Positioning device with parallel motion for optics

Abstract

A positioning device includes a first positioning member and a second positioning member, at least one of which is a movable member. The first positioning member includes ramps and first, second, and third interface elements. The movable member is linearly translatable in parallel with the other member such that fourth, fifth and sixth interface elements of the second positioning member slide along the ramps and into contact with the first, second and third interface elements, respectively, at a coupled position. At the coupled position, the members form a kinematic system that constrains six degrees of freedom of movement of the movable member to thereby position, in a precise and repeatable manner, an object mounted to the movable member. The positioning device may be utilized, for example, in a quick connect mechanism for an optics-based apparatus.

Description

POSITIONING DEVICE WITH PARALLEL MOTION FOR OPTICSTECHNIC L FIELD

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a device for positioning one or more optical components. In particular, the invention relates to a positioning device that serves as a kinematic mount for one or more optical components.BACKGROUND

[0002] Various optics-based applications require that an optical component be precisely positioned at a desired mounting position relative to another component or structure. The precise positioning may be needed to precisely align the optical component with the other component. Further, the precise positioning may require highly accurate repeatability (reproducibility). For example, after precisely positioning the optical component at the mounting position, the optical component may need to be subsequently removed from the mounting position and then returned to the same mounting position. This positioning / repositioning process may need to be carried out several times over the useful life of the optical component or other period of time. An application may require that after each iteration of repositioning the optical component at the mounting position, the repositioning restores the optical component to the previous mounting position with negligible or no range of spatial tolerance around the exact mounting position. Moreover, an application may require that when the optical component is positioned at the mounting position, the mounting position is not permitted to move in any direction (neither translational nor rotational). The optical component may not not permitted to move in any direction relative to the mounting position. Depending on the type of optical component and its function, the optical component itself may be able to be adjusted in the sense of one part of the optical component being movable relative to another part of the optical component. However, according to the requirement of a given application, the location of the optical component exactly at the mounting position should not change.

[0003] Known techniques for precisely positioning an optical component at a desired mounting position include manual (hand) alignment by utilizing micrometer screws, positioning stages, or optical post-processing (e.g., by using tools or sensors to verify correct positioning and then fixing the component in place such as by gluing). Other techniques include the use of magnets, alignmentpins, and positioning screws. Conventional kinematic mounts have also been utilized, but they only provide mounting in the direction normal to the planes that need alignment. More generally, the known techniques have disadvantages related to tolerance stacking, thermal expansion, repeatable / reproducible positioning, and requirements of skill of the user.

[0004] There is an ongoing need to address challenges associated with the precise positioning of an optical component.SUMMARY

[0005] To address the foregoing problems, in whole or in part, and / or other problems that may have been observed by persons skilled in the ail, the present disclosure provides methods, processes, systems, apparatus, instruments, and / or devices, as described by way of example in implementations set forth below.

[0006] According to an implementation, a positioning device includes: a first positioning member comprising a first ramp, a second ramp, a third ramp, a first interface element, a second interface element, and a third interface element; and a second positioning member comprising a fourth interface element, a fifth interface element, and a sixth interface element, wherein: at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member is a movable member that is linearly translatable along an insertion plane from an uncoupled position at which the first positioning member and the second positioning member are spatially separated, through an intermediate position and to a coupled position; the first positioning member and the second positioning member are configured such that during linear translation of the movable member from the intermediate position to the coupled position, the fourth interface element slides along the first ramp and into contact with the first interface element to form a first coupling, the fifth interface element slides along the second ramp and into contact with the second interface element to form a second coupling, and the sixth interface element slides along the third ramp and into contact with the third interface element to form a third coupling; at the coupled position, the first positioning member and the second positioning member are parallel to each other and the insertion plane; and at the coupled position, the first coupling, the second coupling, and the third coupling are configured to cooperatively form a kinematic system that constrains six degrees of freedom of movement of the movable member.

[0007] According to another implementation, a sample analysis apparatus includes: a positioning device according to any of the implementations disclosed herein; and an object integral with or attached to the first positioning member or the second positioning member, wherein the object is kinematically constrained at the coupled position.

[0008] According to another implementation, a method for assembling a positioning device includes: providing a first positioning member of the positioning device, the first positioning member comprising a first ramp, a second ramp, a third ramp, a first interface element, a second interface element, and a third interface element; providing a second positioning member of the positioning device, the second positioning member comprising a fourth interface element, a fifth interface element, and a sixth interface element; and linearly translating at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along an insertion plane from an uncoupled position at which the first positioning member and the second positioning member are spatially separated, through an intermediate position and to a coupled position, wherein: during the linearly translating from the intermediate position to the coupled position, the fourth interface element slides along the first ramp and into contact with the first interface element to form a first coupling, the fifth interface element slides along the second ramp and into contact with the second interface element to form a second coupling, and the sixth interface element slides along the third ramp and into contact with the third interface element to form a third coupling; at the coupled position, the first positioning member and the second positioning member are parallel to each other and the insertion plane; and at the coupled position, the first coupling, the second coupling, and the third coupling cooperatively form a kinematic system that constrains six degrees of freedom of movement of the at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member that was linearly translated.

[0009] Other devices, apparatus, systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention can be better understood by referring to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

[0011] Figure 1A is a perspective view of an example of a first positioning member according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure IB is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the first positioning member illustrated in Figure 1A, taken along line B-B in Figure 1A.

[0013] Figure 1C is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the first positioning member illustrated in Figure 1A, taken along line C-C in Figure 1A.

[0014] Figure ID is a cross-sectional side elevation view of the first positioning member illustrated in Figure 1A, taken along line D-D in Figure 1A.

[0015] Figure 2A is a perspective view of an example of a second positioning member according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2B is a front elevation view of the second positioning member illustrated in Figure 2A.

[0017] Figure 3A is a side elevation view of an example of a positioning device, which includes the first positioning member illustrated in Figure 1A and the second positioning member illustrated in Figure 2A, while the positioning device is at an intermediate position according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3B is a side elevation view of the positioning device illustrated in Figure 3A at another intermediate position according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3C is a side elevation view of the positioning device illustrated in Figure 3A at a coupled position according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3D is a front elevation view of the positioning device at the coupled position illustrated in Figure 3C.

[0021] Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the first positioning member illustrated in Figure 1A according to an implementation that includes a first mounting member and / or a first linear guide member.

[0022] Figure 5 is a front elevation view of the first positioning member illustrated in Figure 1A according to another implementation that includes a first mounting member and / or a first linear guide member.

[0023] Figure 6A is a front elevation view of the second positioning member illustrated in Figure 2A according to an implementation that includes a second mounting member and / or a second linear guide member.

[0024] Figure 6B is a bottom plan view of the second positioning member illustrated in Figure 6A.

[0025] Figure 7 is a front elevation view of the positioning device while removably attached (or mounted, installed, etc.) to an external structure.

[0026] Figure 8 is a front elevation view of the positioning device illustrated in Figure 3A with a first object and a second object mounted thereto, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 9 is a front elevation view of the positioning device illustrated in Figure 3A with a first object and a second object mounted thereto, according to another implementation of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 10 is a perspective view of a second positioning member according to another implementation of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 11 is a perspective view of the second positioning member illustrated in Figure 10 with an object mounted thereto according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 12A is a perspective view of the second positioning member 200 illustrated in Figure 11 while mounted to an apparatus according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 12B is another perspective view of the second positioning member 200 illustrated in Figure 11 while mounted to an apparatus according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 13 A is a side elevation view of an example of a positioning device while at an intermediate position according to another implementation of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 13B is a side elevation view of the positioning device illustrated in Figure 13A at another intermediate position according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 13C is a side elevation view of the positioning device illustrated in Figure 13A at a coupled position according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0035] The illustrations in all of the drawing figures are considered to be schematic, unless specifically indicated otherwise.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In this disclosure, all “implementations,” “aspects,” “examples,” and “embodiments” described are considered to be non-limiting and non-exclusive. Accordingly, the fact that a specific “implementation,” “aspect,” “example,” or “embodiment” is explicitly described herein does not exclude other “implementations,” “aspects,” “examples,” and “embodiments” from the scope of the present disclosure even if not explicitly described. In this disclosure, the terms “implementations,” “aspect,” “example,” and “embodiment” are used interchangeably, i.e., are considered to have interchangeable meanings.

