting the set value of the output setting means; and detecting the set value of the output setting means, and when the set value exceeds a safety standard value, the output to the excitation lamp; A safety means for a medical laser device, comprising means for prohibiting the supply of lamp current.