Beam scanning apparatus and method using a piezoelectric actuator

摘要

A radiation director(24) is coupled to move under the control of a piezoelectric element(2). The director directs electromagnetic radiation(20) from a radiation source(22) under the control of the piezoelectric element. In a scanning station embodiment, an electrical 1 signal source(12) is connected to cause the piezoelectric element to vibrate, and a radiation detector(32) is positioned to detect radiation from an object(28) scanned by the radiation. In a radiation scanning method, a piezoelectric element is caused to move in a reciprocating fashion, and the movement of the piezoelectric element is used to direct an electromagnetic radiation beam in a scanning motion(26). <IMAGE>