Abstract: An optical mount assembly includes a first plate configured to mount one or more optical components and a second plate arranged adjacent to the first plate and comprising a cavity formed therein. The first plate has an opening formed therein. The optical mount assembly further includes at least one adjustment mechanism secured to the first and second plates for adjusting the optical component(s). The adjustment mechanism(s) includes a ball bearing disposed within the cavity. The ball bearing defines a through hole. Further, the adjustment mechanism(s) includes an adjustment fastener extending through the opening in the first plate and at least partially within the through hole of the ball bearing.

Abstract: A method of aligning a lens assembly to a focal plane array is provided. The method may comprise the steps of providing an upper cold shield which holds the lens assembly, providing a lower cold shield for holding the focal plane array, mounting the upper cold shield onto the lower cold shield, lowering the temperature of the upper and lower cold shield to a cryogenic level, translating the upper cold shield with respect to the lower cold shield until the lens assembly is aligned to the focal plane array while the upper and lower cold shields are at the cryogenic temperature levels, and fixing the upper cold shield to the lower cold shield while the upper and lower cold shields are maintained at cryogenic levels.

Abstract: A cold shield of a cryogenic camera. The cold shield reflects external thermal radiation away from the cryogenic camera, so as to shield the cryogenic camera in a cryogenic temperature such that no internal thermal radiation will be generated. The cryogenic camera has a lens assembly and a focal plane array. The cold shield has an upper cold shield member for holding the lens assembly and a lower cold shield member for holding the focal plane array. The upper cold shield member fits over the lower cold shield member by contact friction, such that limited translation and rotation of the lower cold shield member relative to the upper cold shield member are allowable. Therefore, the cold shield allows a fine adjustment for aligning the lens assembly to the focal plane array.

Abstract: An alignment structure and an alignment method which generates a plurality of spot images from the same light source and aligns individual spot images between different fields in independently steps without affecting the alignment of other spot images. The camera has a plurality of focusing members referenced to a common focal plane array of a plurality of detectors. The alignment structure has a light source, a collimator and a multiple-beam generator. A light beam generated by the camera is collimated and split into a plurality of components converging on the camera at angles within field of view of the camera. Multiple fields of a plurality of spot images are formed on the focal plane. By translating and rotating the focusing members, distances of the corresponding spot images between different fields are minimized to align the camera.