Claims
- 1. A method for recording an image on a thermographic material (m) comprising the steps of
providing a thermographic material having a thermal imaging element (Ie), a transparent thermal head (TH) having energizable heating elements (Hi), and a radiation beam (L), activating heating elements of said thermal head and imagewise and scanwise exposing said imaging element by means of said radiation beam, such that the total energy resulting from said thermal head and from said radiation beam has a level corresponding to a gradation of the image to be recorded on said imaging element, wherein said imagewise and scanwise exposing is carried out by passing said radiation beam through transparent parts of said thermal head.
- 2. A method for recording an image on a thermographic material (m) comprising the steps of
providing a thermographic material comprising the thermal imaging element (Ie), a transparent thermal head (TH) having energizable heating elements (Hi), and a radiation beam (L), activating heating elements such that a preheat temperature (T0) in the imaging element is reached which is below the conversion temperature (Tc) of the imaging element, imagewise and scanwise exposing said imaging element by means of said radiation beam having a level of energy corresponding to a gradation of the image to be recorded on said imaging element, heating said thermal imaging element by a heating means (HM) such that a temperature (Tm) in the imaging element is reached which is higher than the conversion temperature (Tc) of the imaging element and which is apt for developing said thermographic material, wherein said imagewise and scanwise exposing is carried out by passing said radiation beam through transparent parts of said thermal head.
- 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said heating means comprises a thermal head.
- 4. A method for recording an image on a thermographic material (m) comprising the steps of
providing a thermographic material comprising a thermal imaging element (Ie), at least two thermal heads (TH1, TH2) having energizable heating elements (Hi), and a radiation beam (L), imagewise and scanwise exposing said imaging element by means of said radiation beam having a level of energy corresponding to a gradation of the image to be recorded on said imaging element, activating during a first heating time (t1) heating elements of one of said thermal heads such that a first temperature (Tm1) in the imaging element is reached, activating during a second heating time (t2) heating elements of the other one of said thermal heads such that a second temperature (Tm2) in the imaging element is reached,
wherein said imagewise and scanwise exposing is carried out by passing said radiation beam through transparent parts of one of said thermal heads.
- 5. The method according to claim 4, comprising before said imagewise and scanwise exposing, an additional step of activating heating elements such that a preheat temperature (T0) in the imaging element is reached which is below the conversion temperature (Tc) of the imaging element
- 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said heating step and said exposing step are carried out at least partly simultaneously.
- 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said activating of heating elements of a thermal head is carried out imagewise.
- 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said imagewise and scanwise exposing by means of a radiation beam is modified in that said imagewise and scanwise exposing is carried out by means of a laserdiodearray.
- 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the thermographic material is on one and the same holding or guiding means (15) during both the imagewise exposing step and the heating step.
- 10. The method according to claim 1, comprising an additional step of controlling said activating heating elements (Hi) of a transparent thermal head by monitoring the gradation while developing said thermal imaging element (Ie) by passing a monitoring beam through said transparent thermal head
- 11. Use of a method according to claim 1 in photothermography or in laserthermography.
- 12. Apparatus for recording an image on a thermographic material (m) according to claim 1.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
99 204070.9 |
Dec 1999 |
EP |
|
Parent Case Info
[0001] The application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/171,164 filed Dec. 22, 1999.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60171464 |
Dec 1999 |
US |