Summer Robotics, Inc.

Matthew Alan Leone

Gerard Dirk Smits

A kaleidoscopic laser beam projector (KLBP) system that employs a single moving structure to project patterns of sweeping laser beams with diverse sweep directions and emission apertures. The system comprises a collimated light source, a spinning mirror deflector ('spindle/flutter mirror') at the center, and a stationary kaleidoscopic mirror containing multiple facet mirrors arranged in a concave fashion around the spindle mirror. As the spindle mirror rotates, it directs laser beams in a radially whirling movement toward the facet mirrors, which then subdivide these beams into multiple short strokes and redirect them outward in different directions. Various embodiments include configurations with diffractive optical elements (DOEs) for beam splitting, different kaleidoscopic mirror geometries (hexagonal, octagonal, etc.), and innovative flutter mirror mechanisms that create controlled angular variations during rotation. The system enables a “4×1” configuration that replaces traditional “4×4” systems requiring eight motors and multiple moving structures. The KLBP system offers significant advantages including mechanical simplicity, reduced size and weight, improved energy efficiency, enhanced reliability, cost-effectiveness, and modular configurability. The diverse beam incidence angles enable superior illumination of complex three-dimensional objects for applications in machine vision systems, precision metrology, gap and flushness inspection, and robot-assisted assembly of complex structures.

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Missoula, MT, United States of America

Matthew Alan Leone