Incremental printing of symbolic information – Light or beam marking apparatus or processes – Scan of light
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-13
2004-01-13
Pham, Hai (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Light or beam marking apparatus or processes
Scan of light
C347S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06677971
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and recording methods that carries out the recording by irradiating a heat by a light beam, or the like onto a recording medium such as constructed by laminating a toner layer of a transfer sheet as the heat-mode sensitive material and an image receiving layer of an image receiving sheet.
2.Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there is employed a system that forms an image on a present paper by thermally transferring thermal material onto an image receiving sheet in response to image information by using a recording apparatus, that employs a recording head such as a laser light source, etc., and then passing the image receiving sheet and the present paper, superposed on this image receiving sheet, through an image transferring device to transfer the image formed on the image receiving sheet onto the present paper. In other words, an image receiving film is fixed to a recording medium fixing member (recording drum, surface fixing device, etc.) while directing its film surface to the outside, then a transfer sheet is also fixed onto the recording medium fixing member while directing its film surface to the image receiving film side to cover the image receiving film, and then a light such as the laser light, etc. is irradiated onto a laminated sheet consisting of the image receiving film and the transfer sheet (both are referred generically to as the “recording medium” hereinafter) like the image.
FIG. 6
is a schematic perspective view of the recording apparatus that uses the optical shutter as an example of the recording apparatus in the prior art. In
FIG. 6
, provided is a light source
70
, and usually the laser light source, the light emitting diode, or the like is employed. A one-dimensional converting means
80
converts a point light source emission
71
from the light source
70
into a one-dimensional collimated light
81
, and the lens, or the like is employed. An optical shutter device
90
controls the ON/OFF modulation of the collimated light
81
emitted from the one-dimensional converting means
80
. In
FIG. 6
, ten optical shutters
90
a
are laterally aligned linearly.
In addition, A recording drum
60
is provided. The recording medium (the image receiving sheet
10
and the transfer sheet
20
) is sucked by a recording drum sucking means, or the like described later, and fixed onto the recording drum
60
. This recording drum
60
is rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow (main scanning direction), for example. In
FIG. 6
, in order to make it readily understand, the optical shutter device
90
is depicted to expand fully along the axis direction of the recording drum
60
. But actually the width in the axis direction is smaller and also the optical shutter device
90
is constructed such that it can be moved in the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction.
An operation of the recording apparatus show in
FIG. 6
will be given as follows. The light is emitted from the light source
70
by applying the driving current and voltage corresponding to the input signal to the light emitting element of the light source
70
. The emitted light
71
from the light source is irradiated to the optical shutter device
90
as a linear luminous flux
81
via the one-dimensional converting means
80
.
The ON/OFF of respective optical shutters
90
a
are independently controlled in response to the input signal respectively such that transmitted lights
91
are emitted onto the recording mediums
10
,
20
on the recording drum
60
, that is being rotated in the main scanning direction, with controlled light quantities at timings assigned to respective lines to form two-dimensional images. In this case, ray controlling means (lenses, or the like) (not shown) are provided between the optical shutters
90
a
and the recording mediums
10
,
20
.
Therefore, a configuration of an operation of the optical shutters
90
a
will be explained with reference to FIG.
7
(
a
). FIG.
7
(
a
) shows the state that three optical shutters out of the
10
optical shutters
90
a
of the optical shutter device
90
in
FIG. 6
are aligned. In FIG.
7
(
a
), cl is a common signal line extended laterally in Figure, and ln, ln+1, ln+2 are selective signal lines that intersect perpendicularly with this common signal line cl (i.e., that are extended in the perpendicular direction to this sheet in this Figure respectively). Pn, Pn+1, Pn+2 are liquid crystal shutters that are provided to intersection points between the common signal line cl and the selective signal lines ln, ln+1, ln+2 respectively, whereby respective pixels are formed. In the liquid crystal shutters Pn, Pn+1, Pn+2, the liquid crystal layer is formed by injecting and sealing the liquid crystal formed of STN liquid crystal, FLC liquid crystal, or the like into the clearance space between the lower and upper glasses (not shown) by the known method. In this manner, patterns of the electrical signal lines are formed for respective pixels, and then the optical shutters ON/OFF (open/close)-control respective pixels independently by the selective signal lines ln, ln+1, ln+2. Then, patterns of respective signal lines are arranged not to generate the short-circuit. Also, the clearances (insulation areas) are provided between the pixels not to generate the short-circuit. Therefore, respective light quantities Ln, Ln+1, Ln+2 of the lights that are passed through the optical shutters Pn, Pn+1, Pn+2 when all the optical shutters Pn, Pn+1, Pn+2 are turned ON have distributions shown in FIG.
7
(
b
) respectively.
Accordingly, a one-dimensional light quantity distribution TL of a total light quantity of the lights that are passed through respective optical shutters Pn, Pn+1, Pn+2 when all the optical shutters Pn, Pn+1, Pn+2 are turned ON is shown in FIG.
7
(
c
). In this manner, in the optical shutters in the prior art, the break of the light quantity distribution is caused in the sub-scanning direction as shown in FIG.
7
(
c
). As a result, in the recording apparatus having such optical shutters, if the recording is carried out by turning ON all optical shutters Pn, Pn+1, Pn+2, breaks (clearances) of the light quantity distribution in the sub-scanning direction appear between the pixels on recording lines Kn and Kn+1, Kn+1 and Kn+2 along the main scanning direction as shown in FIG.
7
(
d
), and thus vertical stripes of unrecorded portions are produced.
In this manner, in the prior art, since the optical shutter device
90
in
FIG. 6
employs the rectangular optical shutters
90
a
, the vertical stripes S of unrecorded portions are produced between the recording lines K along the main scanning direction when the recording is carried out by turning ON all the optical shutters
90
a
, whereby the image defect is caused.
In order to eliminate these clearances, recording conditions must be changed. However, if doing so, conversely it is impossible to get the predetermined density.
Also, in order to bury the clearances, the recording must be carried out by applying the overpower to such extent that the heat flows out in the lateral direction, otherwise the recording must be carried out at the low speed. However, these measures go against the needs of the times such as the energy conservation, the high-speed recording, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention provides a recording apparatus in which the clearances of the light quantity distribution are not produced between the pixels in the sub-scanning direction when the recording must be carried out by turning ON all pixels and therefore vertical stripes of unrecorded portions are not produced when the recording is carried out in the main scanning direction and thus the image defect is not caused.
In order to overcome the above subjects, a recording apparatus in this invention comprises a recording medium fixing mem
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Pham Hai
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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