JPH10123716A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a change in the sensitivity characteristic of microcapsule paper which is exposed in a main body case, and deterioration of image quality. SOLUTION: A temperature sensor 29 and a cooling fan 22 are arranged in proper areas in the main body case 21 of a photoreceptive, pressure-sensitive printer 80 attached to a measuring panel 100 in an automobile for riding. When the temperature of the atmosphere of the inside of the main body case 21 is higher than a reference temperature, heat is expelled by rotating the cooling fan 22 at a high speed, to prevent the characteristic of the sensitivity of the microcapsule paper 37 from changing. In case it exceeds a warning temperature, an alarm lamp 110 is caused to flicker, and also a printing operation is temporarily stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of exposing a photosensitive recording medium on which a latent image of image information is formed by exposure to light to expose the image information by development with an image forming light corresponding to the image information. And an image forming apparatus for developing the image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art U.S. Pat.
No. 399209 discloses that a photosensitive layer having microcapsules containing a photosensitive substance in an internal phase is exposed to radiation in an image-like manner, and a uniform rupture force is applied, whereby the microcapsules rupture and the internal phase substance is imaged. Is described. Exposure changes the mechanical strength of the microcapsules to form an exposure latent image, and when pressure is applied, capsules with low mechanical strength (capsules that have not been cured or softened) are destroyed and color materials, etc. Is discharged and development is performed.

[0003] This image forming system is a completely dry system and has a great advantage because it does not depend on a wet developing solution to generate an image. An imaging color former, such as a nearly colorless color former, is usually encapsulated in microcapsules. When the microcapsules are broken, the color-generating substance (color-forming agent) as a coloring material reacts with the developing substance to form a color image.

In the embodiment described in the referenced patent, the microcapsules were exposed to the image, usually through a nip between a pair of cylindrical calendering (glazing) rollers. The microcapsule paper is broken by passing. Usually high pressure and large glazing rollers are used to develop the microcapsule paper. Even with fairly precise metal polishes, the surface is not flat. If one roller simply rests on the other, the surfaces of both rollers are not in contact over their full width. By applying pressure to the rollers, the uneven surface or irregularities of the surface are smoothed and provide a uniform line of contact between the rollers. High pressure and large rollers are required to achieve a microcapsule breaking force distribution over the entire surface of the microcapsule paper. If the forces are not evenly distributed, the microcapsule paper will not develop uniformly and the resulting image will have poor tonal characteristics. As an example of a developing means for solving this inconvenience, there is a technique using a point contact developing ball, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-161153.

An image forming apparatus which exposes such a photosensitive recording medium with image forming light corresponding to image information and develops the same is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-231758. An image forming apparatus which selectively leads to a photosensitive recording medium in accordance with
No. 364, an image forming apparatus which scans a plurality of light source lights and guides the light to a photosensitive recording medium;
There is known an image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 2822 which exposes the same portion a plurality of times via a polygon mirror or the like in a photosensitive recording medium capable of expressing a plurality of colors.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-369633, etc., the photosensitive recording medium is subjected to a heat treatment for a fixing action in which the microcapsules are completely cured after exposure and pressure development so that no color change occurs thereafter. It is also known to provide a heat fixing device that performs heat fixing. In recent years, the present applicant has devised and applied for an image forming apparatus of a type using a plurality of light emitting elements in order to expose a photosensitive recording medium with imaging light. In this type of image forming apparatus, a plurality of light emitting elements are fixed to an exposure head which is relatively moved along a photosensitive recording medium, and output light from the light emitting elements is selectively exposed to light by a shielding plate having a mask hole. It is configured to irradiate a recording medium.

In this case, the light energy emitted from the light emitting element causes a polymerization reaction between the polymerization initiator of the microcapsule and the photocurable resin in the photosensitive recording medium, and the mechanical strength of the microcapsule changes. However, the polymerization reaction rate is not so high. Therefore,
Even if a large amount of light energy is applied to the microcapsules in one pixel portion of the photosensitive recording medium at a time, only a part of the light energy can contribute to the polymerization reaction, and the exposure sensitivity cannot be increased. Was.

In order to solve this problem, a paper feeding mechanism for a photosensitive recording medium and a paper discharging unit are vertically arranged in front of a case (frame) in the image forming apparatus of the present invention. The heating means, the developing means, and the exposure means are arranged in order from the front side in a reciprocating conveyance path formed toward the back of the photosensitive recording medium, and the surface of the photosensitive recording medium is exposed before being exposed by the heating means. The temperature of the photosensitive recording medium is increased by appropriately raising the temperature in advance. It has also been proposed that this heating means be used to completely cure the microcapsules of the photosensitive recording medium after exposure and development, and to prevent a subsequent color change.

[0009]

However, while the pressing force in the conventional developing means and the heating temperature in the heating means are set to be constant, since these means are arranged in a closed case, they are continuously arranged. During a printing operation or the like, the temperature inside the case rises, and the sensitivity characteristics of the microcapsule paper as the photosensitive recording medium fluctuate, so that it was not possible to adjust to obtain an optimum image quality.

Conventionally, this type of image forming apparatus has not been mounted on an automobile such as a passenger car. However, in recent automobiles such as passenger cars, a television device and a car navigation system are mounted so that external image information can be obtained. There has been an increasing demand to meet the demands of the people on board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and to meet the demand, and has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, and to provide a vehicle-mounted image capable of stably stabilizing the image quality of a formed output image. It is an object to provide a forming device.

[0012]

In order to achieve this object, an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 is provided in a main body case.
Exposure means for exposing a photosensitive recording medium that carries a microcapsule containing a photosensitive component and a colorant whose intensity changes with respect to light of a predetermined wavelength and on which a latent image of image information is formed by exposure, Developing means for applying pressure to the photosensitive recording medium to break the microcapsules having weak strength, and developing the latent image by the coloring material flowing out of the broken microcapsules; and developing the photosensitive recording medium by the developing means. An image forming apparatus having heating means for heating after development, wherein the main body case is mounted in an automobile,
Temperature detecting means for sensing the temperature inside the main body case, cooling means for cooling the heat inside the main body case, and keeping the temperature inside the main body case constant based on the temperature information sensed by the temperature detecting means. Control means for controlling the cooling means so as to maintain the temperature at or below the temperature.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the heating means has a self-temperature control function. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the cooling unit is a cooling fan disposed in a main body case or an air conditioner disposed in a vehicle compartment. The cooling capacity of the cooling means can be variably adjusted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the temperature in the main body case reaches a predetermined warning temperature, , And control means for controlling the image forming operation to be temporarily stopped when the temperature reaches the warning temperature. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a terminal for inputting image data from a CCD camera, a television, a car navigation system, or the like is provided in the main body case. And control means for executing an image forming operation based on information from the image data input terminal.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a state in which a photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 as an image forming apparatus of the present invention is incorporated in an instrument panel 100 at the front of a passenger car.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the instrument panel 100 including the main body case 21 in the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80, and FIG.

Next, the overall structure of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. Generally, a speedometer 101,
A tachometer 102, various indicators, a warning lamp, and the like are arranged at positions that are easy to enter the eyes of the operator holding the steering handle 103, and beside the air conditioning operation unit 104, a car radio (car audio) 10
5. The cassette deck 106 and the like are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, and the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 is built in a part of the space. The main body case 21 of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 has a width of approximately 50 mm in vertical dimension and 180 mm in horizontal dimension, and a light-shielding property in a state where unexposed microcapsule paper 37 is stacked on the front surface of the main body case 21. Cartridge 6
7 is detachably provided, and a paper discharge tray 63 is mounted on the upper side. The microcapsule paper 37 stacked and accommodated in the cartridge 67 is set so that a light-transmitting support 31 described later faces upward.

As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feeding roller 65 as a paper feeding mechanism for feeding at least the microcapsule paper 37 from the cartridge 67 is provided in the main body case 21.
And a paper transport path P1 for carry-in, and a paper discharge path P2 as a paper discharge path for guiding the microcapsule paper 37 branched from the image-formed microcapsule paper 37 to a paper discharge tray 63 outside the apparatus.
And a branch portion between the paper transport path P1 and the paper discharge path P2 is disposed between a feed roller 68 and a paper feed roller 65 disposed on the downstream side of the paper transport path P1. Is provided with a paper discharge roller 75. Further, a paper path switching plate (not shown) is disposed at the branch portion so as to be switchably movable. The paper path switching plate is used when the microcapsule paper 37 is carried into the apparatus by the paper feed roller 65. When the microcapsule paper 37 is separated from the paper transport path P1 and discharged, it enters the paper transport path P1 to guide the microcapsule paper 37 to the paper discharge path P2.

In the present embodiment, a film heater 64 is disposed between the feed roller 68 and the inlet to the sheet reciprocating path P3 as the common path, and the microcapsule paper 37 before exposure is provided as described later. Is heated to a predetermined temperature to improve the sensitivity of the microcapsule paper 37 and fix the microcapsule paper 37 after development.

The cartridge 67 is a photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80
In a state where the microcapsule paper 37 is set at a predetermined position of the main body case 21, the microcapsule paper 37 is taken out of the cartridge 67 one by one by a paper feed roller 65 as a paper feed unit. Pulled left toward. After leaving the cartridge 67, the unexposed microcapsule paper 37 is
The unexposed state is maintained by the light-shielding cover and the like.

In the main body case 21, a carriage 48 having an exposure head 20 and a developing unit 45 is disposed on a paper reciprocating path P3 as a common path, and a microcapsule is provided at the left end of the paper reciprocating path P3. A stopper 69, which is a position where the paper 37 is sent to and reciprocates, is provided. The main body case 21 includes a control board 83 on which a control circuit CPU 70, a ROM 71, a RAM 72, and the like described later are mounted, and a rechargeable battery 82 such as a lithium ion battery (battery) or a nickel hydride battery. The power from the battery 82 is supplied to a control circuit and a film heater 64 as a heating unit, which will be described later, and the like. It should be noted that a configuration may be adopted in which power can be supplied from a battery power source mounted on a normal automobile instead of or selectively to the battery 82.

A temperature sensor 29 (see FIG. 2) provided at an appropriate place in the main body case 21 allows the main body case 2 to be mounted.
1 to detect whether the ambient temperature (especially the ambient temperature around the exposed portion) is equal to or higher than a reference temperature, and when the ambient temperature is higher than the reference temperature, the cooling fan 22 provided in the main body case 21 allows the heating to be performed. The heat generated from the film heater 64 or the like as a means is transmitted from a ventilation port 23a opened on the rear surface or the like of the main body case 21 to a ventilation hole 23b communicating with a ventilation duct for an air conditioner opened on the back side of the instrument panel 100. Release toward. In this case, during a printing operation to be described later, unnecessary light is applied to the unexposed microcapsule paper 37 from the emission port 23a.
A shutter means (not shown) which can be opened and closed so as not to enter the inside.

As a cooling means, cool air is supplied from a duct of an air conditioner (not shown) having a conventionally well-known structure for controlling the air temperature in the interior of the automobile through the ventilation holes 23b and the ventilation holes 23a. You may comprise so that it may feed into the main body case 21. An input terminal 107a for taking in image data such as a map in the car navigation system 107 is provided on a front surface of the main body case 21.
An input terminal 108a for capturing image data captured by the digital camera 108;
And a hard copy can be obtained by printing each of the image data on the microcapsule paper 37 by the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80. As will be described later, when the ambient temperature inside the main body case 21 reaches a temperature (warning temperature) that has a bad influence on the unexposed microcapsule paper 37, an alarm lamp 110 is provided for flashing to give a warning for warning. When the warning temperature is reached, a warning sound may be output from a speaker (not shown) of the car radio (car audio) 105.

As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 48 provided with the exposure head 20 and the developing unit 45 has a direction (X direction in FIG. 3) orthogonal to the feed direction of the microcapsule paper 37 (Y direction in FIG. 3). Guide shafts 49, 4 extending along
9, which is slidably supported by the servomotor 62, the gear group 61, and the screw shaft 60, and is reciprocated. The mounting position of the exposure head 20 as the exposure means is set upstream of the point contact ball 46 in the feeding direction of the microcapsule paper 37. On the right side (paper discharge side) of the exposure head 20, a developing device 45 having a point contact ball 46 as a developing means is provided. On the other hand, a feed roller 50a is disposed on the left side of the carriage 48 on the paper reciprocating path P3.

Next, an embodiment of the heating means will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, a film heater 64 bent downward and convexly curved is attached to a plate-like bracket 641 elongated in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction with respect to the transport direction (Y direction) of the microcapsule paper 37, The microcapsule paper 3 which is disposed so that the lower end surface of the film heater 64 is in contact with the upper surface of the support 471 and is transferred on the support 471
7 is configured to be heated while sliding on the upper surface.

The carriage 48 is a microcapsule paper 37
The unexposed microcapsule paper 37 that has exited from the lower portion of the cartridge 67 in a state of being retracted to the side of the transport path (see FIG. 3) is guided by the feed roller 68 and once passes above the exposure table 66. Then, it is fed to the position of the stopper 69. In this case, the surface of the unexposed microcapsule paper 37 is heated to 45 ° C. to
By heating to a constant temperature of about 0 ° C., the sensitivity at the time of subsequent exposure is improved. Further, as described later, the microcapsule paper 37 after development is heated to a predetermined temperature of about 80 ° C to 100 ° C. FIG. 5 shows the ratio of the sensitivity of the photosensitive recording medium when the microcapsule paper 37 as the photosensitive recording medium of the embodiment is preheated to a predetermined temperature.
Assuming that the case of about 25 ° C. is 1, if the temperature is raised to 50 ° C., the sensitivity will be about 1.3 times.

As shown in FIG. 6, the film heater 64 as a heating means has a positive temperature coefficient (temperature-resistance characteristic in which the electric resistance value increases as the temperature increases). Is obtained by dispersing conductive particles such as carbon black particles in a crystalline polymer film such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). To become and,
It is considered that the volume expands rapidly, the distance between conductive particles such as carbon black particles increases, and the electric resistance value increases.

In the second embodiment of the film heater 64, a conductive film such as carbon black particles is applied to one side of a crystalline polymer film as described above in a predetermined pattern by thick-film printing, and the conductive particles are further coated. A pair of electrode films is applied by thick-film printing on the surface of the layer, and the upper surface is covered with a synthetic resin film or the like as a protective film. The film heater 64 having such a positive temperature coefficient is a self-temperature control type sheet heating element. That is, when a constant voltage circuit is used to generate heat by applying a constant voltage via a conductive particle from a pair of electrodes apart from the film heater 64, as shown in FIG. 6,
Since the electric resistance value increases with the temperature rise, the current flowing through the conductive particle portion gradually decreases with the temperature rise,
When the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, only a small current flows, and the target temperature (70 ° C. in the embodiment) can be maintained as shown by the curve C in FIG.

In the conventional temperature control of a nichrome resistance wire or the like using a thermal relay or the like, as shown by a D curve (dashed line) in FIG. Therefore, when the microcapsule paper 37 is heated by the film heater 64 having a positive temperature coefficient as compared with the temperature control using a conventional thermal relay or the like, the surface temperature of the microcapsule paper 37 is kept constant, and the sensitivity unevenness occurs. It does not occur.

In the embodiment, when the unexposed microcapsule paper 37 is transported from the position of the cartridge 67 in the direction of the paper reciprocating path P3 at a high speed of 40 (mm / sec.), The surface temperature of the microcapsule paper 37 becomes 50 ° C (variation due to environmental temperature is ± 5 ° C). Further, the microcapsule paper 37 once stopped at the position of the stopper 69 is returned to the right, and is subjected to the exposure action by the exposure head 20 and passes through the developing unit 45 to receive the pressure development action as described later. Therefore, when the microcapsule paper 37 is transported at a low speed of about 2 (mm / sec.), The development is completed and the surface temperature of the microcapsule paper 37 at which a color image is formed is raised to 80 ° C.
By heating to about 100 ° C., the capsule is completely cured, and the dye precursor is confined in the capsule to thereby fix the color development.

As in this embodiment, the film heater 64
The heat generation temperature of the microcapsule paper 37 itself is kept constant, and the amount of heat applied per unit area of the microcapsule paper 37 due to the difference in the transport speed such as increasing or decreasing the transport speed of the microcapsule paper 37 is set to a predetermined value. Therefore, there is an effect that the structure can be simplified and the surface temperature of the microcapsule paper 37 can be controlled evenly as compared with the conventional temperature control.

Below the exposure head 20 at the center of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80, exposure stands 66 are held parallel to each other with a small distance therebetween. The microcapsule paper 37 passes between the exposure head 20 and the exposure table 66 due to the minute distance. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, by scanning the exposure head 20 in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the microcapsule paper 37, a latent image corresponding to the red, green, and blue images is formed in a selective range of the microcapsule paper 37. Is done.

Next, the photosensitive recording medium will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional structure of a microcapsule paper 37 as a photosensitive recording medium.
On the surface of the component, a component that develops a color upon contact with a co-reactant as a coloring material (a dye precursor, hereinafter sometimes referred to as a chromogen)
And a microcapsule 32 containing a component (photocurable resin) whose mechanical strength changes (photocuring) upon exposure to light of a predetermined wavelength, and a dye precursor (chromogen) in the microcapsule. Reacting co-reactant (color developer)
33 and a mixed coating layer 34 is formed.
4, a sheet-like support 35 is sequentially laminated.

The microcapsules 32 include three types of different microcapsules, and each microcapsule has:
Includes a colorless dye precursor for color development of one of yellow, magenta, and cyan, a photocurable resin that is sensitive to light of each wavelength of the three primary colors of light, and a polymerization initiator. Have been. Therefore, when the microcapsule paper 37 is exposed to, for example, blue light (light having a wavelength of about 470 nm), the photocurable resin of the microcapsules 32 containing the dye precursor of only yellow is photo-cured and cured.
When pressure is applied to the microcapsule 7, the photocured microcapsules (in this case, yellow) are not destroyed, and the uncured microcapsules (in this case, magenta and cyan) are destroyed, and the magenta and cyan dye precursors become microscopic. It flows out of the capsule and reacts with the developer to form a color, which is mixed to become blue. This blue color is observed through the transparent support 31.

When green light (light having a wavelength of about 525 nm) is exposed on the microcapsule paper 37, the photocurable resin of the microcapsules containing a magenta-only dye precursor is photosensitive-cured, and yellow and yellow are developed by pressure development. The cyan microcapsules 32 are destroyed, and the yellow and cyan dye precursors react with the developer to develop colors, respectively, and become green by color mixing.

Further, when the microcapsule paper 37 is exposed to red light (light having a wavelength of about 650 nm), the photocurable resin of the microcapsules containing the dye precursor of only cyan is photosensitive-cured, and is yellowed by pressure development. , Magenta microcapsules are destroyed, and the yellow and magenta dye precursors react with the color developer to develop colors, respectively, and become red by color mixing.

Further, when all the microcapsules are photosensitive-cured by exposure, they are not destroyed even by pressure development, so that no color development occurs, and the surface of the sheet-like support 35 is visually observed via the transparent support 31. You can do it.
The color (for example, white) of the surface of the sheet-like support 35 becomes the background color, and a color image is formed only in the portion where the color reaction has occurred. Note that this principle of coloring is referred to as self-coloring. The surface of the light-transmitting support 31 in the microcapsule paper 37 is referred to as a coloring side surface.

In the case of this embodiment, the light transmitting support 3
Examples of the material 1 include resin films such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and polyvinyl chloride.
Examples of the microcapsules 32 include chromogens of triphenylmethane and spiropyran dyes, photocurable resins of acryloyl group-containing compounds such as trimethylolpropane triacrylate, and photopolymerization initiators such as benzophenone and benzoylalkyl ether. ,gelatin,
Known materials such as polyamides, polyvinyl alcohols, polyisocyanate resins and the like encapsulated in polymer walls can be used.

The co-reactant 33 may be related to the composition of the chromogen in the microcapsule 32, but may be an acidic substance, for example, an inorganic oxide such as acid clay, kaolin, acidic zinc, or titanium oxide. A known developer such as a phenol novolak resin or an organic acid can be used. A binder, a filler, a viscosity modifier, and the like are further added to the microcapsules 32 and the co-reactant 33, and the mixture is coated on the light-transmitting support 31 by a coating roller, a spray, a doctor knife, or the like. Is formed.

As the sheet-like support 35, a transparent, translucent or opaque support, for example, paper (cellulose), synthetic paper, a resin film such as polyester or polycarbonate can be used. FIG. 9 shows microcapsule paper 3
FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. For example, if the microcapsule paper 37 is transported along the paper path P1 of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 along the Y direction, and at least the exposure head 20 reciprocates left and right, the microcapsule paper 3
7 includes an image forming area 39 for displaying a high-quality image.
A peripheral area 40 surrounding the image forming area 39 is formed. The peripheral area 40 is an area where a high-quality image cannot be formed, such as an image forming area, when an image is printed on a microcapsule paper by a pressure-sensitive photosensitive printer described later.

One method of forming the peripheral region 40 can be realized by exposing only the peripheral region 40 to intense white light in advance at a factory and sufficiently hardening all the microcapsules in the region. . Since the microcapsules thus hardened in advance are not ruptured even by pressure development, the internal phase (dye precursor) required for image development is not released, and the peripheral region 40 is a region where a white frame should be formed in the printer output. I will say.

Next, the structure of the exposure means of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10A is a schematic sectional view showing only a main part of an exposure head 20 for exposing a microcapsule paper 37 as a photosensitive recording medium, and FIG.
0 is a bottom view of the exposure head 20 as described later.
Is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements and a substrate 1 for supporting (fixing) them.

The manufacturing method is as follows. An insulating layer 2 made of white polyimide is coated on a surface of a flat substrate 1 made of aluminum with a thickness of 100 μm.
On the surface of the insulating layer 2, an electrode layer 3 having a predetermined plan view land pattern for transmitting an electric signal is formed by printing. The electrode layer 3 is made of 35 μm copper and 5 μm nickel.
m and gold of 0.5 to 1.0 μm. A required number of concave portions 4 are formed at predetermined positions of the electrode layer 3 formed in a predetermined pattern as described above, and each of the concave portions 4 has an LED as a light emitting element.
Is attached.

That is, a predetermined mold (not shown) is used in which a projection corresponding to each of the concave portions 4 and a concave portion corresponding to the convex portion 1a as a material release portion are formed on the lower surface side of the concave portion 4. ,
By precisely pressing the substrate 1 by a known fine blanking process, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), each recess 4 having a horn-shaped cross section is formed. In this case, the bottom surface 4a of each concave portion 4 is formed parallel to the surface of the substrate 1, and the inclined side surface 4b is formed so as to spread upward from the bottom surface 4a. Insulating layer 2 on the surface of substrate 1
The electrode layer 3 is also formed in a predetermined pattern along the surface of the concave portion 4. In addition, the depth of each recess 4 is determined by each LED described later.
Is formed deeper than the mounting height.

The electrode layer 3 on the bottom surface 4a of the recess 4
A red LED 7, a green LED 8, and a blue LED 9 are provided and fixed to the surface of the substrate with a conductive adhesive 6, respectively. Here, the depths of the recesses 4 are red LED7, green LED8, blue L
Because it is formed slightly deeper than the mounting height of ED9,
The tops of the LEDs 7, 8, and 9 are located below the surface of the substrate 1. This red LED7, green LED8, blue LE
From the top of D9, a bonding wire 10
Electrical connection is made at a predetermined position of the lead pattern 3, and each LED and the bonding wire 10 are sealed with a transparent sealing material 11 so as not to come into contact with air.

As the adhesive 6, a silver paste is used for the red LED 7, and an epoxy resin or the like is used for the green LED 8 and the blue LED 9. This is because the bottom surface of the red LED 7 is one of the electric terminals, so that it is necessary to make an electric connection with the substrate 1 by the conductive adhesive 6, whereas the green L
In the ED 8 and the blue LED 9, since two electric terminals are disposed on the top surface, an insulating and transparent epoxy resin is used for bonding. By using the transparent adhesive 6,
The output light generated inside the green LED 8 and the blue LED 9 and traveling to the bottom surface passes through the transparent adhesive 6 and passes through the bottom surface 4 of the concave portion 4.
Since the light is reflected at a and is emitted again from the top surface, there is an effect that the output light increases.

The red LED 7 is made of AlGa as its basic material.
As is used, and a DDH structure having a high output and known technology can be applied. The center wavelength of the output light is about 650 (nm). There is one electrical terminal on the top and one on the bottom. Green LE
D8 and blue LED 9 are both GaN as the basic material.
Is used. The center wavelengths of the output light are about 525 (nm) and about 470 (nm), respectively. There are two of these electrical terminals on the top and not on the bottom. Each LE
D emits output light in all directions in space by applying a current in a predetermined direction to two electrical terminals. The output light emitted in all directions is
One part goes directly upward in the drawing, and the other part is reflected by the side surface 4b of the concave portion 4 and similarly emitted upward in the drawing.

The bonding wire 10 is made of a gold wire, and is bonded to the top surface of each LED and the lead pattern 3 by heating and ultrasonic bonding. The sealing material 11 is formed of a thermosetting resin, and is usually a transparent silicone resin.
JCR or the like is used. Thermal curing conditions are usually 15
The time at 0 ° C. is about one hour. Since general semiconductor materials such as LEDs have a phenomenon in which when exposed to air, their surfaces are subject to the effects of oxidation, moisture absorption, and the like, and their characteristics are rapidly deteriorated, the sealing material 11 is used for the purpose of avoiding this and the bonding wire 10 and the like. The purpose is to prevent destruction by mechanical shock.

Above the substrate 1, a mask 13 as a selective supply unit having a plurality of pinholes 12 is provided and positioned via a mask holding material 14. The mask holder 14 is mounted and fixed in a boss hole 15 for positioning on the substrate 1, and a positioning groove 14 a for holding a mask is formed on the upper end surface of the mask holder 14. The mask is loaded into the positioning groove 14a, and the mask 13 is fixed integrally with the substrate 1 by fixing means such as bonding or screwing.
In this embodiment, the mask 13 is integrated with the substrate 1 by the sealing material 11.

The mask holding member 14 is a molded product made of a high-precision heat-resistant plastic material, and is used for positioning the mask 13 in three axial directions through the positioning boss holes 15 on the substrate 1. As described above, since the thermosetting resin is used for the sealing material 11, the mask holding material 14 is used by using the thermosetting resin.
When the positioning and the mask 13 are simultaneously positioned and bonded and fixed, the mask holding material 14 can be used even at the curing temperature of the sealing material 11.
It is necessary to use a heat-resistant material so as not to be deformed.

The mask 13 is formed of stainless steel having a thickness of about 0.1 mm, and its outer shape and pinholes 12 are formed.
Are processed by etching. In addition, the surface is blackened by a dipping method, which is a non-reflection treatment of light. Pinhole 12 has a hole diameter of φ0.2m
The diameter of the hole determines the resolution of the light pattern supplied to the microcapsule paper 37 as the photosensitive recording medium. This pinhole 12 is formed opposite to the top of the red LED 7, the green LED 8, and the blue LED 9, respectively.

In this case, in this embodiment, one set of three LEDs 7a, 7b, and 7c for red, one set of three LEDs 8a, 8b, and 8c for green, and three LEDs 9a for blue , 9b, 9c as one set. And
As shown in FIG. 11, with respect to the three LEDs for red, the distance X1 between the LED 7a and the LED 7b, and the distance between the LED 7b and the LED 7b in the reciprocating direction of the exposure head 20a (first direction, X direction in FIG. 11). The interval X1 with the LED 7c is arranged at intervals of an integral multiple (for example, 16 times) of one pixel (one dot) of an image formed on the microcapsule paper 37, while the feed direction of the microcapsule paper 37 (first 2 (Y direction in FIG. 11), the LED 7a and the LED
The distance Y1 from the LED 7b and the distance Y1 from the LED 7b to the LED 7c are set so as to be shifted from one pixel (one dot) of the image formed on the microcapsule paper 37 by an integer multiple thereof. is there. Three LEDs 8a, 8b, 8c for green and three LEDs 9 for blue
a, 9b, and 9c are also arranged as described above. The interval Y2 between the set of red LEDs 7 and the set of green LEDs 8 in the second direction (Y direction in FIG. 11).
Are arranged 16 dots apart, and the interval Y2 between the set of red LEDs 7 and the set of blue LEDs 9 is also arranged 16 dots apart.

Accordingly, the arrangement of the pinholes 12 formed in the mask 13 also matches the arrangement of the LEDs. Then, while the microcapsule paper 37 is fed in the second direction (Y direction in FIG. 11), the surface of the microcapsule paper 37 is brought into close contact with the mask 13, and the exposure head 20a is moved in the first direction (FIG. 11). (X direction 11) at a predetermined speed V. And
By independently modulating and driving each LED according to image information while moving and scanning, a light of a predetermined center wavelength is supplied at a predetermined light power to a predetermined place for a predetermined time, thereby forming a color image. A latent image can be formed.

Next, a method of scanning the surface of the photosensitive recording medium using the exposure head 20 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer provided with the exposure head 20 according to the present invention.
For convenience, the microcapsule paper 37 is shown as a perspective view for the sake of explanation of the configuration, and the microcapsule paper 37 is exposed by the exposure head 20 from the back side in the drawing.

The exposure head 20 is fixed on the carriage 48 described with reference to FIG.
It is mounted so as to be able to reciprocate right and left on the drawing along the line 9. Here, the reciprocating movement direction of the carriage 48 (FIG. 1)
(One X direction) X1 = 16 pixels (16 dots) spaced apart by one set of three green LEDs 8c, 8
b, 8a are respectively displaced by Y1 = 1 pixel (one dot) in the feed direction of the microcapsule paper 37 (Y direction in FIG. 11), and similarly, the reciprocating movement direction of the carriage 48 (X direction in FIG. 11). ), X1 = 16 pixels (1
6 dots), one set of red L
The EDs 7c, 7b and 7a are located at positions delayed by 12 dots in the feed direction of the microcapsule paper 37 (Y direction in FIG. 11) with respect to the set of green LEDs, and
Also between the red LED 7b and the red LED 7b, Y1 =
The red LED 7 is arranged shifted by one pixel (one dot).
b and the red LED 7a, Y1 = 1 in the Y direction in FIG.
They are arranged shifted by one pixel (one dot). Similarly, one set of three blue LEDs 9c, 9b, 9a arranged at intervals of X1 = 16 pixels (16 dots) along the reciprocating movement direction of the carriage 48 (X direction in FIG. 11)
A position that is delayed by 12 dots in the feed direction of the microcapsule paper 37 (Y direction in FIG. 11) with respect to the preceding set of red LEDs, and the blue LED 9c and the blue LED 9b
, Y1 = 1 pixel (one dot) in the Y direction in FIG.
The blue LED 9b and the blue LED 9a are also shifted in the Y direction in FIG. 11 by Y1 = 1 pixel (one dot). Here, FIG.
Medium, Y2 = 10 pixels, blue LED 9a and red LED 7
The interval with a is 12 pixels. This is because the number of LEDs of each color (in the embodiment, three) is an integral multiple.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the change over time of the moving speed of the carriage 48, and the movement of the carriage will be described with reference to FIG. The carriage 48 is reciprocated in a trapezoidal speed change pattern with a maximum speed V [m / sec.], A scanning cycle T (sec.), And a constant speed time Tc (sec.) By driving the servo motor 62 and the like. .

That is, as shown in FIG.
8 is reciprocated (reciprocating scanning movement) along the X direction in FIG. 3 at the maximum constant scanning speed ± V (m / sec.). In FIG. 12, the portion inclined with respect to the time axis (horizontal axis) is an acceleration area / deceleration area between the stop at the reciprocating movement end and the maximum constant scanning speed ± V (m / sec.). Is shown.
Further, the time Tc is the distance between the width of the image forming area 39 (X direction) of the microcapsule paper 37 and the carriage 4.
8 is the time required to pass (the time required for the maximum constant scanning speed), and is the reciprocating scanning period T.

Each of the exposure lines (one line along the X direction in FIG. 3) of the microcapsule paper 37 includes one set of the plurality of red LEDs 7, one set of the plurality of green LEDs 8, and the plurality of blue LEDs 9. One set is controlled to be turned on in accordance with image information. In this lighting control, one set of the red LEDs 7c, 7b, 7a and the green LE
D8c, 8b, 8a, one set of blue LEDs 9c, 9b,
Since there is a set of mounting intervals (pinhole intervals) Y1 of 9a, the exposure of one point in the exposure line requires the time required for the scanning movement of the carriage 48 and the time required to feed the microcapsule paper 37 for Y1. Delay time t according to
It is performed in consideration of. If Y1 is a distance corresponding to two dots of the microcapsule paper 37, the same position is exposed by another LED of the same set by repeating the scanning movement of the carriage 48 and the feeding of the microcapsule paper 37 twice. Become.

That is, when Y1 is one dot, focusing on one pixel of the microcapsule paper 37, the one pixel point (exposure point) is white, so that G light, R light and B light are used.
In order to irradiate light, for example, first, the carriage 48
When the pinhole 12 facing the green LED 8c is located at the one pixel point during the movement in the forward direction (at the time of the movement in the X direction in FIG. 11), the green LED 8c is set to a predetermined short time Δ
After lighting once for t, the carriage 48 is temporarily stopped at the end of the outward path. Next, 1 microcapsule paper 37
After the paper is fed in the Y direction of FIG.
When the carriage 48 moves in the backward direction (at the time of movement in the X 'direction in FIG. 11), the pinhole 1 facing the green LED 8b is moved.
2 is located at the one pixel point, the green LED 8
b is turned on once for a predetermined short time Δt, and the carriage 48
At the end of the return trip. Further, after the microcapsule paper 37 is fed by one dot in the Y direction of FIG. 11, when the carriage 48 moves in the forward direction (at the time of movement in the X direction of FIG. 11), a pinhole facing the green LED 8a is formed. When 12 is located at the one pixel point, the green LED 8a is turned on once for a predetermined short time Δt, and then the carriage 48 is temporarily stopped at the end of the outward path. In this way, as shown in FIG. 13, for one pixel point of interest, every half of the scanning period T,
The green LEDs 8c → 8b → 8a are lit for a short time Δt in this order.

Then, after the microcapsule paper 37 is fed by 12 dots in the Y direction in FIG. 11, when the carriage 48 moves in the backward direction (when it moves in the X 'direction in FIG. 11), When the red LED 7c is lit once for a predetermined short time Δt when the pinhole 12 facing the red LED 7c is located at the one pixel point of interest,
The carriage 48 is temporarily stopped at the end of the return path. Next, after the microcapsule paper 37 is fed by one dot in the Y direction in FIG. 11, when the carriage 48 moves in the forward direction (at the X direction in FIG. 11), the red LED
When the pinhole 12 facing the pixel 7b is located at the one pixel point, the red LED 7b is turned on once for a predetermined short time Δt, and then the carriage 48 is temporarily stopped at the end of the outward path. Further, after the microcapsule paper 37 is fed by one dot in the Y direction in FIG. 11, when the carriage 48 moves in the backward direction (at the time of movement in the X direction in FIG. 11), the pinhole facing the red LED 7a is moved. When the LED 12 is located at the one pixel point, the red LED 7a is turned on once for a predetermined short time Δt, and then the carriage 48 is temporarily stopped at the end of the return path. Similarly, blue L
Lighting is repeated every predetermined short time Δt while reciprocating the carriage 48 in the order of ED 9c → 9b → 9a.

As described above, a plurality of exposures are performed at the same exposure position (one pixel point) of the microcapsule paper 37 at the time interval (T
By irradiating light with the interval of (/ 2), the sensitivity of color development is improved, and the light density of color development can be changed with a small light irradiation energy density. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the vertical axis represents the cyan optical density, and the horizontal axis represents the total amount of exposure energy density (J / m ² ). In FIG. 15, a solid line A indicates a change in cyan color optical density when the red LED is irradiated only once, and a dotted line B indicates the red LED with a time interval (T / 2) of half the scanning period T. The change in the optical color density of cyan when light is irradiated in three divided times is shown. In FIG. 14, the color optical density of cyan is 10
In order to obtain% density, that is, D ₁₀ = 0.42, it is necessary to give an exposure energy density of 3.3 (J / m ² ) in one light irradiation. Then, it is sufficient to give an exposure energy density of 2.2 (J / m ² ) in total.

As can be understood from the comparison of FIG.
When the exposure energy density (J / m ² ) is in the range of 0.5 to 3.3, the same cyan color-developing optical density is required in order to develop the same cyan optical density.
It can be seen that a small exposure energy density is required when the light irradiation is divided into three times, but a large exposure energy density is required when the light irradiation is performed once. The reason is that the polymerization reaction rate between the polymerization initiator of the microcapsules 32 and the photo-curable resin in the microcapsule paper 37 due to the light irradiation is not so high, and is more appropriate than inputting a large amount of exposure energy at once. This is because the above-mentioned polymerization reaction is more likely to be promoted when the exposure energy is input little by little in a plurality of times (for example, 2 to 6 times) at the time interval.

In other words, in the present invention, a sufficient color optical density can be obtained even if the output of one LED as a light emitting element is reduced or the number of LEDs is small. The microcapsule paper 37 is preferably exposed and developed at a constant speed at least in the image forming area 39 thereof. Therefore, the moving distance L (m) at a constant speed corresponding to the minimum speed constant time Tc necessary for exposing and developing the microcapsule paper 37.
Is a range where at least all the pinholes 12 pass through the image forming area (developing area) 39. The constant speed moving distance L (m) can be freely designed depending on the width of the image forming area 39, the arrangement pattern of the pinholes 12, and the maximum speed V (m / sec.). As a numerical example, L = 0.1118 (m) and V = 0.86 (m / sec.), Whereby the entire surface of the microcapsule paper 37 of A6 size can be exposed.

Next, the developing process of the microcapsule paper 37 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 shows an embodiment of the developing device 45 for developing the microcapsule paper 37. Note that the exposed microcapsule paper 37 is not shown for simplicity. The developing device 45 as a pressure developing means realizes a developing process by elastically pressing the surface of the microcapsule paper 37 by point contact.
The pressure development is performed only in the development area by changing the pressing position while pressing the developing member 7. In order to change the pressing position, the microcapsule paper 3 is placed between the point contact ball 46 and the microcapsule paper 37.
7, a relative movement is generated in parallel with the paper surface. The point contact ball 46 may be moved with respect to the microcapsule paper 37, or the microcapsule paper 3 may be moved with respect to the point contact ball 46.
7 may be moved, or both the microcapsule paper 37 and the point contact ball 46 may be moved. In order to reduce the size of the apparatus, preferably, the microcapsule paper 37 is reciprocated along one axis in parallel with the microcapsule paper 37 while the microcapsule paper 37 intersects the moving direction of the point contact ball 46, preferably. A method of moving in an orthogonal direction is preferable.

At the point of pressurization by the point contact ball 46, the microcapsules are developed by pressure with a small pressing force and destroyed, and their inclusions (colorless dye precursor) flow out to cause a color-forming reaction with the color developer. Occur. And the point contact ball 46
The color image is visualized in the development area by the relative movement of the microcapsule paper 37 and the microcapsule paper 37. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the microcapsule paper 37 to be pressure-developed is fixed on a substantially flat base 472. The base 472 can be formed into a roller shape in addition to the flat surface and used for feeding the microcapsule paper 37.

At least one point contact ball 46 is arranged so as to elastically press-fit with the microcapsule paper 37, and the point contact is provided on the base 4 corresponding to the microcapsule paper 7.
It reciprocates in a fixed range of 72. That is, the transport roller 50
Paper 3 transported from the exposure table by
7 is held on a base 472 by a holding feed roller 50. The holding and feeding roller 50 is used for the microcapsule paper 37.
The non-development area is pressed and rotated by a feed motor for each development line described later, and a pair of left and right parts is provided on both sides of the development area.

A carriage 48 is supported so as to be able to reciprocate along a guide shaft 49 which is parallel to the surface of the base 472 and perpendicular to the direction of feeding the microcapsule paper. The base 47 of the ball support portion 481 of the carriage 48
On the second side, a point contact ball 46 is rotatably supported via a ball socket 51 which cannot drop off to the lower part.
The ball 46 is housed together with the ball socket 51 so as to be slidable vertically in a sliding hole 482 formed in the ball support portion 481.

A cover plate 483 for closing the sliding hole 482 at the upper portion is screwed to the upper surface of the ball support portion 481. The cover plate 483 has a rack 4 on one side.
A pressing body 485 formed with 84 is fitted so as to be vertically movable. A compression spring 486 as an elastic body is mounted between the pressing body 485 and the upper end of the ball socket 51, and a control motor 488 capable of rotating forward and reverse as an actuator as a pressing force adjusting means for the ball 46. By engaging the rack gear 487 rotating with the rack 484 of the pressing body 485 and changing the vertical position of the pressing body 485, the elastic pressing force of the compression spring 486 can be adjusted.

The pressing force of the point contact ball 46 against the microcapsule paper 37 is controlled by the compression spring 48.
Instead of using the control motor 6 and the control motor 488, various things such as a pneumatic device, a hydraulic device, and a solenoid can be used instead. It is possible to use not only an elastic body but also an electromagnetic force. Further, instead of biasing the point contact ball, the base side can be biased toward the ball, and both can be biased in directions in which they contact each other. In short, any means for adjusting the urging force between the point contact ball and the base side (microcapsule paper side) may be used.

The carriage 48 has a feed screw 6
The feed screw 60 is connected to the output shaft 621 of the feed servomotor 62 and rotates forward and backward. The forward / reverse rotation of the feed screw 60 causes the carriage 48 to reciprocate in parallel with the base 472, and the reciprocating movement causes the pressure points of the point contact balls 46 to be sequentially changed.

The feed servo motor 62 can control the direction of rotation and the amount of rotation, has an encoder for detecting the amount of drive, and is driven and controlled by a control circuit. As this feed motor, a pulse motor of open loop control can be adopted. Although the position confirmation function is eliminated, the cost can be reduced because the drive circuit can be simplified.
In addition to the pulse motor, a general DC / AC motor or the like can be used. The reason why the motor whose drive amount can be controlled is used is to set the reciprocating movement amount of the carriage 48 in accordance with the size of the development area in order to pressurize and develop only the development area of the microcapsule paper 37.

When the carriage 48 is moved along the guide shaft 49 and the pressure development of one line is completed, the holding and feeding roller 50 is rotated by one line, and the carriage 4 is moved again.
8 is repeated to perform pressure development for one line, and pressure development is performed over the entire development area. FIG. 16 shows an embodiment of a heating temperature control unit 95 for controlling the heating temperature of the film heater 64 as the heating means. The digital data relating to the indicated temperature is converted into an analog value by the D / A converter 90. Then, the signal is sent to one input terminal of a voltage comparator 91, and a detection signal from a thermocouple 92 as a temperature detector is input to the other input terminal via a temperature detection circuit 93. Then, the output value of the voltage comparator 91 is changed to a switching element (transistor) 9.
The power is supplied to the base terminal 4 and ON / OFF control of the power supply to the film heater 64 is performed. In this case, D / A
When the input value from the converter 90 is larger than the input value from the temperature detection circuit 93, a current flows to the film heater 64 via the switching element 94. Note that a thermistor may be used as the temperature detector.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a control for operating the cooling fan 22 for cooling when the temperature in the main body case 21 of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 is higher than the reference temperature, and the heating means according to the characteristics of the microcapsule paper 37. An embodiment for controlling the heating temperature by the film heater 64 as the first embodiment and adjusting and controlling the pressing force of the point contact ball 46 will be described. The electrical configuration of the control circuit (control means) of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 as shown in FIG.
The CPU 70 receives RGB image data from the external car navigation system 107 and / or a digital camera (CCD image sensor camera) 108 via an I / O port. A drive circuit 77 for the drive motor 78 of the exposure head (each LED) 20, a holding feed roller 50, a drive circuit 76 for the carriage feed servo motor 62, and a heating temperature controller 95 for the film heater 64. , Point contact ball 46
, A temperature sensor 29 for detecting the ambient temperature in the main body case 21, a drive circuit 98 for driving a drive motor 22a of the cooling fan 22, and an alarm lamp 110 (or a speaker) for operation. The drive circuit 99 is connected.

It is to be noted that printer driver software for operating the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 is installed on the control board 83 provided with the CPU 70 and the like.
A control instruction can be given to the accumulation processing of the image data and to the pressure control unit 97 of the control motor 488 for adjusting the pressing force by the heating temperature control unit 95 and the point contact ball 46 as the pressure development.

The ROM 71 has a program for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus, a program for calculating and determining the lighting time and timing of each color LED of the exposure head 20 from input image data, and a program for controlling the RGB exposure sequence. A program for controlling the driving of the holding and feeding roller 50 to be described later to convey the microcapsule paper 37, similarly controlling the servo motor 62 for carriage feeding in accordance with the sequence of RGB exposure, and reciprocally scanning the carriage. And various programs such as control programs for the heating temperature control unit 95 and the pressure control unit 97.
0 operates according to these programs.

A reference temperature of the ambient temperature in the main body case 21 is set and stored in the RAM 72 in advance, and further, the number of copies, an image enlargement / reduction ratio, and development of the microcapsule paper 37 set by an operator. Data such as the size of the area is also input and stored. Photosensitive pressure sensitive printer 8
When the RGB data of the output image is sent to 0, the image data is separated into R image data, G image data, and B image data and stored in the buffer of the RAM 72. Each LED of the exposure head 20 is electrically driven by a drive circuit (not shown) via a flexible harness 487, and is controlled to be turned on and off according to image information.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for controlling the cooling such as keeping the temperature inside the main body case 21 lower than the reference temperature. When the power supply is turned on and the operation of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80 is started, the temperature sensor is started. 29, the temperature inside the main body case 21 is detected, and it is determined whether or not the temperature is higher than a reference temperature (S1). If the temperature is lower than the reference temperature (S1: no), the cooling fan 22 is driven with a lower rotation speed or the rotation of the cooling fan 22 is stopped (S2). If the temperature is higher than the reference temperature (S1: yes),
The cooling fan 22 is driven at a high rotation speed (S
3).

Next, it is determined whether or not the temperature inside the apparatus (the temperature inside the main body case 21) is equal to or higher than a warning temperature (for example, 50 ° C.) (S4). If the temperature is lower than the warning temperature (S4: no), the image quality is not adversely affected, so that the rotation of the cooling fan 22 is continued and the printing operation is also continued. If the temperature is higher than the warning temperature (S4: yes), the warning lamp 110
Is blinked or / and a warning sound is emitted from the speaker, and the printing operation is stopped (S5). Thereby, the image quality formed on the microcapsule paper 37 is prevented from being deteriorated. As described above, the main body case 21
The sensitivity characteristic of the microcapsule paper can be prevented from being modulated by maintaining the ambient temperature in the inside at a temperature lower than the reference temperature or controlling the temperature to be not abnormally high. The rotation speed of the cooling fan 22 and the cooling capacity of the car air conditioner may be controlled so as to be steplessly changed and adjusted according to the temperature.

As a second embodiment of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer 80, the lower fixed nip roller, which is fixed in position, and the lower fixed nip roller are contacted by an actuator (not shown) between the film heater 64 as a heating means and the exposure head 20. A developing unit including an upper nip roller configured to be detachable is disposed. In this embodiment, as the microcapsule paper 37 fed from the cartridge 67 is conveyed in the direction of the exposure head 20, the surface of the microcapsule paper 37 is heated to 50 ° C. as a pre-exposure work for improving the sensitivity. Although the film is heated back and forth by the film heater 64, the gap between the upper and lower nip rollers is widened so that the pressing operation is not performed. Then, exposure is performed, and the sheet is sent to the far side of the sheet reciprocating path P3 via the transport roller.

Microcapsule paper 3 that has been exposed
When the paper 7 is once stopped at the stopper position 69 of the paper reciprocating path P3 and then conveyed in the direction of the paper discharge section, the exposure head 20 is stopped at the position where it is retracted to the side of the microcapsule paper 37 conveyance path. In this state, the surface of the exposed microcapsule paper 37 is pressed at a predetermined pressure by the upper and lower nip rollers while the film heater 64 is set to 80 ° C. to 1 ° C.
An operation of performing heat treatment at a temperature of 00 ° C. to promote color development is performed.

In the present embodiment, the microcapsule paper 37
When the microcapsule 37 is subjected to an exposure action while being conveyed, the microcapsules 37 intermittently move one dot at a time in the conveyance direction. Will move. As described in detail above, the printer 80 as the image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified.

The photosensitive recording medium of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned microcapsule paper but can be variously modified. As the microcapsule paper, in addition to the above-mentioned self-coloring type, a transfer type can also be used. The transparent base sheet carrying the microcapsules and the developer surface of the image receiving paper carrying the color developing material are superimposed on the microcapsule surface of the base sheet so as to be integrated in a releasable manner. The sheet may be fed from the cartridge on the exposure head side, exposed and developed as it is, discharged outside the apparatus, and then the image receiving sheet may be peeled off. The dye precursor as a color material that has flowed out of the capsule that has been destroyed by pressure is transferred to a color developer of the image receiving paper, and reacts with the color precursor to develop color and become visible.

In place of the dye precursor, a pre-colored pigment or dye can be encapsulated in the microcapsule together with the photosensitive substance. In this case, transfer-type image formation is possible by integrating the image receiving paper (plain paper) without a developer into the base sheet in a releasable manner. This is because the image is exposed on the image receiving paper by peeling. As the pressure developing means, any of the embodiments capable of breaking the microcapsules under pressure can be employed.

Further, the light emitting element is not limited to the LED alone, and various structures such as an EL light emitting element, a plasma light emitting element and a laser light emitting element can be applied. Further, the light emitting element does not need to be made of red, blue and green, and one having various wavelengths can be selected according to the sensitivity characteristics of the photosensitive recording medium. For example, infrared light, red, and green may be selected, or far infrared light, near infrared light, and red may be selected. Ultraviolet rays and far ultraviolet rays are also effective examples of color choices of the light emitting element.

The number of colors of the light-emitting elements is not limited to three colors of red, green and blue, and may be one or two colors, or a normal color printer using yellow, magenta, cyan, and black as a coloring agent. And four or more colors can be selected. Further, as the selective supply unit, an imaging optical system in which a single plastic lens is attached to a pinhole formed in a thin mask, for example, can be used.

[0085]

As is clear from the above description,
The image forming apparatus according to the first aspect carries a microcapsule containing a photosensitive component and a colorant whose intensity changes with respect to light of a predetermined wavelength in a main body case, and a latent image of image information is formed by exposure. Exposure means for exposing the photosensitive recording medium to be exposed, and pressurizing the exposed photosensitive recording medium to break the weak microcapsules, and to make the latent image visible by the color material flowing out of the broken microcapsules. And a heating means for heating the photosensitive recording medium after the developing means develops the photosensitive recording medium, wherein the main body case is mounted in an automobile, and the temperature in the main body case is reduced. Temperature detecting means for sensing, cooling means for cooling heat inside the main body case, and a temperature in the main body case based on temperature information sensed by the temperature detecting means. In which a control means for controlling the cooling means to hold below the fixed temperature.

As described above, since the photosensitive pressure-sensitive type image forming apparatus is mounted in the automobile, it is more susceptible to the temperature change due to the outside air than in the case where the image forming apparatus is arranged in a normal building room. Therefore, the temperature in the main body case of the image forming apparatus is sensed by the temperature detecting means, and based on the sensed temperature information, the cooling means is operated to maintain the temperature in the main body case at a certain temperature or less. By operating the control means, it is possible to prevent the ambient temperature in the main body case from becoming abnormally high, so that the sensitivity characteristics of the photosensitive recording medium do not fluctuate and the image quality of the formed output image is not adversely affected. This has the effect.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the heating means has a self-temperature control function. Therefore, the heating means reduces the current supplied as the temperature rises, and when the temperature rises to a predetermined temperature, the current is automatically limited so that the current does not flow. As a result, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is mounted on the automobile. Also,
It doesn't emit wasted electricity from the onboard battery,
This has an effect that the temperature rise in the main body case can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the cooling means is a cooling fan disposed in a main body case or an air conditioner disposed in a vehicle compartment. Thus, the cooling capacity of the cooling means can be variably adjusted. Therefore, if the temperature in the cabin of the automobile increases, the cooling capacity of the cooling means can be increased, and the temperature can be rapidly reduced. In particular, in the case of an air conditioner, there is an effect that the maximum cooling capacity is large and the speed of decreasing the temperature in the main body case can be further increased.

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the temperature in the main body case reaches a predetermined warning temperature, , And control means for controlling the image forming operation to be temporarily stopped when the temperature reaches the warning temperature. in this way,
When the ambient temperature in the main body case is equal to or higher than the abnormally high warning temperature, the operator is notified of the condition and the printing operation is temporarily stopped so that poor quality images are not output so that the photosensitive recording medium is not output. To prevent waste. In addition, when the temperature is higher than the high warning temperature, the cooling capacity of the cooling means is increased, such as by increasing the rotation speed of the cooling fan, and the heat in the main body case is quickly and reliably discharged. This also has the effect of reliably preventing the adverse effects of exposure to time.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, image data input from a CCD camera, a television, a car navigation system, or the like is input to the main body case. And a control means for executing an image forming operation based on information from the image data input terminal, so that necessary information can be easily obtained as a hard copy even outdoors. It has the effect of being able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an interior front of an automobile.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a configuration of a first embodiment of a photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer for processing microcapsule paper.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a film heater as a heating unit.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature of a photosensitive recording medium and sensitivity.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the temperature (based on 20 ° C.) and the rate of change of electric resistance of a film heater having a positive temperature coefficient.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a change in a heating temperature of a film heater.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the microcapsule paper.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the microcapsule paper.

FIG. 10A is a schematic sectional view of an exposure head,
(B) is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a concave portion.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged bottom view of the exposure head.

FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating a moving speed of a carriage.

FIG. 13 is a timing chart of exposure.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing a comparison between applied exposure energy and optical density of cyan color by single exposure and multiple division exposure.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of a developing device that performs pressure development on microcapsule paper in the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a heating temperature control unit of the film heater.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating control means of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive printer.

FIG. 18 is a subroutine flowchart for controlling the ambient temperature in the main body case.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 exposure head 22 cooling fan 24 shutter means 29 temperature sensor 37 microcapsule paper as photosensitive recording medium 45 developing device 46 point contact ball 471 base 48 carriage 64 film heater 70 CPU 80 photosensitive pressure sensitive printer as image forming apparatus 100 instrument panel 107 Car navigation system 108 Digital camera 110 Alarm lamp

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A photosensitive recording medium in which a microcapsule enclosing a photosensitive component whose intensity changes with respect to light of a predetermined wavelength and a coloring material is carried in a main body case, and a latent image of image information is formed by exposure. Exposure means for exposing, developing means for applying pressure to the exposed photosensitive recording medium to break weak microcapsules, and for making the latent image visible by the color material flowing out of the broken microcapsules, A heating unit for heating the photosensitive recording medium after the developing unit develops the photosensitive recording medium, wherein the body case is mounted in an automobile, and a temperature detecting unit that senses a temperature in the body case. Cooling means for cooling heat inside the main body case; and, based on the temperature information sensed by the temperature detecting means, the temperature inside the main body case is set to a certain temperature or less. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a control means for controlling the cooling means so as to lifting. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit has a self-temperature control function. 3. The cooling means is a cooling fan disposed in a main body case or an air conditioner disposed in a vehicle interior, wherein a cooling capacity of the cooling means can be variably adjusted. Claim 1
Alternatively, the image forming apparatus according to claim 2. 4. A temperature alarm means for notifying when a temperature inside the main body case reaches a predetermined warning temperature,
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to control the image forming operation to temporarily stop when the temperature reaches the warning temperature. 5. 5. A control means for providing an image data input terminal from a CCD camera, a television, a car navigation system, or the like in the main body case, and executing an image forming operation based on information from the image data input terminal. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: