JPH0485234A - Sheet material conveying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To smoothly transport a sheet material by providing pressure detecting portions in two chambers respectively divided on the upstream side and the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction, with the main scanning direction as a reference in a suction box. CONSTITUTION:When a sheet is conveyed onto chambers 106, 108 communicated with the atmosphere, the interiors of the chambers 106, 108 connected to a vacuum suction source 130 are put in the negative pressure state, and such states are detected by pressure detecting portions 125, 127. According to output signals of the pressure detecting portions 125, 127, valve devices 126, 134 are opened so that the interiors of the chambers 106, 108 are sucked by further strong sucking force. When the sheet is further conveyed and the chambers 106, 108 are communicated with the atmosphere side, the valve devices 126, 134 are closed according to output signals of the pressure detecting portions 125, 127 to return to the normal condition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device, and more specifically, for example, a stimulable phosphor sheet on which image information is recorded is irradiated with scanning excitation light. A conveyance device for conveying the sheet in a sub-scanning direction when reading the sheet, the conveyance device includes a conveyance belt and a suction box that sucks the sheet toward the conveyance belt, and prevents deformation of the conveyed sheet. The present invention relates to a sheet conveyance device configured to accurately read or record image information.

[Background of the Invention] Recently, a radiation image recording and reproducing system that obtains a radiation image of a subject using a stimulable phosphor (stimulable phosphor) has been attracting attention. Here, stimulable phosphor refers to radiation (X-rays, α
When irradiated with rays, β-rays, β-rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc., a part of this radiation energy is accumulated, and when excitation light such as visible light is irradiated later, fluorescence emits stimulated light according to the accumulated energy. Refers to the body.

The radiation image recording and reproducing system described above utilizes this stimulable phosphor, and the radiation image information of a subject such as a human body is stored on a sheet having a layer of stimulable phosphor (hereinafter referred to as a ``stimulable phosphor sheet''). This stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as a laser beam to generate stimulated luminescent light, and the stimulated luminescent light is read photoelectrically to obtain an electrical signal. Based on this electric signal, radiation image information of the subject is output as a visible image on a J8 recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material or a display device such as a CRT.

Note that, as described above, the expression of radiation image information as a visible image on a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material or a display device such as a CRT is referred to as reproduction.

Therefore, in such a radiation image recording and reproducing system, the following method is specifically adopted to read radiation image information from the stimulable phosphor sheet on which the radiation image information is stored and recorded.

In other words, in an image reading device, a stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned two-dimensionally with a light beam such as a laser beam, and the stimulated luminescence light emitted thereby is chronologically scanned by a photodetector such as a photomultiplier. Detect and obtain image information. In the two-dimensional scanning of the light beam, the light beam is normally deflected and irradiated onto the stimulable phosphor sheet in a -dimensional manner to perform main scanning, and the sheet is moved in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction. This is achieved by mechanically conveying the image to the surface and performing sub-scanning.

Next, the image information obtained as described above is sent to an image reproduction device. The image reproducing device irradiates a photosensitive material, for example, a film, with Raded light modulated based on the image information obtained from a stimulable phosphor sheet, and reproduces a predetermined image on the film. Note that, like the stimulable phosphor sheet, the film is mechanically transported in the sub-scanning direction by a transport belt.

In this case, when the stimulable phosphor sheet is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the conveyor belt as described above, it is necessary to convey the stimulable phosphor sheet at a constant speed and to ensure its flatness. That is, unless the stimulable phosphor sheet is conveyed at a constant speed, it will not be possible to accurately read the image stored on the sheet. Furthermore, if the stimulable phosphor sheet lifts off the conveyor belt and loses the flatness of the entire stimulable phosphor sheet, the stored and recorded image will be read in a distorted state. It becomes difficult to read accurately.

