Abstract: An inner drum-type multibeam exposure method includes: (a) controlling deflection, with light-deflecting means, of at least one of a plurality of light beams, which are respectively independently modulated in accordance with image signals and emitted from a light source side; (b) making the deflection-controlled light beam incident at scanning means via one of a reflection portion and a transmission portion provided at a sectional optical function member, and making another of the light beams, which is not deflection-controlled by the light-deflecting means, incident at the scanning means via the other of the reflection portion and the transmission portion; and (c) with the scanning means, scanning for exposure on a recording medium disposed at a support body of an inner drum, while a sub-scanning direction spacing between the plurality of light beams is maintained at a predetermined distance. With this method, high-speed exposure processing without losses of light amounts is possible.

Abstract: An exposure process is executed by multi-beams divided by polarizing and combining laser beams (La, Lb) modulated based on an image signal so as to be emitted by a light source side optical system by using a polarized light beam splitter, and by converting the laser beams (La, Lb) emitted as right circular polarized light and left circular polarized light into mutually orthogonal linear polarized light by using a quarter wave plate arranged on a light path of a scanning portion, and thereafter transmitting through an optical element of uniaxial crystal. An appropriate image can be formed by setting a division width of beam spots on a scanning surface set by the optical element of uniaxial crystal such that scanning unevenness of an image formed on a scanning surface is within an allowable range even when changing resolution of the inner drum exposure apparatus.

Abstract: A light beam deflector for recording an image at a recording medium, at which a light beam modulated in accordance with image information passes through an incidence face of a cubic prism which is driven to rotate, the light beam deflector reflecting the light beam at a reflection surface, emitting the light beam through an emission face, and deflecting and scanning the light beam. An astigmatic difference correction surface is structured at at least one of the light beam incidence face and emission face of the cubic prism. The astigmatic difference correction surface is set with an inclination angle and inclination direction that are suitable for correcting astigmatism which arises due to the light beam passing through the incidence face, being reflected at the reflection surface and passing through the emission face.

Abstract: A multi-beam exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a two-dimensional light modulator which is configured to project plural exposure beam spots onto an exposure surface, the plural exposure beam spots being arranged in parallel with the scanning direction while two-dimensionally arrayed; and a pixel block shifting member which divides the plural beam spots into plural blocks in the scanning direction and projects the plural exposure beam spots onto the exposure surface by shifting a relative position between the blocks in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction, and thereby the scan-exposing of a space between the exposure beam spots in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction is performed with the exposure beam spot of another block. According to the multi-beam exposure apparatus, the number of dots which can simultaneously be exposed in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction can be increased.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inner drum exposure device. Based on image signals from two light sources, two laser beams, which are each made independent, modulated, and projected, are polarized and integrated with a polarized light beam splitter, and then made into right-handed and left-handed circularly polarized light and projected towards a scanning optical system. This right-handed and left-handed circularly polarized light incident from the light source side optical system are converted to two linearly polarized laser beams that cross each other with a quarter wavelength plate arranged on the optical path of the scanning optical system. After this, the two laser beams converted with the quarter wavelength plate into linearly polarized light that cross each other are ejected, each from differing positions such that the primary rays of the projected beams are parallel, with a uniaxial crystal.

Abstract: A polarization-direction-controlling element comprising a 1/2 wavelength plate disposed with a crystal optical axis tilted at substantially 45 degrees with respect to a polarization direction of a beam of light separated by a polarization-separating element with a part of a laser beam transmitted, is provided on the optical path of the laser beam, outputted from a plurality of semiconductor lasers, between an outlet for the laser beams at a fiber array and a polarization-separating element for separating the laser beam into two beams of light having mutually orthogonal polarization directions. A polarization-direction-controlling element capable of improving the quality of recorded images in an exposing-recording device using an element with polarization dependency and an exposure device capable of improving the quality of recorded images can also be obtained.

Abstract: An inner drum exposure apparatus is disclosed in which a linearly polarized light beam emitted from a light source is converted to circularly polarized light. This in turn is passed through a single-axis crystal optical element so as to be split into equal light quantities of an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray in a sub-scanning direction. These rays are subsequently reflected at a reflective mirror surface of a scanning unit so as to be focussed at a beam spot which is distributed on a recording medium in an approximately rectangular configuration with respect to the sub-scanning direction and has steep edge portions, thereby performing exposure processing.

Abstract: A polarization-direction-controlling element comprising a ½ wavelength plate disposed with a crystal optical axis tilted at substantially 45 degrees with respect to a polarization direction of a beam of light separated by a polarization-separating element with a part of a laser beam transmitted, is provided on the optical path of the laser beam, outputted from a plurality of semiconductor lasers, between an outlet for the laser beams at a fiber array and a polarization-separating element for separating the laser beam into two beams of light having mutually orthogonal polarization directions. A polarization-direction-controlling element capable of improving the quality of recorded images in an exposing-recording device using an element with polarization dependency and an exposure device capable of improving the quality of recorded images can also be obtained.

Abstract: A polarization-direction-controlling element having a ½ wavelength plate disposed with a crystal optical axis tilted at substantially 45 degrees with respect to a polarization direction of a beam of light separated by a polarization-separating element with a part of a laser beam transmitted, is provided on the optical path of the laser beam, outputted from a plurality of semiconductor lasers, between an outlet for the laser beams at a fiber array and a polarization-separating element for separating the laser beam into two beams of light having mutually orthogonal polarization directions. A polarization-direction-controlling element capable of improving the quality of recorded images in an exposing-recording device using an element with polarization dependency and an exposure device capable of improving the quality of recorded images can also be obtained.

Abstract: The plate exposing apparatus includes an exposing unit for exposing to light an original plate of a printing plate that does not have an oxygen barrier layer, on which latent image is formed by photo-polymerization based on exposure and which is subjected to alkali development, an oxygen interrupting unit for ensuring that the exposure is performed such that at least an exposed area of the original plate being exposed to light are substantially deprived of oxygen at least during the exposure and an oxygen blocking time control unit for controlling a period of time for which oxygen is interrupted by the oxygen interrupting unit.

Abstract: The method and apparatus make a printing plate such as a lithographic printing plate by exposing an original plate of the printing plate such as a presensitized plate in a substantially oxygen-free state. The method and apparatus deprive substantially of oxygen at least an exposed area of the original plate being exposed to light at least during exposure and expose the original plate to the light at a wavelength of between 250 nm and 420 nm. The original plate has on a support an image recording layer containing a polymerization initiator, a polymerizable compound and a binder polymer, being sensitive to the light at the wavelengths of between 250 nm and 420 nm, having no oxygen barrier layer, and being removable with a printing ink and/or a fountain solution. That is, a latent image is formed by photo-polymerization on the original plate and the original plate is subjected to development on a printing press.

Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure processing method of a planographic printing plate comprising: providing an image recording layer containing a polymerizable compound which is solid at the room temperature, a polymerization initiator, and a light-to-heat converting agent, and a microcapsule encapsulating at least one of the monomer and the polymerization initiator, such that the light energy quantity absorbed in the lower part of the image recording layer is more than the light energy quantity absorbed in the upper and middle parts of the image recording layer; exposing the image recording layer, and thereafter post-heating the image recording layer at a temperature in a range equal to or above the melting point of the monomer and below the glass transition point of the wall of the microcapsule. As a result, the printing resistance of a planographic printing plate is enhanced.

Abstract: A method of light exposure recording on a planographic printing plate, wherein the planographic printing plate includes a support and an image recording layer provided on the support, the image recording layer includes a radical polymerization initiator, the method comprising: irradiating the image recording layer with a predetermined amount of a first light, whereby the radical initiator generates a radical, the radical is quenched by free oxygen in the image recording layer, so that free oxygen in the image recording layer is exhausted and disappears from the image recording layer and that the image recording layer is supersensitized; and then rradiating the image recording layer with a second light as a recording light modulated on the basis of image information, so as to form a latent image corresponding to the image information on the image recording layer. Also provided is an apparatus for practicing the invention.

