Patent · US Expired

Multi-beam emitting device having an acoustooptic element

US5890789A · kind A · utility

17Cited by
7References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 18, 1997
Grant dateApr 6, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 18, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F1/335
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A multi-beam emitting device which splits a light beam emitted from a light source into a plurality of beams with a beam splitter to emit a plurality of beams. As the beam splitter, an optical waveguide type acoustooptic element or the like is used. A multi-beam emitting device according to the present invention has a beam splitter which drives an acoustooptic element with a plurality of electric signals with different frequencies applied thereto so as to deflect a light beam emitted from a light source and split the light beam into a plurality of beams, a signal generator which generates the electric signals with different frequencies which are used for the drive of the acoustooptic element, a modulating circuit which turns on and off the electric signals generated by the signal generater individually based on a data signal, an intensity control circuit which controls the light source to change the intensity of the light beam emitted therefrom. Another multi-beam emitting device has a beam splitter which deflects a light beam emitted from a light source and splits the light beam into an even number of beams, a shutting member which shuts out a half of the beams, a modulating circu…

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