JP4427722B2 - Photosensitive material transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a photosensitive material conveying apparatus configured to deliver a sheet-like photosensitive material exposed by an exposure unit from a front conveying unit to a chucker and deliver the sheet-like photosensitive material from the chucker to a rear conveying unit.

  As similar to the above-described photosensitive material conveying apparatus, the photographic paper (the photosensitive material of the present invention) exposed by the exposure mechanism (the exposure unit of the present invention) is chucked by the chucking roller and distributed to the two conveying paths. There are those that are sent to the development processing section. That is, in the exposure mechanism, the photographic paper is exposed while being sandwiched between the fixed roller and the pressure roller, and the photographic paper is exposed, and the photographic paper fed from the exposure mechanism is exposed to the chucking roller. And finally the rear end portion of the photographic paper is chucked by the chucking roller.Next, in this chucking state, the chucking roller is moved upward while performing the sorting operation, During this upward movement, the chucking roller is rotated 90 degrees so that the trailing edge of the photographic paper is directed upward, and chucking is performed with respect to one of the two introduction rollers of the development processing unit. It is configured to feed photographic paper from a roller (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, an idle roller is provided as a correction member for the chucking roller, and the idle roller is supported so as to swing integrally with the swing piece. Then, while the chucking roller is moved upward, the swinging piece comes into contact with the guide member and swings, so that the idle roller is displaced in the direction of contacting the photographic paper to correct the photographic paper. ing.

JP 2002-55400 A (paragraph numbers [0019] to [0035], FIGS. 9 to 12)

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a technique related to the conveyance of small-size photographic paper is mainly described. However, some printing apparatuses called digital minilabs can process photographic paper having a length exceeding 450 mm. In the digital minilab, when photographic paper is exposed, the photographic paper is transported using an exposure engine such as a laser scanning type while transporting the photographic paper at a predetermined speed in the sub-scanning direction in the exposure section. In general, the exposure is performed in a line shape in the main scanning direction in a posture orthogonal to the direction. In Patent Document 1, the chucker is used for the purpose of inverting the front and back of the photographic paper and for the purpose of sorting and transporting the photographic paper. Compared with what to do, it is effective in that the weight can be suppressed without complicating the transport structure even if the transport distance is long, and it is arranged at a site where the photographic paper is transported linearly over a relatively long distance. It is also considered.

  Considering these things, the following inconvenience may be caused when a conveying device is assumed in which the photographic paper exposed in the exposure unit is sandwiched between chuckers and sent to the development processing unit side. In other words, when exposing a large size photographic paper, there may be a situation where the leading edge of the photographic paper that has been exposed is held by a chucker and transported. Even if the moving speed is set to the same speed as the conveyance speed of the photographic paper in the exposure unit, there is a problem that tension is applied to the photographic paper due to a subtle difference in speed and the image quality of the image formed on the photographic paper is lowered. Assumed. In the case of forming an image in a line along the main scanning direction, such as an exposure unit such as a laser scanning type, the entire width in the main scanning direction is applied when tension is applied to the photographic paper on which exposure continues. Thus, the band-like region having a predetermined width in the sub-scanning direction is over- and under-exposed, which leads to so-called banding.

  An object of the present invention is to rationally configure an exposure transport apparatus that realizes proper exposure even when a photosensitive material that is continuously exposed is transported by a chucker.

A feature of the present invention is a photosensitive material conveying apparatus configured to deliver a sheet-like photosensitive material exposed by an exposure unit from a front conveying unit to a chucker, and to deliver from the chucker to a rear conveying unit.
When the dimension of the photosensitive material in the transport direction is less than a preset value, the photosensitive material sent out from the front transport unit by the chucker that is waiting on the downstream side in the transport direction of the front transport unit. A first conveyance mode in which the leading end portion of the material is sandwiched, and in this sandwiched state, the chucker is moved to a delivery position on the rear conveyance unit side, and the photosensitive material is inserted into the rear conveyance unit from the leading end side;
When the dimension of the photosensitive material in the transport direction is equal to or greater than a preset value, the chucker that has been waiting on the downstream side in the transport direction of the front transport unit is sent from the front transport unit. Move at a speed synchronized with the speed of the tip of the material, and stop the chucker when sandwiching the tip of the photosensitive material in the middle of the movement path of the chucker, or synchronize the chucker with the photosensitive material After chucking while moving at a speed, the movement of the chucker is stopped, and thereafter, the chucker holding the photosensitive material is moved to the delivery position on the rear transport unit side, and the photosensitive material is moved to the rear transport unit. Comprising a control means for operating the chucker in two transport modes, the second transport mode inserted from the tip side ,
In the second transport mode, a slack is formed in the photosensitive material between the chucker and the front transport unit based on the stop of the chucker .

With this configuration, in the first transport mode, the photosensitive material sent out from the front transport unit is sandwiched between chuckers and inserted into the rear transport unit from the front end side. In the second transport mode, the photosensitive material is fed from the front transport unit. The chucker is moved at a speed synchronized with the sent photosensitive material, and the tip of the photosensitive material is clamped while the chucker is stopped in the middle of the movement, or the chucker is clamped after the tip of the photosensitive material is clamped move since stopping of the photosensitive material between the chucker and the front conveyor unit becomes that Ru to generate slack, without exerting tension on the photosensitive material even when the exposure is continued, the light-sensitive material It will be delivered to the rear transport unit. As a result, an exposure transport apparatus that achieves proper exposure even when a photosensitive material that continues to be exposed is transported by a chucker is configured. In particular, by moving the chucker at a speed synchronized with the leading end of the photosensitive material, the sagging of the photosensitive material is received by the chucker, and this does not cause inconvenience of damaging the leading end of the photosensitive material. It can be held between.

