US3794975A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System for translating sound-borne character or pattern information into optical form
Assignee: Zenith Electronics LLC
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Filing: 1972-01-03
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Granted: 1974-02-26
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Expires: 1992-01-03
Abstract
Abstract In a light-sound interaction cell, a plurality of spatially separated individual acoustic transducers are selectively energized to form a sound image of a character or other spatial pattern. A beam of light is projected through the light-sound interaction cell, the light being diffracted by the acoustic field established by the transducers. A Bragg image of that field is formed and projected upon an image plane to reproduce optically in the image plane an image of the desired pattern.
Inventors
- 👤 A Korpel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 07:25
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01H; G01H9/00; G01H9/002; G03; G03H; G03H3/00; G09; G09G; G09G3/00; G09G3/001
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
168 words
Acousto-optic information translation system for use with a spatially-coherent input light beam for converting by Bragg diffraction imaging input electrical signals representing characters directly into optical images portraying said characters, said system comprising: a Bragg-type light-sound interaction cell disposed in said beam and including a sound-propagative medium transmissive of said beam; transducer means coupled to said medium and including a plurality of spatially independent transducer elements for receiving input electrical signals representing characters and for being excited by said input signals in patterns whose spatial configurations represent characters, said excited patterns of transducer elements launching in said cell acoustic sound fields comprising a volume distribution of wave amplitudes and phases which are descriptive of said character spatial configurations established by said patterns of excited, transducer elements; and means including means directing said light beam through said cell in convergent or divergent wavefronts for establishing Bragg interaction between said light beam and said acoustic fields and for converting said character-descriptive acoustic fields into analogue optical fields portraying said characters.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
168 words
Acousto-optic information translation system for use with a spatially-coherent input light beam for converting by Bragg diffraction imaging input electrical signals representing characters directly into optical images portraying said characters, said system comprising: a Bragg-type light-sound interaction cell disposed in said beam and including a sound-propagative medium transmissive of said beam; transducer means coupled to said medium and including a plurality of spatially independent transducer elements for receiving input electrical signals representing characters and for being excited by said input signals in patterns whose spatial configurations represent characters, said excited patterns of transducer elements launching in said cell acoustic sound fields comprising a volume distribution of wave amplitudes and phases which are descriptive of said character spatial configurations established by said patterns of excited, transducer elements; and means including means directing said light beam through said cell in convergent or divergent wavefronts for establishing Bragg interaction between said light beam and said acoustic fields and for converting said character-descriptive acoustic fields into analogue optical fields portraying said characters.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 which further includes optical means receptive of said optical field for imaging an optical analog pattern representative of any selected cross-section of said sound field.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
Apparatus as in claim 2 in which said imaged cross-section is located at the transducer elements.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 in which different ones of said elements are energized at different times to change the transducer energization pattern with time.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 in which different ones of said elements are energized at respective different intensity levels.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as in claim 1 in which said interaction-establishing and converting means includes means for diverging said beam over its path through said cell.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
A system as in claim 1 in which said elements are positioned in the form of a matrixed array.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
A system as in claim 7 in which one or more elements of said array are sequentially energized in scanned fashion.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system as in claim 7 in which one or more selected ones of said array are simultaneously energized, with the members of said energized plurality changing with time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
A system as in claim 1 in which said transducer elements may be energized in a predetermined plurality of patterns representative of a like plurality of characters and in which a different preselected combination of said signals is representative of each of said characters and its corresponding transducer energization pattern.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system as in claim 1 which further includes means for compensating the demagnification factor inherent in said Bragg interaction.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as in claim 1 in which said elements are each representative of a character, and in which each of said signals is associated with one of said characters.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as in claim 1 in which one or more selected ones of said plurality of elements are sequentially energized by information signals which change in frequency with time.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
39 words
A system as in claim 1 in which selected sets of said plurality of elements are each energized by a respective one of corresponding sets of information signals, each such set of signals differing in frequency from the other.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as in Claim 1 in which one or more selected ones of said plurality of elements are energized by information signals having a predetermined plurality of frequency components.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
106 words
An acousto-optic system utilizing a spatially coherent light beam for translating an acoustic field bearing image information into a light field bearing holographic information as to said image comprising: a light-sound interaction cell containing a sound-and-light-transmissive medium; means for establishing an acoustic field bearing image information within said medium; means for establishing within said medium a reference acoustic field for beating with said information field; means directing said beam across said medium in convergent or divergent wavefronts for establishing interaction between said acoustic fields and said beam to produce by Bragg diffraction imaging at least one light field bearing said holographic information representative of said image.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
106 words
An acousto-optic system utilizing a spatially coherent light beam for translating an acoustic field bearing image information into a light field bearing holographic information as to said image comprising: a light-sound interaction cell containing a sound-and-light-transmissive medium; means for establishing an acoustic field bearing image information within said medium; means for establishing within said medium a reference acoustic field for beating with said information field; means directing said beam across said medium in convergent or divergent wavefronts for establishing interaction between said acoustic fields and said beam to produce by Bragg diffraction imaging at least one light field bearing said holographic information representative of said image.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
60 words
A system as in claim 16 in which said means for establishing an information-bearing acoustic field includes: a transducer coupled to said medium for producing a substantially uniform acoustic field in said medium; and means adapted to receive an object to be examined within said medium to establish non-uniformities in said acoustic field to thereby constitute said information-bearing acoustic field.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
A system as in claim 16 in which said means for establishing an information-bearing acoustic field includes: a plurality of independent separately energizable transducer elements for the creation of said acoustic field within said cell bearing information as to the transducer energization pattern.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system as in claim 18 in which said means for establishing said reference field includes additional transducer means spatially separated from said plurality of transducer elements, said additional transducer means being energized substantially more strongly than said plurality of elements.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system as in claim 19 in which both said additional transducer means and said plurality of transducer elements are energized from a single signal source.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system as in claim 16 which further includes an acoustic lens means placed in said medium to focus on said transducer elements and with its Fourier transform plane within the volume of said medium which is illuminated by said beam.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system as in claim 16 which further includes means placed within said light field for photographically recording said field, to thereby produce a hologram representative of said image.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-02-25 | 1977-08-27 | 1978-02-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-02-25 | 1981-08-27 | 1982-02-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-02-25 | 1985-08-27 | 1986-02-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |