Patent ID: 6896384

Claim:
A light beam translation system comprising: a fixed base; a translatable mirror mount having means for affixing a mirror thereto; a first and a second arm assembly pivotally attached at lower ends to the base and pivotally attached at upper ends to the mirror mount, each arm assembly comprising a pair of generally upwardly extending arms connected in generally parallel, spaced-apart relation, a front arm attached adjacent a front edge of the base and the mirror mount and a rear arm attached adjacent a rear edge of the base and the mirror mount, the first and the second arm assemblies thereby forming a front and a rear parallelogram-shaped attachment element at a front and a rear of the base and mirror mount, respectively; a first set of eight flexural pivots for providing the pivotal attachments, each flexural pivot having a thick portion oriented for achieving optimal stability, a first and a second flexural pivot positioned at a junction between the lower ends of the front arms and the base so that the thick portions of a front section thereof are oriented along an outer arc of the pivot, a third and a fourth flexural pivot positioned at a junction between the upper ends of the front arms and the mirror mount so that the thick portions of a front section thereof are oriented along a top arc of the pivot, a fifth and a sixth flexural pivot positioned at a junction between the lower ends of the rear arms and the base so that the thick portions of a front section thereof are oriented along an outer arc of the pivot, and a seventh and an eighth flexural pivot positioned at a junction between the upper ends of the rear arms and the mirror mount so that the thick portions of a front section thereof are oriented along a top arc of the pivot; and means for translating the mirror mount in a generally horizontal plane.