Abstract: A plurality of linear arrays of lasers are configured into an area array by optical coupling to a linear-to-area array by optical coupling to a linear-to-area fiber optic bundle. The linear face of the bundle is coupled to the linear array of lasers. By activating all the lasers simultaneously or selectively, a single high power output or high intensity signals at discrete addresses in the area face of the bundle are achieved respectively. Applications for high power, two dimensional laser devices, high definition display, solid state laser pumping and others are achieved.

Abstract: A bundle of optical fibers having a linear first face and an area second face includes a frame for constraining the linear face to a geometry which compensates for any potential misalignment of pixels due to the movement of an electrostatic drum juxtaposed with the linear end. The fiber optic bundle is made of ribbons of optical fibers. The frame includes an elongated opening of a shallow sawtooth geometry where each "tooth" has a width to accept a ribbon and an offset at one end to raise the respective edge of the ribbon in a direction opposite to that in which the drum is moving.

Abstract: An electronic scanner or printer using a fiber optic bundle and employing an initialization procedure is rendered more reliable, less expensive and provides a relatively easy path to gray scale and high resolution performance by using a unique fiber optic bundle. The bundle comprises ribbons of square fibers where the ribbons are set side by side at one end of the bundle and stacked at the other. Each square fiber of each ribbon comprises multiple rows and columns of (core) fibers each with a cladding to ensure total internal reflection of light. Gray scale is achieved by varying the exposure time and consequently the energy per pixel on a treated media or by statistically changing the amount of toner on an OPC drum creating limited apparent shades of black spots on a developed page.

Abstract: A precision glass jig is formed to properly position ribbons of optical fibers for the area end of a fiber optic bundle forming the entrance field of an optical subsystem for an electronic printer. The opposite ends of the ribbons are aligned side-by-side and coupled against an electrostatic drum. The ribbons are inserted into slots in the glass jig, each ribbon providing a bearing surface for guiding the adjacent ribbon into the respective slot. A spacing tool may be used to temporarily separate adjacent ribbons for ensuring initial alignment and also for guiding insertion of the ribbons into the slots.

Abstract: An electronic printer employing a fiber optic bundle arranged linearly at a first face and in an area array in a second face also employs an area light emission device for directing light signals into the fibers of the second face simultaneously in a manner to faithfully reproduce an image at the first face even though there was no predetermined relationships between the ends of the same fibers in the two faces. An initialization procedure establishes the addresses of the cells which correspond to pixels in the first face. Data representative of the on or off state of the cells is stored in memory and applied to all the enabled cells simultaneously also. The arrangement is usefull for similar scanners.

Abstract: A color image scanner comprises a noncoherent fiber optic bundle having a linear entrance face and an area exit face coupled to an array of photosensors. The density of sensors of the array is such that each fiber end in the exit face corresponds to a plurality of sensors. A striped (RGB) color filter positioned between the exit face and the sensor array permits a sensor to be selected for each color for each pixel in the entrance face. The addresses of the three sensors for each pixel are stored in a lookup table in a proper sequence to correspond to the proper pixel sequence in the entrance face. the addresses are stored in sequence in ROM and the sequence is triggered for each of the consecutive scan lines of a page being scanned. Thus, color scanner operation is achieved with a monochrome photosensor array in the absence of time-sequential color illumination.

Abstract: An image scanner employing a fiber optic bundle extending from a linear entrance face to an area exit face and having an analog sensor array coupled to the exit face is initialized by a procedure which selects a subset of sensors of the array in a sequence to match the sequence of pixels in the entrance face even if the bundle is noncoherent. The initialization procedure is operative to select candidate sensors during a windowing operation and to sort the successful candidates into a proper sequence simultaneoulsy by exposure of the sensors to light of different durations which are a function of a multistage spinning pattern of transparent and opaque areas. The sequence of sensors obtained corresponds to the sequence of pixels in the linear entrance face.

Abstract: An electronic printer employing a bundle of optical fibers organizes the fiber ends in first and second faces of the bundle in a linear array and in an annulus or ring array respectively. A spinning prism is operative to image a linear array of light sources onto a segment of the annulus and move the image through a succession of positions to cover the entire area of the annulus in one revolution providing the pixels for a linear segment of a photosensitive medium optically coupled to the first face of the bundle.

Abstract: A color image scanner comprises a noncoherent fiber optic bundle having a linear entrance face and an area exit face coupled to an array of photosensors. The density of sensors of the array is such that each fiber end in the exit face corresponds to a plurality of sensors. A striped (RGB) color filter positioned between the exit face and the sensor array permits a sensor to be selected for each color for each pixel in the entrance face. The addresses of the three sensors for each pixel are stored in a lookup table in a proper sequence to correspond to the proper pixel sequence in the entrance face. The addresses are stored in sequence in ROM and the sequence is triggered for each of the consecutive scan lines of a page being scanned. Thus, color scanner operation is achieved with a monochrome photosensor array in the absence of time-sequential color illumination.

Abstract: An electronic printer, comprising a fiber optic bundle having the fiber ends organized in a linear array in a first face and in an area array in a second face, includes a linear array of LEDs or LCSs adapted to image light into the fiber ends in one linear segment of the area face at a time. A rotating mirror is operative to move the light image onto each of the consecutive linear segments on the area face and to provide a digital signal indicative of the position of the light image in each instance. The arrangement provides a low cost, high speed, and small size electronic printer which is easily adapted to high resolution and color printing.

Abstract: A document scanner or printer includes a fiber optic bundle which has the fibers of one end arranged in a linear array and the fibers of the other end arranged in an area array. A CRT, or equivalent device, is coupled to the area array and adopted to generate light in a sequence of positions there. The sequence of positions is determined by an algorithm which organizes the addresses of those positions in a list of consecutive near neighbors. Other embodiments are operative to eliminate from the address sequence any address at which no light is to be generated. By shortening the path that a beam traverses or by eliminating some addresses from the address sequence, improved operating speeds are achieved.

Abstract: An image scanner utilizes an area CRT while avoiding the low linear resolution limitations of such a device. The CRT is coupled to a noncoherent fiber optic bundle (area array) having a proximal end of a geometry to optically match the scanned area of the face plate. The remote end of the fiber array is linear and coupled to a scan segment of a page to be scanned. The beam of the CRT is directed to the consecutive fibers of the bundle in a sequence imposed by a look-up table containing digital addresses and digital to analog converters to produce the required x-y deflection voltages. Since there need only be 5100 fibers for a 600 line per inch scanner and the spot resolution of the CRT need only be in excess of 5100 positions, the resolution is easily obtained. For example, 5100 spots implies a linear resolution of 72 elements in a scan line. The decay time of the phosphor is chosen to be short enough that only one fiber is illuminated at any instant.

Abstract: A page scanner employing a plurality of light pipes such as optical fibers is gathered to provide a linear geometry at one end and merely gathered in a pigtail at the other. The pigtail is coupled optically to a photosensor array such as a CID which is accessible on a random access basis. The linear end is arranged astride a page to be scanned to define a scan segment across the page. During operation, the scan segment is exposed to light and the photosensors in the CID are read out in a sequence which organizes the pixel data in a proper sequence to correspond to the sequence of pixels in the linear end. The photosensors of the CID are all read with essentially identical soak-read times by accessing the sensors twice, the second time in a reverse order (and subsequent to the resetting to zero of all sensors in the array), and by storing and by normalizing the resulting data thus producing like exposure times for all sensors of the array and eliminating smearing.