Optical light bead scanning arrangement

Claim 2

Optical light bead scanning arrangement for use in photocomposition apparatus with photosensitive material, the apparatus comprising a modulated laser for generating a modulated laser beam; a holder for the photosensitive material, the holder having the shape of a segment of a cylinder, whereby the photosensitive material in the holder adopts a partially cylindrical shape; a carriage; an optical image forming system and a rotatable mirror arrangement mounted on the carriage by means of which the rotatable mirror arrangement can be displaced with its axis of rotation coaxial to the cylinder axis of the holder along this cylinder axis, and wherein the laser beam, which falls on the rotatable mirror arrangement via the optical image forming system and which is substantially radially directed towards the photosensitive material in the holder after reflection at the rotatable mirror, scans the photosensitive material linewise as a result of rotation of the rotatable mirror and displacement of the carriage along the cylinder axis of the holder, and thereby generates a desired latent pattern in the photosensitive material, the laser being also fixedly arranged on the carriage and positioned alongside the rotatable mirror so as to emit light along a first light path being substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotatable mirror, a 90° deflecting mirror being fixedly arranged on the carriage and forming a second light path which is perpendicular to said first light path, a laser modulator fixedly arranged on the carriage in said second light path, a further 90° deflecting mirror fixedly arranged on the carriage forming a third light path which is perpendicular to said second light path and parallel with said first light path, and a correction objective being arranged in said third light path so as to transmit the corrected light beam to said rotatable mirror.

Claim 3

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the laser beam falls onto the rotatable mirror arrangement (15) in a direction which coincide with the cylinder axis (16) of the holder; and in that the rotatable mirror arrangement (15) makes effective scanning or exposure of the photosensitive material (11) possible over a peripheral angle of up to approximately 180°.

Claim 4

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 2, characterised in that the rotatable mirror arranagement 15 comprises a rotatable mirror (15') with a flat mirror surface which subtents an angle of 45° to the cylinder axis (16) of the holder (12).

Claim 5

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 3, characterised in that the axis of rotation (16) of the rotatable mirror arrangement (15) lies above the laterally adjacent parts (18, 22) on the carriage (24).

Claim 6

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the photosensitive material is present in the form of a web (11) which comes from a supply cassette (27) arranged at one end of the holder, which is constructed as a segment (12) of a cylinder, is guided along the segment of the cylinder and is received by a take-up cassette at the other end of the holder.

Claim 7

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 5, wherein the cylinder segment is transparent; and the web material is laid externally around the cylinder segment.

Claim 8

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 5, characterised in that pairs of supply rollers (25) and take-off rollers (26) are provided at the ends of the cylinder segment (12) and extend parallel to the cylinder axis (16); and in that at least the take-off rollers (26) are driven by a motor.

Claim 9

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 5, characterised in that a light impermeable guide cover (33) is disposed externally around the cylinder segment (12) and is spaced therefrom.

Claim 10

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterised in that the guide cover (33) is pivotally mounted about a pivot axis extending parallel to the cylinder axis (16) for upward pivotal movement away from the holder.

Claim 11

Optical light bead scanning arrangement for use in photocomposition apparatus with photosensitive material, the apparatus comprising a modulated laser for generating a modulated laser beam; a holder for the photosensitive material, the holder having the shape of a segment of a cylinder, whereby the photosensitive material in the holder adopts a partially cylindrical shape; a carriage; an optical image forming system and a rotatable mirror arrangement mounted on the carriage by means of which the rotatable mirror arrangement can be displaced with its axis of rotation coaxial to the cylinder axis of the holder along this cylinder axis, and wherein the laser beam, which on the rotatable mirror arrangement via the optical image forming system and which is substantially radially directed towards the photosensitive material in the holder after reflection at the rotatable mirror, scans the photosensitive material linewise as a result of rotation of the rotatable mirror and displacement of the carriage along the cylinder axis of the holder, and thereby generates a desired latent pattern in the photosensitive material, wherein the laser is arranged on the carriage and the laser beam falls onto the rotatable mirror arrangement in a direction which coincides with the cylinder axis of the holder; wherein the rotatable mirror arrangement makes effective scanning or exposure of the photosensitive material possible over a peripheral angle of up to approximately 180° and the rotatable mirror arrangement comprises a rotatable mirror with a flat mirror surface which subtents an angle of 45° to the cylinder axis of the holder; the axis of rotation of the rotatable mirror arrangement being above the laterally adjacent parts on the carriage; the laser beam being directed onto the rotatable mirror by a prism the plane of which is tilted relative to the carriage and which brings about a deflection of the light beam through approximately 180°.