[0037] In this disclosure, the term “substantially,” “approximately,” or “about,” when modifying a specified numerical value, may be taken to encompass a range of values that include + / -10% of such numerical value. A given range is considered to include the lowest and highest end values of that range. For example, a range “between 1 and 10” or “from 1 to 10” is considered to include the values 1 and 10 as well as the values greater than 1 and less than 10.

[0038] In this disclosure, ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., (or “primary”, “secondary”, “tertiary”, etc.) are utilized merely in a relative sense to distinguish different or distinct items from each other. Such ordinal terms do not limit the items being described to a specific rank, order or sequence, unless specified otherwise or the context dictates otherwise. Moreover, such ordinal terms do not limit the number of items to a closed set of items, unless specified otherwise or the context dictates otherwise. For example, a reference to a “first item”, “second item”, and “third item” does not limit the number of this type of item to only three items. Instead, reference to a “first item”, “second item”, and “third item” may be interpreted as meaning “at least a first item, a second item, and a third item” or “at least three items”.

[0039] In this disclosure, the term “light” refers to electromagnetic energy (i.e., photons) in a general sense and thus is not limited to electromagnetic energy only in the visible range. Depending on the embodiment, the wavelength range at which light propagates may be in the ultraviolet range, the visible range, the infrared range, or a combination or overlap of two or more of these ranges. In the context of this disclosure, the ultraviolet range is taken as spanning from 10 nanometers (nm) to400 nm, the visible range is taken as spanning from 400 nm to 700 nm, and the infrared range is taken as spanning from 700 nm to 1000 nm (1 millimeter (mm)), with the recognition that the foregoing ranges may slightly differ and / or may slightly overlap depending on the technical source relied upon for reference or definition.

[0040] In this disclosure, the term "charged particle” generally refers to any particle whose motion (trajectory) can be influenced by an electrical and / or magnetic field. Examples of “charged particles” include electrons, ions, and mixtures of electrons and ions (e.g., plasmas, corona discharges, etc.).

[0041] In this disclosure, the term “optics”, “optics component” (or “optics element”, “optics device”, etc.), “optical”, “optical component” (or “optical element”, “optical device”, etc.), or the like, generally encompasses both light-based optics and charged particle-based optics, unless a given optics component is indicated specifically as being light-based or charged particle-based or the context dictates that a given optics component is light-based or charged particle-based. The term “light-based optics” generally relates to optics components utilized in conjunction with the propagation of light (photons). The term “charged particle-based optics” (or “particle-based optics”) generally relates to optics components utilized in conjunction with the transmission of charged particles.

[0042] Examples of light-based optics include, but are not limited to, light (photon) sources (e.g., devices or components that generate and / or emit light beams), light processing devices (e.g., devices or components that guide and / or condition or modify light beams), and light receivers (e.g., devices or components that capture, collect, detect, measure, etc., light beams), etc. Examples of light sources include, but are not limited to, lasers, laser diodes (LDs), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) sources, broadband lamps (e.g., incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, noble gas lamps, flash lamps, etc.), etc. Examples of light processing devices include, but are not limited to, light guides (e.g., light pipes, optical fibers, etc.), lenses, objectives (e.g., microscope objectives), diaphragms, collimators, beam expanders, beam concentrators, slits, pinholes, mirrors, dichroic mirrors, gratings, prisms, wavelength filters, wavelength selectors (e.g., filter wheels, filter slides), etc. Examples of light receivers include, but are not limited to, light detectors (e.g., devices that detect, measure, or acquire images of light) such as photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), photodiodes (PD), diode array devices (DADs), active-pixel sensors (APSs, e.g., complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor (CMOS) devices), charge-coupled devices (CCDs), cameras, etc., and beam absorbers(e.g., beam traps, beam dumps, etc.). Additional examples of light-based optics may be appreciated by skilled artisans.

[0043] Examples of charged particle-based optics include, but are not limited to, charged particle sources (e.g., devices or components that generate and / or emit charged particle beams), charged particle processing devices (e.g., devices or components that guide and / or condition or modify charged particle beams), and charged particle receivers (e.g., devices or components that capture, collect, detect, measure, etc., charged particle beams), etc. Examples of charged particle sources include, but are not limited to, electron sources such as electron guns, thermionic filaments, ionizing devices, etc. Examples of charged particle processing devices include, but are not limited to, electrodes, electrostatic lenses, beam deflectors, beam steerers, beam concentrators, beam accelerators, beam decelerators, beam coolers, ion guides (e.g., ion traps, ion pipes, ion funnels, mass filters, multipole electrode arrangements, etc.), magnetic arrangements, etc. Examples of charged particle receivers include, but are not limited to, electron detectors, ion detectors, electron collectors or traps, etc.

[0044] In this disclosure, the term “beam” generally encompasses both light beams and charged particle beams, unless a given beam is indicated specifically as being a light beam or a charged particle beam or the context dictates that a given beam is a light beam or a charged particle beam. As an example, a beam may be considered as corresponding to an ensemble of photons or charged particles moving in a net direction from one point to another point, which movement may be under the guidance or influence of one or more appropriate optics components (and / or electrical and / or magnetic fields in the case of charged particles). Generally, no limitation is placed on the degree to which a given beam is focused, collimated or coherent, or the degree to which it is convergent or divergent.

[0045] Figures 1A-3D illustrate an example of a positioning device (or fixture) 300 and components thereof according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

[0046] For purposes of reference and description, some of Figures 1A-3D (and other drawing figures) include an arbitrarily positioned Cartesian coordinate (x-y-z) frame. The arrowhead of each mutually orthogonal coordinate axis is oriented arbitrarily and thus is not intended to indicate a positive or negative direction (or an increase or decrease in a positional value) along that axis. The x-axis is also referred to herein as the insertion or sliding axis. The x-y plane is referred to herein asthe insertion or sliding plane. The y-axis is also referred to herein as the transverse axis. The z-axis, being orthogonal to the x-y plane, is also referred to herein as the normal axis. Dimensions along the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are taken to be length, width, and height (or depth or thickness), respectively. None of the coordinate axes are considered to be limited to a particular (e.g., horizontal or vertical) orientation relative to a ground surface or other reference datum. Thus, for example, the insertion (x- ) axis or insertion (x-y) plane of any positioning device disclosed herein may be horizontal, vertical, or at some angle between horizontal and vertical, depending on the implementation. The x-axis (insertion axis), y-axis (transverse axis) and z-axis (normal axis) may also be referred to as the x- direction (insertion direction), y-direction (transverse direction) and z-direction (normal direction), respectively.

[0047] The positioning device 300 includes a first positioning member 100 and a second positioning member 200, which may be physically (structurally) separate components. When fully coupled (or interfaced, or assembled) together in the manner described herein, the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 establish a coupled position (or state) of the positioning device 300, as shown for example in Figures 3C and 3D. To couple the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 together, at least one of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 is a movable positioning member. As a movable positioning member, the first positioning member 100 or second positioning member 200 is linearly movable along the insertion axis / plane relative to the other positioning member, from an uncoupled position at which the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 are spatially separated, to the coupled position. In some implementations, to simplify the configuration, only one of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 is movable along the insertion axis while the other positioning member remains stationary (in a fixed position) at least along the insertion axis. The net movement is a linear translation of the movable positioning member along the insertion axis / plane in parallel with the other (e.g., stationary) positioning member. At least a portion of the movement involves sliding contact between the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200. During the sliding motion, at least one of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 may move (to some extent) along the normal axis (toward and / or away from the other positioning member) before the final, coupling position has been reached, as described below.

