Actuator with shape-memory element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11016261-B2
Application number	US-201716334910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

An actuator for adjusting an element to be moved in a beam path of an optical arrangement contains the element to be moved, a carrier and at least one SM element, the SM element being connected to the element to be moved and designed such that it is supported on the carrier, so that when the dimension of the SM element changes, a directed force effect is produced between the element to be moved and the carrier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator for adjusting an element to be moved along a displacement path, said actuator comprising:
the element to be moved,
a carrier,
at least one clamping element, and
a first shape-memory (SM) element,
wherein the first shape-memory element is connected to the element to be moved and embodied so as to be supported on the carrier such that a directed force effect is produced between the element to be moved and the carrier in case of a change in an extent of the first shape-memory element, and wherein the at least one clamping element is configured to apply a force to clamp the element in a fixed position relative to the carrier after the directed force effect moves the element to a clamped position.

2. The actuator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one clamping element comprises a second SM element, a force effect of said second SM element being directed on the element to be moved and the element to be moved being clamped against an abutment as a result of said force effect of said second SM element such that the clamped element to be moved is held in the clamped position.

3. The actuator as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the first or second SM elements comprises a magnetic shape-memory material.

4. The actuator as claimed in claim 3 , wherein at least one coil is arranged in such a way to produce a magnetic field comprising magnetic field lines that extend transversely to the directed force effect of at least one of the first or second SM element comprising magnetic shape-memory material.

5. The actuator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the element to be moved and/or the carrier has at least one magnet and the element to be moved lying opposite the magnet or the carrier comprises at least partly a magnetic material or opposing magnets attract one another such that a magnetic force acts between the element to be moved and the carrier, and the element to be moved and the carrier attract one another.

6. An arrangement, comprising:
an actuator as claimed in claim 1 ,
a wall comprising at least one side delimiting movement of the element along the displacement path, and
a conductor comprising a magnetically conductive material,
wherein the conductor, over at least a portion of its length, extends in the wall and the conductor is connected to at least one of the first and/or second SM elements in such a way that magnetic field lines guided in the conductor interact with the first and/or second SM element.

7. An optical apparatus, comprising:
an actuator as claimed in claim 1 .

8. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 7 which is in the form of an objective.

9. An apparatus for adjusting an element to be moved, said apparatus comprising:
at least one actuator as claimed in claim 1 , and
an evaluation unit configured to evaluate current spatial coordinates, and
a control unit configured to generate control commands depending on the evaluated current spatial coordinates.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the evaluation unit and/or the control unit are configured to generate the control commands on the basis of calculation prescriptions depending on incoming measured values of operating parameters and/or depending on selectable modes of operation of the apparatus.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the evaluation unit and/or the control unit is connected to at least one further component via a data link and the control unit is configured to generate the control commands depending on received data from the at least one further component.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising at least one sensor, embodied as an induction sensor, between carrier and element to be moved, and an inductance-to-digital converter configured to digitize measured values captured by the at least one sensor.

13. A method for moving a component of an objective into position, said method comprising:
adjusting a position of said component of said objective with an actuator as claimed in claim 1 .

14. A method for adjusting a stop, a reflecting element and/or a sensor in a beam path of an optical apparatus, said method comprising:
adjusting a position of said stop, said reflecting element and/or said sensor in said beam path of said optical apparatus with an actuator as claimed in claim 1 .

15. A method for adjusting at least two optical elements relative to one another, said method comprising:
adjusting a position of said at least two optical elements relative to one another with an actuator as claimed in claim 1 .

16. An optical apparatus, comprising:
an arrangement as claimed in claim 6 .

17. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 16 which is in the form of an objective.

18. A method for moving a component of an objective into position, said method comprising:
adjusting a position of said component of said objective with an arrangement as claimed in claim 6 .

19. A method for adjusting a stop, a reflecting element and/or a sensor in a beam path of an optical apparatus, said method comprising:
adjusting a position of said stop, said reflecting element and/or said sensor in said beam path of said optical apparatus with an arrangement as claimed in claim 6 .

20. A method for adjusting at least two optical elements relative to one another, said method comprising:
adjusting a position of said at least two optical elements relative to one another with an arrangement as claimed in claim 6 .

Assignees

• Zeiss Carl Microscopy Gmbh

Inventors

• John Benjamin
• Schulz Michael

Classifications

• F03G7/06147

  Magnetic shape memory alloys, e.g. ferro-magnetic alloys · CPC title

• F03G7/0635

  with several elements connected in series · CPC title

• F03G7/0614

  using shape memory elements · CPC title

• G03B3/12

  adapted for remote control · CPC title

• G02B7/003

  Alignment of optical elements (G02B7/001, G02B7/002 take precedence; for mirrors G02B7/1822) · CPC title