Patent · US Expired

Printer utilizing optical switch elements

US4769659A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
6References
2Claims
0Family size

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 3, 1987
Grant dateSep 6, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 3, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S359/90
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A printer for printing a desired print pattern on print regions of a paper having non-print regions including a light source, a control device including a plurality of optical switch elements having opposed electrodes with a ferroelectric liquid crystal material being interposed therebetween, and a photosensitive drum to which transmission light of the optical switch elements is radiated for enabling printing the pattern on the paper. The control device applies a positive or negative voltage between the opposed electrodes of each of the plurality of optical switch element selectively during a first period so as to control the quantity of transmission light between the opposed electrodes, and effects a short-circuit by simultaneously applying a substantially zero voltage between the opposed electrodes of all of the plurality of optical switch elements during a second period so as to reduce the quantity of non-uniform existence of ions in the ferroelectric light crystal material between the opposed electrodes. The second period is a period provided before and/or after the first period and the second period being shorter than the first period with the second period corresponding to at…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.