Apparatus and method for projecting graphic information onto a light-sensitive material

• US 6,867,847 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2003
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agfaphoto GmbH (Agfaphoto Holding GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert AG (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Inventors: Klüter, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/615,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20040135982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/55, 355 67- 71, 359/224, 359/855, 250/492.2
• US Class Current: 355/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/72 Controlling or varying light intensity, spectral composition, or exposure time in photographic printing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/722 when the reproduction scale is changed

Abstract

In an apparatus for producing images on a light-sensitive material, the graphic information content for an image that is to be projected onto the light-sensitive material is divided into individual pixels. The projected image is composed of mutually offset partial images that are represented in a transmissive device consisting of an array of transmissive elements. The apparatus includes a light source that generates light rays passing through the transmissive device, an illumination device that bundles the light rays into light beams before they pass through the transmissive device, and a projection objective that projects the light beams telecentrically onto the light-sensitive material.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing projected images in different size formats on a light sensitive material, wherein the projected image represents graphic information that is divided into individual pixels, and wherein further the image is projected in the form of partial images that are laterally offset relative to each other, said apparatus comprising:

a transmissive device for producing said partial images,

a light source for generating light rays that pass through the transmissive device,

an illumination device for guiding the light rays along a plurality of mutually parallel light paths through the transmissive device, and

a projection objective for projecting the light rays representing the partial images onto the light-sensitive material,

wherein the illumination device bundles the light rays into light beams before they pass through the transmissive device, and the projection objective projects onto the light-sensitive material only those light rays that run at least approximately parallel to the optical axis of the projection objective wherein there is substantially no overlap between adjacent partial images on the light sensitive material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection objective comprises a telecentric objective.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the projection objective projects onto the light-sensitive material only those light rays that are within a maximum aperture angle between +7°

and −

7°

relative to the optical axis of the telecentric objective.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the projection objective projects onto the light-sensitive material only those light rays that are within a maximum aperture angle between +4.7°

and −

4.7°

, relative to the optical axis of the telecentric objective.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the projection objective comprises at least one of an adjustable objective lens arrangement and an adjustable objective diaphragm arrangement for changing the size of an exposure area of a surface element covered by one of said light beams falling on said light-sensitive material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one adjustable illumination diaphragm as well as an illumination lens arrangement disposed between the light source and the transmissive device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination lens arrangement comprises a condenser.

8. The apparatus of the claim 1, wherein the illumination device is disposed between the light source and the transmissive device, and wherein the illumination device comprises a micro-lens matrix and a black matrix, said black matrix being interposed between the micro-lens matrix and the transmissive device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection objective has an optical axis, and wherein the illumination device together with the transmissive device is position-adjustable transversely to said optical axis to effect said lateral offset of said partial images.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection objective has an optical axis, and wherein the apparatus further comprises an optical offsetting device to effect said lateral offset of said partial images transversely to the optical axis, said optical offsetting device being arranged between the projection objective and the light-sensitive material.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the optical offsetting device comprises a first optical offsetting element tiltable about a first tilt axis and a second optical offsetting element tiltable about a second tilt axis, wherein the first tilt axis and the second tilt axis are oriented at right angles to one another and intersect said optical axis.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the optical offsetting device comprises a glass plate that is set in an inclined position relative to said optical axis and is rotatable about an axis of rotation coinciding with said optical axis.

16. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for varying the size of the partial images projected onto said light sensitive material as a function of the format size of the image on the light sensitive material.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising means for varying the number of partial images projected onto the light sensitive material as a function of the format size of the image on the light sensitive material, the number of partial images being selected so that the size of the partial images on the light sensitive material remains substantially the same regardless of the image format size.

13. A method for producing projected images in different size formats on a light sensitive material, wherein the projected image represents graphic information that is divided into individual pixels, and wherein further the image is projected in the form of partial images that are laterally offset relative to each other, said method comprising the steps of:

producing the partial images by means of a transmissive device,

generating light rays,

guiding the light rays along a plurality of mutually parallel light paths through the transmissive device, wherein the light rays are bundled into light beams before passing through the transmissive device and

telecentrically projecting the light rays carrying the partial images onto the light-sensitive material with substantially no overlap between adjacent partial images on the light sensitive material after all of said partial images have been projected onto the light sensitive material.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the size of an exposure area exposed by one each of said light beams on said light-sensitive material is dependent on the format size of the image on the light-sensitive material.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the number of partial images projected onto said light sensitive material is selected depending on format size of the image on the light-sensitive material in such a manner that the area one of said light beams on said light-sensitive material remains substantially the same for all of said plurality of format sizes.