NZ206163A

NZ206163A - Device for adjusting position of object in two planes:double hinge and screws move mounting table

Info

Publication number: NZ206163A
Application number: NZ206163A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: R Rossberg
Original assignee: Int Standard Electric Corp
Priority date: 1982-12-15
Filing date: 1983-11-04
Publication date: 1986-06-11
Also published as: DE3246359A1; GB8331979D0; JPS59132387A; GB2131908B; AU2195383A; GB2131908A

Description

2061 Priority De*©{s>: &• $3 Complete Specification Filed. ^ / Class: F.J 6 hi it. JQO.j ..QA9. 9.9.!MU.iQCf.

''"""'Hi' JUNi986 Publication Date: • • * P.O. Journal. No: . /.9.^U * * • * * - ■ Oi|f: N NEW ZEALAND " V38"S |j THE PATENTS ACT , 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "A CO-ORDINATE DISPLACEMENT DEVICE" WE, INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ELECTRIC CORPORATION , a Corporation of the State of Delaware, United States of America, of 320 Park Avenue, New York 22, New York, United States of America, hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement 206163 The invention relates to an adjusting device.

One such adjusting device substantially consists of a ladder like frame comprising two pivot points on which a first rocker is seated. One rocker end is compression-spring-loaded so that the 5 other rocker end is pressed resiliently against an adjusting screw seated in a coverplate of the frame. The first rocker is covered by a bridge-like upper part. Between this upper part and the lower part which is likewise provided with pivot points, there is disposed a second rocker containing an object (specimen) to be ad-10 justed, with the one end of this second rocker likewise being com pression spring-loaded and with the other end thereof also being resiliently pressed against an adjusting screw associated therewith, and which is seated in the upper part of the first rocker.

It is desirable to provide an adjusting device which is capa-15 ble of being assembled from as few simple individual parts as pos sible that can be manufactured with relatively large tolerances in a particularly economical manner.

This specification describes a spatial displacement device adapted to adjust the position of an object in a coordinate sys-20 tem, the device comprising first and second angle plates wherein the first angle plate is nested within and spaced from the second angle plate, a first pair of adjacent legs of the first and second angle plates being connected by a first resilient hinge, and a first adjusting screw is in threaded engagement with one of the 25 adjacent legs of the second pair of adjacent legs and in reactive engagement with the other leg of the second pair, the leg of the N.2. PATENT G'.-rS-*; 2 4 JAN 1986 206163 second angle plate forming the second pair being resiliently connected to and spaced from a base plate by a second resilient hinge, a second adjusting screw being in threaded relation with one, and reactive relation with the other of the base plate and 5 second angle plate leg of the second pair.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to examples of embodiments shown in Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, in which: Pig. 1 shows a stand-mounted adjusting device with an adjust-10 able stage serving as a specimen slide, in a perspective view, Pig. 2 shows the adjusting device according to Pig. 1 in a front view, Pig. 3 shows an optical-bench-mounted adjusting device with an adjustable stage, in a modified version and in a front view, 15 and Pig. 4 shows a further example of an embodiment of the adjusting device with an object to be adjusted disposed directly thereon, in a front view.

The adjusting device as shown in Pigs. 1 to 4 consists sub-20 stantlally of a solid support 1, of an angle piece 3 connected OPFi~C£ 7 MAR Received 86 3 2061&3 to the support via a hinged joint 2, with this angle piece 3, in turn, being connected to a further angle piece 5 via a hinged joint 4. Both angle pieces 3, 5 are each capable of being actuated by an adjusting screw 6, 7 with which displacements of an object to be adjusted can be carried out in the direction of the XY coordinates. For displacing the object in the direction of the Z coordinate there is used the adjusting screw 8 of a commercially available type of adjustable stage (slide table) 9 which, in the embodiment of the adjusting device as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, serves as a specimen slide, while with the adjusting device as shown in Fig. 4, the upper angle piece 5 itself serves as the specimen slide. Inasfar as in this case a displacement of the object in the direction of the Z coordinate is to be made possible, the adjusting device, in turn, is mounted on a corresponding adjustable stage (not shown).

In Figs. 1 and 2, the support 1 of the adjusting device consists of a plane baseplate secured on a stand 10. To this, there is mounted at a parallel spacing, a horizontal leg 11 of the angle piece 3 disposed thereon with the aid of the hinged joint 2 connecting both parts. This hinged joint 2 preferably consists of a mechanically stable spring-plate which may be bent, for example, either in a Z-or U- shaped manner, or else also rectangularly, and is secured in the usual way, e.g., the aid of screws, rivets, by bonding or welding, to the baseplate and the angular piece 3. The respective vertical legs 206163 12, 13 of the two angle pieces 31 5 placed Into one another with a spacing therebetween, are connected to each other by means of a hinged joint 4 consisting substantially of a plane springplate. If so required, of course, the springplates may also be bent in 5 such a way that the moving part is pressed with a pretension against the relatively stationary part.

