JP3527567B2 - 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 a recording apparatus of a type in which a recording medium coated with a dye of sublimation type is irradiated with a laser beam for recording, and in particular, the recording medium is held on an outer peripheral surface of a rotary drum for recording. The present invention relates to a recording device of a type that performs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a recording method using a sublimation dye, a transfer film coated with a sublimation dye is pressed against a recording medium, and the transfer film is heated by a thermal head to evaporate the sublimation dye. Generally, a method of transferring the image onto a recording medium is performed. However, the transfer method has a problem that a transfer film different from the recording medium must be used. Therefore, as a recording method instead of the transfer method using such a sublimation dye, the present applicant has
A method has been developed in which a sublimation dye is coated on the recording medium itself, and the surface of the sublimation dye is irradiated with a laser beam to sublimate and scatter and remove the sublimation dye, thereby performing recording. As an apparatus for performing this recording, as shown in FIG. 5, the recording medium 1 is held on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical rotating drum 2, and the rotating drum 2 is rotationally driven, and further,
A recording head 3 for irradiating the recording medium 1 held on the rotating drum 2 with a laser beam is moved along the rotating drum 2 to develop an image on the entire recording medium 1.

[0003]

However, when recording is performed with this recording apparatus, the dye emitted by sublimation and scattering due to laser irradiation adheres to the objective lens 4 of the recording head 3 and is relatively short. There is a problem in that the quality of the recorded image is deteriorated by contaminating the objective lens with time.
There is also a problem that the discharged dye adheres to the members around the recording head 3 and stains the machine.

To solve this problem, it is conceivable to suck and remove the dye emitted by the laser beam irradiation. Therefore, a suction nozzle was arranged near the objective lens of the recording head and a suction test was conducted. However, it has been found that the suction nozzle arranged in the vicinity of the objective lens, although having a certain effect, cannot prevent the contamination of the objective lens to a sufficient extent.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a device for performing recording by removing a sublimation dye applied to a recording medium by laser light irradiation, the released dye can be efficiently discharged. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of preventing the objective lens from being soiled and the surrounding machinery from being soiled by suction.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a lens cover so as to move together with a recording head and surround a laser optical path between an objective lens and a rotating drum. A lens front space formed by surrounding the laser optical path with the lens cover is configured to be sucked by a suction means through a suction passage formed in the lens cover, and the suction passage formed in the lens cover is arranged at the center of the suction passage. The line is arranged so as to extend from the space in front of the lens toward the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary drum and to be displaced from the center of the objective lens in the upstream side in the scanning direction of the recording head. It is what

Here, it is preferable that an air passage is further formed in the lens cover so as to extend from the lens front space to the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary drum.

[0008]

According to the present invention, when the recording head irradiates the recording medium on the surface of the rotating rotating drum with the laser beam to perform recording, the dye irradiated with the laser beam is released by sublimation or the like. The lens cover prevents the dye from scattering around, and the suction means can suck the lens front space surrounded by the lens cover to suck and remove the dye released into the lens front space. At this time, since the suction passage is arranged on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary drum with respect to the space in front of the lens, an airflow flowing through the suction passage is generated due to the rotation of the rotary drum. high. Moreover, most of the dye generated in the space in front of the lens is sucked and removed by the suction means, but a small amount of dye may remain in the space in front of the lens and remain there. The upstream side (rear side) in the direction tends to become darker, but by arranging the suction passage so that its center line is shifted to the upstream side in the scanning direction of the recording head from the center of the objective lens. As a result, the dye that tends to remain in the space in front of the lens can be efficiently removed, and contamination of the objective lens can be prevented for a long period of time. Thus, the discharged dye does not adhere to the vicinity and stain the machine or stain the objective lens of the recording head, and good image recording can be performed for a long period of time.

Here, if an air passage is further formed in the lens cover so as to extend from the lens front space to the upstream side in the rotational direction of the rotary drum, the rotation of the rotary drum causes the air front passage to open the lens front space. Then, a stable flow of air is generated through the suction passage, and the dye emitted by laser light irradiation can be more efficiently guided to the suction means through the suction passage.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a recording head and its vicinity of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the recording apparatus in a state in which a rotary drum is separated from the recording head for the sake of clarity. 3 and 4 are AA of FIG.
It is a sectional view taken along the arrow, and the same or similar parts as those of the conventional example shown in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals. 1 to 3, 1 is a sheet-shaped recording medium having a sublimable dye applied on its surface, and 2 is a cylindrical rotary drum that holds the recording medium 1, and can be rotated by a frame (not shown). And is connected to a driving means 5 such as a motor for driving the rotary drum 2 to rotate. A recording head 3 has an objective lens 4 at a position facing the rotary drum 2, and irradiates the recording medium 1 held by the rotary drum 2 with laser light through the objective lens 4 to perform image recording. This recording head 3
Is held by a carriage 7, and the carriage 7 is held by a linear motor 8 provided in parallel along the rotary drum 2. Thus, the recording head 3 can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the rotary drum 2 by the linear motor 8 to scan the recording medium 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rotary drum 2. The linear motor 8, the carriage 7 and the like constitute scanning means for moving the recording head 3 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the rotary drum 2.