[0048] The positioning device 300 may be utilized to precisely position an object at a predetermined or target position relative to the first positioning member 100, the second positioning member 200, another object, or a reference datum. Such an object may be integral with or attached (or mounted, or fastened, etc.) to the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200. The linear movement of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 to the coupled position results in the object becoming precisely positioned at the target position. The precise positioning of the object at the target position is repeatable or reproducible. For example, after positioning the object at the target position, the object may be moved away from the target position by moving the positioning device 300 back to the uncoupled position (e.g., by moving the movable member away from, or out of engagement with, the other positioning member). At the uncoupled position, the object also may be removed from the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 if needed, and even replaced by a new object that may be the same or different type of object. In any case, after removing the object from the target position, the object (or new object) subsequently may be returned to the same exact target position with negligible or no spatial deviation from the original target position. That is, the target position of the object may be repeatedly and precisely restored by sliding the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 to the coupled position that establishes the target position of the object.

[0049] Moreover, as described below, the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 are configured to cooperatively form a kinematic system at the coupled position. Hence, at the coupled position, the kinematic system exactly constrains the movable positioning member (the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 that was linearly translated to the coupled position) in all six degrees of freedom of movement. Consequently, the object integral with or attached to the movable positioning member is likewise kinematically constrained at the coupled position such that the object cannot deviate from the target position by translation or rotation relative to any of the three (x, y, z) axes.

[0050] The object may be an optical component as described above, or may be or contain a sample to be analyzed (e.g., a sample illuminated or irradiated by an incident beam and / or emitting a beam to be detected, measured or imaged). At the target position (corresponding to the coupled position of the positioning device 300), the object may be precisely aligned (e.g., spatially and / or optically aligned) with another object. Such other object also may be an optical component as described above,or may be or contain a sample to be analyzed. Such other object may be integral with or attached (or mounted, or fastened, etc.) to the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200, or may be positioned external to the positioning device 300. For example, one object may be a light detector mounted to the first positioning member 100 and the other object may be a detector cell containing a sample that emits light in response to non-fluorescent illumination or fluorescenceinducing excitation. In this case, the positioning device 300 moves the light detector into a target position at which the light detector is properly optically aligned with the detector cell.

[0051] In the present context, two objects may be “optically aligned” in the sense that an optical path (e.g., of a beam) can be established from one object to the other object, with or without the use of intervening optics that modify the optical path (e.g., modify the direction of the optical path to establish optical communication between the two objects). Two objects may be “spatially aligned” in the sense that both objects are positioned on at least one common axis, i.e., an axis or straight line (or a line of sight) may extend through both objects.

[0052] The positioning device 300 may offer one or more advantages. The linear movement (i.e., parallel sliding insertion) of the movable positioning member relative to and in parallel with the other positioning member may be performed quickly and easily. As such, the positioning device 300 may be characterized as having a “quick-connect” or “quick-couple” configuration. The first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 may be coupled and decoupled while retaining the highest level of precision and reproducibility. The linear movement may be performed manually by a user, although automated (device-assisted) actuation may be provided if desired. The first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 are configured such that they are self-centering at the coupled position without any additional steps required other than the linear movement. For example, fine alignment steps such as by utilizing micrometer screws or high- precision stages are not required. Moreover, the positioning device 300 may operate free of problems related to thermal expansion and tolerance chains.

[0053] Figure 1A is a perspective view of the first positioning member 100 according to an implementation of the present disclosure. Figure IB is a cross-sectional elevation view of the first positioning member 100 taken along line B-B in Figure 1A. Figure 1C is a cross-sectional elevation view of the first positioning member 100 taken along line C-C in Figure 1A. Figure ID is a cross- sectional elevation view of the first positioning member 100 taken along line D-D in Figure 1A.

[0054] The first positioning member 100 includes a first body 104, which typically is a singlepiece body (unitary or monolithic, e.g., not an assembly of two or more pails attached together). In the present implementation, the first body 104 is a planar (or plated-shaped or slab-shaped) structure. In the present context, a planar structure is one that includes at least one flat surface lying entirely in the insertion (x-y) plane. Typically, a planar structure also is one whose length (along the x-axis) and width (along the y-axis) each are greater that its height (along the z-axis). In the present implementation, the first body 104 includes a first inside surface 108 that is a flat surface lying entirely in the insertion plane. Generally, the first body 104 has a polygonal (or prismatic) shape but may have one or more rounded features. The first body 104 may have a complex geometry in the sense that the first body 104 may not have a simple box-like shape (e.g., as a parallelepiped or hexahedron) but instead, as illustrated, has one or more structural (engineered) features protruding from and / or recessed into certain surfaces of the first body 104.

[0055] The first positioning member 100 generally includes a front side 112, a rear side 116, a top side 120 (Figure IB), a bottom side 124 (Figure IB), and lateral sides 128 between the top side 120 and the bottom side 124. In the present context, the terms “front” and “rear”, and the terms “top” and “bottom”, are merely relative to each other and do not designate any specific orientation. The front side 112 and the rear side 116 are elongated along the transverse axis and are opposite to each other relative to the insertion axis. The front side 112 is the leading side of the first positioning member 100 during insertion toward and into the coupled position, i.e., while the first positioning member 100 is inserted or slid along the insertion axis / plane into engagement with the second positioning member 200. That is, the front side 112 is the side at which the first positioning member 100 initially contacts the second positioning member 200, as described further below and illustrated in Figures 3A-3C. The top side 120 and the bottom side 124 are opposite to each other relative to the normal axis. The lateral sides 128 are elongated along the insertion axis and are opposite to each other relative to the transverse axis. The first positioning member 100 (or first body 104) also includes one or more front surfaces located at or near the front side 112, one or more rear surfaces located at or near the rear side 120, one or more top surfaces located at or near the top side 120, one or more bottom surfaces located at or near the bottom side 124, and one or more lateral surfaces located at or near the lateral sides 128. One of the top surfaces is the topmost or outermost surface of the top side 120 and is referred to herein as the above-noted first inside surface 108.

[0056] The first positioning member 100 includes at least three interface elements located at the top side 120, namely a first interface element 132A, a second interface element 132B and a third interface element 132C. The interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C are disposed at (on, in, partially on, or partially in) the first inside surface 108. In the illustrated example, the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C are formed from the first inside surface 108 into the thickness of the first body 104. The interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C are mutually spaced from each other on the first inside surface 108. The first interface element 132A and the third interface element 132C are located nearer to the front side 112 than to the rear side 116, and are located nearer to the front side 112 than the second interface element 132B. The second interface element 132B is located nearer to the real' side 116 than to the front side 112, and is located nearer to the real' side 116 than the first interface element 132A and the third interface element 132C. The first interface element 132A and the third interface element 132C may be aligned with each other along the transverse axis as illustrated, but may not be so aligned in other implementations. The second interface element 132B is spaced from the first interface element 132A and the third interface element 132C along the insertion axis and the transverse axis. The second interface element 132B may be located halfway between the first interface element 132A and the third interface element 132C relative to the transverse axis as illustrated, but may not be so located in other implementations.

[0057] The first positioning member 100 may include other structural features depending on the implementation. For example, as shown in Figure 1A, the first positioning member 100 may include one or more (first) mounting components 136 configured to mount or attach a (first) object to be positioned / aligned by the positioning device 300 to the first positioning member 100, and / or to mount or attach the first positioning member 100 to another structure such as an apparatus with which the positioning device 300 is utilized, etc. The first positioning member 100 may also include one or more fiducial marks (not shown) or similarly functioning features that assist in aligning the first positioning member 100 with another structure or device. The first positioning member 100 may also include an aperture 140 through which a beam is to be transmitted. In the example shown in Figure 1A, the aperture 140 is formed as a through-hole through the thickness of first positioning member 100 (the first body 108) at a selected location relative to (e.g., between) the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C. In this case, the aperture 140 extends along the normal axis from an opening at the top side 120 to an opening at the bottom side 124.

