JPH0369940A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stack and house conveyed image forming materials in good order without sticking the leading edge parts of the image forming materials by arranging an image forming material accumulating part near a heating means and providing an aperture which turns to the heating means. CONSTITUTION:A heat developable photosensitive material advancing port 71 opens on the lower part of the side of a discarded photosensitive material accumulating box 59 and the cover 72 of the port 71 opens when it is attached to an image forming layer. The upper surface of the box 59 opens and the apertures 73 are formed on the above part of the advancing port 71 on the side of the box 59. Therefore, the first photosensitive material is housed in a state where it is a little wet and it stands against the box 59. Since the apertures 73 face the heater, however, radiant heat is directly cast on the photosensitive material, which is dried before the following photosensitive material is conveyed. Even though the leading edge of the advancing photosensitive material abuts on the photosensitive material already housed, they are not stuck to each other and are stacked in good order.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a coating section for coating an image-forming material with an image-forming solvent, a heating means for heating the image-forming material, and a coating and heating process. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a stacking section that stacks the image forming material that has been collected.

[Conventional technology]

As the above-mentioned image forming materials, for example, heat-developable photosensitive materials are well known, and the heat-developable photosensitive materials and their processes are described in, for example, Basic Non-Silver Salt Photography Edition of Photographic Engineering (1988).
Pages 242 to 255 of Corona Publishing (2013), 40 pages of video information published in April 1978, Nebretto Handbook
Of Photography and Reprography (
Nehlett's Handbook of Pho
tography an+J Reprography
) 17th edition (7th Bd, ) van Nostrand
Reinhold Company (Van No5tra
nd Re1nhold Company) 32-3
It is described on page 3.

As for the method of obtaining a color image by heat development, a movable dye is released in an image form by heating.
A method in which this mobile dye is transferred to a dye fixing material (image receiving material) having a mordant using a solvent such as water, a method in which a high boiling point organic solvent is used to transfer this mobile dye to a dye fixing material, and a hydrophilic thermal 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 thermally diffusible or sublimable and is transferred to a dye-receiving material such as a support.

Specifically, as an apparatus for carrying out this type of image forming method, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 59-75247, a color image is formed on a heat-developable photosensitive material using an exposure head in an exposure section. After exposing the photothermographic material to light, an image forming solvent such as water is applied to the photothermographic material using a roller, and this is sent to the thermal development section, where the image receiving material is brought into close contact with the photothermographic material after heat development and transferred to the transfer section. An image forming apparatus has been proposed which thermally transfers an image to an image receiving material in a transfer section.

Furthermore, an apparatus has been proposed in which a heat-developable photosensitive material and an image-receiving material are superimposed to simultaneously perform development and transfer.

Furthermore, an image forming apparatus using an image forming material having a latent image forming layer of a heat-developable photosensitive material and a dye fixing layer of an image receiving material in one sheet has also been proposed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the above-described image forming apparatus, the applied image forming solvent tends to remain even after heating, and the image surface of the image forming material in this wet state becomes adhesive.

Therefore, a plurality of image forming materials are sequentially conveyed to the stacking section, and when the image surface of the image forming material that has already been stored comes into contact with the leading edge of the image forming material that has been conveyed next, both materials adhere and the image forming material is completely stored. There is a problem in that the image forming materials are moved, forming loops or the like inside the accumulating section, so that they do not overlap in an orderly manner, and the storage capacity of the waste section is reduced.

Although drying means may be provided before being transported to this accumulation section, there may be problems in terms of space and cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide an image forming apparatus that can store image forming materials in an orderly manner within a stacking section and effectively utilize the stacking volume of the stacking section as specified. .

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to provide at least an application section for applying an image forming solvent to an image forming material, a heating means for heating the image forming material, and a coating and heating process. In an image forming apparatus having a stacking section for stacking the image forming materials, the stacking section has an opening facing the heating means.

That is, by providing the stacking section with an opening facing toward the heating means as described above, image formation that is transported to the stacking section by heat generated from a heating means for another purpose can be done without providing a dedicated drying means for the stacking section. Since the image forming solvent moistening the materials can be evaporated, the image forming materials do not adhere to each other and can be stored in an orderly manner in the stacking section.

The image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied may be configured to apply an image forming solvent to either the photothermographic material, which is the image forming material, or the image receiving material. A configuration in which a solvent is applied may also be used. Furthermore, a sheet of image forming material may be used.

Further, the image forming material used in the present invention may be any material as long as it requires a heating means and the latent image is developed, fixed, etc. in the presence of an image forming solvent to form a visible image. Good too.

For example, photosensitive materials include heat-developable photosensitive materials,
U.S. Patent No. 4,430,415, U.S. Patent No. 4.483.9
No. 14, No. 4.500.626, No. 4,503,
No. 137, JP-A-59-154445, JP-A No. 59-16
No. 5054, No. 59-180548, No. 59-218
No. 443, No. 60-120356, No. 61-8825
No. 6, No. 61-238056, etc.

The above-mentioned heat-developable photosensitive material basically consists of a support containing photosensitive silver halide, a binder, a dye-providing compound, and a reducing agent.
In some cases, the dye-donating substance also serves as a reducing agent), and if necessary, organic silver salts and other additives can be contained.

The heat-developable photosensitive material may be one that gives a negative image or one that gives a positive image when exposed to light. Direct positive emulsion as a silver halide emulsion (there are two types: a method that uses a nucleating agent and a method that uses light fogging) to provide a positive image.
Either a method using a dye-donating compound or a method using a dye-donating compound that emits a positively diffusible dye image can be adopted.

There are various methods for transferring diffusible dyes, such as transferring to a dye fixing layer using an image forming solvent such as water, transferring to a dye fixing layer using a high boiling point organic solvent, and transferring to a dye fixing layer using a hydrophilic thermal solvent. A method of transferring the dye to a dye fixing layer having a dye-receiving polymer using the thermal diffusivity or sublimation of a diffusible dye has been proposed.
It can be any of them.

In addition, as the image forming solvent used for the above diffusion transfer,
For example, there is water, and this water includes not only so-called pure water but also water in the widely customary sense. Alternatively, a mixed solvent of pure water and a low boiling point solvent such as methanol, DMF, acetone, or diisobutyl ketone may be used. Furthermore, a solution containing an image formation accelerator, an antifoggant, a development stopper, a hydrophilic heat solvent, etc. may also be used.

[Embodiment]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A magazine 14 is disposed on the machine base 12 of the image forming apparatus 10, and a roll-shaped photothermographic material 16 is housed within the magazine 14.

The photothermographic material 16 is pulled out from its outer periphery, cut into a predetermined length by a cutter 18, and then wound around the outer periphery of a rotating drum 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow. The exposure drum 22 corresponds to the outer periphery of this rotating drum 20.
is arranged, rotates the rotating drum 20 at high speed,
An image is exposed onto the wound photothermographic material 16.

After exposure, the heat-developable photosensitive material ■6 is rotated in reverse rotation of the rotating drum 20 (
direction of arrow B), the scraper 24 rotates the rotating drum 20.
The sheet is peeled off from the substrate and further conveyed by a pair of conveying rollers 25 and 27. Conveyance roller pair 25.27
is mechanically connected to a step motor (not shown) as a driving means, and is rotated by the step motor.

A water application section 26 is provided between the pair of conveyance rollers 25 and the pair of conveyance rollers 27 on the conveyance path of the photothermographic material 16 . The water application section 26 is equipped with a step motor (not shown).
A coating roller 64 that rotates by the drive of is disposed, and the photothermographic material 16 comes into contact with this coating roller 64 while being conveyed, so that water as an image forming solvent is applied.

The heat-developable photosensitive material 16 coated with water is transferred to the heat-developable transfer section 28.
It is now being sent to.

In the thermal development transfer section 28, a heating drum 34 and an endless pressure belt 36 serving as pressure contact means are arranged. Further, a halogen lamp 38 is disposed inside the heating drum 34, and the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum 34 is heated to about 90° C. by the halogen lamp 38.

The endless crimping belt 36 is wrapped around rollers 37, 39, 41.
．． 43, and its endless outer side is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum 34. The winding roller 37 is mechanically connected to a step motor (not shown), and is rotated by the drive of this step motor. The heat-developable photosensitive material 16 is pinched and conveyed to be thermally developed.

Near the portion where the endless pressure belt 36 is wound around the roller 37, a rubber overlapping row 48 is placed so as to be pressed against and in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating drum 34. This overlapping roller 48 is also mechanically connected to a step motor (not shown), and is rotated by the drive of this step motor.

The image-receiving material 32 sent to the thermal development transfer section 28 is transferred by a superimposing roller 48 disposed in pressure contact with the outer circumferential surface of the heating drum 34 (between the superimposing roller 48 and the outer circumferential surface of the heating drum 34). The heat-developable photosensitive material 16 is superimposed on the heating drum 34 and the endless pressure belt 36.
It is designed to be supplied between.

The heat-developable photosensitive material 16 is heated while being conveyed in a superimposed state with the image-receiving material 32 in the heat-developable transfer section 28, and the image is transferred to the image-receiving material 32 along with heat development, and an image is obtained on the image-receiving material 32. It looks like this.

A peeling plate 80 is arranged on the side of the thermal development transfer section 28 . The peeling plate 80 has a distal end close to the outer circumferential surface of the heating drum 34 and moves together with the heating drum 34 to engage with the photothermographic material 16 located inside and release the photothermographic material 16. The image receiving material 32 is peeled off from the outer periphery of the heating drum 34.

A pair of separation rollers 50 are arranged below the peeling plate 80 and correspond only to both ends of the image receiving material 32 in the width direction.
Furthermore, a conveyor belt 52 is wound around the separation roller 50. This conveyor belt 52 engages only at both ends of the image receiving material 32 in the width direction, and transfers the image receiving material 32 to the photothermographic material 1.
6 and is bent and transported.

This separation roller 50 is mechanically connected to a step motor (not shown), and is rotated by the drive of this step motor.

The separated image-receiving material 32 is dried by a heater 54 and then sent onto a take-out tray 56 formed at the top of the machine stand 12.

On the other hand, the separated photothermographic material 16 is transported by a pair of transport rollers 58 and sent to a waste photosensitive material collection box 59. This conveyance roller pair 58 is also mechanically connected to a step motor (not shown).
It is rotated by a step motor.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a waste photosensitive material collection box, which is the essential part of the present invention.

The waste photosensitive material collection box 59 has the heat-developable photosensitive material 1 at the lower side of the box 59.
The entry port 71 of No. 6 is open, and this entry port 71 is equipped with a lid 72, and this lid 72 is attached to the waste photosensitive material collection box 59.
It opens when it is attached to the image forming apparatus 10, and can be removed after it is closed. The top surface of the waste photosensitive material collection box 59 is open, and an opening 73 is also formed in the upper portion of the entrance hole 71 on the side surface. Therefore, when the waste photosensitive material collection box 59 is installed in the image forming apparatus 10, the opening 73
faces the heater 54.

The first photothermographic material 16 conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers 58 is stored in a slightly damp state in a leaning state in the waste photosensitive material collection box 59 . however,
Since the opening 73 faces the heater 54, the radiation from the heater 54 directly hits the accommodated photothermographic material 16, and the accommodated photosensitive material is removed from the heater before the next photothermographic material 16 is conveyed. 54, and therefore, even if the tip of the incoming photothermographic material 16 and the stored photothermographic material 16 come into contact, they do not adhere and are stacked neatly.

In FIG. 1, the waste photosensitive material collection box 59 is vertical and stores the photothermographic material 16, but depending on the arrangement of the heater 54, it can be placed horizontally. Further, in the embodiment described above, the heat-developable photosensitive material 16 in the waste photosensitive material collection box 59 is dried using the heater 54, but it is also possible to use the heat of the heating drum 34 depending on the layout.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to any apparatus other than the image forming apparatus of the above-described embodiments, as long as it has a heating means and needs to dry the material contained in the stacking section.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, by arranging the image disciplinary material accumulation section near the heating means for purposes other than drying the image material accumulation section, and providing the accumulation section with an opening facing toward the heating means, a drying means dedicated to the accumulation section is provided. It is possible to dry the wet image forming materials stored in the stacking section without providing a Volume can be used effectively.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the waste photosensitive material collection box. Code in the figure: 0. Image forming device 16 6 Water application part 28 2 Image receiving material 34 6 Endless crimp belt 48 0・Separation roller 54・ 9 Waste photosensitive material collection box 1-Entrance 72 3-・Opening Heat-developable photosensitive material Heat development transfer section heating drum overlapping roller heater lid

Claims (1)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus having at least an application section that applies an image forming solvent to an image forming material, a heating means that heats the image forming material, and a collecting section that collects the image forming material that has been subjected to the coating and heating processes. In the image forming apparatus, the stacking section has an opening facing the heating means.