Abstract: An optical system design using Morse Taper mounted optical components for improving alignment performance, and more specifically a spectrometer design wherein the components include Morse Taper male tapers and the spectrometer bench include Morse Taper female openings that eases alignment and improves alignment stability, both physical and temperature related, of optical components while simplifying manufacture and maintaining a compact footprint is disclosed.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a optical system design using Morse Taper mounted optical components for improving alignment performance and more specifically is a spectrometer design that eases alignment and improves alignment stability, both physical and temperature related, of optical components while simplifying manufacture and maintaining a compact footprint.

Abstract: The invention provides for an improved mirror scanning system for use with a millimeter wave imaging system. The mirror scanning system includes a pair of voice coil actuators aligned generally perpendicular to a mirror. The voice coils are intermittently energized pursuant to a predetermined frequency related to a desired resolution. A base supports a back plate that is generally disposed parallel to the mirror and secures the pair of voice coil actuators. A rod flexure is secured to a center yoke, or coil bobbin, of each of the respective voice coils and to a back side of the mirror so that the pair of rod flexures simultaneously exert a force on the mirror causing deflection thereon as the pair of voice coils are energized. Stationary position sensors are mounted adjacent to each cylinder so the sensor can determine to location of the cylinder, and hence the angle of the mirror.

Abstract: The invention provides for an improved mirror scanning system for use with a millimeter wave imaging system. The mirror scanning system includes a pair of voice coil actuators aligned generally perpendicular to a mirror. The voice coils are intermittently energized pursuant to a predetermined frequency related to a desired resolution. A base supports a back plate that is generally disposed parallel to the mirror and secures the pair of voice coil actuators. A rod flexure is secured to a center yoke, or coil bobbin, of each of the respective voice coils and to a back side of the mirror so that the pair of rod flexures simultaneously exert a force on the mirror causing deflection thereon as the pair of voice coils are energized. Stationary position sensors are mounted adjacent to each cylinder so the sensor can determine to location of the cylinder, and hence the angle of the mirror.

Abstract: A laser cutting system, including a steering mirror assembly for directing a laser beam through a predetermined cutting path along a workpiece or substrate material. The steering mirror assembly includes a base, and a mirror pivotally supported on the base by a flexure assembly which confines pivotal movement of the mirror about a vertical Y-axis and/or about a horizontal X-axis. A pair of electrical actuator assemblies include movable bobbin assemblies connected to the mirror by control rod flexures at locations on the mirror which are spaced 90° apart from one another. In operation, selective electrical energization of the actuator assemblies controls movement of the bobbin assemblies to pivot the mirror about the vertical Y-axis and/or about the horizontal X-axis throughout a number of angular orientations to thereby direct the laser beam through a predetermined cutting operation pattern along the substrate surface to cut materials from the substrate.

Abstract: An optical transceiver antenna has a pair of cartridges supported by a pan/tilt mount. A lens at forward end of a cartridge interfaces light between an end of a light relay element retained by an axial deflection device and free space. The forward end of a cartridge also terminates first ends of actuator wires that are mutually rotationally displaced a distance of 90° from one another in a plane normal to a boresight axis of the antenna. The actuator wires have second wire terminations at the axial deflection device which are mutually rotationally displaced a distance of 90° from one another in a plane passing through the axial deflection device normal to the boresight axis. Heating currents are supplied to the actuator wires, causing their lengths to change, thereby flexing the axial deflection device and light relay element off boresight.

Abstract: A door hinge pad (12) and body hinge pad (14) are respectively mounted on the door and body of an automotive vehicle, and interrelated for relative swinging movement by a pivot pin (16). A pair of spaced apart camming surfaces 30 integral with the door hinge pad (12) are resiliently tracked by first and second rollers (68) connected to opposite ends of a compression spring (66) integrally related to the body hinge pad (14). Swinging movement of the door hinge pad (12) away from the closed position moves the rollers (68) over a camming raised portion into a dwell (34) serving as a limit stop at a predetermined door opening angle.

