Single-laser simultaneous multiple-channel character generation system

Claim 2

A multiple-beam alphanumeric imaging system utilizing a single coherent-light source beam for the generation of characters having a predetermined number of parallel levels and receptive to control signals bearing said character information, comprising: means responsive to said control signals for generating a plurality of gate signals each corresponding to a respective one of said parallel character levels; a corresponding plurality of ultrasonic carrier signal sources each of a single discrete frequency different from those of the other carrier signals and all spaced in frequency from one another by a uniform equal interval; means for respectively applying said gate signals to said carrier signal sources for gating said carrier signals ON and OFF in accordance with said signal; a Bragg light-sound interaction cell interposed in the path of said source beam, and responsive to an applied driving signal to diffract at least part of said source beam into one or more discrete diffracted beams at diffraction angles dependent on the frequency components of said driving signal; and means for utilizing said gated carrier signals as said driving signal for said Bragg cell to generate a corresponding plurality of independently gated light output beams.

Claim 3

An imaging system as in claim 1 which further includes: a computer output having a plurality of channels each of which supplies one of said control signals.

Claim 4

An imaging system as in claim 2 in which said computer channels supply said control signals in a binary code, and in which said means for generating said gate signals decodes said binary code to supply said plurality of gate signals in accordance with said code.

Claim 5

An imaging system as in claim 1 which further includes means for scanning said diffracted means in a direction transverse to that of the diffraction of said source beam by said Bragg cell at a rate in accordance with the rate of delivery of said character information by said control signals to generate said characters.

Claim 6

An imaging system as in claim 1 which further includes: means for maintaining the intensity of each of said diffracted beams substantially independent of changes of intensity in the remaining ones of said diffracted beams.

Claim 7

A system as in claim 5 in which said intensity-maintaining means comprises means for limiting the efficiency of said Bragg cell to approximately 25 percent or less.

Claim 8

A system as in claim 5 in which said intensity-maintaining means comprises means for variably attenuating said diffracted beams in response to the attenuation of said carrier signal sources.

Claim 9

A system as in claim 5 in which said intensity-maintaining means comprises means for variably attenuating the intensity of said beam at every moment in accordance with the number of said carrier signal sources which are actuated at that moment.

Claim 10

A system as in claim 1 in which the acoustic power necessary to diffract light of a given intensity is substantially the same for each of the carrier signal frequencies.

Claim 11

A multiple-beam information-translation system utilizing spatially coherent source light beam and responsive to a plurality of information signals each independently varying in amplitude with time, comprising: a plurality of carrier signal sources corresponding in number to said plurality of information signals, said carrier signals each being of frequency different from those of the other carriers; a corresponding plurality of modulators each amplitude-modulating one of said carrier signals in accordance with a respective one of said information signals; a Bragg light-sound interaction cell interposed in the path of said source beam, said cell being coupled to said plurAlity of modulators and responsive to said amplitude-modulated carrier signals to diffract at least part of said beam into a corresponding plurality of angularly discrete diffracted light beams, each intensity-modulated in accordance with a respective one of said modulated carriers; and means for maintaining the intensity of each of said diffracted beams substantially independent of variations in the intensity of the remaining diffracted beams.

Claim 12

A multiple-beam information-translation system utilizing spatially coherent source light beam and responsive to a plurality of information signals each independently varying in amplitude with time, comprising: a plurality of carrier signal sources corresponding in number to said plurality of information signals, said carrier signals each being of frequency different from those of the other carriers; a corresponding plurality of modulators each amplitude-modulating one of said carrier signals in accordance with a respective one of said information signals; a Bragg light-sound interaction cell interposed in the path of said source beam, said cell being coupled to said plurAlity of modulators and responsive to said amplitude-modulated carrier signals to diffract at least part of said beam into a corresponding plurality of angularly discrete diffracted light beams, each intensity-modulated in accordance with a respective one of said modulated carriers; and means for maintaining the intensity of each of said diffracted beams substantially independent of variations in the intensity of the remaining diffracted beams.

Claim 13

An information-translation system as in claim 10 wherein said plurality of information signals are together representative of image information; and which further includes means for scanning said diffracted beams in a direction transverse to that of the diffraction of said source beam by said Bragg cell at a rate in accordance with the rate of information delivery by said information signals to generate said image information.

Claim 14

A system as in claim 10 in which the acoustic power necessary to diffract light of a given intensity is substantially the same for each of the carrier signal frequencies.

Claim 15

A system as in claim 10 in which said means comprises means for limiting the efficiency of said Bragg cell to approximately 25 percent or less.

Claim 18

A system as in claim 10 in which said intensity-maintaining means comprises means for attenuating the intensity of said diffracted beams at every moment in accordance with the number of said carrier signal sources which are actuated at that moment.

Claim 19

A system as in claim 1, which further includes means positioned in the path of said light beam preceding said cell for causing said beam to be collimated as it passes into said cell.

