JPS5833752B2 - Gazousouchi - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image device, and more particularly to an image device capable of forming an image with a large number of picture elements using an array using a relatively small number of variable intensity optical elements.

In this specification, "variable intensity optical element" refers to a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode, or a light modulator that changes the transmittance or reflectance of the light when it is irradiated with light. , or a light-emitting element arranged therein as a single unit or as part of a unitary unit, or a light-modulating element that is irradiated with light.

Conventionally, light-emitting elements such as light-emitting diodes or laser diodes, which can be considered as point light sources, are arranged in a matrix or in a line to display images.
Alternatively, there was a display device that projected and displayed this display image.

However, this type of device has the disadvantage that a large number of light emitting elements must be arranged in order to increase the resolution of the image to be displayed.

In addition, a method of forming an image by deflecting a parallel light beam such as a laser beam modulated by an image signal has been proposed, but it is difficult to obtain a deflection element with a large deflection angle at high speed, and However, in order to obtain a bright image, a high-output laser was required, which made it impractical.

An object of the present invention is to enable each variable-intensity optical element to perform the same function as a plurality of variable-intensity optical elements in an array using a relatively small number of variable-intensity optical elements, thereby forming an image with a large number of picture elements. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device.

First, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 1, 1a is an array of variable intensity optical elements, for example a diode array in which a plurality of light emitting diodes are arranged in a straight line.

2a is a signal source that supplies the diode array 1'aK signal and controls each diode separately; 3a is an electro-optic crystal that commonly deflects the light of each diode in the diode array 1a at temporally different deflection angles; or a deflection element such as an ultrasonic cell; 4a is a drive circuit for the deflection element 3a; 5
6 is a lens for forming an image of the diode array 1a on an image receiving surface to be described later, and 6 is an image receiving surface on which the image of the diode array 1a is formed.

Next, the operation of this embodiment device will be explained.

Now, focusing on the diode PkK on the diode array 1a, when the deflection angle of the deflection element 3a is zero, the light from the diode Pk passes through the optical path Rk and is projected onto the image receiving surface 6 at a position θ.

When the optical path is deflected by the deflection element 3a to Rk' and Rk", the light is projected onto the image receiving surface 6 at positions θkl and θk", respectively, as shown in the figure.

Since the deflection element 3a is designed to deflect the light of each diode on the diode array 1a with a common deflection angle, when 1=1 for the diode Pk (k=1.2...n), is the signal ak(k-1,2''-・n
)t = t', the signal ak/(k-1,2''
. . n) 1=1'', the signal aQ(k = 1.
2...n) is applied, and when 1 = 1, the deflection angle is γ, when t = t', the deflection angle is γ', and 1 == =
1//, if the drive circuit 4a of the deflection element 3a is configured so that the deflection angle is I, then when 1=1, the image Ak,t=corresponding to the signal east.
At t', the image Ak' corresponding to the signal ak', t=
At t'', images Aζ corresponding to the signal paddle are formed at different positions on the image receiving surface 6 depending on the deflection angles γ, γ', and /', respectively.

Therefore, as time passes t, t', t'', three images ak, ak', ak/ are formed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a linear image having 3n picture elements is formed using n diodes.

In this case, the images Ak, Ak for one diode array
', Al avoids overlapping or intrusion with images of neighboring diodes, so the distance between the two images at both ends of the images Ak, Akl, Ak'' is equal to that of each diode Pk (k=1...
2...n) image Ak(k-1, 2...n)
n) is smaller than the minimum gap.

The deflection angle is therefore relatively small.

For convenience of explanation, we have shown a case where one diode focuses images at three positions with two types of deflection angles, but in general, the deflection element 3
Note that a can change the deflection angle continuously, and the number of types of deflection angles can be selected to an arbitrary value with an upper limit determined by the pitch of the diodes in the diode array 1a and the resolution of the entire image device. can.

In this way, an image with a large number of picture elements can be formed using a diode array using a relatively small number of diodes and a deflection element that requires a relatively small deflection angle.

In the first embodiment described above, a diode array in which light emitting diodes are arranged in a straight line is used, but in the second embodiment, a diode matrix in which light emitting diodes are arranged in a 7-trix pattern is used. A diagram is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1b denotes an array of variable intensity optical elements, such as a diode array in which light emitting diodes are arranged in a matrix.

2b is a horizontal scanning circuit that processes an input signal and horizontally scans the diode matrix 1b; 2c is a similar vertical scanning circuit; 3b;

3c is a horizontal deflection element, a vertical deflection element, 4b,
4c is the deflection element 3b, 7 drive circuit of 3c, 5
is a lens, 6 is an image receiving surface, and 7 is an image formed on the image receiving surface 6 by the diode matrix 1b.

The operation of the second embodiment will be explained.

Assuming that the vertical scanning circuit 2c has the i-th output, the output of the horizontal scanning circuit 2b is applied to the i-th column of light emitting diodes in the diode matrix 1b.

Each of the light emitting diodes in the i-th column forms an image at a plurality of positions in the horizontal direction on the image receiving surface 6 by the action of the horizontal deflection element 3b and the drive circuit 4b, while the vertical deflection element 3c
Images are formed at a plurality of positions in the vertical direction by the action of the drive circuit 4c.

In other words, one light emitting diode functions in the same manner as a plurality of light emitting diodes in the horizontal direction, and simultaneously functions in the same manner as a plurality of diodes in the vertical direction.