Therefore, as a sub-scanning conveyance mechanism, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-94
A configuration as shown in No. 950 is adopted. That is, essentially, an endless conveyor belt having a plurality of holes is used, and inside the conveyor belt there is a first chamber located upstream in the sub-scanning direction from the main scanning line as a starting point, and a chamber located downstream in the sub-scanning direction. A suction box with a second chamber located on the side is provided. Therefore, when the sheet is placed on a conveyor belt and conveyed so that the front end of the sheet is located on the scanning line and the sheet covers the suction chamber on the upstream side in the conveyance direction, a predetermined negative pressure is applied to the upstream suction chamber. Then, after the sheet covers the suction chamber on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, the negative pressure in the upstream suction chamber is reduced, and at the same time, negative pressure is generated in the downstream suction chamber. Then, the sheet is reliably adsorbed and held by the negative pressure of the downstream suction chamber until the scanning by the excitation light at the rear end of the sheet is completed.

As a result, the stimulable phosphor sheet is sucked toward the conveyor belt under the action of the suction box, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is kept flat during conveyance and is conveyed at a constant speed without shifting from the conveyor belt. Is possible.

By the way, as mentioned above, the generation and extinction of negative pressure in the two chambers on the upstream side and the downstream side is controlled by the output signal of a sensor placed apart from the chambers. That is, the passage of the sheet is detected at a predetermined position in the conveyance system using a mechanical, electrical, or optical sensor such as a limit switch, and the detection signal is used to energize or deenergize the suction source for the chamber. be.

Therefore, in order to control this suction, it is necessary to strictly specify the positions of the suction box and sensor, the size of the sheet to be conveyed, the conveyance speed, etc. If you try to use a computer for this purpose, It has been pointed out that the problem is that the software must be extremely complex.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in order to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages. an endless conveyor belt that conveys the sheet and has a plurality of holes; A suction box having a plurality of chambers provided from an upstream side to a downstream side is disposed, and a pressure detecting section for detecting a negative pressure state is provided in each of the chambers, and an output signal from the pressure detecting section is used to detect the chamber and the suction box. A sheet body conveyance system that controls the opening and closing operations of a valve body interposed between a suction source and a suction source that is connected in communication with the sheet body, enables smooth sheet conveyance with a simple configuration, and enables precise image reading or recording. The purpose is to provide equipment.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a sheet body to be main-scanned by a light beam, which is mounted on the upper surface, and is scanned in a direction 1 substantially perpendicular to the main scanning line of the light beam. A conveyor belt is provided for sub-scanning, and a conveyor belt is located on the lower surface of the conveyor belt, and the sheet body on the belt is sucked through a large number of small holes provided in the belt. a suction box held on the belt, the suction box includes a front suction chamber that applies suction force onto the belt on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the sheet body with respect to the main scanning line; a rear suction chamber that applies suction force onto the belt on the downstream side, a pressure detection section is provided inside each suction chamber, and a pipe body connecting the suction chamber and a vacuum suction source is provided. A valve device is interposed and a pipe body that bypasses the valve device is connected to the pipe body, and the sheet body is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction while controlling the opening and closing of the valve device lid based on the output signal of the pressure detection section. It is characterized by doing the following.

[Operation] When the sheet is conveyed onto a chamber that communicates with the atmosphere,
The inside of the chamber connected to the vacuum suction source becomes in a negative pressure state, and the pressure detection section detects this. The valve device is opened by the output signal of this pressure detection section, and the inside of the chamber is suctioned by a strong suction force. When the sheet is further conveyed and the chamber communicates with the atmosphere, the valve device is closed by the output signal from the pressure detection section and the normal state is restored.

[Example] Next, a sheet body conveying device according to the present invention will be exemplified as a stimulable phosphor sheet, and a preferred example will be given in relation to an image reading and reproducing device incorporating the conveying device,
A detailed description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1-0 indicates an image reading and reproducing device, and the image reading and reproducing device 10 includes a casing 12 that extends substantially in the vertical direction, and inside the casing 12 there is a first A loading section 16 and a second loading section 18 are provided. The first loading section 16 is loaded with a stimulable phosphor sheet S via a cassette 20 or a sheet magazine (not shown), and the second loading section 18 is loaded with a film F via a film magazine 22. It is possible. Said first
The loading section 16 is provided with a lid opening mechanism including a suction cup 24,
The suction cup 24 functions to suck the lid member 25 of the cassette 20 and open the lid. Furthermore, a single wafer mechanism including a suction cup 26 is disposed on the side of the first loading section 16 from which the stimulable phosphor sheet S is taken out. The stimulable phosphor sheet (S) sheeted into sheets by the suction cup 26 constituting the single sheet mechanism is transported along a predetermined trajectory and then supplied to the first conveying means 28.

