Light modulator with a laser or laser array for exposing image data
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorSanwal P. Sarraf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A light modulator for use with a laser or laser diode array such that the light from the laser is imaged on a light modulator having a row of light modulating elements, either of the reflectance or transmittance type. The light modulator is imaged onto a light-sensitive material and the image is scanned line by line on the light-sensitive material. Control circuitry is provided to control the relative movement between the light modulator and the light-sensitive material that may be either in planar form or wrapped out the circumference of cylindrical drum.
Claims16
A light modulation and exposure system for exposing image data onto a light-sensitive material, said system comprising:
- a plurality of laser light sources, said laser light sources operating simultaneously;
- a lenslet array, each lenslet of the array receiving a light beam from an individual laser light source of the plurality of the laser light sources;
- a field lens which focuses respective light beams from said lenslet array onto a plurality of light-modulating elements, said light-modulating elements being positioned such that the respective light beams illuminate the light-modulating elements, respectively;
- and
- means for imaging said light-modulating elements onto said light-sensitive material.
An apparatus for modulating light in response to image data from a laser diode array onto light-sensitive material, said apparatus comprising:
- a) a light modulator having a row of light modulating light elements;
- b) a laser diode array positioned to illuminate said light modulator;
- c) a first lens assembly for focusing light from said laser diode array onto the light modulator;
- d) a second lens assembly for directing the light coming from the light modulator onto the light-sensitive material;
- e) control circuitry coupled to said light modulator to control activation of said light modulating elements;
- and
- f) means for inputting image data into the row of light modulating elements representing a single line in the image.
In a light-imaging system which includes a light modulator having a row of light modulating elements, control means for shifting image data one line at a time, a laser light source, light-sensitive material and associated control circuitry for moving the light-sensitive material relative to the light modulator so as to recreate the image from the image data on the light-sensitive material, a method of modulating laser light in response to image data comprising:
- a) transferring image data to the row of light modulating elements in said light modulator;
- and
- b) directing laser light onto said light modulator such that each light modulating element in said light modulator controls the transmittal of said laser light onto the light-sensitive material when activated by image data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.