JP2001056506A - Photographic printer and photographic processor provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographic printer which is inexpensive, has high reliability and can cope with both analogue printing and digital printing. SOLUTION: This photographic printer is provided with an ANM(automatic negative mask) unit 8 carrying and holding a negative film, and an LCD(liquid crystal display device) unit 7 provided with an LCD. The units 8 and 7 have interchangeability at a connecting part with the housing of a printing part 1, and either the unit 8 or 7 is connected to the housing of the part 1 and printing is performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographic printing apparatus for printing a desired image by irradiating a photosensitive material with light through a negative film or a liquid crystal display device, and a photographic processing apparatus provided with the same. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a photographic printing apparatus for irradiating a negative film with light from a light source and printing photographic paper as a photosensitive material with the light transmitted through the negative film has been widely used. Also, with such a photo printing device,
A development process called an auto printer, which includes a development processing unit that performs development processing by applying various processing liquids to the baked photographic paper, and a drying unit that dries the developed photographic paper. 2. Description of the Related Art Apparatuses are widely used in stores that provide photo development services.

In recent years, digital cameras have become widespread, and the need to print out photographic images recorded as digital data has been increasing. As an apparatus for printing such a digital image, a digital image display means having a large number of pixels formed thereon, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is used.
There has been proposed a photographic printing apparatus that irradiates photographic paper with light from the photographic paper to print an image on the photographic paper.

As described above, at present, as a photographic printing apparatus for printing an image on photographic paper, a photographic printing apparatus capable of supporting both printing using a negative film, ie, analog printing, and printing using an LCD, etc., ie, digital printing. The demand for printing devices is increasing.
An example proposed as such a photographic printing apparatus compatible with both analog and digital is shown below.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of an example of a conventional analog / digital photographic printing apparatus.
This photographic printing apparatus includes an optical system for analog printing,
An optical system for digital printing is provided, and by switching these optical systems, it is possible to support both analog printing and digital printing.

The optical system for analog printing includes a lamp 51A as a light source, a light control filter 52, an ANM (auto negative mask) 53, a negative film 54, a printing lens 55A, and the like. The white light emitted from the lamp 51A is dimmed by the dimming filter 52 in accordance with the characteristics of the negative film 54 and the characteristics of the printing paper 60. Then, the dimmed light becomes AN
M53 and a negative film, and a printing lens 55A
Is projected onto the photographic paper 60 and printing is performed.

The optical system for digital printing includes a lamp 51B as a light source, a BGR rotation filter 56,
It is composed of a CD 57, a printing lens 55B and the like.
The white light emitted from the lamp 51A passes through a filter corresponding to any color in the BGR rotation filter 56 and enters the LCD 57. In LCD57, BGR
The image of the color component selected by the rotation filter 56 is displayed. Then, the light modulated according to the image information on the LCD 57 is projected onto the photographic paper 60 by the printing lens 55B, and printing is performed. Color printing is performed by sequentially exposing each color component.

A switching mirror 58 for switching between analog printing and digital printing is provided on the optical path in the optical system for analog printing and on the optical path in the optical system for digital printing.
By switching the switching mirror 58 to a predetermined angle about the axis 59, switching between analog printing and digital printing is performed.

That is, in the configuration shown in FIG.
The position where the exposure is performed for 0 is one position, and the switching of the angle of the switching mirror 58 switches the optical system used for printing.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views showing a schematic configuration of another example of a conventional analog / digital photographic printing apparatus. This photographic printing apparatus includes a lamp 51 as a light source, a light control filter 52, and a switching unit 61.
And a printing lens 55. The switching means 61 is formed by integrally forming the LCD 57 and the ANM 53, and can selectively dispose either the LCD 57 or the ANM 53 on the optical axis connecting the lamp 51 and the printing paper 60. It has a possible configuration.

That is, at the time of digital printing, FIG.
As shown in (a), the light emitted from the lamp 51 is dimmed by the dimming filter 52 and modulated by the LCD 57 in the switching means 61 for each pixel. And L
The light emitted from the CD 57 is projected onto a printing paper 60 via a printing lens 55.

When switching from the digital print state to the analog print state, the switching means 61 is slid and the ANM 53 is placed on the optical axis connecting the lamp 51 and the photographic paper 60 as shown in FIG. The printing operation is performed in the same manner as described above by setting the negative film 54 on the ANM 53 in a state where the negative film 54 is disposed.
That is, the light emitted from the lamp 51 is transmitted to the dimming filter 5.
2 and the ANM 53 in the switching means 61
The negative film 54 is irradiated with the light. Then, the light transmitted through the negative film 54 is projected on the photographic paper 60 via the printing lens 55.

As described above, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the lamp 51, the dimming filter 52, and the printing lens 55 have a common configuration, and the switching means 61 is moved so that digital printing is performed. And analog printing.

A printer having the above-mentioned switching means 61 is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 7-104554 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 1-133041.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of still another example of the conventional analog / digital photographic printing apparatus. This photographic printing apparatus has an optical system for analog printing and an optical system for digital printing in an independent state. That is, the respective optical systems are arranged in parallel, and the photographic paper 60
Is exposed.

The optical system for analog printing includes a lamp 51A as a light source, a light control filter 52, an ANM (auto negative mask) 53, a negative film 54, a printing lens 55A, and the like. The white light emitted from the lamp 51A is dimmed by the dimming filter 52 in accordance with the characteristics of the negative film 54 and the characteristics of the printing paper 60. Then, the dimmed light becomes AN
M53 and a negative film, and a printing lens 55A
Is projected onto the photographic paper 60 and printing is performed.

The optical system for digital printing includes a lamp 51B as a light source, a BGR rotation filter 56,
It is composed of a CD 57, a printing lens 55B and the like.
The white light emitted from the lamp 51A passes through a filter corresponding to any color in the BGR rotation filter 56 and enters the LCD 57. In LCD57, BGR
The image of the color component selected by the rotation filter 56 is displayed. Then, the light modulated according to the image information on the LCD 57 is projected onto the photographic paper 60 by the printing lens 55B, and printing is performed. Color printing is performed by sequentially exposing each color component.

As described above, in the configuration shown in FIG. 8, there are two positions where the photographic paper 60 is exposed, and an optical system for analog printing and a digital printing The printing is performed by arranging an optical system for use and selecting and using one of the optical systems.

[0019]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As indicated above,
Conventionally, a photographic printing apparatus capable of supporting both analog printing and digital printing has a configuration in which both an optical system supporting analog printing and an optical system supporting digital printing are provided in the apparatus. ing. In other words, in order to support both analog printing and digital printing, it is necessary to purchase a new apparatus as described above, and it is impossible to use a conventional analog-only printer. is there.

A photographic printing apparatus capable of coping with both analog printing and digital printing as described above is correspondingly expensive, and therefore places a heavy burden on the purchaser of such a photographic printing apparatus. . In addition, as described above, in the case of an apparatus called an auto printer, not only a part for printing a photograph, but also a development processing part and a drying part are to be replaced, so
The burden is further increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide an inexpensive and highly reliable photographic printing apparatus capable of coping with both analog printing and digital printing. Is to provide.

[0022]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographic printing apparatus for printing an image on a photosensitive material, comprising: an analog exposure unit for holding a photographic film; In accordance with digital image data, image display means for controlling light emission for each pixel, a digital exposure unit holding the image display means, and a region where the photosensitive material is exposed are internally provided. A connection structure between the analog exposure unit and the housing, and a connection structure between the digital exposure unit and the housing have compatibility, and the analog exposure unit and the digital One of the exposure units is connected to the housing and printing is performed.

According to the above arrangement, either an analog exposure unit for performing analog exposure using a photographic film or a digital exposure unit for performing digital exposure using image display means for displaying a digital image. Since one side can be connected to the housing to print on the photosensitive material, it is possible to provide a photographic printing apparatus compatible with both analog exposure and digital exposure.

Further, since the connection structure between the analog exposure unit and the housing and the connection structure between the digital exposure unit and the housing are interchangeable, for example, a photograph exclusively used for analog exposure, which has been conventionally used, is used. In the printing apparatus, by newly preparing a digital exposure unit having a connection portion compatible with the analog exposure unit, a photographic printing apparatus capable of performing digital exposure can be provided. That is, an analog printer can be used as a digital printer only by adding a new digital exposure unit, so that capital investment for performing digital printing can be minimized. Further, since a conventional analog printer can be used as it is, it greatly contributes to effective use of resources.

Further, the switching between the analog exposure and the digital exposure can be performed simply by replacing the analog exposure unit with the digital exposure unit. Therefore, a simple structure is not required without a complicated mechanism for this switching. Of the present invention. Therefore, it is possible to provide a photographic printing apparatus that supports both analog and digital exposures without causing a failure or a decrease in reliability.

The photographic printing apparatus according to the second aspect is the first aspect of the invention.
The configuration described above further includes a light source unit having a light source, wherein light emitted from the light source unit is irradiated on the photosensitive material via the analog exposure unit or the digital exposure unit, and printing is performed. And

According to the above configuration, since the light source unit having the light source is further provided, for example, when the image display means in the digital exposure unit requires light from an external light source, an analog The light source used in exposure and digital exposure can be shared.
Therefore, the number of parts constituting the device can be reduced.

The photographic printing apparatus according to the third aspect is the second aspect of the present invention.
In the configuration described above, the light emitting side of the light source unit further includes a light uniformizing unit that equalizes light emitted from the light source unit, and the light uniformizing unit uses the analog exposure unit. It is characterized in that the digital exposure unit is switched to a different one when the digital exposure unit is used.

According to the above arrangement, the light equalizing means for equalizing the light emitted from the light source unit differs between when the analog exposure unit is used and when the digital exposure unit is used. For example, when performing analog exposure, in order to make small scratches on a photographic film inconspicuous, use a light uniformizing means having a relatively large degree of light diffusion to perform digital exposure. At the time of switching, in order to use light efficiently, it is possible to perform switching such as using a light uniformizing means having a small degree of light diffusion. That is, it is possible to switch and use the optimum light uniforming means for each of the analog exposure and the digital exposure.

The photographic printing apparatus according to the fourth aspect is the first aspect of the invention.
The configuration according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the image display means is a liquid crystal display device.

According to the above configuration, the transmission of light in each pixel is modulated and the emission of light is controlled by a liquid crystal display device having high technical perfection, so that the reliability is high.
In addition, it is possible to irradiate the photosensitive material with image light that faithfully reflects image information.

[0032] The photographic printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect is characterized in that:
The digital exposure unit according to any one of (1) to (4), further comprising: an optical path changing unit configured to change an optical path of light emitted from the image display unit.

According to the above configuration, the optical path of the light emitted from the image display means can be changed by the optical path changing means provided in the digital exposure unit. For example, while the photosensitive material is arranged at the same position, By changing the light path by the light path changing means and changing the image displayed on the image display means and performing printing a plurality of times, it is possible to increase the resolution of the image printed on the photosensitive material.

According to the photographic printing apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a photographic printing apparatus.
In the configuration described above, the optical path changing unit is configured by a piezo element that moves the position of the image display unit.

According to the above arrangement, the optical path is changed by moving the position of the image display means by the piezo element, so that the optical path can be changed accurately and surely. Further, by constituting the optical path changing means by the piezo element, the size of the optical path changing means itself can be made relatively small. Therefore, it is possible to provide a compact digital exposure unit that can be easily switched to the analog exposure unit.

The photographic printing apparatus according to the seventh aspect is characterized by the first aspect.
5. In the configuration according to any one of the above items 4, the digital exposure unit converts the incident light into a normal ray whose optical axis goes straight as it is and an extraordinary ray whose optical axis is refracted, on the light emitting side of the image display means. It is characterized in that at least one birefringent plate having a separating function is provided.

According to the above construction, the birefringent plate having a function of separating incident light into an ordinary ray whose optical axis goes straight and an extraordinary ray whose optical axis is refracted is provided by the image display means in the digital exposure unit. Since the light emitting side is provided on the light emission side, for example, even if a light shielding area is provided between each pixel in the image display means, by transmitting the light emitted from the image display means to the birefringent plate, In addition, it is possible to irradiate light to a region on the photosensitive material corresponding to the light-shielding region. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the unexposed area generated on the photosensitive material, and it is possible to provide a print image with good image quality.

[0038] The photographic processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect is the first aspect of the invention.
A photographic printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a developing section for developing the photosensitive material, which has been baked by the photographic printing apparatus, by using a developing solution, and a developing process in the developing section. And a drying unit for drying the light-sensitive material.

According to the above configuration, the printing, developing, and drying processes for the photosensitive material can be performed continuously under centralized management, so that a large amount of operation can be performed without imposing a burden on the user in operation. Photos can be printed continuously.

[0040]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A to 1C are perspective views showing a schematic configuration of a photographic processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The photographic processing apparatus includes a printing unit 1, a developing unit 2, and a drying unit 3.

The printing unit 1 performs exposure by irradiating a photographic paper as a photosensitive material conveyed from the paper magazine 4 with light transmitted through a negative film or a liquid crystal display device. The developing unit 2 performs the developing process by transporting the photographic paper exposed in the printing unit 1 while spraying or immersing the photographic paper in the developing solution. The drying unit 3
The final processing of printing is performed by drying the photographic paper subjected to the development processing in the development processing unit 2.

As described above, the photographic processing apparatus according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which exposure, development, and drying of photographic paper are continuously performed under a unified management. Therefore, it is possible to print a large number of photographs continuously without putting a burden on the user in operation.

A light source unit 5 and a light guide unit 6 are provided outside the printing unit 1. One of an LCD unit (digital exposure unit) 7 and an ANM unit (analog exposure unit) 8 is mounted between the light guide unit 6 and the printing unit 1. The LCD unit 7 and the ANM unit 8 are connected to the casing of the printing unit 1. FIG. 1A shows a state in which neither the LCD unit 7 nor the ANM unit 8 is mounted, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the LCD unit 7 is mounted. (C)
Indicates a state in which the ANM unit 8 is mounted.

The ANM unit 8 is a unit provided with an auto negative mask. The auto negative mask has a function of transporting a negative film (photographic film), moving an image to be printed to an exposure position, and shielding light around the image. According to the size of the negative film, the ANM unit 8 is switched to one equipped with an auto negative mask corresponding to the size of the negative film. In other words, the ANM unit 8 is used when performing analog printing in which an image recorded on a negative film is printed on photographic paper.

The LCD unit 7 is a unit having an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and performs digital printing by displaying digital image data of a photograph taken by a digital camera or the like on the LCD.
Details regarding the LCD unit 7 will be described later.

Although not shown, the light source unit 5 includes a light source, a dimming filter, and the like. The light source includes, for example, a lamp unit including a halogen lamp and the like, a reflector that reflects light emitted from the lamp unit in a direction in which the dimming filter is arranged, a lamp unit, and a lamp. It is composed of a socket section for supplying power to the section.
The light emitted from the lamp unit is light containing all the light components of each of the blue, green, and red colors, and is a slightly reddish white light. The slightly reddish white light is
This is to compensate for the fact that the color development characteristics of red in photographic paper are weaker than other colors.

The dimming filter is provided with filters of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), and performs dimming by a color reduction method. Each of these color filters includes two filters, and the two filters are arranged on both sides of the optical path of the light emitted from the light source. Then, in the filters of each color, the corresponding color component is adjusted by changing the interval between the two filters sandwiching the optical path, in other words, by changing the amount of inserting each color filter into the optical path. . By the light control of this light control filter, the light emitted from the light source is
The light can be adjusted to white light, blue light, green light, red light, and the like, and can be incident on the subsequent optical system.

The light guide section 6 guides the light from the light source section 5 to the inside of the printing section 1, and includes a cold mirror, a mirror tunnel (light equalizing means), and the like. The cold mirror transmits the infrared component light of the light from the light source unit 5 and reflects the other component light. That is, by causing the light reflected by the cold mirror to enter the printing unit 1, a subsequent rise in the temperature of the optical system can be suppressed.

The mirror tunnel has a light reflecting surface 52 on the inner peripheral surface.
Are formed, and a diffusion plate provided at both the light entrance side and the light exit side openings of the mirror tunnel body. The light that has entered the mirror tunnel is diffused by the diffusion plate on the light incident side and enters the inside of the mirror tunnel body. Then, the entered light is repeatedly reflected and diffused by the light reflection surface inside the mirror tunnel main body, and is diffused again by the diffusion plate on the light emission side. By this mirror tunnel, light source unevenness of the light source can be removed, and uniform light can be made incident on the subsequent optical system.

This mirror tunnel is provided so as to be detachable from the light guide section 6 and is switched between different ones when the ANM unit 8 is used and when the LCD unit 7 is used. It may be configured. That is, for example, when performing analog exposure, a mirror tunnel having a relatively large degree of light diffusion is used in order to make small scratches on a photographic film inconspicuous. For efficient use, it is possible to perform switching such as using a mirror tunnel with a small degree of light diffusion. Therefore, in each of the analog exposure and the digital exposure, the light use efficiency can be increased, and the power consumption can be reduced.

FIG. 1C shows a photographic processing apparatus according to this embodiment.
, Ie, the ANM unit 8 is mounted,
It is based on an apparatus used as an analog printer for printing an image recorded on a negative film on photographic paper. Such an analog printer has a configuration in which the ANM unit 8 is exchanged according to the size of the negative film, so that the ANM unit 8 can be basically easily removed.

The photographic processing apparatus of the present embodiment
The LCD unit 7 having a connection part compatible with the connection part with the housing in the NM unit 8;
Instead of the unit 8, the LCD unit 7 can be attached to the printing unit 1. In other words, the connection structure between the ANM unit 8 and the housing,
The connection structure between the CD unit 7 and the housing has compatibility. Thus, in an analog printer that has been widely used in the past, it is possible to use the digital printer by replacing only the ANM unit 8 with the LCD unit 7 and mounting it. That is, LC
An analog printer can be used as a digital printer only by newly adding the D unit 7, so that capital investment for performing digital printing can be minimized. Further, since a conventional analog printer can be used as it is, it greatly contributes to effective use of resources.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the internal configuration of the LCD unit 7. The LCD unit 7 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a mechanism for shifting pixels, as described later, but is not limited to this, and may be one equipped with only an LCD.

The LCD unit 7 is, as shown in FIG.
LCD 9, XY stage 10, first piezo element 11, second piezo element 12, first spring 13, and second spring 14
And these components are arranged in a housing composed of the LCD unit case 15 and the cover 16.

The LCD 9 is a transmissive liquid crystal display device for displaying an image according to input image data. That is, LC from the light source unit 5 through the light guide unit 6
The light incident on the D unit 7 is modulated for each pixel by transmitting through the LCD 9, and is incident on the printing unit 1.

The XY stage 10 has a configuration in which the stage on which the LCD 9 is mounted can be moved in two mutually perpendicular directions in the same plane. The first piezo element 11 and the second piezo element 12 are used as a drive source for the movement of the stage. The first piezo element 11 is used for moving the stage in the X direction, and the second piezo element 12 is used for moving the stage in the Y direction.

The first and second piezo elements 11 and 12 are
For example, it is composed of piezoelectric ceramics. Piezoelectric ceramics have the property that crystals are distorted by the action of applied piezoelectricity, and when a voltage is applied, their lengths extend in a certain direction. That is, by applying an arbitrary voltage to each of the first piezo element 11 and the second piezo element 12, the length changes in accordance with the applied voltage. This makes it possible to move the stage to any position in the X and Y directions. Representative piezoelectric materials include perovskite-type structures such as BaTiO ₃ and PbZr _1-x Ti _x O ₃ (P
ZT) and quartz.

The first and second piezo elements 11 ・ 1
2 basically has a strong force when extending and a relatively weak force when contracting, so that the first and second springs 13 and 14 are provided corresponding to each. The first and second springs 13 and 14 are provided in a compressed state on the side opposite to the side where the first and second piezo elements 11 and 12 are arranged with respect to the stage, respectively. That is, when the first and second piezo elements 11 and 12 contract, the stage is moved by the restoring force of the first and second springs 13 and 14 from the compressed state.

The pixel shift exposure is performed by the LCD unit 7 configured as described above. This pixel shift exposure is performed as follows.

The light that has entered the LCD unit 7 from the light source unit 5 via the light guide unit 6 is modulated by the LCD 9 for each pixel, then enters the printing unit 1, and passes through a printing lens in the printing unit 1. Projected onto photographic paper.
FIG. 3A shows the state of the pixels on the photographic paper constituting the image printed by the first exposure. As shown in FIG. 3A, between each pixel,
An unexposed area is formed. This is formed by a light shielding portion such as a black matrix in the LCD 9. Since such an unexposed area significantly impairs the image quality of the printed image, the following pixel shift exposure is performed.

When the first printing is completed, the XY stage 10 is driven to move the LCD by one pixel in the X direction, and the second printing is performed in the same process as described above. FIG. 3B shows the state of the pixels on the photographic paper constituting the image formed by these two printings.

Then, this time, the XY stage 10 is driven so that the LCD 9 moves in the Y direction by one pixel, the third printing is performed by the same process as described above, and finally, the LCD 9 is moved by one pixel. Return to the -X direction, and perform the fourth baking by the same process as above. FIG.
(C) and FIG. 3 (d) show the state of the pixels on the photographic paper constituting the images formed by the third and fourth printing. As described above, if the printing operation is performed four times, all the unexposed areas generated in the first printing are exposed.

Note that the above-described total four printings are performed by LC
The image data signal for driving the predetermined pixel D9 is changed every time printing is performed. By performing such pixel shift exposure, the resolution of the image printed on the printing paper 55 can be doubled in the horizontal direction and doubled in the vertical direction, and the image quality of the image printed on the printing paper 55 can be improved. Can be done.

In the above-described four printings, the image data input to the LCD 9 at each printing operation includes:
Data calculated by interpolation from the pixel data of the pixels exposed in the first printing may be used, or when the original image itself is obtained as high-resolution data, the data may be used as 1 to 3 data. It may be used in the fourth exposure. Needless to say, in the latter case, a higher quality print image can be obtained.

It should be noted that the above four printing operations may be performed while the same image is displayed on the LCD 9. In this case, it is not possible to increase the resolution of the print image, but the unexposed area is removed, so that the image quality can be improved to some extent.

As described above, in this embodiment, L
X inside the CD unit 7
Although the pixel shift is performed by moving the Y stage, the present invention is not limited to this. Examples of configurations that can perform pixel shifting include, for example, a configuration using a birefringent plate, a configuration using a variable-angle prism, a configuration using an oscillating glass plate, a configuration using an eccentric axis, and a mirror. There is a configuration for fine movement, and these configurations can be provided inside the LCD unit 7.
The outline of each of these components will be described below.

The structure using the birefringent plate is as follows. A polarizing plate and a birefringent plate rotatable about the optical axis are provided on the light emission side of the LCD. The birefringent plate converts the incident light,
It has a function of separating an ordinary ray whose optical axis goes straight as it is and an extraordinary ray whose optical axis is refracted. The birefringent plate and the polarizing plate are bonded together so that the direction of separation of the light beam in the birefringent plate and the polarizing direction of the polarizing plate are the same. Thus, the birefringent plate emits only the extraordinary ray. In such a configuration, for example, 90 ° around the optical axis in a state where the polarizing plate and the birefringent plate are integrated.
Each time the printing operation is performed, that is, by performing the printing operation four times in total, the pixel shift exposure is performed. According to this configuration, since the pixel shift exposure can be performed without moving the LCD, it is possible to reliably avoid adverse effects such as vibration on the LCD.

The structure using the variable angle prism is as follows. Two light-transmitting substrates, a transparent operating liquid sandwiched between the two light-transmitting substrates, and a piezo actuator for controlling the angle between the two light-transmitting substrates on the light emitting side of the LCD And a variable angle prism having the following.
Then, by changing the angle between the two translucent substrates, the optical path from the LCD to the printing paper is changed,
Pixel shift exposure is performed. According to this configuration, a mechanism for performing pixel shift can be configured with a compact and simple configuration, and the occurrence of aberration can be suppressed to a low level.

The structure using the glass plate that oscillates is as follows. A glass plate is provided on the light emission side of the LCD so as to be capable of tilting from a state parallel to the light emission surface of the LCD. The light emitted from the LCD is refracted on the entrance surface and the exit surface of the glass plate, so that the optical axis changes. By changing the inclination of this glass plate with respect to the LCD, the LCD
The optical path from to the photographic paper is changed, and pixel shift exposure is performed. According to this configuration, it is possible to configure a mechanism that shifts pixels with an extremely simple configuration that swings the glass plate.

The configuration using the eccentric shaft is as follows. An LCD holding unit for holding the LCD and a motor driving unit for rotating the eccentric shaft are provided. The LCD holding unit and the eccentric shaft are rotatably connected. The eccentric rotation of the eccentric shaft by the motor drive unit causes
, The pixel shift exposure is performed. According to this configuration, the pixel can be shifted without using an expensive piezo element, so that a low-cost apparatus can be provided.

The configuration for micro-moving the mirror is as follows. On the optical path from the LCD to the photographic paper, a mirror capable of minute movement is provided. By slightly moving the mirror, pixel shift exposure is performed. According to this configuration, pixel shift exposure can be performed with a simple configuration without giving vibration to the LCD.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an internal configuration of another example of the LCD unit 7. FIG.
The LCD unit 7 shown in FIG. 1 is not configured to shift pixels, but is configured to eliminate an unexposed area on photographic paper caused by a light-shielding portion such as a black matrix in the LCD 9.

The LCD unit 7 shown in FIG.
9 and a birefringent plate unit 17 arranged on the light emitting side of the LCD 9. These components are arranged in a housing composed of an LCD unit case 15 and a cover 16. In this configuration, there is no effect of increasing the resolution as in the configuration shown in FIG.
The configuration for preventing the black matrix from being printed on the photographic paper is very effective, though it is a simple configuration.

The birefringent plate unit 17 birefringes the incident light from the LCD 9 to four optical axes different from the optical axis of the incident light, one of which corresponds to a predetermined pixel of the LCD 9. While guiding to the area on the photographic paper, the remaining optical axis is guided to the area on the photographic paper corresponding to the black matrix, that is, the shadow of the black matrix. This makes it possible to irradiate the entire area on the photographic paper corresponding to the black matrix with light. In this embodiment,
The birefringent plate unit 17 is configured by bonding three birefringent plates.

The birefringent plate is made of, for example, a hexagonal crystal such as calcite or quartz, and separates incident light into an ordinary ray whose optical axis goes straight and an extraordinary ray whose optical axis is refracted. is there. The extraordinary ray is shifted from the ordinary ray in the separation direction (shift direction) and emitted from the birefringent plate. In addition,
The shift amount of the extraordinary ray with respect to the ordinary ray corresponds to the thickness of the birefringent plate, and the shift amount increases as the thickness increases. The extraordinary ray is linearly polarized light that oscillates in the shift direction, and does not follow the law of refraction. On the other hand, the ordinary ray is linearly polarized light that oscillates in a direction perpendicular to the shift direction, and is emitted from the birefringent plate according to the law of refraction.

Therefore, in order to simultaneously obtain an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray with the birefringent plate, a component that vibrates in the direction of separation of the birefringent plate and a component that vibrates in the direction perpendicular to the direction of separation are used. It is essential that the incident light has. This is because, as described above, a component of incident light that oscillates in the separation direction becomes an extraordinary ray, and a component that oscillates in a direction perpendicular to the separation direction becomes an ordinary ray.
Therefore, if the incident light has only one of the two components, only the light corresponding to the component is emitted from the birefringent plate.

As shown in FIG. 5, the birefringent plate unit 17 is composed of three birefringent plates having separation directions of 135 °, 225 ° and 0 °, which are attached in this order along the light traveling direction. It is configured together. Hereinafter, the birefringent plates will be referred to as birefringent plates 17A, 17B, and 17C, respectively.

Here, the separation direction of each birefringent plate is defined in the drawing as follows. First, a point where X> 0 and Y = 0 from the origin O on the XY plane (for convenience of explanation,
The direction toward this point is referred to as a point P). When the separation direction of each birefringent plate is represented by an arrow, the starting point of the arrow when the birefringent plate unit 17 is viewed from the downstream side (from the direction A in the figure) of the light traveling direction is the above-mentioned point. It is positioned at the origin O on the XY plane, and an angle θ (0 ° ≦ θ <360) formed between the end point of the arrow and the origin O and the point P
°) indicates the above separation direction.

When the materials of the birefringent plates 17A, 17B and 17C are all the same, the thicknesses thereof are, for example, 1.565 ± 0.05 mm and 1.565 ± 0.02 m, respectively.
m, 2.20 ± 0.05 mm. That is, the ratio of the thicknesses of the birefringent plates 17A, 17B, and 17C is as follows:
1: 1: √2. Birefringent plates 17A / 17B
By setting the thickness error of 17C as described above, the pixel pitch of the LCD 9 (for example, 2 pixels in both the vertical and horizontal directions)
6 μm), an extraordinary ray shift of 13 ± 0.2 μm at the birefringent plate 17C can be ensured.

As to the error accuracy of the thickness of the birefringent plate 17B, higher accuracy is required as compared with the other birefringent plates 17A and 17C as described above. This is the birefringent plate 17
There is a case where the light incident on B is emitted as it is without becoming abnormal light (this point will be described later). At this time, it is necessary to match the optical axes of the incident light and the emitted light with high accuracy. That's why.

Next, the birefringent plate unit 17 as described above
FIG. 5 shows the operation of the LCD unit 9 including
It will be described based on.

When light incident on the LCD unit 9 from the light source unit 5 via the light guide unit 6 is applied to the LCD 9,
In each pixel 9, the transmission is controlled according to the image information, and the polarized light is converted into linearly polarized light oscillating in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. . The surface is a birefringent plate 1
7A shows the vibration direction of light when the light incident surface of 7A is viewed from the A direction, but for easy understanding of the following description,
The optical axis of the incident light is drawn at the center of the birefringent plate 10.

The light incident on the birefringent plate 17A is separated into a component in the 135 ° direction and a component in the 225 ° direction because the vibration direction is the vertical direction (90 ° or 270 ° in the figure). Is possible. Therefore, the separation direction 135
The light incident on the birefringent plate 10 has a
Ray a1 (extraordinary ray) oscillating in the direction of 135 ° at
And the light beam b1 (ordinary ray) whose vibration direction is perpendicular to this, that is, vibrates in the 45 ° direction (or 225 ° direction)
And enters the birefringent plate 17B. The surface indicates the vibration direction of light when the light exit surface of the birefringent plate 17A is viewed from the direction A. At this point, light whose optical axis coincides with the incident light still exists.

The light ray a1 has a vibration direction of 135 ° and is a light that vibrates in a direction perpendicular to the separation direction 225 ° of the birefringent plate 17B. That is, the light beam a1 has no component in the separation direction of 225 °. Therefore, ray a
When 1 is incident on the birefringent plate 17B, as shown on the surface, no extraordinary ray is emitted from the birefringent plate 17B, and only the ordinary ray a1 is emitted toward the birefringent plate 17C. . In addition, the surface corresponds to the light exit surface of the birefringent plate 17B.
It shows the vibration direction of light when viewed from the direction.

On the other hand, the light beam b1 has a vibration direction of 225.
And the light vibrates in the separation direction 225 ° of the birefringent plate 17B. That is, the light beam b1 has no component that vibrates in a direction perpendicular to the separation direction. Therefore, when the light beam b1 enters the birefringent plate 17B, no ordinary light beam is emitted from the birefringent plate 17B, and only the extraordinary light beam a2 is emitted toward the birefringent plate 17B.

Next, when the light beams a1 and a2 are incident on the birefringent plate 17C having the separation direction of 0 °, the light beams a1 and a2 have the component in the separation direction and the component in the direction perpendicular thereto. As shown in FIG. 3, light beams a3 and a4 vibrating in a direction perpendicular to the separation direction and light beams a3 and
1 is an extraordinary light, and a light beam a vibrating in the separation direction
5 and a light beam a6 that is an abnormal light beam a2 and vibrates in the separation direction. The surface indicates the vibration direction of light when the light exit surface of the birefringent plate 17C is viewed from the direction A.

Here, the birefringent plates 17A, 17B, 17C
Is 1: 1: √2, the ratio of the amount of extraordinary ray shift in each birefringent plate is also 1: 1: √2.
Then, the figure connecting the intersections of the optical axes of the light rays a3 to a6 and the plane is a square in which one side is a hypotenuse of a right-angled isosceles triangle of 90 °, 45 °, 45 °. In the following, a separation method that forms such a square on a surface will be referred to as a square separation.

The four light beams a3 to a6 emitted from the birefringent plate unit 17 irradiate the photographic paper through a printing lens or the like. For example, the light beam a6 is irradiated on the photographic paper corresponding to a predetermined pixel of the LCD 9. While irradiating the area, three light beams a3 to a5 irradiate the area on the photographic paper corresponding to the black matrix formed around the predetermined pixel so that the illuminated area becomes a letter "C". You.

As described above, when the birefringent plate unit 17 is provided in the LCD unit 7, the incident light is squarely separated into four lights, and the plurality of lights are divided into the area of the photographic paper corresponding to the black matrix of the LCD 9. , Both shadows of the black matrix running vertically and horizontally on the photographic paper can be erased at the same time. As a result, even if the streaks of the overlapping area where the light irradiation areas overlap each other are formed in the vertical and horizontal directions on the photographic paper, the streaks are not formed together with the shadows of the black matrix. Does not occur. Therefore, by providing the birefringent plate unit 17 in the LCD unit 7, an image with good image quality can be obtained.

In particular, as an example, if the pixel pitch of the LCD 9 is set to 26 μm and the shift amount of the extraordinary ray on the birefringent plate 17C is set to 13 ± 0.2 μm, which is a half pixel,
The shadow of the black matrix can be almost completely eliminated while the above-mentioned superimposed area is formed to a minimum, and an image with good image quality can be reliably obtained.

In the above configuration, the light incident on the birefringent plate unit 17 is divided into three birefringent plates 17A, 17B,
17C, the light becomes abnormal light at least once, and as a result, the optical axes of the four lights emitted from the birefringent plate unit 17 move to the birefringent plate unit 17 as seen in FIG. Are all shifted from the optical axis of the incident light. In other words, there is no light that is always the ordinary ray, and no light that has the same optical axis as the light incident on the birefringent plate unit 17 is not emitted.

In the above configuration, the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17A is set to 135 °. However, if the direction is an angle of 45 ° with the incident linearly polarized light (in this embodiment, the vibration direction is 90 °). Well, besides 135 ° exemplified, 45 °,
The angle can be set to 225 °, 315 °. Further, the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17B may be perpendicular to the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17A, and is not limited to 225 ° as illustrated. Further, when the separation directions of the birefringent plates 17C and 17B are considered as vectors, the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17C is the direction in which the respective vectors are combined, or
Alternatively, the direction may be the opposite direction, and is not limited to the illustrated 0 °. Given these conditions,
As the combination of the separation directions of the birefringent plates 17A, 17B, and 17C, for example, the following can be considered in addition to the combination of the present embodiment. (Separating direction of birefringent plate 17A, separating direction of birefringent plate 17B, separating direction of birefringent plate 17C) = (135 °, 225 °, 180 °), (1
35 °, 45 °, 270 °), (135 °, 45 °, 9
0 °), ...

As in the present embodiment, when the direction of separation of the birefringent plate 17C is opposite to the direction in which the vectors of the separation directions of the birefringent plates 17A and 17B are combined, the birefringent plate unit 17 The incident light is squarely separated into four lights so as to surround the optical axis of the incident light. On the other hand, when the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17C is set to a direction in which respective vectors of the separation directions of the birefringent plates 17A and 17B are combined, the optical axis of the light incident on the birefringent plate unit 17 is not included. The incident light is squarely separated.

Further, even if the positions of the birefringent plates 17A and 17B are exchanged, the rays a1 and a2 incident on the birefringent plate 17C at the same positions as in the present embodiment are still obtained. Of course, such a configuration may be used.

The separation direction of each birefringent plate is 45
Although a numerical value in the unit of ° is shown, it is preferable that this numerical value is only preferable, and the present invention is not limited to such a numerical value. Further, the linearly polarized light incident on the birefringent plate 17A is exemplified by light that oscillates in the vertical direction, but may be linearly polarized light that oscillates in other directions. As in the present embodiment, the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17A forms an angle of 45 ° with the vibration direction of the incident light, so that the incident light becomes an extraordinary ray and an ordinary ray, and the light amounts become equal to each other. Can be reliably separated.

In this embodiment, the perfect square separation is exemplified. However, this is because the pixel pitch of the LCD 9 is vertically
This is because it is assumed that the horizontal direction is the same. When the pixel array of the LCD 9 is rectangular (when the figure formed by connecting the centers of four adjacent pixels is rectangular), for example, the birefringent plates 17A and 17B have the same thickness, The thickness of 17C is changed to the birefringent plates 17A and 17
It may be formed to be thicker than √2 times the thickness of B. In this case, the amount of shift of the extraordinary ray obtained by the birefringent plate 17C becomes larger than that shown in FIG. 5, and the figure connecting the intersections of the optical axes of the rays a3 to a6 and the plane becomes a horizontally long rectangle. . As described above, each irradiation area of the light beams a3 to a6 is
The birefringent plates 17A and 17B correspond to the nine pixel arrangement.
By appropriately setting the thickness of 17C, the shadow of the black matrix can be completely eliminated in any pixel arrangement.

When the pixel array of the LCD 9 is square, in order to reliably eliminate the shadow of the black matrix, in the above configuration, the materials of the birefringent plates 17A, 17B, and 17C are all the same, and Is 1: 1: √2, for example, the birefringent plates 17A and 17B are made of the same material, and the birefringent plate 17C is replaced with the birefringent plates 17A and 17B.
If the birefringent plates 17A and 17B are made of a material different from that of the birefringent plates 17C, the amount of shift of the extraordinary ray in the birefringent plates 17C becomes √2 times that of the birefringent plates 17A and 17B.
-The same effect as the above configuration can be obtained while making all the thicknesses of 17C the same.

Further, the birefringent plate 17C may be rotated counterclockwise by, for example, 10 ° as compared with the case shown in FIG. 5 and bonded to the birefringent plate 17B. in this case,
The four lights emitted from the birefringent plate 17C are rays a3 to
The separation state is such that the figure connecting the intersections of the optical axis of a6 and the plane becomes a rhombus. When exposure is performed in such a state, the irradiation areas of the light beams a3 to a6 have a positional relationship shifted from each other, and a superimposed area in which all four irradiation areas overlap is not formed. Therefore, according to this configuration, better image quality can be obtained as compared with the configuration in FIG.

Incidentally, the square separation shown above corresponds to the LCD 9
This is particularly effective in the case of a pixel array in which the figure connecting the centers of four mutually adjacent pixels is a square, and such a square array can achieve the effects of the present invention even if the pixel shape is rectangular. Obtainable.

The birefringent plate unit 17 shown above has 3
Although the configuration includes two birefringent plates, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a configuration as described below may be used.

First, the birefringent plate unit 17 includes three birefringent plates having the same configuration as described above, and furthermore,
Each thickness is half of the above three birefringent plates.
A configuration including two birefringent plates may be employed. According to this configuration, the light emitted from the birefringent plate unit 17 has a total of 1
It becomes six. By configuring such a birefringent plate unit 17 of 16-point separation, it is of course possible to completely eliminate the shadow of the black matrix. However, the irradiation area of 16 lights is crowded and formed. Overlapping regions where one or more light irradiation regions overlap are formed considerably more than in the above configuration. As a result, it is felt that one dot as a whole is formed by the 16 dots, and the superimposed area is finely dispersed, so that it becomes rather inconspicuous. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain a sharp image with a sharp outline, but it is possible to obtain an image with uniform image quality as a whole.

The birefringent plate unit 17 is composed of two 1
A configuration may be adopted in which a 波長 wavelength plate and two birefringent plates are provided, and these are alternately arranged along the traveling direction of light.
Each of the two birefringent plates has a separation direction of 90 °, and the quarter-wave plate converts incident linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light. According to this configuration, the linearly polarized light emitted from the LCD 9 is incident on the first quarter-wave plate in the birefringent plate unit 17, is converted into circularly polarized light, and is incident on the first birefringent plate. In the first birefringent plate, the incident circularly polarized light is birefringent into an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray, and each ray enters the second quarter-wave plate. Then, in the second quarter-wave plate, the incident ordinary light and extraordinary light are respectively converted into circularly polarized light, and are incident on the second birefringent plate. In the second birefringent plate, the incident circularly polarized light is further birefringent into an ordinary ray and an extraordinary ray. At this time, the first and second
Since the thicknesses of the birefringent plates are the same, the shift amounts of extraordinary rays in the first and second birefringent plates are also the same.
Therefore, the optical axis of the ordinary ray of one of the incident circularly polarized lights and the extraordinary ray of the other of the incident circularly polarized lights coincide with each other, and the luminance of the light of this optical axis is doubled. On the other hand, an extraordinary ray for one of the incident circularly polarized lights,
And the ordinary ray for the other of the incident circularly polarized light is
It will be located above and below the light whose brightness has doubled. That is, according to this configuration, the birefringent plate unit 17 of three-point separation can be configured.

If the separation directions of the two birefringent plates are 90 ° and 180 °, respectively, a birefringent plate unit 17 of four-point separation can be constructed.

The birefringent plate unit 17 may be provided with two birefringent plates whose separation directions are 135 ° and 270 °, respectively. According to this configuration, if the thicknesses of the two birefringent plates are the same, the birefringent plate unit 17 of a rhombic four-point separation, and if the thicknesses are different, a parallelogram four-point separation unit 17 is configured. Can be.

Further, the birefringent plate unit 17 may be configured such that the birefringent plate 17B of the birefringent plate unit 17 shown in FIG.
According to this configuration, the birefringent plate unit 17 of eight-point separation can be configured. The principle of the eight-point separation in this configuration is as follows.

The birefringent plate 17A of the birefringent plate unit 17
When the linearly polarized light having a vibration direction of 90 ° from the LCD 9 is incident on the birefringent plate 17A, the process until the linearly polarized light is separated into a light ray a1 (extraordinary ray) and a light ray b1 (ordinary ray) by the birefringent plate 17A is as follows. Same as above.

Next, since the ray a1 is an extraordinary ray, its vibration direction is 135 ° which is the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17A.
It is. On the other hand, since the light beam b1 is an ordinary light beam, its vibration direction is 225 °. The separation direction of the birefringent plate 17B is set to 2
By setting the angle to 15 °, the difference between the vibration direction of each light and the separation direction (215 °) of the birefringent plate 17B is calculated to be 9 °.
It is no longer 0 ° × r (r is an integer) and light rays a1 and b1
Has a component in the direction of 215 °, which is the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17B, and a component in the direction perpendicular thereto. As a result, the birefringent plate 17B separates the ray a1 into a ray e1 (extraordinary ray) and a ray e2 (ordinary ray), while the ray b1 is split into a ray e3 (extraordinary ray) and a ray e4.
(Ordinary ray).

Such a light separation theory is based on the birefringent plate 17.
The same can be said for C. That is, since the rays e1 and e3 are extraordinary rays, the vibration direction is 215 °, which is the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17B, and the rays e2 and e4 are ordinary rays, so the vibration direction is 125 °. . Therefore, the vibration direction of each light and the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17C (0
The difference from (°) is no longer 90 ° × s (s is an integer) in the calculation, and the rays a1 and b1 separate the component in the 0 ° direction, which is the separation direction of the birefringent plate 17C, from the component in the direction perpendicular thereto. Each will have.

As a result, the ray e1 is separated into the ray f1 (extraordinary ray) and the ray f2 (ordinary ray) by the birefringent plate 17C, and the ray e2 is split into the ray f3 (extraordinary ray) and the ray f4.
(Ordinary ray). The light ray e3 is the light ray f5
(Extraordinary ray) and ray f6 (Ordinary ray), and ray e4 is split into ray f7 (Extraordinary ray) and ray f8 (Ordinary ray). Of the light beams f1 to f8 obtained in this manner, a plurality of light beams are applied to an area of the photographic paper corresponding to the pixels of the LCD 9, and the remaining light is applied to an area of the photographic paper corresponding to the black matrix of the LCD 9. . Note that the number of light beams applied to the respective areas of the photographic paper can be appropriately changed by adjusting the thickness of each birefringent plate, for example, according to the shape of the black matrix of the LCD 9.

Such an eight-point-separated birefringent plate unit 1
With the configuration 7, since the eight light irradiation areas are formed congested, the overlapping area where two or more light irradiation areas overlap is rather inconspicuous.

In the above embodiment, the ANM unit 8
The example in which the LCD unit 7 including the LCD 9 is used as a unit that can be switched and used is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any unit including a device capable of displaying digital image data in some form may be used. Good. As such an apparatus, a P-pixel in which each pixel is two-dimensionally arranged is used.
LZT, VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display), EL (E
(electroluminescence) displays.
Since the VFD and the EL display emit light spontaneously, when these are used, the light source unit 5 is used.
Will not be used.

[0113]

As described above, the photographic printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a photographic printing apparatus for printing an image on a photosensitive material, comprising an analog exposure unit for holding a photographic film, and a digital image data. Image display means for controlling the emission of light for each pixel, a digital exposure unit for holding the image display means, and a housing internally provided with a region in which the photosensitive material is exposed. The connection structure between the analog exposure unit and the housing and the connection structure between the digital exposure unit and the housing have compatibility, and any one of the analog exposure unit and the digital exposure unit Is connected to the housing to perform printing.

Thus, one of the analog exposure unit and the digital exposure unit can be connected to the housing and printing can be performed on the photosensitive material. Therefore, photographic printing compatible with both analog exposure and digital exposure can be performed. The effect that a device can be provided is produced.

For example, in a conventional photographic printing apparatus exclusively used for analog exposure, a digital exposure unit having a connection portion compatible with the analog exposure unit is newly provided, so that the analog printer can be used as a digital printer. Since it can be used, there is an effect that capital investment for performing digital printing can be minimized. Further, since the conventional analog printer can be used as it is, there is an effect that it greatly contributes to effective use of resources.

Further, since a photographic printing apparatus having a simple configuration can be provided without requiring a complicated mechanism for switching between analog exposure and digital exposure, a failure or a decrease in reliability can be prevented. Thus, the present invention has the effect of providing a photographic printing apparatus that can handle both analog and digital exposures.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention further comprises a light source unit having a light source, and the light emitted from the light source unit is transmitted through the analog exposure unit or the digital exposure unit to the photosensitive material. And baking is performed.

Thus, in addition to the effects of the first aspect, for example, when the image display means in the digital exposure unit requires light from an external light source, it is used in analog exposure and digital exposure. Since a common light source can be used, the number of components constituting the device can be reduced.

[0119] The photographic printing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention further comprises a light uniforming means on the light emitting side of the light source unit for uniformizing light emitted from the light source unit, and the light uniforming means comprises: , When the analog exposure unit is used and when the digital exposure unit is used.

Accordingly, in addition to the effect of the configuration of claim 2, for example, when analog exposure is performed, the degree of light diffusion is relatively large in order to make small scratches on the photographic film inconspicuous. When performing digital exposure using the light uniforming means, it is possible to perform switching such as using a light uniformizing means having a small degree of light diffusion in order to use light efficiently. It works.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is configured such that the image display means is a liquid crystal display.

Thus, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to third aspects, an effect that the image light having high reliability and faithfully reflecting the image information can be irradiated onto the photosensitive material. To play.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is configured such that the digital exposure unit includes an optical path changing means for changing an optical path of light emitted from the image display means.

Thus, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to fourth aspects, for example, the light path is changed by the light path changing means and the image is displayed on the image display means while the photosensitive material is arranged at the same position. By changing the image and performing printing a plurality of times, it is possible to increase the resolution of the image printed on the photosensitive material.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is configured such that the optical path changing means is constituted by a piezo element for moving the position of the image display means.

Thus, in addition to the effect of the configuration of claim 5, the optical path can be changed accurately and surely, and the size of the optical path changing means itself can be made relatively small. Therefore, there is an effect that a compact digital exposure unit that can be easily switched to the analog exposure unit can be provided.

In a photographic printing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the digital exposure unit refracts the incident light to the light emitting side of the image display means, an ordinary ray whose optical axis goes straight as it is, and an optical axis. This is a configuration in which at least one birefringent plate having a function of separating an extraordinary ray is provided.

Thus, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 1 to 4, for example, the image display means
Even if a light blocking area is provided between each pixel,
By transmitting the light emitted from the image display means to the birefringent plate, it is possible to irradiate the light on the area on the photosensitive material corresponding to the light-shielding area. Therefore, since it becomes possible to eliminate the unexposed area generated on the photosensitive material,
There is an effect that a print image with good image quality can be provided.

The photographic processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention provides the photographic printing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects and the photographic material subjected to printing by the photographic printing apparatus as described above. The image processing apparatus includes a developing section for performing a developing process by using a developing solution, and a drying section for drying the photosensitive material that has been subjected to the developing process in the developing section.

As a result, the printing, developing, and drying processes for the photosensitive material can be performed continuously under centralized control, so that a large number of photographs can be continuously printed without imposing an operational burden on the user. This has the effect of enabling printing to be performed in a targeted manner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A to 1C are perspective views showing a schematic configuration of a photographic processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an LCD unit and an ANM unit. In the state where neither is attached, FIG.
FIG. 4C shows a state in which the D unit is mounted, and FIG. 4C shows a state in which the ANM unit is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic internal configuration of an example of the LCD unit.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are explanatory diagrams showing states of pixels on photographic paper when pixel shift exposure is performed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic internal configuration of another example of the LCD unit.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a principle that incident light is square-separated by a four-point separation birefringent plate unit included in the LCD unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an example of a conventional analog / digital photographic printing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of another example of a conventional analog / digital photographic printing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of still another example of a conventional analog / digital compatible photo printing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 printing unit 2 development processing unit 3 drying unit 4 paper magazine 5 light source unit 6 light guide unit 7 LCD unit (digital exposure unit) 8 ANM unit (analog exposure unit) 9 LCD 10 XY stage 11 and 12 first and second piezos Element 13/14 First and second springs 15 LCD unit case 16 Cover 17 Birefringent plate unit 17A / 17B / 17C Birefringent plate

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A photographic printing apparatus for printing an image on a photosensitive material, comprising: an analog exposure unit for holding a photographic film; and image display means for controlling light emission for each pixel according to digital image data. A digital exposure unit that holds the image display means, and a housing provided with an area in which the photosensitive material is exposed to light, a connection structure between the analog exposure unit and the housing,
The connection structure between the digital exposure unit and the housing has compatibility, and one of the analog exposure unit and the digital exposure unit is connected to the housing to perform printing. Photo printing equipment. 2. A light source unit having a light source, wherein light emitted from the light source unit is irradiated on the photosensitive material via the analog exposure unit or the digital exposure unit, and printing is performed. The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a light-equalizing unit on the light-emitting side of the light source unit for equalizing light emitted from the light source unit, wherein the light-uniform unit uses the analog exposure unit. 3. The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the digital exposure unit is switched to a different one when the digital exposure unit is used. 4. A photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image display means is a liquid crystal display. 5. The photographic printing device according to claim 1, wherein said digital exposure unit includes an optical path changing means for changing an optical path of light emitted from said image display means. apparatus. 6. A photographic printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said optical path changing means comprises a piezo element for moving the position of said image display means. 7. A digital exposure unit having a function of separating incident light into an ordinary ray whose optical axis goes straight and an extraordinary ray whose optical axis is refracted, on the light emitting side of the image display means. 5. The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one refraction plate is provided. 8. A photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a developing section for developing the photosensitive material printed by the photographic printing apparatus by using a developing solution. A photographic processing apparatus comprising: a drying section for drying the photosensitive material that has been subjected to the development processing in the development processing section.