A temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism for optical components

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of optical engineering technology, and particularly relates to a temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism for optical elements. The mechanism comprises a mounting reference plate and a plurality of flexible hinges, wherein the mounting reference plate is used to place optical elements, and the plurality of flexible hinges are arranged on the mounting reference plate along the circumferential direction for clamping the optical elements. The bottom of the optical element is provided with a truncated cone seat matched with the flexible hinge, and the plurality of flexible hinges realize axial and radial positioning of the optical element by clamping the truncated cone seat. The present invention not only increases the temperature adaptability of the clamping system, but also realizes more precise control of the clamping force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of optical engineering, and in particular relates to a temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism for optical elements. Background Art

[0002] The clamping method of optical components determines the working accuracy and working stability of optical components. Different application requirements will give rise to different clamping methods. Generally speaking, small-aperture optical components are usually fixed by spacer ring pressing, large-aperture optical components are usually fixed by multi-point back support or sling support, and medium-aperture optical components are generally fixed by side fixation or three-point pressing. For general optical systems, these conventional fixing methods can fully meet application requirements; however, some special applications such as ultra-high precision or large-range temperature loads have more stringent requirements on clamping strain and thermal strain. For this reason, special clamping technology must be developed and designed for special applications. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism for an optical element to adapt to a wide range of changes in temperature loads in a working environment.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism for an optical element comprises a mounting reference plate and a plurality of flexible hinges, wherein the mounting reference plate is used to place the optical element, the plurality of flexible hinges are circumferentially arranged on the mounting reference plate for clamping the optical element, a truncated cone seat cooperating with the flexible hinge is provided at the bottom of the optical element, and the plurality of flexible hinges limit the optical element in the axial and radial directions by clamping the truncated cone seat.

[0006] The flexible hinge comprises a hinge seat, an elastic pressure head and a fixing piece, wherein the hinge seat is connected to the mounting reference plate through the fixing piece, and the elastic pressure head is arranged at the upper end of the hinge seat for pressing the optical element.

[0007] The elastic pressing head is a folding structure, and a pressing head in contact with the conical surface of the truncated cone seat is provided at the end thereof.

[0008] The outer surface of the pressure head is an arc surface.

[0009] The elastic pressing head and the hinge seat are an integrated structure.

[0010] The fixing member is a bolt, which passes through the elastic pressure head and the hinge seat in sequence and is threadedly connected with the installation reference plate.

[0011] The elastic pressing head and the hinge seat are provided with through holes for the bolts to pass through.

[0012] The taper of the truncated cone seat is 20°-160°.

[0013] The hinge seat is made of spring steel.

[0014] The installation reference plate is a circular structure with a circular work position groove at the center. A plurality of threaded holes located outside the circular work position groove are circumferentially arranged on the installation reference plate, and the threaded holes are used to connect the flexible hinge.

[0015] The advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0016] 1. Compared with the traditional optical element clamping method, the present invention integrates a flexible hinge link. On the one hand, it increases the temperature adaptability of the clamping system, and on the other hand, it can achieve more precise control of the clamping force.

[0017] 2. The present invention includes a special edge grinding process for the frustum of the side of the optical element. Through the contact constraint between the conical surface and the flexible hinge ball head, the friction force in the traditional fixing method is replaced by the contact force, and the axial and radial degrees of freedom of the optical element are fixed at the same time. In addition, according to the different requirements of the mirror aperture, quality, and posture, the taper of the frustum can be specially designed to achieve proportional adjustment of the axial contact force and the radial constraint force.

[0018] 3. Compared with the traditional clamping method, by adjusting the compression deformation of the flexible hinge or changing the relevant structural parameters of the flexible hinge, the clamping force can be quantitatively controlled more conveniently, which is conducive to the standardized assembly of a series of products.

[0019] 4. Compared with the traditional side fixing and three-point pressing methods, the contact point in the present invention is on the frustum of the side of the optical element, away from the working surface of the optical element, which is conducive to ensuring the working accuracy of the optical surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is an axonometric view of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible hinge in the present invention.

[0023] In the figure: 1 is an optical element, 2 is a flexible hinge, 21 is a hinge seat, 22 is an elastic pressure head, 23 is a connecting hole, 24 is a pressure head, 3 is a mounting reference plate, 4 is a bolt, DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The existing optical element clamping mechanism can clamp large, medium and small diameter optical elements under normal conditions, but it is difficult to adapt to special applications such as ultra-high precision or wide range of temperature loads, and cannot achieve precise control of the clamping force. In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention adopts a flexible hinge to cooperate with the side profile of the lens to simultaneously apply axial and radial constraints to the optical element, and the magnitude of the clamping force can be controlled by adjusting the parameters of the flexible hinge; because the contact point between the mechanism and the optical element is far away from the optical working surface, the clamping force basically acts in the direction of the original with the largest rigidity, which has little effect on the surface shape accuracy of the optical element, and can maintain the clamping accuracy at a high level under large fluctuations in ambient temperature loads.

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0026] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the present invention provides a temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism for an optical element, comprising a mounting reference plate 3 and a plurality of flexible hinges 2, wherein the mounting reference plate 3 is used to place an optical element 1, and the plurality of flexible hinges 2 are circumferentially arranged on the mounting reference plate 3 for clamping the optical element 1. A truncated cone seat matching with the flexible hinge 2 is provided at the bottom of the optical element 1, and the plurality of flexible hinges 2 limit the axial and radial directions of the optical element 1 by clamping the truncated cone seat.

[0027] The mounting reference plate 3 is a circular structure with a circular work position groove at its center. A plurality of threaded holes located outside the circular work position groove are circumferentially arranged on the mounting reference plate 3 , and the threaded holes are used to connect the flexible hinge 2 .