In the present invention , the control mode may be set so that the movement speed of the chucker is reduced before the chucker holding the photosensitive material in the second transport mode reaches the delivery position.

  With this configuration, a small size photosensitive material sent out from the front transport unit after completion of exposure is transported in the first transport mode, so that the chucker can be securely held and transferred to the rear transport unit. Further, a photosensitive material having a large size such as a photosensitive material that is continuously exposed in the exposure unit when being fed out from the front transport unit is transported in the second transport mode, thereby realizing appropriate exposure and at the same time. In the transport mode, the movement speed is reduced before the chucker reaches the delivery position, so that, for example, vibration is less likely to occur compared to a sudden stop, and no tension is applied to the photosensitive material. Can be formed.

The present invention arranges a sorting unit including the plurality of chuckers between the front transport unit and the rear transport unit,
The control means performs a sorting operation of allocating the photosensitive material from the front transport unit in the first transport mode to the plurality of distribution paths while being sandwiched by the chucker, and the front transport in the second transport mode. The operation mode may be configured to be switchable so as to perform a single conveying operation in which both ends of the photosensitive material from the unit in the width direction are sandwiched by the pair of chuckers and each chucker is moved at a constant speed.

  With this configuration, in the case of a photosensitive material having a relatively small size, it is possible to sort the plurality of sorting paths by the sorting operation, so that the photosensitive material transport speed downstream of the rear transport unit is low. Even in such a case, it is not necessary to reduce the processing speed in the exposure unit, and in the case of a relatively large size photosensitive material in which exposure continues in the exposure unit, a pair of chuckers can be used for the photosensitive material. Since the front end portion is sandwiched between both end portions in the width direction, the photosensitive material can be reliably fed to the rear transport unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Overall Configuration] As shown in FIG. 1, the image information of a developed photographic film F (hereinafter referred to as film F) is converted into a digital signal, the digital signal is processed, and the entire system is processed. In addition to the operation part A that performs basic control, exposure processing and development processing were performed on a silver salt photographic paper P (hereinafter referred to as photographic paper P) as a photosensitive material, and drying processing was performed. A photographic processing system that can be referred to as a digital minilab is configured by providing a printing unit B to be sent out later.

  [Operating Section] The operating section A includes a film scanner 2 that captures the information of the frame image of the film F into the desk section 1 by converting it into a digital signal by photoelectric conversion, a display 3 that displays various information, image processing, and various types of information. A processing device 4 composed of a general-purpose computer is arranged so as to realize processing, and a keyboard 5 and a mouse 6 for inputting information are provided on the upper surface of the desk unit 1. The processing device 4 is provided with a media drive 7 corresponding to the structure of the storage means so as to acquire information from a disk-type storage means such as a CD, MO or FD, or to acquire information from a semiconductor-type storage means. And a semiconductor memory and a hard disk (not shown) for storing information therein.

  The film scanner 2 has a light source section having a light emitting diode, a halogen lamp, etc. in the lower part, a zoom lens in the middle part, and image information from the zoom lens in the upper part as R (red) and G (green). , B (blue), and a line CCD type photoelectric conversion unit that separates and captures the three primary colors. In the film scanner 2, when scanning the film F, the film carrier 8 suitable for the size of the film F is mounted on the upper surface of the light source unit and scanning is started, so that the film F is scanned in the sub-scanning direction ( In synchronism with the operation of conveying in the longitudinal direction), the photoelectric conversion unit performs processing for capturing the image information of the film F as a digital signal along the main scanning direction, and the captured image information is stored in the processing device. 4 and stored in the semiconductor memory or hard disk.

  The processing device 4 includes an interface that implements various processes by operating the keyboard 5 and the mouse 6 according to information displayed on the display 3, and further, image information captured by the scanner 2 as described above, or Software that performs processing for saving image information from a storage medium loaded via the media drive 7 to the semiconductor memory or hard disk, and if necessary, correction processing is performed with the image information displayed on the display 3. Software for performing printing processing in the printing unit B by transmitting image information and processing information such as print size and number of prints to the printing unit B is installed.

  [Printing Section] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing section B includes an exposure block Ex, a developing block De as a developing processing section, and a drying block Dr, which are housed in a housing 10. Outside the housing 10 is provided with a transport belt 11 for transporting the photographic paper P sent out from the top of the housing 10 in the horizontal direction after processing, and the photographic paper P sent from the transport belt 11 is sorted in units of orders. A sorter 13 having a plurality of trays 12 is provided for stacking, and a rack 14 for receiving a large size photographic paper P is provided at a position below the conveyor belt 11.

  The development block De includes a plurality of development processing tanks 15 including a color developing tank, a bleach-fixing tank, and a stabilization tank, and a transport mechanism that supplies the photographic paper P to each of the development processing tanks 15. Although the drying block Dr is not shown in the drawing, a transport mechanism for transporting the photographic paper P sent out from the development block De and air heated by a heater are supplied to the photographic paper P transported by the transport mechanism. Has a blower. The present invention is characterized by the structure of the transport path for transporting the photographic paper P exposed in the exposure block Ex. The structure will be described below.

[Outline of transport path of photographic paper] The exposure block Ex has a storage space for two photographic paper magazines M, M at the bottom, and roll-shaped photographic paper stored in one of these photographic paper magazines M, M. P is cut into a print size by the supply unit U1 and conveyed upward, and image information is exposed while conveying the photographic paper P from the supply unit U1 upward in the exposure unit U2, and the image information is exposed upward from the exposure unit U2. The photographic paper P to be fed is sent by converting the transport direction to the horizontal direction in the front transport unit U3, further transported in the horizontal direction by the sorting unit U4, and then transferred from the rear transport unit U5 to the developing block De. It is configured as follows.

  [Supply Unit] The supply unit U1 pulls out the roll-shaped photographic paper P stored in one of the two photographic paper magazines M, M by a plurality of rollers 16, cuts it into a print size by a cutter 17, and cuts in this way. Necessary information is printed by the print head 18 on the back side of the printed paper P, and then fed to the exposure unit U2 by a feeder 19 that pinches and conveys the printed paper P. Although not shown in the drawings, the feeder 19 includes a chuck portion that can be switched between a state in which the photographic paper P is crimped and a state in which the photographic paper P is separated, and the photographic paper P on which information is printed on the back side by the print head 18. When the photographic paper P thus conveyed is transferred to the exposure unit U2, the chuck portion is opened and then moved downward to transfer the photographic paper P in a single row. Similarly, the print head 18 reciprocates so that the photographic paper P on which information is printed on the back side is sandwiched by the chuck portion.

  [Exposure Unit] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the exposure unit U2 includes a pressure-type receiving roller 20 (a structure for switching between a pressure-bonded state and an open state) for receiving the photographic paper P from the feeder 19. At the same time, an exposure transport roller composed of a metal drive roller 21 and a driven roller 22 that can be switched between a pressure-bonding state to be pressed against the drive roller 21 and an open state that is separated from the drive roller 21 is disposed at a vertical position across the exposure position. The image forming apparatus includes a laser scanning type exposure engine 23 that exposes image information in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction) to the photographic paper P conveyed upward (sub scanning direction) by the exposure conveying roller. .

  The exposure engine 23 adjusts the amount of light from the laser light sources of the three primary colors R (red), G (green), and B (blue) housed in the casing by an acousto-optic modulation means, and then the vertical axis A structure is used in which it is sent to the exposure position while being scanned in the main scanning direction by being reflected by the mirror surface of a polygon mirror that is rotated by a core.

  Although not shown in the drawing, the exposure unit U2 includes a stepping motor that rotationally drives the driving roller 21 at a set speed, and a pressure-bonding state in which the driven roller 22 is pressure-bonded to the driving roller 21 side, and the driven roller 22 Is provided with a rotary cam type operation mechanism for switching to an open state in which the motor is separated from the drive roller 21. Of the exposure transport rollers, those arranged on the upstream side (lower side in the drawing) in the transport direction are set to an open state when receiving the photographic paper P from the receiving roller 20, and are set in the open state. The leading end of P is received, and after this acceptance, the state is switched to the pressure-bonding state. Of the exposure transport rollers, those arranged on the downstream side (upper side in the drawing) in the transport direction are photographic paper P from the upstream exposure transport roller. Is received and the leading edge of the photographic paper P is received, and after this reception, the pressure is switched to the pressure-bonded state. Further, when the exposure to the photographic paper P is completed, the control is performed to switch to the open state. Is done.

  [Front Transport Unit] The front transport unit U3 includes a guide body G disposed along the curved transport path so as to convert the transport direction of the photographic paper P sent from the exposure path into a horizontal direction. Three conveyance rollers Ra for conveying the photographic paper P to the curved conveyance path are provided.

  The guide body G includes a fixed guide 30 disposed below the curved conveyance path, a guide position approaching the fixed guide 30 and an open position spaced apart from the fixed guide 30 across the curved conveyance path. And a movable guide 31 that can be switched between. When the movable guide 31 is set to the open position, an interval is set between the movable guide 31 and the fixed guide 30 so that the photographic paper P can freely move in the transport direction. The distance is set such that P is slightly movable in the thickness direction. Thus, when the movable guide 31 is switched from the open position to the guide position, the photographic printing paper P is configured to minimize the amount of protrusion in the feed direction from the front transport unit U3. In the drawing, when the movable guide 31 is set to the open position, the movable guide 31 is largely separated from the fixed guide 30. However, this is exaggerated, and a small interval is actually formed.

  The plurality of transport rollers Ra are referred to as a first transport roller Ra1, a second transport roller Ra2, and a third transport roller Ra3 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction. The first, second, and third transport rollers Each of the rollers Ra1, Ra2, and Ra3 is separated from the driving roller 32 disposed on the fixed guide 30 side, a pressure-bonding position (a state of pressure-bonding to the photographic paper P), and the driving roller 32. A driven roller 33 that can be switched to any of the open positions (separated from the photographic paper P) and a stepping motor type conveyance motor 34 that rotationally drives the drive roller 32 are provided. The driving force from the conveying motor 34 is transmitted to the three driving rollers 32 through a belt type driving mechanism.

  The driven rollers 33 of the first and second transport rollers Ra1 and Ra2 are supported by a frame (not shown) that can swing around the support shaft 36, and each frame can be moved by swinging the frame. A first electromagnetic solenoid SL1 is provided to switch the driven roller 33 simultaneously between a pressure-bonding position and an open position. In addition, a second electromagnetic solenoid SL2 is provided for switching the driven roller 33 of the third transport roller Ra3 between a crimping position and an open position. The movable guide 31 is supported so as to be swingable around the support shaft 36, and the movable guide 31 is mechanically linked so as to swing in conjunction with the switching operation of the driven roller 33 of the first transport roller Ra1. ing.

  In the exposure unit U2, the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P is set corresponding to the size of the photographic paper P. In the front conveyance unit U3, printing is performed at a slightly lower speed than the speed at which the photographic paper P is conveyed in the exposure path. The transport speed in the front transport unit U3 is set so as to transport the paper P.

  Both the driving roller 32 and the driven roller 33 have a structure in which a roller portion made of a flexible material such as rubber or resin is externally fixed to a metal shaft body, and the front transport unit U3 is used. A non-contact type position sensor S such as a reflection type is provided at the end of the photographic paper P on the discharge side so as to detect the front end position of the photographic paper P.

  [Distribution Unit] The distribution unit U4 has a guide rail in the transport direction of the photographic paper P as shown in FIGS. A transport frame 41 supported so as to be reciprocally movable with respect to the transport rail 40, a shift rail 42 provided with a guide direction set to the transport frame 41 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the photographic paper P, and the shift A shift member 43 supported so as to be reciprocally movable with respect to the rail 42, and a chucker CH provided to be switchable between a state in which the photographic paper P is sandwiched by the shift member 43 and a separated state in which the passage of the photographic paper P is allowed. It is configured with. This distribution unit U4 functions as a photosensitive material conveying device of the present invention.

The conveying frame 41 is reciprocated by a driving force from an endless belt 46 that is operated by a driving force from a stepping motor type conveying motor 45, and the shift member 43 is operated by a driving force from a stepping motor type shift motor 47. It is reciprocated by the driving force from the endless belt 48. Further, the chucker CH is a drive type first chuck roller 49 supported in a fixed position with respect to the shift member 43, and a state in which the chucker CH is pressure-bonded to the first chuck roller 49 from above (the printing paper P is attached). A second chuck roller 50 that can be switched between a state in which the second chuck roller is pressed and a state in which the second chuck roller 50 is separated upward, and an electromagnetic solenoid or electric motor that switches the second chuck roller 50 between the pressure member and the separated state with respect to the shift member 43. A chuck operating unit 51 formed of a motor and a discharge motor 52 that drives and rotates the first chuck roller 49 are provided. The first and second chuck rollers 49 and 50 are each formed by integrally forming a flexible roller material made of rubber or resin on metal support shafts 49A and 50A, which are not shown in the drawings. However, the support shaft 49A of the second chuck roller 49 is provided with a spring that urges the second chuck roller 49 toward the first chuck roller 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, both ends of the shift member 43 are swingable with respect to the support shaft 50 </ b> A with the second chuck roller 50 straddling the axial direction of the support shaft 50 </ b> A on the upper surface side of the shift member 43. A swing frame 54 supported by the swing frame 54, a lever 55 formed integrally with the swing frame 54, and a spring 56 for maintaining the tip of the lever 55 in an upward direction. The idler roller 58 is supported with respect to 54 via a plate-like spring material 57. In addition, a guide roller 59 that is loosely supported by the shift member 43 is provided at a position facing the idler roller 58 below the idler roller 58.

  The rear transport unit U5 includes a guide plate 60 as a contact member that comes into contact with the front end side of the lever 55 when the photographic paper is delivered from the chucker CH to the rear transport unit U5. . The guide plate 60 has an inclined contact surface 60A that is at a lower level as it approaches the rear conveyance unit side, and when the chucker CH reaches a delivery position H that delivers the photographic paper P to the rear conveyance unit U5. A pressing surface 60B that swings the lever 55 the most is formed on the bottom side. In this way, when the chucker CH reaches the delivery position H, the photographic paper P sandwiched between the chucker CH is bent downward by the lever 55, the idler roller 58, and the guide plate 60 described above. It is configured as follows.

  In this sorting unit U4, when the size of the photographic paper P sent out from the front transport unit U3 is small, the photographic paper P is sandwiched by one chucker CH and formed in two rows formed in the rear transport unit U5. It is sent to one of the sorting paths Y and Y (see FIGS. 13 and 14), and the next photographic paper P is sandwiched by the other chucker CH and sent to the other of the two rows of sorting paths Y and Y. In addition to performing the sorting operation, when the size of the photographic paper P sent out from the front transport unit U3 is large, the single transport that sandwiches the leading end portion of the photographic paper P with a pair of chuckers CH and feeds it to the rear transport unit U5 (These modes will be described later.) In any operation, the lever 55 contacts the guide plate 60 and the idle roller 58 prints. The width of the guide plate 60 (the dimension in the width direction of the photographic paper P) is formed wide so as to press the P, and the photographic paper P is located below the table T located at the bottom of the sorting unit U4. Even when it touches the photographic paper P when it is curved toward the surface, a smooth surface can be applied by applying a resin on the upper surface of the photographic paper P or stretching a flexible material such as a nonwoven fabric. It is finished.

  [Rear Transport Unit] The rear transport unit U5 includes an intermediate transport unit U5a and an insertion transport unit U5b as shown in FIGS.

  The intermediate transport unit U5a guides a driving roller 65 driven by a stepping motor type intermediate transport motor 64, four sets of pressure rollers 66 that are pressure-bonded to the drive roller 65, and the photographic paper P obliquely downward. The pressure roller 66 is supported by a pair of movable frames 68 divided into two in the width direction of the photographic paper P, and is supported on the frame side of the housing 10. A compression spring 70 is provided between the frame 69 and the movable frame 68, and the pressure roller 66 and the driving roller 65 are pressure-bonded by an urging force from the compression spring 70.

The insertion transport unit U5b transports the photographic paper P sent from the intermediate transport unit U5a obliquely downward, and transfers it to the introduction roller 28 provided in the development processing tank 15 of the development block De 3 along the transport direction. The two conveying rollers Rc are sequentially arranged at a predetermined interval, and these conveying rollers Rc are first, second and second pressure-bonding types arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction. 3 transport rollers Rc1, Rc2, and Rc3. Also, first and second
And a pair of upper and lower guide plates 80 for guiding the photographic paper P conveyed by the third conveying rollers Rc1, Rc2, and Rc3, and a drive mechanism that rotationally drives the conveying rollers Rc1, Rc2, and Rc3 at a set speed. This set speed is set slightly lower than the conveying speed of the photographic paper P by the introduction roller 28 of the developing block De.

  Each of the first and second transport rollers Rc1 and Rc2 includes a drive roller 81 disposed on the lower side of the transport path, and a driven roller 82 disposed on the upper side of the transport path so as to be pressure-bonded to the drive rollers 81. The third transport roller Rc3 includes a drive roller 83 disposed on the upper side of the transport path and a driven roller 84 disposed on the lower side of the transport path. The drive rollers 81, 81, 83 constituting the first, second, third transport rollers Rc1, Rc2, Rc3 are the drive shafts 81A, 81A, 83A, and a roller 81B made of a flexible material such as rubber or resin. 81B and 83B, and the driven rollers 82 constituting the first and second transport rollers Rc1 and Rc2 each include a roller 82B made of a flexible material such as rubber or resin with respect to the support shaft 82A. It is configured. In particular, the driven roller 84 constituting the third transport roller Rc3 includes a roller 84B made of a metal material such as aluminum with respect to the support shaft 84A.

  Among these transport rollers Rc1, Rc2, and Rc3, an input gear 86 is provided at one end of the drive shaft 81A of the drive roller 81 that constitutes the first transport roller Rc1, and the intermediate transport unit U5a is connected to the input gear 86. A gear type transmission mechanism 87 is formed so that the rotational driving force from the driving roller 65 can be transmitted. Further, a pulley 88 is provided at the other end of the drive shaft 81A, a pulley 89 is provided at the drive shaft 81A of the drive roller 81 constituting the second transport roller Rc2, and the drive roller 83 constituting the third transport roller Rc3. A drive shaft 83A includes a gear 90, a pulley 92 that rotates integrally with a gear 91 that meshes with the gear 90, and an endless belt 93 is wound around these pulleys 88, 89, and 92, whereby all the drive rollers 81 are provided. , 81 and 83 can be driven synchronously at a constant speed. The drive mechanism is constituted by a gear-type transmission mechanism 87 that transmits rotational power to the input gear 86, pulleys 88, 89, and 92, and an endless belt 93 wound around these.

  A one-way clutch 95 is provided between the driving shaft 81A constituting the driving roller 81 of the first conveying roller Rc1 and the roller 81B, the driving shaft 81A constituting the driving roller 81 of the second conveying roller Rc2, and the pulley 89 is provided with a one-way clutch 95. In each one-way clutch 95, when the photographic paper P is fed at a speed higher than the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P in the insertion unit U5b, the one-way clutch 95 is allowed to rotate so as to allow the introduction of the photographic paper P. The direction is set. In the insertion unit U5b, the first and second transport rollers Rc1 and Rc2 perform transport in a state where an appropriate pressure is applied to the photographic paper P, and the third transport roller Rc3 and the photographic paper P Is set to be weaker than the pressure-conveying force applied to the first and second conveying rollers Rc1 and Rc2, and is set to be weaker than the pressure-conveying force applied to the photographic paper P from the introduction roller 28 of the developing block De. It is.

  In this insertion unit U5b, the base side of the photographic paper P is fed in an attitude in which the base side of the photographic paper P is directed upward (position where the photosensitive surface is directed downward), so that the base side of the photographic paper P is moved to the drive roller 83 constituting the third transport roller Rc3. The photosensitive surface of the photographic printing paper P comes into contact with the driven roller 84 constituting the third transport roller Rc3. In particular, as described above, the conveyance speed of the introduction roller 28 of the developing block De is higher than the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P in the insertion unit U5b, and the pressure-conveying conveyance force that acts on the photographic paper P from the third conveyance roller Rc3. Since the pressure-carrying conveyance force applied to the photographic paper P from the introduction roller 28 of the developing block De is set to be weak, the driving is performed when the photographic paper P from the insertion unit U5 is transferred to the developing block De side. Although the base side of the printing paper P slips with respect to the pressure bonding surface made of the flexible material of the roller 83, the photosensitive surface of the printing paper P contacts the smooth pressure bonding surface made of the metal material of the driven roller 84, In addition, since the driven roller 84 can rotate at a speed corresponding to the moving speed of the photographic paper, the relative speed between the driven roller 84 and the photographic paper is set to be very small. It is not even damage the photosensitive surface of the drawing paper P.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a control device 75 having a microprocessor is provided as a control means for controlling the conveyance system of the photographic paper P. The control device 75 receives the signal from the position sensor S, the size of the photographic paper P to be exposed in the exposure path, the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P in the exposure path, and the leading edge of the photographic paper P. A signal system for inputting position information from the exposure unit U2 is formed, an output signal system for controlling the first and second solenoids SL2 and SL2 of the front transport unit U3 and the transport motor 34, and transport of the sorting unit U4. An output signal system for controlling the motor 45, the shift motor 47, the chuck operating unit 51, and the discharge motor 52, and an output signal system for the intermediate transport motor 64 of the rear transport unit U5 are formed. Further, based on the size of the photographic paper P A program Q for controlling the front transport unit U3 and the sorting unit U4 is set, and the control mode by this program Q will be described below. .

  The program Q is composed of a front transport unit control routine Q1 and a sorting unit control routine Q2, and this sorting unit control routine Q2 is composed of a sorting operation setting unit Q2A and a transport speed setting unit Q2B. Has been.

  The front transport unit control routine Q1 is basically configured such that when the photographic paper P is transported in the front transport unit U3, it is transported by being compressed by a plurality of transport rollers Ra after the exposure in the exposure unit U2 is completed. Therefore, in order to send out the large size photographic paper P that is continuously exposed in the exposure unit U2, the plurality of transport rollers Ra are maintained in the open position (non-compression state), and the exposure is completed. At the time, control is performed to switch the transport roller Ra to the press-bonded state. Further, the sorting operation setting means Q2A performs a sorting operation for sorting the photographic paper P based on the size of the photographic paper P delivered from the front transport unit U3, or does not sort the photographic paper P. After carrying out the carrying operation, the operation for delivering to the rear carrying unit U5 is carried out. The transport speed setting unit Q2B performs a control mode in which the movement of the chucker CH is stopped immediately before the photographic paper P is sandwiched, and the operation speed is reduced as the chucker CH that sandwiches the photographic paper P approaches the delivery position H.

  More specifically, the control device 75 has a dimension (hereinafter referred to as a length) in the transport direction of the photographic paper P sent out from the front transport unit U3 and a dimension in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction (hereinafter referred to as a length). When the photographic paper P is sent out from the front transport unit U3, it is less than a preset size from the length and width of the photographic paper P and can be sorted. If it is determined that, one of the sequential operation and the parallel operation is further selected based on the length of the photographic paper P. Note that the sequential operation and the parallel operation are examples of the transport mode in the first transport mode, and the rear end of the front transport unit U3 is used as a reference value when selecting either the sequential operation or the parallel operation. A value that is about ½ of the distance D between the position and the front end position of the rear transport unit U5 is set, and in the sorting mode, the speed at which the photographic paper P is transported by the chucker CH is the photographic paper in the front transport unit U3. It is set faster than the speed at which P is conveyed.

  FIG. 13 shows a distribution form of the photographic paper P when performing sequential operation (distribution in a staggered state). When performing this operation, the transfer path X of the front transport unit U3 and this Based on a detection signal from the position sensor S, the second chuck roller 50 of one chucker CH is set in an open state at a standby position W that is close to the delivery portion of the front transport unit U3. At the timing when it is determined that the photographic paper P has been fed out from U3 by an amount that can be chucked, the second chuck roller 50 is switched to the pressure-bonded state by the driving force from the chuck actuating portion 51, and the photographic paper P is sandwiched (a). After this clamping, the first and second solenoids SL1 and SL2 are driven to switch all the driven rollers 33 constituting the front transport unit U3 to the open position, and the chucker CH is moved in the transport direction. At the same time, it is set to one of the two rows of distribution paths Y by shifting to one side (b), and after moving the chucker CH to the delivery position H, the discharge motor 52 is driven to drive the photographic paper P Is transferred to one sorting path Y of the intermediate transport unit U5b (c).

  When the next photographic paper P is sent out from the front transport unit U3, the other chucker is placed in a standby position W on the feed path X of the front transport unit U3 and close to the feed section of the front transport unit U3. After the CH second chuck roller 50 is set in the open state and is in a standby state, the photographic paper P sent out from the front transport unit U3 is sandwiched by the chucker CH in the same manner as described above (c). All the driven rollers 33 constituting the unit U3 are switched to the open position, the chucker CH is operated to the other sorting path Y side (d), and the photographic paper P sandwiched between the other chucking channels CH is moved to the other sorting path. After setting the Y and moving the chucker CH to the delivery position H, the discharge motor 52 is driven so that the photographic paper P is transferred to one of the intermediate transport portions U5b. It is the passed to the sorting path Y (e). By repeating this operation, as shown in the figure, the operation of delivering the photographic paper P in a zigzag state to the sorting paths Y and Y of the rear transport unit U5 is performed.

  Further, in the case of performing the parallel operation, as shown in FIG. 14, one chucker CH is placed at a standby position W on the delivery path X of the front transport unit U3 and close to the delivery section of the front transport unit U3. The timing at which the second chuck roller 50 is set in an open state and waits, and it is determined based on the detection signal from the position sensor S that the photographic paper P has been fed from the front transport unit U4 by an amount that can be chucked. Thus, the second chuck roller 50 is switched to the pressure-bonded state by the driving force from the chuck actuating unit 51 to sandwich the photographic paper P (a). After this clamping, the first and second solenoids SL1 and SL2 are driven to switch all the driven rollers 33 constituting the front transport unit U3 to the open position, and the chucker CH is moved in the transport direction. (B) After the rear end of the photographic paper P has been drawn out from the front transport unit U3, the chucker CH is shifted to one side to temporarily move it away from one of the two rows of sorting paths Y. (C).

  Next, the photographic paper P sent out from the front transport unit U3 is clamped by the other chucker CH by the same operation as described above (c), and this chucker CH is pulled out in the extending direction of the delivery path X, and this chucker CH After reaching the position (position in the transport direction) where the leading edge of the photographic paper P sandwiched between and the leading edge of the photographic paper P sent out first coincides (d), the respective chuckers CH are assigned to the sorting paths Y, Y At the same time as shifting to the corresponding position, the respective chuckers CH are moved to the delivery position H by moving in the transport direction, and then the discharge motor 52 of each chucker CH is driven to drive each photographic paper. P and P are transferred to the distribution paths Y and Y of the intermediate transport unit U5b (e). In this operation, the relative distance in the width direction of the photographic paper P between the position at which the chucker CH that previously held the photographic paper P is stopped and the delivery path X is equal to the interval between the sorting paths Y and Y. Even when each chucker CH is operated in the width direction of the photographic paper P after the positions are determined and the positions of the leading ends of the photographic paper P sandwiched between the respective chuckers CH are matched, the respective chuckers CH are equal. It is intended to move by an equal amount at speed.

As described above, when the photographic paper P is delivered from the chucker CH to the intermediate conveyance unit U5b, the drive roller 65 is driven at a speed equal to the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P delivered from the chucker CH to receive the photographic paper P. The intermediate conveyance motor 64 is controlled so that the driving force from the intermediate conveyance motor 64 is transmitted to the insertion unit U5b, and a transmission system is formed to drive the insertion unit U5b. When the paper P is sent out, the driving state is continued until the photographic paper P is sent out from the insertion unit U5b. In this distribution unit U4, the control mode may be set so that the intermediate conveyance motor 64 is maintained in the driving state when the photographic paper P distribution operation continues.

  Further, the control device 75 performs the following control as the second transport mode when the photographic paper P having a width that is so large that sorting cannot be performed (more than a preset size) is sent out from the front transport unit U3. Do. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, at the position corresponding to the width of the photographic paper P sent out from the front transport unit U3, the respective chuckers CH and CH are set to the standby position W close to the front transport unit U3. When the second chuck roller 50 is kept open and the printing paper P is sent out from the front transport unit U3, each chucker CH is at a speed slightly lower than the speed at which the printing paper P is sent out. The chucks CH and CH are stopped when the leading end of the photographic paper P reaches the preset intermediate position M while operating the CH in the transport direction, and both ends of the photographic paper P in the width direction are chuck rollers. (59). In this control, the control mode is set so that the chuckers CH and CH pinch the photographic paper P at the intermediate position M, but the position at which the chuckers CH and CH pinch is slightly upstream from the intermediate position M, Alternatively, it may be set slightly downstream.

  The intermediate position M is set to approximately ½ of the distance D, and when the chucker CH is moved from the standby position W as described above, the leading end portion of the photographic paper P is received by the first chuck roller 49. Therefore, the problem that the leading edge of the photographic paper P hangs down is eliminated, and after the photographic paper P is held between the chuckers CH and CH, the photographic paper P is sent out to the stopped chucker CH. A slack is created in the paper P, and it hangs down into a shape that curves downward due to its own weight.

  As described above, after the preset time has elapsed since the chuckers CH and CH were stopped, the respective chuckers CH and CH are transferred at a speed lower than the speed at which the photographic paper P is sent out from the front transport unit U3. Control to move in the H direction is started. Thereafter, before each chucker CH, CH reaches the transfer position H, control (deceleration control) is performed to reduce the moving speed of the left and right chuckers CH, CH. During this deceleration, FIGS. ), The lever 55 provided in each chucker CH, CH comes into contact with the pressing surface 60B from the introduction surface 60A of the guide plate 60, and gradually pushes down the idler roller 58 downward. The entire photographic paper P is curved in a form in which the rear end side is pushed downward. Then, at the timing when each chucker CH, CH reaches the delivery position H, each chucker CH, CH is completely stopped and each discharge motor 52 is driven, whereby the photographic paper P is transferred to the intermediate transport unit U5b. (D), and when passing in this way, the idle roller 58 rotates freely while being in pressure contact with the photographic paper P, thereby realizing smooth delivery. .

  In this embodiment, when the photographic paper P is sandwiched between the pair of chuckers CH and CH, the chuckers CH and CH are stopped. However, immediately after the photographic paper P is sandwiched between the chuckers CH and CH, each chucker CH The control mode of the transport speed setting unit Q2B may be set so as to stop CH. That is, in any control mode, the printing paper P is slackened by an amount proportional to the time when the chucker CH, CH is stopped in a state where the printing paper P is sandwiched, and the slackening causes vibration during operation of the chucker CH, CH. It is difficult to convey to the exposure unit U2. Further, even when the photographic paper P is clamped by a pair of stopped chuckers CH and CH, even if the pair of chuckers CH and CH is stopped after the photographic paper P is clamped by the chuckers CH and CH, this clamping position is maintained. Since it is at a position sufficiently separated from the front transport unit U3, it is difficult to transmit the vibration at the time of clamping to the photographic paper P being exposed by the exposure unit U2.

  As described above, in the present invention, when the photographic paper P having a large size that is continuously exposed in the exposure unit U2 is sent out from the front transport unit U3, the speed is lower than the transport speed of the photographic paper P in the exposure unit U2. By operating the chucker CH, CH, the chucker CH, CH receives the leading end portion of the photographic paper P and suppresses the drooping of the leading end portion, and thereafter, the leading end portion of the photographic paper P becomes the front transport unit. The pair of chuckers CH, CH of the sorting unit U4 is stopped when the intermediate position M sufficiently fed from U3 is reached, or the pair of chuckers is sandwiched after the photographic paper P is sandwiched. By stopping CH and CH, it is difficult to transmit the vibration at the time of clamping to the photographic paper P of the exposure unit U2, and after temporarily stopping (stop or stop). By starting the movement of the chuckers CH and CH (after the set time has elapsed), a slack is created in the photographic paper P between the front transport unit U3 and the chuckers CH and CH, so that the exposure continues. Therefore, unnecessary external force is not applied. Then, before stopping at the delivery position H, the movement speed of the chuckers CH and CH is reduced to soften the shock at the time of stoppage. Before reaching the position, the idle roller 58 is largely swung by the contact between the guide plate 60 and the lever 55, so that the photographic paper P is actively curved in a predetermined direction, and in a direction different from the assumed direction. This eliminates the inconvenience that the printing paper P is curved.

Perspective view of photo processing system Vertical section of the print section Vertical side view showing exposure unit, front roller unit, and chucker Side view showing transport path from exposure unit to rear roller unit Top view of sorting unit Vertical side view showing the chucker when delivering photographic paper to the rear roller unit A perspective view showing a chucker and a guide plate Top view of chucker Vertical side view of the rear roller unit Perspective view of rear roller unit Rear view of rear roller unit Block diagram of control system Schematic diagram showing the operation mode of the chucker during sorting in the staggered state Schematic diagram showing the operation mode of the chucker when sorting in the parallel state Schematic diagram showing the operation mode of the chucker in the single transfer mode

Explanation of symbols

75 Control means H Delivery position P Photosensitive material CH Chucker U2 Exposure unit U3 Front transport unit U4 Sorting unit U5 Rear transport unit

Claims (3)

A photosensitive material transport apparatus configured to deliver a sheet-shaped photosensitive material exposed by an exposure unit from a front transport unit to a chucker, and to deliver the sheet-shaped photosensitive material from the chucker to a rear transport unit,
When the dimension of the photosensitive material in the transport direction is less than a preset value, the photosensitive material sent out from the front transport unit by the chucker that is waiting on the downstream side in the transport direction of the front transport unit. A first conveyance mode in which the leading end portion of the material is sandwiched, and in this sandwiched state, the chucker is moved to a delivery position on the rear conveyance unit side, and the photosensitive material is inserted into the rear conveyance unit from the leading end side;
When the dimension of the photosensitive material in the transport direction is equal to or greater than a preset value, the chucker that has been waiting on the downstream side in the transport direction of the front transport unit is sent from the front transport unit. Move at a speed synchronized with the speed of the tip of the material, and stop the chucker when sandwiching the tip of the photosensitive material in the middle of the movement path of the chucker, or synchronize the chucker with the photosensitive material After chucking while moving at a speed, the chucker is stopped, and then the chucker holding the photosensitive material is moved to a delivery position on the rear transport unit side so that the photosensitive material is moved to the front side with respect to the rear transport unit. Control means for operating the chucker in two transport modes, including the second transport mode inserted from
In the second transport mode, the photosensitive material transport device in which slack is formed in the photosensitive material between the chucker and the front transport unit based on the stop of the chucker . 2. The photosensitive material according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to reduce a moving speed of the chucker before the chucker holding the photosensitive material in the second transport mode reaches the delivery position. Conveying device. Arranging a sorting unit including the plurality of chuckers between the front transport unit and the rear transport unit;
The control means performs a sorting operation of allocating the photosensitive material from the front transport unit in the first transport mode to the plurality of distribution paths while being sandwiched by the chucker, and the front transport in the second transport mode. 3. The operation mode is configured to be switchable so as to perform a single conveying operation in which both ends of the photosensitive material from the unit in the width direction are sandwiched by the pair of chuckers and each chucker is moved at a constant speed. The photosensitive material conveying apparatus as described.

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