JP2884794B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for printing out image and character data of a video or personal computer, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus using a liquid crystal light valve panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional image recording apparatus, the light source is not continuously turned on to maintain the life of the light source for a long time.
It was lit only during exposure. Further, when the light source whose light amount is unstable is turned on or off, a mechanical light-blocking shutter is provided to cover the entire photosensitive recording medium and to set a light-blocking state so that the photosensitive recording medium is not unnecessarily exposed.

[0003]

When the light-shielding shutter is used, the exposure time varies on the photosensitive recording medium due to the movement of the light-shielding shutter, and therefore, uneven exposure occurs. In addition, there is a problem that the provision of the light-shielding shutter increases the number of components and increases the cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus which can easily shield a photosensitive recording medium when a light source having an unstable light amount is turned on or off, and has a simple structure.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a light source, a light valve panel capable of gradation expression, a controller for controlling the light valve panel based on image data, A photosensitive recording medium which is exposed by light emitted from the light source and transmitted through the light valve panel, the controller comprising:
Or after exposing the photosensitive medium, at least before turning off the light source.
During the unstable light amount period, all the pixels of the light valve panel are in a light-shielding state and the photosensitive recording medium is in a non-exposure state.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the controller controls the image recording apparatus at least immediately after the light source is turned on or the photosensitive medium.
At least until before extinguishing the light source after exposure to
During the unstable light amount period, all the pixels of the light valve panel are in a light-shielded state, and the photosensitive recording medium is in a non-exposed state. Therefore, image formation can be performed when the light amount of the light source is stable, and the photosensitive recording medium can be easily shielded from light during non-image formation.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the schematic operation of the image recording apparatus will be described with reference to the basic configuration diagram of the image recording apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. Analog image data D _A including gradation information in the image recording device 1
Is input via the video interface 21,
R (Red), G (Green),
The image data is converted into digital image data D _R , D _G , and D _B corresponding to the three primary colors B (Blue), respectively, and stored in the corresponding areas of the video RAM 23. CPU29 is the print start signal S _p is input, controls the halogen lamp 3 serving as a light source for exposure through a lamp control circuit 26 to generate the exposure light. Above the halogen lamp 3, a reflector 2 for reflecting exposure light is provided.
Exposure light is efficiently condensed on a condenser lens 4 provided below the exposure light. The exposure light further condensed by the condensing lens 4 has an infrared region component removed by an infrared cut filter 5. Below this infrared cut filter 5, a filter unit 6 for performing color separation is provided.
The filter unit 6 includes three color filters F _R , F
_G, and it includes F _B, and these color filters F _R under the control of the filter exchange control circuit 28, F _G, the motor 27 for placing in the optical path by switching the F _B. The exposure light that has passed through the filter unit 6 and has undergone color separation is a liquid crystal light valve panel (hereinafter, referred to as LCD).
7 is transmitted. This LCD7 the digital image data D _R, which is stored in the video RAM 23, D _G, is controlled by the LCD controller 24 on the basis of D _B.

On the other hand, a microcapsule paper 10 which is a non-exposed photosensitive pressure-sensitive paper is stored in a light-shielding cartridge 17 wound around a cartridge shaft 15. The surface of the microcapsule paper 10 is coated with microcapsules containing a dye precursor or the like which reacts with a color developer applied to a color developing paper 18 described later to form a color.
The microcapsule paper 10 is LC
It is conveyed to the vicinity below D7 and exposed. After the exposure, the developed color paper 18 fed by the microcapsule paper 10 and the paper feed roller 20 is pressed by the pressure roller 11 and subjected to pressure development. Thereafter, the microcapsule paper 10 is wound on a winding shaft 16, and the developed paper 18 is fixed by a heat fixing device 12 having a heater 13 as a heat source, and is conveyed to the outside of the device 1 as a hard copy by a conveyance belt 14. .

Next, a more detailed operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the print start switch 25 is depressed, the start signal _Sp becomes CP
Output to U29. Accordingly, the CPU 29 determines whether or not the print start switch has been depressed (step S1). If the print start switch has been depressed, the CPU 29 fetches the analog image data D _A from the outside via the video interface 21 and the A / D converter 22 R, G, B
To digital image data D _R , D _G , and D _B. C
The PU 29 stores the R, G, B digital image data D
_R, D _G, stores D _B in the corresponding area of the video RAM 23 (step S2).

Subsequently, the LCD controller 24 controls the LCD 10 so that the microcapsule paper 10 is not unnecessarily exposed.
7 so that light does not pass through all pixels (hereinafter referred to as
It is called closed. ) To shield light (step S3).
Thereby, exposure due to an unstable light amount when the halogen lamp 3 described later is turned on can be avoided. Then C
The PU 29 drives a motor to set one of the filters and starts exposure. For example, first, the CPU 29 sets only the red filter F _R (step S4), and further turns on the halogen lamp 3 via the lamp control circuit 26 (step S5). As shown in FIG. 3, when a lamp lighting circuit (not shown) is turned on at time t ₁ , the light amount of the halogen lamp 3 gradually increases and becomes stable at time t ₂ . Thereafter, when the circuit of the lamp lighting (not shown) at time t ₃ is turned OFF, and gradually the amount of light decreases from time t ₃ to time t _4, completely turned off at time t _4. Therefore CPU29 causes perform the exposure period in which the quantity of light of the halogen lamp 3 between times t ₃ from time t ₂ as shown in FIG. 4 is sufficiently stable. That is, the CPU 29 determines whether or not a sufficient time has elapsed for stabilizing the light amount from the halogen lamp 3 (Step S).
6) When the light amount is sufficiently stable, that is, at time t
If you have passed the ₂ transfers to the LCD controller 24 the digital image data DR corresponding to the red filter F _R from the video RAM23 until the data is finished (step S7, S8). The LCD controller 24
It starts red exposure to display the image on LCD7 based on the digital image data D _R, which is transferred from the time t _2.

[0011] Light emitted by the halogen lamp 3 is reflected by the reflector 2, becomes parallel light is condensed by the condenser lens 4, uniformly over the entire surface of LCD7 passes through the infrared cut filter 5 and a red filter F _R The microcapsule paper 10 is irradiated with the red light and is transmitted through the LCD 7 to expose a red image. Then CPU29 sets only the green filter F _G (Step S9). Subsequently CPU29 transfers the digital image data D _G corresponding to the green filter F _G from the video RAM23 to the LCD controller 24 to the data is completed (step S10, S11).

[0012] The LCD controller 24 starts the green exposure to display the image on LCD7 based on the digital image data D _G transferred. Thus, a green image is exposed on the microcapsule paper 10 as in the case of red exposure. Further CPU29 sets only the blue filter F _B (step S12). Subsequently CPU29 transfers the digital image data D _B corresponding to the blue filter F _B from the video RAM23 to the LCD controller 24 to the data is completed (step S13, S14).

[0013] The LCD controller 24 LCD7 starts blue exposure an image is displayed on the on the basis of the digital image data D _B transferred. As a result, a blue image is exposed on the microcapsule paper 10 as in the case of the red exposure and the green exposure, and a color latent image is formed on the microcapsule paper 10.
Can be formed on. Next, microcapsule paper 1
0 again at time t ₃ so as not to photosensitive unnecessarily L
All the pixels of the LCD 7 are closed by the CD controller 24 to be in a light shielding state (step S15). As a result, the microcapsule paper 10 is not exposed in a state where the amount of light when the halogen lamp 3 is turned off is unstable.

Next, the CPU 29 turns off the halogen lamp 3 via the lamp control circuit (step S16), and ends the exposure processing. Subsequently, the CPU 29 feeds the developed color paper 18 by the feed roller 20 (step S17), and presses against the microcapsule paper 10 by the pressure roller 11 to perform pressure development (step S18). Thereafter, the microcapsule paper 10 is wound on a winding shaft 16, and the developed paper 18 is fixed by a heat fixing device 12 having a heater 13 as a heat source (step S19). Transported to

In the above embodiment, only the liquid crystal light valve panel is described as the light valve panel. However, another light valve panel may be used.

[0016]

According to the present invention, the controller causes all the pixels of the light valve panel to be in a light-shielded state when the image recording apparatus does not form an image. Therefore, in a state where the light amount is unstable when the light source is turned on and off, it is necessary to provide a light-shielding state for all the pixels of the light valve panel to make the photosensitive recording medium unexposed, and to provide a shutter for setting the light-shielding state. As a result, the structure of the image recording apparatus can be simplified, and a high-quality image can be formed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a light amount of a light source.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a stable region of a light amount of a light source.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image recording device 2 ... Reflector 3 ... Halogen lamp 4 ... Condensing lens 5 ... Infrared cut filter 6 ... Filter unit 7 ... LCD 10 ... Microcapsule paper 11 ... Pressurizing roller 12 ... Heat fixing device 13 ... Heater 14 ... Convey Belt 15: Cartridge shaft 16: Winding shaft 17: Cartridge 18 ... Colored paper 19 ... Feed roller 20 ... Feed roller 21 ... Video interface 22 ... A / D converter 23 ... RAM 24 ... LCD controller 25 ... Start switch 26 ... Lamp control circuit 27 ... Motor 28 ... Filter replacement control circuit 29 ... CPU

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03B 27/32 B41J 2/445 H04N 1/036 H04N 1/23 103

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A light source, a light valve panel capable of gradation expression, a controller for controlling the light valve panel based on image data, and exposure by light emitted from the light source and transmitted through the light valve panel. The photosensitive recording medium, and the controller , the controller , at least immediately after the light source is turned on,
Or at least before extinguishing the light source after exposing the photosensitive medium
An image recording apparatus wherein all pixels of the light valve panel are in a light-shielded state and the photosensitive recording medium is in a non-exposure state during the unstable light amount period .