The first conveying means 28 is substantially composed of a pair of rollers 30, and the pair of rollers 30 is movable in a direction approaching the suction cup 26 to sandwich the stimulable phosphor sheet S, and the stimulable phosphor sheet S is displaceable. The phosphor sheet S is transferred to the second conveying means 3
2, it can be displaced in a direction away from the suction cup 26.

The second conveyance means 32 includes a large-diameter drum 34, a first conveyance belt 36, and a second conveyance belt 38 that are in sliding contact with the drum 34. As shown in the figure, the first conveyor belt 36 is suspended by three rollers, and a portion of the first conveyor belt 36 is in sliding contact with the drum 34.

On the other hand, the second conveyor belt 38 extends vertically upward from the portion where it makes sliding contact with the drum 34, and then bends at a substantially right angle and extends horizontally along the inner surface of the earthen wall of the housing 12. are doing. A large-diameter roller 40 is disposed at the bent portion to substantially ensure the above-mentioned bent state. A first switching guide member 42 is disposed at a sliding contact portion between the second conveyor belt 38 and the drum 34, and a third conveyor belt 44 is disposed in a vertical portion of the second conveyor belt 38. A fourth conveyor belt 46 is disposed in contact with and below the horizontal portion.

An erasing section 48 is provided near the tip of the fourth conveyor belt 46, and the erasing section 48 is equipped with an erasing light source 5 such as a sodium lamp, a tungsten lamp, or a xenon lamp.
0, a guide plate 52 for guiding the stimulable phosphor sheet S, and a pair of rollers 54 disposed below the guide plate 52. Note that a tray 56 is disposed below the pair of rollers 54, and the tray 56 stores a plurality of accumulated sheets stacked and stored in the sheet magazine when the sheet magazine is loaded into the first loading section 16. After the image information reading operation for the stimulable phosphor sheet S and the erasing operation of the image information in the erasing section 48 are completed, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is stored therein.

On the other hand, a guide plate 60 constituting the third conveyance means 58 is provided below the second conveyance means 32, and a pair of rollers 62 is disposed near the lower end of this guide plate 60. Further, an auxiliary erasing section 64 is provided near the third conveying means 58.

A fourth conveyance means 66 is provided below the roller pair 62. That is, the fourth conveyance means 66 includes a relatively long fifth conveyance belt 68 that extends vertically downward, and a short sixth conveyance belt that slides on the upper side of the fifth conveyance belt 68. It includes a belt 70 and a seventh conveyor belt 72 that slides on the lower side of the fifth conveyor belt 68.

A roller 74 having a relatively large diameter is in sliding contact with an intermediate portion of the fifth conveyor belt 68, and a second switching guide member 76 is disposed near the roller 74. in this case,
By driving the second switching guide member 76 and oscillatingly displacing it to the position shown by the broken line in the figure, the tip end thereof can be made to face the pair of rollers 78. In fact, the fourth
The stimulable phosphor sheet S transported by the transport means 66 can be introduced into the stacker 80 via a pair of rollers 78 .

The stacker 80 is configured to be movable in six directions of arrows under the driving action of a motor (not shown), and has a sheet receiving section in which a plurality of stimulable phosphor sheets S fed by the pair of rollers 78 are arranged in parallel. 82 , the desired sheet receiving portion 82
It can be stored in Further, the stimulable phosphor sheet S stored in the stacker 80 is fed to the fourth conveying means 66 via the pair of rollers 78 and the second switching guide member 76.

A fifth conveyor belt 68 and a seventh conveyor belt constituting the fourth conveyor means 66
A pair of movable guide plates 84a and 84b are arranged slightly apart from the tip of the conveyor belt 72. In this case, the movable guide plate 84a184b has a fulcrum 86 made of a pin member.
It is possible to swing integrally around the center. The lower tips of the movable guide plates 84a and 84b face a pair of rollers 88, and a pair of curved guide plates 90a and 90b are provided below the pair of rollers 88. The guide plate 9
0a and 90b are for guiding the stimulable phosphor sheet S1 film F to the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying device 92.

Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying device 92
As shown in the figure and FIG.
and an endless sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 that is stretched across.

A motor 98 is connected to the roller 94a via a speed reduction mechanism 100. Therefore, when the motor 98 is driven and its rotational force is transmitted to the roller 94a via the deceleration mechanism 100, the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 stretched between the roller 94a and the roller 94b moves in the direction of the arrow C1 or C2. It will be easily understood that the rotation occurs. Note that the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 is provided with a plurality of holes 102 .

Next, a suction box 104 is disposed inside the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96. As can be easily understood from FIG. 4, the suction box 104 includes a first chamber 106 located upstream in the sub-scanning direction and a second chamber 108 located downstream in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the main scanning line. and has. That is, the first chamber 106
and the second chamber 108 are separated by a partition wall 110. A plurality of through holes 114 are provided in the upper surface of the suction box 104 to communicate the first chamber 106 with the outside.
is defined, and a plurality of through holes 116 are defined that communicate the second chamber 108 with the outside.

The through holes 114 and 116 are arranged substantially in the conveying direction.
r, has an elliptical shape extending in (, two directions), and is provided on the same straight line.

A first chamber 106 and a second chamber 108 defined in the suction box 104 communicate with one end side of passages 120 and 122 each having a bent shape. Said passage 1
The other end of the valve 20 is connected to a first switching valve 126 via a pipe 124 indicated by a solid line in FIG. One end of a tubular body 128 is connected to the first switching valve 126, and the other end of the tubular body 128 is connected to a vacuum pump 130. On the other hand, the passage 122 communicates with a second switching valve 134 via a pipe 132. The second switching valve 134 is connected to the vacuum pump 130 by a tube 136.

In this case, a sensor 125 as a first pressure detection section is disposed inside the first chamber 106, and a sensor 125 as a second pressure detection section is disposed inside the second chamber 108.
Place 7. The output of the sensor 125 is once taken into the controller 123 and used as an energization/deenergization signal for the first switching valve 126, which is composed of an electromagnetic valve. It is used as an energization/deenergization signal for the second switching valve 134, which is composed of a valve. Note that the first switching valve 1 is connected from the pipe body 124.
An orifice-shaped thin tube 131 extends from the tube 132 and connects to the tube 128 by bypassing the second switching valve 134. 133 extends.

The sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 has guide plates 90a and 90b.
The stimulable phosphor sheet S supplied from the side is once conveyed to the guide plate 138 side and then conveyed in the sub-scanning direction in the opposite direction.

At this time, a roller 140 is disposed near the guide plate 138 to prevent the self-storage phosphor sheet S from lifting up due to bending.

Above the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying device 92, image information recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet S is read, and
An image reading and recording mechanism 142 that exposes the image information onto the film F is provided. The image reading and recording mechanism 142 includes a laser light source 144, and a mirror 148 for reflecting the laser light 146 is provided on the laser light output side of the laser light source 144, and the laser light 146 reflected by the mirror 148 is After passing through the optical modulator 150, the mirror 15
2. Further, a galvanometer mirror 154 and a condensing reflecting mirror 156 are provided for scanning the laser beam 146 reflected by the mirror 152 onto the stimulable phosphor sheet S.

A light guide 158 is disposed along the main scanning line on the scanning position cover of the stimulable phosphor sheet S of the laser beam 146, and a photomultiplier 160 is mounted above the light guide 158. An image information processing circuit 162 is connected to the front photo multiplier 160 . Therefore, the electric signal obtained by the photomultiplier 160 is sent to the image information processing circuit 162, where image processing is performed, and then stored in a storage means (not shown). In this case, the stimulable phosphor sheet (S) whose image information has been read under the action of the image reading/recording mechanism 142 is transferred via the fourth conveying means 66, the third conveying means 58, the second conveying means 32, etc. Erase section 4
8.

On the other hand, the second loading section 18 includes the detachable magazine 22 that stores the film F, as described above. A suction cup 16 is provided near the film ejection opening of the magazine 22.
A single wafer mechanism including 4 is provided. The suction cup 164 is configured to feed the films F stacked in the magazine 22 to a pair of rollers 166 . Said roller pair 1
A pair of guide plates 168a and 168b are provided facing 6G and slightly spaced apart from this pair of rollers 166.

