Abstract: The optical scanner comprises: a rotor being attached to one end part of a rotor shaft; a polygon mirror having reflective surfaces and being attached to the rotor shaft; and a bearing section being provided to a stator housing and capable of rotatably holding the rotor shaft. A recessed part, through which the rotor shaft is penetrated, is formed in a top part of the polygon mirror. A retainer section of the rotor shaft, which is provided in the recessed part, and an elastic member, which is provided between the retainer section and an inner bottom part of the recessed part and which always biases the polygon mirror toward the rotor, are accommodated in the recessed part together with an end part of the rotor shaft.

Abstract: The present invention is a rotary actuator having segments, which are spaced apart and are connected by means of at least one support structure, and at least one actuator for exerting forces, characterized in that the support structure is substantially rotationally symmetrical about an axis and is composed of elements which are not oriented parallel to the axis or which are twisted through an angle in relation to the axis, and the elements can be changed by rotation about the axis and the actuator can exert forces to at least one of the segments and the support structure in the direction of the axis.

Abstract: An off-axial three-mirror optical system with freeform surfaces includes an aperture, a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, a tertiary mirror, and a detector. The aperture is located on an incident light path. The primary mirror is located on an aperture transmitted light path. The secondary mirror is located on a primary mirror reflected light path. The tertiary mirror is located on a secondary mirror reflected light path. The detector located on a tertiary mirror reflected light path. A primary mirror surface and a tertiary mirror surface have a same freeform surface equation, and the freeform surface equation is a sixth order x?y? polynomial. A secondary mirror surface is a tenth order aspherical surface.

Abstract: Optical systems are provided that include illumination sources, micro-mirror array optical modulators, and an optical element. The micro-mirror array optical modulators can selectively modulate light beams, redirect light by diffraction and reflection, and provide an output modulated light beam that exhibits a diffraction handedness dependent on the spectral bandwidth of the light incident thereupon. The optical element has a color dependent aperture that defines portions of output modulated light beams that are transmitted and remaining portions that are blocked. An efficiency and contrast of each the output modulated light beams acquired by the optical element can be independently determined by a narrow spectral bandwidth of each of the light beams, the spectral characteristics of the color dependent aperture, and the diffraction handedness of the micro-mirror array optical modulators for the associated spectral bandwidth.

Abstract: The rotary body driving apparatus comprises: a rotary body having a plurality of reflective surfaces; a rotor being attached to a rotor shaft together with the rotary body; a stator housing having a bearing section; a motor substrate for detecting a rotational position of the rotor; a circular magnetized section for frequency generation facing the motor substrate; a circular frequency generation pattern, which faces the magnetized section, being provided to the motor substrate and disposed close to the magnetized section; a position detecting section, which corresponds to a reference reflective surface of the rotary body, being radially outwardly or inwardly projected from a part of the magnetized section; and a magnetic sensor, which faces the position detecting section, being provided to the motor substrate.

Abstract: An optical resonance scanner has a spring-elastic bending element (10) excitable to effect rotational oscillations about a longitudinal axis (A-A) using a stationary magnet (9) and a stationary drive coil (5) that is wound around a pole shoe (20). The pole shoe (20) is magnetically coupled to the magnet (9) and has two mutually opposite free ends (21, 22) between which the bending element (10) is arranged symmetrically so that a magnetic flux can be transferred substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis (A-A). In superimposition of the magnet- and coil-induced magnetic fluxes the magnet (9) and a first half (23) of the pole shoe (20) form a first magnetic circuit (30), and the magnet (9) and a second half (24) of the pole shoe (20) form a second magnetic circuit (31), which run in opposite senses with respect to one another in a plane perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis (A-A) through a magnetizable section (6) of the bending element (10).

Abstract: A light shielding apparatus using magnetic microbeads and a method of the same are disclosed. The light shielding apparatus includes a cycling chamber defined by two transparent substrates, a fluid filled in the cycling chamber, a plurality of magnetic microbeads suspended in the fluid, and a cycling motor connected to the cycling chamber. The cycling motor has a magnetic device. When the magnetic device is powered on, the magnetic microbeads are collected by the magnetic device and restricted in the cycling motor; so that, ambient light pass through the cycling chamber and the two transparent substrates. When the magnetic device is turned off, the magnetic microbeads are recycled with the fluid in the cycling chamber and the cycling motor to block ambient light.

Abstract: The invention relates to a scanner device having a mirror arranged so as to be pivotable about an axis of rotation, an iron core with an air gap, a coil arranged about a portion of the iron core, and two permanent magnets. The two magnets have differently directed magnetizations and are arranged inside the air gap at different angular rotation positions with respect to the axis of rotation. An armature made of a soft-magnetic material is arranged on the mirror in such a manner that the armature is residing inside the air gap and, by means of application of electric current to the coil, the armature is moved toward one of the two magnets, depending on the direction of the current, and the mirror rotates.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) scanner, and more particularly, to an MEMS scanner for implementing stable driving while increasing a driving angle between a fixed electrode and a driving electrode using an MEMS process. The MEMs scanner comprises a lower frame, a pair of upper frames, a pair of levers, a pair of fixed electrode portions, and a driving electrode portion.

Abstract: A compact wide-angle optical beam steering device includes a first rotor with a first mirror surface and a second rotor with a second mirror surface. The rotors are arranged to rotate about an axis in response to frictionally coupled vibration motors. Drive circuits are coupled to the vibration motors and a control device is coupled to the drive circuits. The control device is configured to execute programmed instructions comprising generating and providing one or more driving signals to the vibration motors to drive the rotors to an angular position about the axes. A light source is positioned to emit a beam directed to the first mirror surface. The beam is reflected from the first mirror and contacts the second mirror. The second mirror is positioned to reflect the beam to exit the steering device at a pointing direction determined by the angular position of the mirrors.

