JP2002244005A - Optical element supporting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical element supporting mechanism by which the optical element can be satisfactorily positioned. SOLUTION: An optical element supporting mechanism 10 for supporting an optical element 12 equipped with an incident part 12a where an irradiated light is made incident with respect to the reference surface is provided with a base part 60, a supporting part 20 for supporting the optical element 12 on the base part 60, and controlling parts 20 and 30 equipped at the base part 60 for carrying out movement control of the optical element 12 along at least 2 directions which cross on the nearly parallel flat surface with respect to the reference surface of the optical element 12. The supporting part 20 has an elastic structure 22 whose free end can be freely oscillated in the inside of the prescribed flat surface nearly parallel to the reference surface, and the part 20 supports the optical element 12 with the free end of the elastic structure 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an optical element supporting mechanism, and more particularly to an optical element supporting mechanism for positioning an optical element such as a pinhole or a fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A pinhole support mechanism 100 as a conventional optical element support mechanism is shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a sectional view in the front direction of the pinhole support mechanism 100, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing along the XX line of FIG.

The pinhole support mechanism 100 constitutes a so-called spatial filter by supporting a lens holder 101 having an objective lens 101a and a pinhole member 102 having a pinhole 102a. That is, the incident laser light is condensed by the objective lens 101a, and the pinhole 102a positioned at the focal position is set.
To reduce the influence of disturbance light on the laser light.

[0004] The pinhole support mechanism 100 includes a base 1
03, a support 140 supporting the pinhole member 102 on the base 103, and movement adjustment of the pinhole member 102 along each of two directions orthogonal to a plane perpendicular to the center line of the pinhole 102a. And a third adjusting unit 130 for adjusting the movement of the pinhole member 102 along the center line of the pinhole 102a, and a lens holding unit 10 for holding the objective lens.
4 is provided.

[0005] The lens holder 104 is a lens holder 1
The optical axis of the objective lens 101 a is fixed in a fixed direction with respect to the base 103.

On the other hand, the support portion 140 is provided with the pinhole member 1.
A slide ring 141 in which a female screw portion screwed to a male screw portion formed on the outer periphery of the outer ring 02 is formed; a moving ring 142 that slidably supports the slide ring 141 along the center line thereof; And a support frame 143 for slidably supporting the movable ring 142 in a predetermined plane perpendicular to the center line of the pinhole 102a of the pinhole member 102 in a supported state.

The slide ring 141 has a cylindrical shape, and when the pinhole member 102 is held by its female screw portion, the centerline of the pinhole 102a and the slide ring 141 are held.
Are set so as to coincide with the center line of. The outer peripheral surface of the slide ring 141 has a uniform outer diameter along the center line direction.

The moving ring 142 is a slide ring 141
And a flange portion 142b provided at one end of the cylindrical portion 142a. The cylindrical portion 142a penetrates from one end to the other end with a uniform inner diameter, and is set to an inner diameter in which the slide ring 141 can be inserted and slid.

The flange portion 142b is formed so as to protrude like a flange in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 142a.
Are uniformly set along the center line direction. Therefore, the flange portion 142b has a flat plate shape generally along a plane perpendicular to the center line of the pinhole 102a. The support frame 143 is formed integrally with the base 103,
The moving ring 142 is supported by the flange 142b.

The support frame 143 supports the flange portion 142b in a state in which it is in sliding contact with one plane and the other plane. Therefore, the pinhole 102 of the pinhole member 102
a can move on a plane perpendicular to the center line of the pinhole 102a by sliding between the respective planes of the flange-shaped portion 142b and the respective inner surfaces of the support frame 143 slidingly contacting these planes. .

Note that the optical axis of the objective lens 101a of the lens holder 101 held by the lens holding portion 104 and the center line of the pinhole 102a of the pinhole member 102 supported by the support portion 140 are parallel and approximately coincide with each other. As described above, the lens holding unit 104 and the support unit 140 are
3 is formed.

Next, the first adjusting unit 110 and the second adjusting unit 120 will be described. These adjusting units 110 and 12
0 is mounted on the support frame 143. That is,
Each of the adjusting portions 110 and 120 is provided at a predetermined position on a peripheral portion of the flange portion 142 b of the moving ring 142.
adjusting screws 111 and 121 abutting from the outside in the radial direction of a
And the adjusting screws 111 and 121 sandwiching the flange 142b.
Pressing members 112 and 122 pressing from opposite sides of the pressing member, and pressing springs 11 for urging the pressing members 112 and 122 to apply pressing force.
3,123. The first adjusting unit 110 and the second adjusting unit 120 support the supporting frame such that the moving directions of the adjusting screws 111 and 121 are respectively along straight lines orthogonal to each other on a plane perpendicular to the center line of the pinhole 102a. It is attached to the body 143. Therefore, the pinhole 102a can be moved and adjusted in the moving direction of the adjusting screws 111 and 121 via the moving ring 142 and the slide ring 141 by operating the adjusting screws 111 and 121.

[0013] The third adjusting unit 130 includes the slide ring 1.
A slide pin 131 protruding outward in the radial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral surface 41 is provided so as to be movable in the center line direction of the pinhole 102 a at the upper part of the support frame 143, and the distal end of the slide pin 131 is provided. Adjusting member 132 that abuts the sliding pin 131 and the pressing member 13 that presses the sliding pin 131 from the opposite side of the adjusting screw with the sliding pin 131 interposed therebetween.
And a pressing spring 13 for urging the pressing member 133 to apply a pressing force.
4 is provided. The slide pin 131 is loosely inserted into a slot-shaped guide hole 142c provided through the flange portion 142b of the moving ring 142.
The slide ring 141 can slide freely with respect to the moving ring 142 within the range of the length 43c. By operating the adjusting screw 131, the pinhole 102a can be moved and adjusted in the direction of its center line via the slide pin 131 and the slide ring 141.

With the above configuration, the pinhole support mechanism 10
0, the optical axis of the objective lens 101a and the pinhole 102
If there is a deviation from the center line of “a”, the adjusting screws 111 and 12 of the first and second adjusting portions 110 and 120 are adjusted.
1 to make them coincide with each other coaxially, and when the pinhole 102a is deviated from the focal position of the objective lens 101a, the adjusting screw 132 of the third adjusting unit 130 is operated to position it at the focal position. I do.

[0015]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following disadvantages. That is, as described above, the pinhole member 102 is
1 and supported by the base 103 via the moving ring 142. The movable ring 142 slides in contact with each of the opposite side surfaces of the flange portion 142b and two opposing inner wall surfaces of the support frame 143, and these surfaces slide, whereby the movable ring 142 slides with respect to the center line of the pinhole 102a. Since the positioning is performed on the vertical surface, it is easily affected by the processing accuracy and the assembly accuracy of each surface (for example, when the support frame 143 is assembled from a plurality of members). The moving ring 142 is rattled, which makes it difficult to accurately position the pinhole 102a.

If the processing accuracy and the assembly accuracy are increased, the production cost and the productivity of the pinhole support mechanism 100 will be increased, and the smooth movement of the moving ring 142 may be hindered by eliminating the gap. there were.

[0017]

An object of the present invention is to provide a highly productive optical element supporting mechanism which solves the disadvantages of the prior art, and in particular, makes it possible to accurately and smoothly position the entrance of an optical element. That is its purpose.

[0018]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical element support mechanism for supporting an optical element having an incident portion on which irradiation light enters a reference surface. A base, a support for supporting the optical element on the base, and movement of the optical element along at least two directions provided on the base and intersecting on a plane substantially parallel to a reference plane of the optical element. And an adjusting unit for performing adjustment. The support section has an elastic structure whose free end is swingable in a predetermined plane substantially parallel to the reference plane, and the optical element is supported at the free end by the elastic structure. Has been adopted.

Here, the reference plane of the optical element refers to a plane on which the incident portion on which the irradiation light enters is formed or a plane provided in the incident portion itself. For example, in the case of a pinhole member as an optical element, a pinhole penetrating through a flat plate is an incident portion, and the flat surface of the flat plate is a reference surface. Further, as another example, in the case of an optical fiber as an optical element, the end face of the fiber is a reference plane and also an incident part.

In the above configuration, the positioning is performed such that the irradiation light is incident on the incident portion of the optical element. First, the optical element supported by the free end of the elastic structure of the support portion by the arrangement of the base portion is roughly positioned at the irradiation position of the irradiation light, and then precisely adjusted by the adjustment portion. At this time, since the optical element is supported only by the elastic structure and is not in sliding contact with other members, the optical element faithfully moves along the swinging region of the free end of the elastic body when receiving an external force from the adjusting portion. However, there is no influence of the surface roughness of the members and the processing accuracy.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the elastic structure has a configuration similar to that of the first aspect, and the elastic structure is arranged along one linear direction on a predetermined plane substantially parallel to the reference plane. A combination of a first elastic body whose free end swings and a second elastic body whose free end swings along another linear direction intersecting one straight line on the predetermined plane. It has a configuration.

