EP0739125A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Improvements relating to a display and printing system and method
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1996-04-19
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-04-19
Abstract
Abstract A system (10) for independently illuminating a plurality of areas on an object (26) such as a printer drum is disclosed herein. The system 10 includes a light source (12) such as an LED or a plurality of LEDs. A spatial light modulator (14), which may be a movable mirror device, receives light from the light source (12) and reflects selected portions of the light. The spatial light modulator (14) includes at least n rows of independently modulated pixels wherein only 1/nth of each of the rows can receive and reflect light at any point in time. The light from the spatial light modulator (14) is imaged (e.g., with imaging lens (24) onto rows and columns of the object (26) to be illuminated. The object (26) is illuminated in such a way that each column is illuminated by a corresponding row of pixels.
Inventors
- 👤 John B. Allen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 22:54
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03G; G03G15/00; G03G15/04; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/04; H04N1/19; H04N1/191; H04N1/1911; H04N1/1916; B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/435; B41J2/465; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/08; G02B26/0816; G02B26/0833; H04N1/195; H04N1/19505; H04N1/1951; H04N1/19521; H04N1/19526; H04N1/19547
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A system for illuminating a plurality of areas on an object, said system comprising: a light source; a spatial light modulator for receiving light from said light source and reflecting selected portions of said light corresponding to said areas to be illuminated, said spatial light modulator comprising sets of n rows of pixels wherein only 1/n of said n rows may receive and reflect said light at any one point in time, wherein n is an integer greater than one; and said object to be illuminated by receiving said reflected light from said spatial light modulator, each of said areas being illuminated comprising p columns such that every nth one from a first of said P columns on said object is illuminated at said one point in time.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
48 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the illuminated portions of the n rows of pixels are staggered with respect to each other in a cross-process dimension so that one line of contiguous pixels can be written by successive exposures of each of the n rows to said light.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 2 wherein the spatial light modulator is composed of several subarrays of said n rows of pixels which are aligned so that each of said pixels can repeatedly be exposed on said object.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 3 wherein said spatial light modulator comprises a movable mirror device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
71 words
The system of claim 4, wherein each of said pixels includes a deflectable beam, an address electrode adjacent said beam, and a landing electrode adjacent said beam; wherein a voltage applied between said beam and said address electrode deflects said beam toward said address electrode; and wherein said landing electrode is located to contact said beam deflected toward said address electrode and prevent said deflected beam from contacting said address electrode.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
166 words
The system of claim 5, wherein said pixels are formed in a layered structure; said layered structure including an insulated substrate, a spacer layer on said substrate, a conductive reflecting layer on said spacer layer, and a plurality of addressing and landing electrodes; each of said pixels including: a deflectable element formed in said reflecting layer and connected to the remainder of said reflecting layer by at least one hinge formed from said reflecting layer; a well formed in said spacer layer and extending from said deflectable element to said substrate, a first addressing electrode on said substrate at the bottom of said well and located to deflect said deflectable element by electrostatic attraction, and a first landing electrode on said substrate at the bottom of said well, said first landing electrode located both to contact said deflectable element when said deflectable element is deflected by attraction by said first addressing electrode to said substrate and to prevent said deflectable element from contacting said addressing electrode.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 6 wherein said pixels include diamond shaped mirror elements.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 7 wherein each of said mirror elements are smaller that spacing of said elements in each of said rows.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 8 wherein said light source is selected from the group consisting of a light emitting diode or laser diode or an incandescent lamp.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 9 wherein each of said sets includes three rows of said pixels.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The system of claim 10 wherein said object comprises a printing drum.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 11 and further comprising a scanner positioned between said light source and said spatial light modulator, said scanner for imaging said light on some of said n rows of pixels.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 11 and further comprising light directing optics between said light source and said spatial light modulator for simultaneously illuminating all of said n rows of pixels.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
18 words
The system of any of claims 12-13, wherein only a portion of each of said pixels is illuminated.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 14 and further comprising a mask positioned between said light source and said spatial light modulator.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 15 wherein said mask is positioned less than 10 microns from said spatial light modulator.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 16 wherein only a square portion of each of said pixels is illuminated.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of Claim 17 wherein each of said pixels is independently modulated.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
12 words
The system of Claim 18 wherein said object is a display device.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
132 words
A method of independently illuminating a plurality of areas on an object, said method comprising the steps of: transmitting light to a spatial light modulator; receiving said light at said spatial light modulator, said spatial light modulator comprising at least one set of n rows of independently modulated pixels wherein only 1/n of said rows may receive and reflect said light at any one point in time, wherein n is an integer greater than one; reflecting a modulated version of said light from said spatial light modulator toward said object to be illuminated; and receiving said reflected light from said spatial light modulator at said object to be illuminated, said areas being illuminated comprising p columns such that each column on said object is illuminated by a corresponding row of said pixels.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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