Patent ID: 8872875

Claim:
A single-pass imaging system for generating a substantially one-dimensional line image on an imaging surface in accordance with an image data file, the system comprising: means for generating a two-dimensional modulated light field in accordance with the image data file, wherein said means comprises: a homogenous light generator including at least one light source for generating one or more light beams, and at least one light homogenizer including means for homogenizing said one or more light beams such that portions of said homogenized light beams form a homogeneous light field, and a spatial light modulator including a plurality of light modulating elements disposed in an array, and means for individually configuring the plurality of light modulating elements into one of two modulated states in accordance with the image data file such that the two-dimensional light field is generated only by portions of the homogeneous light field directed from first light modulating elements of said array in a first modulated state; and an optical system including two or more cylindrical/acylindrical optical elements that are operably positioned and arranged to image and concentrate the two-dimensional modulated light field such that said imaged and concentrated modulated light field forms said substantially one-dimensional line image in a cross-process direction on said imaging surface, the optical system including: a cross-process optical subsystem including at least one cross-process cylindrical/acylindrical optical element arranged to image said two-dimensional modulated light field in a cross-process direction on the imaging surface, the cross-process direction being perpendicular to the process direction; and a process-direction optical subsystem including at least one process-direction cylindrical/acylindrical optical element arranged to focus said two-dimensional modulated light field in the process direction on the imaging surface, wherein the two-dimensional light field has a first width in the cross-process direction and a first height in the process direction, and wherein the process-direction optical subsystem comprises at least one cylindrical/acylindrical optical element that is shaped and positioned to concentrate the two-dimensional modulated light field in the process direction onto the imaging surface such said substantially one-dimensional line image has a second width in the cross-process direction that is equal to or greater than the first width of the two-dimensional modulated light field.