JP2006243271A - Heat developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat developing device capable of preventing development unevenness on a heat-developed recording material and securely maintain the temperature of a heat development section within a designated temperature range. <P>SOLUTION: The heat developing device of the present invention is a heat developing device which heat-develops the heat-developed recording material where a latent image is formed by the heat development section, and the heat development section includes a plurality of processing portions set within mutually different temperature ranges in the conveying direction of the heat-developed recording material, and partition wall portions having openings through which the heat-developed recording material passes between the plurality of processing portions, and is provided with shield members shielding the openings. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat development apparatus that heats a heat development recording material and heat develops 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). In the heat development apparatus and the heat development recording apparatus using this dry system, a latent image is formed by irradiating (scanning) the heat development recording material with a laser beam in the exposure section, and then the heat development recording material is heated in the development section. After the heat development, the heat-developable recording material on which the image is formed is discharged out of the apparatus.

  The thermal development apparatus employs a configuration in which the thermal development process is performed by a plurality of processing units in order to prevent uneven development in the image that is not formed by thermal development. For example, image development unevenness can be achieved by conveying the heat-developable recording material along the conveyance path in the order of the preheating unit, the developing unit, and the slow cooling unit, and heating each processing unit while controlling it at a predetermined temperature. We are trying to suppress this. For example, as a conventional configuration in which the thermal development process is performed in a plurality of areas, there is a thermal development apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-269584

  By the way, when the thermal development process is performed in a plurality of processing units as in the thermal development apparatus described above, it is important to maintain each processing unit in a predetermined temperature range. However, in the conventional heat development apparatus, the sealability of each processing unit cannot be sufficiently ensured, and the processing unit is reliably kept within a predetermined temperature range by the airflow outside the heat developing unit or the inflow of air from another processing unit. It was difficult to maintain. In a state where the sealing property of each processing unit cannot be secured, each processing unit is cooled by the inflow of airflow or air. For this reason, the operation time of a heating means such as a heater for heating to maintain a predetermined temperature becomes longer, which causes an increase in power consumption.

  In the thermal development apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the thermal development unit is divided into a plurality of processing units, and a partition is provided between the processing units. However, the partition wall is formed with an opening for allowing the recording material to be conveyed to pass between the processing units, and air from other processing units flows in and out through the opening, so that each processing unit has a predetermined temperature. There was room for improvement to maintain the range.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform thermal development capable of preventing uneven development of the heat-developable recording material and reliably maintaining the temperature of the thermal development portion within a predetermined temperature range. To provide an apparatus.

  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 is formed by a heat-development section, and the heat-development section is provided along the transport direction of the heat-development recording material. A plurality of processing portions each having a different temperature range are formed, and a partition portion having an opening through which the heat-developable recording material passes is formed between the plurality of processing portions, and the openings are shielded. This is achieved by a heat development apparatus provided with a shielding member.

  In the thermal development apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of processing units formed in the thermal development unit are partitioned by partition walls, and the thermal development recording material transported along the transport direction during thermal development is between the processing units. It is the structure conveyed in order to each process part, passing the opening between. The opening is provided with a shielding member. The shielding member prevents airflow from flowing into the processing units from the outside of the heat developing unit through the openings, and air adjusted to a predetermined temperature in each processing unit opens to other adjacent processing units. It is prevented from flowing out through. As described above, the thermal development apparatus of the present invention has a configuration in which the shielding member is provided in the opening between the processing units. Therefore, the sealing performance of each processing unit can be sufficiently secured, and the airflow outside the thermal development unit and other It is possible to prevent each processing unit from being out of a predetermined temperature range due to the inflow of air from the processing unit. As a result, it is possible to shorten the operation time of the heating means such as a heater and the power consumption required to maintain each processing unit in a predetermined temperature range.

In the thermal development apparatus, the thermal development unit is provided with a development unit and a slow cooling unit that gradually cools the thermal development recording material at a processing temperature lower than the processing temperature of the development unit, and transports the thermal development recording material. It is preferable that a partition wall is formed between the developing portion and the slow cooling portion in the direction, and a shielding member is provided so as to shield the opening of the partition wall.
In this way, the thermal development apparatus can gradually reduce the temperature of the thermal development recording material in the slow cooling section after developing the thermal development recording material in the development section, and can prevent development unevenness. In addition, by shielding the opening with a shielding member, the air in the developing part passes through the opening and flows into the slow cooling part, thereby preventing a problem that the processing temperature of the slow cooling part exceeds a predetermined range. be able to. For this reason, the temperature of the heat-developable recording material can be reliably lowered in the slow cooling portion.

  In the thermal development apparatus, the thermal development unit includes a preheating unit that preheats the thermal development recording material at a processing temperature lower than the processing temperature of the development unit before the development unit in the transport direction of the thermal development recording material. It is preferable that a partition wall is formed between the preheating unit in the conveyance direction of the heat-developable recording material and the developing unit, and a shielding member is provided so as to shield the opening of the partition wall. In this way, the heat developing apparatus can perform necessary and sufficient processing in the developing unit by raising the temperature of the heat developing recording material to a predetermined temperature in the preheating unit before developing the heat developing recording material in the developing unit. Thermal development can be performed at the temperature and processing time, and development unevenness can be prevented. Also, by providing a shielding member that shields the opening between the developing unit and the preheating unit, the air in the preheating unit passes through the opening and flows into the developing unit, and the processing temperature of the developing unit falls below a predetermined range. Can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent the air in the developing unit from passing through the opening and flowing into the preheating unit and the processing temperature of the preheating unit exceeding the predetermined temperature range. Therefore, the heat development recording material can be heated at an appropriate temperature in the preheating portion, and the processing temperatures of the developing portion and the preheating portion can be reliably maintained within a predetermined range.

  The thermal development apparatus includes a position detection unit that detects a position where the thermal development recording material is conveyed, and in accordance with a detection signal output by the position detection unit, a shield that drives the shielding member to open and close the opening. It is preferable that a member driving unit is provided. In this way, at the time of thermal development, the position of the heat-developable recording material can be detected by the position detection means, and the shielding member can be driven according to this position to control the opening to be switched between the shielding state and the opening state.

  The thermal development apparatus includes a cassette tray that accommodates and holds a plurality of thermal development recording materials, and is provided with a detection unit that detects an opening / closing operation of the lid of the cassette tray and outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit. preferable. In this way, based on the opening and closing of the lid of the cassette tray, it can be recognized that the conveyance of the heat-developable recording material has started, and can be used as a trigger for starting control to maintain the processing temperature of each processing section of the heat-developing section. . Here, the cassette tray may be a manual insertion tray that is loaded into the apparatus by the user before heat development, and is configured to receive and hold a plurality of heat development recording materials. Further, the heat development recording material may be conveyed to the processing section side during heat development.

  The thermal development apparatus includes an image exposure unit that exposes the thermal development recording material to form a latent image, the image exposure unit detects the position of the thermal development recording material, and outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit. Is preferred. In this way, the heat development apparatus can expose the heat development recording material in the image exposure unit, and output the position of the heat development recording material as a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit of each processing unit. The shielding member driving unit can drive the shielding member at an appropriate timing in accordance with the detection signal to switch between the shielding state and the opening state of the opening. For this reason, even when developing a plurality of heat-developable recording materials, the processing temperature of each processing unit can be maintained within a predetermined temperature range, and the conveyance of the heat-developable recording material and the control of the shielding member can be efficiently synchronized. Thus, development processing can be performed smoothly.

  In the heat development apparatus, it is preferable that the shielding member is displaced by contacting the heat-developable recording material to be conveyed, and the heat-developable recording material is allowed to pass through the opening. Here, the displacement means that the position of the shielding member changes due to contact with the heat-developable recording material, and if the shielding member is made of an elastically deformable material, The heat-developable recording material is deformed so that it can pass through the opening.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat development apparatus that can prevent uneven development of the heat development recording material and can reliably maintain the temperature of the heat development portion within a predetermined temperature range.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The image recording material used in the heat development apparatus of the present invention is a sheet-like heat development recording material (hereinafter also referred to as recording material) that does not require wet development processing, and is used in the image exposure section. A latent image is formed by irradiating a laser beam modulated on the basis of an image signal inputted to the image signal, and then a thermal development is performed in a thermal development section to obtain a visible image on the surface of the recording material. In the present invention, the heat developing apparatus is not limited to the structure provided with the image exposure unit (the heat developing apparatus having such a structure is also referred to as a heat developing recording apparatus), but the sheet-shaped recording material is exposed in advance by laser light. In this case, the recording material may be subjected to only thermal development while forming an image.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a heat development apparatus according to the present invention. The heat developing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment has an apparatus main body 1, and a tray insertion portion 2 for loading a cassette tray T is formed in the apparatus main body 1. The cassette tray T is a container made of a light-shielding material capable of accommodating and holding a plurality of recording materials F. Although not shown, the cassette tray T can be opened and closed to prevent the recording material F from being exposed to light. Is provided. The cassette tray T of the present embodiment is a manual feed type in which the user is inserted into the tray insertion portion 2 of the apparatus main body 1.

  In the thermal development apparatus 10, the sheet material mechanism 8 that takes out the recording material F from the cassette tray T one by one in the transport direction of the recording material F and carries it out in the transport direction, and the recording material F is subjected to thermal development. A heat developing unit 3 and a carry-out tray 5 on which the recording material F carried out from the carry-out roller 4 is placed are provided. The thermal development apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is configured not to include an image exposure unit, and forms an image by previously developing a latent image with another exposure apparatus and thermally developing the recording material.

  A tray lid opening / closing section 7 that opens and closes the lid of the cassette tray T during heat development is provided in the vicinity of the tray insertion section 2.

  The thermal development unit 3 is provided with a thermal development device 30 that performs thermal development on the recording material F to be conveyed, and a pair of carry-in rollers 6 a that carries the recording material F into the development processing device 30 is provided on the upstream side in the conveyance direction. It has been. Although not specifically described, a guide roller for passing the recording material F, a pass roller, and a guide portion for regulating the position of the transported recording material F are appropriately provided along the transport path of the recording material F. May be.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the thermal development unit in the thermal development apparatus of the present embodiment. The development processing apparatus 30 is a hollow housing-like member, and a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C are arranged in the conveyance direction of the recording material F so as to communicate with each other. It is a side-by-side configuration.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C are a preheating unit 30A, a developing unit 30B, and a slow cooling unit 30C in order in the conveyance direction of the recording material F.
In the preheating unit 30A, the internal air is maintained in a predetermined temperature range of 50 ° C. to 100 ° C. by a heating means such as a heater (not shown), and the recording material F is at a temperature lower than the processing temperature for heat development in the developing unit 30B. Is preliminarily heat-developed, so that rapid heating in the developing unit 30B is avoided.

  The developing unit 30B performs thermal development on the recording material F preheated by the preheating unit 30A at a higher processing temperature than the preheating unit 30A. The developing section 30B is kept warm by a heating means such as a heater (not shown) so that it is maintained in a predetermined temperature range of 100 ° C. to 150 ° C. immediately before thermal development.

  The slow cooling section 30C causes defects such as deformation in the recording material F due to the rapid cooling when the recording material F thermally developed in the developing section 30B is carried out of the development processing apparatus. In order to prevent this, the temperature of the recording material F is gradually reduced. The slow cooling unit 30C is maintained in a predetermined temperature range of 10 ° C to 100 ° C.

  Further, in the conveyance direction of the recording material F (the direction indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 2), between the outside of the development processing device 30 and the preheating unit 30A, between the preheating unit 30A and the developing unit 30B, and between the developing unit 30B. Partition sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 are provided between the gradual cooling section 30C and between the gradual cooling section 30C and the outside of the development processing apparatus 30, respectively. Each partition wall 31, 32, 33, 34 is provided with slit-shaped openings 31a, 32a, 33a, 34a. Further, inside the preheating unit 30A, the developing unit 30B, and the slow cooling unit 30C, conveyance members 37a, 37b, and 37c such as conveyance rollers that support conveyance of the recording material F are provided. The slow cooling unit 30C is provided with a pair of conveyance guide plates 38 disposed so as to face each other across the conveyance path of the recording material F.

  In the present embodiment, the partition walls 31, 32, 33, and 34 of the development processing apparatus 30 are provided with shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d that can shield the openings 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a, respectively. ing.

  The shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d are output by the position detecting means 36a, 36b, 36c, and 36d that detect the recording material F conveyed immediately before the respective shielding openings 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a. It is preferable that the driving control is performed so that the openings 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a are opened according to the detection signal. The shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d can be configured to be driven by a shielding member driving unit such as an actuator (not shown).

Next, a procedure for performing thermal development on the recording material F in the development processing apparatus 30 of the present embodiment will be described.
Immediately after the start of thermal development, the shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d are opened to the openings 31a, 32a, and 30d so that the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C in the development processing apparatus 30 quickly reach a predetermined processing temperature. It is preferable to arrange | position in the state which shielded 33a and 34a. By doing so, the time from the start of the heat development apparatus to the start of conveyance of the recording material F can be shortened, and the total operation time of the heat development apparatus can be shortened. In addition, during the heating of the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C, the increase in power consumption can be suppressed without air flowing out of the other processing units or the development processing apparatus 30.

  When the recording material F on which the latent image is formed is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction and positioned in the vicinity of the opening 31a, it is detected by the position detector 36a. The position detection unit 36a outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit, the shielding member 35a is driven by the shielding member driving unit, and the opening 31a is opened. Then, the recording material F is carried into the preheating unit 30 </ b> A from the opening 31 a of the partition wall 31 of the development processing device 30. At this time, it is preferable that the position detection unit 36a detects the passage of the recording material F, outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit to drive the shielding member 35a, and quickly sets the opening 31a to the shielding state.

  In the preheating unit 30A, the recording material F is heated by the air inside the preheating unit A while being conveyed by the conveying member 37a. When the recording material F reaches the vicinity of the opening 32a of the partition wall portion 32 of the preheating portion 30A, it is detected by the position detecting means 36b, and the shielding member 35b is driven so that the opening 32a is opened. Thereafter, the recording material F is carried into the developing unit 30B through the opening 32a. At this time, it is preferable that the position detection unit 36b detects the passage of the recording material F, outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit to drive the shielding member 35b, and quickly sets the opening 32a to the shielding state.

  In the developing unit 30B, the recording material F is heated and developed by the air inside the developing unit B while being conveyed by the conveying member 37b. When the recording material F reaches the vicinity of the opening 33a of the partition wall 33 of the developing unit 30B, it is detected by the position detecting unit 36c, and the shielding member 35c is driven so that the opening 33a is opened. Thereafter, the recording material F is carried into the slow cooling part 30C through the opening 33a. At this time, it is preferable to detect the passage of the recording material F by the position detection unit 36c, output a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit to drive the shielding member 35c, and quickly set the opening 33a in the shielding state.

  In the slow cooling part 30C, the recording material F is gradually cooled by coming into contact with the air inside the slow cooling part B while being transported by the transport member 37c. When the recording material F reaches the vicinity of the opening 34a of the partition wall 34 of the developing unit 30C, it is detected by the position detecting unit 36d, and the shielding member 35d is driven so that the opening 34a is opened. Thereafter, the recording material F is carried out of the developing apparatus 30 through the opening 34a. At this time, it is preferable that the position detection unit 36d detects the passage of the recording material F, outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit to drive the shielding member 35d, and promptly brings the opening 34a into a shielding state.

  As described above, in the thermal development apparatus 10 according to the present invention, the plurality of processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C formed in the thermal development unit 3 are partitioned by the partition units 31, 32, 33, and 34, respectively. During heat development, the heat-developable recording material F transported along the transport direction passes through the openings 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a between the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C, and the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C. It is the structure conveyed in order. The openings 31a, 32a, 33a, 34a are provided with shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d. The shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d prevent airflow from flowing into the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C from the outside of the development processing apparatus 30 through the openings 31a and 34a, and the processing units 30A and 30B. , 30C is prevented from flowing out to the other adjacent processing units 30A, 30B, 30C through the openings 32a, 33a. As described above, the heat developing apparatus 10 according to the present invention has the configuration in which the shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d are provided in the openings 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a that define the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C. The processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C can be sufficiently sealed, and the temperatures of the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C are lowered by the airflow outside the thermal development unit 3 and the inflow of air from other processing units. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to shorten the operation time of the heating means such as a heater and the power consumption required to maintain the processing units 30A, 30B, and 30C in a predetermined temperature range.

  In the present embodiment, the partition wall portion 34 of the development processing apparatus 30 may not be provided, and the slow cooling unit 30C may be open to the outside of the development processing apparatus 30. Alternatively, the partition unit 31 of the development processing apparatus 30 may be omitted, and the preheating unit 30A may be open to the outside of the development processing apparatus 30. In the thermal development apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a partition wall 33 is provided at least between the developing unit 30B and the slow cooling unit 30C, and a shielding member 35c that is driven to shield the opening 33a of the partition wall 33 is provided. It is preferable that Such a thermal development apparatus 10 can gradually reduce the temperature of the recording material F in the slow cooling section 30C after developing the recording material F in the developing section 30B, and can prevent development unevenness. Further, by shielding the opening 33a by the shielding member 35c, the air of the developing unit 30B passes through the opening 33a and flows into the slow cooling unit 30C, and the processing temperature of the slow cooling unit 30C exceeds the predetermined temperature range. It is possible to prevent problems from occurring. For this reason, in the slow cooling part 30C, the temperature of the heated recording material F can be reliably lowered.

  Further, in the thermal development apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a partition wall 32 is formed between the preheating unit 30A and the development unit 30B, and a shielding member 35b is provided so as to shield the opening 32a of the partition wall 32. Preferably it is. In this way, the thermal development device 10 develops the recording material F by raising the temperature of the recording material F to a predetermined temperature in the preheating unit 30A before developing the recording material F in the development unit 30B of the development processing device 30. Thermal development can be performed at the necessary and sufficient processing temperature and processing time in the portion 30B, so that uneven development can be prevented and thermal development can be performed efficiently. Further, by providing a shielding member 35b that shields the opening 32a between the developing unit 30B and the preheating unit 30A, the air in the preheating unit 30A flows into the developing unit 30B through the opening 32a, and the processing temperature of the developing unit 30B is increased. It is possible to prevent the temperature from falling below a predetermined temperature range. Further, it is possible to prevent the air of the developing unit 30B from flowing through the opening 32a and flowing into the preheating unit 30A, and the processing temperature of the preheating unit 30A exceeding a predetermined temperature range. Therefore, in the preheating unit 30A, the recording material F can be heated at an appropriate temperature, and the processing temperatures of the developing unit 30B and the preheating unit 30A can be reliably maintained within a predetermined temperature range.

  Next, the position detection means of the thermal development apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position detection unit. In FIG. 3, the position detection unit 36c in the developing unit 30B of the development processing apparatus in FIG. 2 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the position detecting means 36c includes a contact s1. The position detecting means 36c is arranged in the vicinity of the conveyance path of the recording material F, and the contact s1 is provided so as to be in contact with the recording material F being conveyed. When the contact s1 comes into contact with the recording material F, the contact s1 is pushed and displaced by the recording material F as shown in the enlarged view in FIG. Then, the position detection unit 36c detects the displacement of the contact s1, recognizes the passage of the recording material F, and outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit 37. Based on the detection signal, the shielding member driving unit 37 drives the shielding member 35c to open the opening 33a. At this time, after the recording material F passes through the vicinity of the position detection means 36c, the contact s1 returns to the original position even when the contact s1 is separated from the recording material F, and a detection signal is output to the shielding member driving unit. 35c may be driven and the opening 33a may be in a shielding state.

  The position detection means is not limited to the contact type configuration having the contact s1 shown in FIG. 3, but may be a non-contact type configuration that detects the approach and passage of the recording material F by a photo sensor or the like.

  Further, the thermal development apparatus 10 may be configured not to provide the position detection unit as appropriate by inputting the thermal development conditions in advance so that the shielding member can be opened and closed at an appropriate timing.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining an example of a control system for driving the shielding member without providing the position detection means.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the heat developing device 10 may be provided with a calculation unit 40 and electrically connected to the shielding member driving unit 37. At this time, before the thermal development process is performed, the length of the conveyance path (conveyance path length) and the processing speed required for performing thermal development on the recording material F are input to the calculation unit 40 in advance. Then, the calculation unit 40 calculates the timing for opening and closing the shielding member 35a (35b, 35c, 35d) by driving the shielding member driving unit 37 based on the transport path length and the processing speed. The recording material F is conveyed at the time of thermal development, and a detection signal is output to the shielding member driving unit 37 at the calculated timing to drive the shielding member driving unit 37 so that the openings 31a (32a, 33a, 34a) are opened and Switch to the shielding state as appropriate. In this way, it is not necessary to provide position detecting means in each of the processing units 30A, 30B, 30C.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining another example of a control system for driving the shielding member without providing the position detecting means.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the tray lid opening / closing section 7 that opens and closes the lid of the cassette tray T may output a detection signal to the shielding member driving section 37. That is, at the time of heat development, the cassette tray T lid can be driven to open and close by the tray lid opening / closing unit 7 and a detection signal can be output from the tray lid opening / closing unit 7 to the shielding member driving unit 37. The shielding member driving unit 37 drives the shielding member 35a (35b, 35c, 35d) according to the detection signal, and appropriately switches the opening 31a (32a, 33a, 34a) between the open state and the shielding state.

  In this way, based on the opening and closing of the lid of the cassette tray T, it is recognized that the conveyance of the recording material F has started, and control for maintaining the processing temperatures of the processing units 30A, 30B, 30C of the thermal development unit 3 is started. It can be a trigger. Here, the cassette tray T may be a manual insertion tray that is loaded into the apparatus by the user before heat development, and is configured to store and hold a plurality of recording materials F. The recording material F may be conveyed to the processing unit side during heat development.

The shielding members 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d may be made of a rigid body or may be an elastic body.
6A and 6B are views showing an example of the shielding member 38 made of an elastic body. As shown in FIG. 6A, the shielding member 38 is attached so as to shield the opening 33 a of the partition wall 33, and is in contact with at least a part of the shielding member 38 that is not fixed to the partition wall 33. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the recording material F is conveyed during thermal development, the shielding member 38 is elastically deformed by coming into contact with the recording material F, and the recording material F is opened 33a. Is allowed to pass. After the recording material F passes through the opening 33a, the shielding member 38 is separated from the recording material F, so that the original opening 33a is restored to a position where it is shielded by the elastic force. In addition, as an elastic material which comprises a shielding member, rubber | gum and a closed-cell sponge can be used, for example.

In the case where the shielding member 38 and the recording material F are in direct contact as shown in FIG. 6B, the surface roughness Ra of the surface of the shielding member 38 on the side in contact with the recording material F is 0.8. The following is preferable.
Moreover, it is preferable to coat the surface of the shielding member 38 with a fluorine-based material.
Furthermore, in order to prevent the surface of the recording material F from being scratched, it is preferable that the dynamic frictional resistance of the surface be 0.4 or less.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the shielding member.
As shown in FIG. 7, a brush-shaped shielding member 71 may be provided so as to shield the opening 33 a of the partition wall 33. The hair fibers of the shielding member 71 have a predetermined elastic force so as to be appropriately deformed when pressed by the recording material F and to return to the original state when separated from the recording material F.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the shielding member. As shown in FIG. 8, a shielding member 72 is provided in which an upper shielding portion 72a and a lower shielding portion 72b are provided in pairs above and below the opening 33a so as to shield the opening 33a of the partition wall portion 33. Also good. The upper shielding part 72a and the lower shielding part 72b are both made of an elastic material, and are brought into contact with the recording material F being conveyed, thereby being appropriately elastically deformed to allow the recording material F to pass therethrough and to be separated from the recording material F. By doing so, the opening 33a is restored to the position to be shielded.

  The shielding member may not be elastically deformed, and a part thereof may be fixed to the partition wall with a hinge or the like, and the position thereof may be changed without being deformed by contact with the recording material F.

  In this way, if the shielding member is displaced by contact with the heat-developable recording material to be conveyed, control based on the position detection means and the detection signal is not required, and the structure of the heat developing apparatus becomes complicated. Can be avoided. Here, the displacement means that the position of the shielding member changes due to contact with the heat-developable recording material, and if the shielding member is made of an elastically deformable material, The heat-developable recording material is deformed so that it can pass through the opening.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the thermal development apparatus according to the present invention.
The thermal development apparatus 100 is roughly configured from a thermal development recording material supply unit A, an image exposure unit B, a preheating unit P, a development unit C, and a slow 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.
The preheating part P, the developing part C, and the slow cooling part D are accommodated in the development processing device 60.

  In the thermal development apparatus 100, the power supply / control unit E is disposed at the bottom, the thermal development recording material supply unit A is disposed at the top, and the image exposure unit B, the thermal development unit C, and the slow cooling unit D are disposed at the top. Further, the image exposure unit B and the heat development unit C are arranged via the preheating unit P.

  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, and includes a plurality (two in this embodiment). ), Supply roller pairs 13a and 13b disposed in the respective loading units 11a and 11b, and a conveyance roller and a conveyance guide (not shown). Further, magazines 15a and 15b containing recording materials F of different sizes are inserted into the loading sections 11a and 11b having a two-stage configuration, and the magazines 15a and 15b loaded in the respective stages are recorded. It is selectively used according to the size of material F and its direction. Note that the loading unit is not limited to a two-stage configuration, and may have a three-stage configuration or a single configuration.

  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, and the sub-scanning direction (that is, substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction (that is, , 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.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the discharge tray 16 may be provided with a sorter S that holds the recording material F carried out. The sorter S is unloaded from the main body 65 by a main body 65 that can be attached to and detached from the heat development apparatus 10, a plurality of unloading rollers 66a, 66b, and 66c provided on the main body 65, and a plurality of unloading rollers 66a, 66b, and 66c. In order to hold the recording material F, a plurality of supply parts 67a, 67b, 67c partitioned in the vertical direction of the main body 65 are provided. The sorter S selects any one of the carry-out rollers 66a, 66b, and 66c and carries out the recording material F, so that each of the supply units 67a, 67b, and 67c corresponding to the carry-out rollers 66a, 66b, and 66c is appropriately set. It is a configuration that can be sorted and held. The heat developing device 10 may be configured so that the sorter S can be freely attached to and detached from the upper portion of the heat developing device 10, and may be omitted as necessary, and the recording material F may be transported only to the discharge tray 16. Good.

  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 41 that exposes the recording material F by scanning exposure with laser light. The scanning exposure device 41 includes a sub-scanning conveyance unit 18 having a flutter prevention mechanism that conveys 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 being bent along, it is brought into contact with and supported by the portions 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. 9 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. After being exposed in the image exposure unit B, it is conveyed to the preheating unit P of the development processing device 60.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the development processing apparatus of the thermal development apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) heat plates are arranged in the preheating portion P and the developing portion C as heating members that heat-process the recording material F along the recording material F conveyance direction. 51a, 51b, 51c are provided, and these heat plates 51a, 51b, 51c are arranged in an arc shape along the transport path. The heat plates 51a, 51b, and 51c function as a heating unit that performs heat development by contacting the heat-developable recording material F being conveyed.

  In addition, a plurality of pressing rollers 55 are arranged across the conveyance path with respect to the heat plates 51a, 51b, 51c. Each pressing roller 55 is provided with a gear portion 55a serving as a driven portion at an axial end portion thereof, and the gear portion 55a is engaged with teeth on the peripheral surface of the hollow cylindrical driving gear 52. The drive gear 52 is connected to a drive source (not shown) via a drive shaft 52a, and is driven to rotate following the rotation of the drive gear 52 in the direction of arrow R1.

  The preheating part P heats the recording material F in advance at a temperature lower than the processing temperature at which the heat development is performed in the development part C by the heat plate 51a, so that the recording material F is rapidly heated in the development part C. Is avoiding. In the preheating part P, the internal air is maintained in a predetermined temperature range of 50 ° C. to 100 ° C. by the heat of the heat plate 51a.

  The developing unit C performs thermal development of the recording material F preheated by the preheating unit P at a processing temperature higher than that of the developing unit P by the heat plate 51b. The developing section C is maintained in a predetermined temperature range of 100 ° C. to 150 ° C. immediately before the heat development.

  The slow cooling part D causes defects such as deformation in the recording material F due to the rapid cooling when the recording material F thermally developed in the developing part C is carried out of the development processing apparatus. In order to prevent this, the temperature of the recording material F is gradually reduced. The slow cooling part D is maintained in a predetermined temperature range of 10 ° C to 100 ° C.

  The preheating part P is separated from the adjacent processing parts or spaces by the partition parts 81 and 82, the developing part C by the partition parts 82 and 83, and the slow cooling part D by the partition parts 83 and 84. In each of the partition portions 81, 82, 83, 84, openings 81a, 82a, 83a, 84a for allowing the transported recording material F to pass are formed.

  The openings 81a, 82a, 83a, and 84a are provided with shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, and 85d, respectively, and the openings 81a, 82a, 83a, and 84a are in a shielded state and an open state according to the transport position of the recording material F. The drive is controlled to switch to

  Position detecting means 86a, 86b, 86c, 86d for detecting the position of the conveyed recording material F and outputting a position detection signal in the vicinity of the upstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the partition walls 81, 82, 83, 84. Are provided. When the position detection means 86a, 86b, 86c, 86d detects the recording material F, the position detection means 86a, 86b, 86c, 86d outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit, and controls the shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, 85d by the shielding member driving unit.

  In the thermal development apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, and 85d may be rigid bodies, or are shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 as in the thermal development apparatus 10 of the above-described embodiment. A member having such elasticity may be used.

  In the heat development apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the preheating part P, the development part C, and the slow cooling part D formed in the development processing apparatus 60 are partitioned by partition walls 81, 82, 83, and 84, respectively. The recording material F conveyed along the conveying direction sometimes passes through the openings 81a, 82a, 83a, 84a between the processing units P, C, D, and sequentially passes to the processing units P, C, D. It is the structure conveyed. In addition, shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, and 85d are provided in the openings 81a, 82a, 83a, and 84a. The shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, and 85d prevent airflow from flowing into the processing units from the outside of the development processing device 60 through the openings, and at a predetermined temperature in the processing units P, C, and D. The adjusted air is prevented from flowing out through the opening to other adjacent processing units. Thus, the heat development apparatus 100 of the present invention can sufficiently secure the sealing performance of the preheating part P, the development part C, and the slow cooling part D, and the airflow outside the development processing apparatus 60 and the air from other processing parts. The processing section can be reliably maintained within a predetermined temperature range due to the inflow of. And since it can prevent that the temperature of each process part P, C, D falls, it aims at shortening of the operation time of a heater etc. required for maintaining in a predetermined temperature range, and reduction of power consumption. be able to.

  The recording material F carried out from the slow cooling part D is conveyed so as to come into contact with the flat surfaces of a pair of metal plates 61 having opposed flat surfaces via a conveying path. Then, the heat of the recording material F is absorbed by the metal plate 61, and the recording material F is cooled appropriately so as not to be wrinkled and not to bend. The recording material F discharged from the cooling unit D is transported from the transport roller 64 to the downstream transport roller 63, and from the transport roller 63 (or 66a, 66b, 66c) to the discharge tray 16 (or each supply unit of the sorter S). 67a, 67b, 67c).

  In the heat development apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the position of the recording material F is detected by the image exposure unit, and the shielding member provided in each of the processing units P, C, and D is driven and controlled based on the detection signal. can do.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control system for the shielding member in the thermal development apparatus of this embodiment. 10 and 11, the image exposure unit B exposes the recording material F, and the image exposure unit B outputs a position detection signal including the position information of the recording material F to the calculation unit 90. be able to. At this time, the calculation unit 90 calculates the timing at which the shielding member driving unit 91 drives the shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, and 85d based on the position detection signal. At the time of thermal development, the shielding member driving unit 91 drives and controls the shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, and 85d based on the calculated value obtained from the calculating unit 90.

  As described above, the thermal development apparatus 100 according to this embodiment exposes the recording material F in the image exposure unit B, and drives the shielding members of the processing units P, C, and D using the position of the recording material F as a detection signal. Can be output to the unit 91. The shielding member drive unit 91 can drive the shielding members 85a, 85b, 85c, and 85d at an appropriate timing according to the detection signal, and can switch the shielding state and the open state of the openings 81a, 82a, 83a, and 84a. . For this reason, even when developing a plurality of recording materials F, the processing temperatures of the preheating portion P, the developing portion C, and the slow cooling portion D can be maintained within a predetermined temperature range, and the conveyance of the recording material F and the shielding member 85a. , 85b, 85c, and 85d can be efficiently synchronized so that development processing can be performed smoothly.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a heat development apparatus according to the present invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the heat development part in the heat development apparatus of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the position detection means of the heat development apparatus concerning this invention. It is a block diagram explaining an example of the control system which drives a shielding member without providing a position detection means. It is a block diagram explaining the other example of the control system which drives a shielding member, without providing a position detection means. It is a figure which shows an example of the shielding member 38 which consists of elastic bodies. It is a figure which shows the other structure of a shielding member. It is a figure which shows the other structure of a shielding member. It is a figure which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of the heat development apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the image development processing apparatus of the heat development apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the shielding member in a heat development apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

3 Thermal development unit 10, 100 Thermal development device 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d Shield member B Image exposure unit C Development unit D Slow cooling unit F Thermal development recording material P Preheating unit

Claims (7)

A heat development apparatus for thermally developing a heat development recording material on which a latent image is formed by a heat development unit,
A plurality of processing units set in different temperature ranges are formed in the heat development unit along the conveyance direction of the heat development recording material, and the heat development recording is performed between the plurality of processing units. A heat developing apparatus, wherein a partition wall having an opening through which a material passes is formed, and a shielding member for shielding the opening is provided. The thermal development unit is provided with a development unit and a slow cooling unit that slowly cools the thermal development recording material at a processing temperature lower than the processing temperature of the development unit,
The partition portion is formed between the developing portion and the slow cooling portion in the transport direction of the heat-developable recording material, and the shielding member is provided so as to shield the opening of the partition portion. The heat development apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat development apparatus is a heat development apparatus. The thermal development unit is provided with a preheating unit that preheats the thermal development recording material at a processing temperature lower than the processing temperature of the development unit before the development unit with respect to the conveyance direction of the thermal development recording material. And
The partition wall portion is formed between the preheating portion and the developing portion in the transport direction of the heat development recording material, and the shielding member is provided so as to shield the opening of the partition wall portion. The heat developing apparatus according to claim 2.   Shielding member driving that includes position detecting means for detecting a position where the heat-developable recording material is conveyed, and that drives the shielding member to open and close the opening according to a detection signal output by the position detecting means. The thermal development apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a section.   A cassette tray for storing and holding a plurality of the heat-developable recording materials is provided, and a detection unit that detects an opening / closing operation of the lid of the cassette tray and outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit is provided. The thermal development apparatus according to claim 4.   An image exposure unit that exposes the heat development recording material to form a latent image, the image exposure unit detects a position of the heat development recording material, and outputs a detection signal to the shielding member driving unit. The heat developing apparatus according to claim 4.   4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member is displaced by being brought into contact with the heat-developable recording material to be conveyed, and allows the heat-developable recording material to pass through the opening. The heat development apparatus as described in one.

Images