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Beam alignment system
| Details |
Inventors: Durran, Donald A.;
Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air (Washington, DC)
Primary Examiner: Punter; William H.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Singer; Donald J., Erlich; Jacob N.
A beam alignment system having a source for producing a first beam of electromagnetic radiation considered an alignment or reference beam, a source for producing a second beam of electromagnetic radiation to be aligned with the first beam and pair of rotating mirrors capable of being optically interposed at different times across the optical path of the first and second beams. The axes of rotation of the pair of mirrors are transverse to each other in order to enable each mirror to provide alignment information about the beams with respect to two different planes. The alignment information is indicative of a time difference between the reception by a first detector of the reflected first beam and the reflected second beam from the first mirror and a time difference between the reception by a second detector of the reflected first beam and the reflected second beam from the second mirror. These time differences are utilized to provide signals which are used to adjust the position of the source for the second beam in order to bring the second beam into alignment with the first beam in two different planes. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
1 is a schematic representation of the beam alignment system of this invention; FIG.
2 is a pictorial representation of the beam alignment system of this invention illustrative of one of the positions of the mirror assemblies associated therewith; and FIG.
3 is a pictorial representation of the beam alignment system of this invention illlustrative of another of the positions of the mirror assemblies associated therewith.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to FIG.
1 of the drawings which illustrates schematically the beam alignment system 10 of this invention.
Beam alignment system 10 is utilized in conjunction with a first source of electromagnetic radiation in the form of, for example, a conventional laser 12 which produces an alignment or reference beam 14.
A second beam 16 is provided by a second source of electromagnetic radiation in the form of, for example, another conventional laser 18.
It is the object of this invention to align beam 16 with beam 14 and to maintain this alignment.
Beams 14 and 16, which are to be brought into optical alignment with each other by this invention, are received by a pair of mirror assemblies 20 and 22 shown in detail in FIGS.
2 and 3 of the drawings.
Any conventional beam directing means such as mirror 24 can be utilized to bring alignment beam 14 into a path which is juxtaposed beam 16.
In this manner both beams 14 and 16 can be optically aligned with mirror assemblies 20 and 22.
It should be realized, however, that other arrangements can be utilized within the scope of this invention so as to direct beams 14 and 16 to mirror assemblies 20 and 22.
As shown in FIG.
2 of the drawings, each mirror assembly 20 and 22 incorporates therein a reflective element in the form of cylindrically-shaped or more conventionally referred to convex mirrors 26 and 28, respectively.
Each convex mirror 26 and 28 rotates about independent axes 30 and 32, respectively, which are positioned transverse to each other
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Optical Systems 
