APERTURE FOR ILLUMINATING MICROMIRROR ARRAYS HAVING MIRROR TILT AXIS NOT PARALLEL WITH AN ARRAY AXIS

摘要

A mirror array is positioned in relationship to a high intensity power light source to receive at least a portion of a high intensity light beam and to reflect at least a portion of the high intensity light beam. An aperture plate is positioned between the high intensity power light source and the mirror array. The aperture plate has an open area and an opaque area, the open area including a main portion and a tab portion. The main portion is located on a side of the tab portion distal from an incident light direction of the received high intensity beam of light. The open area is sized and positioned to allow rays of the high intensity beam of light to be passed through the tab portion and reflections of the passed rays of the high intensity beam of light to exit through the main portion.

主权项

1. An imaging system including:
a high intensity light source for generating a high intensity beam of light, the high intensity beam of light including a plurality of substantially parallel light rays; a mirror array including a plurality of switch positionable mirrors, the mirrors of the mirror array being surrounded by regions that can be damaged by a high intensity beam of light, the mirror array further positioned in relationship to the high intensity light source to receive at least a portion of the high intensity beam of light from the high intensity light source and to reflect at least a portion of the received high intensity beam of light; and an aperture plate positioned between the high intensity light source and the mirror array, the aperture plate having an open area and an opaque area, the open area including a main portion and a tab portion, the main portion located on a side of the tab portion distal from an incident light direction of the received high intensity beam of light, the open area sized and positioned to permit rays of the high intensity beam of light to be apertured through the tab portion and reflections of the apertured rays of the high intensity beam of light to exit through the main portion of the open area of the aperture plate.