Acousto-Optic Substrate Illumination With Etendue Expansion

The patent divides the single large illuminated active region into multiple smaller illuminated regions, each corresponding to a specific traveling lens. Only the portions of the active region needed for each lens are illuminated, rather than illuminating the entire active region. This segmentation approach maintains the ability to generate multiple traveling lenses for wide coverage while reducing the total illuminated area, thereby improving energy usage efficiency.

The patent employs etendue expanding optical modules that utilize optical transformations in additional dimensions (such as angular distribution and spatial mapping) to increase the effective etendue. By using Dammann gratings and other optical elements that manipulate light in multiple dimensional spaces, the system achieves higher throughput and larger effective field of view without simply increasing the physical illuminated surface area, thereby resolving the contradiction between area and productivity.

The patent replaces complex high numerical aperture optical systems with acousto-optic devices that use acoustic fields to control and focus light. Instead of relying on complex mechanical optical arrangements with high NA lenses, the system uses acoustic waves to dynamically focus and steer beams, achieving high resolution imaging with a simpler optical configuration. This substitution of acoustic control for mechanical-optical complexity resolves the contradiction between resolution and device complexity.