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US 8,128,246 B1Granted
Fast steering mirror
AssigneeExelis, Inc.
InventorsMichael Joseph Obrien, William Bradley Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for tilting a mirror. The apparatus includes a plate for supporting the mirror and a diaphragm sandwiched between the mirror and the plate. The diaphragm includes cutout portions forming a pattern in the diaphragm. As the plate provides tilt motion to the mirror, the pattern in the diaphragm stabilizes the tilt motion of the mirror.
Claims16
An apparatus for tilting a mirror comprising:
- a mirror for reflecting light from an object;
- a plate for supporting the mirror;
- and
- a diaphragm sandwiched between the mirror and the plate, the diaphragm including a planar substrate having a center and a circumferential edge surrounding the center, and
- the diaphragm including cutout portions forming a pattern in the diaphragm,
- wherein the plate provides tilt motion to the mirror, and
- the pattern in the diaphragm stabilizes the tilt motion of the mirror, and
- the pattern includes a plurality of first cutout portions, each of the first cutout portions defined by at least two first legs originating from a common location proximate to the center and extending toward the circumferential edge, and
- a plurality of second cutout portions, each of the second cutout portions defined by at least two second legs originating from a common location proximate to the circumferential edge and extending toward the center.
6 more elements
An apparatus for sensing angular position of a mirror comprising:
- a plate forming an X, Y plane in an X, Y, Z coordinate system for providing angular motion to the mirror about X and Y axes,
- four proximity sensors oriented equidistantly on a radius from a center point of the plate and sequentially positioned 90 degrees from one another,
- each proximity sensor located 45 degrees from the X or Y axis, and separated from the plate by a gap in a Z direction,
- wherein each of the sensors provides a decreasing output voltage when a respective gap to the drive plate decreases, and a constant output voltage when the respective gap to the drive plate increases, and
- a circuit for receiving the output voltage from each of the sensors and determining the angular position of the mirror.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.