JPH0458237A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the copy of a light transmissive color original by providing a control means for forming the copy of the original by performing transmissive exposure in a state where the color original is in contact with a photosensitive recording medium. CONSTITUTION:A color developer sheet 60 is fed from a cassette 61 by a suction cup 62 in synchronism with the movement of a photosensitive recording medium 50. The pressure roller 71 of a pressure developing device 70 is allowed to press-contact with the sheet 60 while rotating in a direction shown by an arrow and the medium 50 is fixed on an exposing board 52. The medium 50 is pressed and fed in a state where it is superposed on the sheet 60, and an unhardened microcapusle on the medium 50 is ruptured with pressure, then a color image corresponding to a latent image on the medium 50 is developed on the sheet 60. In a thermal fixing device 80, the sheet 60 is heated by air which is heated by a heater 81 and circulates in a casing 83 by an impeller 82 so as to accelerate the color developing of the color image. Binder polymer(binding resin) for fixing a color developing medium on the base paper of the sheet 60 is thermally melted, then the surface of the sheet 60 becomes smooth and properly golssy.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and particularly to an image forming apparatus using a photosensitive recording medium.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, such an image forming apparatus uses a mask original manufacturing apparatus to produce mask originals R (red), G (green), and B (
blue) and sent to the image forming device. In the image forming apparatus, R, G.

A latent image is formed on the microcapsule paper by exposure using the B mask master plate, and a developer paper is superimposed on the microcapsule paper and sent to a pressure developing device. There, pressure is applied to destroy the unexposed microcapsule paper and form an image on the developer paper.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, although some image forming apparatuses are equipped with an exposure table that closely exposes the size of the mask original, an image is formed on the microcapsule paper only after the mask original is formed. The problem is that it is not possible.

That is, even if there is a transparent OHP color original, for example, a color image cannot be created until a mask master is created once.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to form an image in which a color image can be obtained without creating a mask original by using a light-transmitting color original. It's about getting the equipment.

[Means to solve the problem]

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image by exposing a photosensitive recording medium to light using a mask original created based on the original, a light-transmitting color original is brought into close contact with the photosensitive recording medium and transparent exposure is performed to make a copy of the original. and control means for forming.

[Effect]

The image forming apparatus of the present invention having the above configuration uses a positioning sensor provided in the mask original positioning device to determine whether or not a mark for positioning the mask original exists on the original when a color original is inserted. If there are no marks for alignment, then the mode is switched from using a normal mask original to the mode using a transparent color original, and the photosensitive recording medium is brought into close contact with the original and exposed to form a color image. .

〔Example〕

An embodiment embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a monochrome laser printer 1 and a color image recording device [20] combined and arranged.

First, the monochrome laser printer 1 is mounted on top of the color image recording device 20 . In the laser printer 1, a polygon scanner 2 irradiates a charged photoreceptor 3 with laser light, thereby drawing an electrostatic latent image. The photoconductor 3 on which the electrostatic latent image has been formed is developed by a developing device 4, and the toner image is transferred onto plain paper or an OHP sheet fed from a paper feed cassette 5, and fixed by a fixing device 6. Typically, the monochrome laser printer 1 records data transmitted from a host computer.

The a force from the laser printer 1 is transferred to the paper path switching unit 10.
If a black and white image is required, it is sent to the monochrome output tray 11 or automatic document feeder (hereinafter referred to as ADF) tray 12; if a color image is required, it is sent to the ADF.
After being delivered to the tray 12, it is taken into the color image recording device 20.

The sheets sent to the ADF tray 12 are taken one by one into the color image recording device 20 by the ADF paper feed roller 13, and a set of three sheets of monochrome printed paper output from the laser printer 1 is formed. Image recording device 2
0 mask original plate 15 (15R, 15G, 15B).

Next, the configuration of the color image recording device 20 will be explained.

A positioning device 31 is located at the bottom of the main body of the color image recording device 20, and the ADF tray 12 and the positioning device 31 are connected by a mask original transport path 21.

On the left and right sides of the positioning device 31 are roller pairs 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 whose rotational direction can be controlled.
, 27, gates 28 and 29, and a mask original storage section 102 are arranged. Mask master transport path 2
1, there is a pair of glue curler rollers 1 for removing curls from the mask original 15 discharged from the laser printer 1.
01 is placed. Outside the roller pair 26, 27, there is a mask original discharge tray 30 for discharging the used mask original 15.

The positioning device 131 includes a sensor (not shown), a pair of rollers 32 and 33 placed near both left and right ends, a glass plate 34 placed between them, and the like.

An exposure device 41 is arranged below the alignment device 31, and the exposure device 41 is movable in the left-right direction along the alignment device 31.

The exposure device 41 includes a linear white light source (hereinafter referred to as a lamp) 42, a reflector 43 that reflects light from the lamp 42, and a filter unit 44 that includes a red filter 44R, a green filter 44G, and a blue filter 44B. ing.

The photosensitive recording medium 50 is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-14304.
The main material is a photocurable resin using a photopolymerization initiator known in Publication No. 4, and includes a photocurable resin that cures with light of each wavelength of red, green, and blue, and cyan, magenta, Microcapsules containing yellow dye precursors are coated on a base sheet. The photosensitive recording medium 50 is housed in a cartridge 51 so as not to be exposed to light. The photosensitive recording medium 50 passes between the glass plate 34 and the exposure table 52 from inside the cartridge 51,
It is routed through a buffer 55, a separation roller 64, a pressure developing device 70, and a drive roller 57 to a winding roller 54. The exposure table 52 is lowered by a cam 53 and is configured to bring the mask original 15 conveyed onto the glass plate 34 and the photosensitive recording medium 50 into close contact.

Further, the fixed roller 56 is pressed against the left end of the exposure table 52 when the exposure table 52 is lowered to a predetermined position.
The photosensitive recording medium 50 is placed on the exposure table 5 during exposure of the mask original 15.
It is arranged to be fixed at 2.

The color developer sheet 60 is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-88739.
It is constructed by applying the color developer shown in the above publication onto a base paper, and is set in a cassette 61 with the developer coated side facing downward. At the top of the cassette 61,
Suction cup 6 for feeding the color developer sheet 60 one by one
2 is placed.

The pressure developing device 70 is composed of a photosensitive recording medium 50 on which a latent image has been formed by exposure, and a pair of pressure rollers 71 for overlapping a color developer sheet 60 and developing it under pressure.

The heat fixing device 80 is installed between a casing 83 containing a heater 81 and an impeller 82 in the upper part, rubber rollers 84, 85, 86 for conveying the color developer sheet 60 in the lower part, and rollers 87 and 88. A paper ejection tray 63 is attached to the outside of the heat fixing device 80.

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to a block diagram of an image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, it has a CPU 110, a RAM 111 for storing necessary numerical values, and a ROM 112, and a panel switch 114 and a positioning device 115 for adjusting the position of the mask original plate are connected to the CPU 111 and ROMI 12 via a data bus 113. , an exposure device 11 that exposes a mask original onto microcapsule paper;
6 and a contact device 117 that brings the color document into close contact are connected to each other.

The image forming apparatus configured as described above operates as follows.

First, the color original 15C is set in the ADF 12.

In this case, set the original with the side facing upward.

The original 15C set in the ADF 12 is fed into the color image recording device 20 by the ADF paper feed roller 13.

Color original 15 fed into color image recording device 20
C passes through the mask original transport path 21 and passes through the roller pair 24.22.
is conveyed to the alignment device 31 by. At this time, the gate 28 is at the position indicated by the solid line.

Next, the alignment device 31 reads the alignment marks printed on the mask original while conveying the color original 15C by the pair of rollers 32. However, if there is no alignment mark on the original, the alignment device The leading edge of the paper is detected by a sensor (not shown) immediately before 31, a timer is counted, and control is switched to stop the document at an appropriate position in the alignment device.

Immediately before the color original 15C stops in the alignment device 31, the exposure table 52 is lowered by the cam 53 to a predetermined position, the fixed roller 56 is pressed against the left end of the exposure table 52, and the photosensitive recording medium 50 is moved onto the exposure table. Fixed at 52. After the alignment is completed, the exposure table 52 is further lowered by the cam 53 and comes into contact with the glass plate 34 of the alignment device 31.
The mask original plate 15R and the photosensitive recording medium 50 are brought into close contact.

When the exposure table 52 comes into close contact with the alignment device 31, the lamp 4
2 is turned on, and the exposure device 41 performs scanning exposure in the direction of arrow A in order to expose the photosensitive recording medium 50 with red light via the color original 15C via the red filter 44R. When the exposure is completed, the lamp 42 is turned off and the exposure device 41 moves back in the direction of arrow B. At this time, the exposure device 41
The filter unit 44 is moved by a drive source (not shown), and a green filter 44G is located above the lamp 42.

Next, while maintaining the exposure table 52 in close contact with the alignment device 31, the lamp 42 of the exposure device 41 is turned on, and green light is exposed to the photosensitive recording medium 50 via the color original 15C via the green filter 44G. In order to do this, the exposure device 41 performs scanning exposure in the direction of the arrow. After the exposure, the lamp 42 is turned off, the exposure device 41 moves back in the direction of arrow B, and the filter unit 44 of the exposure device 41 is moved by a drive source (not shown), so that the blue filter 44B is positioned above the lamp 42. Blue exposure is carried out in the same manner, and a latent image of a desired color image is recorded on the photosensitive recording medium 50.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when a mask master is inserted, it is determined whether or not it is a mask master by reading alignment marks printed on the mask master (step 100).

If it is determined that it is a mask original, the color type of the mask original is detected (step 101).

Next, the mask original is aligned (step 102).
). Next, align the mask original (Step 1)
03). Then, the mask original is brought into close contact with the exposure table (step 104), and then, before proceeding to exposure, it is determined whether the color type of the mask original and the filter color are the same (step 104). Here, if the mask original and the filter color are the same color, exposure is performed as is, and if the mask original and the filter color are different, the filter color of the filter 44 is switched (step 105) and exposure is performed (step 106). Thereafter, it is determined whether three-color exposure has been performed (step 107). If the three-color exposure is completed, the process moves to the next step; if the three-color exposure is not completed, the process returns to step 101.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 100 that it is not a mask original, the light-transmitting color original 15c is brought into close contact with the photosensitive recording medium 50 (step 108), and exposure is performed (step 1).
09), it is designed to obtain color images.

Next, the exposure table 52 is raised to the initial position, the fixed roller 56 and the left end of the exposure table 52 are separated from each other, and the buffer 55 is moved in the direction of the arrow E to remove the unexposed portions of the photosensitive recording medium 50. is pulled out from inside the cartridge 51 below the exposure table 52. Drive roller 57
The photosensitive recording medium 50 is conveyed and stopped when the leading edge of the latent image reaches the pressure roller 71 of the pressure developing device 70.

In synchronization with the movement of the photosensitive recording medium 50, the developer sheet 60
is sent out from the cassette 61 by a suction cup 62, and is conveyed to a position where the leading edge of the developer sheet 60 corresponds to the leading edge of the latent image on the photosensitive recording medium 50, and then stopped.

Next, the pressure developing device 70 is driven by a drive device (not shown).
The pressure roller 71 is pressed while being rotated in the direction of the arrow. At this time, by lowering the exposure table 52 to a predetermined position again, the fixed roller 56 is pressed against the left end of the exposure table 52, and the photosensitive recording medium 50 is moved onto the exposure table 52.
Fixed.

The photosensitive recording medium 50 is overlapped with the color developer sheet 60 and fed under pressure, and the uncured microcapsules on the photosensitive recording medium 50 are destroyed by the pressure, and the latent image on the photosensitive recording medium 50 is The corresponding color image is on the developer sheet 60.
developed on top.

By rotating the pressure roller 71 of the pressure developing device 70 in the direction of the arrow, the buffer 55 is moved in the direction of the arrow F. The color developer sheet 60 is peeled off from the photosensitive recording medium 50 by a separation roller 64 and guided toward a heat fixing device 80 .

In the heat fixing device 80, the color developer sheet 60 is heated by a heater 81 and heated by air circulating in a casing 83 by an impeller 82, thereby promoting color development of a color image. At the same time, the binder polymer (binder resin) for fixing the color developing medium to the base paper of the color developer sheet 60 is thermally melted, and the surface becomes smooth, giving the surface of the color developer sheet 60 an appropriate level of gloss. It will be done. The color developer sheet 60 that has been subjected to color development and gloss treatment is discharged to a paper discharge tray 63.

During the above-described series of development and coloring/glossy processing, the photosensitive recording medium 50 is held and fixed between the exposure table 52 and the fixed roller 56. Therefore, while the development processing for one screen is being performed, the next exposure point is It is possible to perform exposure processing on the latent image of a color image.

After obtaining the required number of color images from the color original 15C, each mask original plate 1 is transferred from the roller pair 27 or the roller pair 26.
5 to the paper ejection tray 30.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a transparent color original is copied using an exposure table that exposes a mask original in close contact with the original, and the color original is controlled to form an image. You can obtain a copy of

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment embodying the present invention.
2 is an operation flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Monochrome laser printer, 2... Polygon scanner, 3... Photoreceptor, 4... Developing device, 5... Paper feed cassette, 6... Fixing device, 10... Paper path Switching unit, 11... Monochrome paper output tray, 12...A
DFh Ray, 13...ADF paper feed roller, 15...
Mask original plate, 20...Color image recording device, 21...
・Mask original transport path, 22...Roller pair, 23...
roller pair, 24... roller pair, 25... roller pair,
26...Roller pair, 27...Roller pair, 28...
Gate, 29... Gate, 30... Mask original discharge tray, 31... Positioning device, 32... Roller pair, 33... Roller pair, 34... Glass plate, 41...
... Exposure device, 42 ... Lamp, 43 ... Reflection plate,
44... Filter unit, 44R... Red filter, 44G... Green filter, 44B... Blue filter, 50... Photosensitive recording medium, 51... Cartridge, 52... Exposure table, 53 ...Cam, 54
... Winding roller, 55... Buffer, 56...
Fixed roller, 57... Drive roller, 60... Color developer sheet, 61... Cassette, 62... Suction cup, 63...
... Paper discharge tray, 64 ... Separation roller, 70 ... Pressure developing device, 71 ... Pressure roller, 80 ... Heat fixing device, 81 ... Heater, 82 ... Impeller, 83...
・Casing, 84...Rubber roller, 85...Rubber roller, 86...Rubber roller, 87...Roller, 8
8...Roller, 89...Endless belt, 101
...Recurrer Roller, 102...Mask original storage section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an image forming apparatus that forms an image by exposing a photosensitive recording medium to light using a mask original created based on the original, a light-transmitting color original is brought into close contact with the photosensitive recording medium and transparent exposure is performed to make a copy of the original. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a control means for forming an image.