Monolithic Mirror Flexure Mount for High-Stiffness Two-Axis Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mirror mounts fail to achieve infinite stiffness in all but the desired degrees of freedom, leading to instability and jitter, and are limited by complex designs, material constraints, and scalability issues in miniature components.
Innovation Solution
A two-axis mirror flexure mount with a monolithic structure made from high-strength materials like Titanium alloy, featuring integrally formed rigid portions and perpendicular flexure elements that allow rotation, fabricated using precision wire erosion techniques to enhance stiffness and reduce complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If continuous rotation bearing is used to allow rotation in two orthogonal axes, then rotation freedom is improved, but friction increases and radial stiffness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical bearings with a flexure-based mechanism that uses elastic deformation instead of friction-based rolling elements. The flexure elements bend to accommodate rotational motion while maintaining high radial stiffness through their geometric design, eliminating the friction-stiffness tradeoff inherent in continuous rotation bearings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin flexure elements that act as flexible beams, allowing controlled bending in specific directions while maintaining rigidity in others. These flexible elements enable rotation through elastic deformation, providing both the desired rotational freedom and the required radial stiffness without the compromises of traditional bearing systems.
2Ease of operation
If flexure bearings are designed with multiple piece parts to allow rotation, then rotation capability is improved, but device complexity increases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple flexure elements into a single monolithic component fabricated from one continuous piece of material using precision wire erosion. This merging of multiple functional elements (flexure hinges, mounting surfaces, and structural supports) into one integrated part eliminates the complexity of assembling multiple piece parts while maintaining full rotational capability through the coordinated deformation of the integrated flexure elements.
3Ease of operation
If known flexure bearing designs are used to allow rotation, then rotation freedom is improved, but stiffness in linear directions decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs flexure elements with varying cross-sectional properties along their length, optimizing the local geometry to provide high stiffness in linear directions while maintaining flexibility for rotational motion. The flexure elements feature thicker sections near mounting points for linear stiffness and tapered or thinned sections that facilitate controlled bending for rotation, achieving both requirements through spatially varying local quality.
4Ease of manufacture
If piece part assembly is used to create flexure bearings, then assembly flexibility is improved, but scalability to miniature components decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines all flexure bearing elements into a single monolithic component that can be directly fabricated at miniature scales using precision wire erosion. This eliminates the need for assembling multiple small piece parts, which becomes increasingly difficult and error-prone at miniature dimensions. The integrated design maintains manufacturing flexibility while enabling reliable fabrication of miniature components through advanced machining techniques.
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 provides increased stiffness, reduced volume, lower manufacturing costs, improved accuracy, and enhanced reliability, enabling the mount to withstand large angular motions and maintain precision.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of substantially linear flexure elements provided substantially perpendicular to one another and disposed between the mount portion and the base portion to connect the mount portion and the base portion together; wherein the flexure elements each define an axis of rotation and are operable to allow the mount portion to rotate relative to the base portion along either said axis of rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A mirror mount includes a two-axis mirror flexure mount with increased stiffness in all but the desired degrees of freedom. The mount is an integrally formed support for a mirror and includes a rigid portion, a plurality of base portions suitable for mounting the mirror thereto, and a plurality of substantially linear flexure elements disposed between the mount portion and the base portion to connect the mount portion and the base portion together. The flexure elements each define an axis of rotation and are operable to allow the mount portion to rotate relative to the base portion along either axis of rotation.