In this configuration, the first elastic body bends along one linear direction on a plane substantially parallel to the reference plane,
Since the second elastic body bends along another linear direction on the same plane, the cooperation enables the optical element to be freely moved along the plane and positioned.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the same configuration as the second aspect of the present invention, and the free end of the first elastic body and the base end of the second elastic body are connected to the second elastic body. A configuration is employed in which the free end of the elastic body is connected to the base end side of the first elastic body in a folded state.

In this configuration, the first elastic body is extended in one direction, and the second elastic body is extended from the free end to the base end side of the first elastic body in a folded state. Therefore, a space corresponding to the total length of each elastic body is not required, and only a space corresponding to the length of the longer elastic body is required.

According to the invention described in claim 4, claim 2 or 3
In addition to having the same configuration as the described invention, the supporting portion has a configuration that has at least two first elastic bodies and at least two second elastic bodies.

In such a configuration, since at least two or more first elastic members are provided, when the optical element moves in the swing direction of the free end of the first elastic member,
The optical element performs parallel movement without changing the inclination of the reference plane, and the same applies when the optical element moves in the swing direction of the free end of the second elastic body. That is, even if the length of each elastic body in the extending direction is not set to be sufficiently larger than the swing direction change amount (length) at the time of movement adjustment,
When the movement of the optical element is adjusted, a change in the inclination of the reference plane is prevented.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the fourth aspect, the spring constants of the first elastic members are set substantially equal and the spring constants of the second elastic members are set substantially equal. Configuration. In such a configuration, since the spring constants of the plurality of first elastic bodies are all equal, when the optical element is moved in the bending direction of the first elastic bodies, a uniform displacement occurs for each first elastic body, It is possible to further reduce the occurrence of a change in the inclination of the reference plane when adjusting the movement of the optical element. The same applies to each second elastic body.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the same configuration as the fourth aspect of the present invention, and a plurality of first elastic bodies and a plurality of second elastic bodies are disposed substantially perpendicular to the reference plane. The elastic structure includes an intermediate member connecting the free end of each first elastic body and the base end of each second elastic body.

The intermediate member is provided with a plurality of inner members at a position corresponding to one end in one of two diameter directions orthogonal to each other on a circumference formed on a plane substantially parallel to the reference plane. And holding the free end of each of the remaining halves of the first elastic body at a position corresponding to the other end of one diameter. ing.

Further, the intermediate member holds the base end of each of the second half elastic bodies at a position corresponding to one end of the other diameter in the two diametrical directions orthogonal to each other. The other half of the plurality of second elastic bodies is held at the position corresponding to the other end of the other diameter at the base end of the second elastic body.

The term "arranging each elastic body substantially perpendicular to the reference plane" means that each elastic body is arranged such that the direction from the base end to the free end is substantially perpendicular to the reference plane. Shall mean.

In the invention according to the sixth aspect, the plurality of first halves disposed at two positions at both ends of one diameter on a circumference formed on a plane substantially parallel to the reference plane. Since the optical element is supported by the elastic body and a plurality of second elastic bodies that are divided into two at respective positions that are both ends of the other diameter orthogonal to the one diameter, the vertical direction from the reference plane As a result, the optical element receives the reaction force of each elastic body from the four sides around the optical element.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the sixth aspect, all the spring constants of the first elastic body and the second elastic body are set substantially equal. I am taking it. Therefore, in such a configuration, since the optical element receives a uniform reaction force from the four sides, even if the optical element moves from its natural position in any direction along the reference plane, the reaction force is generated depending on the direction. Does not occur, and a reaction force corresponding to only the distance displacement of the optical element is received from each elastic body. Therefore, when the position of the optical element is adjusted by the adjusting section, the positioning is favorably performed regardless of the direction in which the optical element is moved and adjusted.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the second, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention are described.
A configuration similar to that of the invention described in 4, 5, 6, or 7 is provided, and both the first elastic body and the second elastic body are leaf springs. Therefore, each elastic body, which is a leaf spring, is disposed at its free end so that the plate surface is perpendicular to the direction in which it is to be swung.

The present invention is intended to achieve the above-mentioned object by the above-mentioned respective constitutions.

[0036]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [Overview] A pinhole support mechanism 10 as an optical element support mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a pinhole support mechanism 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pinhole support mechanism 10 taken along a laser light irradiation direction, which will be described later, as viewed from the front. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the irradiation direction of laser light as viewed from the plane.

