Optical mass memory
First Claim
1. An information storage system, comprising:
- a source of collimated, coherent radiation;
a storage medium having a plurality of storage fields;
means for modulating said radiation in accordance with information to be stored on said storage medium; and
optical means for directing said radiation to said storage medium, said optical means characterized byan optical array having at least two unitary elements forming a multiplicity of lenslets, each of said lenslets corresponding with a different one of said plurality of storage fields, said storage fields each disposed in the focal plane of the corresponding lenslet, said optical means further includingfirst means for directing said radiation to a selected one of said storage fields through said lenslet corresponding with said selected storage field, andsecond means for deflecting the radiation to coordinately select discrete storage locations within said selected storage field.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A data recording and retrieval system wherein a beam of coherent radiation is optically formed into an intense spot and deflected by first and second deflecting means to impinge upon a storage medium. The beam is spot-focused by a lens system which includes a multiple lens array, and selectively deflected by a pair of mirrors through a particular lenslet of the multiple-lens array to one of a plurality of storage fields of the recording medium. When the storage field is selected, a second deflection system produces a randomly selectable X-Y deflection of the beam, within the area of the preselected storage field. The multiple lens array provides a plurality of lenslets, each lenslet of the array corresponding with a different one of the plurality of storage fields within a storage area of the recording medium. Also included are means for illuminating a selected one of the areas of the storage medium and detector means for sensing data recorded on the selected storage field projected through a corresonding lenslet of the multiple lens array to the detector means.
18 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An information storage system, comprising:
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a source of collimated, coherent radiation; a storage medium having a plurality of storage fields; means for modulating said radiation in accordance with information to be stored on said storage medium; and optical means for directing said radiation to said storage medium, said optical means characterized by an optical array having at least two unitary elements forming a multiplicity of lenslets, each of said lenslets corresponding with a different one of said plurality of storage fields, said storage fields each disposed in the focal plane of the corresponding lenslet, said optical means further including first means for directing said radiation to a selected one of said storage fields through said lenslet corresponding with said selected storage field, and second means for deflecting the radiation to coordinately select discrete storage locations within said selected storage field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An information storage system, comprising:
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a source of collimated radiation; a storage medium having a plurality of storage fields, each of said fields having an array of discrete storage locations, said medium sensitive to said radiation to record a transparent indication of impingement of said radiation at said discrete locations; means for modulating said radiation in accordance with information to be stored on said storage medium; optical means for directing said radiation to a selected one of said storage fields, said optical means including an optical array having at least two unitary planar elements forming a multiplicity of lenslets, each lenslet corresponding with a different one of said plurality of storage fields, said storage fields each disposed in the focal plane of said optical array; means for directing said radiation to one of said multiplicity of lenslets corresponding with said selected storage field; and means intermediate said source and said optical means for selectively deflecting the radiation within the bounds of a storage field. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An optical memory system, comprising in combination:
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a source of data to be stored; means for emitting a collimated beam of coherent optical radiation; means coupled to said source for modulating said beam in accordance with said data to be stored; means for developing first and second deflection signals; means responsive to said first deflection signals for deflecting said beam within a predetermined field of divergence; a storage medium having a plurality of image fields and formed of a material sensitive to impingement of said beam thereon to record at discrete locations of said storage medium indicia of said impingement; an optical system for directing said deflected beam to said storage medium and including an optical array having at least two unitary planar optical elements together forming a multiplicity of lenslets, each of said lenslets corresponding with a different one of said image fields, said storage medium disposed in the focal plane of said optical array; a lens system for focusing said deflected beam within a field at an entrance pupil of each of said multiplicity of lenslets; and means in cooperation with said lens system and responsive to said second deflection signals for directing said deflected beam to a selected one of said multiplicity of lenslets, said selected lenslet focusing said beam on said corresponding image field of said storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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Specification