Laser cleaning apparatuses that each focus laser light to have a fluence at a focal plane of output optics that is greater than an ablation threshold of a surface contaminant to be removed from a surface to be cleaned and include a scanning apparatus configured to scan the laser light in at least one dimension across a scan region within the focal plane, thereby causing the scanning laser light to have an effective divergence greater than the divergence of the laser light when stationary, and wherein the resulting effective divergence, the power, the wavelength and the temporal characteristic cause the scanning laser light to have a corresponding safe working distance from the output aperture. In some embodiments, a scan monitoring apparatus is configured to monitor the effective divergence of the scanning laser light and configured to generate an alarm signal in response to determining that the effective divergence has changed.
Laser cleaning apparatus (100) comprising: a laser system (102) configured to output laser light having a power, a wavelength, a temporal characteristic and a divergence; a delivery cable (106) to deliver the laser light to a cleaning head; a cleaning head (110) comprising: an output aperture and output optics (116) configured to focus the laser light (104) to have a fluence at a focal plane (126) that is greater than an ablation threshold of a surface contaminant to be removed from a surface to be cleaned; scanning apparatus (118) to scan the laser light in at least one dimension across a scan region within the focal plane to cause the scanning laser light to have an effective divergence greater than the divergence of the laser light and to have a corresponding safe working distance from the output aperture determined by the effective divergence, the power, the wavelength and the temporal characteristic; and scan monitoring apparatus (120) to monitor the effective divergence of the scanning laser light and to generate an alarm signal (108) in response to determining that the effective divergence has changed.
Laser cleaning apparatus (100) comprising: a laser system (102) configured to output laser light having a power, a wavelength, a temporal characteristic and a divergence; a delivery cable (106) to deliver the laser light to a cleaning head; a cleaning head (110) comprising: an output aperture and output optics (116) configured to focus the laser light (104) to have a fluence at a focal plane (126) that is greater than an ablation threshold of a surface contaminant to be removed from a surface to be cleaned; scanning apparatus (118) to scan the laser light in at least one dimension across a scan region within the focal plane to cause the scanning laser light to have an effective divergence greater than the divergence of the laser light and to have a corresponding safe working distance from the output aperture determined by the effective divergence, the power, the wavelength and the temporal characteristic; and scan monitoring apparatus (120) to monitor the effective divergence of the scanning laser light and to generate an alarm signal (108) in response to determining that the effective divergence has changed.
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for cleaning a substrate, such as a fabric material, involving the application of optical energy to the substrate, typically in the form of a beam of light, where the energy of the beam causes removal of the contaminant from substrate, such as from the fibres of a fabric material. The cleaning may occur via any mechanism, including one or more of, alone or in any combination, ablation, melting, heating or reaction with the substrate or contaminant or agent introduced to aid in the cleaning. The optical energy is typically applied to a selected area of the substrate (e.g., as a beam), and the substrate and beam or optical energy source moved relative to one another so as to clean a larger area of the substrate, either by moving the substrate or the beam, or both. Movement of the beam with respect to the substrate can be attained through a beam scanning mechanism or through movement of the optical source itself.
D06M 10/00 - Physical treatment of fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics or fibrous goods made from such materials, e.g. ultrasonic, corona discharge, irradiation, electric currents or magnetic fieldsPhysical treatment combined with treatment with chemical compounds or elements
D06F 75/08 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity
D06F 75/02 - Externally-heated hand ironsHand irons internally heated by means other than electricity, e.g. by solid fuel, by steam
D06F 75/22 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying liquid to the article being ironed
D06F 75/20 - Arrangements for discharging the steam to the article being ironed
B23K 26/00 - Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
B23K 26/082 - Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
D06L 4/00 - Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goodsBleaching leather or furs
B08B 7/00 - Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
D06F 75/14 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed the steam being produced from water in a reservoir carried by the iron
A method of cleaning a substrate (16, 24, 34, 64, 71, 82, 102, 165, 171, 181, 201, 300, 310) with optical energy can comprise applying optical energy from a source of optical energy (12, 21, 31, 91, 103, 114, 121, 131, 141, 151, 164, 191, 202) to the substrate. The method can comprise applying the optical energy to a substrate having a cleaning agent applied thereto, the optical energy having one or more optical parameters selected for cleaning the substrate. The method can comprise reading data from a data bearing element (173) associated with the substrate, communicating the data to a processor (154) associated with a cleaning appliance (10, 30, 40, 60, 70, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 161, 200) comprising the source of optical energy, wherein the processor, responsive to the communicated data, controls the cleaning of the substrate with the optical energy. The method can comprise slidingly contacting the substrate with a work surface, said work surface comprising an aperture (83, 117) and emanating optical energy from the aperture for cleaning the substrate. A cleaning appliance can comprise an appliance body (80, 90, 104, 125) comprising an aperture for emanating optical energy for cleaning the substrate and an optical transmission pathway arranged for propagating optical energy received from an optical energy source to said aperture. The appliance can be adapted and constructed for delivering a cleaning agent to the substrate. The appliance can include a processor, a data interface in communication with the processor, and can be configured such that the processor outputs signals that control the cleaning of the substrate, the processor being configured for controlling, responsive to data received by the data interface and via the output signals, the substrate cleaning. The cleaning appliance can include a suction pump (142) for removing material from the substrate.
