Guide means for a barrel carrying an optical element

Claim 1

IN AN OPTICAL DEVICE HAVING A PREDETERMINED OPTICAL AXIS, IN COMBINATION, AN OUTER STATIONARY TUBULAR SUPPORT HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY COINCIDING WITH THE OPTICAL AXIS, SAID TUBULAR SUPPORT BEING FORMED WITH A PAIR OF ELONGATED CUTOUTS ANGULARLY DISPLACED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER ABOUT THE OPTICAL AXIS, EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL THERETO, AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID TUBULAR SUPPORT, EACH OF SAID CUTOUTS BEING DEFINED AT LEAST IN PART BY A PAIR OF FLAT PARALLEL SURFACES OF SAID SUPPORT EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE OPTICAL AXIS; AN OPTICAL ELEMENT HAVING AN OPTICAL AXIS COINCIDING WITH SAID PREDETERMINED OPTICAL AXIS OF THE DEVICE; AN INNER BARREL LOCATED WITHIN AND SPACED FROM SAID TUBULAR SUPPORT AND CARRYING SAID OPTICAL ELEMENT; A PAIR OF ELONGATED RODS FIXED TO SAID BARREL AT THE EXTERIOR THEREOF AND RESPECTIVELY LOCATED IN AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CUTOUTS, SAID RODS RESPECTIVELY HAVING LONGITUDINAL AXES WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALL PARALLEL TO THE OPTICAL AXIS AND EACH ROD HAVING AN EXTERIOR CONVEX SURFACE OF REVOLUTION WHOSE AXIS COINCIDES WITH THE ROD AXIS AND THE EXTERIOR CONVEX SURFACE OF REVOLUTION OF EACH ROD ENGAGING THE PARALLEL FLAT SURFACES OF THE CUTOUT IN WHICH THE ROD IS LOCATED, SO THAT SAID RODS PROVIDE SAID BARREL WITH TWO DEGREES OF FREEDOM, NAMELY FREEDOM TO MOVE LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID OPTICAL AXIS AND FREEDOM TO BE TRANSVERSELY DISPLACED IN SAID TUBULAR SUPPORT; AND MEANS PROJECTING FROM SAID BARREL AND ENGAGING SAID TUBULAR SUPPORT FOR ELIMINATING SAID FREEDOM TO MOVE TRANSVERSELY, SO THAT SAID BARREL IS LIMITED TO LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO SAID TUBULAR SUPPORT ALONG THE OPTICAL AXIS.