Deformable non-round membrane assemblies
US9709824B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 20, 2012 |
| Grant date | Jul 18, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 20, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B3/14
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A deformable membrane assembly comprising a fluid-filled envelope, one wall of which is formed by an elastic membrane that is held around its edge by a bendable supporting ring, a support for the envelope and at least three ring-engaging members that are arranged to apply a force to the ring at spaced control points for adjusting the shape of the membrane, with the ring bending to control the shape of the membrane to a predefined form. A control point is provided at or proximate each point on the ring where the profile of the ring that is needed to produce the predefined form of the membrane exhibits a turning point in the direction of the force applied at the control point between two adjacent points where the profile of the ring exhibits an inflection point or a turning point in the opposite direction.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.