JPH025052A - Image forming solvent application device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the nonuniformity of the swelling quantity of image forming solvent for a recording material being in a sheet state and to stably form an image by giving a heating pattern which is smaller than that given to the circumferential part of a heater to the central part of the heater. CONSTITUTION:The heater 180 is positioned and fixed by the pedestals 184a - 184d of the four bottom corners of a tank 174 and the whole bottom part of the tank 174 is covered with the heater 180 by making a small gap there. Then, the heating pattern of the heater 180 is made to be rough in the central part thereof. The areas of the projecting parts 185 - 188 being the heating part of the heater 180 are made to be smaller in this order and the heating quantity thereof is also made to be smaller. Therefore, water in the upper part of the heater 180 is controlled to be at a prescribed temperature and the temperature distribution of the water is made to be almost uniform. Thus, the swelling of the image forming solvent for the recording material is uniformly executed and the image can be stably and excellently formed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image-forming solvent coating device (hereinafter referred to as a coating device) for coating a recording material with an image-forming solvent.

[Conventional technology]

Examples of image recording materials include photothermographic materials.

For information on this heat-developable photosensitive material and its process, see pages 242-255 of Basic Non-Silver Salt Photography Edition of Photographic Engineering (published by Corona Publishing, 1982), page 40 of Eizo Information (published in April 1978), Nebretto Handbook of Photography (Neblett's Handbook of
Photography and Reprograp
hy 7th edition (7th ed,) Van Nostrand Reinhold Company (Van No5
trand Reinhold Company) 32
It is described on pages 33 to 33.

Furthermore, many methods have been proposed for obtaining color images by heat development.

For example, releasing a mobile dye in an image-like manner by heating,
A method of transferring this mobile dye to a dye fixing material (image receiving material) having a mordant using a solvent such as water, a method of transferring it to a dye fixing material using a high boiling point organic solvent, a method of transferring this mobile dye to a dye fixing material using a solvent such as water, and a method of transferring the mobile dye to a dye fixing material using a hydrophilic heat solvent built into the dye fixing material. There have been proposed methods in which the dye is transferred to a dye-fixing material, and a method in which the mobile dye is heat-diffusible or sublimable and is transferred to a dye-receiving material such as a support. (U.S. Patent No. 4,463,079, U.S. Patent No. 4.4
No. 74,867, No. 4,478,927, No. 4,
No. 507.380, JP-A No. 58-149046, No. 5
No. 8-149047, No. 59152440, No. 59-
No. 154445, No. 59-165054, No. 59-1
No. 80548, No. 59-168439, No. 59-17
No. 4832, No. 59-174833, No. 59-174
No. 834, No. 59-174835, etc.) As an apparatus for implementing this type of image forming method, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 59-7.5.247,
After exposing a color image to the heat-developable photosensitive material using an exposure head in the exposure section, an image forming solvent such as water is applied to the photothermographic material using a roller, and this is sent to the heat-developing section. An image recording apparatus has been proposed in which an image-receiving material is brought into close contact with a heat-developable photosensitive material and sent to a transfer section, and the image is thermally transferred to the image-receiving material at the transfer section.

Other coating devices for applying the image forming solvent include, for example, conveying the photothermographic material while immersing it in the image forming solvent contained in a water tank, and sandwiching the photothermographic material between a pair of squeeze rollers. However, a configuration may be considered in which the excess image forming solvent is scraped off from the swollen photothermographic material.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Swelling of the above-mentioned image forming solvent into the above-mentioned photosensitive material is for promoting image transfer and good color development. The amount of swelling of the photosensitive material is greatly influenced by the temperature of the image forming solvent.

Conventionally, it has been considered to provide, for example, a flat heater in the water tank to control the temperature of the image forming solvent to a desired temperature and stabilize the amount of swelling of the photosensitive material.

In the peripheral area where there is a gap between the heater and the water tank, the heated image forming solvent and the slightly cooled image forming solvent are convecting, so the temperature is lower than that in the center of the heater. . In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the temperature becomes higher toward the center of the heater.

Therefore, the temperature of the image forming solvent in the water tank is not equalized,
There is a problem in that the amount of swelling in the sheet-like recording material is uneven, resulting in unevenness in the transferred image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a coating device that can uniformly swell the sheet-like recording material and form stable images.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above object of the present invention is to convey a sheet-like recording material while being immersed in an image forming solvent controlled to a desired temperature by a heater in a tank, and to The image-forming solvent coating device scrapes off excess image-forming solvent by sandwiching the sheet-like recording material between squeeze rollers, and is configured such that a central portion of the heater has a smaller heat generation pattern than a peripheral portion. This is accomplished by an imaging solvent applicator.

That is, by making the central portion of the heater generate a smaller amount of heat than the peripheral portion as described above, concentration of heat in the central portion is suppressed, and the image forming solvent above the heater has a substantially uniform predetermined temperature distribution. becomes.

Further, the image forming solvent includes, for example, water, and this water is not limited to so-called pure water, but includes water in a widely customary sense, and furthermore, pure water, methanol, D
A mixed solvent with a low boiling point solvent such as MF, acetone, or diisobutyl ketone may be used. Alternatively, a solution containing an image formation accelerator, an antifoggant, a development stopper, a hydrophilic heat solvent, etc. may be used.

[Embodiment]

Next, preferred embodiments of the coating apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In describing the embodiments, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the structure and operation of the entire image recording apparatus to which the coating device is applied will be explained, and then the main parts will be explained.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image recording apparatus equipped with a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the photosensitive material is of a type that requires a heat development step and in which an image is transferred to an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer in the presence of an image-forming solvent such as water.

Inside the housing 12 constituting the image recording device, there is a photosensitive material supply section 13 that houses a photosensitive material, an image reading section 15 that reads image information carried on the document S, and a photosensitive material A.
an exposure section 16 that forms a latent image on the photosensitive material A; a water application section 17 that applies water to the photosensitive material A; an image receiving paper supply section 41 that stores the image receiving paper C; A superimposing section 19 for overlapping, a heat development transfer section 21 for performing heat treatment on the photosensitive material A and the image receiving paper C, and a peeling section 23 for separating the image receiving paper C from the photosensitive material are provided, respectively.

A transparent document support glass plate 14 on which a document S is placed is arranged on the upper surface of the housing 12, and the image reading section 15 is arranged below this document support glass plate 14.

That is, the image reading section 15 includes a light source 18 that integrally scans the entire surface of the original support glass plate 14, a mirror 20a, and an assembly 30 of an imaging lens/filter unit, and the above-mentioned light #
Mirror 2 moving in the same direction by 2 of the scanning distance of 18 mag.
0b, 20c and fixed mirrors 20d, 20e, 2Of
These are surrounded by a partition wall 22 and optically isolated from other parts. However, in this case, the image reading unit 1 reflected by the fixed mirror 2Of is attached to the partition wall 22.
An exposure opening 34 related to the exposure section 16 of the photosensitive material A is defined in a portion through which the optical axis 32 of the photosensitive material A passes, and a shutter device 35 and a shutter control device 36 are arranged in the exposure opening 34. .

Further, a standard white plate 302 is provided near the original support glass plate 14 so as to be exposed to the light source 18 .

On the other hand, the photosensitive material supply section 13 is provided on the left side of the housing 12 and is kept light-tight. This photosensitive material supply section 13 is loaded with a removable photosensitive material magazine 54 in which photosensitive material A is wound.

The photosensitive material supply section 13 has roller pairs 56a to 56d for conveying the photosensitive material from the magazine 54 to the exposure section 16. In this case, a cutter 58 for cutting the photosensitive material A into predetermined lengths is provided between the roller pair 56a56b. Further, the exposure table 60 disposed between the roller pair 56C56d faces the exposure opening 34 defined on the bottom surface of the partition wall 22 surrounding the image reading section 15.

In front of the exposure section 16 (hereinafter, "front" refers to the downstream side with respect to the traveling direction of the photosensitive material, etc.) is provided with a conveyance path consisting of a pair of rollers 56e and a guide plate.

The exposure section 16 performs imagewise exposure on the photosensitive material A to form a latent image, and the photosensitive material A on which the latent image is formed is conveyed to the water application section 17 via the conveyance path.

The water applicator 17 is for facilitating the transfer of the latent image formed on the photosensitive material A. The water applicator 17 will be described later with reference to FIG. It consists of a pair 176, a guide plate 172, a water tank 174, and the like. Then, the water tank 174 is filled with water, and the photosensitive material A is transported while being immersed in the water.

The photosensitive material A coated with water is squeezed by a pair of squeeze rollers 176.
It is conveyed to the overlapping section 19 by.

On the other hand, on the right side of the housing 12, a receiving paper supply section 41 for supplying the receiving paper C is provided. The image-receiving paper supply unit 41 includes a image-receiving paper magazine 4 that stores the rolled image-receiving paper C.
3 is loaded. The image receiving paper C in the magazine 43 is fed out by a pair of rollers 56h, and cut into a predetermined length by a cutter 44 disposed in front of the pair of rollers 56h.

The cut image-receiving paper C is conveyed to the overlapping section 19 by a pair of rollers 561.

In front of the overlapping part 19, the overlapping photosensitive materials A
A heating development transfer section 21 is provided which heats the image receiving paper C, develops the latent image on the photosensitive material A, and transfers it onto the image receiving paper C.

The heat development transfer section 21 is surrounded by a heat-insulating partition wall 62, and is wound around a hollow cylindrical heating drum 74 containing a halogen lamp 72 at an angle of about 270 degrees around the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum 74. The endless belt 34 is supported by four belt support rollers 76, 77, and 7880, and the photosensitive material A and the image receiving paper C are heated in a superimposed state. By the second heating, the latent image on the photosensitive material A is developed and transferred onto the image receiving paper C to develop color.

A peeling section 23 is provided within the partition wall 62, and the peeling section 23 includes a first peeling claw 232 for peeling the photosensitive material from the image receiving paper C, and a first peeling claw 232 for peeling the image receiving paper C from the heating drum 74. It consists of a second peeling claw 234 and a roller 56j that discharges the image receiving paper C to the outside of the partition wall 62.

In front of one side of the heat development transfer section 21, there is a waste tray 118 for discarding the heated photosensitive material A peeled from the image receiving paper C by the peeling claw 232, and a pair of rollers 56k for throwing the photosensitive material A into the waste tray 118. is provided. The waste tray 118 is provided below the heat development transfer section 21 . Further, in front of the other side of the heat development transfer section 21, there is a take-out tray 120 for storing the heated image-receiving paper C and a pair of rollers 56C56m, 5 for conveying the heated image-receiving paper C to the take-out tray 120.
．． 6n is provided, and the image-receiving paper C on which the image has been transferred is led out to the take-out tray 120.

Further, a color density detection unit 124 for detecting the color density of the image on the image receiving paper C is arranged between the pair of rollers 56m and 56n. The color density detection unit 124 includes an illumination device 126 that illuminates the image surface of the image receiving paper C, and a color photosensor 128 that receives reflected light from the image receiving paper C due to this illumination.

The apparatus further includes a color density control unit 1 connected to the imaging lens/filter unit assembly 30 and the photosensor 128 and disposed at a suitable location within the housing 12.
50, the color density control unit 150, the photosensitive material supply section 13, the image reading section 15, the drive system of the image reading section 15 (not shown), the image receiving paper supply section 41, the cutter 44.58, the Nyako control device 36, A system control device (not shown) is provided which is connected to the water application section 17, the heat development transfer section 21, and the peeling section 23 and controls the entire apparatus.

Next, the water application section 17 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the water application section 17.

The water application section 17 includes a water tank 174 containing water, a pair of upper and lower guide members 172 that guide the photosensitive material into the water, a pair of rollers 56f that transports the photosensitive material A along the guide members 172, and a roller pair 56f that transports the photosensitive material A along the guide members 172. It consists of a pair of squeeze rollers 176 that scrape off excess water from the applied and swollen photosensitive material A, and a flat heater 180.

The heater 180 is a flat heating element packaged with glass epoxy resin or the like, and a temperature fuse, a thermistor 182 for temperature detection, etc. are incorporated in a convex portion 181 at one end. Note that illustration of external lead wires is omitted.

The heater 180 is mounted on pedestals 184a at the four corners of the bottom of the water tank 174.
184d and covers the entire bottom of the water tank 174 with a slight gap, and a supply port 183 for supplying water is formed at a position of the water tank 174 corresponding to the convex portion 181.

Therefore, a predetermined amount of water is supplied from the supply port 183,
The heater 180 heats this water to a predetermined temperature.

Here, as shown in the perspective view of the relationship between the water tank 174 and the heater 180 in FIG. 185, 186, and 187188 have a smaller area and a smaller calorific value in this order. Although the heat generating portion is shown here as a convex shape, it is not actually convex like this.

When the bottom of the water tank 174 is square, the protrusion 186 and the protrusion 1
87 will have the same area.

The water above the heater 180 in the cross section taken by line Z in FIG. 2 is controlled to a predetermined temperature and has a substantially uniform temperature distribution, as shown by the solid line in FIG.

Next, to explain the water supply structure, the water supply tank 191
Supply water is stored inside, and a pump 192 is used when supplying water.
is driven to supply water through pipe 193.

On the other hand, although the amount of water supplied is controlled, there are cases where an excessive amount of water is supplied. For this reason, an overflow discharge structure consisting of an overflow discharge port 194, a pipe 196, and a filter 195 is provided at a predetermined height on one end of the wall of the water tank 174, so that the overflow water is returned to the water supply tank 191. It is composed of

In addition, the pipe 197, the solenoid valve 198, and the tank 199 are the water tank 1.
This is for removing water when cleaning the tank 74, etc., and the inside of the water tank 174 can be emptied by opening the electromagnetic valve 198. And water supply tank 191 and tank 199
can be the same tank.

FIG. 4 shows another shape of the heater.

Heating is performed by two heaters, a heater 180a and a heater 180b, and by creating an appropriate gap M between these two heaters, the amount of heat in the center of the water tank 174 is suppressed.

In this embodiment, it is preferable that the direction of the gap M is the direction in which the photosensitive material A is transported.

In addition to the heater described above, any shape may be used as long as it has a heat generation pattern that makes the amount of heat generated at the center of the heater smaller than that at the periphery.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be an apparatus for applying an image forming solvent to an image-receiving material.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, as described above, by creating a heating pattern in which the central portion of the heater is smaller than the peripheral portion, concentration of heat in the central portion is suppressed, so that the image formed above the heater is The solvent is heated almost uniformly, and uneven temperature distribution can be reduced.

Therefore, the image forming solvent is uniformly swelled into the recording material, and stable and good image formation can be achieved in the post-process.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus equipped with a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a coating section, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the relationship between a water tank and a heater. , FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another shape of the heater, and FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing the temperature distribution in cross section Z of the water tank in FIG. 2. Symbol in the figure: Image recording device 12 Nodding photosensitive material supply unit Document support glass plate 15 Image reading unit Water coating unit
18 Light source overlapping section heating development transfer section 23 Peeling section Imaging lens/filter unit assembly Optical axis shutter control device Receiving paper supply section Receiving paper magazine 58 Cutter photosensitive material magazine a to 56n Roller pair 60 Exposure table halogen lamp 74 Heating Drum 77, 78, 80 Belt support roller Endless belt 8 Waste tray O take-out tray 124 Color density detection unit 126 - lighting device 128 Color photo sensor 150 Color density control unit 172 Guide plate 174 Water tank 176 Squeeze roller 180 Heater 180a b Heater 182 Thermistor 183 refill port 134a,
b, c, d Pedestal 191 Water tank 192 Water pump 196
Filter 198 Solenoid valve 232.2'34
Peeling claw 302 white plate

Claims (1)

[Claims] The recording material is conveyed in a tank while being immersed in an image forming solvent controlled to a desired temperature by a heater, and the swollen recording material is held between a pair of squeeze rollers to scrape off excess image forming solvent. A solvent coating device for image formation, comprising:
A solvent coating device for image formation, wherein the heater has a heating pattern in which a central portion has a smaller heat generation pattern than a peripheral portion.