Patent ID: 8573783

Claim:
A scanned projector and illumination system, the system comprising; a projector with an aperture; an energy-emitting source disposed in the projector, the energy-emitting source configured and arranged to emit energy beams within the projector that are directed out of the projector through the aperture; a scanning mirror disposed in the projector, the scanning mirror configured and arranged to redirect the energy beams emitted by the energy-emitting source prior to the energy beams passing through the aperture, wherein the scanning mirror is configured and arranged to alter an angle from which the energy beams reflect from the scanning mirror such that the energy beams reflect in different directions from the scanning mirror over time, thereby forming a scanning pattern with a scanning rate; and a safety feature disposed in the projector, the safety feature comprising a fuse material that is contacted by the energy beams such that the energy beams move along the fuse material at the scanning rate, the safety feature modulating emission of the energy beams out of the projector through the aperture such that the energy beams are only emitted out of the projector through the aperture when the scanning rate of the energy beams is high enough to prevent the fuse material from reaching a threshold energy level at any location along the fuse material; wherein the fuse material comprises at least one thermoehromic or photochromic leuco-dye that transitions from transparent to opaque at a threshold temperature or energy-exposure threshold.