The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 18, 2003
Filed:
Oct. 31, 2001
Osamu Morizono, Kyoto, JP;
Yoshimi Hashimoto, Kyoto, JP;
Dainippon Screen Mfg., Co., Ltd., Kyoto, JP;
Abstract
There is provided an image recorder which allows easy malfunction detection in a light modulator and can previously prevent the occurrence of fogging of a photosensitive material, a fire, or the like. A recording head ( ) in the image recorder includes a laser light source ( ) for emitting a laser beam, a light modulator ( ) for modulating a laser beam, an illumination optical system ( ) for irradiating the light modulator ( ) with a laser beam emitted from the laser light source ( ), an imaging optical system ( ) for focusing signal light from the light modulator ( ) onto a recording medium ( ) for image formation, a photodetector ( ) for detecting non-signal light from the light modulator ( ), a controller ( ) for detecting a malfunction in the light modulator ( ) on the basis of output from the photodetector ( ), and a light shielding mechanism ( ) for, when the controller ( ) detects a malfunction in the light modulator ( ), cutting off an optical path between the laser light source ( ) and the light modulator ( ).