One end of the guide plates 168a and 168b is the movable guide plate 8.
4a, 84b, the film F supplied to the pair of rollers 166 is conveyed between the movable guide plates 84a, 84b mentioned above under the driving action of the pair of O-rollers 166. Further, the film F is transported in the sub-scanning direction (arrow C2 direction) in substantially the same manner as the stimulable phosphor sheet S, and is read from the stimulable phosphor sheet S via the image reading and recording mechanism 142. The light modulator 150 is driven based on the image information to modulate the laser beam 146, and an image for reproduction is exposed.

After the film F on which the image has been exposed is conveyed to the roller pair 88 side, it is conveyed to a film conveyance means 170 which is disposed substantially parallel to the fourth conveyance means 66 under the swinging motion of movable guide plates 84a and 84b. It is designed to guide you.

The film conveying means 170 includes roller pairs 172, 174, 176, and 178 disposed at a predetermined distance, and a pair of guide plates 180a and 180b are disposed between the roller pairs 172 and 174. be done. Further, a set of guide plates 182a is provided between the pair of rollers 174 and 176.

182b, and a pair of curved guide plates 184a, 184b are provided between the pair of rollers 176 and 178. The roller pair 178 is connected to the opening 1 provided in the side surface of the casing 12 constituting the image reading and reproducing apparatus 10.
86, and the film F transported via the film transport means I70 is placed near the opening 18.
6 to a receive magazine 188 that is detachably attached to the housing 12.

The image reading and reproducing apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying apparatus of this embodiment is basically constructed as described above, and its operation and effects will be explained next.

First, a cassette 20 containing a stimulable phosphor sheet S or a sheet magazine (not shown) is loaded into the first loading section 16 of the image reading and reproducing apparatus 10. In this case, in this embodiment, the cassette 20 is loaded into the first loading section 16. Therefore, in actual operation, the cassette 20
The lid member 25 is suctioned and held by a suction cup 24 constituting a lid opening mechanism to open the lid.

Next, the stimulable phosphor sheet (S) stored in the cassette 20 with its lid opened is fed into single sheets by the suction cup 26 that constitutes the single sheet mechanism, and the pair of rollers 30 that constitute the first conveying means 28 are transferred. It is displaced to the suction cup 26 side. At this time, the roller pair 30 is rotated in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is held between the roller pair 30, and by displacing the roller pair 30 toward the first conveying belt 36 constituting the second conveying means 32, the stimulable phosphor sheet S will be fed to the second conveyance means 32. In the second conveyance means 32, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is sandwiched between the drum 34 and the first conveyor belt 36, and then transferred between the drum 34 and the second conveyor belt 38.
It is held between the two and fed to the third conveyance means 58. moreover,
The stimulable phosphor sheet S is fed from a pair of rollers 62 constituting the third conveying means 58 to between the fifth conveying belt 68 and the sixth conveying belt 70 of the fourth conveying means 66 . At this time, the second switching guide member 76 is oscillated in the direction shown by the broken line in FIG. .

Next, the stacker 80 is moved upward or downward in the six directions of the arrows to select the stimulable phosphor sheet (S) previously stored in the stacker 80 and on which another image has been recorded;
This is fed to the fourth conveyance means 66 via the roller pair 78, and is conveyed downward by the fourth conveyance means 66. In this case, the movable guide plates 84a and 84b are kept swinging in the direction of arrow B1 about the fulcrum 86 under the driving action of a drive source (not shown). Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is supplied into the gap defined by the movable guide plates 84a and 84b.

The stimulable phosphor sheet S fed between the movable guide plates g4a and 84b is held between a pair of rollers 88, and is conveyed via the guide plates 90a and 90b under the driving action of the pair of rollers 88. Transferred to device 92. In the stimulable phosphor sheet transporting lid 92, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is transported in the direction of arrow C1 under the action of the sub-scanning transport belt 96, and once it is fed onto the guide plate 138. reach. In other words, the stimulable phosphor sheet transport bag [
The motor 98 constituting the motor 92 is driven and its driving force is transmitted to the roller 94H via the deceleration mechanism 100. As a result, the roller 94a rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow, the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 stretched between the roller 94a and the roller 94b rotates, and the stimulable phosphor sheath) S is moved in the direction of the arrow C1. will be transported to.

