Eastman-kodak Company

Optech International, Inc.

Philip F Marino

Charles J Simpson

Thomas W Dey

Paul D Heppner

Phillip Vallone

Lawrence A Barnes

Andrew J Kalish

Barry David Silverstein

Peter W Hammond

David John Nelson

Kurt W Getreuer

Edward M Granger

Andrea S Rivers

Robert Dean Fiete

Donald E Vandenberg

Kevin Kearney

Kenneth L Mason

Gary R Bisson

Joel K Mason

The present invention is a camera system having a rigid camera frame to receive a removable shutter and serve as a releasable attachment point for the camera lens system and image receiving means. An adaptor and wedge have complementary contact points that allow constant alignment and orientation of the system components after removal and reattachment without recalibration or realignment. The camera system may be used in a photographic imaging system such as an airborne reconnaissance system.

Removable shutter for a camera

A method for detecting errors in loading a lenticular material ( ) on a printer ( ) comprises loading the lenticular material ( ) on a vacuum platen ( ) and drawing a vacuum on the vacuum platen ( ). An airflow is measured on the vacuum platen ( ) and compared to a predetermined value.

Method for detecting errors in loading a lenticular material on a printer

Flexible maintenance-free mesh landscape edging usable with mulch filling

A lenticular image printer creates an image on received media having a series of lenticules with parallel axes. The printer includes a transport system adapted to move received media in an in-track direction substantially perpendicular to the axes of the lenticules. An alignment beam generator is arranged to transmit an alignment beam through the lenticules of received media such that the alignment beam is in-track position-modulated by the lenticules. Three position-sensing detectors are aligned in a cross-track direction perpendicular to the in-track direction so as to receive the position-modulated alignment beam whereby the position of the position-modulated alignment beam on the detectors provides an indication of the relative alignment of the axes of the lenticules and the cross-track direction.

Skew correction in lenticular material printing

An optical actuator adapted to control the position of the actuator in at least two degrees of freedom of motion. The actuator includes a base, a moveable lens holder having a lens, a structure for connecting the lens holder to the base to support movement of the lens holder, and first and second pairs of surface-field motors, each pair of surface-field motors having first and second surface-field motors, each first and second surface-field motor including a surface-field coil and a surface-field magnetic assembly for applying forces to the lens holder to move the lens holder in at least two degrees of freedom of motion relative to the base, the surface-field coil being mounted on either the base or the lens holder, and the corresponding surface-field magnetic assembly being oppositely mounted on either the lens holder or the base to interact with the surface-field coil. Each surface-field magnetic assembly includes two pairs of opposing poles with one pair of opposing poles facing the corresponding surface-field coil, the opposing poles of each pair being separated by a pole dividing line so that the pole dividing lines of the opposing poles facing the surface-field coils of the surface-field magnetic assemblies of the first surface-field motor extend and intersect at a point above the surface-field coils, and the pole dividing lines of the opposing poles facing the surface-field coils of the surface-field magnetic assemblies of the second surface-field motor extend and intersect at a point below the surface-field coils. Currents are selectively applied to the surface-field coils so that the surface-field motors apply forces to the lens holder to control at least two degrees of freedom of motion of the lens holder relative to the base.

Multiple degrees of freedom actuator for optical recording

An optical recording actuator includes: a base and a lens holder having a lens. A pair of spaced-apart flexible, inextensible, coplanar connecting members are connected between the base and the lens holder. A force is applied to the lens holder in the plane of the connecting members to generate tension in the connecting members. A motor applies forces and moments to the lens holder so that the lens holder can move the lens in a desired manner. The resulting actuator has four controllable degrees of freedom of motion relative to the base: focus, tracking, pitch and roll.

Optical actuator with tensioned suspension

Apparatus for measuring warp of an optical disk is disclosed. The apparatus includes an actuator having a base and a moveable lens holder, the lens holder being moveable in a vertical direction relative to the base. The apparatus further includes a structure for moving the actuator to selected positions relative to the surface of the disk and for measuring the vertical displacement of the disk surface relative to the actuator base at each of the selected positions, a structure for providing displacement signals corresponding to the vertical displacement of the disk surface at each of the selected positions, and a structure responsive to the displacement signals for computing a radial tilt matrix and a tangential tilt matrix of optical disk surface tilt values, the matrices representing the warp of the surface of the disk.

Measuring and compensating for warp in an optical recording disk

A lens actuator for an optical disc storage device including a base; a lens holder assembly movably mounted to said base; said lens holder assembly comprising a lens holder with a single surface-field magnet and a lens mounted thereon; a single surface-field coil set mounted to said base parallel to and proximate said surface-field magnet; whereby a current introduced in a coil of said coil set produces a net magnetic force having a resultant line of action passing through said lens holder assembly.