Claim 20

A system as in claim 10, which further includes means positioned in the path of said light beam preceding said cell for collimating said beam before its passage into said cell.

Claim 21

A system as in claim 10, in which said intensity-maintaining means comprises means for adjusting the intensity of each of said diffracted beams in a first sense when the total intensity of the remaining beams changes in the opposite sense.

Claim 22

A system as in claim 10, in which said intensity-maintaining means comprises means for attenuating each of said diffracted beams in response to a diminution in the total intensity of the remaining beams.

Claim 23

In a light-sound interaction cell for use in a multiple beam information translation system which includes a spatially coherent input light beam and a plurality of sources of electrical input signals or respective different predetermined carrier frequencies for producing from said light beam a like plurality of output light beams each bearing a channel of information corresponding to one of said input signals, said cell being interposed in the path of said input light beam and transmissive of said beam, said cell including a sound propagating medium, the improvement which comprises: transducer means coupled to said sound propagating medium of said cell and simultaneously receiving said electrical signAls for simultaneously launching within said propagating medium a corresponding plurality of sound beams each having a sound frequency and modulation corresponding to a respective one of said signals, and for directing transversely across said input light beam each of said sound beams at the respective Bragg angle proper to said sound frequency of said sound beam, to Bragg-diffract said input beam into said plurality of output light beams, each bearing a channel of said information, with an optimum Bragg interaction for each sound beam and associated sound frequency.

Claim 24

In a light-sound interaction cell for use in a multiple beam information translation system which includes a spatially coherent input light beam and a plurality of sources of electrical input signals or respective different predetermined carrier frequencies for producing from said light beam a like plurality of output light beams each bearing a channel of information corresponding to one of said input signals, said cell being interposed in the path of said input light beam and transmissive of said beam, said cell including a sound propagating medium, the improvement which comprises: transducer means coupled to said sound propagating medium of said cell and simultaneously receiving said electrical signAls for simultaneously launching within said propagating medium a corresponding plurality of sound beams each having a sound frequency and modulation corresponding to a respective one of said signals, and for directing transversely across said input light beam each of said sound beams at the respective Bragg angle proper to said sound frequency of said sound beam, to Bragg-diffract said input beam into said plurality of output light beams, each bearing a channel of said information, with an optimum Bragg interaction for each sound beam and associated sound frequency.

Claim 25

The improvement as in claim 20, in which said transducer means comprises an echelon transducer array.

Claim 26

A mutiple-channel information-translation system utilizing a spatially coherent input light beam and simultaneously responsive to a plurality of channels of input signals to produce a like plurality of output light beams each bearing a channel of said information comprising: a plurality of electrical carrier signal sources corresponding in number to said plurality of information channels, said carrier signals each being of a frequency different from those of the other carriers; a corresponding plurality of modulators each modulating one of said carrier signals in accordance with a respective modulation signal of one of said information channels; a light-sound interaction cell interposed in the path of said input beam and transmissive of said beam, said cell including a sound propagating medium and transducer means coupled to said sound propagating medium of said cell and simultaneously receiving said carrier signals for simultaneously launching within said propagating medium a corresponding plurality of sound beams each having a sound frequency and modulation corresponding to a different respective one of said modulated carriers, and for directing transversely across said input light beam each of said sound beams at the respective Bragg angle proper to said sound frequency of said sound beam, to Bragg-diffract said input beam with an optimum Bragg interaction for each sound beam and associated sound frequency into a plurality of output beams, each bearing a channel of said information.

Claim 27

A mutiple-channel information-translation system utilizing a spatially coherent input light beam and simultaneously responsive to a plurality of channels of input signals to produce a like plurality of output light beams each bearing a channel of said information comprising: a plurality of electrical carrier signal sources corresponding in number to said plurality of information channels, said carrier signals each being of a frequency different from those of the other carriers; a corresponding plurality of modulators each modulating one of said carrier signals in accordance with a respective modulation signal of one of said information channels; a light-sound interaction cell interposed in the path of said input beam and transmissive of said beam, said cell including a sound propagating medium and transducer means coupled to said sound propagating medium of said cell and simultaneously receiving said carrier signals for simultaneously launching within said propagating medium a corresponding plurality of sound beams each having a sound frequency and modulation corresponding to a different respective one of said modulated carriers, and for directing transversely across said input light beam each of said sound beams at the respective Bragg angle proper to said sound frequency of said sound beam, to Bragg-diffract said input beam with an optimum Bragg interaction for each sound beam and associated sound frequency into a plurality of output beams, each bearing a channel of said information.

Claim 28

A system as in claim 22, in which said transducer means comprises an echelon transducer array.

Claim 29

A system as in claim 22, which further includes means for maintaining the intensity of each of said output beams substantially independent of variations in the intensity of the remaining output beams.