JPH04368944A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an image recorder capable of keeping the length of a conveying path attains the necessary and sufficient length without exerting adverse influence of heat or the like on an image recording material, as well, preventing the erroneous insertion of magazines to house different image recording materials. CONSTITUTION:A spiral conveying path consisting of plural conveying rotors and a guide plate are made around the photosensitive material magazine 14 to house the photosensitive material 16 and the photosensitive material 16 pulled out is conveyed around the photosensitive material magazine 14. Also, the photosensitive magazine 14 and a receiving material magazine 106 have the different sizes of length. Consequently, even in a small space, the conveying path in the necessary and sufficient length is kept without receiving the influence of a heating drum 116. Also, the erroneous insertion of the photosensitive material magazine 14 and the receiving material magazine 106 is prevented.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that performs image recording processing using two types of image recording materials.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Image recording apparatuses are known that perform image recording processing using two types of image recording materials, for example, a photosensitive material and an image receiving material.

In this type of image recording apparatus, the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material are wound up into rolls and housed in magazines whose interiors are shielded from light, and are pulled out one after another each time image recording processing is performed. used. Further, the image recording apparatus is provided with a heating drum and an endless pressure belt that is in pressure contact with the outer periphery of the heating drum and rotates together with the heating drum.

The photosensitive material, which has been pulled out to a predetermined size from the magazine, cut, and exposed with an image, is coated with water as an image forming solvent, and then overlapped with an image-receiving material, and in this state is brought into close contact with the outer periphery of a heating drum. Can be wrapped. Furthermore, the photosensitive material is thermally developed while being conveyed between the heating drum and the endless pressure belt, and the image is transferred to the image-receiving material, forming a predetermined image on the image-receiving material (recording).
This is the configuration that will be used.

[0005]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, when recording an image of a large original or enlarging an image of the original, it is necessary to pull out the photosensitive material long from the magazine and cut it. . In this case, in order to secure a sufficient transport path for transporting the long photosensitive material after cutting, the apparatus becomes large in size, and a countermeasure for this problem is desperately needed. In particular, it is necessary to consider the adverse effects of heat on photosensitive materials, so it is not preferable to place photosensitive materials (magazines) near the aforementioned heating drum, and the setting of the conveyance path also affects the quality of the recorded images. This is an important issue to consider.

In this case, the conveying path for the photosensitive material is configured to be bifurcated, and the photosensitive material that has been pulled out from the magazine and cut is guided to one of the bifurcated paths and reversed, and then sent out from the other bifurcated path. , an image recording apparatus that ensures a predetermined conveyance path length has also been proposed. However, when such a transport route is set, it is necessary to place a guide member such as a reversing flapper at the bifurcation position and move it in accordance with the transport of the photosensitive material, resulting in an increase in the number of parts. Therefore, control becomes complicated and costs increase.

[0007] On the other hand, even if the above-mentioned transport path is optimally set, if the magazine containing the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material is incorrectly inserted into the apparatus during replacement, etc. Naturally, predetermined image recording processing cannot be performed. Therefore, it is also necessary to take measures to prevent incorrect insertion of magazines in which photosensitive materials and image-receiving materials are respectively accommodated.

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention is capable of securing a necessary and sufficient conveyance path length without adversely affecting image recording materials such as heat, and also provides a magazine for storing different image recording materials. It is an object of the present invention to obtain an image recording device that can also prevent erroneous insertion of images.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The image recording device of the invention according to claim 1 uses two types of image recording materials housed in different magazines, and pulls out one of the image recording materials from the magazine to a predetermined size and cuts it. The image recording apparatus performs an image recording process by exposing the image to light while conveying the image recording material and overlapping the other image recording material in close contact with the other image recording material, the image recording apparatus comprising: The magazine is characterized in that it is set at a portion that revolves around the magazine in which the magazine is housed.

[0010] The image recording apparatus of the invention according to claim 2 is the image recording apparatus according to claim 1, in which the two magazines accommodating the image recording material have a length corresponding to the width direction of the image recording material. They are characterized by having different sizes.

[0011]

In the image recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, one of the image recording materials is pulled out to a predetermined size from the magazine, cut, and then conveyed along a conveyance path that goes around the magazine in which it is accommodated. Therefore, even in a narrow space, a necessary and sufficient length of the transport path can be ensured, and the device can be downsized. In addition, it is possible to place the image recording material at a distance from the heating drum without sacrificing the necessary length of the conveyance path, which prevents the image recording material from suffering from heat-induced damage, resulting in good images. is obtained.

On the other hand, in the image recording apparatus according to claim 2,
The two magazines that house the image recording material are configured with different length dimensions of the portions corresponding to the width direction of the image recording material, so by detecting the length dimension of these magazines, it is possible to determine the It can be determined whether a magazine has been inserted or not, and erroneous insertion can be prevented. Furthermore, since each magazine differs only in the dimensions of the portion corresponding to the width direction of the image recording material, in other words, the other portions are common, making it possible to standardize parts and reduce costs. You can also do it.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus 10 according to the present invention. Further, FIGS. 2 and 3 show an overall external view of this image recording apparatus 10.

The image recording apparatus 10 has a box-like structure as a whole, and a machine base 12 has front doors 13A, 13B, side doors 15A, 15B, and a lower door 17 attached. By opening each door, the inside of the machine stand 12 can be exposed. Each door is equipped with a so-called interlock mechanism safety device (not shown), so that the power to a predetermined portion can be turned off at the same time as the door is opened.

A photosensitive material magazine 14 is disposed within the machine base 12 of the image recording apparatus 10, and a photosensitive material 16 is wound up into a roll and stored therein. The widthwise dimension of this photosensitive material 16 is, for example, 310 mm. The photosensitive material 16 has a photosensitive silver halide, a binder, a dye-donating substance, and a reducing agent on a support, and is wound up with its light-sensitive (exposed) surface facing downward in the apparatus.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, the photosensitive material magazine 14 has a body portion 14A formed to have a length corresponding to the widthwise dimension of the photosensitive material 16, and is fixed to both ends of this body portion 14A. It consists of a pair of side frame parts 14B, and is housed in a housing part 200 provided in the machine stand 12. A guide plate 202 for holding a magazine is arranged in the storage section 200. A pair of leaf springs 204 are attached to the guide plate 202 to press and hold the photosensitive material magazine 14 . Further, a protrusion 206 is provided at one end of the guide plate 202.
is formed so as to fit into the through hole 208 of the accommodating portion 200. A nylatch 210 is attached to the end of the guide plate 202 opposite to the protrusion 206, and can be fitted into a locking hole 212 formed in the side wall of the housing section 200. When the photosensitive material magazine 14 is set in the housing section 200 with the protrusion 206 inserted into the through hole 208 and the nylon latch 210 fitted into the locking hole 212, the leaf spring 2
04 presses the photosensitive material magazine 14, and the photosensitive material magazine 14 is held in the storage section 200. Also, pull out the Nylatch 210 from the locking hole 212 and attach it to the guide plate 202.
By removing the photosensitive material magazine 14, the photosensitive material magazine 14 is moved slightly to the right side of the paper in FIG. It can be pulled out in the width direction of the material 16), and can be pulled out when the photosensitive material 16 jams.

