JP4891356B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that performs image recording by irradiating a plate for image recording wound around a drum with laser light.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image recording apparatus for recording an image by irradiating a metal plate (hereinafter referred to as a printing plate) with a light-sensitive material coated on a surface as an image recording medium in flat printing, the printing plate is wound. The drum that is held in place is rotated, and the recording head is moved in the axial direction of the drum so that an image is recorded on the printing plate. This makes it possible to form a highly accurate plate at high speed. It has become.

  In this type of image recording apparatus, it is necessary to securely fix the printing plate so that it does not shift during the recording process. Therefore, a fixing method is widely used in which the front and rear ends of the printing plate in the winding direction around the drum are sandwiched between clamps installed corresponding to the positions of the front and rear ends and the outer peripheral surface of the drum. For example, the plate of the clamp unit is provided by engaging the front and rear clamp units provided on the drum that holds the plate and fixing the front and rear ends of the plate and the cam rollers provided on the clamp unit. There is known an image recording apparatus including two cam members that respectively switch between a tightened state and a released state with respect to (see Patent Document 1).

Also, for example, a front end clamp that is provided on the drum that holds the printing plate and fixes the front end of the printing plate, and a rear end clamp that is provided so as to be movable along the outer peripheral surface of the drum and that fixes the rear end of the printing plate. And a first drive device that fixes and releases the front end clamp and rear end clamp and a second drive device that releases the front end clamp (see Patent Document 2). .
JP 2000-112142 A JP 2003-182033 A

  By the way, in the image recording apparatus as described above, a plurality of types of printing plates having different sizes (especially the length of the printing plate in the winding direction around the drum) are recorded, and a plurality of printing plate positions (that is, printing plates are processed). In some cases, it is necessary to selectively discharge the printing plate after the recording process to a plurality of discharge plates for discharging. In such a case, it may be necessary to change the release position of the clamp when discharging the plate (that is, the rotational position of the drum when releasing the clamp) according to the size of the printing plate and the discharge position.

  However, the conventional technique described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the two cam members open and close the front and rear two clamp units at a predetermined position, so it is difficult to change the clamp release position. In the prior art described in Patent Document 2, the first driving device fixes the front end clamp and the rear end clamp at the predetermined position, and the second driving device fixes the front end clamp at the predetermined position. Since it is the structure which cancels | releases, it was difficult to change the cancellation | release position of a clamp.

  In the conventional techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is conceivable to newly add a cam member and a drive device so that the release position of the clamp at the time of discharging the plate can be changed. The restriction impairs the degree of freedom of design, and causes a problem that the device configuration becomes complicated and the device cost increases.

  The present invention has been devised in view of such problems of the prior art, and can easily change the release position of the clamp during discharging according to the recording processing conditions without complicating the apparatus configuration. It is a main object to provide an image recording apparatus.

  An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a drum that holds a printing plate on which an image is recorded, a front clamp member that fixes a front end portion of the printing plate in a winding direction to the drum, and winding of the printing plate. The rear clamp member for fixing the rear end portion of the direction to the drum, the front clamp driving means for switching the fixing state and the releasing state of the front clamp member with respect to the printing plate, and the front clamp driving means are different A rear clamp drive means for switching between a fixed state and a released state of the rear clamp member with respect to the printing plate at a position, and a clamp control means for controlling the operations of the front clamp drive means and the rear clamp drive means, respectively. The clamp control means includes an image recording process for the printing plate that satisfies a predetermined processing condition. If, when the winding of the plate relative to the drum is released, characterized in that to perform said switching operation of said front clamping member to the rear clamp drive means.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the winding of the printing plate on the drum is released, the front clamp member is fixed to the printing plate by the rear clamp driving device provided at a position different from the front clamp driving device. Since it is configured to perform the switching operation with the release state, there is an excellent effect that it is possible to easily change the release position of the clamp at the time of discharging according to the processing conditions without complicating the apparatus configuration. .

  In order to solve the above problems, a first invention is to provide a drum for holding a printing plate on which an image is recorded, and a front clamp member for fixing a front end portion of the printing plate in a winding direction to the drum. A rear clamp member that fixes a rear end of the printing plate in the winding direction to the drum, a front clamp driving unit that performs a switching operation between a fixed state and a released state of the front clamp member with respect to the printing plate, Rear clamp drive means for switching the fixed state and release state of the rear clamp member with respect to the printing plate at positions different from the front clamp drive means, and the operations of the front clamp drive means and the rear clamp drive means. A clamp control means for controlling each of them, and the clamp control means performs image recording processing for the printing plate. If the predetermined processing conditions are satisfied, when the winding of the plate relative to the drum is released, a configuration to perform the switching operation of the front clamp member to the rear clamp drive means.

  According to this, when the winding of the printing plate on the drum is released, the front clamp member is switched between the fixed state and the released state with respect to the printing plate by the rear clamp driving means provided at a position different from the front clamp driving means. Since it is configured to perform the operation, it is possible to easily change the release position of the clamp at the time of discharging the plate according to the processing conditions without complicating the apparatus configuration.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the processing condition includes a condition relating to a length of the printing plate in the winding direction of the drum.

  According to this, since the release position of the clamp at the time of plate removal can be changed according to the length of the plate in the winding direction of the drum, the plate discharge operation for multiple types of printing plates of different sizes (winding around the drum is released) Thus, it is possible to appropriately execute the operation of feeding the printing plate.

  The third aspect of the invention further includes a plate receiving member provided at each of a plurality of discharge positions where the winding of the drum is released and the printing plate is fed out, and the processing condition includes a condition related to the discharge position. Included configuration.

  According to this, since the release position of the clamp at the time of discharging can be changed according to the discharging position, it is possible to appropriately execute the discharging operation on a plurality of different discharging positions.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drum for holding a printing plate on which an image is recorded, a front clamp member for fixing a front end portion in the winding direction of the printing plate to the drum, and winding of the printing plate. A rear clamp member that fixes a rear end portion of the direction to the drum, a front clamp drive unit that performs a switching operation between a fixed state and a released state of the front clamp member with respect to the printing plate, and more than the front clamp drive unit. A rear clamp driving means that is positioned in a plate discharge direction of the plate and performs switching operation between a fixed state and a release state of the rear clamp member with respect to the plate, and the plate is unwound from the drum and discharged to the plate receiving member. In this case, the length of the printing plate in the feed-out direction is such that the printing plate is in the release position of the front clamp member by the front clamp driving means. When the one end is released and the other end of the printing plate has a length that does not reach the position where the plate can be discharged to the plate receiving member, the rear clamp driving means is switched to the release state of the front clamp member. It is set as the structure which can be made.

  According to this, since the release position of the clamp at the time of discharging can be changed according to the length of the printing plate and the discharging plate position, the discharging operation with respect to a plurality of different discharging positions for different types of printing plates. It is possible to appropriately execute (an operation in which the winding of the drum is released and the printing plate is fed out).

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the front clamp driving means is provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward toward the drum, and presses or separates a first cam member provided on a side of the front clamp member to thereby move the front clamp. The switching operation of the clamp member is performed, and the rear clamp driving means is provided so as to be movable back and forth toward the drum, and performs the switching operation of the front clamp member by pressing or separating the first cam member. The switching operation of the rear clamp member is performed by pressing or separating the second cam member provided on the side of the rear clamp member.

  According to this, it becomes possible to easily change the release position of the clamp at the time of discharging the plate without complicating the configuration of the front clamp drive means and the rear clamp drive means.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the rear clamp driving means has a first cam surface that presses the first cam member and a second cam surface that presses the second cam member.

  According to this, since the switching operation of the front clamp member and the rear clamp member is performed using different cam surfaces, the switching operation of the front clamp member is appropriately executed without being restricted by the switching operation of the rear clamp member. It becomes possible to do.

  In the seventh invention, the first cam surface and the second cam surface have an arc shape concentric with the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and the formation positions of the two cam surfaces are different heights. .

  According to this, since the position where the cam surface 51b (first cam surface) is formed is different from the cam surface 51a (second cam surface), the rear opening / closing plate 9 is lowered to a predetermined height. Sometimes the rear clamp member and the front clamp member can be opened at different angles.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration around a drum 2 in FIG. The image recording apparatus 1 is used for a so-called direct printing plate, and a drum plate 3 is wound and held by a drum motor 3 via a driving belt B in a state where a printing plate P serving as a printing plate for newspaper is wound around the drum 2. While rotating, the recording head 4 provided with a laser array is run in the axial direction of the drum 2 by a linear motor, whereby the printing plate P is irradiated with laser light to record an image. The drum 2 is provided with a front clamp unit 5 and a rear clamp unit 6 for fixing the front end portion Pa and the rear end portion Pb of the printing plate P, respectively. A press roller 7 that presses the printing plate P toward the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2 is provided in the vicinity of the front clamp unit 5.

  A front opening / closing plate (front clamp driving means) 8 and a rear opening / closing plate (rear clamp driving means) 9 are provided on the front upper side and the center upper side of the drum 2, respectively. The front opening / closing plate 8 is provided so as to be movable back and forth in the vertical direction by a lifting device (air cylinder or the like) (not shown), and performs a switching operation between a fixed state and a released state of the front clamp unit 5 with respect to the printing plate P. Similarly, the rear opening / closing plate 9 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in the vertical direction independently of the front opening / closing plate 8 by a lifting device (not shown), and the fixed state and the released state of the rear clamp unit 6 with respect to the printing plate P. Switching operation is performed. Further, the rear opening / closing plate 9 performs a switching operation between a fixed state and a released state of the front clamp unit 5 with respect to the printing plate P when the image recording processing on the printing plate P satisfies a predetermined processing condition.

  An insertion table 11 into which the printing plate P is inserted is provided on the front side of the image recording apparatus 1, and a plate supply table 12 is provided so as to be connected to the rear of the insertion table 11. The plate supply table 12 is disposed above the drum 2 and is provided so as to be tiltable about the rotation shaft 12 a so that the front end side thereof is close to the drum 2. Further, the plate supply table 12 can convey the printing plate P in the front-rear direction by a conveyance roller (not shown) provided on the upper surface thereof. As will be described later, the insertion table 11 and the plate supply table 12 also function as a discharge table and a discharge plate (first discharge plate receiving member) for discharging the printing plate P after the recording process, respectively.

  Further, a plate discharge table (second plate discharge receiving member) 13 is provided on the rear upper side of the drum 2. The plate discharge table 13 includes a conveyance roller similar to that of the plate supply table 12, and can convey the printing plate P toward the plate insertion port 15 of the automatic processor 14 installed behind the image recording apparatus 1. The automatic developing machine 14 performs a developing process using a developer made of a strong alkaline aqueous solution after the printing process of the printing plate P in the image recording apparatus 1, and the printing plates after the developing process are overlapped. And stood on the stocker 16.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing essential parts of the front clamp unit 5 and the front opening / closing plate 8, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the opening / closing operation of the front clamp unit 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the front clamp unit 5 includes a plate-like front clamp bar (front clamp member) 21 extending in the axial direction so as to be spanned between both ends of the drum 2, and a front clamp bar. And cam rollers 23 (first cam members) attached to both ends of the member 21 via rotating arms 22.

  The front opening / closing plate 8 has a substantially triangular main body portion 25 located on the drum 2 side, and a cam surface that abuts and presses against the peripheral surface of the cam roller 23 at an inclined side edge of the main body portion 25. 25a is formed. The front opening / closing plate 8 is advanced and retracted in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 between the operating position for pressing the cam roller 23 and the retracted position away from the cam roller 23 by attaching the upper side of the main body 25 to the lifting device. Moving.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the rotation arm 22 is provided so as to be rotatable about a shaft 30 fixed to the drum 2 side. One end of the rotating arm 22 is connected to the drum 2 side via a spring 31, whereby the front clamp bar 21 is closed using the urging force of the spring 31 (that is, the outer peripheral surface side of the drum 2). (The state moved to).
On the other hand, the front opening / closing plate 8 descends from the retracted position to the operating position in conjunction with the rotation of the drum 2, and the cam surface 25a abuts against and presses against the peripheral surface of the cam roller 23, as shown in FIG. Further, the rotating arm 22 rotates in the direction of the arrow against the urging force of the spring 31, and the front clamp bar 21 is opened.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the rear clamp unit 6 installed on the drum 2, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rear opening / closing plate 9, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view showing a positional relationship between the first cam member and the cam roller 43 (second cam member), and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the rear clamp unit 6, like the front clamp unit 5, has a plate-like rear clamp bar (rear clamp member) 41 extending in the axial direction of the drum 2 and both ends of the rear clamp bar 41. And a cam roller 43 (second cam member) attached via a rotating arm 42. A plurality of sliding members 44 are provided at predetermined intervals in an intermediate portion of the rear clamp bar 41. The sliding member 44 is slidably attached as indicated by an arrow A to a plurality of sliding grooves 45 provided in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2. The rear clamp bar 41 can be moved to an appropriate position on the drum 2 in accordance with the length of the printing plate P in the winding direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the length of the printing plate P).

  As shown in FIG. 6 (A), the rear opening / closing plate 9 has a main body 51 positioned on the drum side, and a cam roller 43 (second cam member) is provided on the arc-shaped bottom edge of the main body 51. A cam surface (second cam surface) 51a is formed to abut against and press against the peripheral surface. In addition, the rear opening / closing plate 9 has a mounting portion 52 positioned on the upper side of the main body 51 and is mounted on the lifting device, so that the rear opening / closing plate 9 is positioned between an operating position where the rear opening / closing plate 9 abuts against the cam roller 43 and a retracted position separated from the cam roller 43. 5 moves forward and backward as indicated by arrow B in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, the stepped portion provided on the back side of the main body 51 (that is, the drum 2 side) is located on the circumferential surface of the cam roller 23 (first cam member) of the front clamp unit 5. A cam surface (first cam surface) 51b that contacts and presses is formed. As shown in FIG. 7, the cam roller 43 and the cam roller 23 are arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the drum 2 so as to be able to contact the cam surface 51a and the cam surface 51b of the rear opening / closing plate 9, respectively. .

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the turning arm 42 is provided so as to be rotatable about a shaft 55 fixed to the drum side 2. One end of the rotating arm 42 is connected to the drum 2 side via a spring 56, whereby the rear clamp bar 41 is held in a closed state using the biasing force of the spring 56. On the other hand, the rear opening / closing plate 9 is lowered from the retracted position to the operating position in conjunction with the rotation of the drum 2, and the cam surface 51 a comes into contact with and presses against the peripheral surface of the cam roller 43, as shown in FIG. Thus, the rotating arm 42 rotates in the direction of the arrow against the urging force of the spring 56, and the rear clamp bar 41 is opened. Further, as the cam surface 51b contacts and presses against the peripheral surface of the cam roller 23, the rotating arm 22 rotates against the urging force of the spring 31 as in the case of FIG. The clamp bar 21 is opened.

  The cam surface 51a and the cam surface 51b have contours along the circumferential direction of the drum 2 (that is, arc-shaped contours concentric with the outer circumferential surface of the drum 2), and the rear clamp bar is independent of the rotation of the drum 2. 41 and the opening angle of the front clamp bar 21 can be kept constant.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control system of the image recording apparatus 1. Here, a sensor input unit 61 to which a signal of a sensor (such as a rotary encoder) for detecting the rotational position of the drum 2 is input, a motor control unit 62 for controlling the operation of the drum motor 3, the recording head 4 and the linear motor And a printing plate P supply operation (hereinafter referred to as plate supply) by the plate supply table 12 and a plate discharge operation (hereinafter referred to as discharge plate) by the plate supply table 12 and the discharge plate 13. A conveyance control unit 64 for controlling, a clamp control unit (clamp control means) 65 for controlling opening / closing operations of the front clamp bar 21 and the rear clamp bar 41, and a host (external computer) for generating image data recorded on the printing plate P ) 66 to which an interface 67 is connected, an operation unit 68 to which user setting information and various operation commands are input, and the type of printing plate P (manufacturer, etc.) And a relational table that defines the opening / closing positions of the front clamp bar 21 and the rear clamp bar 41 (that is, the rotational position of the drum 2) and the lowering positions of the front opening / closing plate 8 and the rear opening / closing plate 9 with respect to the size. And a main control unit 70 for controlling the respective units.

  The image recording apparatus 1 performs the transport operation of the printing plate P including plate feeding, winding around the drum 2 and discharging the plate according to different operation modes 1 to 3 set according to the length of the printing plate P and the discharging position. Execute. In the operation mode 1, the printing plates P of all sizes are processed, and the printing plates P after the recording process are discharged to the plate supply table 12. In the present embodiment, the distance (hereinafter referred to as distance A) between the end of the plate feeding table 12 in the tilted state on the drum 2 side and the opening / closing position of the front clamp bar 21 at the time of discharging is the normal position at the time of discharging. (Ie, by the front opening / closing plate 8), the length is set to a length capable of conveying the printing plates P of all sizes even when the front clamp bar 21 is opened.

  Further, in the operation mode 2, a relatively long plate (here, a length exceeding 400 mm) (hereinafter, referred to as a large size plate) is a processing target, and the printing plate P after the recording process is the discharge plate 13. To discharge. In the present embodiment, the distance between the drum 2 side end of the plate release table 13 and the opening / closing position of the front clamp bar 21 at the time of plate discharge is set to be larger than the distance A due to the installation space restriction around the drum 2. For this reason, the length of the large size printing plate is within a range in which one end of the printing plate P can reach a position where the plate can be conveyed by the platen table 13 when the front clamp bar 21 is opened and closed by the front opening / closing plate 8 at the time of discharging. Need to be.

  Further, in the operation mode 3, a relatively short plate (here, a length of 400 mm or less) printing plate (hereinafter referred to as a small size printing plate) is a processing target, and the printing plate P after the recording process is the discharge plate 13. To discharge. In this case, in the small size printing plate, when the front clamp bar 21 is opened and closed by the front opening / closing plate 8 at the time of discharging, one end of the printing plate P does not reach the position where it can be conveyed by the discharging plate 13, but the front clamp bar 21 is moved to the rear. When opening and closing by the opening / closing plate 9, one end of the printing plate P reaches a position where it can be conveyed by the plate discharge table 13.

  In the present embodiment, a printing plate having a size of width 1160 mm × length 940 mm is used as a large size printing plate, and a printing plate having a width 350 mm × length 370 mm is used as a small size printing plate. The recording apparatus 1 can process printing plates of various sizes. Further, the range of the length of the printing plate corresponding to the large size printing plate and the small size printing plate depends on the relative position between the opening / closing position of the front clamp bar 21 and the plate discharging table 13 at the time of discharging, that is, the front clamp bar. It is set based on whether or not the plate can be removed without changing the opening / closing position of 21. Details of the operation modes 1 to 3 will be described below.

  FIGS. 10 to 13 are a series of flowcharts showing the operation procedure of the image recording apparatus 1, and FIGS. 14 to 19 are explanatory diagrams showing the conveyance operation procedure of the printing plate P in the operation mode 1, and FIGS. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing the conveyance operation procedure of the printing plate P in the operation mode 2, and FIGS. 24 to 29 are explanatory diagrams showing the conveyance operation procedure of the printing plate P in the operation mode 3. Here, FIG. 10 shows the plate feeding, winding around the drum 2, and image recording procedures common to the operation modes 1 to 3, and FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 show the operation modes 1 to 3, respectively. It shows the procedure of discharging the plate corresponding to. 14 to 19 show a large size printing plate, the same applies to a small size printing plate.

  In the flow shown in FIG. 10, first, the image recording apparatus 1 acquires user setting information input by the user (S101), and as shown in FIG. 14, the printing plate P supplied from the insertion table 11 is used as the plate supply table. 12 is inserted (S102). In this case, the user setting information includes at least information on the length of the printing plate P and the position of the discharged plate. However, the information on the length of the printing plate P is printed on the platen plate 12 regardless of user input. It can also be obtained by providing a sensor for measuring the length of the plate P.

  Subsequently, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the rear clamp bar 41 to an appropriate position according to the length of the printing plate P, and the origin position where the front clamp bar 21 comes to the upper front side of the drum 2 (that is, the printing plate). The drum 2 is rotationally moved to the position (P attachment start position) (S103). The rotational position of the drum 2 is detected by an encoder attached to the drum 2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the front opening / closing plate 8 to the operating position to open the front clamp bar 21 (S104), and moves the front side of the plate supply table 12 in the horizontal state. The plate P is inclined downward and conveyed to the drum 2 side by the conveying roller (S105). When the front end portion Pa of the printing plate P is inserted between the front clamp bar 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2, the image recording apparatus 1 returns the front opening / closing plate 8 to the retracted position again as shown in FIG. The front clamp bar 21 is moved to the closed state, and the front end portion Pa of the printing plate P is fixed (S106). At this time, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the press roller 7 from the retracted position shown in FIG. 15 to the operating position shown in FIG. 16, thereby pressing the plate P toward the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2 to perform printing. The plate P is wound around the drum 2 (S107). Similar to the front opening / closing plate 8 and the rear opening / closing plate 9, the press roller 7 is moved by a lifting device (not shown).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the image recording apparatus 1 rotates the drum 2 in the winding direction while moving the rear opening / closing plate 9 to the operating position and moving the rear clamp bar 41 to the open state (S108). . When the drum 2 rotates to the winding end position shown in FIG. 18, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the rear opening / closing plate 9 to the retracted position again to close the rear clamp bar 41, as shown in FIG. The rear end portion Pb of the printing plate P is fixed (S109). Further, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the press roller 7 from the operating position to the retracted position again (S110), and returns the plate feeding table 12 to the horizontal state again (S111). When the plate feeding and the winding of the printing plate P around the drum 2 are completed by the above operation, the image recording apparatus 1 performs the image recording process of the printing plate P using the recording head 4 (S112), and then the drum 2 is stopped at the feeding position of the printing plate P (that is, the position where the unwinding of the printing plate P is started).

  Next, in the flow shown in FIG. 11, the image recording apparatus 1 determines whether or not the operation mode 1 should be executed based on the user setting information acquired in the previous step S101 (S201). Here, the image recording apparatus 1 determines that the operation mode 1 should be executed when the plate feed table 12 is designated as the plate removal position (YES). Although illustration is omitted, the plate removal relating to the operation mode 1 is performed in a manner substantially opposite to the conveyance operation procedure shown in FIGS. 14 to 19.

  In the operation mode 1, first, the image recording apparatus 1 tilts the front end side of the plate supply table 12 in the horizontal state downward (S202), and moves the press roller 7 to the operating position (S203). Subsequently, the image recording apparatus 1 opens the rear clamp bar 41 by moving the rear opening / closing plate 9 to the operating position and pressing the cam surface 51a against the cam roller 43 (S204). Further, the image recording apparatus 1 rotates the drum 2 in the feeding direction (that is, the direction opposite to the winding direction) while sliding the cam roller 43 along the cam surface 51a to shift the rear clamp bar 41 to the closed state. (S205). At this time, the rear end portion Pb of the printing plate P leaves the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2 and moves toward the plate feed table 12. Further, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the press roller 7 to the retracted position (S206).

  When the rear end portion Pb of the printing plate P reaches the plate supply table 12, the image recording apparatus 1 starts conveying the printing plate P to the plate supply table 12 side (that is, the counter drum 2 side) by the conveyance roller. Then, the front clamp bar 21 is opened, and the fixing of the front end portion Pa of the printing plate P is released (S207). Subsequently, the image recording apparatus 1 returns the plate supply table 12 to the horizontal state again (S208), and stops the drum 2 at the feeding end position (S209). Finally, when the image recording apparatus 1 discharges the printing plate P from the plate supply table 12 to the insertion table 11 (S210), a series of operations is completed.

  If the image recording apparatus 1 determines in step 201 that the operation mode 1 should not be executed (NO), the operation mode 2 is performed based on the user setting information acquired in the previous step S101 in the flow shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not to execute (S301). Here, the image recording apparatus 1 determines that the operation mode 2 should be executed when the printing plate P is a large-size printing plate and the plate discharge table 13 is designated as the plate discharge position (YES). The image recording apparatus 1 is in a state similar to the state shown in FIG.

  In the operation mode 2, first, as shown in FIG. 20, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the press roller 7 to the operating position (S302) and moves the rear opening / closing plate 9 to the operating position to move the cam surface 51a. The rear clamp bar 41 is opened by abutting and pressing against the cam roller 43 (S303). Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the image recording apparatus 1 rotates the drum 2 in the feeding direction while sliding the cam roller 43 along the cam surface 51a to shift the rear clamp bar 41 to the closed state (S304). ). At this time, the rear end portion Pb of the printing plate P leaves the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2 toward the plate discharging table 13, and thereafter, the rear end portion Pb of the printing plate P becomes the plate discharging plate 13 as shown in FIG. When reaching, the conveyance of the printing plate P to the automatic developing machine 14 side (that is, the counter drum 2 side) is started by the conveyance roller.

  Thereafter, the image recording apparatus 1 rotates the drum 2 to the origin position (here, the open / close position of the front clamp bar 21), and moves the press roller 7 to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 23 (S305). At this time, the image recording apparatus 1 opens the front clamp bar 21 by the front opening / closing plate 8 while continuing to convey the printing plate P on the platen table 13, and releases the fixing of the front end portion Pa of the printing plate P. (S306). Finally, the plate P is discharged from the plate discharge table 13 to the automatic processor 14 side (S307), and a series of operations is completed.

  Note that when the series of operations is completed, the drum 2 is held in a stopped state at the origin position, and enters a standby state waiting for the next plate feeding. Further, in the operation mode 2, since the plate feeding table 12 is not used for discharging the printing plate P as in the case of the operation mode 1, the next plate feeding timing can be advanced, and the processing capability of the image recording apparatus 1 is improved. There is an advantage of doing. The point that the next plate feeding timing can be advanced by not using the plate feeding table 12 is the same in the operation mode 3 described later.

  In step 301, when the image recording apparatus 1 determines that the operation mode 2 should not be executed (S301: NO), the operation mode 3 is executed as shown in FIG. In the operation mode 3, first, as shown in FIG. 24, the image recording apparatus 1 moves the press roller 7 to the operating position (S401) and moves the rear opening / closing plate 9 to the operating position to move the cam surface 51a. The rear clamp bar 41 is opened by abutting and pressing the cam roller 43 (S402). Further, as shown in FIG. 25, the image recording apparatus 1 rotates the drum 2 in the feeding direction while sliding the cam roller 43 along the cam surface 51a to shift the rear clamp bar 41 to the closed state (S403). ). At this time, the rear end portion Pb of the printing plate P leaves the outer peripheral surface of the drum 2 and moves toward the platen tray 13, and then the image recording apparatus 1 moves the press roller 7 to the retracted position as shown in FIG. Move (S404).

  In the operation mode 3, since the small-size printing plate is processed, as shown in FIG. 27, even if the drum 2 rotates and moves to a position where the cam roller 23 can come into contact with the front opening / closing plate 8, the rear end of the printing plate P The part Pb does not reach a position where it can be conveyed by the platen table 13. Therefore, in the operation mode 3, as shown in FIG. 28, the feed end position is set so that the front clamp bar 21 is positioned near the top of the drum 2 beyond the origin position of the drum 2. Then, the image recording apparatus 1 stops the drum 2 at the feeding end position, moves the rear opening / closing plate 9 to the operating position, and presses the cam surface 51b against the cam roller 23, thereby pressing the front clamp bar 21. Is opened (S405). Next, as shown in FIG. 29, when the printing plate P is fed out to the platen table 13, the rear opening / closing plate 9 is moved again to the retracted position, and the front clamp bar 21 is closed.

  In the image recording apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the stepped portion where the cam surface 51b is formed has a height different from the cam surface 51a (that is, a substantially intermediate position in the height direction of the main body 51). Therefore, even if the rear opening / closing plate 9 is lowered to the same height, different opening angles can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, since the cam surface 51b that presses the front clamp bar 21 is positioned higher than the cam surface 51a that presses the rear clamp bar 41, the opening angle of the rear clamp bar 41 (for example, 60 °) is set. In comparison, the opening angle of the front clamp bar 21 (for example, 20 °) is reduced. This is because a small opening angle is sufficient to release the front end of the printing plate P that is sandwiched or fed out and that is fed.

  Thereafter, the image recording apparatus 1 discharges the printing plate P from the plate discharge table 13 to the automatic developing machine 14 side (S406). When the plate removal is finished, the image recording apparatus 1 rotates the drum 2 to the origin position and waits for the next plate feeding (S407), thereby completing a series of operations. In the operation mode 3, it is necessary to return the drum 2 to the origin position. However, since the plate feeding table 12 is not used, the next plate feeding timing can be advanced.

   Thus, in the image recording apparatus 1, when the plate is discharged, the opening / closing operation of the front clamp bar 21 that fixes the front end portion Pa of the printing plate P by the rear opening / closing plate 9 provided at a position different from the front opening / closing plate 8. Therefore, it is possible to easily change the release position of the front clamp bar 21 at the time of removing the plate according to the processing conditions without complicating the apparatus configuration.

  Further, since the image recording apparatus 1 is configured to change the release position of the front clamp bar 21 at the time of discharging according to the length of the printing plate P, the discharging operation of a plurality of types of printing plates P having different sizes is appropriately performed. It becomes possible to execute. Further, in the image recording apparatus 1, the release position of the front clamp bar 21 at the time of discharging is changed according to the discharging position (that is, whether the discharge destination of the printing plate P is the plate supply table 12 or the discharging plate 13). With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately execute the plate discharging operation for a plurality of different plate discharging positions.

  In the image recording apparatus 1, the rear opening / closing plate 9 formed as a cam member is used to open and close the rear clamp bar 41 and the front clamp bar 21, so that the configuration of the rear opening / closing plate 9 is complicated. Therefore, it is possible to realize the opening / closing operation of both. Further, since the rear opening / closing plate 9 is provided with the two cam surfaces 51a, 51b, there is an advantage that the opening / closing operation of the front clamp bar 21 can be appropriately executed without being restricted by the opening / closing operation of the front clamp bar 21.

  The rear opening / closing plate 9 may have a configuration in which the step portion where the cam surface 51b is formed is omitted as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In this case, the cam surface 51a can come into contact with the cam roller 23, whereby the front clamp bar 21 is opened and closed. Further, in this case, by setting the lower position of the rear opening / closing plate 9 when performing the opening operation to the rear clamp bar 41 and the front clamp bar 21, respectively, the lower position of the front clamp bar 21 as described above is set. It is possible to cope with a configuration in which the opening angle and the opening angle of the rear clamp bar 41 are different.

  The image recording apparatus according to the present invention can easily change the release position of the clamp during discharging according to the recording processing conditions without complicating the apparatus configuration, and the laser beam is applied to the image recording plate wound around the drum. It is useful as an image recording apparatus that records an image by irradiating with light.

1 is a configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of the drum periphery which concerns on embodiment. The perspective view which shows the principal part of the front clamp unit and front opening / closing plate which concerns on embodiment The expanded side view which shows the opening / closing operation | movement of the front clamp unit 5 which concerns on embodiment. The perspective view which shows the principal part of the rear clamp unit which concerns on embodiment The perspective view of the rear opening-and-closing board concerning an embodiment The front view which shows the positional relationship of the rear opening / closing plate and cam roller which concern on embodiment Enlarged side view showing the opening and closing operation of the rear clamp unit 6 according to the embodiment Block diagram of a control system of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 1 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 1 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 1 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 1 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 1 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 1 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 2 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 2 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 2 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 2 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 3 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 3 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 3 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 3 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 3 Explanatory drawing which shows the conveyance operation point of the printing plate P in the operation mode 3

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image recording device 2 Drum 5 Front clamp unit 6 Rear clamp unit 7 Press roller 8 Front opening / closing plate 9 Rear opening / closing plate 11 Insertion stand 12 Plate feeding stand 13 Discharge stand 21 Front clamp bar 22 Rotating arm 23 Cam roller 25a Cam surface 41 Rear Clamp bar 42 Rotating arm 43 Cam roller 51a Cam surface 51b Cam surface P Printing plate Pa Front end Pb Rear end

Claims (7)

A drum for holding a printing plate on which an image is recorded;
A front clamp member for fixing a front end portion in a winding direction of the printing plate to the drum;
A rear clamp member for fixing a rear end portion of the printing plate in the winding direction to the drum;
Front clamp drive means for switching between a fixed state and a released state of the front clamp member with respect to the printing plate;
Rear clamp drive means for performing a switching operation between a fixed state and a released state of the rear clamp member with respect to the printing plate at a position different from the front clamp drive means;
A clamp control means for controlling the operations of the front clamp drive means and the rear clamp drive means,
When the image recording process for the printing plate satisfies a predetermined processing condition, the clamp control means controls the switching operation of the front clamp member when the winding of the printing plate on the drum is released. An image recording apparatus characterized by causing the means to perform.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing condition includes a condition related to a length of the printing plate in a winding direction of the drum. Further provided is a plate receiving member provided at each of a plurality of discharge positions where winding of the drum is released and the printing plate is fed out,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing condition includes a condition regarding the discharge position. A drum for holding a printing plate on which an image is recorded;
A front clamp member for fixing a front end portion in a winding direction of the printing plate to the drum;
A rear clamp member for fixing a rear end portion of the printing plate in the winding direction to the drum;
Front clamp drive means for switching between a fixed state and a released state of the front clamp member with respect to the printing plate;
A rear clamp driving means that is positioned in a direction in which the printing plate is discharged relative to the front clamp driving means, and performs a switching operation between a fixed state and a released state of the rear clamp member with respect to the printing plate;
When the printing plate is unwound from the drum and discharged to the discharge plate receiving member, the length of the printing plate in the unwinding direction releases one end of the printing plate at the release position of the front clamp member by the front clamp driving means. Even if the other end of the printing plate has a length that does not reach the position where the plate can be discharged to the plate receiving member, the rear clamp driving means is made to perform the switching operation to the released state of the front clamp member. A characteristic image recording apparatus. The front clamp driving means is provided so as to be movable back and forth toward the drum, and performs the switching operation of the front clamp member by pressing or separating a first cam member provided on a side of the front clamp member. ,
The rear clamp driving means is provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward toward the drum, and performs the switching operation of the front clamp member by pressing or separating the first cam member, to the side of the rear clamp member. 5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching operation of the rear clamp member is performed by pressing or separating the provided second cam member. 6.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rear clamp driving unit includes a first cam surface that presses the first cam member and a second cam surface that presses the second cam member.   The said 1st cam surface and the said 2nd cam surface have the circular arc shape concentric with the outer peripheral surface of the said drum, The formation position of the said 2 cam surfaces is made into different height, The said 6 cam surface is characterized by the above-mentioned. The image recording apparatus described in 1.

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