Rotating mirror optical scanner with grooved grease bearings
US5173797A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1990 |
| Grant date | Dec 22, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N1/1135
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An optical scanner has grease bearings between the rotor and the housing. The grease bearings are grooved which tends to pump the grease back into the bearing cups when the optical scanner is operating. The thixotropic property of the grease prevents its escape from the bearing cups when the optical scanner is not operating. The grease bearings can be frusto-conical or spherical in shape with complementary shaped bearing cups. The bearing cups, rather than the bearings, may be grooved. The bearing cups may also be stepped to provide a pumping region and a reservoir region for the grease. Pressure means within the scanner housing may force the bearing cups onto the grease bearing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.