Dual pass binary diffractive optical element scanner

• US 5,309,272 A
• Filed: 12/11/1992
• Issued: 05/03/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Harris, Ellis D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Application Number:
  US07/989,320
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 359/17, 359/18, 359/209, 359/565, 359/566, 359/569, 359/572, 359/732, 359/234, 359/232, 359/210, 235/457, 235/462
• US Class Current: 359/196.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/106 having diffraction gratings as scanning elements, e.g. holographic scanners holographic optical elements G02B5/32, holography G03H

Abstract

An optical scanning system uses a double pass of a light beam through two rotating binary diffractive optical elements on a disc to focus a scan beam at a scan line and to scan the beam along the scan line which doubles the scan angle of the beam.

Claims

1. An optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line comprising:

a light source for emitting a coherent light beam,

means to collimate said coherent light beam,

a first stationary binary diffractive optical element to condition said collimated light beam at said scan line,

a rotating disc with a first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements and a second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements, said first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements diffracting said collimated, conditioned light beam to focus said light beam at said scan line, and

reflecting means to direct said light beam from said first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements to said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements, said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements diffracting said reflected light beam to scan said light beam along said scan line.

2. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 1 wherein said diffracted beam to scan along said scan line is the first order diffracted beam.

3. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 2 wherein said plurality of second binary diffractive optical elements have an optical wedge effect to separate said first order diffracted beam from a zero order, nondiffracted beam and undesirable higher diffraction orders.

4. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 1 wherein said diffracted beam to scan along said scan line is the second order diffracted beam.

5. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 1 further comprising

means to block light from said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements which is not diffracted to scan along said scan line.

6. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 1 wherein said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements are negative elements.

7. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 1 wherein said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements are positive elements.

8. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 1 wherein a multilevel phase relief structure of said first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements and a multilevel phase relief structure of said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements are along a radius of said rotating disc to diffract said light beam along said scan line.

9. An optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line comprising:

a light source for emitting a coherent light beam,

means to collimate said coherent light beam,

a first stationary binary diffractive optical element to condition said collimated light beam at said scan line,

a rotating disc with a first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements and a second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements, said first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements diffracting said collimated, conditioned light beam to focus and scan said light beam at said scan line, and

reflecting means to direct said light beam from said first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements to said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements, said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements diffracting said reflected light beam to scan and focus said light beam along said scan line.

10. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 9 wherein said diffracted beam to scan along said scan line is the first order diffracted beam.

11. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 10 wherein said plurality of second binary diffractive optical elements have an optical wedge effect to separate said first order diffracted beam from a zero order, nondiffracted beam and undesirable higher diffraction orders.

12. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 9 wherein said diffracted beam to scan along said scan line is the second order diffracted beam.

13. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 9 further comprising

means to block light from said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements which is not diffracted to scan along said scan line.

14. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 9 wherein said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements are negative elements.

15. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 9 wherein said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements are positive elements.

16. The optical scanner for scanning a light beam along a scan line of claim 9 wherein a multilevel phase relief structure of said first plurality of binary diffractive optical elements and a multilevel phase relief structure of said second plurality of binary diffractive optical elements are along a radius of said rotating disc to diffract said light beam along said scan line.