[0017] Also, the sensitive material magazine 1 in this storage section 200
An inner door 214 is disposed in the drawer portion of 4, and when the photosensitive material magazine 14 is stored in the storage section 200, even if the front doors 13A and 13B of the machine base 12 are opened, the storage section will not open. External light does not enter into the interior of the photosensitive material 200, and the stored photosensitive material 16 is prevented from being inadvertently exposed.

Furthermore, a storage section 200 for the photosensitive material magazine 14 is provided.
An optical sensor (not shown) is disposed in which can detect either the sensitive material magazine 14 or a receiving material magazine 106 having a different length, which will be described later, thereby preventing incorrect insertion. There is.

A nip roller 18 and a cutter 20 are arranged near the photosensitive material outlet of the photosensitive material magazine 14, and can cut the photosensitive material 16 after it has been pulled out to a predetermined length from the photosensitive material magazine 14. The cutter 20 is, for example, a guillotine type cutter consisting of a fixed blade and a movable blade, and the movable blade is moved up and down by a rotating cam or the like to engage with the fixed blade and cut the photosensitive material 16. Here, FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for driving the cutter 20 (moving blade). That is, the drive shaft 220 of the cutter 20 is connected to the timing belt 222.
A gear 226 is connected to a gear 224 via a gear 224, and a gear 226, which rotates integrally with the gear 224, meshes with a gear 228. The gear 228 is coaxially connected to the gear 230 via two one-way clutches having rotation characteristics of forward rotation transmission characteristics and reverse rotation transmission characteristics,
Furthermore, it is connected to a rotating shaft 234 of a cutter motor via a timing belt 232. As a result, the driving force is transmitted, the drive shaft 220 is rotated, and the cutter 20 is operated only when the rotation shaft 234 of the cutter motor rotates in the forward direction. Further, a cutter 112 for cutting the image-receiving material 108, which will be described in detail later, is connected to the gear 228 provided through the two one-way clutches, and thereby a single cutter motor can cut the photosensitive material 16 and cut the image-receiving material 108. The configuration is such that both sides of the image receiving material 108 can be cut.

After the cutter 20 is operated, the nip roller 1
8 is reversed, and the photosensitive material 16 is rewound to such an extent that the leading end of the photosensitive material 16 is slightly nipped by the nipping roller 18.

A plurality of conveyance rollers 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 29, 31, 33, 3 are provided on the sides of the cutter 20.
5 and a guide plate 27 are arranged so that the photosensitive material 16 cut into a predetermined length can be conveyed to the exposure section 22. Here, the plurality of conveyance rollers 19, 21, 2
3, 24, 26, 29, 31, 33, 35 and the guide plate 27 are arranged so as to orbit around the photosensitive material magazine 14, so that the photosensitive material 16 after cutting is
Conveyance rollers 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 29, 31
, 33, 35, and a guide plate 27, it is configured to move along a conveyance path (a conveyance path shaped like a square when viewed from the side) that goes around the photosensitive material magazine 14 in which it is housed.

An exposure section 22 is disposed directly above the photosensitive material magazine 14 in the middle of the conveying path of the photosensitive material 16. The exposure section 22 is located between a conveyance roller 24 and a conveyance roller 26, and the space between these conveyance rollers serves as an exposure section (exposure point) through which the photosensitive material 16 passes. Further, a guide plate 28 is disposed between these conveyance rollers, and an exposure surface glass 30 is disposed above the conveyance path of the photosensitive material 16, so that the photosensitive material 16 becomes flat (corrects deformation). between both transport rollers (while
(exposure section). The speed at which the photosensitive material 16 is transported by the transport rollers 24 and 26 (the speed at which it passes through the exposure section) is, for example, 100 mm/sec.

The guide plate 28 and the exposure glass 30 are separated when the shell of the exposure section 22 is opened, which will be described later, so that the photosensitive material 16 being conveyed becomes clogged (so-called jam).
If this occurs, it can be easily resolved.

An exposure device 38 is provided directly above the exposure section 22. The exposure device 38 includes a light source 40, a movable mirror 42A, a movable mirror 42B, a fixed mirror 44, a reflective mirror 46, and a lens unit 48. Furthermore, a glass plate is mounted on the top of the machine base 12 above these parts. A document placement plate 50 is provided.

The light source 40 is a cylindrical halogen lamp (eg, power supply voltage 80V, 380W), and has an illuminance of, for example, about 5×10 5 Lx on the document surface. Further, the light intensity distribution of the light source 40 (halogen lamp) is set to be slightly smaller at both ends in the axial direction than at the center. This is to make the density distribution of the image uniform in accordance with the temperature distribution of the thermal development transfer section 104, which will be described later.

The lens unit 48 has a plurality of lenses (for example, 6 lenses).
In addition, a color adjustment filter (CC filter) (not shown) is incorporated. Furthermore, a movable aperture slit plate 52 is arranged on the rear side of the lens unit 48 (on the fixed mirror 44 side).

These light sources 40, movable mirrors 42A, 4
2B and the lens unit 48 are movable along the original plate 50 by the amount of movement associated with changing the magnification, and irradiate light onto the original 54 placed on the original plate 50 and capture the reflected image light ( Image light) is scanned and exposed onto the photosensitive material 16 located in the exposure section 22 via a fixed mirror 44. In this case, the moving speed of the moving mirror 42B is the same as that of the light source 40.
And the moving speed is 1/2 of the moving speed of the moving mirror 42A.

The reflecting mirror 46 is similar to the moving mirror 42 described above.
It is arranged so as to be able to enter or leave the optical path of the image light irradiated to the exposure section 22 via A, 42B and the fixed mirror 44. That is, normally, the moving mirrors 42A, 42B and the fixed mirror 4 enter the optical path of the image light.
On the other hand, when scanning and exposing the image of the original 54 to the photosensitive material 16 located in the exposure section 22, the light irradiated through the light beam 4 is reflected in a substantially perpendicular direction. This allows the image to be exposed. When the reflection mirror 46 enters the optical path of the image light, the reflected light enters the photodetection sensor 56.

The photodetection sensor 56 includes a total of six photosensitive heads capable of detecting two types of wavelengths, blue, green, and red, and is further connected to a control device (not shown). This light detection sensor 56 measures the image density of the image on the original 54, and based on this measurement value, the exposure conditions for the color adjustment filter (CC filter) and the aperture slit plate 52 are set. .

The exposure section 22 having such a structure is constructed as one unit as a whole and is releasably attached to the machine base 12 by a hinge 58 (so-called clamshell type, see FIG. 3). Therefore, by opening the exposure section 22, internal inspection and so-called jam handling in the event of a paper jam can be easily performed.

The "no" of the photosensitive material 16 is constructed by going around the photosensitive material magazine 14 and passing below the photosensitive material magazine 14.
A water applicator 62 is arranged at the end of the letter-shaped conveyance path. The photosensitive material 16 on which the image has been exposed in the exposure section 22 is
After going around the photosensitive material magazine 14 along the square-shaped conveyance path, the material is conveyed by conveyance rollers 29, 31, 33, and 35, guided by a guide plate 27, and sent to a water application section 62. Here, a dust removal sheet is attached to the guide plate 36 on the side of the conveyance roller 35 (immediately before the water application section 62) to remove dust attached to the photosensitive material 16.

As shown in detail in FIG. 7, a coating tank 64 is arranged in the water coating section 62. In addition, coating tank 6
A pair of supply rollers 66 are arranged at the upstream end of the photosensitive material 16 in the transport direction, and a pair of squeeze rollers 68 are arranged at the downstream end of the photosensitive material 16 in the transport direction.

Supply roller 66 and squeeze roller 68
For example, both of the rollers are made of silicone rubber rollers with an outer diameter of 20 mm, and the rubber hardness of the supply roller 66 is, for example, 60±5, and that of the squeeze roller 68 is, for example, 40.
It is assumed to be ±5. Further, a predetermined pressing force (for example, 1 kg) is applied to each roller at both ends in the longitudinal direction.

Further, a guide plate 70 is attached above the coating tank 64 so as to face the coating tank 64 . The guide plate 70 is made of a metal material such as aluminum, and the space between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64 is a passage for the photosensitive material 16. Therefore, when the application tank 64 is filled with water, the supply roller 66
Water is applied to the photosensitive material 16 fed between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64, and the photosensitive material 16 is further pinched and conveyed by the squeeze roller 68 to remove excess water.

In this case, the water coating length of the photosensitive material 16 between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64 (the length that the photosensitive material 16 passes through water) is, for example, 70 mm; The immersion time is, for example, 3.5 seconds. Furthermore, the photosensitive material 16 after the water coating process (that is, after passing through the squeeze roller 68) has a 15±1 gr/m
2 water is applied.

A sensitive material sensor 74 is disposed near the supply roller 66 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the photosensitive material 16, and can detect the photosensitive material 16 conveyed from the reversing section 60. As a result, the driving speeds of the supply roller 66 and the squeeze roller 68 are changed at the time when the photosensitive material sensor 74 detects the photosensitive material 16 conveyed from the reversing section 60. Therefore, the photosensitive material 16 is fed between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64 at a low conveyance speed, and is further conveyed while being held by the squeeze roller 68.

As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of rows of ribs 76 are formed on the bottom surface of the coating tank 64, that is, on the surface through which the photosensitive material 16 passes, and are inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the photosensitive material 16. In addition to reducing frictional resistance when passing between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64, the photosensitive material 1
It is possible to prevent scratches at certain positions of 6. In addition, a squeeze roller 68 is provided in the coating tank 64.
A drain port 90 and an overflow tank 92 that communicate with the storage section of
An overflow port 94 and an auxiliary overflow port 95 that communicate with each other are formed.

On the other hand, a through hole 72 is formed in the center of the guide plate 70 described above and serves as a water supply path. A ceramic heater 102 is attached to the upper part of the guide plate 70, and heats the water passing through the through hole 72 (for example,
40±2° C.) and can be filled into the coating tank 64.

The coating tank 64, the guide plate 70, and the squeeze roller 68 constructed as above are constructed as one unit as a whole.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a drive system for driving the supply roller 66 and squeeze roller 68. That is, the rotation shaft 2 of the supply roller 66
40 is connected to a gear 244 via a timing belt 242, and this gear 244 is further coaxially connected to a gear 246 via a one-way clutch. The gear 246 meshes with a rotating shaft 248 of the water application motor. As a result, when the rotating shaft 248 of the water application motor rotates, driving force is transmitted, the rotating shaft 240 rotates, and the supply roller 66 rotates. Further, a rotating shaft 250 of the squeeze roller 68 is engaged with the gear 244 provided through the one-way clutch, and the squeeze roller 68 is also rotated by transmitting the driving force in the same manner as the supply roller 66. Therefore, the squeeze roller 68
The photosensitive material 16, which is being held and conveyed by the two members, is maintained at a predetermined tension.

Further, a shaft 254 of a receiving material discharging roller 172 and a shaft 256 of a sensitive material discharging roller 158, which will be described later, are connected to the gear 244 provided via the one-way clutch via a timing belt 252. It rotates by transmitting driving force. Further, the gear 258 meshing with the shaft 256 is connected to the timing belt 2
It is connected to a shaft 262 of a photosensitive material discharge roller 160, which will also be described later, via a shaft 60, and rotates upon transmission of driving force. That is, the water application motor has these plurality of driving parts (the supply roller 66 and the squeeze roller 68,
The receiving material discharging roller 172, the sensitive material discharging roller 158, and the sensitive material discharging roller 160) are all driven.

The conveyance speed of the photosensitive material 16 by the supply roller 66 and the squeeze roller 68 (the speed of passage between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64) is, for example, about 20 m.
m/sec. That is, in the exposure section 22, the photosensitive material 16 is exposed at a rate of, for example, 100 mm/sec as described above.
When the photosensitive material sensor 74 detects the photosensitive material 16, the conveying speed of the conveying rollers 29, 31, 33, and 35 is also reduced to about 20 mm/sec, and the photosensitive material 16 is sent to the water coating section 62.

[0043] A plurality of pipes are connected to the water applicator 62 configured as described above so that water can be supplied thereto. Here, a water supply system diagram of the water application section 62 is shown in FIG.

Through hole 72 in guide plate 70 of water application section 62
A supply pipe 78 is connected to. A pump 80 and a filter 82 are arranged in the middle of the supply pipe 78, and the other end of the supply pipe 78 is provided with an open lid 84.
is supported within the replenishment tank 86. The replenishment tank 86 is filled with water as an image forming solvent. Therefore, by driving the pump 80, water in the replenishment tank 86 can be filled (replenished) into the coating tank 64 via the guide plate 70.

On the other hand, the drain port 90 of the coating tank 64 has
One end of a discharge pipe 96 is connected to the replenishment tank 86, and the other end thereof is connected to the discharge pipe 96. Furthermore, a solenoid valve 98 is disposed in the middle of the discharge pipe 96. This solenoid valve 98
is normally in a closed state, but by opening it, water in the application tank 64 can be discharged to the replenishment tank 86 via the discharge pipe 96. Further, the solenoid valve 98 is fixed in a slightly inclined state with respect to the machine base 12 to prevent drainage water from remaining inside. In addition, one end of the overflow port 94 of the coating tank 64 is connected to the middle part of the drain pipe 96 (a solenoid valve 9
8 and the replenishment tank 86).
The other end of 00 is connected. Further, a drain pipe 101 is connected to the auxiliary overflow port 95, and the other end of the drain pipe 101 is led into a tank tray 103.

