Kodak Polychrome Graphics, Gmbh

Kodak Graphic Communications Gmbh

Michel Moulin

Jianbing Huang

The present invention provides a flat bed platesetter system and a method for its use, particularly for imaging printing plates. For providing a precise, continuous, rapid and format-independent system which is reliable, the present invention suggests to move the printing plate relative to a stationary bridge carrying a radiant energy emitting head by means of a low inertia carriage member effectively connecting the printing plate and drive means.

Flat bed platesetter system

An optical head having a laser source of beams at an input end and image forming beams at an output end and a plurality of optical components arranged along the beams between the input and output ends to obtain an image on a photosensitive printing plate from the beams. The optical components include reflecting surfaces adapted to fold the beams several times between the input and output ends times in such a way as to reduce the width and height of the optical head. The folded beams are located in a plurality of parallel surfaces perpendicular to the image formed on the photosensitive printing plate. The optical head further includes optical components adapted to adjust the width, location, orientation and intensity of the image from the beams.

Compact imaging head and high speed multi-head laser imaging assembly and method

An apparatus and method for providing substantially intimate rolling contact between a portion of a donor sheet and a portion of an acceptor element in a laser-induced thermal transfer printer comprises a rotatably mounted cylindrical drum, an acceptor element affixed to and supported by the cylindrical drum, a rotatably mounted dispensing roller for dispensing a donor sheet, and a rotatably mounted receiving roller for receiving the donor sheet, so that the donor sheet is extended between the dispensing roller and the receiving roller. A plurality of rotatably mounted contact rollers configured to bring a portion of the donor sheet extended between the dispensing roller and the receiving roller into contact with a portion of the acceptor element is also included. Alternatively, contact rollers need not be utilized, and the dispensing roller and receiving roller are configured to bring a portion of the donor sheet extended therebetween into contact with a portion of the acceptor element. The laser imaging head does not contact either the donor sheet or the acceptor element.

Method and apparatus for laser-induced thermal transfer printing

The present invention provides an imaging assembly comprising: (a) a modulator crystal comprising a first surface and a second surface substantially opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface comprises an active area; and (b) a heating element for heating the modulator crystal to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range, wherein the heating element is positioned under the modulator crystal and comprises a first surface, wherein the heating element first surface faces the modulator crystal second surface and covers a portion of the modulator crystal second surface such that the active area of the first surface of the modulator crystal has a homogeneous temperature. The present invention also provides a method for heating a modulator crystal in an imaging assembly, the method comprising: (a) providing a modulator crystal comprising a first surface and a second surface substantially opposite to the first surface, wherein the first surface comprises an active area; (b) providing a heating element comprising a first surface, wherein the heating element first surface faces the modulator crystal second surface and covers a portion of the modulator crystal second surface such that the active area of the first surface of the modulator crystal has a homogeneous temperature; (c) heating the modulator crystal with the heating element to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range; and (d) maintaining the temperature of the modulator crystal within the predetermined temperature range.

Electro-optic spatial modulator for high energy density

Several optical heads are mounted on a common carriage adapted to scan a photosensitive printing plate. Each head is equipped with a laser source, a modulator and projection optics and can project a segment containing a plurality of pixels. The optical track of beams in each head is folded several times in such a way as to reduce the width of the head as well as its height. When the carriage moves from one edge of the plate to the other edge a swath of pixels is projected. Each head includes means to adjust the width, location, orientation and intensity of the segment it generates. Each head is accurately positioned on the carriage so that at least two abutting swaths are projected during each sweep of the carriage to produce a wider swath.

A laser imager comprises a modulator with an array of electrodes to control picture elements individually or by groups to produce images on a recording plane. The light intensity of each picture element or group of elements is determined by electrical potential applied between sets of controlling electrodes. These levels can be manually set or automatically exercised during a balancing routine through a feed-back loop using a photodetector to monitor and detect elements producing a light intensity higher than a set value. Control means assign to these elements a &ldquo;correction voltage&rdquo; to lower the density of elements they control. These correction values obtained after one or repeated balancing routines are stored in a memory and are used during the imaging cycle to produce images of substantially equal intensity on the recording medium. Different electrode arrangements to control the intensity of picture elements can be applied to different kinds of modulators and for different power levels of radiated energy.

Pixel intensity control in electro-optic modulators

An imaging device comprising an electro-optic modulator for modulating incident laser beams; an array of adjacent electrodes comprising a group of imaging electrodes addressed in accordance with image information; means to illuminate an area slightly larger than the width of said imaging electrodes; and one or more additional electrodes located on each side of said group of imaging electrodes to permanently direct extraneous marginal beams to light-stop means so that only the light emerging from the imaging electrodes is allowed to reach a light sensitive medium.

Electro-optic modulator and imaging device

The present invention is directed to a system and a method for illuminating imaging radiant energy from a laser source onto a spatial modulator. It comprises means or a step of focusing the radiant energy from the laser source at a focal point. There is further provided a mixing means mixing the radiant energy substantially at or downstream the focal point, the mixing means having an input, a plurality of reflecting surfaces and an output, wherein the reflecting surfaces are arranged so that upon entry of the radiant energy into the input of the mixing means the radiant energy is subjected to multiple reflections and at the output the distribution of the radiant energy is substantially uniform.

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Apples, Switzerland

Michel Moulin