Therefore, a relatively small number of light emitting diodes can be used more effectively than in the first embodiment, and a two-dimensional image 7 with a large number of picture elements can be formed.

In the first and second embodiments described above, a light emitting diode was used as the variable intensity optical element, but a laser diode may also be used, and a laser diode may be used as a part of the variable intensity optical element. Examples of devices in which light-emitting elements are arranged include an IC-shaped light-emitting body or an electroluminescent plate.

In addition to self-luminous elements such as light emitting diodes, light modulators such as liquid crystals or KDP (potassium dihydrogen phosphate diKH2PO4) that modulate the transmittance or reflectance of light using electro-optic effects can also be used. It may be an element that is irradiated with light, or a light modulation element that is arranged as a part of a light modulator as described above and is irradiated with light.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4, in which a combination of an array of light modulating elements such as liquid crystal and a light source is used in place of the diode array 1a of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 4, 1c is a linear array composed of elements 11 such as liquid crystals that control the transmittance of light, and is uniformly illuminated by a light source 1d.

The dimensions of each element 11 on the array 1c are selected to be smaller than the respective intervals, and each element 11 is independently driven by the signal source 2a.

With this configuration, the array 1c of light modulation elements and the light source 1
The portion constituted by d operates in the same manner as the diode array 1a of the first embodiment, so a high-resolution linear image is formed by applying a common deflection to each element 11 using the deflection element 3a. be able to.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, even when the light from each light emitting diode is deflected to the maximum, the image on the image receiving surface does not penetrate beyond the image of the adjacent light emitting diode. Even in the case where the image due to the deflection of one diode overlaps with the image of another diode, there is no problem as long as the signal sent by the signal source 2a is formed correspondingly.

Further, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the lens 5 is used and the deflection elements 3a and 3b are used.

3c and the image receiving surface 6, the lens 5 is installed between the diode array 1a or the diode matrix 1b.
and the deflection elements 3a, 3b, and 3c, or the lens 5 may be a compound lens and the deflection element may be sandwiched between the lenses constituting the compound lens.

Furthermore, using laser light does not necessarily require a lens.

FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention.

In FIG. 5, 1a, 3a, 4a, and 5 are the same as in FIG.

2d is a signal processing circuit that converts an input signal into a parallel signal and applies it to the diode array 1a, and 8 is arranged in place of the image receiving surface 6 in FIG. 1, and is a feeding device (not shown).

), 81 is a line image formed on the recording medium 8, and 82 is a surface image formed and recorded on the recording medium 8. It is.

That is, it is possible to obtain an image recording device that records a surface image on the traveling recording medium 8.

FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the invention.

In the figure, la, 3a, 4a, and 5 are the same as in FIG. 1, and 2d is the same as in FIG. 5.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a scanning device having a large deflection angle, such as a mirror, for swinging the line image formed on the image receiving surface 6 on the image receiving surface 6;
0 is a drive circuit for the scanning device 9, 12 is a synchronization circuit for synchronizing the scanning of the scanning device 9 with an input signal, and 61 is a line image formed on the image receiving surface 6.

That is, a line image 61 formed on the image receiving surface 6 in the same manner as in the case of FIG. An image display device for displaying images can be obtained.

Although a mirror is used as the scanning device 9 in FIG. 6, the scanning device 9 is not limited to a mirror, and any scanning device such as a prism that can deflect at a large angle may be used.

As described in detail above, in the imaging device according to the present invention, the variable intensity optical elements are arranged so that the light of each variable intensity optical element in the array is commonly applied and deflected in a direction parallel to one row of the array. A deflection element is provided between the object and the image-receiving surface, and by temporally changing the deflection angle of the deflection element, each image of the variable-intensity optical element is transferred to one row of the array on the image-receiving surface. Since the images are formed at multiple positions parallel to the direction of the image, one variable intensity optical element can act as multiple variable intensity optical elements, and a relatively small number of variable intensity optical elements can be used to create images. This has the effect of being able to form, record, and display images with many prime numbers.

Further, one example of the variable intensity optical element is operated to form images of the one example of the variable intensity optical element on the image receiving surface at a plurality of positions parallel to the image row, and at right angles to the image row. By scanning in the direction, an image display device that displays a plane image can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an image on the image receiving surface in the first embodiment,
FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a second embodiment of this invention, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 5 is a system diagram showing a fourth embodiment of this invention. Figure 6 is the fifth example of this invention.
It is a system diagram showing an example. In the figure, 1a and 1b are arrays of variable intensity optical elements, 3a, 3b, and 3c are deflection elements, 6 is an image receiving surface, 8 is an optical recording medium, and 9 is a scanning device. The same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An array of variable intensity optical elements whose light intensity is controlled by a human signal, an image receiving surface on which each of the variable intensity optical elements of the array forms an image, and a light beam of each of the variable intensity optical elements. A deflection element is provided between the array body and the image receiving surface so as to act in common and deflect in a direction parallel to the first row direction of the array body, and the deflection angle of the deflection element is temporally controlled. An imaging device characterized in that, by changing the intensity, images of each of the variable intensity optical elements are formed at a plurality of positions on the image receiving surface parallel to the direction of one row of images of the array. . 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein 21 rows of variable intensity optical elements are activated and a traveling optical recording medium is used as an image receiving surface. A scanning device that operates 31 rows of variable intensity optical elements and scans the image of the one row of variable intensity optical elements on the image receiving surface in a direction perpendicular to the image row; 2. The image device according to claim 1, further comprising a synchronization circuit for synchronizing with an input signal of the image device.