[0058] Figure 2A is a perspective view of the second positioning member 200 according to an implementation of the present disclosure. Figure 2B is a front elevation view of the second positioning member 200 (in the y-z plane).

[0059] The second positioning member 200 includes a second body 204, which typically is a single-piece body as in the case of the first body 104. In the present implementation, the second body 204 is a planar structure that includes at least one flat surface lying entirely in the insertion plane. In the present implementation, the second body 204 includes a second inside surface 208 that is a flat surface lying entirely in the insertion plane. Like the first body 104, the second body has a polygonal shape but may have one or more rounded features. In addition, the second body 204 may have a complex geometry in the sense that the second body 204 does not have a simple box-like shape but instead, as illustrated, has one or more structural (engineered) features protruding from or recessed into certain surfaces of the second body 204.

[0060] The second positioning member 200 generally includes a front side 212, a rear side 216, a top side 220 (Figure 2B), a bottom side 224 (Figure 2B), and lateral sides 228 between the top side 220 and the bottom side 224. The terms “front”, “rear”, “top” and “bottom” are relative terms as noted above. The front side 212 and the rear side 216 are elongated along the transverse axis and are opposite to each other relative to the insertion axis. The rear side 216 is the leading side of the second positioning member 200 during insertion. During insertion, initial contact between the second positioning member 200 and the first positioning member 100 is made at or near the rear side of the second positioning member 200 and at or near the front side of the first positioning member 100. The top side 220 and the bottom side 224 are opposite to each other relative to the normal axis. The lateral sides 228 are elongated along the insertion axis and are opposite to each other relative to the transverse axis. The second positioning member 200 (or second body 204) also includes one or more front surfaces located at or near the front side 212, one or more rear surfaces located at or near the rear side 216, one or more top surfaces located at or near the top side 220, one or more bottom surfaces located at or near the bottom side 224, and one or more lateral surfaces located at or near the lateral sides 228. One of the bottom surfaces is the bottommost or outermost surface of the bottom side 224 and is referred to herein as the above-noted second inside surface 208.

[0061] In correspondence with the configuration of the first positioning member 100, the second positioning member 200 also includes at least three interface elements, namely a fourth interfaceelement 232 A, a fifth interface element 232B and a sixth interface element 232C. The interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C are located at the bottom side 224 of the second positioning member 200, and in particular are disposed at (on, in, partially on, or partially in) the second inside surface 208. In the illustrated example, the interface elements 232 A, 232B, and 232C extend or protrude outwardly from the second inside surface 208. The fourth interface element 232A and the sixth interface element 232C are located nearer to the front side 212 than to the rear side 216, and are located nearer to the front side 212 than the fifth interface element 232B. The fifth interface element 232B is located nearer to the rear side 216 than to the front side 212, and is located nearer to the rear side 216 than the fourth interface element 232 A and the sixth interface element 232C.

[0062] As described further below, the fourth interface element 232A is paired with the first interface element 132A of the first positioning member 100, the fifth interface element 232B is paired with the second interface element 132B of the first positioning member 100, and the sixth interface element 232C is paired with the third interface element 132C of the first positioning member 100. Hence, the number of interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 is equal to the number of interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100. Moreover, the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 are mutually spaced from each other on the second inside surface 208 in a spatial arrangement or pattern that (at least generally or substantially) matches that of the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100 (i.e., in terms of relative spacing and positioning). Thus, the fourth interface element 232A and the sixth interface element 232C may be aligned with each other along the transverse axis as illustrated, but may not be so aligned in other implementations. The fifth interface element 232B is spaced from the fourth interface element 232A and the sixth interface element 232C along the insertion axis and the transverse axis. The fifth interface element 232B may be located halfway between the fourth interface element 232A and the sixth interface element 232C relative to the transverse axis as illustrated, but may not be so located in other implementations .

[0063] Alternatively, the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100 may be referred to as a first receiving element 132 A, a second receiving element 132B and a third receiving element 132C. The interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the secondpositioning member 200 may be referred to as a first protruding element 232A, a second protruding element 232B and a third protruding element 232C.

[0064] The second positioning member 200 may include other structural features depending on the application. For example, as shown in Figure 2A, the second positioning member 200 may include one or more (second) mounting components configured to mount or attach a (second) object to be positioned / aligned by the positioning device 300 to the second positioning member 200, and / or to mount or attach the second positioning member 200 to another structure such as an apparatus with which the positioning device 300 is utilized, etc. As illustrated, examples of such mounting components may include one or more recesses 244 for receiving / aligning the object, holes 248 for receiving fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.) for securing the object, protrusions and / or holes 252 for contacting / aligning the object, etc. As shown in Figure 2B, the second positioning member 200 may also include one or more mounting components 256 configured to mount and / or guide an actuator, as described further below.

[0065] Generally, the first positioning member 100 (including the first body 104, interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C, and other structural features that are part of the first positioning member 100) and the second positioning member 200 (including the second body 204, interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C, and other structural features that are part of the second positioning member 200) may be composed of any suitably rigid material, i.e., a material that does not deform in response to manipulation by a user or assembly with, contact with, or attachment or fastening to another structure. For example, the material of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 may be a suitably rigid metal, metallic alloy, metallic compound, metalloid, metalloid compound, ceramic, or plastic. The respective materials of the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 may be the same or different. Generally, no limitation is placed on the method employed for fabricating the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200. Techniques of additive fabrication, subtractive fabrication, formative fabrication, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing types may be selected based on the suitability and compatibility of the techniques for the geometries desired and materials utilized for the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200. Generally, no limitation is placed on the sizes (or outermost physical dimensions) of the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200. The sizes may depend in part on the application for which thepositioning device 300 is to be utilized. As examples, one or more of the outermost dimensions of the first positioning member 100 and / or the second positioning member 200 may be on the order of millimeters (e.g., in a range from about 1 mm to about 100 mm), centimeters (e.g., in a range from about 1 cm to about 100 cm), or larger than 1 m.

[0066] The interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100 are configured to cooperatively form a kinematic system (or kinematic mount, or kinematic coupling) when interfaced (coupled, engaged, in contact with) with the corresponding interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200. As appreciated by the skilled artisan, a properly configured kinematic system provides exactly six points of contact between two structures (e.g., the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200) that exactly constrain the six degrees of freedom (DOFs) of movement of at least the movable member (e.g., the first positioning member 100 in the present implementation) and any structures securely attached to the movable member. Specifically, the kinematic system constrains three translational degrees of freedom (tDOFs) and three rotational degrees of freedom (rDOFs). Considering a Cartesian (x-y-z) frame of reference, the six degrees of freedom are: linear translation in either direction along the x- axis, linear translation in either direction along the y-axis, linear translation in either direction along the z-axis, rotation in either direction about the x-axis, rotation in either direction about the y-axis, and rotation in either direction about the z-axis. The kinematic system (when properly configured) prevents the component(s) constrained thereby from undergoing any of these motions, and does so without under-constraining the component(s) (without allowing one or more of these degrees of freedom) or over-constraining the component(s) (without providing redundant constraints).

[0067] In the present implementation and as shown in Figures 1A-1D, the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100 are configured as a cone-flat-groove arrangement to realize one half of the kinematic system. Specifically, the first interface element 132A is a conical recess (or depression, or dent), the second interface element 132B is a V-shaped groove (or V-groovc), and the third interface element 132C is a flat (planar) surface. Figure IB shows the cross-sectional profile of the first interface element 132A in the x-z plane. Figure 1C shows the cross- sectional profile of the second interface element 132B in the x-z plane. Figure ID shows the cross- sectional profile of the third interface element 132C in the x-z plane. Alternatively or additionally to having recessed features, one or more of the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C may haveraised features and / or coplanar (flush) features relative to the first inside surface 108 of the first positioning member 100.

[0068] In the present implementation and as shown in Figures 2 A and 2B, the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 are configured as respective posts (or rods, pins, protrusions, etc.) to realize the other, cooperating half of the kinematic system. Each post includes a cylindrical section 256 elongated along the normal axis and an end surface 260 located at the distal end of the cylindrical section 256. In the present context, the “distal” end is the end opposite to the location where the cylindrical section 256 adjoins the second inside surface 208. In the present implementation, each cylindrical section 256 has a circular cross-section in the insertion plane, but alternatively such cross-section may be polygonal. Each end surface 260 is shaped as a spherical cap, which may be less than a full hemisphere, and thus also has a circular cross-section in the insertion plane.

[0069] Figure 1 A illustrates linear paths 164A, 164B, and 164C that depict the change in position of the respective interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 relative to the first positioning member 100 in the insertion plane while the first positioning member 100 is being slid along the insertion axis toward the second positioning member 200. In the presently illustrated configuration, the first positioning member 100 encounters the fifth interface element 232B of the second positioning member 200 before encountering the fourth interface element 232A and sixth interface element 232C of the second positioning member 200. To accommodate this configuration, the first positioning member 100 may include an open channel or groove 168 (open to the first inside surface 108) formed in the first inside surface 108 along the insertion axis, between the first interface element 132A and third interface element 132C of the first positioning member 100 and in axial alignment with the second interface element 132B of the first positioning member 100. The open channel 168 provides clearance for the relative movement between the fifth interface element 232B and the first positioning member 100.

[0070] Alternatively, in an implementation where the second positioning member 200 moves (slides) relative to the first positioning member 100 along the insertion axis, the linear paths 164A, 164B, and 164C depict such movement of the second positioning member 200. In either case, at least one of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 linearly translates relative to the other of the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200.

[0071] Figure 1A also shows outer perimeters (or outer envelopes, or footprints) 172A, 172B, and 172C in the insertion plane of the respective end surfaces 260 of the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 projected onto the respective interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100, after the second positioning member 200 has reached the final, coupled position at which the kinematic system is defined or established (Figures 3C and 3D). The wall defining the conical recess of the first interface element 132A of the first positioning member 100 may be shaped as a trihedral pyramid, in which case the conical recess of the first interface element 132A contacts the end surface 260 of the fourth interface element 232A of the second positioning member 200 at three points. Alternatively, and as illustrated, the wall defining the conical recess of the first interface element 132A may be round (having a circular cross-section in the interface plane) instead of polyhedral, in which case the conical recess of the first interface element 132A contacts the end surface 260 of the fourth interface element 232 A in a circular line. In either case, at the coupled position, the resulting positioning interface (or constraining interface) between the first interface element 132A and the fourth interface element 232A constrains all three translational degrees of freedom (tDOFs) of movement of the movable member (e.g., the first positioning member 100 in the present implementation). The flat (or flat surface) of the second interface element 132B of the first positioning member 100 contacts the end surface 260 of the fifth interface element 232B of the second positioning member 200 at one point. The resulting positioning interface between the second interface element 132B and the fifth interface element 232B constrains one of the three rotational degrees of freedom (rDOFs) of movement of the second positioning member 200. The inside-facing walls of the V-groove of the third interface element 132C of the first positioning member 100 contact the end surface 260 of the sixth interface element 232C of the second positioning member 200 at two points, respectively. The resulting positioning interface between the third interface element 132C and the sixth interface element 232C constrains the other two rotational degrees of freedom (rDOFs) of movement of the movable member.

[0072] As shown for example in Figure 1A, the first positioning member 100 also includes at least three ramps (or ramped sections) facing toward the front side 112 of first positioning member 100 and adjoining the first inside surface 108. The number of ramps corresponds to the number of interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of first positioning member 100. Thus, in the present implementation, the first positioning member 100 includes a first ramp 176A, a second ramp 176Band a third ramp 176C. Relative to the insertion direction, the ramps 176A, 176B, and 176C are positioned in front of the corresponding interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C (i.e., the ramps 176A, 176B, and 176C are positioned nearer to the front side 112 than the corresponding interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C). Hence, during insertion, the ramps 176A, 176B, and 176C contact the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 before the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100 contact the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200.

[0073] Figures 3A-3C sequentially illustrate an example of coupling (or interfacing, or mating) the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 together to bring the positioning device 300 into a coupled or assembled state that establishes a kinematic system. In other words, Figures 3A-3C sequentially illustrate the process of moving or inserting the movable member (the first positioning member 100 in the present implementation) relative to the other member (the second positioning member 200 in the present implementation) from an uncoupled position to a coupled position of the positioning device 300.

[0074] The uncoupled position corresponds to any position of the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 at which they are physically separate from each other, such as respectively shown in Figures 1 A and 2A. At the uncoupled position, the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 may be prepared as needed before being brought into contact to form the coupled positioning device 300. Such preparation depends on the application and may involve, for example, mounting object(s) to the first positioning member 100 and / or the second positioning member 200, mounting the first positioning member 100 and / or the second positioning member 200 to other structures, etc.

[0075] Figure 3A shows the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 at an intermediate (or transitioning) position of the positioning device 300 between the uncoupled position and the coupled position. The first positioning member 100 is moved toward the second positioning member 200 along the insertion direction as indicated by an arrow I, and into initial contact with (or at least in an initially overlapping relation with) the second positioning member 200. Specifically, the open channel 168 (Figure 1A) of the first positioning member 100 is about to be moved around the fifth interface element 232B of the second positioning member 200 (or, equivalently, the fifth interface element 232B is about to enter and move through the open channel168). At this time, the fifth interface element 232B may contact a surface of the first positioning member 100 that is below the first inside surface 108. The first positioning member 100 may be oriented parallel to the second positioning member 200 during this movement. In the present context, the term “parallel” means that at least the first inside surface 108 and the second inside surface 208 are parallel to each other, i.e., both are oriented in the insertion (x-y) plane (or, equivalently, both arc parallel to a reference insertion plane).

[0076] Figure 3B shows the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 at a further intermediate position (or moved farther along the intermediate position shown in Figure 3A). That is, the first positioning member 100 is moved further toward the second positioning member 200 along the insertion direction I. During this further movement, the first ramp 176 A of the first positioning member 100 comes into contact with the fourth interface element 232A of the second positioning member 200, the second ramp 176B of the first positioning member 100 comes into contact with the fifth interface element 232B of the second positioning member 200, and the third ramp 176C (behind the first ramp 176A, see Figure 1A) of the first positioning member 100 comes into contact with the sixth interface element 232C (behind the fourth interface element 232A, see Figure 2A) of the second positioning member 200. Upon further movement of the first positioning member 100 in the insertion direction 7, the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 slide along the inclined surfaces of the corresponding ramps 176A, 176B, and 176C and then onto portions of the first inside surface 108 that arc in front of the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100. During this further movement, the second positioning member 200 translates along the normal axis away from the first positioning member 100 as indicated by an arrow Nl, due to being pushed outwardly by the inclined ramps 176A, 176B, and 176C. This outward translation or shifting of the second positioning member 200 relative to the first positioning member 100 is evident from comparing Figures 3A and 3B. While sliding along the ramps 176A, 176B, and 176C and concomitantly moving in the normal direction Nl, the second positioning member 200 may remain parallel to the first positioning member 100 or may tilt to some degree such as around the transverse (y-) axis, depending on the implementation. In an implementation, the second positioning member 200 may remain substantially parallel to the first positioning member 100, where the term “substantially” encompasses a tilting of the secondpositioning member 200 of no more than 10 degrees about any of the insertion (x) axis, transverse (y) axis, or normal (z) axis.

