Abstract An adjustable mount for a trihedral mirror of the type including three contiguous mirror segments having reflecting surfaces operatively arranged in mutually normal planes and particularly suited for use in interferometers, characterized by the utilization of an alloy, such as that commercially available under the trade name Invar, to form a pair of rigidly coupled and normally disposed side plates having a bottom plate fixedly secured thereto along a pair of intersecting edge portions. Each of the side plates adjustably supports a backup plate through screw-threaded adjusting screws, also of Invar, and a plurality of tension springs connected therebetween, with each backup plate, as well as the bottom plate, being provided with a plurality of extended and tensioned links of music wire joined at spaced intervals to the edge surfaces of an adjacent mirror segment in a manner such as to preclude an interruption of impinging beams of light, whereby each of the mirror segments can be adjusted by manipulating the adjusting screws, while heatinduced error is rendered negligible, so that the reflecting surfaces may be adjusted to assume a fixed, mutually normal relationship with minimum deviation error.
An adjustable mount for a trihedral mirror comprising: a rigid frame including a bottom plate and a pair of side plates extended in substantially mutually perpendicular planes; a pair of adjacently disposed backup plates, each backup plate being disposed adjacent to a side plate and arranged in a substantially parallel relationship therewith; adjustable means coupling the backup plates with said side plates including a plurality of adjusting screws and cooperating spring members extending between each adjacently disposed backup plate and side plate, whereby the backup plates may adjustably be positioned relative to planes extending parallel to the planes of the adjacent surfaces of the side plates; means including three congruent mirror segments; and support means extended from said pair of backup plats and said bottom plate supporting said mirror segments in a mutually perpendicular relationship.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
135 words
An adjustable mount for a trihedral mirror comprising: a rigid frame including a bottom plate and a pair of side plates extended in substantially mutually perpendicular planes; a pair of adjacently disposed backup plates, each backup plate being disposed adjacent to a side plate and arranged in a substantially parallel relationship therewith; adjustable means coupling the backup plates with said side plates including a plurality of adjusting screws and cooperating spring members extending between each adjacently disposed backup plate and side plate, whereby the backup plates may adjustably be positioned relative to planes extending parallel to the planes of the adjacent surfaces of the side plates; means including three congruent mirror segments; and support means extended from said pair of backup plats and said bottom plate supporting said mirror segments in a mutually perpendicular relationship.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
The amount according to claim 1 wherein the support means includes a plurality of links formed of music wire secured to the edge surfaces of the mirror segments, and biasing means connected with the segments of the music wire urging the mirror segments toward the backup plates and the bottom plate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The mount according to claim 2 wherein the biasing means includes a plurality of leaf springs each having a screw-threaded clamp joining one end of a segment of music wire thereto.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
The mount according to claim 3 wherein said the plates and adjusting screws are formed of an alloy having a small coefficient of thermal expansion for effectively precluding an introduction of heat-induced error.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The mount according to claim 1 wherein means defining a slot-and-key coupling is provided for joining the side plates into a rigid unitary member.