Image recording apparatus using the grating light valve

• US 20030085987A1
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Published: 05/08/2003
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 6,806,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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;

the 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;

a light shielding member for blocking undesired light; and

a light-shield cooling member for removing heat generated by blocking said undesired light.

2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

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

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

said light shielding member comprises a mirror which reflects said light from said light source, and

said light-shield cooling member absorbs said light which is reflected by said mirror, to remove said heat.

4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

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

5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said light shielding member comprises a first mirror which reflects said non-signal light beams, and

said light-shield cooling member absorbs said light beams which are reflected by said mirror, to remove said heat.

6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

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

wherein said light reflected by said second mirror is absorbed by said light-shield cooling member.

7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light-source cooling member for cooling said light source with a refrigerant,

wherein said light-shield cooling member uses said refrigerant coming out of said light-source cooling member.

8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a device cooling member for cooling said light valve with said refrigerant coming out of said light-source cooling member.

9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a temperature control member for controlling temperature of said refrigerant,

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

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

said light source, said light valve and said light shielding member are shrouded by a sealing cover.

11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a device cooling member for cooling said light valve with a refrigerant,

wherein said light-shield cooling member performs cooling with refrigerant from said device cooling member.

12. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

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

a device cooling member for cooling said lightvalve.

13. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

said light source, said light valve and said light shielding member are shrouded by a sealing cover.