Abstract:
An image forming apparatus, which may be a printer, includes an image acquisition subsystem and a processing subsystem. The image acquisition subsystem includes an imager and a source. The imager is configured to scan an image while the image acquisition subsystem moves with respect to the image forming apparatus and configured to provide electrical signals including information related to the scanned image. The source is configured to emanate electromagnetic radiation based on the electrical signals. The processing subsystem includes a receiving component configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation emanated from the source of the image acquisition subsystem. The image forming apparatus also includes a structure supporting both the image acquisition subsystem and the processing subsystem.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/300,797, filed Dec. 15, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Many systems (such as, for example, scanners, printers, and recording devices) include, within the system enclosure, a movable subsystem and another subsystem, where the two subsystems transfer information. 
         [0003]    A typical example is the image acquisition subsystem in a scanner and the processing subsystem. In such an example, the image acquisition subsystem includes an image acquisition device that acquires a (scanned image. The scanned image data has to be transferred to the processing subsystem. However, typically the image acquisition subsystem moves over the item to be scanned. In conventional systems, a flexible cable connects the image acquisition subsystem to the processing subsystem. In applications where the data rate of the information being transferred between the two subsystems is high, the presence of a long cable can result in signal degradation and the cable itself to serve as a source of radiofrequency interference, either by transmitting or receiving radiofrequency interference. The continued motion of the cable can also result in quality problems. 
         [0004]    Furthermore, although in recent years there has been significant effort in reducing the impedance of connections, there are practical (such as cost) and physical limits to the decrease in the impedance of connections. The impedance of the connection is a factor in the degradation of the signal in a long connection. 
         [0005]    The above described problems are typical of a movable subsystem connected to another subsystem by a flexible cable. There it is, therefore, a need for a more reliable method of connecting a movable subsystem to another subsystem. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    One embodiment of the system of this invention includes a movable subsystem operatively connected to a structure. In one instance, the movable subsystem includes an electrical component capable of providing electrical signals, where the electrical signals comprise information, a source of electromagnetic radiation, and a modulating component capable of receiving the electrical signals and of modulating the source of electromagnetic radiation, wherein the modulated electromagnetic radiation comprises the information. One embodiment of the system of this invention also includes another subsystem operatively connected to the structure, where the other subsystem includes a receiving component capable of receiving electromagnetic radiation emanating from the source of electromagnetic radiation and of converting the received electromagnetic radiation into other electrical signals, and another electrical component capable of receiving the other electrical signals. In a further embodiment, the movable subsystem also includes a receiving component and the other subsystem also includes a source of electromagnetic radiation and a modulating component. 
         [0007]    For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further needs thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and detailed description and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a pictorial schematic description of an embodiment of the system of this invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a pictorial schematic description of another embodiment of the system of this invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a pictorial schematic description of yet another embodiment of the system of this invention; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a pictorial schematic description of a further embodiment of the system of this invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    Unless defined otherwise below, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Still, certain terms are defined herein for the sake of clarity. 
         [0013]    The following definitions are provided for specific terms that are used in the following written description. 
         [0014]    The term “RF signals,” as used herein, refers to the portion of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum below 10 12  Hz (below 1000 GHz). 
         [0015]    The term “optical signal,” as used herein, refers to the portion of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum above 10 11  Hz (infrared and above, including visible, ultraviolet, x-ray radiation and above). 
         [0016]    The term “electrical signal,” as used herein, refers to a signal that is transmitted by means of wired connections. 
         [0017]    The term “imager,” as used herein, refers to a device that converts optical signals into electrical signals and enables the acquiring of electrical signals representing an image. 
         [0018]    An embodiment  10  of the system of this invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , the embodiment  10  shown therein includes a movable subsystem  15  and another subsystem  20 , which in the embodiment shown is a fixed subsystem. The movable subsystem  15  is operatively connected to the structure  25 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , two support rails  30  are attached to the structure  25 . In one embodiment, the system of this invention not being limited only to this embodiment, the movable subsystem  15  is movably mounted on the two support rails  30  by means of rollers  27 . In other embodiments (not shown), the movable subsystem  15  may be coupled to a lead screw, which is driven by a motor attached to the structure  25 , or, the movable subsystem  15  may be attached to a cam follower that moved on a cam driven by a motor attached to the structure  25 . (The above are only a few of the many possible mechanical designs for a movable subsystem operatively connected to a structure.) The movable subsystem  15  includes an electrical component  35  capable of providing electrical signals, where the electrical signals carry information. In one embodiment the electrical component is an imager, such as, but not limited to, a CCD or CMOS imager, that receives image optical information and converts it to image electrical information. The electrical information originating at the electrical component  35  can be received at a modulating component  40 . The modulating component  40  is capable of modulating a source of electromagnetic radiation  45  so that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the source  45  carries the information that was carried by the electrical signals. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the source of electromagnetic radiation is an antenna  45 . The modulating component  40 , when the source of electromagnetic radiation is an antenna, is a modulator/transmitter (a conventional component in radio/RF systems). 
         [0019]    The other subsystem  20  in  FIG. 1  includes a receiving component  50  that is capable of receiving the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the source  45 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the receiving component  50  is another antenna  50  connected to a receiver  55 . The other antenna  50  converts the electromagnetic radiation received from the source  45  into modulated electrical signals. The receiver  55  demodulates the modulated electrical signals and provides the demodulated electrical signals to another electrical component  60 . The information that was carried by the modulated electromagnetic radiation emitted by the source  45  is carried by the demodulated electrical signals received by the other electrical component  60 . 
         [0020]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the source  45  and the receiving component  50  are substantially collinear. In embodiments in which the source  45  and the receiving component  50  are substantially collinear, the source  45  and the receiving component  50  are substantially aligned with respect to which other. There are embodiments of this invention in which the source  45  and the receiving component  50  are substantially aligned with respect to each other without being collinear. 
         [0021]    In the embodiment in which the source of electromagnetic radiation is an antenna and the receiving component is another antenna, embodiments in which the source antenna is substantially omnidirectional do not have to be necessarily aligned. The decision to select an embodiment where the source and the receiving component are aligned involves considerations of cost, power requirements, and electromagnetic interference and compatibility. 
         [0022]    In embodiments, such as the embodiment  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , in which the source  45  and the receiving component  50  are RF antennae, the modulating component  40  and the receiver/demodulator can be selected so that they conform to one of the many available standards. Present-day standards include Bluetooth, WiFi (IEEE 802.11) and quasi-standards such as UWB or wireless USB. Embodiments of the system of this invention conforming to any of these standards are within the scope of this invention. 
         [0023]    In another embodiment, the source  45  and the receiving component  50  emit and receive radiation by near Field coupling, where such coupling can be capacitive or inductive. Such embodiments of the system of this invention are also within the scope of this invention. In embodiments based on near Field coupling, the distinction between the source  45  and the receiving component  50  is blurred and both the source  45  and the receiving component  50  can be considered as generalized near Field antennas. In some embodiments utilizing near Field coupling a same component can be both a source and a receiving component. 
         [0024]    An embodiment in which the source of electromagnetic radiation is an optical source and the receiving component is a detector is shown in  FIG. 2 . Components in  FIG. 2  that are similar to components in  FIG. 1  are labeled with the same numerical label as the corresponding component in  FIG. 1 . The optical source  75  in  FIG. 2  can be, in one embodiment, but is not limited to, a VCSEL (vertical Cavity Surface emitting Laser) or any other form of a laser diode or LED. The detector  80  can be one of the many possible optical detectors (for example, but not limited to, one of the detectors described in E. L. Dereniak, D. G. Crowe, Optical radiation Detectors, ISBN 0-471-89797-3, 1984). In some embodiments, the receiving component may also include a demodulator. 
         [0025]    It should be noted that, in embodiments utilizing an optical source, the optical source may include optical elements to collimate, focus, or otherwise modify the emitted optical beam and that the detector may include optical elements to collimate, focus, or otherwise modify the received optical beam. 
         [0026]    Exemplary embodiments of the system of this invention include embodiments in which the movable subsystem  15  is a scanning subsystem and the electrical component  35  is an imager. In conventional scanners, the scanning subsystem is electrically connected to other subsystems by means of a cable (typically, a flexible cable) with a service loop. 
         [0027]    An embodiment of the system of this invention in which the electrical component capable of providing the electrical signals is located in another subsystem, which is a subsystem attached to the structure, is shown in  FIG. 3 . Referring to FIG.  3 , a subsystem  115  is attached to the structure  125 . The subsystem  115  includes an electrical component  135  capable of providing electrical signals where the electrical signals carry information, a modulating component  140  that receives the electrical signals and modulates a source of electromagnetic radiation  145 . The modulated electromagnetic radiation carries the information. A movable subsystem  120  includes a receiving component  150  that receives the modulated electromagnetic radiation and converts the modulated electromagnetic radiation into other electrical signals and another electrical component  160  that receives the electrical signals obtained from demodulating the electromagnetic radiation. The movable subsystem  120  is operatively connected to the structure  125 . The operative connection may be, but is not limited to, one of the embodiments described hereinabove. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the source  145  of electromagnetic radiation is an antenna  145  and the receiving component  150  includes another antenna and a receiver. In other embodiments, the source  145  of electromagnetic radiation can be an optical source and the receiving component  150  can include an optical detector. Note that the source  145  and the receiving component can be substantially aligned with each other or substantially collinear. 
         [0028]    An exemplary embodiment of the system shown in  FIG. 3  is a printer in which the print head is located in the movable subsystem  120 . Print information is generated by the electrical component  135  and has to be transmitted to the printing component  160 . 
         [0029]    It should be noted that embodiments that combine the features of the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  are also within the scope of this invention. In embodiments such as the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the mobile subsystem  220  includes a transmitting/receiving antenna  250 , a transceiver  255  and an electrical component  260 . The other subsystem  215  includes another transmitting/receiving antenna  245 , another transceiver  240  and another electrical component  235 . It should be noted that the transmitting/receiving antenna  250 , 245  can be antennas and the transceiver  240 ,  255  can be a receiver and a separate modulator. Thus, the antennas  245 ,  250  and their corresponding transceivers  240 ,  255  can act as either sources of electromagnetic radiation or as receiving components, wherein the transceivers act as modulating components when their corresponding antenna acts as a source of electromagnetic radiation. 
         [0030]    During operation of the embodiments of the system this invention, electrical signals that carry information are converted into modulated electromagnetic radiation, where the modulated electromagnetic radiation also carries the information. The modulated electromagnetic radiation is propagated between a movable subsystem and another subsystem. The propagated electronic radiation is received and then converted back into electrical signals. In that manner at the information is carried by electrical signals initially, by electromagnetic radiation after the electromagnetic radiation is modulated by the electrical signals, and finally the information is carried again by electrical signals which are obtained by demodulating the electromagnetic radiation. In the embodiments of the system of this invention, the movable system is operatively connected to a structure and the other system is also operatively connected to the same structure. 
         [0031]    Although, in the embodiments shown hereinabove, one subsystem is a movable subsystem and the other subsystem is a fixed subsystem, embodiments in which both subsystems are movable are within the scope of this invention. 
         [0032]    Although the invention has been described with respect to various embodiments, it should be realized this invention is also capable of a wide variety of further and other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.