Spherically mounted retroreflector and method of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9690017-B2
Application number	US-201514669745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) includes a substrate, an optic, and an adhesive. The substrate has a partially spherical outer surface and a cavity, the partially spherical outer surface has a sphere center. The optic has a cube-corner retroreflector fixedly disposed within the cavity; the cube-corner retroreflector has an optical vertex. The adhesive is disposed between the optic and the substrate and fixedly adheres the optic to the substrate. The optical vertex is coincident with the sphere center. The substrate is made from a ferromagnetic material and has an electroless nickel outer coating.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR), comprising:
a substrate comprising a partially spherical outer surface and a cavity, the partially spherical outer surface having a sphere center;
an optic comprising a cube-corner retroreflector fixedly disposed within the cavity, the cube-corner retroreflector having an optical vertex; and
an adhesive disposed between the optic and the substrate that fixedly adheres the optic to the substrate;
wherein the optical vertex is coincident with the sphere center;
wherein the substrate is made from a ferromagnetic material and comprises an electroless nickel coating.

2. The SMR of claim 1 , wherein the cavity comprises a cube-corner cavity onto which retroreflector surfaces are directly replicated.

3. The SMR of claim 1 , wherein the optic and substrate have a void therebetween where the adhesive is not disposed, and further comprising:
a potting material disposed in the void.

4. The SMR of claim 1 , wherein the cavity is sized to hold the cube-corner retroreflector.

5. The SMR of claim 4 , wherein the cube-corner retroreflector is a replicated optic.

6. The SMR of claim 5 , wherein the cavity is cylindrical.

7. A method of making a spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR), comprising:
coating a ferromagnetic metal sphere with electroless nickel;
diamond turning the nickel into a spherical portion;
applying a protective coating to an outer surface of the nickel;
forming a cavity within the sphere; and
embedding and adhering a cube-corner retroreflector in the cavity.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the forming a cavity comprises forming a cylindrical cavity.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the forming a cavity comprises forming a cube-corner cavity and the embedding and adhering a cube-corner retroreflector comprises replicating retroreflector surfaces in the cube-corner cavity.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the forming a cavity further comprises machining via a small drill bit fine intersection lines between each pair of three orthogonal planar surfaces of the cube-corner retroreflector.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the forming a cavity further comprises machining via electrical discharge machining fine intersection lines between each pair of three orthogonal planar surfaces of the cube-corner retroreflector.

12. A spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR), comprising:
a substrate comprising a partially spherical outer surface and a cavity, the partially spherical outer surface having a sphere center;
an optic comprising a cube-corner retroreflector fixedly disposed within the cavity, the cube-corner retroreflector having an optical vertex; and
an adhesive disposed between the optic and the substrate that fixedly adheres the optic to the substrate;
wherein the optical vertex is coincident with the sphere center;
wherein the substrate is made from an un-heat-treated ferromagnetic material and includes a diamond like carbon (DLC) outer coating.

13. A spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) comprising:
a substrate comprising a partially spherical outer surface and a cavity, the partially spherical outer surface having a sphere center;
an optic comprising a cube-corner retroreflector fixedly disposed within the cavity, the cube-corner retroreflector having and optical vertex; and
an adhesive disposed between the optic and the substrate that fixedly adheres the optic to the substrate;
wherein the optical vertex is coincident with the sphere center;
wherein the substrate includes a diamond like carbon (DLC) outer coating; and
wherein the substrate is made from a ferromagnetic material. material.

14. A spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR) comprising:
a substrate comprising a partially spherical outer surface and a cavity, the partially spherical outer surface having a sphere center;
an optic comprising a cube-corner retroreflector fixedly disposed within the cavity, the cube-corner retroreflector having an optical vertex; and
an adhesive disposed between the optic and the substrate that fixedly adheres the optic to the substrate;
wherein the optical vertex is coincident with the sphere center;
wherein the substrate includes a diamond like carbon (DLC) outer coating; and
wherein the optic and substrate have a void therebetween where the adhesive is not disposed, and further comprising:
a potting material disposed in the void.

15. The SMR of claim 12 , wherein the cavity comprises a cylindrical cavity.

16. The SMR of claim 15 , wherein the cube-corner retroreflector comprises a cylindrical slug comprising the cube-corner retroreflector.

17. The SMR of claim 12 , wherein the cavity comprises a cube-corner cavity.

18. The SMR of claim 17 , wherein the cube-corner retroreflector comprises a replicated cube-corner retroreflector disposed in the cube-corner cavity.

19. A method of making a spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR), comprising:
forming a cavity within the sphere;
polishing the sphere to a smooth finish;
coating a ferromagnetic metal sphere with a diamond like carbon (DLC) coating; and
embedding and adhering a cube-corner retroreflector in the cavity.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the forming a cavity comprises forming a cylindrical cavity.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the coating a ferromagnetic metal sphere comprises coating a sphere made from mild steel.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the forming a cavity comprises forming a cube-corner cavity.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the forming a cavity further comprises machining via a small drill bit fine intersection lines between each pair of three orthogonal planar surfaces of the cube-corner retroreflector.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the forming a cavity further comprises machining via electrical discharge machining fine intersection lines between each pair of three orthogonal planar surfaces of the cube-corner retroreflector.

25. A spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR), comprising:
a substrate comprising a partially spherical outer surface and a cavity, the partially spherical outer surface having a sphere center;
an optic comprising a cube-corner retroreflector fixedly disposed within the cavity, the cube-corner retroreflector having an optical vertex; and
an adhesive disposed between the optic and the substrate that fixedly adheres the optic to the substrate;
wherein the optical vertex is coincident with the sphere center;
wherein the substrate and the optic are each made from a same ferromagnetic material.

26. The SMR of claim 25 , wherein the same ferromagnetic material comprises a mild steel.

27. The SMR of claim 25 , wherein the cavity comprises a cylindrical cavity.

28. The SMR of claim 25 , wherein the ferromagnetic material of the substrate comprises an electroless nickel outer coating.

29. The SMR of claim 25 , wherein the ferromagnetic material of the substrate comprises a chromate conversion outer coating.

30. The SMR of claim 25 , wherein the optic and substrate have a void therebetween where the adhesive is not disposed, and further comprising:
a potting material disposed in the void.

31. The SMR of claim 25 , wherein the cube-corner retroreflector comprises a cylindrical slug comprising the cube-corner retroreflector.

32.

Assignees

• Faro Tech Inc

Inventors

• Tohme Yazid
• Steffey Kenneth
• Garey Jeremy Markee
• Day Jonathan Robert

Classifications

• Y10T156/1064

  Partial cutting [e.g., grooving or incising] · CPC title

• G01S17/66

  Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title

• G01S7/499

  using polarisation effects · CPC title

• G01S7/481

  Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements · CPC title

• G02B5/122 Primary

  cube corner, trihedral or triple reflector type · CPC title