Image recording apparatus using the grating light valve

• US 6,806,897 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kataoka, Yoshikazu, Tamaki, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, HAI CHI
• Application Number:
  US10/279,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20030085987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 347/239, 347/241, 347/255, 347/256, 347/238, 372/35
• US Class Current: 347/256
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/465 using masks, e.g. light-switching masks
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/377 Cooling or ventilating arrangements

Abstract

An optical head 1 of an image recording apparatus 10 is provided with a light-source water-cooling jacket 41 for cooling a light source 11 and a device water-cooling jacket 42 for cooling the Grating Light Valve 12 and a light-shield water-cooling jacket 43. The optical head 10 is also provided with a mirror 31 for reflecting a light form the light source 11 in a non-recording status and mirrors 32, 33 for reflecting non-signal light beams from the light valve 12, and the lights from these mirrors are directed to the light-shield water-cooling jacket 43. Further, a refrigerant from a chiller unit goes through the light-source water-cooling jacket 41, the device water-cooling jacket 42 and the light-shield water-cooling jacket 43 in this order. With this constitution, it is possible to efficiently cool all the heat sources and in the optical head.

Claims

1. An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium by exposure, comprising:

a light source comprising a semiconductor laser;

a Grating Light Valve for modulating light from said light source;

a holding member for holding said recording medium which is exposed to modulated light from said light valve;

a first mirror for blocking non-signal light beams from said light valve

a second mirror for blocking light between said light source and said light valve in a non-recording status; and

a light-shield cooling member for absorbing said non-signal light beams reflected by said first mirror and said light reflected by said second mirror.

2. An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium by exposure comprising:

a light source comprising a semiconductor laser;

a grating light valve for modulating light from said light source;

a holding member for holding said recording medium which is exposed to the modulated light from said light valve;

a light shielding member for blocking undesired light;

a temperature control member for controlling temperature of a refrigerant;

a light-shield cooling member for removing heat generated by blocking said undesired light with said refrigerant;

a light-source cooling member for cooling said light source with said refrigerant; and

wherein said refrigerant from said temperature control member noes through said light-source cooling member and said light-shield cooling member in this order and is returned to said temperature control member.

3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a device cooling member for cooling said light valve with said refrigerant, wherein said refrigerant goes through said light-source cooling member, said device cooling member and said light-shield cooling member in this order.

4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said light source, said light valve and said light shielding member are shrouded by a sealing cover.

5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said light shielding member blocks light between said light source and said light valve in a non-recording status.

6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said light shielding member blocks non-signal light beams from said light valve.

7. An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium by exposure comprising:

a light source comprising a semiconductor laser;

a grating light valve for modulating light from said light source;

a holding member for holding said recording medium which is exposed to the modulated light from said light valve;

a light shielding member for blocking undesired light;

a temperature control member for controlling temperature of a refrigerant;

a device cooling member for cooling said light valve with said refrigerant; and

a light-shield cooling member for removing heat generated by blocking said undesired light with said refrigerant,

wherein said refrigerant from said temperature control member goes through said device cooling member and said light-shield cooling member in this order and is returned to said temperature control member.

8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said light shielding member blocks light between said light source and said light valve in a non-recording status.

9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said light shielding member blocks non-signal light beams from said light valve.