Patent ID: 6381081
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A flexure-ring for centering a concave lens in a bore of a housing, said ring havingan outer diameter of said flexure-ring provided for a tight fit in said bore and an inner diameter of said flexure-ring provided for a tight fit around said lens, said flexure-ring further having said inner diameter increased in all but 3N locations of equal length to provide lens contacting stubs of equal lens contacting length spaced apart equally, where N is an integer equal to or greater than one, and said flexure-ring having segments of its outside surface machined down to chords of equal length centered opposite each lens contacting stub, wherein each chord behind each stub is of equal length and greater than the lens contacting length of each stub, whereby a flexure of said ring is provided on each side of said lens contacting stub by a decreased cross-sectional area of said flexure-ring on each side of each stub, thereby to compensate between any mismatch in expansion of said housing, lens and ring due to different coefficients of thermal expansion of said housing, lens and ring material as temperature changes for precision centering of said lens in said bore.