Wobble correction and focusing optical element with refractive toroidal surface and binary diffractive optical surface

• US 5,486,694 A
• Filed: 12/02/1994
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1994
• 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): Westin, Edward P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, QUE TAN
• Application Number:
  US08/348,415
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 250/234-236, 359/206, 359/216-219, 359/711, 359/563, 359/569, 359/741
• US Class Current: 250/236
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0031 for scanning purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0037 with diffracting elements G02B27/0056 takes precedence; holographic optical elements G02B5/32; zone systems G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4216 correcting geometrical aberrations
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4227 in image scanning systems

Abstract

A wobble correction and focusing optical element for a raster optical scanner combines a toric lens, which provides most of the optical power for focusing the light beam to a scan line, with a binary diffractive optical surface, which corrects the field curvature of the toric lens and which also linearizes the scan. The diffractive surface will have a multi-level structure (binary diffractive optical surface) which possesses a diffractive phase function that will flatten the field curvature of the toric lens.

Claims

1. An optical scanning system for wobble correction and focusing a light beam at a scan line comprising:

a rotating polygon mirror with a plurality of facets,

means for generating a collimated light beam directed onto one of said facets, and

an optical element which focuses said light beam reflected off said one of said facets to a scan line and corrects for wobble of said light beam at said scan line, said optical element comprising a binary diffractive optical surface and a refractive toroidal lens surface.

2. The optical scanning system for wobble correction and focusing a light beam at a scan line of claim 1 wherein said refractive toroidal lens surface is a toric lens and said binary diffractive optical surface is on the flat surface of said toric lens opposite said refractive toroidal lens surface.

3. An optical scanning system for wobble correction and focusing a light beam at a scan line comprising:

a rotating polygon mirror with a plurality of facets,

means for generating a collimated light beam directed onto one of said facets, and

an optical element which focuses said beam reflected off said one of said facets to a scan line and corrects for wobble of said light beam at said scan line, said optical element comprising a binary diffractive optical lens and a refractive toric lens, and bonding means for securing a plano surface of said binary diffractive optical lens to a plano surface of said refractive toric lens.

4. An optical scanning system for wobble correction and focusing a light beam at a scan line comprising:

a rotating polygon mirror with a plurality of facets,

means for generating a collimated light beam directed onto one of said facets, and

a lens system which focuses said beam reflected off said one of said facets to a scan line and corrects for wobble of said light beam at said scan line, said lens system comprising a binary diffractive optical lens and a refractive toric lens.

5. The optical scanning system for wobble correction and focusing a light beam at a scan line of claim 4 wherein the binary diffractive optical surface of said binary diffractive optical lens is in a recess and further comprising bonding means for securing said binary diffractive optical surface of said binary diffractive optical lens in a recess to a plano surface of said refractive toric lens.