Multiple spot,optical scanner utilizing periodic light beam refocusing

Abstract

Abstract A MULTIPLE SPOT SCANNER UTILIZING AN OPTICAL RELAY SYSTEM IN WHICH AT LEAST ONE OPTICAL BEAM IS PERIODICALLY REFOCUSED TO DEFINE A PLURALITY OF SCANNING LIGHT SPOTS ALONG A COMMON SCAN LOCUS. IN A BASIC EMBODIMENT OF A MULTIPLE SPOT SCANNER, THE RELAY SYSTEM REFLECTS THE BEAM AROUND THE PERIMETER OF A SQUARE UTILIZING LENSES AND MIRRORS MOUNTED WITHIN A ROTATING DRUM. THE DRUM, AND THUS, THE SCAN LOCUS, IS DISPOSED AGAINST A LOSSLESS HIGH REFLECTIVITY MIRROR. THE FOCUSED BEAM FORMING THE SPOTS THUS ARE RETUNED TO THE ROTATING DRUM AFTER EACH SPOT FORMATION. A SELECTED PORTION OF THE MIRROR IS REPLACED WITH A LENGTH OF A RECORDING MEDIUM. THUS, ALL BUT ONE OF THE MULTIPLE NUMBER OF SPOTS FOMED BY THE RELAY SYSTEM ARE RETURNED TO THE SCANNER IN A LOSSLESS FASHION, WHILE AT ALL TIMES ONE SPOT IS SCANNING THE RECORDING MEDIUM. A MODULATING MAGNETIC FIELD IS PROVIDED TO DETERMINED THE STATE OF MAGNETIZATION OF THE MEDIUM, AND THUS THE RECORDED HISTORY. VARIOUS ADJUNCT FEATURES, ASSOCIATED APPARATUS, AND MODIFICATIONS, MAY BE INCORPORATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INVENTION UTILIZING THE MULTIPLE SPOT OPTICAL SCANNER. FOR EXAMPLE, THE INVENTION APPARATUS MAY INCLUDE, MAGNETOPTIC READOUT (LIGHT POLARIZATION ROTATION), PHOTOGRAPHIC READOUT (A LIGHT AMPLITUDE READOUT SCHEME DISPOSED EITHER ADJACNET THE MEDIUM OR OUTSIDE THE OPTICAL SYSTEM), A LIGHT DIFFERENTIAL CANCELLATION SCHEME, A PLURALITY RATHER THAN A SINGLE ENTRANT BEAM, A SPOT DEFLECTING SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING TRACKING OF THE RECORDED SCAN LINES DURING THE READOUT PROCESS, ETC. THUS, IN A RECORD AND/OR READOUT SYSTEM THE OPTICAL SCANNER MAY BE EMPLOYED WITH A PHOTOGRAPHIC OR A MAGNETIC RECORDING MEDIUM, WHICH DETERMINES VARIOUS ONES OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED ADJUNCT FEATURES.

Inventors

• 👤 Robert P Hunt
• 👤 Baron C Dickey
• 👤 Samuel Bousky

Bibliographic Details