Patent ID: 7245412

Claim:
An apparatus for directing a laser beam toward a target location on a workpiece in response to target location coordinate position command information and sensor information, comprising: a positioner positioning the workpiece and the laser beam relative to one another in response to the coordinate position command information; first and second sensors coupled to the positioner for producing first and second signals indicative of an actual position of the positioner relative to the laser beam; processing circuitry implemented to perform comparisons of the coordinate position command information and the first and second signals and to provide from the comparisons one or more error signals indicative of a difference between the coordinate position command information and the actual position, the difference including an error signal component representing laser beam position errors at the workpiece; a steering mirror controller system producing a position correction signal in response to each error signal provided; a steering mirror including a pivot point and positioned to receive the laser beam at or near the pivot point, the steering mirror, in response to the position correction signal, imparting to the laser beam angular motion that deflects the laser beam in a manner sufficient to compensate for the laser beam position errors; and a focusing lens having an entrance pupil and positioned to receive the deflected laser beam and focus it on the target location of the workpiece, the entrance pupil being set at or near the pivot point to provide a substantially distortion-free deflected laser beam.