Thin retroreflective marker for identifying an object
AssigneeIomega Corporation
InventorFred C. Thomas, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cartridge for a data storage disk drive has a thin retroreflective marker. Light from a source is reflected from the marker almost exactly on its incident path. A planar light shaping optical structure such as a holographic light shaping diffuser (LSD) ruled or blazed diffraction grating, holographic diffraction grating, binary optics or holographic diffraction grating directs light to the detector. The LSD has degrees of angular diffusion in different orthogonal axes. This property makes possible unique identification of different types of cartridges.
Claims30
In a system for identifying an object by a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance, said object comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body including a retroreflective material which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector;
- and
- a surface relief holograph in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to redirect light toward said detector to identify said object.
A system for identifying an object by a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance, said object comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body including a retroreflective material which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector;
- and
- a holographic light shaping diffuser on said body in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to redirect light toward said detector to identify said object.
A system for identifying an object by a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance, said object comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body including a retroreflective material which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector;
- and
- a ruled diffraction grating on said body in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to redirect light toward said detector to identify said object.
A system for identifing an object by a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance, said object comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body including a retroreflective material which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector;
- and a blazed diffraction grating on said body in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to redirect light toward said detector to identify said object.
A system for identifying an object by a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance, said object comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body including a retroreflective material which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector;
- and
- includes binary optics on said body in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to redirect light toward said detector to identify said object.
A system for identifying an object by a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance, said object comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body including a retroreflective material which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector;
- and
- a holographic diffraction grating on said body in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to redirect light toward said detector to identify said object.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said optical structure being a white light hologram.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said optical structure being a surface relief hologram.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said reflector is a retroreflective material having periodic elements which reflect light upon its incident path and wherein said optical structure expands reflective irradiance into a pattern beyond the pattern of incident light.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said marker being a plastic film having a retroreflective pattern embossed on one surface thereof and having said optical structure embossed on the opposite surface thereof.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said retroreflective material having approximately 47,000 periodic elements per square inch.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a holographic light shaping diffuser.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a ruled diffraction grating.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a blazed diffraction grating.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said planar surface relief optical structure including binary optics.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a holographic diffraction grating.
A cartridge for a data storage drive which has a source of irradiance and a detector of said irradiance for determining whether the cartridge is suitable for use in said drive, said cartridge comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a marker on said body, said marker being a reflector which reflects irradiance from said source back toward said source for detection by said detector which thereby identifies said cartridge as being suitable for use in that drive;
- and
- a planar surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a micro refractive lens array.
The combination of:
- a source of irradiance;
- a detector of said irradiance;
- a retroreflective array which reflects irradiance from said source back toward such source;
- and
- a surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to control spatially the reflection of light relative to said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a holographic light shaping diffuser.
The combination of:
- a source of irradiance;
- a detector of said irradiance;
- a retroreflective array which reflects irradiance from said source back toward such source;
- and
- a surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to control spatially the reflection of light relative to said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a ruled diffraction grating.
The combination of:
- a source of irradiance;
- a detector of said irradiance;
- a retroreflective array which reflects irradiance from said source back toward such source;
- and
- a surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to control spatially the reflection of light relative to said source, planar surface relief optical structure being a blazed diffraction grating.
The combination of:
- a source of irradiance;
- a detector of said irradiance;
- a retroreflective array which reflects irradiance from said source back toward such source;
- and
- a surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to control spatially the reflection of light relative to said source, said planar surface relief optical structure including binary optics.
The combination of:
- a source of irradiance;
- a detector of said irradiance;
- a retroreflective array which reflects irradiance from said source back toward such source;
- and
- a surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to control spatially the reflection of light relative to said source, said planar surface relief optical structure a holographic diffraction grating.
The combination of:
- a source of irradiance;
- a detector of said irradiance;
- a retroreflective array which reflects irradiance from said source back toward such source;
- and
- a surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to control spatially the reflection of light relative to said source, said planar surface relief optical structure being a micro refractive lens array.
The combination of:
- a source of irradiance;
- a detector of said irradiance;
- a retroreflective array which reflects irradiance from said source back toward such source;
- and
- a surface relief optical structure in the path of said irradiance back toward said source to control spatially the reflection of light relative to said source,
- a plurality of said detectors arranged to detect the orientation of said reflected light whereby the illumination of particular ones of said detectors identifies a unique property of said combination.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.