Reference numeral 11 is a lens barrel holding the objective lens 4 of the recording head 3, and 12 is arranged so as to cover the laser optical path between the objective lens 4 and the rotary drum 2 and move together with the recording head. It is a lens cover. The lens cover 12 is arranged so as to surround the lens barrel 11 of the recording head 3 and close to the rotary drum 2, and forms a cylindrical lens front space 14 that surrounds the laser optical path. Further, the lens cover 12 has a space 1 in front of the lens.
A suction passage 15 is formed from 4 toward the downstream of the rotating direction of the rotary drum 2, and an air passage 16 is also formed toward the upstream. Here, the suction passage 15
Is arranged such that its center line is displaced from the center of the objective lens 4 to the upstream side, that is, the rear side in the scanning direction (sub-scanning direction) of the recording head 3. The deviation amount d is about 1/4 to 3 / of the radius of the lens front space 14.
It is preferable to set it to about 4, but this shift amount d changes according to the operating speed of the recording head 3.

Reference numeral 18 is a nozzle tank mounted so as to communicate with the suction passage 15 of the lens cover 12, 19 is a suction hose port formed in the nozzle tank 18, and 20 is a suction hose connected to the suction hose port 19. Is. The other end of the suction hose 20 is connected to a suction blower (not shown) via a filter (not shown), and by operating the suction blower, the nozzle tank 1
8. The inside of the lens front space 14 can be sucked through the suction passage 15. Therefore, the nozzle tank 18, the suction hose, the suction blower, and the like constitute suction means for sucking the lens front space through the suction passage formed in the lens cover. It should be noted that the nozzle tank 18 is not limited to being made as a separate component from the lens cover 12, but may be made as a component having an integral structure with the lens cover 12.

The operation of the recording apparatus having the above structure will be described below. After holding the recording medium 1 on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum 2 by vacuum suction or electrostatic suction,
The rotating drum 2 rotates in the scanning direction (main scanning direction) indicated by the arrow B, and the recording head 3 irradiates the laser beam during the rotation to selectively sublimate and remove the sublimation dye on the surface of the recording medium 1. As a result, image recording is performed. During this recording, the recording head 3 moves in the direction of the arrow C in the longitudinal direction of the rotary drum 2.
By moving in the scanning direction (sub-scanning direction) indicated by
The recording position moves, and image recording is performed on the entire surface of the recording medium 1.

During the above recording operation, the suction hose 2
0 is always sucked by a suction blower (not shown), and the lens front space 14 in the lens cover 12 is always sucked. Further, an air flow is generated around the rotary drum 2 due to the rotation of the rotary drum 2. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3, the air passage 16, the lens front space 14,
An air flow is generated through the suction passage 15 and is sucked through the suction hose 20. During the recording operation, as described above, the laser light applied to the recording medium 1 sublimates the sublimation dye, so that the dye is emitted from the laser light irradiation position. The emission position is surrounded by the lens cover 12. Therefore, it is hardly scattered to the outside, and is immediately sent to the nozzle tank 18 by being carried by the air flow passing through the lens front space 14 at the discharge position and sucked and removed. Thus, the discharged dye does not stain the objective lens 4 and good image recording is performed. Moreover, it does not leak to the surroundings and pollute the surrounding machines.

By the way, the suction space 1 is formed in the space 14 in front of the lens.
When sucked through 5, the dye emitted by the laser light irradiation is sucked and removed through the suction passage 15 as described above, but some dye is in the lens front space 14 though it is a very small amount. It seems that it will remain and float.
Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the center line of the suction passage 15 is
When the recording head is arranged at the center of the objective lens 4 in the moving direction, that is, the sub-scanning direction, as shown in FIG. 4, a partial region 22 (indicated by hatching) of the objective lens 4 during long-term use. It was found that dirt adhered to the area). This area 22 was on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction. This is probably because the concentration of the dye that remains and floats in the lens front space 14 is high due to the scanning movement of the recording head 2 or in the upstream region 22 in the scanning direction. Be done. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the suction passage 15 is arranged so as to be displaced upstream (rear side) from the center of the objective lens 4 in the sub scanning direction. As a result, the dye that floats in the space 14 in front of the lens and tends to remain therein can be efficiently removed, and the dirt on the objective lens 4 can be prevented for a longer period of time.

In the above embodiment, the width of the suction passage 15 formed for sucking air from the lens front space 14 is as follows.
It is desirable to be large in order to reduce the passage resistance, but if it is too large, the flow velocity of the air will decrease, and the dye in the air may adhere to the surrounding surface, and the dye concentration in the lens front space 14 will be high. The effect of preferentially sucking in the area is reduced. In consideration of these, it is preferable that the width of the suction passage 15 is about 1/4 to 1/2 of the diameter of the lens front space 14. As the width of the air passage 16,
It is preferably large in order to reduce the passage resistance, and is preferably about 1/3 to 1/1 of the diameter of the space 14.

In the above embodiment, the air passage 16 is formed on the upstream side of the lens front space 14, but the present invention is not limited to this structure, and the air passage 16 may be omitted. Even in that case, although the lens cover 12 is close to the rotary drum 2, a gap is formed, and therefore air flows into the lens front space 14 from the gap, so that the lens front space is passed through the suction passage 15. The air in 14 can be removed by suction, and the dye released in the lens front space 14 can be removed by suction. However, it is preferable to provide the air passage 16 as in the illustrated embodiment, because a stable air flow passing through the lens front space 14 can be formed, because the dye removal effect is good.

[0018]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the lens cover is provided so as to move together with the recording head and cover the laser optical path between the objective lens and the rotating drum, and The space in front of the lens surrounded by the lens cover is sucked by the suction means through the suction passage formed in the lens cover, so that the recording medium on the surface of the rotating rotary drum is irradiated with laser light by the recording head to record. When performing, the lens cover can prevent the dye emitted by laser light irradiation from scattering to the surroundings regardless of the position of the recording head, and prevent the dye from adhering to nearby machines. The space in front of the lens can be sucked to remove the dye therein, and the center line of the suction passage is located downstream of the space in front of the lens in the rotational direction of the rotary drum. By arranging so as to extend toward the upstream side of the objective lens in the scanning direction of the recording head with respect to the center of the objective lens, air in the lens front space is generated as the rotary drum rotates. The airflow can be used to efficiently aspirate, and the concentration of residual dye in the space in front of the lens can be increased to preferentially attract areas that are likely to remain, preventing stains from adhering to the objective lens over a long period of time. It has an effect that good image recording can be performed.

Here, when an air passage is further formed in the lens cover so as to extend from the lens front space to the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary drum, the rotation of the rotary drum causes the air front passage to open the lens front space. A stable flow of air through the suction passage is generated, and the dye emitted by laser light irradiation can be guided to the suction means through the suction passage more efficiently, and the dye adheres to the objective lens for a longer period of time. The effect that it can be prevented is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a recording head of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and its vicinity.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the recording apparatus of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a state in which a rotary drum is separated from a recording head.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a recording device having a configuration in which a suction passage formed in a lens cover is arranged in the center, in the same portion as FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional recording apparatus with a rotary drum separated from a recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 recording medium 2 rotating drums 3 recording head 4 Objective lens 11 lens barrel 12 lens cover 14 Space in front of lens 15 Suction passage 16 air passages 18 nozzle tank 20 suction hose

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Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotary drum for holding a recording medium coated with a sublimable dye, and an objective lens at a position facing the rotary drum. Laser light is passed through the objective lens on the recording medium held by the rotary drum. A recording head that irradiates to record an image, a driving unit that rotationally drives the rotating drum, a scanning unit that moves the recording head in the longitudinal direction along the rotating drum, and a moving unit that moves together with the recording head. And a lens cover arranged so as to surround the laser light path between the objective lens and the rotary drum, and a suction for connecting the lens front space formed by surrounding the laser light path and the lens front space to the outside. A lens cover having a passage and a suction member for sucking the front space of the lens through the suction passage in order to remove the dye emitted by the laser light irradiation of the recording medium. A suction means, and the suction passage,
The center line is arranged so as to extend from the space in front of the lens toward the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary drum, and to be located at a position displaced upstream of the center of the objective lens in the scanning direction of the recording head. A recording device characterized by the above. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lens cover further has an air passage formed so as to extend from the lens front space to the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary drum.