Acoustooptic scanner apparatus and method

Apparatus for recording on a light-sensitive medium arranged in a recording station, information derived from a storage source, said apparatus comprising:

• means for producing a beam of collimated light;
• format generating means for receiving derived information from such storage source and for converting the derived information into a format which comprises a plurality of successive increments, each increment comprising a number of elements, the number of such elements in each successive increment depending upon the characteristics of the derived information;
• plural frequency oscillator means for receiving the converted information from said format generating means and for generating an electrical signal having a plurality of different fixed frequencies, with each fixed frequency corresponding to a different one of said elements in each of said successive increments;
• means, including an acoustooptic cell arranged in the beam of light and responsive to said electrical signal from said oscillator means, for simultaneously forming a light beam set comprising a diffracted light beam of a unique diffracted angle for each fixed frequency in said signal;
• and
• means for simultaneously imaging the diffracted light beams on the medium.

A multiple-beam alphanumeric imaging system utilizing a single coherent-light source beam for the generation of characters having a predetermined number of parallel levels and receptive to control signals bearing said character information, comprising:

• means responsive to said control signals for generating a plurality of gate signals each corresponding to a respective one of said parallel character levels;
• a corresponding plurality of ultrasonic carrier signal sources each of a single discrete frequency different from those of the other carrier signals and all spaced in frequency from one another by a uniform equal interval;
• means for respectively applying said gate signals to said carrier signal sources for gating said carrier signals ON and OFF in accordance with said signal;
• a Bragg light-sound interaction cell interposed in the path of said source beam, and responsive to an applied driving signal to diffract at least part of said source beam into one or more discrete diffracted beams at diffraction angles dependent on the frequency components of said driving signal;
• and means for utilizing said gated carrier signals as said driving signal for said Bragg cell to generate a corresponding plurality of independently gated light output beams.

A multiple-beam information-translation system utilizing spatially coherent source light beam and responsive to a plurality of information signals each independently varying in amplitude with time, comprising:

• a plurality of carrier signal sources corresponding in number to said plurality of information signals, said carrier signals each being of frequency different from those of the other carriers;
• a corresponding plurality of modulators each amplitude-modulating one of said carrier signals in accordance with a respective one of said information signals;
• a Bragg light-sound interaction cell interposed in the path of said source beam, said cell being coupled to said plurality of modulators and responsive to said amplitude-modulated carrier signals to diffract at least part of said beam into a corresponding plurality of angularly discrete diffracted light beams, each intensity-modulated in accordance with a respective one of said modulated carriers;
• and means for maintaining the intensity of each of said diffracted beams substantially independent of variations in the intensity of the remaining diffracted beams.

Apparatus for generating diffracted light beams corresponding to coded information contained in a plurality of information signals;

• said apparatus comprising:
• means, responsive to said information signals, for producing a series of sets of electrical signals, each set of electrical signals having a plurality of concurrent electrical signals varying independently in accordance with the coded information of said information signals;
• plural frequency oscillator means, responsive to said electrical signal sets, for generating carrier signals having a plurality of different fixed frequencies, each fixed frequency corresponding to a different one of said concurrent electrical signals;
• and
• means, including a simultaneous multi-beam acoustooptical cell, responsive to said plural frequency carrier signals for simultaneously forming diffracted light beams corresponding in number to the number of said fixed frequencies, each of said diffracted light beams having a diffraction angle uniquely associated with one of said different fixed frequencies.

Apparatus for use with a spatially coherent light beam and responsive to a series of sets of electrical signals, each set of electrical signals having a plurality of concurrent electrical signals varying independently;

• said apparatus comprising:
• plural frequency oscillator means, responsive to said electrical signal sets, for generating carrier signals having a plurality of different fixed frequencies, each of said fixed frequencies corresponding to a different one of said concurrent electrical signals;
• and
• means, including an acoustooptical cell interposed in the path of said light beam, responsive to said plural frequency carrier signals for diffracting at least part of said light beam into a plurality of angularly discrete diffracted light beams corresponding in number to said fixed frequencies.