JPH02150842A - Heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the adverse influence arising from frost setting on a recording material and to obtain a good record by using a metal to form guide members which supply the recording material to the contact part of a heating drum and nip rollers. CONSTITUTION:The heater 4 subjects the sheet-like recording material to a heating treatment by supplying the recording material to the contact part of the heating drum 52 and the nip rollers 54 to 60 in contact with the peripheral surface of the drum 52 and crimping and transporting the recording material by the drum 52 and the rollers 54 to 60. The guide members 70 for supplying the recording material to the contact part of this heater 4 consists of the metal. Since the guide members 70 made of the metal is rapidly heated by the heat radiated from the drum 52, the frost setting of steam on the guide members 70 is obviated even if the steam is generated. The coated layer of the recording material is thus prevented from peeling. The peeling of the coated layer on the recording material arising from the frost setting and the wrinkling of the recording material are prevented in this way and the good record is obtd.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a heating device that performs heat treatment on a sheet-like recording material by sandwiching it between a heating drum and a nip roller that comes into contact with the heating drum.

[Conventional technology]

For example, in a copying machine that uses diazo photosensitive material, the photosensitive material and original are placed one on top of the other and inserted into the insertion slot of the exposure unit.
Of the photosensitive material and the original that have been ejected from the exposure unit after exposure, only the photosensitive material is inserted into the insertion slot of the development unit.
After the image on the photosensitive material is developed, it is discharged, and image recording is completed. Then, inserting the photosensitive material into the developing unit,
This is usually done manually to simplify the configuration of the copying machine.

In the developing unit, the diazo photosensitive material is heated and developed to visualize the latent image. As a heat developing device, for example, there is a device that heats a photosensitive material while nipping and conveying it using a heating drum and a plurality of nip rollers that come into contact with the circumferential surface of the heating drum.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

A diazo photosensitive material whose support is made of a hygroscopic material such as paper absorbs a predetermined amount of moisture in the air, and also absorbs a large amount of moisture in a high humidity atmosphere.

When such a photosensitive material containing moisture is subjected to heat treatment using the heat developing device, the moisture in the photosensitive material evaporates due to the heating, and the humidity inside the heat developing device increases. Particularly near the start of the heat treatment of the photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is heated while being held and conveyed, so that water in the photosensitive material evaporates as the photosensitive material is conveyed.

If this water vapor comes into contact with a housing or the like that is at room temperature immediately after the heat developing device is operated, the water vapor will condense due to the temperature difference between the water vapor and the housing or the like. When dew condenses on the guide member that comes into contact with the photosensitive material, and the photosensitive material comes into contact with the condensed moisture, the coating layer applied to the surface of the photosensitive material peels off, resulting in a problem that good images cannot be obtained even after heat treatment. .

In addition, when photosensitive materials come into contact with water, they are humidified immediately before heat treatment and then heated rapidly, so they do not shrink uniformly, resulting in differences in elongation and wrinkles, making it difficult to obtain good recorded materials. There is a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to prevent the peeling of the coating layer on the recording material and the generation of wrinkles on the recording material due to dew condensation, and to provide a heating method that can obtain good recorded matter. The goal is to provide equipment.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above object of the present invention is to supply a sheet-like recording material to a contact portion between a heating drum and a nip roller that contacts the circumferential surface of the heating drum, and to This heating device performs heat treatment by nipping and conveying the recording material between a roller and a nip roller, and the guiding member for supplying the recording material to the contact portion is made of metal.

That is, since the metal guide member is quickly heated by heat radiation from the heating drum, even if water vapor is generated, dew does not form on the guide member, and the coating layer of the recording material does not peel off. Here, if the guide member has a high thermal conductivity and is in the form of a thin plate, the temperature rise of the guide member will be accelerated, and the occurrence of dew condensation can be reliably prevented even immediately after the heating device is activated.

Further, since the guide member has a plurality of through holes opening to the guide surface, the heat capacity of the guide member is reduced, and the temperature rise of the guide member can be further promoted. Moreover,
By forming a hole in the guide member, air containing moisture near the guide surface flows out from the vicinity of the guide surface through the through hole.
High humidity near the guide surface can be prevented. here,
The area ratio of the hole to the guide member, that is, the opening ratio is 20%.
The above conditions are particularly effective in preventing high humidity near the guide surface.

The heat treatment in the present invention may be any treatment for forming an image on the recording material, such as development and fixing treatment.

Note that the recording material in the present invention may be of any recording method as long as it is a sheet-like recording material that requires heat treatment. Examples of recording materials include photosensitive recording materials (photosensitive materials), heat-sensitive recording materials, pressure-sensitive recording materials, electrostatic recording materials, and the like.

Examples of the above-mentioned photosensitive materials include JP-A-59-1908
There is a diazo-sensitive material having a genus containing microcapsules containing a diazonium salt, a coupler, and a base on a support, as described in Japanese Patent No. 86. A latent image corresponding to the original is created by exposure to light and developed by heating.

[Embodiment]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a copying machine using a diazo photosensitive material, and this copying machine is configured to color an image on the photosensitive material by heat development.

This copying machine consists of an exposure unit 2 that exposes a document image onto a photosensitive material A, and a heating unit 4 that develops the exposed photosensitive material A. Both units 2.4 have approximately the same rectangular parallelepiped shape; It is placed on a pedestal 10 having mounting parts 6 and 8 shaped to correspond to the shape of the 2°4 corner.

The exposure unit 2 includes a cover 14 supported by a shaft 12 and rotatable in the direction of arrow B, and is configured such that an operation switch (not shown) is input when the cover 14 is opened and rotated to the position shown. ing. In addition, cover 14
acts as a guide member that guides the original C to the photosensitive material within the exposure unit 2. The cover 14 is rotatably supported by the shaft 12, and is supported by a support member 41a provided on the front housing 41 and an end portion 4 of the lower housing 43.
3a, and is configured to ensure strength when guiding the photosensitive material A and the document C.

Incidentally, since the front housing 41 of the exposure unit 2 is inclined as shown, gravity acts in the direction in which the cover 14 is closed, thereby preventing the operation switch from malfunctioning.

The exposure unit 2 includes a fluorescent lamp 20 inside, and the lamp 20 and four belt support rollers 22, 24, 26.
．． 28, and an endless belt 30 is wound around the lamp 20 almost over its entire circumferential surface. here,
At least one of the belt support rollers 22.24, 26.28 is a drive roller and rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the figure;
Moreover, at least one is a tension adjustment roller, and the tension of the endless belt 30 can be adjusted.

The photosensitive material A is overlapped with the original C and inserted into the insertion opening 15 of the exposure unit 2 along the cover 14, and the lamp 2
0 and the endless belt 30 and conveyed. While the photosensitive material A and the original C are transported by the lamp 20 and the endless belt 30, the original image is projected onto the photosensitive material A by the light from the lamp 20, forming a latent image.

The exposed photosensitive material A is discharged from the discharge port 32 together with the original C, and at this time, the original C is peeled off from the photosensitive material and removed. Here, in the exposure unit 2, the photosensitive material A and the original C inserted into the insertion opening 15 are guided to a holding part between the lamp 20 and the endless belt 30, and the photosensitive material A and the original C after exposure are guided. A guide member 34 for guiding C to the discharge port 32 is provided.

Photosensitive material A discharged from the discharge port 32 of the exposure unit 2
is peeled off from the original C, and then inserted into the insertion opening 40 of the heating unit 4. The photosensitive material A may be inserted into the heating unit 4 before the rear end of the photosensitive material A is ejected from the exposure unit 2. Any state that forms a loop is sufficient.

The insertion port 40 of the heating unit 4 opens upward from the surface of the upper housing 42 of the exposure unit 2, and the upper housing 42 of the exposure unit 2 is formed into a flat plate shape. It acts as a guide member that guides the photosensitive material Δ. Therefore, along the upper housing 42 of the exposure unit 2, the photosensitive material A is heated to the heating unit 4.
It can be easily inserted into the insertion opening 40 of. Further, as shown in the figure, the upper housing 42 of the exposure unit 2 is tilted downward toward the guide direction, and the exposure unit 2 is
, the gravity acts on the photosensitive material A when the photosensitive material A is inserted into the heating unit 4, making the insertion even easier.

Inside the heating unit 4, there is a hollow cylindrical heating drum 52 equipped with a halogen lamp 50 inside, and four conveyance rollers 54, 56, 58, 6 that come into contact with the circumferential surface of the heating drum 52.
0 is provided. Further, the heating unit 4 is provided with a guide member 70 for guiding the photosensitive material engineer from the insertion opening 40 to the contact portion between the heating drum 52 and the conveying roller 54.

This guide member 70 is made of metal with high thermal conductivity,
In this embodiment, it is made of aluminum. and,
The photosensitive material A inserted through the insertion port 40 is placed on the heating drum 5.
1 while being pinched and conveyed by conveyor rollers 54 to 60.
It is heated at 20° C., development is performed, and the latent image on the photosensitive material A develops color. Note that between the conveying rollers 54 to 60, the photosensitive material A to be conveyed is placed between the heating drum 52 and the conveying rollers 56 to 6.
Guide members 62 to 66 are provided for guiding the contact portion to the contact portion 0.

The photosensitive material A that has been developed by heating is discharged from the discharge lower 2 of the heating unit 4 . Here, the heating unit 4 is provided with a guide member 74 that guides the heated photosensitive material A to the discharge lower 2. The guide member 74 is
It has a curved shape in the opposite direction to the conveying path along the circumferential surface of the heating drum 52, and compensates for the curvature of the photosensitive material A caused by heating, thereby flattening the photosensitive material A.

Note that the exposure time of the photosensitive material by the exposure unit 2 is set in consideration of the amount of light irradiation from the lamp 20 and the conveyance speed by the endless belt 30.

Further, the heating time of the photosensitive material A by the heating unit 4 is determined by the heating time of the halogen lamp 50 and the conveyance rollers 54 to 6.
It is set in consideration of the conveyance speed of 0.

The power source, control device, etc. for the exposure unit 2 and heating unit 4 may be housed in the pedestal 10, but by providing them in each unit 2.4, each unit 2.4 can be operated independently. Can be done. With such a configuration, it is also possible to arrange another processing unit on the pedestal 10 in place of the heating unit 4, and it is possible to copy and record using the photosensitive material A that requires other processing steps. You can also do it. Therefore, the shape of the pedestal 10 is not limited to a shape on which two units can be placed, but can be deformed into a shape on which a plurality of units can be placed.

Further, in this embodiment, the upper housing 42 of the exposure unit 2 is arranged so as to descend in the guiding direction, but the upper housing 42 may be arranged horizontally.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present copying machine.

The front housing 41 of the exposure unit 2 is provided with a display section 80 that displays the operating status of the copying machine.
0 by a light emitting diode, e.g. rsTANDB
YJ rREADYJ is displayed. An opening 14a is formed in the cover 14 of the exposure unit 2 so that the display section 80 can be viewed with the cover 14 closed.

In this copying machine, in order for the heating unit 4 to operate normally, preheating is required prior to the copying operation, and during preheating, the display section 80 displays "rSTADNBY", and after the completion of preheating, the display section 80 displays It operates to display rREADYJ. Then, when the cover 14 is opened with the display section 80 displaying "rREADY", the exposure unit 2
When the operation switch of the heating unit 4 is input, the fluorescent lamp 20, the belt support rollers 22 to 28, the halogen lamp 50, and the conveyance rollers 54 to 60 start operating, and copying becomes possible.

Further, in the vicinity of the display section 80 of the front housing 41, there are provided a switch for adjusting the conveying speed of the photosensitive material, a switch for reversing the conveying means in the event of a jam, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional view of the vicinity of the photosensitive material insertion opening 40 of the heating unit 4.

The guide member 70 made of aluminum that guides the photosensitive material engineer to the contact portion between the heating drum 52 and the conveyance roller 54 is formed into a thin plate shape, and has a large number of holes that open and pass through the guide surface of the guide member 70. 110 is formed. Guide member 7
0 is made of aluminum with high thermal conductivity, so it is heated by the heat dissipated by the operation of the heating drum 52.
The temperature increases as the temperature of the heating drum 52 increases. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the temperature rises above room temperature immediately after turning on the power to the copying machine and starting preheating the heating drum 52, and once the heating drum 52 is activated,
After 1.5 hours, the temperature reaches around 66°C.

The photosensitive material A is inserted into the heating unit 4, and the heating drum 5
2, the water contained in the photosensitive material A evaporates. When the inside of the heating unit 4 is at about room temperature, the moisture evaporated from the photosensitive material A is absorbed into the heating unit 4.
Condensation will form if it comes into contact with the low temperature parts inside. In particular, if dew condensation occurs on the guide member 70 in contact with the photosensitive material A and moisture adheres to the photosensitive material being transported, the coating layer applied to the image surface may peel off or wrinkles may occur due to subsequent heating. Occur. However, the guide member 70 of the main heating unit 4 is
Since the temperature is raised to a predetermined temperature by heating the heating drum 52, even if moisture comes into contact with the guide member 70, no dew condensation will occur.

In order to prevent the coating layer applied to the image surface of the photosensitive material A from peeling off due to condensed moisture, it is effective to configure only the guide member 70 on the side that contacts the image surface with the above configuration.

It is effective if the guide member 70 is made of a metal such as aluminum or iron, and it is particularly preferable that the guide member 70 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the guide member 70.

The guide member 70 is an elongated body having approximately the same length as the heating drum 52, and has a through hole 110 formed in almost the entire area except for a portion 112 fixed to the housing. In this embodiment, the diameter of the hole 110 is 6 [Ilm].

The hole 110 formed in the guide member 70 serves as a flow path for moving moisture-containing air near the guide surface away from the guide surface.
Prevents retention of humid air near the guide surface.

Furthermore, since the guide member 70 has a large number of holes 110 formed therein, the guide member 70 has a small heat capacity, and its temperature is quickly raised by heat dissipation from the heating drum 52.

The larger the ratio of the total area of the holes 110 (opening ratio) to the area of the guide member 70 excluding the fixed portion 112, the better;
It is effective if it is % or more.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified example of the guide member 70.

In the guide member 70, elliptical holes 114 are arranged radially around the vicinity of the insertion port 40. For example, when the photosensitive material A is inserted into the heating unit 4, even if the leading corner of the photosensitive material A enters the elliptical hole 114, the leading corner advances along the radial direction and extends in the width direction to the photosensitive material. No slack will occur over time.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, since the guide member that supplies the recording material to the contact portion between the heating drum and the nip roller is made of metal, the guide member is heated by the heat radiation of the heating drum, and the temperature of the guide member increases easily. Therefore, even if moisture evaporates due to heating of the recording material, no dew condensation will occur on the guide member, and it is possible to prevent the adverse effects on the recording material caused by dew condensation, making it possible to obtain good recorded matter. can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the copying machine, FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of a heating unit, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are plan views of a guide member. It is. Reference symbols in the figure: 2 Exposure unit 4 Heating unit 6.8 Placing section 10 Pedestal 12 Axis 14 Cover 15 Insertion port 20 Fluorescent lamps 22 to 28 Belt support roller 30 Endless belt 32 Discharge port 34 Guide member 40 Insertion port 41 Front housing 42 Upper housing 43 Lower housing 50 Halogen lamp 52 Heating drums 54 to 60 Conveyance rollers 62 to 66 Guide member 70 Guide member 72 Discharge port 74-Guide member 80 Display section 110 hole 112 Fixing section 114-Oval hole A Photosensitive material C Original No. 2 Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] A heating device that supplies a sheet-like recording material to a contact portion between a heating drum and a nip roller that contacts the circumferential surface of the heating drum, and performs heat treatment by nipping and conveying the recording material between the heating drum and the nip roller. In the heating device, the guide member for supplying the recording material to the contact portion is made of metal.