Abstract: A sheet feeder may include a feed roller for compelling a sheet from a stack of sheets into a sheet path and a pair of separation rollers rotating in the same direction for urging sheets along the sheet path. The separation rollers may be selectively and separately disengaged from their motive source in coordination with operation of a motor for the feed roller to provide multiple checks for sheet multifeeds. At each check, extra sheets are returned to the stack of sheets. The separation rollers may each include plural annular spaced-apart sheet contact surfaces that are interleaved with the contact surfaces of the other roller.

Abstract: A linear force actuator system for stabilizing a support structure employs a linear dc motor whose primary winding is driven by a pulse width modulation control signal representative of a force input, through which the secondary member of the motor which acts as an inertial mass, is to be controllably translated. For improved control accuracy, the actuator system of the invention employs a pair of feedback loops, one of which monitors the current in the motor's primary winding to maintain a constant force output to the secondary member and a secondary of which monitors long term deviations from the center of the secondary member and corrects for centering offsets. An opto-electronic position sensing arrangement monitors the movement of the secondary member whereby precise control of commutation of the coils of the primary winding and a smooth translation of the secondary member are obtained.

Abstract: A space deployable solar energy concentrator is formed of a dome-shaped arrangement of compactly stowable flat panel segments mounted on a collapsible, space-deployable support structure of interconnected linear components. The support structure is comprised of a plurality of tensioned, curvilinear edge strips which extend in a radial direction from a prescribed vertex of a surrounding umbrella-like framework of radially extending rib members. Between a respective pair of radially-extending, curvilinear edge strips an individual wedge-shaped panel section is formed of a plurality of multi-segment lens panel strips each of which is supported in tension between the pair of edge strips by a pair of circumferentially extending catenary cord members connected to a pair of ribs of the surrounding umbrella-like framework. A respective lens panel strip is comprised of a plurality of flat, generally rectangular-shaped, energy-directing panels arranged side-by-side in the circumferential direction of the dome.

Abstract: A compact, deployable support structure arrangement includes a collapsible truss structure having tension cable members formed of specifically configured tension tapes. These tension tapes diagonally cross one another as they extend between respective pairs of longeron support truss members. The tension tapes are preformed to have two straight sections joined together by a plurality of loops. Because of the nature of the topological surface defined by such shapes, the tapes, when relaxed, will automatically refold into a stable, non-tangled condition. The hinge joints that pivotally interconnect successive longeron subsections employ a novel, effectively zero-backlash, taper latch hinge mechanism. As the portions of the hinge are rotated about a pivot axis, a locking pin is caused to contact an outer cam surface of a hinge contact plate face so as to be driven against the bias action of a spring, and to travel along the outer cam surface.

Abstract: An optical measurement technique enables optical signal processing apparatus to eliminate the effects of environmental noise during scanning of a workpiece, wherein successive optical slices through the workpiece are obtained. The image samples derived by the scanning optics may not properly line up with one another, where there is relative vibrational motion between the workpiece and the scanning optics. To overcome this problem a reference marker/correlation scheme effectively aligns each of the picture slices of the workpiece relative to a stored reference marker by correlation, so that the composite of the adjacent samples of the stem accurately represents a picture of the workpiece.

Abstract: A defocus compensation linkage arrangement automatically corrects for the defocussing of the converging viewing lens onto a photodetector in a rotational optical scanning system wherein the distance between the photodetector and the source of the image varies during the rotational scan. This is achieved by a mechanical feed forward arrangement that effectively tracks the rotational movement of the scanner and continuously adjusts the distance between the lens system and the photodetector array as rotational movement proceeds. The defocus compensation linkage comprises a rotational-to-linear translator arrangement that responds to the rotation of the scanning optics about a fixed axis of rotation and moves the lens by an amount proportional to the changing distance between the image source and the photodetector array.