JP2003066541A - Image exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image exposure device capable of forming an image of good quality corresponding to the kinds of recording materials. SOLUTION: The image exposure device for forming an image on the exposure surface of the recording material 4 by exposing with light, the image is provided with an exposing light source 1, a lens 2 for projecting the light emitted from the exposing light source 1 on the exposure surface, a focusing means for moving the position of the lens 2 and focusing, and a control means 11 for controlling the focusing means, and it is characterized in that the focusing means is controlled by the control means 11 so that the focal position may be changed corresponding to the kind of the recording material 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image exposure apparatus, and more particularly to an image exposure apparatus capable of forming a high quality image according to the type of recording material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image exposure apparatus for forming an exposure image on a recording material by projecting and irradiating light from an exposure light source through a lens onto the exposed surface of the recording material, the image recording density is improved and In order to achieve high-quality image formation, the focus position of the light from the exposure light source projected and irradiated onto the exposure surface of the recording material during exposure is strictly adjusted, and the exposure surface of the recording material and the optical axis of the exposure light source are adjusted. The directional position is maintained with high accuracy.

As an image exposure apparatus having a focus position adjusting means, a lens for projecting and irradiating light from an exposure light source onto an exposure surface of a recording material is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-125206. Technology for high-speed and high-precision movement adjustment using a piezoelectric actuator,
As disclosed in JP-A 1-188306, the present applicant has proposed a technique for providing a sensor for measuring the distance to the exposed surface of a recording material, and controlling focus adjustment based on the measurement result of the sensor. ing.

[0004]

Various kinds of recording materials having different surface reflectances, light diffusivities and the like are used as recording materials for forming images by light exposure.

Depending on the type of such recording material, it may be possible to form an image having a good appearance by changing the focus position and exposing. For example,
With recording materials having different surface reflectances, the formed images appear to have different shades even when exposed to the same amount of light. Therefore, when the exposure is performed while changing the focus position according to the surface reflectance of the recording material, the output image will look better.

However, in the conventional image exposure apparatus,
Regardless of the type of the recording material, since the image formation is always performed by aligning the focus position on the exposed surface of the recording material, it cannot be said that the image formation with good appearance is always performed.

Further, a sensor for measuring the distance to the exposed surface of the recording material is provided by a triangulation method, and the amount of deviation of the distance to the exposed surface of the recording material is calculated from the measured value of the sensor to adjust the focus position. In the image exposure apparatus that performs the above, the output value of the sensor may vary depending on the type of recording material.

For example, the amount of reflected light received by the sensor differs between the recording material having a high surface reflectance and the surface reflectance having a small reflectance, and therefore even if the distance to the exposed surface of the recording material is the same, The sensitivity changes and the output value changes. Therefore, the adjustment amount of the focus position based on the output value of the sensor is naturally different, which causes a problem that accurate focus adjustment cannot be performed.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide an image exposure apparatus capable of forming a high quality image according to the type of recording material.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an image exposure apparatus that suppresses fluctuations in sensor sensitivity depending on the type of recording material and enables accurate focus adjustment.

[0011]

The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned first problem is an image exposure apparatus for forming an image on an exposed surface of a recording material by light exposure, the exposure light source and the exposure light source. A lens for projecting and irradiating the light from the projection surface onto the exposure surface, a focus adjusting means for adjusting the focus by moving the position of the lens, and a control means for controlling the focus adjusting means. The image exposure apparatus is characterized in that the focus position is controlled so as to be changed according to the type of recording material (hereinafter referred to as the first invention).

The invention according to claim 2 is the image exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of the recording material is a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of the recording material.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for measuring the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means is controlled so as to automatically change the focus position according to the measurement result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reading means for reading information indicating the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity attached to the recording material, and the control means automatically focuses according to the reading result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image exposure apparatus is controlled so as to change its position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reading means for reading the information indicating the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity attached to the cartridge containing the recording material, and the control means responds to the reading result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image exposure apparatus is controlled so as to automatically change the focus position.

The invention according to claim 6 has a setting means for the user to set the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means has the set surface reflectance or the light diffusivity. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image exposure apparatus is controlled so as to automatically change the focus position in accordance with the above.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the control means comprises:
It is characterized by having a table that defines the relationship between the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material and the focus position, and calculating the focus position based on the table from the obtained surface reflectance or light diffusivity. The image exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6.

The invention according to claim 8 for solving the above-mentioned second problem is an image exposure apparatus for forming an image on an exposed surface of a recording material by light exposure, wherein the exposure light source and the light from the exposure light source are exposed. A lens for projecting and irradiating the surface, a sensor for measuring the position of the recording material, a focus adjusting means for moving the position of the lens according to a measurement value of the sensor to perform focus adjustment, and the focus adjusting means. The image exposure apparatus is characterized by changing the gain of the sensor according to the type of recording material (hereinafter, referred to as a second invention).

The invention according to claim 9 is the image exposure apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the type of the recording material is a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of the recording material.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for measuring the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means automatically changes the gain of the sensor according to the measurement result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 9, which is characterized in that.

The invention according to claim 11 has a reading means for reading the information indicating the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity attached to the recording material, and the control means automatically detects the sensor according to the reading result. 10. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gain of is changed.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reading means for reading information indicating the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity attached to the cartridge containing the recording material, and the control means responds to the reading result. 10. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gain of the sensor is automatically changed.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided setting means for the user to set the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means has the set surface reflectance or the light diffusivity. 10. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gain of the sensor is automatically changed in accordance with the above.

In the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the control means has a table that defines the relationship between the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material and the gain of the sensor, and the obtained surface reflectance or light diffusivity is obtained. 14. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the gain is calculated from the ratio based on the table.

[0025] Further, the above-mentioned second problem can be solved.
In the image exposure apparatus for forming an image on an exposed surface of a recording material by light exposure, the invention described in 5, an exposure light source, a lens for projecting and irradiating light from the exposure light source onto the exposed surface, and the recording material. A sensor for measuring the position of the sensor, focus adjusting means for moving the position of the lens according to the measurement value of the sensor to adjust the focus, and control means for controlling the focus adjusting means. The image exposure apparatus is characterized in that the gain of control by the focus adjusting means is changed according to the type of recording material (hereinafter, referred to as a third invention).

The invention according to claim 16 is the image exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the type of the recording material is the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity of the recording material.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided means for measuring the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means automatically gains the control by the focus adjusting means in accordance with the measurement result. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein
The described image exposure apparatus.

The invention according to claim 18 has a reading means for reading information indicating the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity attached to the recording material, and the control means automatically focuses according to the reading result. 17. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the control gain by the adjusting means is changed.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reading means for reading information indicating the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity attached to the cartridge containing the recording material, and the control means is responsive to the reading result. 2. The control gain by the focus adjusting means is automatically changed.
6 is an image exposure apparatus.

According to a twentieth aspect of the invention, the user has a setting means for setting the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means has the set surface reflectance or the light diffusivity. 17. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the gain of control by the focus adjusting means is automatically changed according to the above.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, the control means has a table which defines the relationship between the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material and the gain of control by the focus adjusting means, and the obtained surface reflection is obtained. 18. The gain is calculated based on the table from the rate or the light diffusion rate.
The image exposure apparatus according to any one of 20 to 20.

[0032]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the present invention, the type of recording material refers to those having different degrees of the respective characteristics of the recording material such as surface reflectance and light diffusivity. For example, regarding surface reflectance, It means that the reflectance of light on the surface of the recording material is different by changing the dye amount and the kind of dye of the material to change the sensitivity and the hue. In terms of the light diffusivity, it refers to glossy paper (glossy paper), matte paper (matte paper), or the like having different degrees of diffusion of the light irradiated on the surface of the recording material.

The types of recording materials used in the present invention include:
The difference in surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material is preferable. This is because, when the recording material having different surface reflectance or light diffusivity is exposed by changing the focus position, the appearance of the output image may be remarkably improved.

Further, in the image exposure apparatus in which the focus position is adjusted by measuring the recording material position by the position detection sensor, when an optical sensor is used as the position detection sensor, the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity is reduced. Depending on the sensor sensitivity, the position of the recording material cannot be detected correctly.
Therefore, it is possible to form a high-quality image by changing the control according to the recording materials having different surface reflectances or light diffusivities.

In the first invention described below, the lens position is changed according to the type of the recording material to realize the exposure at the focus position most suitable for the recording material.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, by varying the gain of the sensor for detecting the position of the recording material according to the type of the recording material, the fluctuation of the output value of the sensor is suppressed and the accuracy is high. This is to realize focus adjustment.

Further, in the third invention, the output value of the sensor is changed by changing the gain of the control based on the output value of the sensor for detecting the position of the recording material according to the type of the recording material. To suppress the focus and realize accurate focus adjustment.

Each invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where the type of recording material is a difference in surface reflectance of the recording material will be exemplified.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of an image exposure apparatus according to the first invention. In the figure, 1 is an exposure light source, 2 is a lens, 3 is a drum, and 4 is a recording material held on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 3.

The exposure light source 1 is composed of a semiconductor laser and an LED (light emitting diode), and is fixed to a mounting base 6 provided on the apparatus base 5. Although the exposure light source 1 is illustrated as one light source for the sake of convenience, the number of the exposure light sources 1 may be plural.

The lens 2 is arranged on the optical axis of the light emitted from the exposure light source 1 to the left in the figure, and the light from the exposure light source 1 is held on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 3 and the exposed surface of the recording material 4 is held. Project and irradiate. The lens 2 may be composed of a single lens, or may be composed of a lens group in which a plurality of lenses are housed in a lens barrel with their optical axes aligned at a predetermined interval.

The lens 2 is fixed to the lens base 7,
The lens base 7 is screwed onto a ball screw 9 having one end attached to a stepping motor 8 provided on the mounting base 6. Therefore, the lens base 7 moves along the linear guide (not shown) extending along the optical axis direction (the horizontal direction in the drawing) of the exposure light source 1 by the rotation of the ball screw 9 by the rotation driving of the stepping motor 8, and the recording material. The focus position of the light from the exposure light source 1 projected and irradiated onto the exposure surface of No. 4 can be adjusted. It should be noted that the lens base 7, the stepping motor 8 and the ball screw 9 constitute a focus adjusting means for moving the position of the lens 2 to change the distance between the recording material 4 and the lens 2.

In the figure, 10 is a reflectance measuring means for measuring the surface reflectance of the recording material 4, which is arranged in the vicinity of the exposed surface of the recording material 4 held on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 3. ing.

The reflectance measuring means 10 is, as shown in FIG. 2, an exposed surface 4a of the recording material 4 which is a surface to be measured.
A light projecting portion 10a that irradiates the sensor light with respect to the surface of the recording material 4
a light receiving portion 10b for receiving the reflected light reflected by a,
An example is one in which the surface reflectance of the recording material 4 is measured by measuring the light amount of the reflected light received by the light receiving unit 10b by the photosensor 10c. Not limited to.

The measured value of the reflectance measuring means 10 is the control unit 11
Is output to. In the control unit 11, based on this measured value,
The stepping motor 8 calculates the amount of movement of the lens 2 so that the lens position is optimal for the recording material 4 having the surface reflectance, and the stepping motor 8 uses the number of pulses required to perform rotational driving corresponding to the amount of movement of the lens 2. Output to the driver 12.

Type of recording material 4 (here, surface reflectance)
The optimum lens position according to the above is confirmed in advance by actually exposing the recording material for each type (difference in surface reflectance), and the information on the lens position for each type of the recording material is controlled by the control unit. I'll hold it to 11.

Particularly preferably, the control unit 11 is provided with a measurement value of the reflectance measuring means 10 (= type of recording material 4) and a lens 2.
Prepare a table that defines the relationship with the movement amount of
The moving amount of the lens 2 is obtained from the measurement value of the reflectance measuring means 10 based on this table. According to this, the optimum lens 2 according to the type of the recording material 4
The movement amount can be calculated quickly and with a simple configuration.

The lens 2 is adjusted in advance to the initial setting position so that image formation is performed on the exposed surface of the recording material 4 at an appropriate focus position. The focus position at this time can be adjusted by a method of actually exposing the image for adjustment or a method of adjusting the diameter of the reflected light to a minimum by a confocal method.

The stepping motor driver 12 rotationally drives the stepping motor 8 according to the number of pulses output from the control unit 11 to move the lens 2 from the initial setting position to the optimum focus position for the recording material 4. The control unit 11 and the stepping motor driver 12 constitute control means for adjusting the focus position by the focus adjusting means.

When the position of the lens 2 is adjusted by the focus adjusting means according to the type of the recording material 4, the focus adjusting means is provided with an origin position which serves as a reference for the moving amount of the lens 2, and the initial position is set. The position of the lens 2 can be adjusted with good reproducibility and accuracy by adjusting how much the certain lens 2 is moved from this origin position (how many pulse positions are used).

When the rotation of the stepping motor 8 is converted into a linear movement by the ball screw 9 as in the image exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the origin position is the origin in the rotation direction of the stepping motor 8 as shown in FIG. Positions can be provided. Here, the origin position is the stepping motor 8
The light-shielding member 1 is attached to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft or the ball screw 9 of
3, the stepping motor 8 is provided so that it can rotate together with the rotation of the stepping motor 8, and the passage of the light shielding plate 13 due to the rotation can be detected by the origin sensor 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the origin sensor 14 comprises a light projecting section 14a and a light receiving section 14b, and the light blocking member 13 forms an optical path from the light projecting section 14a to the light receiving section 14b by the rotation of the stepping motor 8. Direction, that is, the rotation direction of the stepping motor 8 is blocked. As a result, even if the position of the origin sensor 14 has a wide range of detection, the edge of the rotating light-shielding member 13 can be detected, so that the reproduction accuracy of the origin position is improved.

As described above, according to the first invention,
The lens 2 can be automatically adjusted and controlled to an optimum position according to the type of the recording material 4, and the exposure can be performed at the focus position where the image of the highest quality can be obtained for the recording material. Therefore, it is possible to form an image having the best appearance for the recording material.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic structure of an image exposure apparatus according to the second invention. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same configurations, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The lens 2 according to the present invention includes the device mount 5
The stage 16 is fixed on a stage 16 which is movable back and forth (left and right in the drawing) along the optical axis direction with respect to the device mount 5. The stage 16 is provided with a stepping motor 8 provided on the device mount 5. One end of the ball screw 9 is screwed into the ball screw 9. Therefore, the stage 16 moves in the left-right direction in the drawing along the optical axis of the exposure light source 1 by the rotation of the ball screw 9 by the rotation driving of the stepping motor 8, and the projection surface is irradiated onto the exposure surface of the recording material 4. The focus position of the light from the light source 1 can be adjusted. The stage 16, the stepping motor 8 and the ball screw 9 move the position of the lens 2 to move the recording material 4.
A focus adjusting unit that changes the distance between the lens 2 and the lens 2 is configured.

In the figure, reference numeral 17 is a position detecting sensor for detecting the position of the recording material 4. Although not shown in detail, it has a light projecting portion and a light receiving portion, and records light from the light projecting portion. This is an optical sensor that measures the position of the recording material 4 by the triangulation method by irradiating the exposed surface of the material 4 and detecting the position of the reflected light by the light receiving unit. It is fixed to.

The measured value of the position detection sensor 17 is the control unit 18
Is output to. The control unit 18 uses the position detection sensor 17
It is necessary to calculate the amount of movement of the lens 2 on the exposed surface of the recording material 4 so that the focus is adjusted properly on the basis of the measured value of, and the stepping motor 8 performs the rotational drive corresponding to the amount of movement of the lens 2. The control is performed so that the pulse number is output to the stepping motor driver 12, but the measurement value of the reflectance measuring means 10 is also input to the control unit 18 in the present invention. Therefore, the control unit 18 controls the measurement values of the position detection sensor 17 and the reflectance measuring unit 1.
The focus adjusting means is controlled based on the measured value of 0, and functions to move and adjust the position of the lens 2. The control unit 18 and the stepping motor driver 12 constitute control means for adjusting the focus position by the focus adjustment means.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the control unit 18. As shown in the figure, the control unit 18 includes a position detection sensor 17
A plurality of (two gain 1 and gain 2 in the illustrated example) amplifying units 18a and 18b that give different gains to the respective outputs are connected in parallel, and can be switched to either by a changeover switch 18c. It is configured.

The change-over switch 18c is provided in the amplifying unit 1 according to the measurement value of the reflectance measuring means 10 input to the control unit 18.
Either of 8a and 18b is switched to change the gain for the measured value of the position detection sensor 17. For example, the surface reflectance of the recording material 4 is low, and the reflectance measuring means 1
When the measured value by 0 is smaller than a predetermined value set in advance, the changeover switch 18c is switched to the one with a larger gain, for example, the amplification unit 18a, and the output value of the position detection sensor 17 is corrected by the amplification unit 18a to improve the sensor sensitivity. Control to raise.

In the control unit 18, one of the amplification units 18a
Alternatively, on the basis of the measurement value of the position detection sensor 17 whose gain is changed by 18b, the movement amount of the lens 2 that is properly focused on the exposed surface of the recording material 4 is calculated,
The stepping motor 8 outputs the pulse number to the stepping motor driver 12 as the number of pulses required to drive the lens 2 in a rotation amount corresponding to the moving amount. Then, the stepping motor driver 12 rotationally drives the stepping motor 8 according to the number of pulses output from the control unit 18, and the lens 2
Adjust and control the focus position of.

As a result, even if the sensitivity of the position detection sensor 17 changes depending on the type of the recording material 4, the gain of the position detection sensor 17 is automatically corrected to suppress the change and the focus position can be accurately adjusted. Adjustments can be made.

FIG. 7 shows another mode of the control unit 18. The control unit 18 has a table 18d that defines the relationship between the surface gain of the recording material 4, that is, the value measured by the reflectance measuring unit 10 and the used gain.
A plurality of amplifiers 18e, 18f, and 18g connected in parallel to the output of 7 and providing different gains (three in the illustrated example, which are gain 1, gain 2, and gain 3).
Can be switched to either by the changeover switch 18c.

As a result, the optimum gain to be used is selected from the amplifiers 18e, 18f, and 18g by the table 18c according to the measurement value of the reflectance measuring means 10 and is switched by the changeover switch 18c. The movement amount can be calculated quickly and accurately.

As described above, according to the second invention,
Even if the sensitivity of the position detection sensor 17 varies depending on the type of the recording material 4, the variation can be suppressed by automatically correcting the gain of the position detection sensor 17, and the focus position can be adjusted accurately. As a result, it is possible to always perform high-quality image formation.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of the control section of the image exposure apparatus according to the third invention. Since the configuration other than the control unit is the same as that of the image exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 5, detailed description will be omitted.

The control section 19 in this embodiment changes the gain of control by the focus adjusting means according to the type of recording material.

The control gain is a gain with respect to the output when controlling the focus adjusting means, and in this embodiment, the stepping motor driver 1 is controlled by the control section 19.
This is a gain when the number of stepping pulses output to 2 is calculated.

The control unit 19 also receives the measurement value of the position detection sensor 17 and the measurement value of the reflectance measuring means 10 as described above. In the control unit 19, the control calculation unit 19a calculates the number of pulses for controlling the focus adjustment unit based on the measurement value of the position detection sensor 17. At this time, the number of pulses for the pulse adjustment unit is calculated according to the measurement value of the reflectance measurement unit 10. A gain is given to the calculated value of the control calculation unit 19a.

For example, when the surface reflectance of the recording material 4 is low, the measured value of the position detection sensor 17 lacks accuracy, and as a result, the focus position cannot be adjusted accurately.
Therefore, the stepping motor driver 12 is controlled by changing the calculated value by giving a gain to the control calculation unit 19a.
With respect to, the number of pulses corrected by the gain is output, and the position of the lens 2 is moved and adjusted so as to be an appropriate focus position.

Preferably, the control unit 19 is provided with a table that defines the relationship between the surface reflectance of the recording material 4 and the control gain, and the measured values obtained from the reflectance measuring means 10 are used as a basis for the table. Is to calculate the control gain. According to this, the amount of movement of the lens 2 can be calculated quickly and accurately.

As described above, according to the third aspect of the invention, even if the sensitivity of the position detecting sensor 17 varies depending on the type of the recording material 4, the gain of the control for the focus adjusting means is automatically corrected, Since the fluctuation can be suppressed and the focus position can be adjusted with high accuracy, it is possible to always perform high-quality image formation.

In each of the above inventions, in order to obtain the surface reflectance of the recording material 4, as shown in the drawing, the recording material 4 is used.
Although the surface reflectance is measured by the reflectance measuring means 10 disposed in close proximity to, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, information 1 indicating the surface reflectance of the recording material 4 is previously formed in the non-exposed area 4b (area where image exposure is not performed) on the surface of the recording material 4.
00 is provided so as to be recognizable by a bar code or a numerical value, and information reading means such as a bar code reader is arranged in the vicinity of the recording material 4 in the same manner as the reflectance measuring means 10, so that the surface reflection The rate (= type of recording material 4) may be read and acquired. According to this, information on the surface reflectance of the recording material 4 can be reliably obtained with an inexpensive device configuration.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a cartridge 200 for accommodating a large number of recording materials 4 of the same kind and supplying the information 100 indicating the surface reflectance of the same recording material 4 to the image exposure apparatus, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the information may be automatically read by the information reading means when the cartridge 200 is loaded into the apparatus. The illustrated example shows a case where the information 100 is provided on the side surface of the cartridge 200 that is inserted into the apparatus. If you do this,
When the same type of recording material 4 is continuously used, it is only necessary to read the information once, so it is not necessary to read the information every time the image is exposed to obtain the surface reflectance, and waste of that time is saved. be able to. Further, it is not necessary to record the surface reflectance on each recording material, and the manufacturing cost of the recording material can be suppressed.

Further, the information indicating the surface reflectance of the recording material 4 is directly input by a user who has confirmed the type of the recording material 4 from an appropriate input means such as a touch panel or an input switch provided in the image exposure device. Alternatively, the same type may be selected from a plurality of types displayed on the display screen (all not shown). In this case, since it is not necessary to provide the reflectance measuring means 10 and the information reading means such as the bar code reader, the inside of the apparatus can be simply configured.

Further, in each of the inventions described above, the difference in the surface reflectance is given as an example of the kind of the recording material, but the difference in the light diffusivity of the recording material may be used. In this case, instead of the reflectance measuring means 10, similarly, a measuring means for measuring the light diffusivity in the proximity of the recording material 4 is arranged, and the measured value is output to the control section.

As in the case shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the information indicating the light diffusivity of the recording material is added to the non-exposed area of the recording material or to the cartridge. Good.

Further, information indicating the light diffusivity of the recording material is
The user can directly input a numerical value from an appropriate input means such as a touch panel or an input switch provided in the image exposure apparatus, or select the same type from a plurality of types displayed on the display screen. Good.

[0079]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an image exposure apparatus capable of forming a high quality image according to the type of recording material.

According to the second aspect of the invention, by changing the gain of the sensor according to the type of recording material, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in sensor sensitivity due to the type of recording material and to perform accurate focus adjustment. An exposure apparatus can be provided.

Further, according to the third invention, by changing the gain of the control for the focus adjusting means according to the kind of the recording material, the fluctuation of the sensor sensitivity due to the kind of the recording material can be suppressed and the focus adjustment can be performed with high accuracy. It is possible to provide an image exposure apparatus capable of performing the above.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image exposure apparatus according to a first invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of reflectance measuring means.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the origin position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a light blocking member and an origin sensor.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image exposure apparatus according to a second invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration of the control unit.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of an image exposure apparatus according to a third invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a recording material provided with information indicating the type of recording material.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a cartridge provided with information indicating the type of recording material.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Exposure light source 2: Lens 3: drum 4: Recording material 5: Device stand 6: Mounting base 7: Lens stand 8: Stepping motor 9: Ball screw 10: reflectance measuring means 11, 18, 19: control unit 12: Stepping motor driver 13: Light shielding member 14: Origin sensor 16: Stage 17: Position detection sensor

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G02B 7/08 G03C 3/00 510D 570X 571D G03C 3/00 510 571G 570 572Z 571 H04N 1/036 Z B41J 3 / 21 L 572 H04N 1/036

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. An image exposure apparatus for forming an image on an exposure surface of a recording material by light exposure, an exposure light source, a lens for projecting and irradiating light from the exposure light source onto the exposure surface, and a position of the lens. A focus adjusting means for moving the focus to adjust the focus, and a control means for controlling the focus adjusting means, wherein the control means controls to change the focus position according to the type of the recording material. Image exposure device. 2. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of recording material is a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of the recording material. 3. A means for measuring a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of a recording material, wherein the control means controls to automatically change a focus position according to the measurement result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2. 4. A reading means for reading information indicating a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity attached to a recording material, and the control means controls to automatically change a focus position according to the reading result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein 5. A reading means for reading information indicating a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity attached to a cartridge containing a recording material, and the control means automatically sets a focus position according to the reading result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image exposure apparatus is controlled so as to be changed. 6. A setting means for a user to set a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of the recording material, wherein the control means automatically sets the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity according to the set surface reflectance or light diffusivity. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image exposure apparatus is controlled so as to change the focus position. 7. The control means has a table that defines the relationship between the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material and the focus position, and based on the table based on the obtained surface reflectance or light diffusivity. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the focus position is calculated. 8. An image exposure apparatus for forming an image on an exposed surface of a recording material by light exposure, an exposure light source, a lens for projecting and irradiating light from the exposure light source onto the exposed surface, and a recording material of the recording material. A sensor for measuring the position, a focus adjusting means for moving the position of the lens according to the measurement value of the sensor to adjust the focus, and a control means for controlling the focus adjusting means, the control means, An image exposure apparatus, wherein the gain of the sensor is changed according to the type of recording material. 9. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the type of recording material is a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of the recording material. 10. A means for measuring a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of a recording material, wherein the control means automatically changes the gain of the sensor according to the measurement result. The image exposure apparatus described. 11. A reading means for reading information indicating a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity attached to a recording material, wherein the control means automatically changes the gain of the sensor according to the reading result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 9, which is characterized in that. 12. A reading means for reading information indicating a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity attached to a cartridge containing a recording material, and the control means automatically gains the sensor according to the reading result. 10. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: 13. A setting means for a user to set the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means automatically sets the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity according to the set surface reflectance or the light diffusivity. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the gain of the sensor is changed. 14. The control means has a table defining the relationship between the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material and the gain of the sensor, and based on the table from the obtained surface reflectance or light diffusivity. The image exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the gain is calculated by using the following method. 15. An image exposure apparatus for forming an image on an exposed surface of a recording material by light exposure, comprising: an exposure light source; and a lens for projecting and irradiating light from the exposure light source onto the exposure surface.
A sensor for measuring the position of the recording material; focus adjusting means for moving the position of the lens according to a measurement value of the sensor for focus adjustment; and control means for controlling the focus adjusting means, An image exposure apparatus, wherein the control means changes the gain of control by the focus adjustment means according to the type of recording material. 16. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the type of recording material is a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of the recording material. 17. A means for measuring a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity of a recording material, wherein the control means automatically changes a control gain by the focus adjusting means according to the measurement result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 16. 18. A reading means for reading information indicating a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity attached to a recording material, and the control means automatically gains the control by the focus adjusting means according to the reading result. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein 19. A reading means for reading information indicating a surface reflectance or a light diffusivity attached to a cartridge containing a recording material, and the control means automatically adjusts the focus according to the reading result. 17. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the control gain is changed. 20. Setting means for allowing the user to set the surface reflectance or the light diffusivity of the recording material, and the control means automatically according to the set surface reflectance or the light diffusivity. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the gain of control by the focus adjustment means is changed. 21. The control means has a table that defines the relationship between the surface reflectance or light diffusivity of the recording material and the gain of the control by the focus adjusting means, and based on the obtained surface reflectance or light diffusivity. 21. The image exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the gain is calculated based on the table.