JP2002341468A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an AOM driver from being delayed at the completion of temperature control also in a cold district or the like. SOLUTION: When power is supplied, a cooling fan 60 is driven after the completion of temperature control of an AOM driver 36 to continue the temperature control, so that the completion of temperature control is not delayed even in a cold district or the like. When temperature in an image reader is raised more than a regulated temperature, the fan 60 is driven to control the temperature, so that an unexpected trouble due to temperature variation caused by the sudden cooling of the driver 36 at the moment of driving the fan 60 is not generated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for forming an image by exposing a photosensitive material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image recording apparatus using digital exposure receives an image of a photographic film photoelectrically read by an image reading apparatus as image data, and scans a photosensitive material with exposure light modulated according to the image data. Exposure is to record an image (latent image). Then, the photosensitive material on which the latent image has been recorded is developed by a processor (developing processing device) and discharged as a print (photograph).

As an exposure light source for such an image recording apparatus, a light emitting element such as a laser light source is often used because of its low cost and small size. The laser light emitted from the laser light source is modulated by an AOM (acousto-optic modulator) in accordance with image data signals of each color subjected to image processing.

[0004] In the AOM driver of the AOM, a temperature control circuit for keeping the temperature at a predetermined temperature is provided in order to stabilize the analog circuit. The AOM driver also has an AMP (amplifying circuit) that generates considerable heat.

For this reason, a configuration is adopted in which the AOM driver is cooled by a cooling fan. However, in a conventional image recording apparatus, the cooling fan is driven at the same time as power is turned on. It takes time to complete the temperature control.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to prevent the AOM driver from delaying the completion of temperature control even in a cold region.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus for recording an image by scanning and exposing a photosensitive material with a laser beam modulated by an acousto-optic modulator in accordance with image data. A driver for driving the acousto-optic modulator, cooling means for cooling the driver,
A temperature control circuit provided in the driver, for keeping the temperature of the driver constant, and when the power is turned on, after the temperature control of the driver is completed, the cooling means is driven to continue the temperature control. It is characterized by:

In the above configuration, when the power is turned on, the temperature control is continued by driving the cooling means after the temperature control of the driver is completed. Therefore, in a cold region or the like, the temperature control completion time is delayed. There is no.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus for recording an image by scanning and exposing a photosensitive material with a laser beam modulated by an acousto-optic modulator in accordance with image data. And a cooling means for cooling the driver, and a temperature control circuit provided in the driver for keeping the temperature of the driver constant. When the power is turned on, the temperature control of the driver is started. When the temperature in the image recording apparatus is equal to or lower than a specified temperature, the cooling unit is driven to continue the temperature adjustment after the temperature adjustment of the driver is completed. When the temperature in the image recording apparatus is equal to or higher than the specified temperature, the cooling unit is used. Is driven to perform temperature control.

With the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the driver from delaying the temperature control completion time. Also, paying attention to the fact that the temperature control completion time of the driver depends on the temperature in the image recording apparatus, and when the temperature in the image recording apparatus is equal to or higher than a specified temperature, the cooling means is driven to perform the temperature control, and thus the cooling is performed. At the moment when the means is driven, the driver is suddenly cooled, causing no temperature fluctuation and unexpected inconvenience.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. (Schematic Configuration of Image Recording Apparatus) As shown in FIG. 5, the image recording apparatus 10 pulls out and transports the photosensitive material A wound up in a magazine 12 into a roll, and punches the photosensitive material A with a punching device 14. To form With this punch, position information for each print (so-called frame information) for cutting the photosensitive material A, and position information for each appropriately set unit number such as one film of 24 or 36 sheets, for example. The image position information such as (so-called sort information)
Formed.

Next, based on the image position information, the exposure unit 16
Then, according to the exposure condition (image recording condition) determined by the setup device, the photosensitive material A is scanned and exposed by the laser beam emitted from the optical scanning device 18 in accordance with the exposure information (image recording condition) determined by the setup device. To form a latent image.

That is, the photosensitive material A conveyed by the conveying roller 20 in the sub-scanning direction with high precision is scanned by the optical scanning device 18.
Are subjected to scanning exposure in the main scanning direction, whereby the photosensitive material A is two-dimensionally scanned and exposed.

On the photosensitive material A on which the latent image is formed, the printing date of the original film and various data of the photosensitive material A and the print are recorded by the printing device 22 on the back side of the print. Next, the long photosensitive material A to which the image has been exposed is developed by the transport roller 24 and the nip roller 26 by the developing device 28.
And developed. The developed photosensitive material is cut into a predetermined size by a cutter and stored in a sorter as a finished print.

Next, the optical scanning device 18 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
In 8, a laser light source 30 that emits a laser beam for exposing the R, G, and B photosensitive layers of the photosensitive material A is disposed. Each laser beam emitted from the laser light source 30 is shaped by a collimator lens 32, and the AOM3
4 creates a beam waist.

The AOM 34 modulates each laser beam in accordance with an image data signal of each color processed by the AOM driver 36. The modulated laser light is turned back by the reflection mirror 40 and passes through a cylinder lens 42 that forms an image only on the reflection surface of the polygon mirror 38 in the scanning direction.

The laser light that has passed through the cylinder lens 42 is deflected by the polygon mirror 38 and is scanned by the scanning lens 44.
, The tilt is corrected by the cylinder mirror 46, reflected by the return mirror 48, and forms an image on the photosensitive material A.

On the other hand, the AOM 34 is composed of an optical crystal to which a pressure element 50 (LiNbO ₃ or the like) for generating an ultrasonic wave is bonded, and induces a change in the refractive index by applying the ultrasonic wave (photoelastic effect). An optical device utilizing the phenomenon that light is diffracted. Due to the amplitude modulation of the ultrasonic frequency, the compression wave having a refractive index generated in the optical crystal functions as a diffraction grating, and modulates the intensity of the laser beam according to the image data.

The AOM driver 36 for driving the AOM 34 includes an AMP 52 (amplifier), an OSC 54 (oscillator), a temperature control circuit 56, and a temperature sensor 58 for outputting the temperature in the AOM driver 36 to the temperature control circuit 56. In order to stabilize these analog circuits, the temperature is controlled to be, for example, 58 ° C.

In particular, the entire AOM driver 36 is cooled by a cooling fan 60 as needed to cool the AMP 52 which generates considerable heat. This cooling fan 60 is provided with an in-machine temperature sensor 66 for measuring the temperature inside the image recording apparatus 10.
Alternatively, based on a signal from the temperature sensor 58, the temperature control circuit 56
Can be turned on and off.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a power supply unit 68 is provided below the image recording apparatus 10, and is partitioned by a partition plate 70 so that heat does not flow upward. An intake port 72 and an exhaust fan 74 are provided in a space partitioned by the partition plate 70, and exhaust air in the apparatus by a flow of air as shown in FIG.

Further, on the left and right sides of the AOM driver 36 disposed near the transport section of the exposure section 16 (see FIG. 5) (above the partition plate 70), there are provided intake fans as the cooling fans 60 for blowing air to the AOM driver 36. 62 and AOM
An exhaust fan 64 that exhausts the air that has cooled the driver 36 out of the image recording apparatus 10 is provided.

Further, below the AOM driver 36,
An intake fan 76 for sending outside air into the image recording apparatus 10 is provided, and forms a flow path for flowing outside air toward the AOM driver 36. Further, a cooling fan 80 for cooling the laser light source is arranged above the AOM driver 36.

Next, the temperature control of the AOM driver used in the image recording apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the power of the image recording apparatus 10 is turned on at step 100, the temperature control of the AOM driver 36 is started at step 102. Next, in step 104, the internal temperature t is detected by the internal temperature sensor 66, and in step 106
It is determined whether the internal temperature t is equal to or higher than a specified temperature T (for example, 15 ° C.).

If the answer is affirmative, the cooling fan 60 is driven in step 110, and the temperature control of the AOM driver 36 is continued in step 112. On the other hand, if the result in Step 106 is negative, it is determined whether or not the temperature control of the AOM driver 36 has been completed in Step 108 without driving the cooling fan 60. If it is determined that the temperature control has been completed, the process proceeds to step 110 to drive the cooling fan 60 to continue the temperature control of the AOM driver 36.

As described above, by controlling ON / OFF of the cooling fan in accordance with the temperature inside the apparatus, there is no delay in the time required to complete the temperature adjustment of the AOM driver 36 even in a cold region or the like. Such temperature control by the AOM driver is suitable for an image recording apparatus in which the difference between the environmental temperature where the apparatus is installed and the temperature inside the apparatus is small and the temperature control is easily affected by the environmental temperature.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the AOM driver does not have a delay in completing the temperature control even in a cold region or the like. Therefore, the user is not kept waiting.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating temperature control of an AOM driver.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating components of the optical scanning device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating functions of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating temperature control of an AOM driver.

[Explanation of symbols]

 34 AOM (acousto-optic modulator) 36 AOM driver (driver) 56 Temperature control circuit 60 Cooling fan (cooling means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image recording apparatus for scanning and exposing a photosensitive material with laser light modulated by an acousto-optic modulator according to image data to record an image, comprising: a driver for driving the acousto-optic modulator; A cooling means for cooling, and a temperature control circuit provided in the driver for keeping the temperature of the driver constant. When the power is turned on, the cooling means is driven after the temperature control of the driver is completed. An image recording apparatus, comprising: 2. An image recording apparatus which scans and exposes a photosensitive material with a laser beam modulated by an acousto-optic modulator in accordance with image data to record an image, comprising: a driver for driving the acousto-optic modulator; A cooling means for cooling, and a temperature control circuit provided in the driver for maintaining a constant temperature of the driver, and when the power is turned on, the temperature control of the driver is started,
When the temperature in the image recording apparatus is equal to or lower than the specified temperature, the cooling unit is driven to continue the temperature adjustment after the temperature adjustment of the driver is completed, and when the temperature in the image recording apparatus is equal to or higher than the specified temperature, the cooling unit is activated. An image recording apparatus, which performs temperature control by driving.