Digitally controlled fiber optic light modulation system
First Claim
1. A fiber optic spatial light modulation system, comprising:
- a light source which produces source light;
an optical fiber bundle which includes a plurality of individual optical fibers;
a digital micromirror device that includes a multiplicity of individual micromirrors organized as an array, with a different plurality of micromirrors being associated with each individual optical fiber; and
,a digital controller that produces digital greyscale control data, wherein the digital micromirror device is responsive to the digital greyscale control data to selectively modulate the amount of the source light coupled into each of the individual optical fibers, at a frame rate, so as to produce a greyscale spatial pattern at the output of the optical fiber bundle without modulating the length of time during each frame period that each of the individual micromirrors is on or off.
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Abstract
A fiber optic spatial light modulation system which includes a light source which produces source light, an optical fiber bundle which includes a plurality of individual optical fibers, and a spatial light modulator which is interposed between the light source and the optical fiber bundle, and which selectively modulates the amount of the source light coupled into each of the individual optical fibers, wherein the amount of the source light coupled into different ones of the individual optical fibers can be unequal. In the disclosed embodiment, the spatial light modulator is a digital micromirror device which includes an array of micromirrors, a semiconductor memory which includes an array of memory cells, wherein each of the memory cells is associated with a respective one of the micromirrors and stores a bit of binary data, and the system employs a digital microprocessor which executes a desired control algorithm and sends the binary data to appropriate ones of the memory cells to selectively drive the micromirrors into an on position or an off position in accordance with the binary value of the binary data. Each of the individual optical fibers has associated therewith a plurality of micromirrors which are each oriented to couple the source light into the corresponding individual optical fiber when in the on position and to not couple the source light into the corresponding individual optical fiber when in the off position.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A fiber optic spatial light modulation system, comprising:
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a light source which produces source light; an optical fiber bundle which includes a plurality of individual optical fibers; a digital micromirror device that includes a multiplicity of individual micromirrors organized as an array, with a different plurality of micromirrors being associated with each individual optical fiber; and
,a digital controller that produces digital greyscale control data, wherein the digital micromirror device is responsive to the digital greyscale control data to selectively modulate the amount of the source light coupled into each of the individual optical fibers, at a frame rate, so as to produce a greyscale spatial pattern at the output of the optical fiber bundle without modulating the length of time during each frame period that each of the individual micromirrors is on or off. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification