JPS60264251A - Image forming device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to laser imaging apparatus and methods, and more particularly, to laser imaging apparatus and methods, and more particularly, to the field of laser imaging, and more particularly, to the field of laser imaging, and more particularly, to the field of laser imaging, and more particularly, to the field of laser imaging. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for doing so.

Conventional technology when printing research materials and other publications.

Printing multiple pages on a sheet of paper and then folding the paper to form a series of sized sheets known as signatures. The @ must be properly positioned and oriented on the folded paper in order for the pages to appear in the signature in the proper haze order and orientation. The positioning and orientation of the paper on the paper is known as the formatting.

(7) Problems to be Solved by the Invention Recently, electronic page composition devices and laser plate making machines have greatly increased the adaptability and speed of page composition and plate making. An example of a laser engraving machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,411, and a computerized page structure and engraving apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,119. In these devices.

An image that is typically scanned and printed as a raster set for output media.
make an elephant For example, the scan is 1 σ from the top to the bottom of @)
[sigma]], which is not suitable for plate-setting which requires different positions and orientations for different pages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the present invention aims to provide a new and improved system which overcomes the above and other Q) limitations and disadvantages of laser imaging devices hitherto provided. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved laser-based imaging device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method having the above-mentioned characteristics, which can image a plurality of images onto an output medium with the orientation and position required for a reprint format. It is.

The present invention σ) The above-mentioned purpose and other purposes are 1 of the printing plate.
Be printed by scanning with a laser beam @<711
0) and then scanning a second location on the output medium to form a second peg. At each location on the output medium, the direction of travel of the beam and the data that modulates the beam bring the image into the proper orientation and position for the preprint format. The two ends of the head are in contact with each other. The beam is advanced to a central location between the ends of the media and then rotated and scanned in a first direction to image one of the pages in a raster set between the central location and one end of the output media. Thereafter, the beam is returned to the center position and then rotated in the opposite direction to scan, forming an inverted σ) relationship between the center position and the other end of the second medium. The output medium can be moved laterally to create additional pages in addition to the first two strokes.

(9) Embodiment As shown in FIG. 1, the laser-type one-dimensional apparatus includes an electronic bending and straightening machine 11 and laser engraving machines 12 and 2.

This device is used for offset lithography, direct lithography (dilithography)
It can be used to produce plates θ) for other types of printing devices, including character presses and character presses.

For offset and dilitho machines, the output medium on which the image is formed is the plate itself, and for character press machines, the output medium is the negative of the film from which the plate is made.

The page constructor includes a computer 16 and an interface 14, which may be of the type described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,119. The computer has a keyboard through which data and input signals enter the device and send data and control signals to the plate making machine.

The plate making machine is U.S. Patent No. 4,240,119 or No. 4.39.
It may be of the type described in US Pat. No. 3,411 or any other suitable type, such as a drum scanner. In addition to the elements shown in FIG. 2, the plate-making machine may also include a reader for scanning data from the input copy on the printing plate (10). The data that has been read from the input copy is not transferred to the computer via the interface unit, but is stored in this unit, combined with the data input through the computer, and sent to the plate-making machine. A plate or negative can be visualized in six different modes of action. (2) computer mode in which data from the computer is directly imaged on the output medium; (3) computer mode in which data read from the computer is read from the platen. The data is combined with the data to create an image on the output medium.

Furthermore, one individual σ) data or raster stored in a computer storage device for files and one image? Combine complete picture or composite raster - 1 elephant? make.

As shown in Figure 2, 5 plate making machines are printing plates or output media 1
7.Include the enrichment platen 16 to be installed. The convoluted beam 18 generated by the laser 19 is shaped into an output medium and is modulated by a modulator 21 in accordance with the data. The modulated beam is directed to a scanning device (11) 22 which causes the beam to scan laterally across the output medium. The scanning device is mounted on a carriage 33 which is driven by a reversible drive motor 24 in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the output medium. As the carriage advances, the scanning device scans the beam over the output medium in a raster sequence. A position sensor 26 monitors the longitudinal position 2 of the carriage. In one currently preferred A-integral side, this sensor includes a limit switch that is activated when the carriage reaches extreme positions of its motion. The sensor also includes an optical encoder;
The encoder outputs a signal equivalent to the position between the two extremes of the carriage's movement σ). If desired, the σ) sign can also be used to indicate the end of the carriage σ] movement. Means is also provided for laterally moving the position of the write platen so that images of the pages are formed side by side on the output medium.

In the illustrated embodiment, this means includes a lateral positioning motor 27 connected to the write platen, which platen can also be manually positioned (12) if desired. θ) data from the electronic page composer 11 is applied to the modulation input of the modulator 21 via a storage device 29. Data is read into this storage one line at a time and read from the storage in either the normal direction for normal reading type images or in the reverse direction for upside down reading type images. The data read from the memory device can also be complemented to create a negative image, as in the exposure of a negative in a character press.

The operation of the plate making machine is controlled by a microprocessor 6 which receives input from an electronic negative composer 11 and a carriage position sensor 26.
Controlled by 1. The processor includes an output signal composer, a modulator 26%, a storage device 29. The main elements of the plate making machine include the drive motor 24 and the lateral positioning motor 27.

The function and usage of the shaping device of the present invention and the shaping method will be explained with reference to the plate formatting format shown in FIG. This figure shows a piece of paper 66 having the 8@signature format shown in FIG.

Each σ) side of the paper strip 66 is divided into four parts by fold lines 37 and 58, and the numbers attached to the paper strips indicate the α printed on each section. These numbers are oriented according to the direction that each page should face when printed. Therefore, the 1st @ and 8th nails are printed side by side on the lower half of the paper strip facing forward, the 4th @ and 5th nails are printed upside down on the upper half of the front facing side, and the 2nd nail The 7th day is officially printed on the bottom half of the back.

The sixth negative and the sixth negative are printed upside down on the back side.

After all the pages have been printed, the top half of the piece of paper is folded backwards and downwards over line 67, and then folded along line 38 to form the signature shown in FIG. Form.

Is the printing plate for printing on the front side of the plate format shown in Figure 6 using the offset method a plate? Writing platen 1
60 by attaching it to the specified position. The drive motor 24 is actuated to advance the carriage 26 at a relatively high speed from an initial position near one of its extreme positions of motion to a central position in which the beam is positioned midway between the ends of the output medium. When the carriage reaches the center position, the drive motor advances the carriage in the forward direction at the normal scanning speed and generates a beam that transfers the first and eighth pages to the bottom half of the output medium (14). It is modulated with the imaged data in such a way that the

When one of these is formed, the oath beam 'Y/I'l
The drive motor is then reversed to return the carriage to the center position at a relatively high speed. After that σ), the drive motor advances the carriage to its original position at a normal speed σ) and the writing beam. It is modulated with data representing the 4th page, 5th stroke, and t-shape in the second half of the generated version. These images are formed by reading upside down from top to bottom as the beam moves from the center of the plate toward the top edge. A plate to be printed on the back side of the sheet 36 can be made in a similar manner.

Similarly, the plates for dilitho printing are made by inverting 1 dust 2 so that the lower half σ) of the 5th plate is upside down and the upper half is shaped so that it can be read normally. For negatives.

The data modulating the beam should be complemented to produce the same effect.

With the present invention, a wide range of types θ) plate formats) & can be produced. Additional θ) 1 is the horizontal direction or length of the output medium, ::1
You can carve the sides and ends of the original nail by simply moving it in the same direction.

(15) Effects of the invention In the specific example illustrated, are the images on different pages? Proper orientation is achieved by the NY constant scanning direction and the order in which data for each scanning line is read from the storage device. (The orientation and positioning of the elephant is also controlled by a computer and a page combiner,
In that case, the f&v can be oriented in other directions by rotating the data supplied to the plate making machine. In this way, for example, you can rotate the output medium 'Y 900 degrees and print tabloid newspaper editions side by side.

Although the invention has been described with particular reference to printing plates and the negatives they produce, the invention may also be used with other photosensitive materials such as film, paper, and reinforcements. For example, images can be formed directly into DYLUX (trademark of DuPont) for reinforcement.

The above description provides a new and improved laser imaging device and method. It turns out that it was provided. Although presently preferred embodiments have been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the claims (16).

