Image recorder having diagnostic capability

Abstract

There is provided an image recorder which allows easy malfunction detection in a light modulator and can previously prevent the occurrence of fogging of a photosensitive material, a fire, or the like. A recording head (12) in the image recorder includes a laser light source (21) for emitting a laser beam, a light modulator (24) for modulating a laser beam, an illumination optical system (23) for irradiating the light modulator (24) with a laser beam emitted from the laser light source (21), an imaging optical system (26) for focusing signal light from the light modulator (24) onto a recording medium (11) for image formation, a photodetector (27) for detecting non-signal light from the light modulator (24), a controller (28) for detecting a malfunction in the light modulator (24) on the basis of output from the photodetector (27), and a light shielding mechanism (22) for, when the controller (28) detects a malfunction in the light modulator (24), cutting off an optical path between the laser light source (21) and the light modulator (24).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.