Mirror positioning apparatus for use in beam switching
First Claim
1. A mirror apparatus for selectively distributing energy from at least one laser beam comprising:
- a support plate with an aperture therethrough;
a rotatable shaft extending through said aperture;
a mirror affixed to a first end of said shaft;
a motor operative to apply a torque to the shaft; and
a flexible drive interface located between and coupled to said motor and a second end of said shaft, said flexible drive interface being configured to prevent vibrations of the motor to be transferred into the rotatable shaft.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A mirror positioning assembly for use in beam switching is provided that employs a novel arrangement of the mirrors and the motors to selectively position the mirrors. The assembly is installed into the housing of an assembly for distributing laser energy where the mirrors are contained within the beam cavity and the remainder of the assembly is outside of the housing. The assembly is received in a port within the housing in a manner that allows 360° of rotational adjustment so that the mirror can be carefully aligned to insure near lossless distribution of the beam energy as it passes through the device. This arrangement keeps the electronics, motors, bearings and adjustments of the mirror switching external to the beam cavity herby reducing the number of potential contaminants contained therein.
10 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A mirror apparatus for selectively distributing energy from at least one laser beam comprising:
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a support plate with an aperture therethrough; a rotatable shaft extending through said aperture; a mirror affixed to a first end of said shaft; a motor operative to apply a torque to the shaft; and a flexible drive interface located between and coupled to said motor and a second end of said shaft, said flexible drive interface being configured to prevent vibrations of the motor to be transferred into the rotatable shaft. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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2. A mirror apparatus of for selectively distributing energy from at least one laser beam comprising:
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a support plate with an aperture therethrough; a rotatable shaft extending through said aperture; a mirror affixed to a first end of said shaft; a flexible drive interface affixed to a second end of said shaft; and a bearing/bushing unit in said aperture and about said shaft to precisely guide rotation of said shaft.
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5. A mirror apparatus of for selectively distributing energy from at least one laser beam comprising:
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a support plate with an aperture therethrough; a rotatable shaft extending through said aperture; a mirror affixed to a first end of said shaft; a flexible drive interface affixed to a second end of said shaft; and a coolant path integrated within the apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification