Optical scanner and scanning method
AssigneeCornell University
InventorsChunhui XU, Eric HEBERT
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical scanner includes a first 1D-beam-shaping optical-element, a scanning optical-element, and a second 1D-beam-shaping optical-element. The first 1D-beam-shaping optical-element flattens an incident optical beam in a vertical direction to yield a flattened input-beam that propagates toward the scanning optical-element. The scanning optical-element deflects the flattened input-beam, in a scanning plane, to yield a flattened output-beam that propagates to the second 1D-beam-shaping optical-element along one of multiple optical beam paths in the scanning plane. The second 1D-beam-shaping optical-element collimates the flattened output-beam.
Claims24
An optical scanner comprising a first 1D-beam-shaping optical-element, a scanning optical-element, and a second 1D-beam-shaping optical-element, wherein:
- the first 1D-beam-shaping optical-element flattens an incident optical beam in a vertical direction to yield a flattened input-beam that propagates toward the scanning optical-element;
- the scanning optical-element deflects the flattened input-beam, in a scanning plane, to yield a flattened output-beam that propagates to the second 1D-beam-shaping optical-element along one of multiple optical beam paths in a scanning plane;
- and
- the second 1D-beam-shaping optical-element collimates the flattened output-beam.
(canceled)
(canceled)
(canceled)
A method for angularly scanning an optical beam, comprising:
- forming a flattened input-beam from the optical beam by decreasing a height of the optical beam in a vertical direction, perpendicular to a scanning plane, while substantially maintaining a width of the optical beam in a horizontal direction;
- deflecting the flattened input-beam to yield a flattened output-beam;
- and
- forming an expanded optical beam from the flattened output-beam by increasing a height of the flattened output-beam in the vertical direction.
-28. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.