Deformable mirror with variable curvature and method for manufacturing such a mirror
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deformable mirrors for adaptive optics require a large number of actuators, leading to complexity, high manufacturing costs, fragility, and limited service life, making them difficult to install and maintain, while also being challenging to manufacture accurately due to complex thickness profiles.
Innovation Solution
A deformable mirror design featuring a plate with primary and secondary portions of varying stiffness, where secondary portions are interposed between primary portions, each extending along and on either side of radiuses, and a limited number of actuators are used to exert force on the hidden face to deform the plate, allowing for precise curvature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of actuators are used to deform the mirror plate, then the mirror can achieve complex wavefront corrections, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mirror plate is segmented into primary portions and secondary portions with different stiffness characteristics. This segmentation allows a limited number of actuators to control different regions of the mirror independently, achieving complex wavefront corrections without requiring a large number of actuators across the entire surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the mirror plate are assigned different stiffness properties - primary portions have one stiffness characteristic while secondary portions have another. This local quality variation enables targeted deformation control with fewer actuators, as each actuator can effectively influence specific regions with appropriate stiffness characteristics.
2Manufacturing precision
If a complex thickness profile is manufactured according to specific mathematical formulas, then the mirror achieves accurate deformation characteristics, but the manufacturing precision requirements and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing a single complex thickness profile according to complicated mathematical formulas, the plate is divided into multiple portions with simpler, standardized thickness profiles. Each portion (primary and secondary) can be manufactured using常规 processes with acceptable tolerances, avoiding the need for ultra-precise complex profile manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the plate have different thickness characteristics tailored to their specific functional requirements. Primary portions and secondary portions each have optimized thickness profiles suited to their stiffness requirements, rather than forcing a single complex mathematical profile across the entire plate.
3Measurement precision
If multiple actuators with linkages are used to deform the mirror, then the mirror can be maneuvered precisely, but the service life decreases and repair becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The complex linkage mechanisms connecting multiple actuators to the mirror plate are eliminated. Instead, actuators are directly coupled to the plate portions, removing the intermediate linkages that have limited service life and are difficult to repair. The deformation control is achieved through direct actuation of the segmented plate structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented plate structure with varying stiffness portions inherently provides stable deformation control without requiring complex linkage systems. The plate's own structural characteristics enable precise maneuvering, reducing dependence on fragile mechanical linkages.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a reliable, compact, and cost-effective deformable mirror that is easy to set up, adaptable for optical aberration correction, and capable of accurate focusing or defocusing with reduced downtime and manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
at least one actuator intended to exert a force on said hidden face in order to deform said plate
Data Source
AI summary
A deformable mirror with variable curvature including: a plate having a reflective face and opposite hidden face and whose shape has a center (C) and radiuses (r), and at least one actuator intended to exert a force on the hidden face in order to deform the plate. The plate comprises a plurality of primary and secondary portions. The secondary portions being interposed between the primary portions, each of the primary portions extending locally substantially along and on either side of a respective radius (r′) among said radiuses (r), and having a stiffness different from the adjacent secondary portions. The deformable mirror is intended to the introduction or the correction of an optical aberration in a light beam.