Actuator with single surface-field motor

An optical actuator is disclosed for positioning a lens to focus a laser light beam on a surface of a member, such as on optical disk, with minimum lens tilt error. The optical actuator includes a lens mount for supporting the lens, and at least one upper flexure and one lower flexure that are each fixed to the lens mount at a point. The flexures are arranged so that they when viewed from one side a line defined by each flexure would extend from the fixed point of each flexure and intersect at a point spaced at a distance from each flexure, forming an angle .theta. therebetween. The optical actuator further includes a structure for applying a force to the lens mount along a line to cause the upper flexure and lower flexure to deflect such that the lens moves to focus the light beam. The intersection point of the upper flexure and lower flexure is selected such that the lens tilt error caused by tension and compression of the upper flexure and lower flexure is compensated by a tilt caused by angle .theta., to thereby substantially minimize lens tilt error during focusing of the light beam.

Lens tilt error reduction actuator

An optical actuator is disclosed for positioning a lens to focus a laser light on a surface of a member, such as on optical disk, with minimum lens tilt error. The optical actuator includes a lens mount for supporting the lens, and at least two spaced-apart flexures that are fixed to the lens mount. The flexures are arranged so that they are parallel when viewed from one side. The optical actuator further includes a structure for applying a force to the lens mount along a line and between the flexures so that when viewed from the parallel flexure side the line bisects each flexure to cause the flexures to deflect such that as the lens moves to focus the light beam, lens tilt error is minimized.

Actuator with reduced lens tilt error

An optical actuator is disclosed which includes a base, a moveable lens holder including an objective lens and positioned relative to the base, and at least six planar magnetic coils and a plurality of magnetic assemblies arranged to be associated with the coils, each of the assemblies including magnets having two or more poles fixed to the actuator base, the coils and the magnets being mounted relative to each other on the lens holder and the base. The actuator includes circuitry for applying signals to the coils to induce magnetic fields in the coils for positioning the lens holder and detectors for providing signals representing the four degrees of freedom of positions of the lens holder with respect to the base. A computational circuitry responsive to the detectors determines the coil signals for positioning the moveable lens holder in six degrees of freedom of motion relative to the base.

Magnetically suspended optical recording actuator

An optical recording actuator is disclosed and includes a base and a moveable actuator lens holder having its position controlled between two to six degrees of freedom of motion. Such lens holder including an objective lens. The actuator further includes a sensing system a light source and three sensors and mounted on the moveable lens holder three separate plates, each corresponding to a sensor and having an aperture and arranged so that light from the source passes through the aperture of each plate and illuminates its corresponding sensor mounted on the base. Each sensor includes an arrangement for providing position detection in two orthogonal directions and a microprocessor responsive to the position detection to determine the position of the moveable lens holder with respect to the base in six degrees of freedom of motion.

Position sensing for an optical recording actuator

A combined sensor for measuring tilt and tracking position of a lens holder with respect to an optical recording actuator base is disclosed. A light source and two photosensitive bi-cell detectors are secured to the actuator base so that a beam from the light source strikes the detectors, and an optical slot or flag is secured to the lens holder between the light source and the detectors, for creating an image on the bi-cell detectors. Output from the bi-cell detectors is converted into information on tilt and position of the lens holder relative to the actuator base.

Combined tracking position and tilt sensor for optical recording actuator

An optical actuator for positioning a lens to focus a laser light beam on a surface of a compact disk, and to compensate for tilt errors in the surface of the compact disk, including a lens mount for supporting the lens; a base; at least two pairs of spaced-apart flexures, each pair of flexures being fixed to the lens mount and to a base, the flexures of one pair being arranged so that they are non-parallel when viewed from the side and the distance between flexures at the base is less than the distance at the position where they are mounted to the lens mount and the other pair of flexures being arranged so that they are non-parallel when viewed from the side and the distance between flexures at the base is greater than the distance at the position where they are mounted to the lens mount; and applying a force to the lens mount along a line and between the flexures so that when viewed from the parallel flexure side the line bisects each flexure to cause the flexures to deflect such that as the lens moves in a vertical direction to focus the light beam, it also rotates to maintain a nearly perpendicular alignment of the optical axis to the compact disk surface, minimizing the residual tilt error.

Actuator which compensates for compact disk tilt error

An optical actuator is disclosed for positioning a lens to focus a laser light on a surface of a member, such as an optical disk, with minimum lens tilt error. The optical actuator includes a lens mount for supporting the lens, a plurality of flexures fixed to the lens mount, and a based spaced from the lens mount. The optical actuator further includes a motor structure for operating the actuator in energized and de-energized states. In the energized state, a force is applied to the lens mount to cause the lens mount to move in a focus direction. In the de-energized state, the flexures relax, causing the lens mount to move substantially in the focus direction. The optical actuator further includes an actuator travel stop disposed relative to the base and the lens mount for supporting the lens mount in a downward direction when the actuator is in the de-energized state, to thereby prevent the flexures from creeping in such a way so as to result in lens tilt.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Philip F Marino