B08B 7/00 - Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
D06L 4/50 - Bleaching fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goodsBleaching leather or furs by irradiation or ozonisation
D06F 33/02 - Controlling a series of operations in washing machines, e.g. programme-control arrangements for washing and drying cycles electrically
D06F 35/00 - Washing machines, apparatus, or methods not otherwise provided for
D06F 75/14 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed the steam being produced from water in a reservoir carried by the iron
D06F 43/00 - Dry-cleaning apparatus using volatile solvents
D06F 75/24 - Arrangements of the heating means within the ironArrangements for distributing, conducting or storing the heat
D06L 1/00 - Dry-cleaning or washing fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods
B08B 7/04 - Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass by a combination of operations
D06L 1/12 - Dry-cleaning or washing fibres, filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods using aqueous solvents
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for cleaning a substrate, such as a fabric material, involving the application of optical energy to the substrate, typically in the form of a beam of light, where the energy of the beam causes removal of the contaminant from substrate, such as from the fibers of a fabric material. The cleaning may occur via any mechanism, including one or more of, alone or in any combination, ablation, melting, heating or reaction with the substrate or contaminant or agent introduced to aid in the cleaning. The optical energy is typically applied to a selected area of the substrate (e.g., as a beam), and the substrate and beam or optical energy source moved relative to one another so as to clean a larger area of the substrate, either by moving the substrate or the beam, or both. Movement of the beam with respect to the substrate can be attained through a beam scanning mechanism or through movement of the optical source itself.
D06F 75/02 - Externally-heated hand ironsHand irons internally heated by means other than electricity, e.g. by solid fuel, by steam
D06F 75/08 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity
D06F 75/22 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying liquid to the article being ironed
B08B 7/00 - Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
D06M 10/00 - Physical treatment of fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics or fibrous goods made from such materials, e.g. ultrasonic, corona discharge, irradiation, electric currents or magnetic fieldsPhysical treatment combined with treatment with chemical compounds or elements
D06F 75/20 - Arrangements for discharging the steam to the article being ironed
B23K 26/00 - Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
D06F 75/14 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed the steam being produced from water in a reservoir carried by the iron
B23K 26/03 - Observing, e.g. monitoring, the workpiece
B23K 26/06 - Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing
A method of cleaning a substrate (16, 24, 34, 64, 71, 82, 102, 165, 171, 181, 201, 300, 310) with optical energy can comprise applying optical energy from a source of optical energy (12, 21, 31, 91, 103, 114, 121, 131, 141, 151, 164, 191, 202) to the substrate. The method can comprise applying the optical energy to a substrate having a cleaning agent applied thereto, the optical energy having one or more optical parameters selected for cleaning the substrate. A cleaning appliance can comprise an appliance body (80, 90, 104, 125) comprising an aperture for emanating optical energy for cleaning the substrate and an optical transmission pathway arranged for propagating optical energy received from an optical energy source to said aperture. The appliance can be adapted and constructed for delivering a cleaning agent to the substrate. The cleaning appliance can include a suction pump (142) for removing material from the substrate.
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for cleaning a substrate, such as a fabric material, involving the application of optical energy to the substrate, typically in the form of a beam of light, where the energy of the beam causes removal of the contaminant from substrate, such as from the fibres of a fabric material. The cleaning may occur via any mechanism, including one or more of, alone or in any combination, ablation, melting, heating or reaction with the substrate or contaminant or agent introduced to aid in the cleaning. The optical energy is typically applied to a selected area of the substrate {e.g., as a beam), and the substrate and beam or optical energy source moved relative to one another so as to clean a larger area of the substrate, either by moving the substrate or the beam, or both. Movement of the beam with respect to the substrate can be attained through a beam scanning mechanism or through movement of the optical source itself.
D06L 3/00 - Bleaching fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics, feathers or made-up fibrous goods, leather or furs
B08B 7/00 - Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
B23K 26/00 - Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
D06M 10/00 - Physical treatment of fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics or fibrous goods made from such materials, e.g. ultrasonic, corona discharge, irradiation, electric currents or magnetic fieldsPhysical treatment combined with treatment with chemical compounds or elements
D06F 75/14 - Hand irons internally heated by electricity with means for supplying steam to the article being ironed the steam being produced from water in a reservoir carried by the iron
patents