An open lid 84 supporting the supply pipe 78 is attached to the machine base 12 by a hinge 88 so that the inside of the replenishment tank 86 can be opened. Also, Figure 1
0, a water amount sensor 81 is attached to the distal end of the supply pipe 78 located within the replenishment tank 86, with its base end and distal end held by a bracket 79. The water amount sensor 81 is a self-heating type thermistor, and can detect the amount of water in the replenishment tank 86 by generating heat according to the amount of water. Note that it goes without saying that this water amount sensor 81 may be a sensor of other configuration, such as a float type sensor.

A heat development transfer section 10 is provided on the side of the water application section 62.
4 is placed and water is applied (squeeze roller 6
The photosensitive material 16 (after passing 8) is sent in.

On the other hand, the machine stand 12 directly below the photosensitive material magazine 14
A receiving material magazine 106 is arranged in which the receiving material 1 is placed.
08 is wound up into a roll and stored. The widthwise dimension of the image receiving material 108 is smaller than that of the photosensitive material 16 (for example, 297 mm). In addition, the image receiving material 10
A dye fixing material having a mordant is applied to the image forming surface of No. 8, and the image forming surface is wound up with the image forming surface facing upward of the apparatus.

The receiving material magazine 106 is similar to the sensitive material magazine 14.
Similarly, it is composed of a body part 106A and a pair of side frame parts 106B fixed to both ends of this body part 106A,
It is possible to draw it out toward the front side of the machine base 12 (the front side in the paper of FIG. 1, that is, the width direction of the wound image-receiving material 108). Here, the body portion 106A of the receiving material magazine 106 is formed to have a length corresponding to the widthwise dimension of the image receiving material 108, and therefore is formed shorter than the body portion 14A of the photosensitive material magazine 14. For this reason, the sensitive material magazine 14 and the receiving material magazine 106 have different length dimensions.

An optical sensor (not shown) is disposed in the housing portion of the receiving material magazine 106, and is capable of detecting either the sensitive material magazine 14 or the receiving material magazine 106, which have different lengths. This prevents incorrect insertion.

A nip roller 110 is disposed near the image-receiving material outlet of the receiving material magazine 106, and can pull out the image-receiving material 108 from the receiving material magazine 106 and release the nip. Here, FIG. 11 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the nip roller 110 portion, and FIG. 12 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for driving the nip roller 110. That is, the upper roller 110A of the nip roller 110 is supported by the tip of an L-shaped bracket 272 that is rotatably supported by a shaft 270, and is movable up and down together with the bracket 272. A tension spring 274 is connected to the bracket 272, and the upper roller 110A is always connected to the lower roller 110B.
A predetermined nip pressure is applied. A nip release cam 276 is disposed above the upper roller 110A and can be engaged with the upper wall of the bracket 272. This nip release cam 276 has the role of pressing the upper wall of the bracket 272 by rotating and rotating the bracket 272 around the shaft 270 against the biasing force of the tension spring 274. As a result, the upper roller 110
A is separated from the lower roller 110B. A rotating shaft 278 of the nip release cam 276 is coaxially connected to a gear 280 via a one-way clutch, and a timing belt 286 is wound around the gear 280 together with a gear 282 and a rotating shaft 284 of the lower roller 110B. ing. The gear 282 is coaxially connected to a gear 288, and the gear 288 is also connected to the rotating shaft 2 of the paper feed motor.
It meshes with 90. As a result, when the rotation shaft 290 of the paper feed motor rotates forward, the lower roller 110B
The driving force is transmitted only to the nip rollers 110 (upper roller 110A, lower roller 110B), and on the other hand,
When the rotation shaft 290 of the paper feed motor rotates in the reverse direction, the driving force is transmitted to the nip release cam 276, the nip release cam 276 rotates, and the bracket 272 moves to the upper roller 110A.
It is configured to move away from the lower roller 110B at the same time. By moving the upper roller 110A and releasing the nip of the nip roller 110, the leading end of the image receiving material 108 is prevented from being nipped for a long time, thereby preventing the surface (image forming surface) from being deformed and the physical properties from changing. There is.

Note that a one-way clutch may be provided on the rotating shaft of the lower roller 110B. In this case, unnecessary rotation of the lower roller 110B during nip release (when the nip release cam 276 rotates) can be prevented.

A cutter 11 is provided on the side of the nip roller 110.
2 is placed. Like the cutter 20 for photosensitive materials described above, the cutter 112 is, for example, a guillotine type cutter consisting of a fixed blade and a movable blade, and the movable blade is moved up and down by a rotating cam or the like to mesh with the fixed blade. Accordingly, the image receiving material 108 pulled out from the receiving material magazine 106 is cut into a length shorter than the photosensitive material 16. Here, as shown in FIG. 6 described above, a gear 236 is engaged with a gear 228 provided via two one-way clutches, and a gear 237 that rotates integrally with this gear 236 is connected to a cutter via a timing belt 238. 112 is connected to a drive shaft 239. As a result, only when the rotary shaft 234 of the cutter motor is rotated in the reverse direction, the driving force is transmitted, the driving shaft 239 is rotated, and the cutter 112 is operated. That is, the structure is such that a single cutter motor can operate not only the photosensitive material 16 but also the cutter 112 for cutting the image receiving material 108.

The image receiving material 108 cut into a predetermined length is
The image-receiving material is guided by an image-receiving material transport section 180 and transported to the thermal development transfer section 104 . Here, Figure 13
14 is a cross-sectional view of the image-receiving material conveying section 180 that conveys the cut image-receiving material 108 to the thermal development transfer section 104, and FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the image-receiving material conveying section 180 corresponding to FIG. A diagram is shown.

An upper conveyance guide plate 182 and a lower conveyance guide plate 184 are arranged in the image receiving material conveyance section 180. The upper conveyance guide plate 182 is a fixed plate, and furthermore, conveyance rollers 186 are arranged. Above this conveyance guide plate 1
82 is the image receiving material 1 pulled out from the receiving material magazine 106
It corresponds to the image forming surface of 08. Upper conveyance guide plate 18
2 has a plurality of ribs 1 along the conveying direction of the image receiving material 108.
88 is formed, and further Teflon processing is applied,
The friction with the image receiving material 108 is reduced to improve slippage and prevent scratches. In addition to Teflon processing, the image receiving material 1 can be formed by forming irregularities on the surface by embossing or by pasting Teflon tape.
It may be configured to reduce friction with 08.

