Patent ID: 6388697
Filing Date: 2002-05-14
Classification: B41J,G02B,G02F

Abstract:
An image forming device, comprising:means for providing a light valve including at least one layer of a photoconductive material rendered conductive by light of at least a predetermined intensity level and at least one layer of an electrooptic medium having at least a predetermined electric field threshold, said light valve means having an image forming region which is defined by at least portions of said layers of photoconductive material and electrooptic medium which are in registration, said image forming region of said light valve means being free of an electrically conductive layer between said layers of photoconductive material and electrooptic medium; means for applying a modulated electric field across said layers of photoconductive material and electrooptical medium of said image forming region of said light valve means and modulating said electric field relative to said predetermined electric field threshold of said electrooptic medium; means for producing at least one scanned light beam; means for inputting an image to said photoconductive material by modulating and scanning said at least one scanned light beam along the photoconductive layer side of said image forming region of said light valve means synchronous with the modulation of said electric field, said image inputting means including a first deflector means for deflecting scanning of said at least one scanned light beam in a first direction and second deflector means for deflecting scanning of said at least one scanned light beam deflected by said first deflector device in a direction essentially orthogonal to said first direction, wherein said first deflector means includes a rotating polygon mirror for deflecting said at least one scanned light beam and wherein said second deflector means includes a mirror linearly and incrementally movable along a first path for deflecting the at least one scanned light beam deflected by said first deflector means so that a second path of the deflected at least one scanned light beam from said first deflector extends essentially orthogonally to said first path and is incrementally displaced along the second path after said at least one scanned light beam has been scanned a predetermined distance along said second path; a location of said photoconductive material becoming conductive to permit application of said electric field to a corresponding location of said electrooptic medium at least when said at least one scanned light beam is modulated to have an intensity above said predetermined level is applied to said location, a corresponding location of said electrooptic medium in registration with said photoconductive material which has become conductive undergoing a light transmissive state transition upon application of said electric field modulated to be at least at said predetermined threshold, whereby said image input by said image inputting means is stored in said electrooptic medium; and means for reading said stored image from said light valve means, wherein said image is written into said electrooptic medium at successive locations in said light valve means where said predetermined threshold of the electric field and said predetermined intensity level of the at least one scanned light beam are simultaneously satisfied, for reading by said image reading means.