[0028] like Figure 3 As shown, the flexible hinge 2 includes a hinge seat 21, an elastic pressure head 22 and a fixing member, wherein the hinge seat 21 is connected to the mounting reference plate 3 through the fixing member, and the elastic pressure head 22 is arranged at the upper end of the hinge seat 21 for pressing the optical element 1.

[0029] Furthermore, the elastic pressing head 22 is a folding structure, and a pressing head 24 is provided at its end to contact the conical surface of the truncated cone seat of the optical element 1, and the outer surface of the pressing head 24 is an arc surface. The flexibility of the flexible hinge 2 ensures that the assembly can still maintain the surface accuracy of the optical element 1 under a large temperature shock.

[0030] Furthermore, the elastic pressing head 22 is an integrated structure with the hinge seat 21. The elastic pressing head 22 is formed by opening a plurality of transverse grooves in the vertical direction at the upper end of the hinge seat 21, and the opening directions of two adjacent transverse grooves are opposite.

[0031] Furthermore, the fixing member is a bolt 4, which passes through the elastic pressure head 22 and the hinge seat 21 in sequence and is threadedly connected to the mounting reference plate 3. The elastic pressure head 22 and the hinge seat 21 are provided with through holes for the bolt 4 to pass through.

[0032] Furthermore, the hinge seat 21 is made of spring steel.

[0033] Furthermore, the taper of the truncated cone seat at the bottom of the optical element 1 is in the range of 20°-160° to adjust the ratio of radial and axial constraint forces. In order to obtain assemblies with different requirements, the taper of the truncated cone seat at the bottom of the optical element 1 can be customized to distribute the radial and axial constraint force components. The stiffness of the flexible hinge 2 also requires necessary customized design to adapt to the size of the constraint force of optical elements of different calibers. The positioning of the optical element 1 is achieved by constraints applied simultaneously in the radial and axial directions. The constraint position of the optical element 1 is in the direction of maximum stiffness and away from the upper and lower optical surfaces, which is conducive to ensuring the accuracy of the optical element.

[0034] The number of flexible hinges 2 is preferably three, and the three flexible hinges 2 are evenly distributed along the circumference. The optical element 1 must first be subjected to mechanical analysis and experiments to determine the taper size in the step surface, and precision edge grinding must be performed before polishing; after the optical element 1 is processed and coated, it must first be placed in the station slot of the precision-ground mounting reference plate 2; three flexible hinges 3 are evenly distributed on the side of the optical element 1, and the flexible hinge 2 must undergo mechanical analysis and verification experiments before use. The flexible hinge 2 contacts the truncated cone seat through the ball head, thereby achieving simultaneous axial and radial constraints on the optical element 1. The clamping force of the pressure head 24 on the optical element can be achieved by controlling the deformation of the flexible hinge 2 or changing the structural parameters of the flexible hinge 2.

[0035] The clamping force of the bolt 4 determines the pre-tightening force at its end; it has an arc-shaped pressing head 24 at the end to limit and pre-tighten the truncated cone seat; its stiffness can be customized by the number of folding layers and the thickness of the folding layers of the elastic pressing head 22 to meet the clamping requirements of optical elements 1 with different apertures.

[0036] The present invention uses a flexible hinge and a specially designed lens side profile to design a clamping mechanism that simultaneously applies axial and radial constraints to an optical element. The clamping force can be controlled by adjusting the parameters of the flexible hinge, and the axial and radial constraint force components of the mechanism on the optical element can be quantitatively adjusted as needed; since the contact point between the clamping mechanism and the optical element is far away from the optical working surface, the clamping force basically acts in the direction of the original component with large rigidity, which has little effect on the surface shape accuracy of the optical element, and can maintain the clamping accuracy at a high level under a large fluctuation of environmental temperature load. This type of clamping mechanism is particularly suitable for use in working conditions with large temperature load changes.

[0037] The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, expansion, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism for an optical element, characterized in that: The optical element (1) comprises a mounting reference plate (3) and a plurality of flexible hinges (2), wherein the mounting reference plate (3) is used to place an optical element (1), the plurality of flexible hinges (2) are arranged on the mounting reference plate (3) along the circumferential direction and are used to clamp the optical element (1), the bottom of the optical element (1) is provided with a truncated cone seat that cooperates with the flexible hinge (2), and the plurality of flexible hinges (2) achieve axial and radial positioning of the optical element (1) by clamping the truncated cone seat; The flexible hinge (2) comprises a hinge seat (21), an elastic pressure head (22) and a fixing member, wherein the hinge seat (21) is connected to the mounting reference plate (3) via the fixing member, and the elastic pressure head (22) is arranged at the upper end of the hinge seat (21) and is used to press the optical element (1); The elastic pressing head (22) is a folding structure, and a pressing head (24) is provided at the end thereof for contacting the conical surface of the truncated cone seat; the outer surface of the pressing head (24) is an arc surface; The fixing member is a bolt (4), and the bolt (4) passes through the elastic pressure head (22) and the hinge seat (21) in sequence, and is threadedly connected to the mounting reference plate (3); The mounting reference plate (3) is a circular structure with a circular work position groove provided at its center. A plurality of threaded holes located outside the circular work position groove are provided on the mounting reference plate (3) along the circumferential direction. The threaded holes are used to connect the flexible hinge (2).

2. The optical element temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic pressing head (22) and the hinge seat (21) are an integrated structure.

3. The optical element temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic pressure head (22) and the hinge seat (21) are provided with through holes for the bolt (4) to pass through.

4. The optical element temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The taper of the truncated cone seat is 20°-160°.

5. The optical element temperature-adaptive clamping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hinge seat (21) is made of spring steel.

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