On the other hand, the lower conveyance guide plate 184 is rotatably supported by a shaft 185, and the upper conveyance guide plate 18
It is possible to connect and separate from 2. That is, the lower conveyance guide plate 184
has a so-called bottom-opening mechanism, and the lower conveyance guide plate 18
4 approaches the upper conveyance guide plate 182, the space between the upper conveyance guide plate 182 and the lower conveyance guide plate 184 serves as a conveyance path for the image receiving material 108. A guide roller 190 corresponding to the conveyance roller 186 is attached to the lower conveyance guide plate 184. Similarly to the upper conveyance guide plate 182, this lower conveyance guide plate 184 also has
A plurality of ribs 192 are formed along the conveyance direction of the image receiving material 108. A tension spring 194 is housed inside the lower conveyance guide plate 184. One end of the tension spring 194 is locked to the shaft 185, and a wire 196 is connected to the other end of the tension spring 194. The middle part of the wire 196 is wound around a roller 198 attached to the tip of the lower conveyance guide plate 184, and the other end of the wire 196 is fixed to the machine stand 12. As a result, the lower conveyance guide plate 1
84 is always urged in the direction approaching the upper conveyance guide plate 182, and by operating it downward against the urging force of the tension spring 194, the lower conveyance guide plate 184 moves toward the shaft 1.
It is configured so that it can be moved around 85. Lower conveyance guide plate 18
4 is rotated downward and separated from the upper conveyance guide plate 182, the conveyance path of the image receiving material 108 is exposed, and the image receiving material 108 becomes in a state in which jam removal, etc., can be easily performed, for example.

A thermal development transfer section 104 is arranged on the side of the image-receiving material conveying section 180. As shown in FIG. 15, the thermal development transfer section 104 includes a heating drum 116 and an endless pressure belt 1.
18, and further includes a water application section 62.
A bonding roller 120 is attached to the outer periphery of the heating drum 116 on the side.
is located.

This bonding roller 120 and the water application section 6
A guide plate 122 is disposed above the transport path of the photosensitive material 16 between the second squeeze roller 68 and the guide plate 122, which corresponds to the back side (opposite the image forming surface) of the photosensitive material 16 sent from the squeeze roller 68. Paste this together using roller 12.
It guides you to 0. The guide plate 122 has irregularities formed on its surface by embossing, which reduces friction with the photosensitive material 16 after applying water and prevents sticking. Further, this guide plate 122 is coated with Teflon to prevent unevenness of the tip of the photosensitive material 16.

Further, a blade guide 124 is arranged at a position facing the guide plate 122. This blade guide 124 connects the bonding roller 120 and the image receiving material 1.
08 and the conveying roller 114, and guides the image receiving material 108 sent from the conveying roller 114 to the bonding roller 120. A dust removal sheet is pasted on the surface of the blade guide 124,
Dust attached to the image receiving material 108 is removed.

The bonding roller 120 is a roller having an outer diameter of, for example, 29 mm at the central portion in the axial direction, and the outer peripheral surface is coated with silicone rubber (for example, thickness 3 mm), and the hardness of the rubber is approximately 80. has been done. Further, the bonding roller 120 is pressed against the outer periphery of the heating drum 116 by applying a predetermined pressing force (for example, 15 kg) to both ends in the longitudinal direction. This bonding roller 120 is connected to a drum motor via a drive system that will be described later, and is rotated by the driving force of the drum motor being transmitted thereto. Here, the conveyance speed of the photosensitive material 16 or the image-receiving material 108 by the squeeze roller 68 or the conveyance roller 114 is slightly (for example, about 2%) slower than the conveyance speed of the photosensitive material 16 or the image-receiving material 108 by the bonding roller 120. As a result, back tension is applied to the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 108 when they are fed to the bonding roller 120.

The heating drum 116 is made of a thin-walled aluminum pipe, and in this embodiment, the heating drum 116 is made of a thin-walled aluminum pipe.
mm, an outer diameter of 156 mm, and an effective width in the axial direction of 350 mm. The surface of the heating drum 116 is coated with Teflon, and the inner peripheral surface is coated with heat-resistant black paint.

The photosensitive material 16 transported to the thermal development transfer section 104 is fed between the bonding roller 120 and the heating drum 116, and the image receiving material 108 is fed between the bonding roller 120 and the heating drum 116.
6, the photosensitive material 16 is fed between the bonding roller 120 and the heating drum 116 with a predetermined length (20 mm in this embodiment) in advance, and is overlapped. In this case, the image receiving material 10
8 has smaller width and longitudinal dimensions than the photosensitive material 16, so the photosensitive material 16
The peripheral parts of the image receiving material 108 are overlapped with each other with all four sides protruding from the peripheral part of the image receiving material 108.

Furthermore, a cam 130 is fixed to the side wall of the heating drum 116. This cam 130 is capable of engaging with a peeling claw 176, which will be described later, and rotates the peeling claw 176 as the heating drum 116 rotates. The cam 130 is also used to detect the alignment of the heating drum 116, the photosensitive material 16, and the image receiving material 108.

A pair of halogen lamps 132A and 132B are arranged inside the heating drum 116. For example, each of the halogen lamps 132A and 132B is
It has an output of W and 350 W, and can raise the temperature of the surface of the heating drum 116 (for example, to about 81° C.). In this case, when the temperature starts to rise, two halogen lamps 1
Both halogen lamps 132A and 132B are used, and only one halogen lamp 132A is used during subsequent normal operation.

The endless pressure belt 118 that is in pressure contact with the outer periphery of the heating drum 116 is made of a woven fabric coated with rubber, and in this embodiment is formed to have a widthwise dimension of 340 mm. The woven material is made of aromatic polyamide fibers (for example, Kevlar or Nomex: both du
It is sewn from heat-resistant fibers such as Pont Co., Ltd. (registered trademark). Further, the covering rubber is silicone rubber containing carbon and has electrical conductivity.

This endless pressure belt 118 is wound around four winding rollers 134, 136, 138, and 140, and the winding roller 134 and the winding roller 1
The endless outer side between the heating drum 116 and the heating drum 116 is pressed against the outer periphery of the heating drum 116.

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17,
The endless pressure belt 118 holds the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 10.
8 is sandwiched between the heating drum 116, and both ends in the width direction of the photosensitive material 16 located on the outside with respect to the heating drum 116 are overlapped so as to protrude from both ends in the width direction of the image receiving material 108 located inside. This protruding portion is brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the heating drum 116. Therefore, the image-receiving material 108 located on the inside is held so as to be enveloped by the photosensitive material 16 located on the outside, and both materials are tightly adhered and prevented from shifting.

The winding rollers 134, 136, and 138 are each made of aluminum. The winding roller 136 is formed into a tapered shape that expands outward at both ends in the axial direction, and a pressing force of 0.6 kg (practical range is 0.3 to 1.7 kg) is applied to each end in the longitudinal direction. is applied in the direction away from the heating drum 116. This maintains the endless pressure belt 118 at a predetermined tension and prevents it from shifting.

On the other hand, the winding roller 140 is a rubber roller, and is further connected to a drum motor via a drive system to be described later, so that the driving force of the drum motor is transmitted to rotate the winding roller 140. It has become. When the winding roller 140 is rotated, the endless pressure belt 118 wound around the winding roller 140 is rotated.
is rotated, and along with this, this endless pressure welding belt 118
The rotating force is transmitted to the heating drum 116 by the frictional force between the heating drum 116 and the heating drum 116, so that the heating drum 116 is driven to rotate.

Here, FIG. 18 shows the winding roller 140
A schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for driving is shown. That is, the rotating shaft 300 of the winding roller 140 is
It meshes with a gear 302, and this gear 302 is further connected to a gear 306 via a timing belt 304. A drive shaft 310 of a drum motor is engaged with a gear 308 that rotates integrally with this gear 306 . Thereby, when the drive shaft 310 of the drum motor rotates, the driving force is transmitted, the rotation shaft 300 rotates, and the winding roller 140 rotates. Further, the timing belt 304 is connected to gears 312, 314, 316, 318.
wrapped around each. The gear 312 has a bonding roller 120 equipped with a one-way clutch.
is engaged with the shaft 320 of. As a result, as described above, the speed at which the photosensitive material 16 or the image receiving material 108 is conveyed by the squeeze roller 68 or the conveyance roller 114 is different from the conveyance speed of the photosensitive material 16 or the image receiving material 108 by the bonding roller 120.
Set the transport speed of photosensitive material 1 to be slightly slower.
6 and the image-receiving material 108.

Further, a shaft 322 of a bending guide roller 142, which will be described later, is meshed with the gear 318, so that the shaft 322 is rotated by being transmitted with a driving force. Furthermore, gear 316
Similarly, a shaft 324 of a peeling roller 174, which will be described later, is engaged with the peeling roller 174, and the peeling roller 174 is rotated by being transmitted with a driving force. In other words, the drum motor has these multiple drive parts (
The winding roller 140, the bonding roller 120, the bending guide roller 142, and the peeling roller 174) are all driven.

The photosensitive material 16 and the image-receiving material 108 which have been superimposed by the bonding roller 120 are transferred to the heating drum 116 and the endless pressure belt 11 in the superimposed state.
8, and is conveyed while being held over approximately 1/2 of the circumference of the heating drum 116 (between the winding roller 134 and the winding roller 140). When the photosensitive material 16 is heated during this nipping and conveyance, it releases a mobile dye, and at the same time, this dye is transferred to the dye fixed layer of the image-receiving material 108 to obtain an image.

Bent guide rollers 142 are provided below the heating drum 116 on the downstream side of the endless pressure belt 118 in the material supply direction.
is located. As described above, the bending guide roller 142 is configured such that the shaft 322 is rotated by receiving the driving force of the drum motor. Further, the bending guide roller 142 is in pressure contact with the outer periphery of the heating drum 116, so that the photosensitive material 16 or image receiving material 108 conveyed by the heating drum 116 and the endless pressure belt 118 can be further nipped and conveyed.

A peeling claw 154 is attached to the shaft 15 at the lower part of the heating drum 116 on the downstream side of the bending guide roller 142 in the material supply direction.
It is rotatably supported by 6. The peeling claw 154 corresponds to the outer periphery of the heating drum 116, and can be brought into contact with and separated from the heating drum 116 by the operation of a solenoid (not shown). This peeling claw 154 is attached to the heating drum 11.
When the cam 6 rotates and the cam 130 reaches a predetermined position, it rotates and comes into contact with the outer periphery of the heating drum 116. In this case, when the heating drum 116 rotates to a predetermined position and the tip of the photosensitive material 16 reaches the peeling position,
The dimensions of each part, such as the fixed position of the cam 130 detected by the sensor for operating the solenoid, are set so that the peeling claw 154 rotates and comes into contact with the heating drum 116.

When the peeling claw 154 is in contact with the heating drum 116, the endless pressure belt 118 and the heating drum 116
The photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 108 are sandwiched and conveyed between
Among them, it engages only the leading end of the photosensitive material 16 that has been superimposed with a predetermined length ahead, and can peel this leading end from the outer periphery of the heating drum 116. Furthermore, the peeled photosensitive material 16 is It is configured to be moved downward while being wrapped around a bending guide roller 142.

Sensitive material discharge rollers 158, 160 and a plurality of guide rollers 162 are arranged below the bending guide roller 142 and the peeling claw 154.
Photosensitive material 1 being moved downward while being wrapped around 42
6 can be further transported and accumulated in a waste photosensitive material storage box 178. The sensitive material discharge rollers 158 and 160 are rotated by receiving the driving force of the water application motor for driving the water application section 62, as described above. Also, guide roller 1
A heater 164 (drying plate) is arranged around the photosensitive material 16, so that the photosensitive material 16 can be transported while being dried. The temperature of this heater 164 is set to about 90°C. Further, a drying fan 165 is arranged near the photosensitive material discharge roller 160 to accelerate drying of the photosensitive material 16.

On the other hand, a receiving material guide 166 is arranged above the peeling claw 154, and guides the image receiving material 108 that is separated from the photosensitive material 16 and moves together with the heating drum 116. This receiving material guide 166 is also treated with friction reduction by using Teflon material, Teflon processing, or Teflon processing on an embossed plate to improve the sliding of the image receiving material 108 and prevent the image receiving material 108 from sticking. ing.

Heating drum 11 above receiving material guide 166
A peeling roller 174 and a peeling claw 176 are arranged near 6. This peeling roller 174 also has a shaft 3 as described above.
The image receiving material 108, which is guided by the receiving material guide 166 and moves together with the heating drum 116, is rotated by the driving force of the drum motor.
6 to peel off the outer periphery of the heating drum 116 and guide it in a bent manner.

A receiving material guide 170 and a receiving material discharging roller 172 are arranged on the sides of the peeling roller 174 and the peeling claw 176. The receiving material guide 170 is also subjected to friction reduction treatment such as Teflon treatment to prevent sticking, like each of the transport guides for the image receiving material 108 described above. In this case, when this is carried out using a resin, a fluorine-containing resin is preferred. In this way, each conveyance guide for the image-receiving material 108 is all subjected to a friction reduction treatment, which improves the slippage of the image-receiving material 108 and prevents the image-receiving material 108 from sticking.

A drum fan 168 is arranged near the peeling roller 174. For this reason, the heating drum 116
The image receiving material 108 moving along the heated drum 116
The drum fan 168 also accelerates the drying. Note that this drum fan 168 operates when necessary depending on the atmospheric conditions. This is to maintain uniform temperature distribution of the heating drum 116.

The image receiving material 108 is peeled from the outer periphery of the heating drum 116 by the peeling claw 176 while being dried by the drum fan 168 and is conveyed by the receiving material guide 170 and the receiving material discharging roller 172 to the tray 177.
It is configured to be discharged to. In this case, the receiving material guide 170
The downstream end in the conveying direction is connected to the aforementioned image receiving material conveying section 180.
It is arranged at a lower position than the lower conveyance guide plate 184 to prevent the image receiving material 108 from curling into the gap between the two and to ensure that it can be accumulated on the tray 177. Further, the tray 184 is provided on the front side of the machine stand 12 (on the front side of the paper in the first drawing), and can guide and accumulate the image-receiving material 108 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance by the heating drum 116.

