Paul Joseph Hauser
Engineers at 44 St, Boulder, CO

2002008, Jul 11, 2002

Jan 10, 2001

09/758410

Bruce Hardy - Longmont CO, US
Paul Hauser - Boulder CO, US

F16H021/44, F16H021/54, F16H025/18

074/096000

A high frequency mechanical scanning assembly which is capable of one or two dimensional scanning comprises an actuator assembly, a base assembly, a coil assembly and a sensor assembly. The actuator assembly includes an upper resonant system and a lower flexure. The upper resonant system has an upper mass, a reaction mass, and an upper flexure. The top surface of the upper mass is a mirrored surface which can be used to reflect a light beam. The actuator assembly is connected to the base assembly via the lower flexure. The lower flexure connects to the reaction mass at a point close to the center of mass of the reaction mass. Movement of the upper resonant system is caused by an excitation system which includes magnets securely mounted to at least the lower mass and the coil assembly which provides driving torques to the magnets. The lower flexure is less stiff than the upper flexure. The upper flexure acts as a spring which stores and releases kinetic energy as the upper mass and reaction mass move between deflected and undeflected positions. In operation, the upper resonant system resonates about an upper translational node and a lower translational node, with the upper mass deflecting in an opposite direction as the reaction mass. The opposite deflections of the upper and reaction masses, and the location and stiffness of the lower flexure result in very little torque being transmitted to the base assembly.