Abstract: An exposing device including an optical fiber array with a plurality of optical fibers disposed at a predetermined interval, a first lens, and a second lens. The optical fiber array is mounted on a base seat supported on a rail movably along an optical axis direction. The first lens is mounted in a casing. The casing is mounted on a base seat supported on a rail movably along the optical axis direction. The second lens is mounted in a casing, and the casing is supported by a supporting member mounted on a base seat. In the case of changing imaging magnification, a moving amount of the optical fiber array and a moving amount of the first lens corresponding to the imaging magnification provided for the changing operation are each set so as to be moved.

Abstract: An image forming device for planographic printing plates which, before printing, carries out water developing and heating processing after the water developing, of a planographic printing plate which can be developed by water, the image forming device includes: a laser recording section which forms a latent image by laser-exposing an image recording layer portion of the planographic printing plate at a weak laser power of an extent that one-third, at a surface side, of the image recording layer in a direction of thickness thereof can be hardened; a water developing section which strips film of unexposed portions of the image recording layer by causing a film-stripping medium, which is selected from the group consisting of steam, water, aqueous liquids, and mixtures of a gas and at least one of water and an aqueous liquid, to hit the planographic printing plate on which a latent image has been formed at the image recording layer portion by the laser recording section; and a post-development heating processing

Abstract: The multibeam exposure head performs exposure recording on a recording material and includes a beam emitting unit having a plurality of beam emitting port rows each of which is formed by arranging a plurality of beam emitting ports at a predetermined interval in a row and an angle changing unit that changes a tilt angle of a row direction of the plurality of beam emitting port rows of the beam emitting. The angle changing unit performs switching between two exposure recording modes having different recording resolutions. The multibeam recording method uses the multibeam exposure head.

Abstract: Stimulating rays produced by a line light source are linearly irradiated onto an area of a stimulable phosphor sheet, on which a radiation image has been stored, the stimulating rays causing the sheet to emit light in proportion to an amount of energy stored thereon during its exposure to radiation. Light emitted from the exposed linear area of the sheet is received with a line sensor comprising photoelectric conversion devices arrayed along each of a length direction of the linear area of the stimulable phosphor sheet and a direction normal to the length direction. The sheet is moved with respect to the line light source and the line sensor and in a direction different from the length direction of the linear area of the sheet. Operation processing is performed on outputs of the photoelectric conversion devices, which outputs have been obtained at respective positions of movement and correspond to an identical site on the sheet.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a multibeam exposure head having a multibeam light source which exposes a recording material by main scanning. Herein, the multibeam light source has a first multiple beam forming light source in which a plurality of beam emitting ports are arranged parallel to each other while being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and a second multiple beam forming light source in which a plurality of beam emitting ports are arranged parallel to each other being spaced apart from each other by the predetermined distance.

Abstract: For dividing an image and recording divided images on a photosensitive film with a plurality of laser beams, an auxiliary scanning speed is reduced in the vicinity of junctions between adjacent ones of the divided images to adjust the intervals between main scanning lines, and each of the main scanning lines is divided into divided main scanning lines in a main scanning direction, and the divided main scanning lines are formed separately in an auxiliary scanning direction. With such a correcting process, a high-quality image free of striped artifacts and inclination differences of main scanning lines can be recorded on the photosensitive film.

Abstract: The multibeam exposure head performs exposure recording on a recording material and includes a beam emitting unit having a plurality of beam emitting port rows each of which is formed by arranging a plurality of beam emitting ports at a predetermined interval in a row and an angle changing unit that changes a tilt angle of a row direction of the plurality of beam emitting port rows of the beam emitting. The angle changing unit performs switching between two exposure recording modes having different recording resolutions. The multibeam recording method uses the multibeam exposure head.