JP2005292761A - Heat development apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat development apparatus in which the cooling efficiency at a cooling part is improved. <P>SOLUTION: The heat development apparatus 10 develops a heat developing recording material F with heat in which a latent image is formed beforehand by a heat developing part C. A cooling part D is provided at the downstream side in the carrying direction of the heat developing part C, and a fan 62 to blow air to the heat developing recording material F is provided at the cooling part D. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat development apparatus for heating a heat development recording material and developing a latent image recorded on an image forming layer of the heat development recording material.

  In recent years, thermal development apparatuses and thermal development recording apparatuses using dry systems that do not perform wet processing have been proposed. In such a heat development apparatus and heat development recording apparatus, a photosensitive and / or heat-sensitive recording material (photosensitive heat-sensitive recording material) or a film-like recording material containing a heat-developable photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to as heat development) is used as a recording medium. Recording material). Further, in the thermal development apparatus and thermal development recording apparatus using this dry system, a latent image is formed by irradiating (scanning) the thermal development recording material with a laser beam in the exposure unit, and then the thermal development recording material is applied in the thermal development unit. Thermal development is performed in contact with the heating means, and then the thermal development recording material on which an image is formed is discharged out of the apparatus (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2001-242608 A JP 2003-195423 A

  By the way, in the thermal development apparatus, in order to cool the thermal development recording material after thermal development, a cooling unit is provided on the downstream side of the thermal development unit in the transport path. The cooling unit cools the heat-developable recording material by transporting the heat-developable recording material in contact with a metal plate or felt. However, it takes a long time to cool the heat-developable recording material, and a space for a conveyance path in the cooling unit is required. For this reason, it has been desired to improve the cooling efficiency of the cooling unit to shorten the time required for cooling and to reduce the size of the transport path in the cooling unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat development apparatus in which the cooling efficiency of the cooling unit is improved.

  The above object of the present invention is a heat development apparatus for heat-developing a heat-developable recording material, on which a latent image has been formed in advance, by a heat-development unit, wherein a cooling unit is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the heat-development unit. This is achieved by a heat development apparatus characterized in that a fan for blowing air to the heat development recording material is provided in the part.

  The heat development apparatus according to the present invention can cool the heat-developable recording material that has been heat-treated and heated in the heat-development unit by blowing air from a fan provided in the cooling unit and blowing air. In this way, the cooling efficiency of the heat-developable recording material can be further improved as compared with the conventional structure in which the heat-developable recording material is conveyed while being in contact with a metal plate or felt. Shortening and downsizing of the transport path in the cooling unit can be achieved.

  In the heat developing device, the fan sucks the atmosphere of the first cooling position immediately downstream of the heat developing unit in the cooling unit, and is located downstream in the transport direction with respect to the first cooling position. It is preferable that the air sucked to the second cooling position is discharged. In this way, the heated air in the vicinity of the heat-developable recording material immediately after being conveyed from the heat developing unit is sucked by the fan, and the temperature of the atmosphere in the vicinity of the heat-developable recording material immediately after being conveyed is increased. By preventing the heat development recording material immediately after the heat development, the heat development recording material is slowly cooled. In addition, by discharging the sucked air to the second cooling position on the downstream side of the conveying method of the cooling unit, the air exhausted from the fan is gradually discharged to the heat-developable recording material that is gently cooled at the first cooling position. It is possible to cool the sprayed and heat-developable recording material more efficiently.

  The heat development apparatus is provided with a guide plate having a surface parallel to one surface of the heat-developable recording material to be conveyed, with the conveyance path of the heat-developable recording material sandwiched in the direction of fan blowing. Is preferred. This not only prevents the heat-developable recording material that has been blown from the fan from being removed from the conveyance path, but also allows the heat-developable recording material to contact or slide against the guide plate. The cooling efficiency can be further increased.

  In the heat development apparatus, it is preferable that the fan is provided below the conveyance path of the heat development recording material. Usually, the heat of the heat-developable recording material is radiated upward. In this thermal development apparatus, a fan is provided below the conveyance path of the thermal development recording material, and air is blown from below to the thermal development recording material. Cooling efficiency can be improved. Further, since the recording material receives air from the fan and is cooled in a state where it floats with respect to the fan, the contact pressure with the guide member is reduced, and the recording material can be prevented from being damaged. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat development apparatus in which the cooling efficiency of the cooling unit is improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a heat development apparatus according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal development apparatus 10 of this embodiment uses a sheet-like thermal development recording material (hereinafter referred to as recording material F) that does not require wet development processing as an image recording material. The recording material F is irradiated with laser light L modulated based on the input image signal to form a latent image, and then the recording material F is thermally developed to obtain a visible image on the surface of the recording material. It is a configuration. The present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and can be applied to any configuration in which a sheet-like recording material is exposed to laser light L in advance to form an image and the recording material is thermally developed. It is.

  The thermal development apparatus 10 is generally configured by a thermal development recording material supply unit A, an image exposure unit B, a thermal development unit C, and a cooling unit D in the order of conveyance of the recording material F. In addition, a transport unit for transporting the recording material F, which is provided at a key point between the units, and a power source / control unit E that drives and controls the units are provided.

  In the thermal development apparatus 10, a power supply / control unit E is disposed at the bottom, a thermal development recording material supply unit A is disposed at the top, and an image exposure unit B, a thermal development unit C, and a cooling unit D are disposed at the top. In addition, the image exposure unit B and the heat development unit C are arranged adjacent to each other.

  According to this configuration, both the exposure process and the thermal development process can be performed on one recording material F in the same transport path, and the exposure process and the thermal development process can be performed within a short transport distance. By doing so, the conveyance path length of the recording material F can be minimized and the output time of one sheet can be shortened.

  As the recording material F, a photothermographic material or a photothermographic material having a thickness of about 0.2 mm (0.1 mm to 0.3 mm) can be used. As the photothermographic material, an image is recorded (exposed) with a laser beam L, and then heat developed to develop a color. In addition, as a photosensitive and heat-sensitive recording material, an image is recorded by a light beam and then developed by heat development to develop a color, or an image is recorded by the heat mode (heat) of the laser beam L and the color is developed at the same time. It is fixed by irradiation.

  The heat-developable recording material supply unit A is a part that takes out the recording material F one by one and supplies it to the image exposure unit B located downstream in the conveyance direction of the recording material F. ) Loading units 11a, 11b, and 11c, supply roller pairs 13a, 13b, and 13c disposed in the loading units 11a, 11b, and 11c, and a conveyance roller and a conveyance guide (not shown), respectively. . Further, magazines 15a, 15b, and 15c containing recording materials F of different sizes are inserted into the respective loading sections 11a, 11b, and 11c having a three-stage configuration. One of the orientations can be selectively used.

  The image exposure unit B scans and exposes the laser beam L in the main scanning direction to the recording material F conveyed from the heat-developable recording material supply unit A. , In the conveying direction), a latent image corresponding to a desired image is formed on the image forming layer on the surface of the recording material F.

  The thermal development unit C performs thermal development by performing a temperature rise process while conveying the recording material F after scanning exposure. Then, the recording material F after the development processing is cooled in the cooling unit D and carried out to the discharge tray 16.

  A width-adjusting mechanism 17 is provided in the conveyance path between the heat-developable recording material supply unit A and the image exposure unit B, and the width of the recording material F carried from the heat-developable recording material supply unit A is reduced. It supplies to the image exposure part B in the state which aligned the direction edge part.

  The image exposure unit B includes a scanning exposure device 40 that exposes the recording material F by scanning exposure with laser light. The scanning exposure apparatus 40 includes a sub-scanning conveyance unit 18 having a flutter prevention mechanism for conveying the recording material F while preventing flapping from the conveyance surface, and a scanning exposure unit 19. The scanning exposure unit 19 scans (main scans) the laser light L while controlling the laser output in accordance with separately prepared image data. At this time, the heat-developable recording material F is moved in the sub-scanning direction by the sub-scanning transport unit 18.

  The sub-scanning conveyance unit 18 includes two drive rollers (conveying means) 21 and 22 each having a rotation axis arranged substantially in parallel with the scanning line across the main scanning line of the laser beam L to be scanned, A guide plate 24 that is disposed to face the drive rollers 21 and 22 and supports the recording material F is provided. The guide plate 24 allows the recording material F inserted between the drive rollers 21 and 22 to be a part of the peripheral surface of the drive rollers 21 and 22 outside the drive rollers 21 and 22 arranged in parallel. By the elastic repulsive force of the recording material F generated by bending the recording material F, the recording material F is brought into contact with and supported by the portion between the drive rollers 21 and 22.

  Thus, an appropriate frictional force is generated between the recording material F and the driving rollers 21 and 22 by the elastic repulsive force of the heat-developable recording material F itself, and the conveyance driving force is reliably transferred from the driving rollers 21 and 22 to the recording material F. Then, the recording material F is conveyed. The driving rollers 21 and 22 are configured to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 1 by receiving the driving force of driving means such as a motor (not shown) via transmission means such as a gear and a belt.

  Further, the recording material F is pressed against the upper surface of the guide plate 24 by its own elastic repulsive force, and flapping from the conveying surface of the recording material F, that is, flapping in the vertical direction in the figure is suppressed. By irradiating the recording material F between the drive rollers 21 and 22 with the laser light L, good recording without deviation of the exposure position can be performed.

  The heat developing section C is provided with a plurality of (three in this embodiment) heat plates 51 arranged in the conveying direction of the recording material F as heating members for heat-treating the recording material F, and these heat plates 51 are conveyed. It is arranged in an arc along the path.

  Each heat plate 51 is provided with a curved heating surface, and the recording material F is brought into contact with each heating surface, and is thermally developed by sliding along each heating surface and relatively moving. Further, in the heat developing section C, a supply roller 53 and a plurality of pressing rollers 55 that press the recording material F against each heat plate 51 are disposed as a transfer means for the recording material F.

  The pressing roller 55 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the hollow cylindrical rotating body 52 and is driven to rotate following the rotation of the rotating body 52. As these pressing rollers 55, a metal roller, a resin roller, a rubber roller, or the like can be used. In the thermal development section C, a plurality of discharge rollers 57 are provided for transporting the thermally developed recording material F further downstream in the transport direction.

  As the discharge roller 57, a flocking roller can be used. The plurality of discharge rollers 57 are arranged in a staggered manner with respect to the conveyance path of the heat-developable recording material. The recording material F discharged from the heat developing section C is gradually cooled to a temperature below the glass transition point while being conveyed by the discharge roller 57. This is because immediately after the heat development, if the recording material is rapidly cooled, the cooling degree differs between the central portion and the end portion of the recording material F in the transport direction, and the recording material is hardened in a deformed state such as a waveform. Immediately after the thermal development, it is necessary to provide a heat retaining portion or the like to lower the cooling efficiency and moderate the progress of cooling.

  The heat developing unit C is not limited to the heat plate 51 described above, and may be configured to include an endless belt and a peeling claw using another flat heat plate or a heating drum.

  Then, the recording material F carried out from the heat developing unit C is appropriately cooled so as not to be wrinkled and not to be bent by a cooling unit D to be described later. The recording material F discharged from the cooling unit D is transported from the transport roller 64 to the downstream discharge roller 63 and is discharged from the discharge roller 63 to the discharge tray 16.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a cooling unit of the heat developing apparatus shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling unit D is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording material F with respect to the thermal development unit C.

  The cooling unit D includes a fan 62 below the conveyance path of the recording material F, and further cools the recording material F that has been cooled to about 90 ° C., which is a development stop temperature, by the plurality of conveyance rollers 57 after thermal development. Therefore, the recording material F is blown from the fan 62 so that the heat of the recording material F is released.

  Further, the cooling unit D is provided with a metal guide plate 61 so as to sandwich the conveyance path of the recording material F in the fan blowing direction. The guide plate 61 has a surface 61a parallel to one surface (the upper surface in FIG. 2) of the recording material F being conveyed.

  The thermal development apparatus 10 of the present embodiment can cool the recording material F that is heated and heated in the thermal development unit C by blowing air from the fan 62 provided in the cooling unit D and spraying air. . At this time, the recording material F is gradually cooled to the glass transition point by the conveying roller 57 and rapidly cooled by the fan 62 after the temperature falls below the glass transition point. In this way, the recording material F is not deformed, and the cooling efficiency of the recording material F is further improved as compared with the conventional configuration in which the recording material F is conveyed while being in contact with a metal plate or felt. Thus, the time required for cooling can be shortened and the transport path in the cooling unit can be reduced in size.

  If the configuration in which the guide plate 61 is provided as in the present embodiment, the recording material F that receives the air blown from the fan 62 is prevented from coming off the conveyance path or flapping to the opposite side with respect to the fan 62. Not only can the recording material F be brought into contact or sliding contact with the surface 61a of the guide plate 61, but the cooling efficiency of the recording material F can be further increased.

  In the present embodiment, the fan 62 is provided below the conveyance path of the recording material F. However, the fan 62 may be provided above the conveyance path. However, since the heat of the heat-developable recording material is normally dissipated upward, the fan 62 is provided below the conveyance path of the recording material F, and the recording material F is blown from below. The heat of the recording material F that has been blown can easily escape upward, thereby improving the cooling efficiency.

  Further, if the fan 62 is provided below the conveyance path of the recording material F, the recording material F receives the wind from the fan 62 and is cooled in a state where it floats on the fan 62. It is possible to prevent the recording material F from being damaged due to a decrease in contact pressure with the guide member 61 or the like.

  Next, a second embodiment of the thermal development apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the embodiments described below, members having the same configuration / action as those already described are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals in the drawings, and description thereof is simplified or omitted.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a cooling unit of the thermal development apparatus of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling material D of the thermal development device 10 is positioned immediately downstream of the thermal development unit C, and the recording material F thermally developed by the thermal development unit C is about 90 ° C. A first cooling position D1 that is gradually cooled, and a second cooling position that is located downstream of the first cooling position D1 and that cools the heated recording material F to about 70 to 80 ° C. A cooling position D2 is provided.

  The heat developing section C is provided with a discharge roller 66 for transporting the recording material F transported from the heat plate 51 on the most downstream side in the transport direction to the first cooling position D1. In the cooling section D, a pair of rollers 68 (two sets in the present embodiment) are provided for transporting from the first cooling position D1 to the second cooling position D2. In the present embodiment, only one pair of discharge rollers 66 is provided downstream in the transport direction of the thermal development unit C.

  A fan 72 is provided in the cooling section D of the heat development apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. The fan 72 of the present embodiment sucks the atmosphere in the vicinity of the heat-developable recording material immediately after being transported at the first cooling position D1, and the sucked air is positioned downstream in the transport direction in the cooling unit. 2 is discharged to the second cooling position D2. As the fan 72 having such a configuration, for example, a centrifugal fan (also referred to as a blower fan or a sirocco fan) can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fan 72 of the present embodiment is provided with a suction port 73 so as to suck the atmosphere at the first cooling position D1 as indicated by an arrow Gs. The fan 72 is disposed so that the suction port 73 is opened between the discharge roller 66 and the roller pair 68 at the first cooling position D1 and in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording material F. ing. In the present embodiment, since the recording material F conveyed between the pair of discharge rollers 66 and the roller pair 68 is exposed upward, the heated air accompanying the recording material F is sucked by the fan 72. It is sucked in smoothly from the mouth 73.

  Further, the air sucked toward the recording material F conveyed between the roller pair 68 and the conveying roller 64 at the second cooling position D2 is sprayed onto the fan 72 as indicated by an arrow Ge in FIG. A discharge port 74 is provided.

  At the second cooling position D2, a guide plate 71 having a plane (upper surface in FIG. 3) parallel to the plane direction of the recording material F to which air is blown from the discharge port 74 of the fan 72 is disposed. . The recording material F transported to the second cooling position D2 is cooled by the air discharged from the fan 72, contacts or slides on the upper surface of the guide plate 71, and heat is absorbed by the guide plate. To be cooled.

  In the thermal development apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the fan 72 sucks the atmosphere of the first cooling position D1 immediately downstream of the thermal development section C in the cooling section D and conveys it to the first cooling position D1. It is preferable that the air sucked to the second cooling position D2 located on the downstream side in the direction is discharged. In this way, the heated air in the vicinity of the recording material F immediately after being transported from the thermal development section C is sucked by the fan, and the temperature of the atmosphere in the vicinity of the recording material F immediately after being transported is prevented from increasing. By doing so, the recording material F immediately after the heat development is gently cooled. Further, by exhausting the sucked air to the second cooling position D2 on the downstream side of the conveying method of the cooling unit D, the recording material F that has been gently cooled at the first cooling position is exhausted from the fan 72. The recording material F can be cooled more efficiently by spraying air.

  In the present embodiment, the fan 72 is disposed above the conveyance path of the recording material F. However, the fan 72 may be disposed below the conveyance path of the recording material F.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A suitable deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, an air suction port 62a is provided in the fan 62, and components (various boards, scanners, etc.) that need to be cooled are arranged in the vicinity of the air suction port 62a. You may do it at the same time.
For example, a fan may be installed above the conveyance path of the recording material, and wind may be blown from the side instead of from directly below as in the above embodiment. Or it is good also as a structure by pulling the air of the atmosphere of a cooling part with a fan.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a heat development apparatus according to the present invention. It is a perspective view explaining the cooling part of the heat development apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows 2nd Embodiment of the heat development apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Thermal developing device 57 Conveyance roller 61 Guide plate 62 Fan C Thermal development part F Thermal development recording material

Claims (4)

A heat development apparatus that heat-develops a heat-developable recording material on which a latent image has been formed in advance by a heat development unit,
A heat developing apparatus, wherein a cooling unit is provided on a downstream side of the heat developing unit in a conveying direction, and a fan for blowing air to the heat developing recording material is provided in the cooling unit.   The fan sucks the atmosphere at the first cooling position immediately downstream of the heat development section in the cooling section, and the second cooling is positioned downstream in the transport direction with respect to the first cooling position. The heat developing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air sucked to the position is discharged.   A guide plate having a surface parallel to one surface of the heat-developable recording material to be conveyed is provided across a conveyance path of the heat-developable recording material with respect to the direction of air blowing by the fan. The thermal development apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   4. The heat development apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fan is provided below a conveyance path of the heat development recording material. 5.

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