Claim 12

Optical light bead scanning arrangement for use in photocomposition apparatus with photosensitive material, the apparatus comprising a modulated laser for generating a modulated laser beam; a holder for the photosensitive material, the holder having the shape of a segment of a cylinder, whereby the photosensitive material in the holder adopts a partially cylindrical shape; a carriage; an optical image forming system and a rotatable mirror arrangement mounted on the carriage by means of which the rotatable mirror arrangement can be displaced with its axis of rotation coaxial to the cylinder axis of the holder along this cylinder axis, and wherein the laser beam, which on the rotatable mirror arrangement via the optical image forming system and which is substantially radially directed towards the photosensitive material in the holder after reflection at the rotatable mirror, scans the photosensitive material linewise as a result of rotation of the rotatable mirror and displacement of the carriage along the cylinder axis of the holder, and thereby generates a desired latent pattern in the photosensitive material, wherein the laser is arranged on the carriage and the laser beam falls onto the rotatable mirror arrangement in a direction which coincides with the cylinder axis of the holder; wherein the rotatable mirror arrangement makes effective scanning or exposure of the photosensitive material possible over a peripheral angle of up to approximately 180° and the rotatable mirror arrangement comprises a rotatable mirror with a flat mirror surface which subtents an angle of 45° to the cylinder axis of the holder; the axis of rotation of the rotatable mirror arrangement being above the laterally adjacent parts on the carriage; the laser beam being directed onto the rotatable mirror by a prism the plane of which is tilted relative to the carriage and which brings about a deflection of the light beam through approximately 180°.

Claim 13

Optical light bead scanning arrangement for use in photocomposition apparatus with photosensitive material, the apparatus comprising a modulated laser for generating a modulated laser beam; a holder for the photosensitive material, the holder having the shape of a segment of a cylinder, whereby the photosensitive material in the holder adopts a partially cylindrical shape; a carriage; an optical image forming system and a rotatable mirror arrangement mounted on the carriage by means of which the rotatable mirror arrangement can be displaced with its axis of rotation coaxial to the cylinder axis of the holder along this cylinder axis, and wherein the laser beam, which falls on the rotatable mirror arrangement via the optical image forming system and which is substantially radially directed towards the photosensitive material in the holder after reflection at the rotatable mirror, scans the photosensitive material linewise as a result of rotation of the rotatable mirror and displacement of the carriage along the cylinder axis of the holder, and thereby generates a desired latent pattern in the photosensitive material, the laser being arranged on the carriage; the photosensitive material being present in the form of a web from a supply cassette arranged at one end of the holder and constructed as a segment of a cylinder, the web being guided along the segment of the cylinder and received by a take-up cassette at the other end of the holder; pairs of supply rollers and take-off rollers being provided at the ends of the cylinder segment and extending parallel to the cylinder axis; at least the take-off rollers are driven by a motor; and wherein the pairs of supply rollers and take-off rollers are subdivided in their longitudinal direction into several differentially drivable and/or idler sections.

Claim 14

Optical light bead scanning arrangement for use in photocomposition apparatus with photosensitive material, the apparatus comprising a modulated laser for generating a modulated laser beam; a holder for the photosensitive material, the holder having the shape of a segment of a cylinder, whereby the photosensitive material in the holder adopts a partially cylindrical shape; a carriage; an optical image forming system and a rotatable mirror arrangement mounted on the carriage by means of which the rotatable mirror arrangement can be displaced with its axis of rotation coaxial to the cylinder axis of the holder along this cylinder axis, and wherein the laser beam, which falls on the rotatable mirror arrangement via the optical image forming system and which is substantially radially directed towards the photosensitive material in the holder after reflection at the rotatable mirror, scans the photosensitive material linewise as a result of rotation of the rotatable mirror and displacement of the carriage along the cylinder axis of the holder, and thereby generates a desired latent pattern in the photosensitive material, the laser being arranged on the carriage; the photosensitive material being present in the form of a web from a supply cassette arranged at one end of the holder and constructed as a segment of a cylinder, the web being guided along the segment of the cylinder and received by a take-up cassette at the other end of the holder; pairs of supply rollers and take-off rollers being provided at the ends of the cylinder segment and extending parallel to the cylinder axis; at least the take-off rollers are driven by a motor; and wherein the pairs of supply rollers and take-off rollers are subdivided in their longitudinal direction into several differentially drivable and/or idler sections.

Claim 15

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 11, wherein the pairs of supply rollers and take-off rollers are subdivided into three directly adjacent sections of which two end sections are separately drivable and a first section is as broad as the second and third sections together.

Claim 16

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 11, characterised in that at least one supply cassette (27) is arranged in front of the pair of supply rollers (25); in that at least one take-up cassette (28) is arranged after the pair of take-off rollers (26); and in that the width of the cassettes (27, 28) is the same as the width of one said sections or of a plurality of adjacent sections.

Claim 17

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 13, characterised in that, for accommodating supply cassettes (27) or take-up cassettes (28) of different sizes, there is in each case provided a cassette chamber (29, 30) which is laid out to receive the largest possible size of cassette and which can be reduced to the smallest cassette size.

Claim 18

An optical light bead scanning arrangement in accordance with claim 11, characterised in that a cutting device for the photosensitive material is inserted between the pair of take-off rollers (26a, b, c) and the take-up cassette (28) or the take-up cassettes.