The pinhole support mechanism 10 constitutes a so-called spatial filter by supporting a lens holder 11 having an objective lens 11a and a pinhole member 12 having a pinhole 12a as an optical element. That is, the objective is to reduce the influence of disturbance light on the laser light by condensing the laser light incident on the lens holder 11 in the holding state with the objective lens 11a and passing the laser light through the pinhole 12a at the focal position. Used for In such use, the lens holder 1
Irradiation is performed such that the irradiation trajectory of the laser light coincides with the optical axis of the objective lens 11a held via the first lens 1. Further, the pinhole support mechanism 10 holds the lens holder 11 and the pinhole member 12 so that the optical axis of the objective lens 11a and the center line C of the pinhole 12a are parallel to each other.
A function is provided for performing adjustment so that the optical axis and the center line C coincide with each other.

It should be noted that the pinhole member 12 is a pinhole 11 serving as an incident portion provided to penetrate the plate vertically.
a. The reference surface of the pinhole member 12 refers to the flat plate surface on which the laser light is incident on the flat plate provided with the pinhole 11a. The center line C of the pinhole 12a is a line passing through the center of the pinhole 12a and perpendicular to the reference plane.

The pinhole support mechanism 10 includes a support section 20 for supporting the pinhole member 12 and a support section 20 along each of two directions orthogonal to a plane substantially parallel to the reference plane of the supported pinhole member 12. First and second adjusting portions 30 and 40 for adjusting the movement of the pinhole member 12, and the pinhole member 12 substantially perpendicular to the reference surface of the pinhole member 12.
A third adjusting unit 50 for adjusting the movement of the objective lens 11
a lens holding portion 14 for holding a, and a base portion 60 for holding each of the above components. Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail.

[Base] The base 60 has a cylindrical base body 61 for holding the lens holder 11, a movable frame 62 for holding the support section 20, and a base body 61 along the optical axis direction of the objective lens 11a. And two support arms 63 for freely supporting the forward movement of the movable frame 62. Reference numeral 64 denotes a rod-like body for fixing the pinhole support mechanism 10 provided below the base main body 61 to the outside (FIG. 1, FIG. 1).
2).

At one end of the base body 61, a holding hole 61a for holding the lens holder 11 is formed so that the center line of the cylindrical shape coincides with the optical axis of the objective lens 11a (FIG. 3). Reference numeral 61b denotes a set screw for fixing the lens holder 11. The other end of the base body 61 is widely opened, and one end of the movable frame 62 is slidably inserted therein (FIG. 1).

The movable frame 62 has one end thereof at the base body 6.
It has a cylindrical shape that can be inserted into one of the openings, and has a circular through hole 62a formed at the other end thereof, which faces the swing member 21 of the support portion 20 described below from the outside. The pinhole member 12 is mounted on the swing member 21 from outside the movable frame 62 through the through hole 62a. The diameter of the through hole 62a is set to be larger than that of the pinhole member 12, and the pinhole member 12 can swing to some extent while being loosely inserted into the through hole 62a (FIG. 1). , 2).

Each of the support arms 63 is disposed on both side surfaces of the base main body 61, and one end thereof is connected to the movable frame 6
2 (FIG. 4). In addition, each support arm 63
Is connected to the base body 61 via a slider 65 at an intermediate portion thereof. Each slider 65 is provided on both side surfaces of the base body 61 and is supported by a guide 66 that guides the base body 61 so as to be able to move forward within a certain range along the center line direction of the base body 61. Therefore, the movable frame 62 can freely move in the direction along the optical axis of the objective lens 11 a with respect to the base main body 61 via the support arms 63 and the slider 65.

[Support Part: Overall] The support part 20 includes a swing member 21 for holding the pinhole member 12 and the swing member 2.
1 and an elastic structure 22 for swingably supporting the pinhole member 12 with respect to the movable frame 62 via the base 1 (FIGS. 2 and 5).

The oscillating member 21 has a through hole 21a at the center thereof and a female screw groove screwed with a male screw groove provided on the outer periphery of the pinhole member 12 inside the through hole 21a. Are formed. Therefore, the pinhole member 12 is screwed and held in the swing member 21.

[Support: Elastic Structure] The elastic structure 22
The free ends of the two first elastic members 23 made of a plate spring, the two second elastic members 24 made of a plate spring, and the two first elastic members 23 And a middle member 25 connected to the base end (FIG. 5). And
The base end of each first elastic body 23 is fixed to the movable frame 62, and the free end of each second elastic body 24 is connected to the swing member 21 (FIGS. 2, 3, and 4).

Each first elastic body 23 and each second elastic body 2
4 are all strip-shaped, the materials and dimensions thereof and the spring constants of their free ends are set to be equal, and all the elastic bodies 23 and 24 are in a state where they are not bent and are in a holding state. The hole member 12 is disposed in parallel with the center line C of the pinhole 12a (FIGS. 2 and 4).