Abstract: A comb drive includes a pivotable mirror element, a first and a second comb electrode, the second comb electrode being movable along an offset direction relative to the first electrode from a minimum into a maximum offset position, the second electrode being connected to the mirror element via a lever arm pivotable about a pivot axis, the first and second comb electrodes being interlockingly engaged so that a first comb tooth of the first electrode and a second comb tooth of the second electrode are situated adjacent to one another along a projection direction extending perpendicularly to the offset direction, the first comb tooth and/or the second comb tooth being configured so that an average distance between the first comb tooth and the second comb tooth along the projection direction extending perpendicularly to the offset direction decreases when moving the second electrode from the minimum into the maximum offset position.

Abstract: The present application generally relates to multi-layer sealing films, methods of making such films, materials for inclusion in such films, retroreflective sheeting and articles including such films, and methods of making retroreflective sheeting and articles including such films. The multi-layer sealing film may include two or more layers. One exemplary embodiment of a two-layer film includes a first layer including a thermoplastic polymeric material including reaction products of alkylene and reaction products of at least one non-acidic comonomer and a second layer including one of a polyolefin, a polyester, a polymethyl methacrylate, a polyamide, a polycarbonate, an ethylene-methacrylic acid, and a polyurethane. In some embodiments, at least one of the layers of the multi-layer sealing film has an elastic modulus of at least 3.5×105 kPa and the flexural rigidity of the retroreflective article is less than about 4.0×10?8 N·m2.

Abstract: A galvanometer-based optical scanner limits a range of mirror rotation angles and includes posts extending from an adjustable base to define a range of angles for rotation of the mirror and cushioning carried by the posts for softening an impact of the mirror when making contact with the posts. A band of rubber-like material is placed around the posts to provide the cushioning. Operation of the scanner is such that an adjustable mirror stop is provided which does not stop rotation of the rotor itself, but stops rotation of the mirror.

Abstract: A scanning rate is increased without causing the light utilization efficiency to decrease. An optical scanning device includes a polarization switching unit that switches the polarization direction of a beam at a predetermined switching timing; at least one polarization beam splitter that splits the beam into two optical paths in accordance with the polarization direction switched by the polarization switching unit; a reflecting optical system that causes the beams split by the polarization beam splitter to have relative angles in the same plane so as to make the beams meet at the same location; and a scanner that scans the beams made to meet at the same location by means of the reflecting optical system in a direction parallel to the plane in synchronization with the switching timing of the polarization switching unit.

Abstract: According to the present invention there is provided a MEMS device comprising, a mirror which is connected to a fixed portion by means of a first and second torsional arm, each of the first and second torsional arms are configured such that they can twist about torsional axes so as to oscillate the mirror about a first oscillation axes, and wherein the first and second torsional arms are each configured to have two or more meanders and wherein the first and second torsional arms are arranged symmetrically relative to the first oscillation axis.

Abstract: An optical scanner includes: a base portion; a light reflecting portion that reflects light; a connection portion that connects the base portion and the light reflecting portion; and a shaft portion that supports the base portion in a swingable manner about a swing axis, wherein the light reflecting portion is disposed so that a geometrical center of the light reflecting portion is separated from the swing axis in a plan view seen in a direction in which the light reflecting portion and the base portion are lined up, and wherein a geometrical center of at least one of the base portion and the connection portion is positioned on an opposite side of the geometrical center of the light reflecting portion with respect to the swing axis in the plan view.

Abstract: An optical scanner includes: a movable plate which includes a light reflection unit; a first torsion bar which oscillatably supports the movable plate around a first axis; a first displacement member which is connected to the first torsion bar; a second torsion bar which oscillatably supports the first displacement member around a second axis; a second displacement member which is connected to the second torsion bar; and an actuator which is installed on the second displacement member and applies a displacement to the second displacement member so as to apply torsional deformation and bending deformation to the second torsion bar, in which the first displacement member includes a frame member surrounding the movable plate, and a damper which has a smaller thickness than that of the frame member and extends in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the second torsion bar extends from the frame member.

Abstract: A lithography pupil shaping optical system and method for generating off-axis illumination mode. The invention is composed of illumination mode generation unit, rotatable wave plate, polarization beam splitter unit, ring I generation unit and ring II generation unit. Through selecting corresponding diffractive optical element and appropriate adjustment, this invention can generate various illumination modes including single ring illumination mode and double ring illumination mode. The intensity at pupil plane and the inner and outer diameters of the off-axis illumination mode can be adjusted continuously.

Abstract: In an optical deflector including a mirror, a fixed frame surrounding the mirror, and first and second piezoelectric actuators of a meander-type provided opposite to each other with respect to the mirror, for rocking the mirror around an axis on a plane of the fixed frame, the first piezoelectric actuator includes a plurality of first piezoelectric cantilevers folded at first folded portions and coupled to the fixed frame, and the second piezoelectric actuator includes a plurality of second piezoelectric cantilevers folded at second folded portions and coupled to the fixed frame. The optical deflector further includes at least one first crossing bar coupled between one of the first folded portions and one of the second folded portions symmetrically located with respect to the mirror.

Abstract: A micromechanical component is described having a first substrate that has a first front side a first rear side facing away from the first front side; first printed conductors that are fashioned on the first front side of the first substrate; a plurality of actuator devices that are fashioned on and/or in the first substrate and that are electrically bonded to the first printed conductors, the actuator devices each having at least one stator electrode and each having at least one actuator electrode that works together with the at least one stator electrode, which are fashioned such that a voltage can be applied between the actuator electrode and cooperating stator electrode in such a way that the actuator electrode can be displaced relative to the stator electrode.