Laser printer with multiple laser-beam sources
AssigneeCoherent, Inc.
InventorsJohn H. Jerman, Sergei Govorkov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser printer arranged to print a pixellated image on laser sensitive tape includes a carriage on which are arranged two laser-beam sources delivering separately modulated laser-beams and optics for focusing the beams on the tape. The tape is mounted on a tape drive which drives the tape incrementally in one direction. The carriage is translated over the tape in a direction perpendicular to the tape-drive direction, while the modulated beams are focused. Two rows of the pixellated image are drawn across the tape in this manner. The tape is then incremented and a further two rows are drawn.
Claims13
Apparatus for drawing an image on laser-radiation-sensitive tape, the image including a plurality of rows of image-elements, the apparatus comprising:
- a tape-drive arranged to drive the tape incrementally in a first direction;
- a carriage translatable over the tape in a second direction transverse to the first direction;
- a plurality of lasers remote from the carriage, each thereof arranged to deliver a beam of laser-radiation modulated in accordance with a row of image-elements of the image to be drawn, and a corresponding plurality of optical fibers arranged to transport the modulated laser-radiation beams to the carriage with modulated laser beams being delivered from distal ends of the optical fibers which are in a predetermined alignment on the carriage and spaced apart by a first predetermined distance;
- an optical arrangement mounted on the carriage for focusing the laser-radiation beams delivered from the distal ends of the optical fibers on the tape, with the optical arrangement cooperative with the alignment of the distal ends of the optical fibers such that each focused, modulated laser-radiation beam draws an image-element during an “on” period thereof , the beam-foci being spaced apart in the second direction by a second predetermined distance corresponding to the first predetermined distance, and wherein said optical arrangement includes a first common lens for collimating the light emitted from the distal ends of each of the optical fibers and a second common lens for focusing the collimated light onto the tape;
- and
- whereby, when the carriage is translated over the tape with the modulated laser-beams focused thereon, a plurality of second-direction spaced-apart rows of the image-elements are drawn with each translation of the carriage over the tape, the plurality of rows corresponding to the plurality of laser-beam sources.
An apparatus for marking a laser responsive strip comprising:
- a drive system for incrementally translating the strip in a first (Y) direction;
- at least two lasers mounted at a location spaced from the strip;
- a modulated power supply for controlling the output of the lasers;
- a carriage carrying optics for directing and focusing laser light onto the strip in the form of spots;
- and
- a plurality of optical fibers, each fiber associated with one of the lasers, with the distal ends of each fiber being positioned to receive the output of the one of the lasers and with the distal ends thereof terminating at the carriage, said carriage being translatable in a second direction (X) perpendicular to the first direction whereby in operation, the carriage is translated in the second direction for marking rows on the strip corresponding to the numbers of lasers and wherein the strip is then translated to permit the next set of rows to be marked and wherein the optics on the carriage includes a first common lens for collimating the light emitted from the distal ends of each of the optical fibers and a second common lens for focusing the collimated light onto the strip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.