Scanning device with area-to-linear mapping and related electronic scanner/printer apparatus

Electronic imaging apparatus of the kind adapted to expose, during respective line periods, successive lines of a recording medium moving past a linear exposure station including a plurality of pixel zones, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) an area light valve array having a plurality of discretely-addressable pixel portions distributed in a two-dimensional pattern;
• (b) means for uniformly illuminating said area array with light directed generally toward said exposure station;
• (c) lens means for imaging said two-dimensional pattern of pixel portions at an intermediate image plane;
• (d) optical mapping means, located in said intermediate image plane, for re-imaging the incident two-dimensional pattern of pixel portions as a predetermined one-dimensional line pixel pattern at such linear pixel region;
• and
• (e) means for addressing each of said pixel portions of said light valve array during each line period in accordance with image information corresponding to its portion of the image line being exposed during that line period.

Electronic imaging apparatus of the kind adapted to expose, during respective line periods, successive lines of a recording medium moving past a linar exposure station, which includes a plurality of pixel zones, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) first and second light-valve, area arrays, each array comprising a plurality of parallel strip portions which are activatable between birefringent and isotropic states in response to application and removal of an electric field, said area arrays being aligned along an optical axis in an optically opposed relation with their respective said strip portions generally orthogonal optically so as to cooperatively define a plurality of pixel portions in a two-dimensional pattern;
• (b) addressable activating means for selectively applying discrete electrical fields transversely across respective strip portions;
• (c) first, second and third light polarizing means aligned along said optical axis so that said first array is optically between said first and second polarizing means and said second array is optically between said second and third polarizing means, said first and third polarizing means being oriented with their directions of polarization generally aligned and parallel to the plane of said arrays and said second polarizing means being optically oriented with its direction of polarization generally parallel to the plane of said arrays and orthogonal to those of said first and third polarizing means;
• (d) means for illuminating said first array along said optical axis and through said first polarizing means;
• (e) lens means for imaging said two-dimensional pattern of pixel portions at an intermediate image plane;
• (f) optical mapping means, located in said image plane, for re-imaging the incident two-dimensional pattern as a line pattern along said linear exposure station;
• and
• (g) addressing means coupled to said activating means for:
• (1) sequentially applying an electrical field to successive strip portions of one of said arrays;
• and
• (2) concurrently applying electrical fields to the strip portions of the other of said arrays in timed relation with the sequential activations of said one array and in accordance with an electrical signal containing a line of image information.

Electronic color imaging apparatus of the kind adapted to expose, during respective line periods, successive lines of a color recording medium moving past a linear exposure station, which includes a plurality of pixel portions, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) first and second light-valve, area arrays, each array comprising a plurality of parallel strip portions which are activatable between birefringent and isotropic states in response to application and removal of an electric field, said area arrays being aligned along an optical axis in an optically opposed relation with their respective said strip portions generally orthogonal optically so as to define cooperatively a plurality of pixel portions having a two-dimensional pattern;
• (b) first and second addressable activating means respectively for selectively applying discrete electrical fields transversely across respective strip portions of said first and second arrays;
• (c) first, second and third light polarizing means aligned along said optical axis so that said first array is optically between said first and second polarizing means and said second array is optically between said second and third polarizing means, said first and third polarizing means being optically oriented with their directions of polarization generally aligned and parallel to the plane of said arrays and said second polarizing means being optically oriented with its direction of polarization generally parallel to the plane of said arrays and orthogonal to those of said first and third polarizing means;
• (d) means for producing a plurality of light illumination periods, each of a different color, wherein such light is directed along said optical axis so as to illuminate said arrays;
• (e) lens means for imaging said two-dimensional pixel pattern at an intermediate image plane;
• (f) optical mapping means, located in said image plane, for re-imaging the incident two-dimensional pixel pattern along said linear exposure station;
• (g) first addressing means coupled to first activating means for applying an electrical field across individual strip portions of said first array in a predetermined sequential order;
• and
• (h) second addressing means for applying electrical fields to the strip portions of said second array in timed relation with the sequential activations of said one array and in accordance with electrical signals respectively containing sub-portions of a line of image information.

A scanning device adapted to selectively illuminate discrete ones of a plurality of pixel zones respectively located along a linear pixel region, said device comprising:

• (a) an area illuminating array having a plurality of discretely-addressable pixel portions distributed in a two-dimensional pattern;
• (b) lens means for imaging said two-dimensional pattern of pixel portions at an intermediate image plane;
• and
• (c) optical mapping means, located in intermediate image plane, for re-imaging the incident two-dimensional pattern of pixel portions as a predetermined one-dimensional line pixel pattern at such linear pixel region.