Shift Register Optical Scanning Device Signal Line Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Optical scanning devices require a large number of signal lines to control individual laser diodes for APC, leading to a complex and cumbersome setup.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a shift register that sequentially outputs light emission signals to control light emission from multiple laser diodes using a single signal line, reducing the number of necessary signal lines and simplifying the control mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If individual light emission signals are transmitted from the controller to each driver circuit for APC, then each laser diode can be individually controlled, but the number of signal lines increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A shift register is introduced as an intermediary component between the controller and the driver circuits. The shift register receives a single serial light emission signal from the controller and sequentially outputs individual control signals to each driver circuit, enabling individual laser diode control while requiring only one signal line from the controller.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional parallel signal transmission mechanism (requiring multiple physical signal lines) with a serial signal transmission mechanism using a shift register. This substitution transforms the control architecture from a multi-line parallel system to a single-line serial system, significantly reducing the number of signal lines while maintaining individual control capability.
2Reliability
If multiple signal lines are laid from the controller to each driver circuit, then individual laser diode control is achieved, but the wiring becomes cumbersome and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The shift register serves as a mediating device that receives a single control signal from the controller and generates multiple individual control signals for each driver circuit. This intermediary approach maintains precise individual control of each laser diode while eliminating the need for multiple direct signal lines from the controller to each driver circuit.
Solution Approach 2:
The control function is segmented into two stages: first, the controller generates a single serial light emission signal; second, the shift register segments this single signal into multiple individual control signals for each driver circuit. This segmentation allows individual control precision to be maintained while reducing wiring complexity at the controller level.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical scanning device includes a controller, and a scanning unit connected with the controller via a signal line. The scanning unit includes a semiconductor laser having light emitting elements, an optical system configured to convert light emitted by each light emitting element into a beam, a deflector configured to deflect the beam received through the optical system, and a shift register including a plurality of output terminals each configured to output a light emission signal for controlling light emission from a corresponding one of the light emitting elements, and an input terminal configured to receive a shift signal from the controller via the signal line. The shift register is configured to, each time receiving the shift signal via the input terminal, shift a specific output terminal to output the light emission signal from one output terminal to another in sequence among the plurality of output terminals.