Method and apparatus for an optical illuminator assembly and its alignment
First Claim
1. An illuminator optical assembly for providing a shaped, filtered beam in an analytical instrument, comprising:
- a first housing having an internal cavity and a longitudinal axis;
a second housing containing a laser source having a laser beam output and a collimating lens disposed in the laser beam output, the collimating lens being mounted a fixed distance from the laser beam source to produce a collimated laser beam output, wherein the second housing is adjustably coupled to the first housing so that the laser beam output passes through the housing cavity and is adjustable within a solid cylinder area to define a beam axis through said first housing cavity;
a spatial filter comprising an objective lens having a focal point, a first aperture, and a collector lens, the collector lens being mounted in a fixed location in the first housing cavity to intersect the beam axis, the first aperture being mounted in the first housing cavity a fixed distance from said collector lens in the beam axis, wherein the objective lens is secured within the first housing and movable along the beam axis to shift the focal point to a preselected location relative to the first aperture, the spatial filter producing a spatially filtered collimated laser beam output;
a beam shaping aperture adjustably mounted in the first housing cavity and positionable to intersect the spatially filtered collimated laser beam output and shape said beam; and
a focussing lens assembly containing a focussing lens, the focussing lens assembly being adjustably coupled to the first housing so that the focussing lens is positionable in the laser beam path to focus said shaped beam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical illuminator assembly for an analytical instrument, such as a clinical hematology or a flow cytometer instrument, and method of aligning the components of the illuminator assembly and orienting the illuminator assembly. The illuminator assembly includes a plurality of optical components, such as a laser source, e.g., a laser diode, optionally a spatial filter, a beam shaping aperture, and a focussing lens. The optical components are mounted in or to a housing and are internally oriented with respect to the housing to produce a focussed laser beam output. The housing is in turn mounted on an alignment mechanism which can move the focussed beam in four degrees of freedom, thereby to direct the focussed beam to a particular location. Thus, a factory alignment and a low cost prealigned optical illuminator assembly is obtained, which can be easily oriented for use in an instrument.
88 Citations
11 Claims
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1. An illuminator optical assembly for providing a shaped, filtered beam in an analytical instrument, comprising:
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a first housing having an internal cavity and a longitudinal axis; a second housing containing a laser source having a laser beam output and a collimating lens disposed in the laser beam output, the collimating lens being mounted a fixed distance from the laser beam source to produce a collimated laser beam output, wherein the second housing is adjustably coupled to the first housing so that the laser beam output passes through the housing cavity and is adjustable within a solid cylinder area to define a beam axis through said first housing cavity; a spatial filter comprising an objective lens having a focal point, a first aperture, and a collector lens, the collector lens being mounted in a fixed location in the first housing cavity to intersect the beam axis, the first aperture being mounted in the first housing cavity a fixed distance from said collector lens in the beam axis, wherein the objective lens is secured within the first housing and movable along the beam axis to shift the focal point to a preselected location relative to the first aperture, the spatial filter producing a spatially filtered collimated laser beam output; a beam shaping aperture adjustably mounted in the first housing cavity and positionable to intersect the spatially filtered collimated laser beam output and shape said beam; and a focussing lens assembly containing a focussing lens, the focussing lens assembly being adjustably coupled to the first housing so that the focussing lens is positionable in the laser beam path to focus said shaped beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification