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US 8,885,239 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for controlling multiple beam spacing
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsMichael Plotkin, David Towner, Haim Livne, Peter Gysling, Craig Breen, Dale Wolin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An anamorphic optical element and an adjustment mechanism for selectively rotating the optical element either around an axis substantially in a vertical direction, an axis substantially in an optical axis direction, an axis substantially in a plane formed by the vertical direction and the optical axis direction, or combination of axes thereof is used to vary a vertical separation between two or more spots.
Claims15
An apparatus comprising:
- a light source operable to produce a linear array of two or more concurrent light beams in respective parallel beam directions;
- an optical element having an optical axis parallel to the beam directions and configured to anamorphically magnify the light beams with different magnification in a vertical direction relative to a direction along a second axis substantially in a plane formed by the vertical direction and the optical axis;
- an adjustment mechanism coupled to the optical element to selectively rotate the optical element either around an axis substantially in the vertical direction, the optical axis, the second axis, or combinations of axes thereof to adjust vertical separation between two or more spots respectively formed on a surface by the two or more light beams after being anamorphically magnified by the optical element;
- an optical sensor to capture images of the two or more spots formed on the surface;
- and
- a controller to determine a vertical separation between the two or more light beams based on the captured images and to control the adjustment mechanism to adjust the vertical separation between the two or more spots formed on the surface based on the determined vertical separation.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a light source operable to produce a linear array of two or more concurrent light beams in respective parallel beam directions;
- a first optical element having a first and a second surface;
- a second optical element having a first and a second surface;
- wherein the first surface of the second optical element is facing and spaced apart from the second surface of the first optical element to form a gap therebetween and wherein the first optical element, or the second optical element, or both the first optical element and the second optical element in combination are configured to anamorphically magnify the light beams with different magnification in a vertical direction relative to a direction along a second axis substantially in a plane formed by the vertical direction and an optical axis;
- an actuator coupled to the first and second optical elements and operable to selectively rotate either the first optical element or the second optical element, or combinations thereof around either an axis substantially in the vertical direction, the optical axis, the second axis, or combinations of axes thereof, to adjust vertical separation between two or more spots respectively formed on a surface by the two or more light beams after being anamorphically magnified by the optical element;
- an optical sensor to capture images of the two or more spots formed on the surface;
- and
- a controller to determine a vertical separation between the two or more light beams based on the captured images and to control the actuator to adjust the vertical separation between the two or more spots formed on the surface based on the determined vertical separation.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.