US 2003/0117687 A1Published application

Optical deflector and optical deflector array

AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.

InventorsKenzi Murakami, Hiroshi Miyajima

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Abstract

Movable plates which are supported by an opposite substrate and which include a reflection surface are attached between elastic members in a longitudinal direction as a first direction. The movable plates are rocked with respect to the opposite substrate using a second direction crossing at right angles to the first direction as a rock axis. The opposite substrate is disposed opposite to the surface opposite to the reflection surface of the movable plates, and a first convex portion which contacts the movable plates in a maximum deflection angle of the movable plate is disposed in the opposite substrate. The movable plates are driven by the elastic members so that the plates can rock into first and second deflection positions to contact the first convex portion.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An optical deflector comprising:

a movable plate having a reflection surface and an opposite surface opposite to the reflection surface;
a support member including a confronting substrate which confronts the opposite surface of the movable plate;
at least one elastic member having two ends, one end being supported by the support member and the other end being attached to the movable plate, and extending in a first direction extending from the one end to the other end;
and
driving member for driving the movable plate to rock with respect to the support member with using a second direction normal to the first direction as a rock axis,
the confronting substrate having a contact area which defines a maximum deflection angle of the movable plate and restricts the rocking movement of the movable plate within the maximum deflection angle, and the contact area having a first and a second deflection position with which the movable plate is brought into contact when the driving member applies a driving force to the movable plate.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.