The adjustable stage 9 as disposed on the upper angle piece 5, comprises a holder or coverplate 14 which, In the given embodiment, is provided with a V-shaped groove serving as the recepta-cle 15 for the object to be adjusted. When a commercially available type of adjustable stage 9 is used, the vertical legs 12, 13 of the two angle pieces 3, 5, as a rule, are dimensioned to have such lengths that the axis of rotation of hinged joint 4 is horizontally in a plane extending In parallel with the centreline 15 of the object to be adjusted and which are later on to be retained in receptacle 15. If so required, interchangeable holders or coverplates may be provided, or else separate receiving devices which are adapted to the various circumferential shapes or contours of objects which often have to be adjusted or positioned. 20 The adjusting screws 6, 7 which serve to perform the swivel movements of the angle pieces, are disposed within the area of the free leg ends 11, 16, and are preferably provided with a fine thread. The adjusting screws 6, 7 may have various arrangements which are primarily determined with a view to handling as practi-25 cally as possible, such as by having the ends knurled as shown. 206163 In the embodiment as shown in Pigs. 1 and 2, the support 1 or the baseplate of the stand 10 has a tapped hole with an adjusting screw 6 screwed in from the base side of the stand 10, with this screw 6, when actuated, engaging upon the bottom side of the angle-piece leg 11 disposed thereabove, and effecting a displacement of the object in the direction of the X coordinate. The adjusting screw 7j which serves to displace the object in the direction of the Y coordinate, however, is screwed from above into a tapped hole in the upper angle-piece leg 16, abutting on the leg 11 of the angle piece 3 positioned therebelow.

Pig. 3 shows an adjusting device in which also the adjusting screw 6 serving to displace the object In the direction of the X coordinate, is capable of being actuated from above. This screw passes through a larger diameter hole 17 provided for in the horizontal leg 16 of the upper angle piece and is screwed to such an extent into a tapped hole in the lower angle-piece leg 11 that its end abuts on the support 1. This support 1, for example, may form part of an optical bench. Each hinged joint 2, 4 in this case consists of a plain springplate.

Pig. 4 shows the example of embodiment of an adjusting device, with the object to be adjusted being an optical lens 18 seated in a socket 19 which, is mounted directly on the upper angle piece 5 instead of on an adjustable stage. The lower angle piece 3 contains a throughgoing clearance hole for an adjusting screw 6 inserted from above, which is screwed into a tapped hole in the support 1 positioned therebelow. This adjusting screw 6 . , .. .. 9 206163 serves to displace the object in the direction of the X coordinate .

The adjusting screw 7 serving to displace the object in the direction of the Y coordinate, is seated in a throughgoing clearance hole provided in the free leg 16 of the upper angle piece 5, and is likewise screwed from above into a tapped hole provided in the horizontal leg 11 of the lower angle piece 3. The legs 11, 16 of the angle pieces 3, 5, as extending parallel in relation to the support 1, may each contain a tapped hole with a locking screw 20, 10 21 for arresting the adjusted position. Considering that the legs 11, 16 of the angle pieces 3, 5 to be actuated by the adjusting screws 6, 7 have throughgoing clearance holes, the adjusting screws, if so required, may each be provided with a retaining disc which, during the unscrewing of the adjusting screws 6, 7, serve 15 as drivers.

In the present example of embodiment both the support 1 and the first angle piece 3 thereabove consist of one single part whose hinged joint 2 is produced by milling two slots extending in one horizontal plane leaving a land portion between them. In cases where the baseplate and the angle piece consist of two separate parts, these parts can likewise be connected with the aid of a web-shaped hinged joint. For this purpose there is used a flat spring plate which is led on two sides into corresponding slots provided in the support 1 and in the angle-piece leg 11 (not I shown). t ; '• • v-w if t / f • • • ,^-j ' v/ i,\i i J -/0 206163 In order to obtain maximum adjustment, the paths along which the object is to be displaced approximate those of orthogonal movements. Therefore, both the object and the hinge axes are positioned in such a way that the coordinates thereof form the cor-5 ner points of a right-angled triangle, with an imaginary line between the hinge axis forming hypothenuse of the triangle. For this reason the movable hinged joint 4, is disposed in the apex of the angle and the stationary hinged joint 2 is disposed in the apex of the angle 3 . Moreover, the object receptacle is designed 10 in such a way that the centreline of the object to be adjusted will come to lie almost in the apex of the right angle y .

With the aid of such an adjusting device it is possible to effect a translational movement of optical elements in two coordinate directions, with the displacement paths thereof lying within 15 the range extending from micrometers to millimeters. No precision parts are required for this purpose. The individual parts of the device can be manufactured by having generally customary manufacturing tolerances and are practically not subjected to any wear. 20616 3 The adjusting device needs no maintenance, is insensitive to soiling and, therefore, is featured by a long service life. In cases where locking screws are used, the arrested position has a good vibrational and impact strength. Owing to the unusually simple construction and its mechanical robustness, the adjusting device is in particular also suitable for being used as a positioning device in a splicing facility for connecting the ends of optical fibre waveguides.

Claims

266163 What we claim is:-

1. A spatial displacement device adapted to adjust the position of an object in a coordinate system, the device comprising first and second angle plates wherein the first angle plate is nested within and spaced from the second angle plate, a first pair of adjacent legs of the first and second angle plates being connected by a first resilient hinge, and a first adjusting screw is in threaded engagement with one of the adjacent legs of the second pair of adjacent legs and in reactive engagement with the other leg of the second pair, the leg of the second angle plate forming the second pair being resiliently connected to and spaced from a base plate by a second resilient hinge, a second adjusting screw being in threaded relation with one, and in reactive relation with the other of the base plate and second angle plate leg of the second pair.

2. A spatial displacement device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lengths of the legs of the first pair and the spacing between the legs of the second pair are such that the ends of the legs of the first pair are aligned, and these ends are connected by the first hinge, said hinge being a springplate.

3. A spatial displacement device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein an adjustable stage is disposed on a leg of the first angle piece forming part of the second pair.

4. A spatial displacement device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the base plate and the second angle plate ;-.90£iVED 206163 are made In one piece in which two slots are formed leaving between them a web forming the second hinge.

5. A spatial displacement device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein locking screws are provided to lock the de vice in a selected position.

6. A spatial displacement device as claimed herein with ref erence to the accompanying drawings. INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ELECTRIC CORPORATION P.M. Conrick Authorized Agent P5/1/1466