Patent ID: 8537203

Claim:
A scanning device that is employed to scan a region with a beam of light, comprising: (a) a light conductive medium configured to convey light from a source, for scanning the region with the light, wherein the light conductive medium comprises an optical fiber; (b) a scanning element coupled to the light conductive medium and configured to direct light conveyed through the light conductive medium to the region by scanning the region in one or more desired patterns; (c) a driver that is coupled to the scanning element, the driver applying a force to the scanning element causing the scanning element to move so that the light beam scans over the region in the one or more desired patterns; and (d) a control that supplies a driving signal to the driver to vary at least one of an amplitude and a direction of the force applied by the driver to the scanning element, the driving signal providing a first plurality of scanning frames to generate a first scanning pattern along an axis and a second plurality of scanning frames to generate a second scanning pattern along the axis, the control comprising software that, when executed, causes the control to generate the first scanning pattern along the axis with the first plurality of scanning frames and the second scanning pattern along the axis with the second plurality of scanning frames, the first plurality of scanning frames causing the driver to move the scanning element in a first mode at a resonant or near-resonant condition to provide the first scanning pattern along the axis during each of the first plurality of scanning frames in order to achieve a first function, the second plurality of scanning frames causing the driver to move the same scanning element in a second mode to provide the second scanning pattern and scan a portion of the region with the second scanning pattern along the axis during each of the second plurality of scanning frames in order to achieve a different second function, wherein the second plurality of scanning frames interrupts the first plurality of scanning frames wherein at least one characteristic of the first scanning pattern in the first mode is different from the second scanning pattern in the second mode based on the selected first and second functions.