[Support Part: Second Elastic Body] Each of the second elastic bodies 24 has a free end at one end of one diameter of a circumference centered on the center line C of the swinging member 21. Each plate surface is fixed to a corresponding position with the respective plate surfaces oriented in a direction perpendicular to the diameter. The base end of each second elastic body 24 is fixed to the intermediate member 25 (FIG. 2, FIG.
3).

The intermediate member 25 has a ring shape whose outer diameter is equal to the distance between the free ends of the second elastic members 24, and each intermediate member 25 has a first diameter at each position corresponding to both ends of the one diameter. The base ends of the two elastic bodies 24 are fixed respectively.
Further, at the base end of each second elastic body 24, its plate surface is fixed to the intermediate member 25 in a direction perpendicular to the diameter of the intermediate member 25 (FIGS. 3 and 5).

Accordingly, as viewed from the intermediate member 25 side, each of the second elastic members 24 freely swings along a straight line on a plane parallel to the reference plane at its free end. Further, the swinging member 21 is supported by two second elastic bodies 24 having the same spring constant with respect to the intermediate member 25, and the two second elastic bodies 24 are on the same plane. (Since they exist on two different parallel planes), the center line C of the pinhole member 12 does not change its angle even when the swing member 21 swings by receiving an external force. It can be translated (FIG. 2).

[Support Part: First Elastic Body] On the other hand, each first elastic body 23 has its free end located at each position on the outer periphery of the intermediate member 25 corresponding to both ends of its diameter. The plate surface of each first elastic body 23 is fixed in a direction perpendicular to its diameter (FIG. 4). Intermediate member 2 connecting the fixed positions of the free ends of the two first elastic members 23
The direction of the diameter of 5 is orthogonal to the direction of the diameter connecting the fixed positions of the base ends of the two second elastic bodies 24 described above. That is, on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate member 25, the first elastic bodies 23 and the second elastic bodies 24 are alternately fixed at intervals of 90 ° (FIGS. 3 and 5).

The base end of each first elastic body 23 is fixed to the vicinity of the through hole 62a of the movable frame 62 while maintaining the first elastic body 23 in a parallel state. The base end of each first elastic body 23 is
The two through holes 62a are fixed to respective positions corresponding to both ends of one diameter of a concentric circle (FIGS. 3 and 4).

The base ends of the first elastic members 23 are fixed to both sides of the through hole 62a of the movable frame 62 in a state where the first elastic members 23 face each other and maintain a uniform interval. Each of the first elastic bodies 23 has its plate surface oriented in a direction perpendicular to the diameter at a position corresponding to both ends of one diameter of the circumference centered on the center line of the through hole 62a. It is fixed (FIGS. 3 and 4).

Therefore, each of the first elastic members 23 freely swings along a straight line on a plane parallel to the reference plane, as viewed from the movable frame 62 side. Further, the intermediate member 25 is supported by the two first elastic members 23 having the same spring constant with respect to the movable frame member 62, and the two first elastic members 23 are on the same plane. (Because they exist on two different parallel planes), even when the intermediate member 25 swings, it can be translated without changing the angle of the center line of the intermediate member 25. It is possible.

[Support: Effect of Elastic Structure] As described above, the swing direction of the free end of each first elastic body 23 and each second elastic body 24 is the center of the pinhole 12a. It is along two orthogonal diameters on a circumference centered on the line C. Therefore, the pinhole member 12 is swingably supported by the elastic structure 22 on a plane parallel to the reference plane of the pinhole member 12 within a range limited by the through hole 62a.

Further, the pinhole member 12 is provided for each elastic body 2.
3 and 24, the elastic force is received from two directions orthogonal to each other on a plane parallel to the reference plane, and the elastic constants of the elastic members 23 and 24 are equal. The reaction force does not change, and it is possible to favorably adjust the movement in any direction.

The elastic structure 22 connects each second elastic body 24 via an intermediate member 25 at the free end of each first elastic body 23, and frees each of the second elastic bodies 24. Since the end portion is folded back toward the base end side of each first elastic body 23, the pinhole member 12 is formed in the same manner as the case where the second elastic body 24 is extended in the extension direction of the first elastic body 23. Can be supported, and the length can be reduced to half. Further, due to such miniaturization, each elastic body 23, 2
It is possible to suppress the occurrence of a bending error due to its own weight of No. 4.

[First and Second Adjusting Portions] The first and second adjusting portions for adjusting the movement of the pinhole member 12 via the swinging member 21 supported by the elastic structure 22 are provided on the movable frame 62. Adjustment units 30 and 40 are provided. Each of these adjustment units 3
Numerals 0 and 40 are attached to the movable frame 62, and the adjusting screws 31 and 41 whose tips contact the swinging member 21, and swing inside the movable frame 62 from the opposite sides of the adjusting screws 31 and 41. Pressing members 32 and 42 for pressing the moving member 21;
A pressing spring 3 for urging the pressing members 32 and 42 to apply a pressing force.
3 and 43 (FIG. 3).

The adjusting screw 31 of the first adjusting portion 30 is provided to penetrate the movable frame 62 from outside to inside thereof.
The tip portion contacts the swing member 21. This adjustment screw 3
Numeral 1 reciprocates along one diameter of a circle centered on the center line C of the pinhole 12a by an artificial operation. Further, the tip of the adjusting screw 31 is formed in a spherical shape, and has a structure that makes point contact with the contact surface of the swing member 21.

On the other hand, the pressing member 32 is provided inside the movable frame 62 so as to be able to move forward on the same line as the diameter of the adjusting screw 31 moving forward, and the pressing spring 33 is moved from behind to the rocking member 21 side. The pressing member is pressed. Also,
The shape of the tip of the pressing member 32 is formed in a spherical shape,
It has a structure that makes point contact with the contact surface of the swing member 21.

The second adjusting part 40 has the same structure as the first adjusting part 30, except that the adjusting screw 41 and the pressing member 4
2 have different forward directions. That is, the adjusting screw 41 and the pressing member 42 move the movable frame so that the adjusting screw 31 and the pressing member 32 move forward along another diametric direction orthogonal to the diameter direction of a circle centered on the center line C where the adjusting screw 31 moves. It is located on the body 62.

Accordingly, the first and second adjusting units 30, 40
The swing member 21 can be freely moved in two directions orthogonal to each other, and the swing member 21 can be positioned at an arbitrary position on a plane including these two directions (a plane parallel to the reference plane). . This also allows the swing member 21
Positioning the rocking member 21 at an arbitrary position on a plane parallel to the reference plane of the pinhole member 12 within a range limited by the through hole 62a of the movable frame 62, Can be.

[Third Adjusting Section] At the upper part of the base body 61,
A third adjusting unit 50 is provided for positioning the pinhole member 12 in the direction along the optical axis of the objective lens 11a via the movable frame 62. This third adjusting unit 50
A moving force transmitting member 51 whose base end is fixed to the upper part of the movable frame body 62 and whose distal end extends to the base body 61 side, and a support structure provided on the upper part of the base body 61 52, an adjusting screw 53 whose tip abuts on the tip of the moving force transmitting member 51, and a moving force transmitting member 5 from the side opposite to the adjusting screw 53 with the tip of the moving force transmitting member 51 interposed therebetween.
1 is provided with a pressing member 54 for pressing the distal end portion, and a pressing spring 55 for urging the pressing member 54 to apply a pressing force (FIG. 2).

The moving force transmitting member 51 has an L-shape, the base end of which is fixed to the upper part of the movable frame 62, and the bent front end thereof is directed upward.
It extends to one side.

The support structure 52 is fixedly mounted on the upper portion of the base body 61, and the movable force transmitting member 51 is loosely inserted with the distal end of the movable force transmitting member 51 exposed from the upper portion of the support structure 52. It has a hollow part. Then, the adjusting screw 5 is disposed so as to face the tip of the exposed moving force transmitting member 51.
3. The forward movement member 54 and the pressing spring 55 are supported. Note that the hollow portion of the support structure 52 is formed with a margin in size with respect to the moving force transmitting member 51, and the distal end of the moving force transmitting member 51 is loosely inserted into the supporting structure 52. It is possible to reciprocate along the center line direction of the base body 61.

The adjusting screw 53 is screwed into a screw hole provided on the support structure 52 along the center line direction of the base body 61, and the tip of the adjusting screw 53 is the tip of the moving force transmitting member 51. Abut. Further, the tip of the adjusting screw 53 is formed in a spherical shape, and has a structure that makes point contact with a contact surface with the moving force transmitting member 51.

On the other hand, the pressing member 54 is mounted on the support structure 52 so as to be able to move forward and backward on the same line as the center line of the adjusting screw 53, and the pressing spring 55 is provided with the moving force transmitting member 51 from behind.
The pressing member 54 is pressed against the distal end side. Further, the shape of the distal end portion of the pressing member 54 is formed in a spherical shape, and has a structure that makes point contact with the contact surface of the moving force transmitting member 51.

Since the third adjusting section 50 has the above-described structure, the movable frame body is pressed by pressing the tip of the moving force transmitting member 51 by the rotation of the adjusting screw 53 or by following the pressing force of the pressing member 54. 62 can be moved in the direction of the center line of the base body 61, and the pinhole member 12 can be positioned in the same direction via the support portion 20.
Since the moving direction of the pinhole member 12 coincides with the optical axis direction of the held objective lens 11a,
2a can be positioned at the focal position of the objective lens 11a.