[0077] Figure 3C shows the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 at the final, coupled position of the positioning device 300. Figure 3D shows the coupled position from a front elevation view of the positioning device 300. The coupled position is reached after moving the first positioning member 100 further along the insertion direction / from the intermediate position shown in Figure 3B. During this movement, the first inside surface 108 slides along the end surfaces 260 (Figure 2B) of the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 until the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100 come into contact with the respective end surfaces 260. During this movement, the second positioning member 200 translates or shifts along the normal axis back toward the first positioning member 100 as indicated by an arrow N2 until the end surfaces 260 are fully seated in contact with the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C. In equivalent terms, the end surfaces 260 of the second positioning member 200 slide along the first inside surface 108 and then drop into (full and proper) contact with the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100. The final positions of the interface elements 232A, 232B, and 232C of the second positioning member 200 are also depicted respectively by the above-noted outer perimeters 172A, 172B, and 172C of the end surfaces 260 shown in Figure 1A.

[0078] At the coupled position, the first inside surface 108 and the second inside surface 208 face each other, are spaced from each other by a distance along the normal axis, and are in parallel with each other. In addition, at the coupled position, the first interface element 132A and the fourth interface element 232A in contact therewith cooperatively form a first coupling (or coupling pair, or interface) 180A of the positioning device 300. The second interface element 132B and the fifth interface element 232B in contact therewith cooperatively form a second coupling (or coupling pair, or interface) 180B of the positioning device 300. The third interface element 132C and the sixth interface clement 232C in contact therewith cooperatively form a third coupling (or coupling pair, or interface) 180C of the positioning device 300. The first coupling 180A, second coupling 180B and third coupling 180C cooperatively form the above-described kinematic system.

[0079] The use or operation of the positioning device 300 at the coupled position shown in Figure 3C depends on the particular application. Subsequent to use of the positioning device 300 at thecoupled position, the positioning device 300 may be moved back to the uncoupled position by moving the first positioning member 100 (or the second positioning member 200) along the insertion axis in the direction opposite to the direction in which it was inserted (insertion direction I).

[0080] The linear translation of the first positioning member 100 (or the second positioning member 200) along the insertion axis may be performed manually by a user, for example, by pushing or pulling the first positioning member 100. For this purpose, the user may manipulate the first positioning member 100 (e.g., the first body 104) directly, or manipulate a handle (not shown) attached to or integrated with the first positioning member 100, or manipulate a structure (e.g., mounting bracket, frame, etc.; not shown) attached to or in contact with the first positioning member 100. Alternatively, the movement may be performed or assisted by an appropriate type of actuator (not shown) that is mounted to, or at least movable into contact with, the first positioning member 100. However, such actuator should interface or interact with the first positioning member 100 in a way that does not result in over-constraining the first positioning member 100 when located at the coupled position. Examples of actuators are described below in relation to the second positioning member 200.

[0081] The transition of the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200 from the uncoupled position to the coupled position may be facilitated by the application of a normal force (a force imparted along the normal axis) to at least one of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200 in the direction toward the other during movement of the first positioning member 100 (or the second positioning member 200) along the insertion axis. In the present implementation, as shown in Figures 3A-3C, an appropriate type of actuator 184 is mounted to, or at least movable into contact with, the second positioning member 200 to imparl a normal force F that urges the second positioning member 200 toward the first positioning member 100 during movement of the first positioning member 100 along the insertion axis. In some implementations, the normal force F may continue to be applied after the coupled position shown in Figure 3C has been reached to ensure that full, proper contact is maintained between the corresponding pairs of the interface elements 132A, 132B and 132C of the first positioning member 100 and the interface elements 232A, 232B and 232C of the second positioning member 200.

[0082] The actuator 184 may be passive or active. One example of a passive actuator is one or more springs such as a helical (coiled) spring that continuously applies a biasing force in the normaldirection. In this case, once the first positioning member 100 is brought into initial contact with the second positioning member 200, the first positioning member 100 may remain in contact with the second positioning member 200 under the influence of the biasing force during and between the positional states shown in Figures 3A-3C. Another example of a passive actuator is a magnetic actuator configured to generate a one or more repelling or attracting magnetic fields between the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200. For example, one or more permanent magnets may be attached to the first positioning member 100 and / or the second positioning member 200. Alternatively, one or more permanent magnets may be attached to one of the first positioning member 100 or the second positioning member 200, and one or more magnetizable (e.g., paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic) elements may be attached to the other of the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200.

[0083] Examples of an active actuator include, but are not limited to, an electromagnet (e.g., as part of a solenoid), a stepper motor, a pneumatic device (e.g., air cylinder), or a device utilizing an intrinsically actuating material (e.g., dielectric elastomer actuator or DEA, shape-memory polymer or SMP, shape-memory alloy or SMA, etc.). Depending on the type of active actuator, the activation may be brought about by electrical input (voltage, or electrical field), a thermal input (heat), an electromagnetic input (light), or a magnetic input (magnetic field). The timing of the activation may be determined as needed for facilitating the transition of the positioning device 300 from the uncoupled position to the coupled position shown in Figure 3C. An active actuator may include or cooperate with a compliant component to emulate a spring-biased type of normal force F and / or if needed to stabilize the movement or operation of the active actuator. For example, the compliant components may be or include one or more springs, such as helical (coiled) springs, spring washers (e.g., Belleville springs), etc.

[0084] In another implementation, the normal-oriented actuation force F may be applied manually by a user. The first positioning member 100 (or the second positioning member 200) may include a uscr-manipulablc handle to facilitate such manual actuation. In this case, the clement 184 in Figures 3A-3D may represent such a handle. Alternatively, the user may manipulate a mounting bracket or other structural component to which the first positioning member 100 (or the second positioning member 200) is attached to perform the manual actuation.

[0085] Figure 4 is a front elevation view in the y-z plane of the first positioning member 100 according to an implementation that includes a first mounting member 488 (e.g., frame, bracket, or other structure). The first mounting member 488 may be an integral or attachable part of the first positioning member 100 and thus movable with the first positioning member 100. In the present implementation, the first mounting member 488 is removably attached to the bottom side 124 of the first positioning member 100, such as by utilizing one or more fasteners (not shown) that engage the above-noted mounting component(s) 136 of the first positioning member 100. A first object 492 may be attached (or mounted, installed, etc.) to the first mounting member 488. As such, the first mounting member 488 may also be referred to as a first object holder. In the present example, the first object 492 may be an optics component that is optically aligned with the aperture 140 of the first positioning member 100 for an application-dependent purpose.

[0086] Figure 4 also shows a first linear guide member 496. The first linear guide member 496 may be integral with or attached to an apparatus to which the first positioning member 100 is movably mounted (or installed, etc.), depending on the implementation. Generally, the first linear guide member 496 may be configured to assist in initially aligning the first positioning member 100 in the insertion plane in parallel with the second positioning member 200, and to guide the sliding of the first positioning member 100 along the insertion axis from the uncoupled position to the coupled position, if such guidance is needed or desired. For this purpose, as illustrated, the first linear guide member 496 may include one or more linear guide channels (or, slots, tracks, etc.) 406 extending along the insertion axis. The linear guide channels 406 may receive or engage one or more portions of the first positioning member 100 that likewise extend along the insertion axis, such as one or more rails (or rims, flanged sections, etc.) 410 of the first positioning member 100. As shown, the linear guide channels 406 may be sized such that the rails 410 loosely fit into the linear guide channels 406. By this configuration, the linear guide channels 406 may provide the guiding function without adding constraints to the first positioning member 100 while at the coupled position shown in Figures 3C and 3C.

[0087] Figure 5 is a front elevation view in the y-z plane of the first positioning member 100 according to another implementation that includes the first mounting member 488 and the first linear guide member 496. In this implementation, the first linear guide member 496 engages one or more portions of the first mounting member 488 instead of the first positioning member 100. Specifically,the first linear guide member 496 engages one or more rails (or rims, flanged sections, etc.) 514 of the first mounting member 488.

[0088] Depending on the implementation, a linear guide for facilitating alignment, such as the first linear guide member(s) 496 and rail(s) 410, may or may not be needed or provided.

