The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 28, 1995
Filed:
Aug. 07, 1992
Takashi Shibaguchi, Yokohama, JP;
Hiroyoshi Funato, Chigasaki, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An optical shutter device comprises an electro-optic layer of a material that shows the electro-optic Kerr effect, an array of shutter regions defined on the electro-optic layer for controlling a passage of an optical beam through the layer, a plurality of electrodes provided on the electro-optic layer in correspondence to the shutter regions for applying a predetermined electric field upon energization, a driver circuit connected to each pair of the electrodes for energizing the same independently from each other, a biasing circuit connected to the plurality of electrodes for applying a predetermined d.c. bias voltage thereto, a switching circuit for inverting the polarity of the d.c. bias voltage, a first polarizing device provided above the electro-optic layer for causing a rotation of the polarizing plane of the optical beam in a first angular direction, and a second polarizing device provided below the electro-optic layer for causing a rotation of the polarizing plane of the optical beam in a second, opposite angular direction.