Caterpillar Tractor Co.

Robert W Brown

Gerald P Simmons

William E Streight

Hiram A Brubaker

An optical system for directing a beam of corpuscular energy such as a laser beam is provided and includes a fixed mirror mounted at 45.degree. to the longitudinal axis of the beam so as to deflect the beam substantially 90.degree. to impinge upon a fixed concave mirror located at the forward end of the optical system housing. The beam is then reflected and converged back to a convex mirror mounted on a cylindrical mount within a centrally disposed bore in the 45.degree. mirror and then forwardly through a similar aperture in the concave mirror where it passes out through the forward end of the housing to a point of focus on, for example, a workpiece. The convex mirror mounting arrangement provides for three degrees of freedom whereby focusing and adjustment of the optical system is accomplished by merely adjusting one of the three mirrors while holding two of the mirrors fixed. Means for adjustment includes a pair of sleeves around the cylindrical convex mirror mount which are eccentric, thereby providing adjustment of the beam in the Y and Z axis directions by relatively rotating the sleeves. Adjustment in the X axial direction is accomplished by means of adding shims between the radially outwardly directed flange on the rear end of the cylindrical mirror mount and the sleeves. The invention also provides for a method of aligning such an optical system both internally and with an external source of corpuscular energy.

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Chillicothe, IL, United States of America

Robert W Brown