Assembly for producing a plurality of beam bundles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113711-B2
Application number	US-201415038081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Nov 20, 2013
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A mirror assembly is provided for producing beam bundles from the beam of a light source, wherein the beam bundles includes a first beam bundle having a first main beam direction, a second beam bundle having a second main beam direction, and preferably further beam bundles having further main beam directions. The assembly includes a first mirror segment having a first focal point, which converts a first partial region of the beam of the light source into the first beam bundle, a second mirror segment having a second focal point, which converts a second partial region of the beam of the light source into the second beam bundle, and preferably further mirror segments having further focal points, which convert further partial regions of the beam of the light source into further beam bundles. The back side of the mirror segments have a curvature which is concentric to the light source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mirror assembly ( 1 ) for producing a plurality of beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) having main beam directions (SR 1 . . . SRn) from a beam of a light source (L), wherein n≥2, the mirror assembly comprising:
a plurality of mirror segments ( 1 a . . . 1 n ) with corresponding focal points (F 1 . . . Fn), wherein said focal points (F 1 . . . Fn) convert a corresponding partial area (S 1 . . . Sn) of the beam of the light source (L) into corresponding beam bundle (K 1 . . . Kn), whereby the rear side of the mirror segments has a curvature with the radius R_s, which is concentric to the light source, wherein said mirror segments are parts of a common female part ( 1 ), whereby the female part has a working distance f relative to the light source at a point (FP), with a vertex radius (R_p), a rear-side radius of curvature (R_s) and a maximal thickness (D_max) satisfying a condition that D_max+R_p/2=R_s, and the volume of the individual mirror segments is smaller than the volume of the female part.

2. The mirror assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n are configured as parabolic segments converting the partial area of the beams (S 1 , . . . Sn) of the light source into collimated beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) respectively.

3. The mirror assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) are configured as spherical segments converting the partial area of the beams (S 1 , . . . Sn) of the light source into beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) respectively with modified convergence.

4. The mirror assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) are configured as ellipsoid segments converting the partial area of the beams (S 1 , . . . Sn) of the light source into focused beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) respectively.

5. The mirror assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) are configured as plane mirror segments converting the partial area of the beams (S 1 , . . . Sn) of the light source into divergent beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) respectively.

6. The mirror assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) are configured as free-form mirror elements converting the partial area of the beams (S 1 , . . . Sn) of the light source into specially corrected beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) respectively.

7. The mirror assembly as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a spherical shell segment ( 2 ) with the radius R_s, in which the mirror segments are arranged, whereby the individual mirror segments with the spherical shell segment, in particular non-positively and/or positively, are connected.

8. The mirror assembly as claimed claim 1 , further comprising a cylindrical shell segment ( 2 ) with the radius R_s, in which the mirror segments are arranged, whereby the individual mirror segments are connected to the cylindrical shell segment non-positively and/or positively.

9. A process for manufacturing a mirror assembly, the mirror assembly comprising a plurality of mirror segments ( 1 a . . . 1 n ) with corresponding focal points (F 1 . . . Fn), wherein said focal points (F 1 . . . Fn) convert a corresponding partial area (S 1 . . . Sn) of the beam of the light source (L) into corresponding beam bundle (K 1 . . . Kn), whereby the rear side of the mirror segments has a curvature with the radius R_s, which is concentric to the light source, wherein the process comprises:
providing a plurality of mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ), where n≥2;
providing a light source (L) for sending out a beam (S);
arranging said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) such that they convert partial areas of the beams (S 1 , . . . Sn) of the light source into beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) with main beam directions (SR 1 , . . . SRn) respectively, whereby the rear side of the mirror segments has a curvature with the radius R_s, which is concentric to the light source, wherein said providing of said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) and the step of arranging the mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) comprise the following:
providing a female part ( 1 ) with a working distance f relative to the light source at a point (FP), with a vertex radius (R_p), a rear-side radius of curvature (R_s) and a maximal thickness (D_max), satisfying a first equation is R_p/2+D_max=R_s and a second equation is R_p=2f;
dividing the female part in mirror segments, whereby the volume of the mirror segments is smaller than the volume of the female part;
providing a spherical shell segment or a cylindrical shell segment with a radius R_s, in which the mirror segments can be laid;
arranging each of said mirror segments in spherical shell segment or cylindrical shell segment; whereby the arranging step comprises rotation (R) of the at least one of said mirror segment about the point (FP), such that at least one partial area of the beam of the light source is converted into a respective at least one beam bundle with a respective at least one main beam direction.

10. The process as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the step of dividing the female part comprises disassembling into a plurality of third segments ( 3 a , . . . 3 n ) and cutting said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) out of the third segments in each case.

11. The process as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the beam bundles (K 1 . . . Kn) are measured by means of a receiver, and rotation (R) of the at least one of the mirror segments is completed by way of measuring signals from the receiver.

12. The process as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the mirror segments have an outer contour with straight edges ( 4 a , 4 b ).

13. The process as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the mirror segments have straight edges which lie flush in pairs or in parallel so that these edges can be used as a guide in the step of rotation (R) in the spherical shell segment or cylindrical shell segment.

14. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the straight edges of mirror segment pairs enclose a defined angle of substantially 90°, which can also be shown in a device for assembling ( 7 ).

15. A process for manufacturing a mirror assembly, the mirror assembly comprising a plurality of mirror segments ( 1 a . . . 1 n ) with corresponding focal points (F 1 . . . Fn), wherein said focal points (F 1 . . . Fn) convert a corresponding partial area (S 1 . . . Sn) of the beam of the light source (L) into corresponding beam bundle (K 1 . . . Kn), whereby the rear side of the mirror segments has a curvature with the radius R_s, which is concentric to the light source, wherein the process comprises the following features:
providing a plurality of mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ), where n≥2;
providing a light source (L) for sending out a beam (S);
arranging said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) such that they convert partial areas of the beams (S 1 , . . . Sn) of the light source into beam bundles (K 1 , . . . Kn) with main beam directions (SR 1 , . . . SRn) respectively, whereby the rear side of the mirror segments has a curvature with the radius R_s, which is concentric to the light source, wherein the beam bundles (K 1 . . . Kn) are measured by means of a receiver, and rotation (R) of the at least one of the mirror segments is completed by way of measuring signals from the receiver.

16. The process as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the step of providing said mirror segments ( 1 a , . . . 1 n ) and the step of arranging the mirror segments ( 1 a , .

Assignees

• Nova Measuring Instr Ltd

Inventors

• Franz Stefan

Classifications

• F21V7/10 Primary

  Construction · CPC title

• F21V7/08

  with elliptical curvature · CPC title

• F21V7/06

  with parabolic curvature · CPC title

• F21V7/045

  with spherical surface · CPC title

• F21V7/043

  with cylindrical surface · CPC title