[Overall Operation of Pinhole Support Mechanism] When the pinhole support mechanism 10 is used, the objective lens 11a of the lens holder 11 held on the base body 61 is irradiated with laser light along its optical axis. . The laser light is condensed by the objective lens 11a, and ideally passes through the pinhole 12a of the pinhole member 12 at the focal position, thereby eliminating the influence of disturbance light. However, in actuality, considerable accuracy is required for the arrangement of the pinholes 12 with respect to the focal point of the laser light, whereas the arrangement of the pinholes 12 depends on various factors (processing accuracy of each part, assembly accuracy, objective lens). Position deviation of the laser beam with respect to the optical axis, a change in expansion of each part, a bending of each elastic body 23, 24, and the like).

Therefore, in such a case, each of the adjusting units 30,
The positioning of the pinhole member 12 is adjusted by 40 and 50.

First, the adjusting screw 3 of each of the adjusting units 30 and 40
The swing member 21 is positioned on the trajectory of the laser beam through the operations of the operations 1 and 41. At this time, since the pinhole member 12 is swingably supported by the elastic members 23 and 24 via the swing member 21 in two linear directions orthogonal to each other on a plane parallel to the reference plane, each adjustment is performed. It moves freely according to the external force received from the parts 30 and 40, and positioning is performed smoothly.

Next, the pinhole member 12 is moved and adjusted by the third adjusting section 50 via the movable frame 62 and the support section 20 along the optical axis direction of the objective lens 11. As a result, the pinhole 12a is positioned at the focal position of the laser beam.

[Effect of Overall Pinhole Support Mechanism] In the above-described pinhole support mechanism 10, unlike the above-described conventional example, neither the pinhole member 12 nor the swinging member 21 is in sliding contact with other members. . For this reason, high processing accuracy and assembly accuracy are not required between the members that are in sliding contact with each other, and the position of the pinhole member 12 can be stably adjusted without rattling.

In the above-described pinhole support mechanism 10,
Since three adjusting units 30, 40, and 50 are provided for adjusting the movement of the pinhole member 12 along different directions, it is possible to adjust the movement in each direction according to these. At this time, the pinhole 12 and the swing member 2
Since the backlash 1 is prevented from rattling by the elastic structure 22, stable positioning can be performed without affecting each other during the adjustment in each direction.

[Others] In the above embodiment, the pinhole supporting mechanism for supporting the pinhole member as the optical element has been exemplified. However, the optical element to be supported is not limited to this, and the reference surface and the incident portion may be changed. Other things to be provided may be used.
For example, the above-described configurations may be applied to a case where a fiber having a minute incident portion is positioned at an irradiation position of irradiation light.

In the above-described pinhole support mechanism 10, a leaf spring is exemplified as the first elastic body 23 and the second elastic body 24. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. It may be. Further, the example in which the spring constants of the first elastic body 23 and the second elastic body 24 are all uniform has been described. However, if the adjustment distance of the pinhole member 12 is smaller than the length of each elastic body, the spring is particularly required. The constant need not be uniform.

In the above embodiment, the first elastic body 2
Although the elastic structure 22 including two each of the third elastic body 24 and the second elastic body 24 is illustrated, the number of each elastic body is not particularly limited to this, and may be at least or more. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, two bases of the second elastic body 24 are fixed at two positions corresponding to both ends of one diameter of the intermediate member 25, respectively, and the other ends of the intermediate member 25 are fixed at other diameters. Two free ends of the first elastic body 23 may be fixed to each position corresponding to both ends. In addition, the number of elastic bodies fixed to each position is not limited to two, and may be set more. However, it is preferable that each position has the same number.

[0078]

According to the present invention, since the optical element is supported only by the elastic structure and is not in sliding contact with other members, the processing accuracy between the members that are in sliding contact with each other and the accuracy of each member are different from those of the prior art. It is possible to eliminate the influence of assembly accuracy and smoothly position the optical element in accordance with the external force received from the adjustment unit. In particular, when positioning the optical element along a plurality of directions intersecting on the same plane, if there is backlash due to processing accuracy etc. as in the past, the position changes in the other direction if it is adjusted in one direction However, in the present invention, there is no backlash, so that it is possible to perform stable positioning without affecting each other during adjustment in each direction. Further, even if the processing accuracy and the assembly accuracy of the member supporting the optical element are reduced, good positioning is possible, so that the production cost can be reduced and the productivity can be improved.

