Beamsplitter/staggerer for multi-beam laser printers
US5825552A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 20, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B27/148
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A beamsplitter/staggerer (24) for multi-beam laser printers is disclosed. The multi-beam laser printer is comprised of the beamsplitter/staggerer (24), a spatial light modulator (16) having at least two rows of staggered modulator pixel elements (19), and an illumination system comprised of a laser array (10) and an optical system (13) which provides a narrow line of laser light. The beamsplitter/staggerer is adapted to split the narrow line of laser light into at least two parallel lines of light, and to split each of the parallel lines of light into regions, such that substantially all of the light from the illumination system falls onto each of the modulator pixel elements (19) in each of the rows. In one embodiment, the beamsplitter/staggerer comprises a pattern of reflecting areas (26) and transmitting areas (27) wherein a shape of the regions defined by the beamsplitter/staggerer matches a shape of the modulator pixel elements (19).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.