Patent · US Expired

Vibration compensating interferometer mirror drive system

US4480914A · kind A · utility

19Cited by
6References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 13, 1982
Grant dateNov 6, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 13, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01J3/4535
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An interferometer mirror drive system compensates for velocity and tilt errors induced by ambient vibration, as well as providing long-term automatic alignment of the mirrors. A uniquely configured .lambda./8-thick step on the fixed mirror of the interferometer introduces a 90-degree phase shift in one of two reference light beams, to produce quadrature signals which characterize the relative motion between the fixed and the driven mirrors. An electronic circuit extracts velocity and tilt data from the quadrature signals and develops error signals indicative of deviations from the desired coordinates of the moving mirror. The error signals are used to generate a set of control signals which in turn are supplied to an arrangement of drive coils attached to the moving mirror, to restore the mirror to the desired coordinates.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.