Optical scan head and printer
US4317137A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 17, 1978 |
| Grant date | Feb 23, 1982 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 17, 1998 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N1/02463
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An optical scan head for reading and recording on a surface provides a plurality of light emitting diodes positioned in the form of a linear array for operating on an area of the surface of a document or photosensitive material. An electronic circuit is connected to the array for sequentially energizing each of the light emitting diodes in turn at a high rate to emit light and a fiber optic faceplate is disposed between the array and the surface to be illuminated for conducting the emitted light from each of the sequentially energized light emitting diodes to successive adjacent sections in the area of the surface being operated on. A photodetector is disposed to detect light reflected from the surface and provide a signal indicative of the data being read or printed. A scan head with the above-noted structure may be packaged very compactly, has low power consumption, and does not require precise spot alignment to a particular photodetector. A printer including such a scan head may have a sufficiently small size to be easily portable, producing a simple, high-speed apparatus of low cost.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.