Leonardo has been granted a patent for a laser assembly that generates an assembly output beam. The assembly includes a laser subassembly with two laser modules that emit parallel laser beams, a beam adjuster that adjusts the spacing between the beams, a transform assembly that directs the beams to overlap at a focal plane, and a beam combiner that combines the beams at different angles to provide a combination beam. The resulting beams are substantially coaxial. GlobalData’s report on Leonardo gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
According to GlobalData’s company profile on Leonardo, light-weight composite fuselage was a key innovation area identified from patents. Leonardo's grant share as of June 2023 was 1%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Laser assembly for combining parallel laser beams at different angles
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11688997B2) describes a laser assembly that generates an assembly output beam. The laser assembly includes a laser subassembly with a first laser module that emits a plurality of spaced apart first laser beams and a second laser module that emits a plurality of spaced apart second laser beams. The first and second laser beams are parallel to each other. A beam adjuster is positioned in the path of the parallel laser beams to adjust the spacing between them, ensuring that the laser beams exiting the beam adjuster remain parallel.
A transform assembly is positioned in the path of the laser beams that exit the beam adjuster. The transform assembly directs the laser beams to spatially overlap at a focal plane, and a beam combiner positioned at the focal plane combines the laser beams to provide a combination beam. Importantly, the laser beams directed by the transform assembly impinge on the beam combiner at different angles, but the laser beams exiting from the beam combiner are substantially coaxial.
The laser assembly may also include additional components such as a polarization beam combiner that combines the first and second laser beams prior to the beam adjuster, a polarization rotator that rotates the polarization of the first laser beams, a dichroic beam combiner that combines laser beams in different spectral ranges, and a beam director that redirects the second laser beams to spatially combine them with the first laser beams prior to the beam adjuster.
The patent also describes a method for generating an assembly output beam using the laser assembly. The method involves emitting spaced apart first and second laser beams, adjusting the spacing between the parallel laser beams using a beam adjuster, directing the laser beams to spatially overlap at a focal plane using a transform assembly, and combining the laser beams using a beam combiner positioned at the focal plane. The resulting laser beams exiting from the beam combiner are substantially coaxial.
Overall, this patent presents a laser assembly and method that allows for the generation of a combination beam by spatially overlapping and combining parallel laser beams. The use of various components such as beam adjusters, transform assemblies, and beam combiners enables precise control and manipulation of the laser beams to achieve the desired output.
To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Leonardo, buy the report here.
Premium Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
