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:
Jul. 18, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 02, 1998
Adam Thomas Drobot, Annandale, VA (US);
Robert Courtney White, Fairfax, VA (US);
Science Applications International Corporation, San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
An optical scanner employs a cantilever-mounted optical fiber within a micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) motor. In an embodiment, the fiber is sandwiched between two piezoelectric elements to form a unitary bimorph. The bimorph is excited with opposite polarity to cause it to bend rapidly in a plane. The light collected from the tip is projected to a small spot on the scanned medium. The bimorph is oscillated by applying an alternating voltage across the piezoelectric elements which causes the bimorph to bend back and forth at high rates. A medium is passed in a direction at least partly orthogonal to the direction of oscillation of the bimorph so that spot, rapidly sweeping across the surface of the medium, scans the surface. To write information on the medium, a source sufficiently intense, is modulated and applied to the fiber. To read information, a sufficiently intense source is continuously applied to the fiber and a detector used to pick up light returned from the medium surface.