When the second elastic body is connected to the free end of the first elastic body of the elastic structure in a direction in which the second elastic body is folded back, the second elastic body extends in the extension direction of the first elastic body. As in the case, the optical element can be supported and the length of the elastic structure can be reduced to the longer one of the first elastic body and the second elastic body. . Further, due to such miniaturization, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a bending error due to the weight of each elastic body.

Further, when the elastic structure has two or more first elastic bodies and second elastic bodies, and the spring constants are set to be equal for each elastic body, the elastic structure is not affected by the swing of each elastic body. The reference planes of the optical elements can be maintained in a parallel state, and it is possible to prevent a change in the orientation of the optical elements during the positioning operation.

Each of the first elastic body and the second elastic body has a plurality of individual numbers, and two diameters orthogonal to each other on a circumference formed on a plane substantially parallel to the reference plane by the intermediate member. In the case where each elastic body is held at both ends in each direction, and when the spring constants of each elastic body are set to be substantially equal, the optical element is moved in any direction on a plane parallel to the reference plane. , The combined reaction force from the plurality of elastic bodies arranged at the four positions has a value corresponding to the moving distance regardless of the direction. Therefore, there is no bias of the reaction force caused by the moving direction, and it is possible to perform favorable positioning even when the optical element is moved and adjusted in any direction when the position of the optical element is adjusted by the adjusting unit. .

Further, since both the first elastic body and the second elastic body are plate springs, the bending direction of each elastic body can be made constant, and, for example, compared to a simple round bar spring. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the possibility that the optical element may change its position in the twist direction.

Since the present invention is constructed and functions as described above, it becomes possible to provide an excellent optical element supporting mechanism which has not been achieved conventionally.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a pinhole support mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pinhole support mechanism as viewed from the front.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line YY in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the pinhole support mechanism as viewed from a plane direction.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the elastic structure disclosed in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of the elastic structure.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view of a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional example as viewed from the side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 pinhole support mechanism (optical element support mechanism) 12 pinhole member (optical element) 12a pinhole (incident part) 20 support part 22 elastic structure 23 first elastic body 24 second elastic body 25 intermediate member 30 first One adjusting part 40 Second adjusting part 50 Third adjusting part 60 Base

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An optical element support mechanism for supporting an optical element having an incident portion on which irradiation light is incident on a reference surface, comprising: a base; a support for supporting the optical element on the base; An adjustment unit mounted on a base, the adjustment unit configured to adjust the movement of the optical element along at least two directions intersecting on a plane substantially parallel to a reference plane of the optical element; An optical element supporting mechanism having an elastic structure whose free end is swingable in a predetermined plane substantially parallel to the optical element and supporting the optical element at the free end by the elastic structure. 2. The elastic structure has a first elastic body whose free end swings along one linear direction on a predetermined plane substantially parallel to the reference plane, and a first elastic body on the predetermined plane. 2. The optical element supporting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the optical element supporting mechanism is combined with a second elastic body whose free end swings along another linear direction intersecting the one straight line. 3. The free end of the first elastic body and the base end of the second elastic body, the free end of the second elastic body being the base end of the first elastic body. 3. The optical element supporting mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the optical element supporting mechanism is connected in a state of being folded back to the side. 4. The optical element support according to claim 2, wherein the support portion has at least two or more first elastic bodies and at least two or more second elastic bodies. mechanism. 5. The optical element supporting mechanism according to claim 4, wherein a spring constant of each of the first elastic bodies is set substantially equal, and a spring constant of each of the second elastic bodies is set substantially equal. . 6. A plurality of said first elastic bodies and a plurality of said second elastic bodies are all disposed along a direction substantially perpendicular to said reference plane, and said elastic structure is provided in each of said first elastic bodies. An intermediate member for connecting a free end of the elastic body to a base end of each of the second elastic bodies, and the intermediate member is provided on a circumference formed on a plane substantially parallel to the reference plane. While holding the free ends of each of the first elastic bodies in a plurality of halves at a position corresponding to one end in one of two diameter directions orthogonal to each other, the other end in the one diameter Holding the free ends of the remaining halves of each of the plurality of first elastic bodies at positions corresponding to the portions, and further comprising the intermediate member having one end at the other diameter in the two diametrical directions orthogonal to each other. Holding the base end of each of the second elastic bodies in half of the plurality at the position corresponding to the portion 5. The optical element support mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the other half of the plurality of second elastic bodies is held at the position corresponding to the other end of the other diameter. . 7. The optical element supporting mechanism according to claim 6, wherein all the spring constants of the first elastic body and the second elastic bodies are set substantially equal. 8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first elastic body and the second elastic body are both leaf springs.
8. The optical element support mechanism according to 4, 5, 6, or 7.