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of one specific example of the laser imager θ of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a laser engraving machine of the type shown in Fig. A plan view of a piece of paper having a formatted format printed according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the pieces of paper in Figure 6 [theta]) folded to form a signature. (17)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) An apparatus for forming images on a plurality of printed page media in a position and orientation corresponding to a plate format, in which one of the five pages is imaged. First part 1 of the output medium 17
means 22 for scanning a location on the output medium with the laser beam 18 to form a second location 4 on the output medium 17;
A second portion of the output medium is irradiated with a laser beam to form an image of the page. An imaging device characterized in that it is equipped with scanning means 22. 2) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output medium 17 is a printing plate. 6) The means 22 for scanning a first location scans the beam 18 relative to the output medium 17 as the beam scans across the first location in a direction substantially parallel to the first direction. and means 26 for advancing it. Means 22 for scanning a second location scans the beam 1B across the 20th location in a direction substantially perpendicular to the (+) 2σ) direction relative to the output medium 17. ) Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising means 2 for advancing it in the direction σ). 4) Beam 1 is formed in one place using the 1st beam normal σ) method and 1st beam is formed in the other place using the upside down method.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an 8-channel fA-f filter means 21. 5) The means for scanning the first location 1 and the second location 4 of the output medium 17 includes a scanning head 22 which deflects the beam 18 laterally along a path of a predetermined length across the output medium. 1. Apparatus comprising means for advancing in a longitudinal direction relative to the output medium and thereby scanning the output medium in a raster set at first and second locations. . 6) Output medium? means 27 for forming images at additional locations in addition to the one image formed at the first and second σ) locations by moving laterally relative to the scanning medium; The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: (2) 7) means 26. in which the first and second locations 1.4 are positioned at opposite ends of the output medium 170 and means for scanning the single location advances the beam to a central position between the ends of the output medium; The output medium 17 is scanned in a set of rasters between its center position and one end position to the first location 1 (means for forming an image, a beam? means 23 for returning the output medium to the center position and the center position of the output medium and the and the other end in a raster set to scan the second point 4.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means 22 for forming an image. 8) 1st σ) At point 1, the image is formed from top to bottom using the regular reading method, and at the second point 4, the image is formed from top to bottom using the upside down reading method. Claim No. 7
Section equipment. 9) First point 1 laser beam 18 of output medium 17
Scan with 1st Q) 10) Image of one thing in one fixed place? Forming a second one-four laser beam 18 in the output medium
scanning the output medium at a second σ) position to form an image of the second σ) of the nail at a location 4 corresponding to a plurality of Hakogami formats and (3) with an orientation; How to image. 10) In a direction in which the beam is approximately horizontal to the first direction 10)
advancing the beam in the first direction relative to the output medium as the beam scans across the second location; Beam relatively? 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising advancing in said second direction. Claim 1: Formed by an inverted f-elephant reading method
0 term method. 12) A patent in which the first and second locations are each scanned in a raster set by advancing the beam 1B along the length of the output medium and deflecting the beam across the output medium as the beam advances lengthwise. The method of claim 9. 13) Output medium? The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of laterally moving to form an image at an additional location of 8°5 in addition to the images formed at the first and second locations. . 14) advancing the beam to a central position between the ends of the output medium 17, scanning between the central position and one end of the output medium 17 to form an image at the first location 1, and returning the beam to the central position;
10. A method as claimed in claim 9, including the step of scanning the output medium in a raster sequence between its center position and the other end to form a single quadrant at the second location. 15) The image at the first location 1 is formed from top to bottom using a normal reading method, and the image at the second location is formed using an inverted reading method. the method of. 16) a carriage 26 longitudinally movable relative to the output medium 17 between an initial position and a remote position; and drive means 24 for advancing the carriage between the initial position and the remote position;
means 22 mounted on the carriage for deflecting the laser beam 1B in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carriage to scan the output medium in a raster fashion along successive scan lines;
(5) means 31 for actuating the drive means in the positive direction at a relatively high speed to advance the carriage to a central position between the initial position and the remote position; and driving means 61 for operating the beam in the forward direction at a normal scanning speed to generate a beam, modulating it according to the first day's data, and driving the carriage from a central position to a remote position. Means 61 operates in the opposite direction at a relatively high speed to extinguish the beam wf8 and return the carriage to the central position; means 31 for actuation in opposite directions at a scanning speed. Claim 1 which is a printed version
Apparatus of Section 6. 1B) 10th I@3: modulates the beam 18 so as to display a normal reading format from top to bottom and an inverted reading format from top to bottom; 16.0 Apparatus. (6) 19) Claim further comprising means 27 for laterally moving the output medium 17 and positioning it at different locations on the beam 1B in a laterally displaced arrangement with respect to each other. Apparatus according to item 16 within the scope of