[0089] Figure 6A is a front elevation view in the y-z plane of the second positioning member 200 according to an implementation that includes a second mounting member 688 (e.g., frame, bracket, or other structure). Figure 6B is a bottom view in the x-y plane of the second positioning member 200 and second mounting member 688. The second mounting member 688 may be integral with or attached to an apparatus to which the second positioning member 200 is mounted. The actuator 184 may also be integral with, attached to, or in contact with the second mounting member 688, depending on the implementation. The present implementation also includes a second linear guide member 696. In the present implementation, the second linear guide member 696 is integral with or attached to the second mounting member 688. Generally, the second linear guide member 696 may be configured to guide the shifting of the second positioning member 200 along the normal axis, as described above in conjunction with Figures 3B and 3C, if such guidance is needed or desired. For this purpose, as illustrated, the second linear guide member 696 may include one or more linear guide channels (or, slots, tracks, etc.) 606 extending along the normal axis. The linear guide channels 606 may receive or engage one or more portions of the second positioning member 200 that likewise extend along the normal axis, such as one or more rails (or rims, flanged sections, etc.) 610 of the second positioning member 200. As shown, the linear guide channels 606 may be sized such that the rails 610 loosely fit into the linear guide channels 606. By this configuration, the linear’ guide channels 606 may provide the guiding function without adding constraints to the second positioning member 200 while at the coupled position shown in Figures 3C and 3C.

[0090] Depending on the implementation, a linear guide for facilitating alignment, such as the second linear guide member(s) 696 and rail(s) 610, may or may not be needed or provided.

[0091] Figure 7 is a front elevation view in the y-z plane of the positioning device 300 while removably attached (or mounted, installed, etc.) to an external structure 718. Generally, the external structure 718 may be part of any apparatus, instrument, device, etc., with which the positioning device 300 operates. The portion of the external structure 718 shown in Figure 7 may be a housing, wall, frame, plate, etc. The specific type of apparatus is application-dependent. As one example, theapparatus may be an analytical instrument that utilizes an optics-based detection technique. In the present implementation, the first positioning member 100 is connected to the first mounting member 488 (e.g., via mounting component(s) 136) and / or is movably (e.g., loosely) supported by the abovedescribed first linear guide member 496, as described above. The first linear guide member 496 may be integral with the external structure 718 or attached to the external structure 718 via one or more appropriate fasteners (depicted by screw or bolt heads 722). The second positioning member 200 is connected to the second mounting member 688 (e.g., via the actuator 184) and / or is movably (e.g., loosely) supported by the above-described second linear guide member 696, as described above. The second mounting member 688 and / or second linear guide member 696 may be integral with the external structure 718 or attached to the external structure 718 via one or more appropriate fasteners (depicted by screw or bolt heads 722).

[0092] Figure 8 is a front elevation view in the y-z plane of the positioning device 300 with the first object 492 and a second object 826 mounted thereto. As described above, the first object 492 may be attached (or mounted, installed, etc.) to the first mounting member 488 and may be an optics component that is optically aligned with the aperture 140 of the first positioning member 100 for an application-dependent purpose. The second object 826 also may be an optics component that is optically aligned with the aperture 140 of the first positioning member 100 for an applicationdependent purpose. Alternatively, the second object 826 may be or contain a sample to be analyzed. In the present implementation, the second object 826 is supported by a (second) object holder (or third mounting member) 830, which may be attached (or mounted, installed, etc.) to the second positioning member 200 as illustrated. The object holder 830 may be composed of a an optically transparent material, or include an optically transparent window or aperture 834 if needed to allow the transmission of a beam to and / or from the second object 826. The second object 826 may be or include a solid-phase, liquid-phase or gas-phase material. Particularly in a case where such material is flowable, the second object 826 may be disposed in an object container 838 that is in turn supported by the object holder 830.

[0093] In some implementations, Figure 8 illustrates an example of at least a portion of an opticsbased apparatus 800. The optics-based apparatus 800 may be considered as including the positioning device 300 and the first object 492 and / or second object 826 (or at least the object holder 830 that is to receive or support the second object 826). For example, the first object 492 may be a beam detectorand the second object 826 may be a sample to be detected (or measured, or imaged, etc.) by the beam detector. The optics-based apparatus 800 may further include a third object 838 that may be a beam source. The third object 838 may be positioned independently of (or externally to) the positioning device 300, or alternatively may be positionable by the positioning device 300 such as by being supported by the first mounting member 488 along with the first object 492. In the illustrated example, the third object 838 as a beam source directs a beam EX via the aperture 140 to the second object 826, and the second object 826 emits a beam EM that is received by the first object 492 via the aperture 140.

[0094] Figure 9 is a front elevation view in the y-z plane of the positioning device 300 with the first object 492 and the second object 826 mounted thereto, according to another implementation. In this implementation, in addition to the first positioning member 100 including a (first) aperture 140, the second positioning member 200 includes a second aperture 940 to allow one or more beams to pass through both the first positioning member 100 and the second positioning member 200. The second aperture 940 may accommodate the positioning of the third object 838 on the top side of the second positioning member 200. If needed, the actuator 184 may be positioned so as not to obstruct the beam EX emitted from the third object 838 or the area of the beam EX incident on the second object 826. As shown, for example, more than one actuator 184 may be provided if needed to balance the above-described normal force F applied by the actuator 184. Figure 9 further illustrates an implementation in which the second object 826 is mounted to the top side of the second positioning member 200, but alternatively may be mounted to the bottom side as shown in Figure 8.

[0095] Figure 10 is a perspective view of the second positioning member 200 according to another implementation. In this example, the object holder 830 is attached to the second positioning member 200 by one or more fasteners 1142 (e.g., screws, bolts, etc.), such that the second object 826 is clamped between the object holder 830 and the second positioning member 200. The configuration of the second positioning member 200 may be the same as or similar to the configuration illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B. In this example, the actuator 184 is a helical spring.

[0096] Figure 11 is a perspective view of the second positioning member 200 with a second object 826 mounted thereto. In this example, the object holder 830 is attached to the second positioning member 200 by one or more fasteners 1142 (e.g., screws, bolts, etc.), such that the second object 826 is clamped between the object holder 830 and the second positioning member 200. In this example,the second object 826 is a parallel array of (e.g., 96) capillaries containing respective samples to be analyzed. Depending on the implementation, the capillaries may be longer than illustrated, and the ends of the capillaries may be placed in fluid communication with a fluid source and a fluid destination, respectively. For example, in the case of capillary electrophoresis, the ends of the capillaries may fluidly communicate with buffer reservoirs. The capillaries are typically flexible and thus able to be bent to a certain degree without breaking. In the example shown in Figure 11, some of the (e.g., centrally located) capillaries may need to be bent around the interface element 232B to accommodate their interfacing with an external fluidic component (e.g., buffer reservoir, etc.). The object holder 830 includes a narrow, optically transparent window or slit 834 that defines a detection area or zone of the second object 826. A sealing element 1126 is disposed at the bottom side of the second positioning member 200 and surrounds the window or slit 834. The sealing element 1126 may be composed of any material suitable for sealing the window 834 against contaminants (e.g., dust) or stray light, such as a foam.

[0097] Figures 12A and 12B are perspective views of the second positioning member 200 illustrated in Figure 11 while mounted to a portion 718 of an apparatus. In this example, the interface elements 232A, 232B and 232C of the second positioning member 200 extend through respective through-holes of the portion 718 of the apparatus. The portion 718 of the apparatus includes an aperture 1230 aligned with the window 834 to allow transmission of light to and from the second object 826.

[0098] Figures 13A- 13C illustrate the linear movement of the first positioning member 100 to the coupled position at which the first positioning member 100 is coupled to the second positioning member 100 shown in Figures 11-12B. The linear movement positions the first object 492 in optical alignment with the second object 826. In this implementation, the first object 492 is a camera. In this implementation, the insertion axis / plane is vertical.