When the rear end side of the stimulable phosphor sheet S passes through the scanning part of the image reading and recording mechanism 142, the motor 98 is reversely rotated to rotate the roller 94a in the direction of the arrow to move the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 to the The stimulable phosphor sheet S is rotated in the opposite direction to the sub-scanning direction (arrow C2
direction). At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, when the stimulable phosphor sheet S closes the through hole 114 communicating with the first chamber 106 via the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96, the vacuum pump 130 is not driven in advance. In this case, the first chamber 106 becomes under negative pressure. This negative pressure state is detected by the sensor 125, and the first switching valve 126 is opened by the output signal from the controller 123. That is, initially, the first chamber 106 is
The vacuum pump 130, which was sucking the stimulable phosphor sheet S, even more strongly attracts the stimulable phosphor sheet S when the first switching valve 126 is opened. In other words, the air in the first chamber 106 constituting the suction box 104 is transferred to the vacuum pump 1 via the pipe body 124, the first switching valve 126, and the pipe body 128.
It is attracted to the 30 side. Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet S disposed on the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 passes through the through hole 114 defined in the suction box 104 and the hole 102 defined in the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96. It is sucked and held by the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 and transported in the direction of arrow C2.

When the stimulable phosphor sheet S is further transported in the direction of the arrow C2 in this way, it finally reaches the through hole 11 of the second chamber 108.
6 is occluded by the stimulable phosphor sheet S, which causes a pressure change in the second chamber 108 and the sensor 1
27 detects the negative pressure condition. That is, the inside of the second chamber 108 includes a tube body 132 and an orifice-shaped tube body 13.
3 and the tube body 136 by the vacuum pump 130, and the negative pressure state is detected by the sensor 127.
is detected, and the second switching valve 134 is opened by the controller 123. As a result, the orifice-shaped tube 13
The air in the second chamber 108, including 3, is sucked,
The stimulable phosphor sheet S is firmly attracted to the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96. In other words, the air in the second chamber 108 of the suction box 104 is suctioned by the vacuum pump 130 via the second switching valve 134, and the air is sucked into the second chamber 108 of the suction box 104 through the through hole 116 and the hole 102 of the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96. The stimulable phosphor sheet S is sucked up.

In this way, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is transported in the direction of arrow C2, and the image reading and recording mechanism 142 is driven to reflect the laser light 146 emitted from the laser light source 144 by the mirrors 148 and 152.
54, and the laser beam 146 is caused to scan the stimulable phosphor sheet S in the main scanning direction while the galvanometer mirror 154 swings.

At this time, the optical modulator 150 is not driven. The reason for this is that it is used for image recording. As a result, the stimulated luminescent light emitted from the stimulable phosphor S is incident on the light guide 158 directly or via the reflecting mirror 156, and the photomultiplier 160
The signal is converted into an electrical signal and sent to the image information processing circuit 162. In this way, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is two-dimensionally scanned by the laser beam 146.

The stimulable phosphor sheet S after image reading and scanning has been completed in this way.
is fed between movable guide plates 84a, 84b via guide plates 90a, 90b and roller pair 88. In this case, similarly to the above, move the movable guide plates 84a and 84b to arrow B.
The movable guide plates 84a and 84b move the stimulable phosphor sheet S between the fifth conveyor belt 68 and the seventh conveyor belt 72 constituting the fourth conveyor means 66, with the movable guide plates 84a and 84b in a state of being oscillated in one direction. guided and transported upward by this fourth transport means 66.

Further, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is transported to a third conveying means 58.
After being conveyed upward via the second conveying means 32, the sheet is bent at a substantially right angle and conveyed, and reaches the erasing section 48. In the erasing section 48, an erasing light source 50 is turned on, and the erasing light erases image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet S.

The stimulable phosphor sheet S whose image information has been erased in the erasing section 48 is conveyed downward again by the second conveyance means 32 and then transferred to the third conveyance means 58. in this case,
The second switching guide member 76 constituting the fourth conveying means 66 is kept swinging in the direction shown by the broken line in the figure, and the stimulable phosphor sheet S is moved between the second switching guide member 76 and the pair of rollers 78. The sheets are stored in the sheet receiving portion 82 of the stacker 80 via the sheet receiving portion 82 of the stacker 80. Furthermore, when the magazine 22 is loaded into the first loading section 16, the stimulable phosphor sheets S from which the image information has been erased are stored in the tray 56 disposed below the erasing section 48. .

As described above, the stimulable phosphor sheet S with the image information erased, which has been previously stored in a predetermined sheet receiving portion 82 of the stacker 80, is carried into the cassette 20 from which the stimulable phosphor sheet S has been taken out. be done. That is, by displacing the stacker 80 in the direction of the arrow, the stimulable phosphor sheet S from which the image information has been erased is made to face the pair of rollers 78.

Then, when this stimulable phosphor sheet (S) is sent out from the right side of the figure, the roller pair 78 clamps it, and the fourth conveying means 6
6. The stimulable phosphor sheet (S) fed to the fourth transport means 66 is transported upward and reaches the third transport means 58. Therefore, after the image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet S is completely erased by an auxiliary erasing section 64 provided near the third conveying means 58, it is conveyed to the second conveying means 32. At this time, the first switching guide member 42 constituting the second conveying means 32 is oscillatedly displaced to a position indicated by a broken line in the figure. Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is guided by the first switching guide member 42 and sandwiched between the pair of rollers 30 constituting the first conveying means 28 via the first conveying belt 36. Next, the pair of rollers 30 is moved toward the cassette 20 and rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow to place the stimulable phosphor sheet S into the cassette 20.

On the other hand, when the stimulable phosphor sheet S is fed from the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying device 92 to the fourth conveying means 66 via the roller pair 88, the sheets disposed near the second loading section 18 are A suction cup 16 that drives the leaf mechanism and constitutes the single leaf mechanism.
4, the films F stacked and stored in the magazine 22 are sheeted. The film F sheeted by the suction cup 164 is held between a pair of rollers 166.
6 is fed between movable guide plates 84a and 84b via guide plates 168a and 168b. moreover,
Similarly to the stimulable phosphor film S, the film F is held and conveyed by a pair of rollers 88 to the guide plates 90a and 90b.
The stimulable phosphor sheet is fed to the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying device 92 via. The film F transported to the stimulable phosphor sheet transporting device 92 is transported in the direction of arrow C3 via the I11 scanning transport belt 96 under the driving action of the motor 98, and is then transported to the guide plate 138 side. Next, the sub-scanning conveyor belt 96 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above to transport the film F in the direction of arrow C2. At that time, the film F
Similar to the stimulable phosphor sheet S, first, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is suction-held via the first chamber 106 constituting the suction box 104 and transported in the direction of arrow C2, and then suction-held by the second chamber 108. and arrow C2
transported in the direction.

Therefore, when the film F is transported in the direction of arrow C2, the image reading and recording mechanism 142 is driven again. That is, laser light 146 derived from laser light source 144 is reflected by mirror 148 and reaches optical modulator 150 . Here, the optical modulator 150 includes an image information processing circuit 1
The image signal data of the stimulable phosphor sheet S processed by 62 and stored in a storage means (not shown) is sent. Therefore, the laser beam 1 reaching the optical modulator 150
46 is modulated by the optical modulator 150 based on the aforementioned image signal data, and this modulated laser beam 146 is reflected by the mirror 152 and transmitted to the galvanometer mirror 1.
Reach 54. The laser beam 146 that has reached the galvanometer mirror 154 in this way is deflected in the main scanning direction by its swinging action and is irradiated onto the film F. In this way, the film F is transported in the sub-scanning direction and the laser beam 146 is scanned in the main scanning direction, so that the image read from the stimulable phosphor sheet S is exposed onto the film F. leading to. At this time, as described above, since the film F is smoothly conveyed in the sub-scanning direction without causing any displacement or the like, it is possible to reproduce a desired image on the film F with high precision.

Incidentally, when the work of exposing an image onto the film F is performed, the photomultiplier 160 is kept in a deenergized state.

After the image exposure, the film F is transferred from the stimulable phosphor sheet conveying device 92 to the movable guide plates 84a and 84b via the guide plate 90a190b and the roller pair 88. In this case, the movable guide plates 84a and 84b are oscillated in the direction of arrow B2 under the driving action of a motor (not shown) for cleaning. The movable guide plates 84a and 84b are indicated by arrow B.
When the film F is oscillated in two directions, the film F is conveyed to the film conveyance means 170 side under the driving action of the roller pair 88, and is held between the roller pair 172 constituting the film conveyance means 170. The film F held between the pair of rollers 172 is conveyed upward under the driving action of the pair of rollers 172, and is further conveyed by the pair of rollers 174.17.
6, the guide plates 184a, 184b
It is guided in a curved manner by the roller pair 178 and fed into the receive magazine 188 through the opening 186. Therefore, after a predetermined number of films F are stored in this receive magazine 188, the receive magazine 188
The film F may be removed from the housing 12 in a light-shielded state, and the film F may be loaded into a developing device (not shown) and subjected to development processing.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as in the previous embodiment, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the suction chamber 106
．． A communication hole 200.202 is provided for each chamber 108, and these communication holes 200.202 connect the chamber 106.1.
08 and small rooms 204 and 206, respectively. A diaphragm 208.210 faces the small chamber 204.206, and a valve 216.2 is provided at the distal end of a pivoted arm 212.214 that holds the diaphragm 208.210.
There are 18. The valves 216, 218 are chamber 1
06 and the small chamber 204, and between the chamber 108 and the small chamber 206.

In the above configuration, when the vacuum pump 130 is energized and the stimulable phosphor sheet S is transferred in the direction of arrow C2, and the chamber 106 and the small chamber 204 gradually become in a negative pressure state, the diaphragm 208 moves toward the small chamber 204 side. Displaced, valve 21
6 is opened. As a result, a negative pressure state is achieved within the chamber 106, and the stimulable phosphor sheet S is sufficiently attracted.

When the stimulable phosphor sheet S is further transferred to the chamber 108 side, the diaphragm 210 is displaced and the chamber 108 is brought into a vacuum state under the opening action of the valve 218. On the side, after the stimulable phosphor sheet S passes through, it communicates with the atmosphere side, so the suction action is no longer performed.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention includes an endless conveyor belt and a suction box disposed inside the conveyor belt, and includes a main scanning line as a reference in the suction box. A pressure detection unit is provided in two chambers defined on the upstream side and downstream side in the sub-scanning direction, and the negative pressure state in each chamber is detected to adjust the suction force by the vacuum pump. .

Therefore, the sheet body can be conveyed smoothly with a simple structure, especially compared to the case where the suction source is controlled according to the degree of vacuum suction using a combination machine. Moreover, since the output of the pressure detection section provided in the suction chamber is utilized, there is an advantage that the suction source can be controlled reliably and precisely.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various improvements and changes in design can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

For example, the present invention also includes adjusting the suction force of a vacuum pump using a rotary valve instead of a solenoid valve, or using the solenoid valve as a variable throttle valve to linearly control the opening and closing operation of the valve body.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an image reading and reproducing apparatus incorporating a sheet conveying device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially omitted perspective explanatory diagram of the sheet conveying device according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of a suction box constituting the sheet conveying device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the suction box shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a partially omitted cross-sectional perspective view of the box. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. 10... Image reading and reproducing device 12... Housing 16.18... Loading section 20... Cassette 28.32... Conveying means 48... Erasing section 58.66... Conveying means 80 ... Stacker 92 ... Stimulable phosphor sheet transport device 96 ... Sub-scanning transport belt 104 ... Suction box 106, 108 ... Chamber 125, 127 ... Sensor 142 ... Image reading Recording mechanism F...film S...stimulable phosphor sheet

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A conveyor belt for sub-scanning, which carries the sheet to be main-scanned by the light beam on its upper surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main-scanning line of the light beam; and a conveyor belt located on the lower surface of the conveyor belt. and a suction box that suctions the sheet body on the belt through a large number of small holes provided in the belt to hold the sheet body on the belt, and the suction box is configured to hold the sheet body on the belt. a front suction chamber that applies suction force on the belt on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet body with respect to the line;
a rear suction chamber that applies a suction force onto the belt on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, a pressure detection section provided inside each suction chamber, and a pipe connecting the suction chamber and a vacuum suction source; A valve device is interposed in the body, and a pipe body that bypasses the valve device is connected to the pipe body, and the sheet body is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction while opening and closing of the valve device is controlled by the output signal of the pressure detection section. A sheet conveyance device characterized by performing the following.