Patent ID: 9574541
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: F02B,F02P,H01S

Claim:
1. A laser ignition device comprising: a housing having a lower and an upper section placed in good thermal contact by bonding, wherein the exterior of the lower section comprises a threaded region to be attached to a correspondingly threaded cavity of an internal combustion engine wall, said lower and upper sections further including respective interior cavities, said cavities align to provide a contiguous hollow space, and a sealed window located at one extreme end of the lower section opposite from the upper section; a cooling apparatus surrounding the housing and in thermal contact with the housing; an optical pump module mounted on a first submount, said submount placed in thermal contact with a heat sink and a first section of the interior wall of the housing, such that the optical pump module is in thermal contact with the cooling apparatus; a solid state laser mounted on a second submount, said solid state laser including at least one solid gain medium disposed between a high reflectivity coating and a low reflectivity coating deposited on opposite ends of the gain medium with the low reflectivity coating end positioned to face the window, wherein said second submount is positioned in thermal contact with the heat sink and a second section of the interior wall of the housing, such that the solid state laser is in thermal contact with the cooling apparatus; at least two beam shaping elements, wherein at least a first beam shaping element is positioned between the optical pump module and the solid state laser, and at least a second beam shaping element is positioned between the solid state laser and the window, wherein upon operating the pump module, a laser beam generated in the solid state laser is directed to a desired location to ignite a combustion fuel in the internal combustion engine.