Compact document scanner or printer engine
US5841553A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 24, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 24, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 24, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N2201/0063
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A compact medium scanner (100) scans a surface (132) of a medium (134) with a beam of light (106). A medium transport mechanism (202, 206) advances the surface along a medium transport path through a scanning station. A light source (104) produces a collimated beam of light (106) that impinges upon a mirror plate (112) of a micromachined torsional scanner (108). A pair of coaxially aligned torsion bars (304) support the mirror plate (112) within the torsional scanner (108). A mirror-surface drive means (306, 312) rotates the mirror plate (112) about the torsion bars (304). A single reciprocation of the mirror plate (112) by the drive means (306, 312) deflects the beam of light (106) over a fan-shaped region having a virtually fixed vertex (128) on the mirror plate (112). Scanner optics (116, 122) direct the fan-shaped region beam of light (106) onto the surface (132) of the medium (134) then present in the scanning station to thereby scan across the medium (134) with the beam of light (106).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.