Automated alignment system for aspheric mirrors

L. Curt Maxey; William B. Dress; JoEllen Rogers; Kenneth W. Tobin Jr.

doi:10.1117/12.139235

15 December 1992 Automated alignment system for aspheric mirrors

L. Curt Maxey, William B. Dress, JoEllen Rogers, Kenneth W. Tobin Jr.

Proceedings Volume 1776, Interferometry: Surface Characterization and Testing; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.139235
Event: San Diego '92, 1992, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

This paper describes measurement algorithms and control procedures that can be effectively applied to the automation of an alignment procedure for paraboloidal optical mirrors. Interferometric alignment of an off-axis paraboloidal optical mirror can be a tedious and labor- intensive process. We review a previous solution to the alignment problem that employs a corner-cube retroreflector and present a method of automating this process using an imaging interferometer coupled to a processing system that controls a set of actuators. The relevant image-processing algorithms are described, and the actuator-control system is discussed. Methods of extending this solution to the automatic alignment of other aspheric optics are explored.

Citation Download Citation

L. Curt Maxey, William B. Dress, JoEllen Rogers, and Kenneth W. Tobin Jr. "Automated alignment system for aspheric mirrors", Proc. SPIE 1776, Interferometry: Surface Characterization and Testing, (15 December 1992); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.139235

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