[0099] A positioning device as disclosed herein may be useful in a wide variety of instruments, such as instruments requiring one or more objects (e.g., optical components) to be moved out of their operating / target positions (such as for cleaning, servicing or replacing) and subsequently moved back to their operating / target positions with high precision / accuracy / repeatability. Examples of such instruments include, but are not limited to, electrophoresis instruments (e.g., capillary electrophoresis or CE), liquid chromatography (LC) instruments, gas chromatography (GC) instruments, massspectrometer (MS) instruments, ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) instruments, gas leak detectors, ion implantation devices and other microfabrication instruments, ultraviolet / visible / infrared spectroscopy instruments, atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) or optical emission spectroscopy (OES) instruments, electron microscopes, microscopes or other measuring or imaging instruments based on visible light, fluorescence, phosphorescence, or (chemi)luminescence, atomic force microscopy (AFM) instruments, etc.

[0100] It will be understood that terms such as “communicate” and “in . . . communication with” (for example, a first component “communicates with” or “is in communication with” a second component) are used herein to indicate a structural, functional, mechanical, electrical, signal, optical, magnetic, electromagnetic, ionic or fluidic relationship between two or more components or elements. As such, the fact that one component is said to communicate with a second component is not intended to exclude the possibility that additional components may be present between, and / or operatively associated or engaged with, the first and second components.

[0101] It will be understood that various aspects or details of the invention may be changed without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing description is for the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose of limitation — the invention being defined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A positioning device, comprising: a first positioning member comprising a first ramp, a second ramp, a third ramp, a first interface element, a second interface element, and a third interface element; and a second positioning member comprising a fourth interface element, a fifth interface element, and a sixth interface element, wherein: at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member is a movable member that is linearly translatable along an insertion plane from an uncoupled position at which the first positioning member and the second positioning member are spatially separated, through an intermediate position and to a coupled position; the first positioning member and the second positioning member are configured such that during linear translation of the movable member from the intermediate position to the coupled position, the fourth interface element slides along the first ramp and into contact with the first interface element to form a first coupling, the fifth interface element slides along the second ramp and into contact with the second interface element to form a second coupling, and the sixth interface element slides along the third ramp and into contact with the third interface element to form a third coupling; at the coupled position, the first positioning member and the second positioning member are parallel to each other and the insertion plane; and at the coupled position, the first coupling, the second coupling, and the third coupling are configured to cooperatively form a kinematic system that constrains six degrees of freedom of movement of the movable member.

2. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein: the first positioning member comprises a first inside surface and the second positioning member comprises a second inside surface; the first positioning member and the second positioning member are configured such that during linear translation of the movable member through the intermediate position, the fourth interface element slides along the first inside surface before contacting the first interface element, thefifth interface element slides along the first inside surface before contacting the second interface element, and the sixth interface element slides along the first inside surface before contacting the third interface element; at the coupled position, the first inside surface and the second inside surface are parallel to each other.

3. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member have a configuration according to at least one of: the first positioning member and the second positioning member are configured such that during linear translation of the movable member through the intermediate position, at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member moves in a direction away from the other of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along a normal axis orthogonal to the insertion plane; during linear translation of the movable member from the intermediate position to the coupled position, at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member moves in a direction toward the other of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along the normal axis; during linear translation of the movable member through the intermediate position, the first positioning member and the second positioning member are at least substantially parallel to each other.

4. The positioning device of claim 1, comprising an actuator contactable with one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member and configured to impart a normal force toward the other of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along a normal axis orthogonal to the insertion plane.

5. The positioning device of claim 4, wherein the actuator is configured to impart the normal force as a spring-biased or spring-like force.

6. The positioning device of claim 4, wherein the actuator is configured to impart the normal force during linear translation of the movable member from the intermediate position to the coupledposition, or after linear translation of the movable member from the intermediate position to the coupled position, or both during and after linear translation of the movable member from the intermediate position to the coupled position.

7. The positioning device of claim 1, comprising an object integral with or attached to the first positioning member or the second positioning member, wherein the object is kinematically constrained at the coupled position.

8. The positioning device of claim 7, wherein the object is an optical component.

9. The positioning device of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member comprises an aperture, and the object is aligned with the aperture at the coupled position.

10. The positioning device of claim 1, comprising a first object and a second object aligned with each other at the coupled position, wherein at least one of the first object or the second object is integral with or attached to the first positioning member or the second positioning member.

11. The positioning device of claim 12, comprising at least one of: one of the first object or the second object comprises a beam receiver and other of the first object or the second object comprises a beam emitter; one of the first object or the second object comprises a beam receiver and other of the first object or the second object comprises a beam emitter, wherein the beam receiver comprises a feature selected from the group consisting of: a light detector; a charged particle detector; a light processing device; a charged particle processing device; a sample holder; a detection cell; and one or more capillaries; one of the first object or the second object comprises a beam receiver and other of the first object or the second object comprises a beam emitter, wherein the beam emitter comprises a feature selected from the group consisting of: a light source; a charged particle source; a light processing device; a charged particle processing device; a sample holder; a detection cell; and one or more capillaries.

12. A sample analysis apparatus, comprising: the positioning device of claim 1; and an object integral with or attached to the first positioning member or the second positioning member, wherein the object is kinematically constrained at the coupled position.

13. The sample analysis apparatus of claim 12, wherein the object comprises at least one of: a beam receiver; a beam emitter; a sample holder.

14. The sample analysis apparatus of claim 12, wherein the object comprises a beam receiver, and the sample analysis apparatus further comprises at least one of: a sample holder positioned to optically align a sample held by the sample holder with the beam receiver at the coupled position; a beam emitter.

15. The sample analysis apparatus of claim 12, wherein the object comprises a beam receiver, and the sample analysis apparatus further comprises: a sample holder positioned to optically align a sample held by the sample holder with the beam receiver at the coupled position; and a beam emitter configured to be optically aligned with the sample at the coupled position.

16. The sample analysis apparatus of claim 12, comprising a light source, a light detector, and a sample holder configured to hold a sample in optical alignment with the light source and the light detector at the coupled position, wherein at least one of the light source, the light detector or the sample holder comprises or is part of the object kinematically constrained at the coupled position.

17. A method for assembling a positioning device, the method comprising: providing a first positioning member of the positioning device, the first positioning member comprising a first ramp, a second ramp, a third ramp, a first interface element, a second interface element, and a third interface element;providing a second positioning member of the positioning device, the second positioning member comprising a fourth interface element, a fifth interface element, and a sixth interface element; and linearly translating at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along an insertion plane from an uncoupled position at which the first positioning member and the second positioning member are spatially separated, through an intermediate position and to a coupled position, wherein: during the linearly translating from the intermediate position to the coupled position, the fourth interface element slides along the first ramp and into contact with the first interface element to form a first coupling, the fifth interface element slides along the second ramp and into contact with the second interface element to form a second coupling, and the sixth interface element slides along the third ramp and into contact with the third interface element to form a third coupling; at the coupled position, the first positioning member and the second positioning member arc parallel to each other and the insertion plane; and at the coupled position, the first coupling, the second coupling, and the third coupling cooperatively form a kinematic system that constrains six degrees of freedom of movement of the at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member that was linearly translated.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising at least one of: during the linearly translating through the intermediate position, at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member moves in a direction away from the other of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along a normal axis orthogonal to the insertion plane; during the linearly translating from the intermediate position to the coupled position, at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member moves in a direction toward the other of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along the normal axis; during the linearly translating through the intermediate position, the first positioning member and the second positioning member are at least substantially parallel to each other.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising, during the linearly translating, imparting a normal force to at least one of the first positioning member or the second positioning member along a normal axis orthogonal to the insertion plane.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein an object is integral with or attached to the first positioning member or the second positioning member, and at the coupled position, the positioning device kinematically constrains the object at a target position.

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