Patent · US Expired

Laser beam scanning apparatus and method

US5166944A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
32References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 7, 1991
Grant dateNov 24, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 7, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N2201/04796
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A laser beam scanning apparatus employs a movable reflector having a large number of flat reflective sides and a deflector which shifts the laser beam at high speed across a plurality of the reflective sides. The movement of the reflector is synchronized with the deflection of the laser beam to produce a desired scan pattern in a first scan direction. The reflective sides of the movable reflector may be angled relative to each other in a second direction to produce different scan lines thereby providing an X-Y scan pattern. The combined high speed beam deflection and motion of the reflector provide scanning of the beam in parallel scan segments thereby providing high scanning speed of the beam with a high degree of resolution.

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