Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A scanner includes a single scanning element such as a holographic disc or a polygon mirror and an illumination system that provides a plurality of input beams that are directed to different areas on the scanning element. In one embodiment, a light source provides a single beam that is alternately directed to a first area and a second area. While an input beam is incident on the first area, a first scan line forms. While an input beam is incident on the second area, a second scan line forms. Duty-cycle and energy efficiency of this embodiment are high because the beam from the source is switched from one area to the other during dead time when a scan beam would not otherwise have been directed to the desired scan aperture. Separate scan lines are automatically synchronized since they originate from the same source. Thus, alignment of multiple scan lines to form an extended scan line is simplified. Another embodiment simultaneously directs input beams to different areas of a scanning element to generate a plurality of synchronized scan lines suitable for alignment to form extended scan lines or for use separately in applications such as color printing.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim