JP2617383B2 - Contact printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photosensitive material which is sandwiched between a transparent plate for exposure and a photosensitive material and is irradiated with light from a light source through a Fresnel lens from the transparent plate for exposure. The present invention relates to a contact printer for printing an image of a document on a material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of close contact printer, for example, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-243042. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the contact printer 201 includes a housing 202 and an upper
3 and the original 203
A contact mechanism 211 for bringing the photosensitive film 207 placed on the original 203 into close contact with the document 203 with a contact member 209, and a Fresnel lens 213 installed in parallel with the exposure glass plate 205.
And a light source 215 for irradiating the document 203 with light via the Fresnel lens 213.

In the contact printer 201, the light source 215
Light spreads radially and enters the Fresnel lens 213. Since the light source 215 is disposed at the focal length of the Fresnel lens 213,
The light incident on 13 becomes parallel light. The parallel light passes through the document 203 and reaches the photosensitive film 207. At this time, the photosensitive film 207 is exposed to light corresponding to shadows, colors, and the like, which are reflected on the document 203. Manuscript 20
Since the light passing through 3 is parallel light, the original 2
The image No. 03 is accurately printed on the photosensitive film 207. A cooling fan (not shown) is provided in the housing 202 to cool the light source 215 and prevent the light source 215 from overheating.

[0004]

In such a contact printer 201, the exposure glass plate 205 and the Fresnel lens 2 are used.
Since the stain 13 directly affects the image quality, it is necessary to keep the exposure glass plate 205 and the Fresnel lens 213 clean. However, in the conventional contact printer 201, cleaning and the like of the exposure glass plate 205 and the Fresnel lens 213 are troublesome.

That is, convection is generated by the operation of the cooling fan, dust and the like enter from the outside, and the glass plate 20 for exposure is exposed.
5 and the upper and lower surfaces of the Fresnel lens 213. A developing device (not shown) for developing the baked photosensitive film 207 is often provided around the close contact printer 201. Usually, the developing device uses ammonia. The ammonia is gasified and enters the housing 202 of the close contact printer 201. The ammonia gas reacts with water vapor and the like in the air to form an ammonia compound, which adheres to the surface of the exposure glass plate 205 and the surface of the Fresnel lens 213 to cloud them. If the Fresnel lens 213 or the like becomes cloudy, the image becomes unclear or the exposure time becomes long. Such fogging and the like are dealt with by disassembling the contact printer 201 and polishing four surfaces including the upper and lower surfaces of the exposure glass plate 205 and the Fresnel lens 213.
Such polishing work (cleaning) is time-consuming and troublesome, and has a problem that the surface of the Fresnel lens 213 is damaged during cleaning. In particular, Fresnel lens 2
13 is located at the center of the housing 202.
Therefore, do not perform cleaning from the bottom side of the housing 202.
Work was difficult.

Further, the air sent from the cooling fan to the light source 215 is heated by the light source 215 and flows between the Fresnel lens 213 and the glass plate 205 for exposure.
Stay during this time. This stagnated air is affected by the lens surface 2 of the Fresnel lens 213 which is easily affected by thermal deformation.
13a is thermally deformed. For example, in the case of the Fresnel lens 213 having a diameter of 1000 mm, a temperature change of 20 ° C. causes expansion and contraction of 1.5 mm. There is also a problem that such expansion and contraction of the Fresnel lens 213 reduces the image copying accuracy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides a close-contact printer which is easy to clean and can perform high-precision printing without causing thermal distortion of the Fresnel lens. The purpose is to do.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. In the present invention, an original is sandwiched between a transparent plate for exposure and a photosensitive material, and a Fresnel lens is provided from the side of the transparent plate for exposure. By irradiating the light from the light source, in the contact printer to print the image of the original on the photosensitive material,
The exposure transparent plate and the Fresnel lens are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and a sealing member for sealing an optical path chamber formed by the exposure transparent plate, the Fresnel lens and the connecting support member in an airtight or semi-airtight manner is provided. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an air passage for communicating the optical path chamber with the outside air is formed, and the air passage is provided with an adsorption filter. According to a third aspect of the present invention, an adsorbent is provided in the optical path chamber or in a semi-hermetic sub-chamber communicating with the optical path chamber. The invention of claim 4 is
A housing for accommodating the light source and supporting the optical path chamber is provided.
And an opening and closing means for opening and closing the optical path chamber with respect to the housing.
Things.

[0010]

In the contact printer according to the present invention, the light passing through the Fresnel lens from the light source is applied to the document via the transparent plate for exposure. Thus, the image of the document is printed on the photosensitive material.

The Fresnel lens and the transparent plate for exposure are supported at a predetermined distance by a connecting support member, and an optical path chamber is provided therebetween. The reason why the optical path chamber is separated by a predetermined distance between the Fresnel lens and the exposure transparent plate is to avoid the influence of ghost near the Fresnel lens. Further, the optical path chamber is airtight by interposing a seal member for sealing a gap generated between the connection support member, the transparent plate for exposure, and the Fresnel lens. Therefore, since dust and gas components from the outside do not enter the optical path chamber, there is no need to clean the lens surface of the Fresnel lens facing the optical path chamber or the inner surface of the transparent plate for exposure. The optical path chamber is not limited to the airtight state, but may be a semi-hermetic state. In the case of the semi-hermetic state, the amount of dust and the like is reduced, so that the number of times of cleaning can be reduced.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a ventilation path for communicating the airtight chamber to the outside is formed, and an adsorption filter is provided in the ventilation path. This adsorbing filter removes dust and gas components contained in the air entering the optical path chamber. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the adsorbent is provided in the optical path chamber or in a semi-hermetic sub-chamber communicating with the optical path chamber, and products such as ammonia gas entering the optical path chamber are introduced into the adsorbent. Since it is adsorbed, gas products and the like do not adhere to the lens surface or the like. Further, according to the invention of claim 4, the light
A housing for accommodating the light source and supporting the optical path chamber;
By providing opening and closing means for opening and closing the optical path chamber with respect to the body
Move the lower surface of the Fresnel lens to a position where cleaning is easy.
It can be moved to facilitate cleaning work.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to further clarify the structure and operation of the present invention described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is an external view of the contact printer 1, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof. The contact printer 1 includes a housing 2, an exposure unit 3 provided above the housing 2, a light source unit 8 provided below the exposure unit 3, and a cooling unit 9 for cooling the light source unit 8. And a contact mechanism 10 for bringing the photosensitive film F into close contact with the original G (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the exposure section 3 includes a glass plate 31 for exposure, a lens section 35 having a Fresnel lens 34 sandwiched between an upper protective glass 32 and a lower protective glass 33, and A connection support portion 37 that supports between the glass plate 31 for exposure and the lens portion 35 is provided.
The Fresnel lens 34 is formed of an acrylic resin, and has an upper surface formed on a lens surface 34a and a lower surface formed as a flat surface.

The connecting support portion 37 is a lower frame 4 having a U-shaped cross section.
1 and the upper frame 43 are combined in a rectangular cross section. The lower surface protective glass 33 is held on the inner flange portion 45 of the lower frame 41 via a lens surface sealing member 47 made of a closed-cell sponge. A Fresnel lens 34 is placed on the peripheral upper surface of the lower protective glass 33 via a buffer material 49, and the lens surface 34 a of the Fresnel lens 34 is covered with the upper protective glass 32. Fresnel lens 34 and upper surface protective glass 3
2 is screwed and fixed by a cushioning member 51, a fixing member 53, a cushioning member 57, an L-shaped stopper 59, and the like.

On the other hand, a support member 61 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper frame 43. A rubber glass sealing member 63 is attached to one end of the support member 61, and a rubber member is attached to the other end. A sheet seal member 65 made of a material is mounted.

The glass plate 31 for exposure and the Fresnel lens 34 are installed in parallel at a predetermined distance from each other by a connecting support 37, and the space between them is an optical path chamber 67. The optical path chamber 67 has a function of avoiding the effects of ghosts generated near the lens surface 34a of the Fresnel lens 34, that is, local light condensing and irregular reflection due to grooves on the lens surface 34a. The optical path chamber 67 is sealed by the glass surface seal member 63 and the lens surface seal member 47 and the like, so that the air path chamber 67 is airtight.

The exposing unit 3 is housed in the housing 2 so as to cover the upper open end thereof, but as shown in FIG. Have been. That is, the exposure unit 3 is slidably supported by the guide 71 at one end of the connection support unit 37. The solid line in FIG. 2 shows a state in which the positioning pin 73 fixed to the flange portion 21 of the housing 2 is fitted into the positioning hole 75 of the lower frame 41 and is closed by the locking action of a lock mechanism (not shown). , The two-dot chain line in FIG.
It shows a state where it is held and opened at a predetermined angle by the support rod 77 and the support arm 78 with a spring while being slightly guided by the guide 71 in the direction of the arrow.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light source unit 8 includes a light source 85 supported by a support rod 83 at substantially the center of a bowl-shaped reflector 81. The light source 85 is an electrodeless light source close to a point light source, and emits ultraviolet light having a wavelength for exposing the photosensitive film F when it is turned on.

The cooling unit 9 introduces outside air from a ventilation port 23 of the housing 2 by a fan 91, and sends air to a light source 85 through an opening (not shown) of a reflector 81 through an air passage 93, and the light source 85 It is configured to air-cool.

The contact mechanism 10 is wound around a spring roller (not shown) in a roller cover 105 on the front end side of the contact printer 1 and one end thereof is the front end of the housing 2 (left side in FIG. 2).
The rubber sheet 104 fixed to the
A sheet winding and unfolding mechanism (not shown) that unfolds and rolls the sheet 4 on a glass plate 31 for exposure from a spring roller, and an exhaust provided through the connection support 37 on the right side of FIG. And a suction device (not shown) connected to the unit 107.

Next, the printing operation of the contact printer 1 will be described. First, the original G is placed on the exposure glass plate 31, and the photosensitive film F is placed on the original G. Next, the sheet 104 is unfolded from the roller cover 105 so as to cover the photosensitive film F by the sheet winding and unfolding mechanism. At this time, the periphery of the sheet 104 is sealed by the sheet sealing member 65. Further, the space covered by the sheet 104 is exhausted through the exhaust unit 107 and the above-mentioned sealing portion by the suction device, and the photosensitive film F and the original G, and the original G and the exposure glass plate 31 are brought into close contact with the sheet 104 in a laminated state.

Next, when the light source 85 is turned on, the radial light from the light source 85 is corrected to parallel light by the Fresnel lens 34 and is irradiated on the original G. The light that has entered the original G reaches the photosensitive film F via the original G, whereby the image of the original G is accurately printed on the photosensitive film F.

In the contact printer 1, the optical path chamber 67 of the exposure unit 3 is sealed by a glass surface sealing member 63 and a lens surface sealing member 47 to be airtight. Therefore, the outside air does not enter into the optical path chamber 67, and the dust and the compound of the ammonia gas contained in the outside air enter the upper surface of the upper surface protection glass 32 and the glass plate 31 for exposure.
Does not adhere to the lower surface of the. Therefore, cleaning work for removing dust and the like attached to these surfaces becomes unnecessary,
Maintenance becomes easier.

Incidentally, in order to remove the deposits on the upper surface of the glass plate 31 for exposure, it is sufficient to carry out polishing and cleaning using a cleaning solvent. To clean the lower surface of the lower surface protection glass 33, the lock mechanism holding the exposure unit 3 to the housing 2 is removed, and the front end of the exposure unit 3 is lifted by the guide 71,
The exposure unit 3 is held in a state where the exposure unit 3 is opened at a predetermined angle by the support rod 77. In this state, the lower surface of the lower surface protection glass 33 is cleaned. Therefore, the surface to be cleaned may be two surfaces including the upper surface of the exposure glass plate 31 and the lower surface of the lower surface protection glass 33, and the exposure unit 3 is disassembled to remove the lower surface of the exposure glass plate 31 and the upper surface of the lower surface protection glass 33. Cleaning is easy because there is no need to polish.

The Fresnel lens 34 is held between the upper surface protective glass 32 and the lower surface protective glass 33 and is surrounded by cushioning materials 49, 51, 57, etc. There is no adhesion of dust and the like. Therefore, the lens surface 3 of the Fresnel lens 34
Since it is not necessary to clean the 4a and the like with a solvent or the like, cleaning does not cause discoloration of the Fresnel lens 34 formed of acrylic resin by the solvent or damage of the Fresnel lens 34 due to cleaning.

Further, the air that has cooled the light source 85 from the cooling unit 9 is heated and flows toward the exposure unit 3. The optical path chamber 67 of the exposure unit 3 includes a lens surface sealing member 47 and a glass surface sealing member. Since the air is sealed by the member 63 and the like, the heated air does not enter the optical path chamber 67. Therefore, the high-temperature air does not stay in the optical path chamber 67 and does not significantly increase the temperature of the Fresnel lens 34, and the expansion and contraction of the Fresnel lens 34 is small. Therefore, the light from the light source 85 is changed into parallel light with high accuracy by the Fresnel lens 34 and is irradiated onto the original G, so that a copied image with high accuracy is obtained.

Next, a modification of the contact printer 1 according to the above embodiment will be described. (1) In the above embodiment, the optical path chamber 67 is an airtight chamber using the lens surface sealing member 47 and the glass surface sealing member 63, but is not limited thereto, and may be a semi-hermetic chamber. In this case, the amount of dust entering the optical path chamber 67 is reduced, and the number of times of cleaning can be reduced as compared with the conventional contact printer 201.

(2) FIG. 6 shows the lower frame 4 of the connection support 37.
This is an embodiment in which a buffer chamber 150 communicating with the optical path chamber 67 is installed in a semi-hermetic sub-chamber 37 </ b> A surrounded by the upper frame 43 and the upper chamber 43. The buffer chamber 150 is made of rubber that can be easily expanded and contracted, and deforms according to the pressure of the optical path chamber 67 like a balloon.
The reason why such a buffer chamber 150 is provided is as follows.
That is, when the sheet 104 is reciprocated by the close contact mechanism 10, the exposure glass plate 31 is bent, and the volume of the optical path chamber 67 is changed. Such a change in the volume of the optical path chamber 67 is absorbed by the buffer chamber 150, thereby preventing outside air from entering and exiting the optical path chamber 67. (3) FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which a passage 161 communicating with the optical path chamber 67 is provided in a part of the connection support portion 37, and an adsorption filter 163 is provided in the passage 161. This adsorption filter 16
3 removes dust and gas components entering the optical path chamber 67.

(4) FIG. 7 also shows an embodiment in which an adsorbent 170 containing activated carbon or the like for adsorbing ammonia gas is installed on the inner peripheral side of the connection support portion 37 which does not affect the exposure in the optical path chamber 67. Is shown. The reason for providing such an adsorbent is as follows. Even if the inside of the optical path chamber 67 is airtight as described above, the gas permeates to some extent in a long term.
In the present embodiment, the above-described adsorbent is provided to adsorb the gas that has entered the optical path chamber 67, thereby allowing the glass plate 3 for exposure to be used.
The fogging due to the adhesion of the ammonia compound to the lower surface of the first and upper surfaces of the upper protective glass 32 is prevented. Although FIG. 7 shows the adsorption filter 163 and the adsorbent 170, it is a matter of course that only one of them may be provided. The adsorbent 170 may be provided in a semi-hermetic sub-chamber 37A formed by the connection support 37 in communication with the optical path chamber 67. In this case, the optical path chamber 67 and the sub chamber 37A
In order to establish communication with the suction filter 16
3 may be removed. Further, the buffer chamber 150 shown in FIG.
May be formed larger than shown, and the adsorbent 170 may be installed in the buffer chamber 150.

(5) In the above embodiment, the exposure unit 3 is opened by rotating the exposure unit 3 by a predetermined angle with respect to the housing 2. However, other opening / closing structures such as sliding the exposure unit in the horizontal direction, and removal A possible structure may be used.

(6) The connecting support member in the above embodiment is formed as a separate member from the glass plate for exposure 31 and the Fresnel lens 34, but this is integrated with the glass plate for exposure 31, the Fresnel lens 34 and the like. Is also good. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a concave portion serving as an optical path chamber is formed in the glass plate for exposure 31 and the glass plate for exposure 31 is formed integrally with the glass plate for exposure 31 so that the peripheral portion of the glass plate for exposure 31 serves as a connection support portion.

[0034]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the optical path chamber formed by the Fresnel lens, the exposure transparent plate, and the connecting support member is air-tight or semi-air-tight by using a seal member. Therefore, dust and the like from the outside do not enter the optical path chamber. Therefore, it is not necessary to clean the lens surface of the Fresnel lens facing the optical path chamber or the inner surface of the transparent plate for exposure, or the number of times of cleaning can be reduced, so that maintenance is easy.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an air passage communicating between the light path chamber and the outside is formed, and the air passage is provided with an adsorption filter. Since dust and the like are removed, dust does not adhere to the transparent plate for exposure or the like.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the adsorbent is installed in the optical path chamber, and the ammonia compound and the like entering the optical path chamber are adsorbed by the adsorbent, so that ammonia products and the like are deposited on the lens surface and the like. Does not adhere. Claim 4
In the invention according to the invention, a housing for accommodating the light source and supporting the optical path chamber is provided.
Opening and closing means for opening and closing the light path chamber with respect to the housing.
By cleaning the lower surface of the Fresnel lens
In this case, there is no need to work inside the housing,
It can be lifted to the front of the housing for cleaning.
Work can be performed easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a contact printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the contact printer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the bottom side of the contact printer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a main part of another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a main part of still another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional contact printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Contact printer 2 ... Case 3 ... Exposure part 8 ... Light source part 9 ... Cooling part 10 ... Contact part mechanism 21 ... Flange part 23 ... Vent hole 31 ... Exposure glass plate 32 ... Upper surface protection glass 33 ... Lower surface protection glass 34 ... Fresnel lens 34a ... Lens surface 35 ... Lens part 37 ... Connection support part 37A ... Sub-chamber 41 ... Lower frame body 43 ... Upper frame body 45 ... Inner flange part 47 ... Seal member for lens surface 49 ... Buffer material 51 ... Buffer material 53 ... Fixing tool 57 ... Cushioning material 59 ... L-shaped stopper 61 ... Support member 63 ... Seal member for glass surface 65 ... Seal member for sheet 67 ... Optical path chamber 71 ... Guide 73 ... Pin 75 ... Positioning hole 77 ... Support rod 78 ... Support arm 81... Reflector 83... Support rod 85. 161, passage 163, adsorption filter 170, adsorbent

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An image of a document is formed on the photosensitive material by irradiating light from a light source through a Fresnel lens from the side of the transparent plate for exposure while holding the document between the transparent plate for exposure and the photosensitive material. A printer for printing, comprising: a transparent member for exposing and a Fresnel lens separated by a predetermined distance; and a sealing member for hermetically or semi-hermetically sealing an optical path chamber formed by the transparent plate for exposure, the Fresnel lens, and the connecting support member. A contact printer characterized by the following. 2. A contact printer according to claim 1, wherein a ventilation path for communicating the optical path chamber with the outside air is formed, and an absorption filter is provided in the ventilation path. 3. The contact printer according to claim 1, wherein an adsorbent is provided in the optical path chamber or in a semi-airtight sub-chamber communicating with the optical path chamber. 4. An optical path chamber for accommodating the light source and supporting the light path chamber.
And an opening for opening and closing the optical path chamber with respect to the housing.
The contact printer according to claim 1, further comprising a closing unit.