Arc Detection and Control Apparatus

This invention relates to lasers and more particularly to an improved arc detection and control circuit for a high power gas laser.

A CO.sub.2 gas transport laser that has been built and successfully operated for producing continuous wave output power in the order of 1 to 2 KW is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,610. Wide use of that laser and the discovery of new industrial applications have resulted in demands for even higher output powers, i.e., in the order of 5 KW and above. One way to achieve higher power levels in such a laser is to increase the current density in the glow discharge by increasing the current in the discharge. As the current is increased, however, slight variations in the gas flow and composition tend to produce instabilities which cause the laser to arc. The energy contained in such arcs in a high power laser is so high that severe damage to the electrodes, power supply, and other parts of the laser can occur within a relatively short time, i.e., in 50 to 500 milliseconds.

In accordance with prior practice of protecting against arcs in glow discharge devices, a meter relay is connected across the electrodes to detect increases in discharge current occasioned by arcs and to trip a relay when the current exceeds a predetermined level, see "Gaseous Conductors" by James Cobine, pages 205-209 (Dover, 1958). Such a technique is not feasible for the afore-mentioned high power gas transport laser because stable operation of the laser requires that the discharge current be tightly regulated, i.e., held constant. This means that the current does not change substantially when the arc occurs. Instead, the voltage across the electrodes drops. Further disadvantages of the meter relay approach are the slow response time which permits considerable arc damage to the internal laser components prior to automatic shutdown of the power supply and the generally unreliable operation due to the fact that the operator must remember to set the current trip needle just above the operating point, a step which has, in practice, often been forgotten.

This invention is directed to a solution to these problems.

A general object of the invention is the provision of arc detection and control apparatus for a high power constant current gas laser which effects disconnection of the power supply quickly after inception of an arc across the electrodes and prior to damage to laser components from arc current, i.e., in about 5 to 10 milliseconds.

A further object is the provision of such apparatus which is factory adjustable and requires no attention from the operator prior to normal start-up of the apparatus.

These and other objects of the invention are realized with apparatus which senses the change in voltage across the laser electrodes which results when the arc occurs and converts a predetermined reduced proportion of that voltage change into a pulse having an amplitude corresponding to the product of the magnitude and rate of change of that voltage. By comparing such pulse with a reference voltage, a control voltage is obtained when the threshold is exceeded for instantly disconnecting the power supply across the laser electrodes irrespective of the initial setting of the laser operating voltage and current.

The single drawing is a schematic and block representation of the detection and control apparatus embodying this invention.

Referring now to the drawing, a gas laser circuit is represented schematically at 10 and comprises electrodes 11 and 12 connected through an inductor 13 to a high voltage constant current power supply 14. The laser beam is generated in an electrical discharge between the electrodes 11 and 12 and through a moving volume of a gas, such as a carbon dioxide mixture as described in the aforementioned patent.

In order to sense the occurrence of an arc between electrodes 11 and 12 during normal operation of laser 10, a circuit 16 is connected across those electrodes to measure changes in voltage and comprises high value resistors 17 and 18 connected to electrodes 11 and 12, respectively, and a light emitting diode 19 connected across the resistors. By way of example, resistors 17 and 18 may have a value of 600 kilo ohms and diode 19 a max current rating of 10 ma. Changes in interelectrode voltage produce a proportional change in current through diode 19 which in turn emits light, indicated by the wavey arrow 20, having an intensity likewise proportional to the voltage change.

A photodetector 22 adjacent to diode 19 is biased by a low voltage source V.sub.cc through a variable resistor 23 and produces a voltage on line 25 connected between the photodetector 22 and resistor 23 that is proportional to the intensity of light from diode 19 incident on photodetector 22. The optical coupling between diode 19 and photodetector 22 effectively isolates the high and low voltage circuits. Line 25 is connected as one input A to a multiplier circuit 27 which is also connected to low voltage source V.sub.cc. In order to detect rapid negative changes in the voltage drop across the electrodes 11 and 12 caused by an arc, a differentiator circuit 29 is connected between the photodetector output line 25 and ground. Differentiator 29 comprises capacitor 30 connected to line 25 and resistor 31 connected to ground with the common connection between the capacitor and resistor connected as a second input B to multiplier circuit 27.

Multiplier circuit 27 is a standard commercially available component, such as Model MC1495L multiplier manufactured by Motorola.

The output of multiplier circuit 27 on line 33 is amplified in amplifier 34 and is then passed through voltage doubler rectifier 35 and low pass filter 36 to produce on filter output line 38 a voltage pulse having an amplitude corresponding to the amplitude of the pulse output of multiplier 27. The polarity of the DC output on line 38 is positive. Line 38 is connected to the positive input terminal of a comparator 39 having a second or negative input terminal 40 connected to a variable reference voltage source 41. When the voltage input on line 38 exceeds the voltage input on line 40, a control voltage output from comparator 39 appears on line 43 connected to a shutdown control 44 for actuating the latter. Control 44 is operatively connected to power supply 14 as indicated by broken line 46 to disconnect power from the electrodes rapidly in response to a control voltage on line 43. Control 44 may, for example, comprise a reed relay across the power supply lockout. A principal reason for the fast response time of this circuit in disconnecting the power supply before arc damage occurs is that the changes in discharge conditions occasioned by the arcing are sensed at the electrodes by the voltage detection circuit.

In operation, the voltage across electrodes 11 and 12 when the laser is in operation is converted to current by circuit 16 so that the current flowing through diode 19 is proportional to the interelectrode voltage in the ratio of the value of resistors 17 and 18. This diode current is converted to light 20 which is reconverted to a voltage across line 25 proportional to the voltage across electrodes 11 and 12. Adjustment of the ratio of this proportioning is made via variable resistor 23 by the laser manufacturer and normally does not require further adjustment by the user.

The dynamic range of high power laser electrode voltage from start-up to the normal operating state is quite large, i.e., from 500 to 3,000 volts, and an arc can occur at any point over this range. In order to detect and respond to arcing over this voltage range by comparing the voltage change to a fixed threshold at comparator 39, the rate of change of interelectrode voltage as determined by differentiator 29 is multiplied by the proportionally reduced voltage at line 25 to produce a normalized pulse on line 33. Thus, regardless of the actual voltage across the electrodes, the amplitude of the pulse on line 33 for the same percentage change of electrode voltage is constant. The normalized pulse is then amplified and rectified to eliminate any negative components and is applied through a filter to comparator 39 for comparison with the threshold voltage. The control voltage output from the comparator on line 43 occurs when the threshold voltage is exceeded and causes control 44 to disconnect the power supply from the electrodes.

By way of example, arc detection and control apparatus of this invention has been built and successfully operated under the following conditions and with the following results: