JPH0396936A - Color scanning exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a small-sized device which does not require a light source at every photosensitive wavelength by imposing modulation at every color by using a single white light source which includes red, blue, and green, and then exposing a photosensitive, pressure-sensitive sheet with a scanning optical system to composite white light. CONSTITUTION:The light emitted by the light source which radiates the white light including color components of red(R), green(G), and blue(B) is converged by a collimator lens 1 into nearly parallel light. Further, the light guided to a color modulation part 20 becomes the white light modulated with image signals (not shown in Figure) by the red, green, and blue components and the white light is made incident on a polygon mirror 12. The mirror 12 rotates at an equal angular velocity as shown by an arrow, so the incident light is polarized and reflected within a constant angle range, guided to an ftheta lens 13, and converged into a fine spot which moves on the photosensitive, pressure- sensitive sheet 14 at the equal speed. Consequently, a color image reproduced by combining yellow, magenta, and cyan can be obtained and the small-sized, simplified device which does not require light sources by photosensitive wavelengths can be realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a color scanning exposure apparatus that records color images using a color photosensitive sheet.

[Conventional Technology] Conventional color imaging devices had three light sources that produced a beam of light with three separate intensity-modulated color components. Figure tJ&7 shows its configuration.

The color imaging device shown as device 30 includes blue, green, and red light flux generators 31, 32, and 33.

Each light flux generating section has a light intensity modulator 34. The light source 35 is a halodane lamp that emits an incoherent light beam in the entire visible light range.

In each luminous flux generating section, light emitted from a light source 35 is condensed by a collimating lens 36 and guided to a modulator 34. Modulator 34 modulates the light intensity according to the image signal. The light guided from the blue luminous flux generating section 31 to the guichroic mirror 37 is reflected there and enters the converging lens 39. Similarly, only the red portion of the light guided from the red light flux generating section 33 to the guichroic mirror 38 is reflected and enters the three lenses. The light guided from the green light flux generating section 32 to the dichroic mirror 37 has the green component transmitted therethrough, and is further transmitted through the dichroic mirror 38 where only the green component is transmitted through the lens 3.
Guided by 9. The three lenses combine the intensity-modulated light beams of blue, green, and red into a single white light and converge it into the aperture 40. The white light passes through the aperture 40 and is focused by the lens 41 onto the photosensitive drum 42''.

``Problem to be solved by the invention'' However, because different light sources are used for red, blue, and green, the luminous flux in the unused wavelength range is wasted, resulting in a large and expensive product. there were.

Also, when a white laser is used as the light source, the output of each color is several + nW.
There was a drawback that the exposure time was relatively small.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a compact and inexpensive device that can effectively utilize the emitted light from the light source and has a simplified structure. There is a particular thing.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the color exposure apparatus of the present invention has the following features:
A single exposure light source that simultaneously emits light including the sensitivity wavelength range of each photosensitive agent of a photosensitive sheet in which a plurality of types of color-forming photosensitizers having different photosensitive wavelength ranges are mixed and supported on the surface of the photosensitive sheet; A color separation element that separates the optical path from the source for each photosensitive wavelength range of each photosensitive agent, a color mixing element that combines the separated lights into the same optical path, and an intensity of light disposed in the separated optical path. and a scanning exposure section for linearly scanning the combined light on the surface of the photosensitive sheet.

[Function] In the present invention having the above structure, the color separation element separates the optical path from the light source for each sensitivity wavelength of the photosensitizer.

The color combining element combines the separated lights into a single optical path.

The modulator is disposed in the separation optical path and modulates the intensity of the light according to the image signal.

3-4 [Example] Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is made into a weapon will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vl precept diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

This apparatus includes a scanning exposure section whose main structural elements are a white light source 10, a collimator rll, a color modulation section 20, a polygon mirror 12, and an fθ lens j3, and a photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet 1.
I am more careful than 4.

Red (R), green (G), blue (B) colors 1#. Light emitted from a light source 10 that emits so-called white light containing 200 yen is condensed into substantially parallel light by a Collimeter lens 11.

Further, the light guided to the color modulation section 20 becomes white light which is modulated by an image signal (not shown) for each of the red, green, and blue color divisions, and enters the polygon mirror 32.

This polygon mirror 12 is rotating at a constant angular velocity in the direction of the arrow. Therefore, the incident light is deflected within a certain angle range, reflected, and guided to the fθ lens 13. This fθ lens 1
3 is a pressure-sensitive sheet 1 that senses a parallel light beam deflected at a constant angular velocity.
4, it converges on a tiny subonoto moving at equal linear velocity.

The light source 10 is, for example, a metal halide lamp. The younger brother 2 represents the spectral energy distribution of Figure 1. That is, it is a white light source that uniformly emits a luminous flux from 40011111 visible light to 70 Oron.

The color modulation section 20 includes a color separation prism 21 and a reflection mirror 2.
2.23, 25, 26, a color matching prism 27, and a light intensity modulator 24. A reflective film is provided on the joint surface of the color separation prism 21. The reflective film reflects or transmits white light for each color and separates the optical path. here,
For example, the color separation prism 21 reflects red light to the left, and the reflecting mirror 22 guides the reflected light to the red modulator 24R. The modulator 24 used as a light intensity modulator uses PLZT using an electro-optic effect. Similarly, the color separation prism 21 reflects blue light to the right, and the reflecting mirror 23 guides the reflected light to the blue modulator 24B.

On the other hand, the color separation prism 21 transmits green light and guides the transmitted light to the green modulator 24G.

Modulators 24R, 24B for each color. 24G modulates the light intensity with modulation signals corresponding to the red, blue, and green components of the image signal, respectively.

Furthermore, the reflecting mirror 25 or 26 guides each color light to a color matching prism 27. The reflective film provided on the joint surface has the same characteristics as the color separation prism 21, and the light reflected or transmitted for each color is combined into a single optical path and becomes white light again.

FIG. 3 shows the spectral reflectance of the reflective film of the color separation prism 21.

Now, the characteristics of the reflective film that guides the optical path to the left in Figure 1 are shown in Figure 3 (
a), red color will be selectively reflected. Similarly, the characteristics of the reflective film that guides the optical path to the right in Figure 1 are shown in Figure 3 (
1)), the blue color is reflected and the remaining green color is transmitted.

The color combining prism 27 is the color separation prism 21 used in reverse. The photosensitive and pressure sensitive sheets 1 and 14 are published in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1983.
It is similar to the photosensitive sheet known from Japanese Patent No. 88739 or No. 58-88740. For example, its structure is as follows.

(1) Yellow, magenta, and cyan dye precursors and photocurable resins each sensitive to light in a specific wavelength range are individually encapsulated in an outer shell that is immersed under pressure above a certain value. Three types of microcapsules and developer particles that cause a coloring reaction with each of these dye precursors are randomly coated on the same sheet (so-called self-coloring photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet) (2) 3 above. It consists of a photosensitive sheet coated with a mixture of different types of microcapsules and another color developing sheet coated with a color developer, and the two sheets are stacked and developed under pressure (so-called separate type photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet). Sheet) In the present invention, a photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet of any of the above methods (1) and (2) can be used. FIG. 4 shows the minute sensitivity characteristics of the photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet in this example.

As shown in the diagram, the blue color is around 450 nm, and the green color is 550 nm.
It has peak sensitivities around nm and around 650 nuIl in red.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment in which the color modulation section 20 is combined into a single element. Reflection mirror 22 in FIG.
, 23, 25, and 26 are used as prisms to reduce the number of parts.

FIG. 6 shows a younger brother 3 in which the color modulation section 20 is combined into a single element.
An example is shown. The first reflecting surface transmits only the green color of the white light incident from above, and reflects the remaining red and blue light to the right. The second reflective surface reflects only the blue color of the reflected light and transmits the remaining red light. The third reflective surface reflects the remaining light. The light intensity modulators 24 are green, blue, and red modulators in order from the left. The lower reflective surface faces the upper reflective surface and has the same spectral reflectance characteristics. The spectral reflectance of the first reflective surface is shown in FIG. 3(.), and the spectral reflectance of the second reflective surface is shown in FIG. 3(b). The third reflective surface is a wavelength-independent reflective mirror. In this case, the number of reflective surfaces is reduced from 8 to 6, making manufacturing easier.

Note that the spectral energy distribution of the light source and the spectral sensitivity of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the light intensity modulator is not limited to an electro-optic modulator, but may be an acousto-optic modulator, a liquid crystal shutter, or the like, which have the same effect.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the detailed description above, according to the present invention, after modulating each color using a single white light source including red, blue, and green, the light is combined into white light again. By exposing the photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet with a scanning optical system, yellow, magenta,
A color image can be obtained by combining cyan.

Therefore, it is possible to realize a compact and simple device that does not require a light source for each sensitive wavelength.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 6 show embodiments embodying the present invention, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 12 shows a spectroscopic diagram of a metal halide lamp. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the spectral reflectance of the color separation prism, FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the sensitivity of the photosensitive sheet, and FIG.
The fISG diagrams are configuration diagrams showing second and third embodiments of the color modulation section, respectively. Further, FIG. 7 is a structural diagram showing a color image device that was used in the United States. 10... White light source, 14... Photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet, 21
...Color-separation angle ibrism, 24...Modulator, 27...
・Hue prism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A photosensitive sheet (14) on which a plurality of types of color-forming photosensitizers having different photosensitive wavelength ranges are mixedly supported is formed by a unit that simultaneously emits light including the photosensitive wavelength ranges of each of the photosensitive agents. A color separation element that is exposed to light from one exposure light source (10) and separates the optical path from the light source (10) for each sensitive wavelength range of each photosensitive agent of the photosensitive sheet (14). (2
1), a color mixing element (27) that combines the separated lights into the same optical path, and a modulator (27) that modulates the intensity of the light disposed in the separated optical path.
24); and a scanning exposure section (12) for linearly scanning the surface of the photosensitive sheet with the combined light.