DEVICE FOR THE SPHERICAL ORIENTATION OF AN OPTICAL ELEMENT, IN PARTICULAR FOR DIRECTING A LIGHT BEAM, SUCH AS A LASER BEAM

摘要

The device (10) comprises: a support structure (12); an optical element (14) having an optically useful surface, which is designed to interact with an incident light beam, in particular with a laser beam; and a mechanism (16), which is mounted on said support structure (12) and is able to cause said optical element (14) to rotate in the space around a first and a second fixed rotation axes (X, Y), which are perpendicular to one another. The mechanism (16) comprises a first rotary assembly (18), which is articulated, relative to the optical element (14), around a first mobile support axis (A), which is rotary and perpendicular relative to the first rotation axis (X), the first rotary assembly (18) being also coupled, in a rotary manner, to the support structure (12) so as to rotate around the first rotation axis (X), in order to cause the optical element (14) to rotate around the first rotation axis (X), and allowing the optical element (14) to rotate around the first mobile support axis (A). The mechanism (16) comprises, furthermore, a second rotary assembly (20), which is articulated, relative to the optical element (14), around a second mobile support axis (B), which is rotary relative to the second rotation axis (Y) and perpendicular to the first mobile support axis (A), the second rotary assembly (20) being also coupled, in a rotary manner, to the support structure (12) so as to rotate around the second rotation axis (Y), in order to cause the optical element (14) to rotate around the second rotation axis (Y), and allowing the optical element (14) to rotate around the second support axis (B). The first rotary assembly (18) has a through cavity (18a) defined around the first rotation axis (X), which is designed to be passed through by the beam of light (L) and faces the optical element (14). The device (10) comprises, furthermore, a first linear actuator (22), which is designed to cause the first rotary assembly (18) to rotate, thus exerting upon the latter a stress in a first actuating direction (Z1) that is transversely spaced apart relative to the first rotation axis (X) and to said through cavity (18a). The device (10) comprises, furthermore, a second linear actuator (24), which is designed to cause the second rotary assembly (20) to rotate, thus exerting upon the latter a stress in a second actuating direction (Z2) that is spaced apart relative to the second rotation axis (Y) and to the through cavity (18a).