Abstract: An electronic camera utilizing a reflective flat panel display for printing and/or viewing images in disclosed herein. One such electronic camera comprises the following components: (a) an electronic image acquisition assembly for capturing an image and converting it into digital information; (b) a reflective liquid crystal microdisplay for producing a reflection image in response to said digital information; and (c) an optical system for directing the reflection image produced by the reflective liquid crystal microdisplay toward, and thereby imagewise exposing, photosensitive imaging film loaded in the camera. An advantage of employing a reflective flat panel display for exposing film in such an electronic camera is that the reflective flat panel display can be used also as a means for viewing or previewing digitally captured images.

Abstract: The present invention provides in one aspect, a method of controlling a SLM comprising the following steps: providing a sequential color SLM controller, and a SLM; providing a means whereby said sequential color SLM controller loads optimum values for a single color into control registers of said SLM, during all the field time slots of each video frame; also causing said SLM to modulate light of said single color, during said field time slots of each video frame, whereby the duty cycle for display of said color is increased relative to operation in a normal sequential color mode.

Abstract: An optical system is disclosed that minimizes drop-off problems associated with the process of imaging a small light source to a line. In one embodiment, a singly-curved primary mirror is used to maintain a substantially constant magnification factor of the optical system. In another embodiment, the small light source projects radiation through a cylindrical optical component that partially collimates the light, prior to the light impinging upon a doubly-curved primary mirror. Additional embodiments are shown that combine the cylindrical lens with a Schmidt plate, include an optional aperture stop, and include an optional spatial light modulator, as well as embodiments which vary the positioning of the elements in the optical system along the optical path.

Abstract: An optical system is disclosed wherein an illumination device is used to project colored light into a lens and focus through a spatial light modulator onto a photosensitive medium wherein the illumination device is configured so as to produce a uniform light distribution through the use of an aperture stop, a symmetrical placement of solid state light sources such as LEDs, or by LEDs fabricated such that the top surface emitting the colored light is not obstructed by an electrode or contacts connecting the light-emitting diode to a current source. Such a configuration is accomplished by providing a substantially transparent attachment layer that may include an opaque conductive material, but preferably includes transparent conductive particles that, in combination, attach and electrically connect the LED to a first electrode disposed upon a substrate.

Abstract: An illumination device configured so as to produce a uniform illumination distribution incorporating one or more LEDs fabricated such that the top surface emitting the colored light is not obstructed by an electrode or by contacts connecting the LED to a current source. Such a configuration is accomplished by providing a substantially transparent attachment layer that may include an opaque conductive material, but preferably includes transparent conductive particles that, in combination, attach and electrically connect the LED to an electrode disposed upon a substrate.

Abstract: A spatial light modulator for use in a optical printer where the spatial light modulator includes a plurality of cells, having a shape that is defined to decrease artifacts in an image produced on a recording medium by the optical printer. The shape of the plurality of cells merges a portion of the optical radiation passing through an individual cell of the spatial light modulator with optical radiation from that of adjacent cell to form a pixel on the recording medium. In one implementation each of the cells of the spatial light modulator independently modulate the optical radiation so as to print horizontally-displaced pixels. When LEDs are used as the colored light source, the light is either first diffused to minimize shadows from electrical contacts on the LEDs, thus removing linear artifacts in the image.

Abstract: An optical system is disclosed wherein an arcuate mirror is used to redirect light in a compact optical printing system in which a cylindrical lens is used to converge light over a predetermined distance so that light transmission through air is enabled.