Patent ID: 7355800
Filing Date: 2008-04-08
Classification: G02B,H01S

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for projecting a line of light, comprising: a light-pipe; at least one diode-laser bar including a plurality of spaced-apart emitters for emitting light, the light from said emitters of said diode-laser bar being emitted in a fast-axis and a slow-axis perpendicular to each other and perpendicular to the general direction of emission, with the fast-axis having a fast axis divergence and the slow-axis having a slow-axis divergence wherein said diode-laser bar has a length in the slow-axis and said light-pipe has a slow-axis width less than the length of said diode-laser bar; a first optical arrangement for directing the light emitted by the emitters of said diode-laser bar into said light-pipe, said first optical arrangement and said light-pipe being arranged such that the light propagates through said light-pipe substantially unguided thereby in the fast-axis and guided by said light-pipe in the slow-axis said first optical arrangement includes a first cylindrical lens followed by a second cylindrical lens, said first cylindrical lens being arranged to collimate light emitted by said diode-laser bar in the fast-axis and said second cylindrical lens being arranged to focus said light in the slow-axis into said light-pipe said second cylindrical lens has a slow-axis optical power selected such that the light entering the light-pipe has a slow-axis divergence greater than the slow-axis divergence of light emitted from said diode-laser bar; and a second optical arrangement arranged to receive light exiting said light-pipe and focus said light to form the line of light.