초록 ▼

A high performance kinematic mirror mount facilitating the reduction of thermally and mechanically induced optical distortion of a precision mirror is disclosed. The mirror mount assembly includes a mirror with a front reflective surface and a rear support surface. A set of sub-tier mounting assembl

A high performance kinematic mirror mount facilitating the reduction of thermally and mechanically induced optical distortion of a precision mirror is disclosed. The mirror mount assembly includes a mirror with a front reflective surface and a rear support surface. A set of sub-tier mounting assemblies are provided being affixed to the rear support surface of the mirror utilizing a number of strut pairs and a number of bonded mount pads arranged so as to connect the sub-tier mounting assemblies to the mirror with numerous strut pairs arranged as bipods.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An adjustable mirror assembly comprising: a mirror having a reflective surface and a support structure; anda kinematic mirror mount operable to support the mirror, the kinematic mirror mount comprising a plurality of sub-tier mounting assemblies spaced from one another about the support structure

1. An adjustable mirror assembly comprising: a mirror having a reflective surface and a support structure; anda kinematic mirror mount operable to support the mirror, the kinematic mirror mount comprising a plurality of sub-tier mounting assemblies spaced from one another about the support structure of the mirror to distribute the support forces about the mirror, the sub-tier mounting assemblies each comprising: an individual support base;a plurality of bipod strut pairs coupled to the support base, each bipod strut pair comprising individual first and second struts;adjustable struts coupled to the individual support base about a side opposite a side about which the plurality of bipod strut pairs are coupled, the adjustable struts being adjustable to equalize the load between each bipod strut pair; anda mount pad supported about each of the first and second struts, the mount pads being secured to the support structure of the mirror. 2. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the support structure of the mirror further comprises: a latticework of support ribs of unitary formation having a plurality of nodes, the latticework having a plurality of mounting surfaces. 3. The mirror assembly of claim 2, wherein the nodes comprise hollow geometric shapes having inner and outer surfaces, wherein the outer surfaces function as an attachment surface for the mount pads. 4. The mirror assembly of claim 3, wherein the mount pads comprise a surface configuration that coincides with a corresponding surface configuration of the outer attachment surface of the node. 5. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjustable struts are coupled between the support base and an adjustable mirror structure. 6. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the mirror assembly facilitates a thermal distortion wave front error of the mirror between 0.004 and 0.009 waves root mean squared at a wavelength of 0.6328 microns, over a bulk temperature change of −30° C. 7. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a quasi-isotropic face sheets sandwiching an aluminum honeycomb core. 8. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bipod strut pairs comprise strut configurations selected from the group consisting of cross-blade flexures, necked rods, and rods having ball joints affixed to an end. 9. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bipod strut pairs comprise struts having cross-blade flexures. 10. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the mount pads are coupled to the bipod struts such that the load path is directed through a centroid of a bonding area between the mount pads and the support structure of the mirror. 11. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the mirror comprises a silicon carbide mirror. 12. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the mount pads comprise a low-expansion Iron-Nickel alloy. 13. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bipod strut pairs are coupled to the support base using a liquid shim potting material. 14. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the mount pads are secured to the support structure of the mirror at an optimal neutral axis height as analytically computed for the mirror. 15. A method for supporting a mirror comprising: obtaining a mirror having a reflective surface and a support structure in support of the reflective surface; andsecuring the mirror to a kinematic mirror mount having a plurality of sub-tier mounting assemblies operable to support the mirror, the sub-tier mounting assemblies each comprising: an individual support base;a plurality of bipod strut pairs coupled to the support base, each bipod strut pair comprising individual first and second struts;adjustable struts coupled to the individual support base about a side opposite a side about which the plurality of bipod strut pairs are coupled, the adjustable struts being adjustable to equalize the load between each bipod strut pair; anda mount pad supported about each of the first and second struts, the mount pads being secured to the support structure of the mirror. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mount pads further comprise a surface having a configuration that coincides with a corresponding configuration of an attachment surface of the support structure of the mirror. 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising aligning the plurality of mount pads relative to one another. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the kinematic mirror mount facilitates a thermal print-through distortion wave front error between 0.009 and 0.004 waves RMS. 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the mirror comprises a silicon carbide mirror. 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the mount pads are formed of a low-expansion Iron-Nickel alloy. 21. A kinematic mirror mount operable to support a mirror, comprising: a plurality of sub-tier mounting assemblies coupleable to a support structure of a mirror to distribute the support forces about the mirror, the sub-tier mounting assemblies each comprising: an individual support base spaced apart from the individual support bases of the other sub-tier mounting assemblies;a plurality of bipod strut pairs coupled to the support base, each bipod strut pair comprising individual first and second struts;adjustable struts coupled to the individual support base about a side opposite a side about which the plurality of bipod strut pairs are coupled, the adjustable struts being adjustable to equalize the load between each bipod strut pair; anda mount pad supported about each of the first and second struts, the mount pads being securable to the support structure of the mirror. 22. The kinematic mirror mount of claim 21, further comprising adjustable struts coupled to the support base of each sub-tier mounting assembly and coupleable to an adjustable mirror structure, the adjustable struts being coupled to the support base so as to equalize the load between each bipod strut pair. 23. The kinematic mirror mount of claim 21, wherein the plurality of bipod strut pairs comprise strut configurations selected from the group consisting of cross-blade flexures, necked rods, and rods having ball joints affixed to an end. 24. The kinematic mirror mount of claim 21, wherein the mount pads are coupled to the bipod struts such that the load path is directed through a centroid of a bonding area between the mount pads and the support structure of the mirror. 25. A sub-tier mounting assembly of a kinematic mirror mount operable to support a mirror, the sub-tier mounting assembly comprising: a support base;a plurality of bipod strut pairs coupled to the support base, each bipod strut pair comprising individual first and second struts;a mount pad supported about each of the first and second struts, the mount pads being securable to the support structure of the mirror; andadjustable struts coupled to the support base about a side opposite a side about which the plurality of bipod strut pairs are coupled, the adjustable struts being adjustable to equalize the load between each bipod strut pair,wherein the sub-tier mounting assembly is operable to be coupled to a support structure of a mirror with at least one additional sub-tier mounting assembly to distribute the support forces about the mirror, and wherein the individual support bases of each of the sub-tier mounting assemblies are configured to support the mirror in spaced apart positions from one another.