[0082] Thermal development transfer section 10 configured as above
4 is constructed as one unit as a whole, and is movable with respect to the machine base 12 in the direction opposite to the position where the water applicator 62 is disposed (to the side opposite to the photosensitive material magazine 14 and receiving material magazine 106). . For this reason, the side door 15A of the machine base 12
By opening the thermal development transfer section 104 after opening the photosensitive material 16 or the image receiving material 108, even if the photosensitive material 16 or the image receiving material 108 becomes jammed during transportation, it can be easily repaired. There is.

As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal development transfer section 104 (
An exhaust fan 330 is arranged near the heating drum 116) to ventilate the inside of the machine 12. On the other hand, Figure 1
As shown in detail in FIG. 9, a blower fan 332 with a built-in filter is attached to the side door 15B on the opposite side from the thermal development transfer section 104 (that is, near the photosensitive material magazine 14 and receiving material magazine 106). Outside air can be fed into the machine base 12. In this case, the capacities of both are set so that the amount of air supplied by the blower fan 332 is greater than the amount of air discharged by the exhaust fan 330. Therefore, the inside of the machine stand 12 is ventilated and cooled, and is always kept in a pressurized state, thereby preventing dust from entering into the machine stand 12 from the outside.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. In the image recording apparatus 10 having the above configuration, the photosensitive material magazine 14 is
00, the photosensitive material 16 is pulled out by the nip roller 18 and cut into a predetermined length by the cutter 20. The cut photosensitive material 16 is conveyed by conveyance rollers 19, 21, and 23, reversed, and conveyed to the exposure section 22 with its photosensitive (exposure) surface facing upward. When the photosensitive material 16 is nipped by the conveying roller 26, the driving of the conveying roller 26 is temporarily stopped, and the photosensitive material 16 is placed in a standby state immediately before the exposure section 22.

On the other hand, while the photosensitive material 16 is being conveyed, the original 54 on the original placing plate is prescanned.

That is, first, when the light source 40 is activated, the reflecting mirror 46 enters the optical path of the image light irradiated to the exposure section 22, and the movable mirrors 42A, 42
The light irradiated via B and the fixed mirror 44 is reflected in a substantially perpendicular direction. The reflected light is incident on the light detection sensor 56 and detected, thereby determining the image density of the image on the original 54 (in other words, whether the image on the original 54 is like a printed original or a photographic original). is measured, and the exposure conditions for the color adjustment filter (CC filter) and the aperture slit plate 52 are set based on this measured value.

Next, the reflection mirror 46 leaves the optical path of the image light, and the light source 40 and the movable mirrors 42A, 4
2B and the lens unit 48 return to the home position (image scanning start position).

At this point, the transport rollers 24 and 26 are started to be driven again, and the photosensitive material 16 is transferred to the exposure section 22.
at a predetermined speed (for example, 100 mm/sec). In this case, since the guide plate 28 and the exposure surface glass 30 are arranged in the exposure section 22, the photosensitive material 16 becomes flat (while being corrected from deformation) and is placed between the two transport rollers (
(exposure area).

At the same time as this photosensitive material 16 is transported (passing through the exposure section 22), the light source 40, movable mirrors 42A, 42B, and lens unit 48 move along the original plate 50 and are placed on the original plate 50. The placed original 54 is irradiated with light, and the reflected image light (image light) is scanned and exposed onto the photosensitive material 16 located in the exposure section 22 via the fixed mirror 44.

After the exposure is started, the exposed photosensitive material 16 is sequentially guided by the guide plate 27 and reversed (that is, the image-exposed surface is directed downward), and then transferred to the conveying roller 2.
9, 31, 33, and 35 into the water application section 62.

In the water application section 62, the transported photosensitive material 1
6 is detected by the sensitive material sensor 74, the conveying speed of the conveying rollers 29, 31, 33, and 35 is reduced, and the supply roller 66 and squeeze roller 68 are driven to move the photosensitive material 16 between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64. and is further conveyed by the squeeze roller 68. Here, the coating tank 64 is filled (replenished) with water in a replenishment tank 86 by driving the pump 80, and therefore, the photosensitive material is fed between the guide plate 70 and the coating tank 64 by the supply roller 66. Material 1
6 is coated with water, and further passes through the water application section 62 while excess water is removed by a squeeze roller 68.

In this case, since a plurality of rows of ribs 76 are formed at the bottom of the coating tank 64 so as to be inclined with respect to the direction of conveyance of the photosensitive material 16, the photosensitive material 16 is moved along the guide plate 7.
0 and the coating tank 64 is reduced, and the photosensitive material 16 is prevented from being scratched at certain positions. Furthermore, since a ceramic heater 102 is attached to the guide plate 70 to raise the temperature of the water filled in the coating tank 64 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 40±2° C.), the photosensitive material passing through the coating tank 64 Material 1
The amount of water permeating into the emulsion surface (infiltration amount) in No. 6 increases and reaches the saturation amount without fail.

The photosensitive material 16 coated with water as an image forming solvent in the water coating section 62 is moved by the squeeze roller 6.
8 to the thermal development transfer section 104.

On the other hand, the image receiving material 108 is also stored in the receiving material magazine 10.
The cutter 1 is pulled out from the cutter 6 by the nip roller 110.
12, the upper conveyance guide plate 182 and the lower conveyance guide plate 18 of the image-receiving material conveyance section 180
4 and sent to the thermal development transfer section 104.

In this case, after cutting the image-receiving material 108, the nip by the nip roller 110 is released, and the image-receiving material 108 is cut.
Deformation and changes in physical properties due to the tip portion (image forming surface) of 08 being nipped for a long time are prevented. Further, a plurality of ribs 188 and 192 are formed on the upper conveyance guide plate 182 and the lower conveyance guide plate 184 of the image-receiving material conveyance section 180, and are further treated with Teflon to reduce friction with the image-receiving material 108. Therefore, the image receiving material 108 is transported quickly without being damaged.

In the thermal development transfer section 104, the heating drum 11
6 The photosensitive material 16 is placed between the outer periphery and the bonding roller 120.
and image receiving material 108 are fed.

In this case, a guide plate 122 is disposed between the bonding roller 120 and the squeeze roller 68 of the water application section 62, so that the photosensitive material 16 fed from the squeeze roller 68 will surely reach the bonding roller 120. You will be guided to. In addition, the bonding roller 120 and the image receiving material 1
There is a blade guide 12 between the transport roller 114 of 08
4 is arranged, and the image receiving material 108 is also reliably guided to the bonding roller 120. Further, the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 108 are sent to the bonding roller 120.
Since the back tension is applied to the paper, the paper is fed without wrinkles.

Furthermore, here, the image receiving material 108 conveyed to the thermal development transfer section 104 is synchronized with the conveyance of the photosensitive material 16.
The photosensitive material 16 has a predetermined length (20 mm in this example).
) In the advanced state, it is sent between the bonding roller 120 and the heating drum 116 and overlapped. Furthermore, in this case, since the image-receiving material 108 is smaller in width and length than the photosensitive material 16, as shown in FIG. They are stacked one on top of the other while protruding from the periphery.

The photosensitive material 16 and the image-receiving material 108 which have been superimposed by the bonding roller 120 are transferred to the heating drum 116 and the endless pressure belt 11 in the superimposed state.
Approximately 1/2 circumference of the heating drum 116 (between the wrapping roller 134 and the wrapping roller 140)
transported across. When the photosensitive material 16 is heated during this nipping and conveyance, it releases a mobile dye, and at the same time, this dye is transferred to the dye fixed layer of the image-receiving material 108 to obtain an image.

Further, among the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 108 held between the endless pressure belt 118 and the heating drum 116, both ends in the width direction of the photosensitive material 16 located on the outside with respect to the heating drum 116 are located on the inside. Since the image receiving material 108 protrudes from both ends in the width direction and is overlapped, the protruding portions are brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the heating drum 116. Therefore, the image-receiving material 108 located on the inside is held so as to be surrounded by the photosensitive material 16 located on the outside. Therefore, the necessary frictional force is ensured, and both materials are firmly adhered to each other. For this reason,
Even if a slight difference in rotational speed occurs between the endless pressure welding belt 118 and the heating drum 116 and a shearing force acts between the two materials, the two materials will remain firmly in contact and will not shift. , Therefore, a high quality image without transfer deviation can be obtained.

Furthermore, since the endless pressure belt 118 is electrically conductive, generation of static electricity due to friction between the heating drum 116 and the endless pressure belt 118 or the photosensitive material 16 or the image-receiving material 108 is prevented, and the image-receiving material 108 There is no fogging in the images obtained.

Thereafter, when the photosensitive material 16 and the image-receiving material 108 are conveyed in a pinched manner and reach the lower part of the heating drum 116, the peeling claw 154 is moved by a solenoid (not shown), leading the image-receiving material 108 by a predetermined length. A peeling claw 154 engages with the leading end of the photosensitive material 16 being conveyed and peels the leading end of the photosensitive material 16 from the outer periphery of the heating drum 116 .

The peeled photosensitive material 16 is wound around the bending guide roller 142 and then conveyed by the photosensitive material discharge roller 158. Further, the photosensitive material is dried by a heater 164 while being guided by a guide roller 162, and then accumulated in a waste photosensitive material storage box 178 by a photosensitive material discharge roller 160.

On the other hand, the heating drum 1 is separated from the photosensitive material 16.
Image receiving material 108 moves while remaining in close contact with 16
The material moves between the heating drum 116 and the peeling claw 154 that is spaced apart from the outer periphery of the heating drum 116, is guided by the receiving material guide 166, and is sent to the peeling roller 174. In this case, since the receiving material guide 166 is treated with Teflon, the image receiving material 108 will not stick to it.

Further, the material is peeled off from the outer periphery of the heating drum 116 by the peeling roller 174 and the peeling claw 176, and is transferred to the receiving material discharge roller 1 while being guided by the receiving material guide 170.
72 and stacked on a tray 177. In this case as well, since the receiving material guide 170 is treated with Teflon, the image receiving material 108 will not stick to it.

As described above, in this embodiment, after the photosensitive material 16 is pulled out to a predetermined size from the photosensitive material magazine 14 and cut, the photosensitive material 16 is conveyed along the conveyance path that goes around the photosensitive material magazine 14 in which it is accommodated. be done. Therefore, even in a narrow space, a necessary and sufficient length of the transport path can be ensured, and the device can be downsized. Furthermore, it is possible to arrange the photosensitive material 16 (the photosensitive material magazine 14) at a position separated from the heating drum 116 (thermal development transfer section 104) without sacrificing the necessary length of the conveyance path. It is possible to prevent the harmful effects caused by heat and obtain good images.

Furthermore, the photosensitive material magazine 14 that accommodates the photosensitive material 16 and the receiving material magazine 106 that accommodates the image receiving material 108 are made to have different body lengths, so that the photosensitive material magazine 14 and the receiving material magazine 106 as a whole are made different. Since the length dimensions of the magazine 106 are different from each other, by detecting the length dimension of each magazine, it can be determined whether a proper magazine has been inserted, and erroneous insertion can be prevented. Further, each magazine has a portion corresponding to the width direction of the photosensitive material 16 or the image receiving material 108, that is, a body portion 1.
4A and the body portion 106A, the side frame portion 14B and the side frame portion 106B can be made common,
It is also possible to standardize parts and reduce costs.

In this embodiment, the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 108 are used as image recording materials, and the photosensitive material 16 is transported so as to be positioned outside the image receiving material 108. However, the present invention is applicable even when the photosensitive material 16 is positioned inside and transported, and is also applicable not only to these materials but also to other sheet-like image recording materials.

[0109]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention can secure a necessary and sufficient conveyance path length without adversely affecting the image recording material, such as heat, and can also record different images. This has the excellent effect of preventing erroneous insertion of a magazine containing recording materials.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an overall external view of the image recording device.

FIG. 3 is an overall external view of the image recording device showing a state in which each door is opened.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a photosensitive material magazine and its housing section.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing a photosensitive material magazine and its accommodating section.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for driving a cutter.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a coating tank and peripheral parts of the water coating section.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for driving a supply roller and a squeeze roller.

FIG. 9 is a water supply system diagram of the water application section.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing how a water amount sensor is attached to the replenishment tank.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the nip roller portion.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for driving the nip roller.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an image-receiving material transport section that transports the image-receiving material after cutting.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an image-receiving material conveyance section corresponding to FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the heating drum of the thermal development transfer section.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a superimposed state of a photosensitive material and an image receiving material.

FIG. 17 is a partial sectional view of a heating drum and an endless pressure belt showing a state in which a photosensitive material and an image receiving material are in close contact with each other.

FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive system for driving a winding roller.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the open state of the side door and the blower fan.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Image recording device 14 Sensitive material magazine 16 Photosensitive material 38 Exposure device 62 Water application part 104 Heat development transfer section 106 Received material magazine 108 Image receiving material 116 Heating drum 180 Image receiving material transport section 200 Storage section

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Using two types of image recording materials housed in different magazines, one of the image recording materials is pulled out from the magazine to a predetermined size and cut, and then image-exposed while being conveyed, and then combined with the other image recording material. An image recording device that performs image recording processing by closely stacking images, wherein at least a part of the conveyance path of one of the image recording materials is set to a region that revolves around the magazine in which the image recording material is accommodated. An image recording device characterized by: 2. The image recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the two magazines storing the image recording material are configured such that the length dimensions of the portions corresponding to the width direction of the image recording material are different from each other. Recording device.