JPH0547115B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a printer that repeatedly obtains printed matter using an electrostatic printing plate on which a printed image composed of insulating toner or conductive toner is fixed. The present invention relates to devices, and particularly relates to improvements in printer devices capable of speeding up printing and copying in retention mode or copy mode.

[Prior Art] As a conventional printer device of this type, the one shown in FIG. 3 is known.

That is, this device includes a scroll drum b disposed inside the device main body a and rotating in the direction of the arrow;
A supply roller d that is mounted inside the drum b and carries out the photosensitive sheet c that is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the drum b, a take-up roller e that winds up the photosensitive sheet c, and a winding roller e that winds the same, and A latent image writing section f, a charging corotron g, a full-surface exposure lamp h, a developing/cleaning device i, a transfer/discharging corotron j, a peeling belt k,
and a fixing device l for plate making. In FIG. 3, m and m indicate a paper feed cassette, n a paper conveyance belt, and o a fixing device, respectively.

To obtain a single copy, that is, a printed matter, from a different type of original using this device, after setting the device to copy mode by operating an operation button (not shown), press the button provided on the top side of the device body a. A document q is placed on the surface of the platen p, which is read by the image reading section r, and the signal thereof is output to the latent image writing section f, which charges the latent image in the charging corotron g. A latent image of the original document q is written on a photosensitive sheet c, and then developed with toner by a developing/cleaning device i, and this toner image is transferred onto a sheet of paper s fed from the paper feed cassette m by a transfer/discharging corotron j. , and is fixed by a fixing device o to obtain a copy. The scroll drum b rotates once after copying, and during that time the photosensitive sheet c is transferred to the photosensitive sheet c by a corotron j.
The charge is removed by a full-surface exposure lamp h, and cleaned by a developing/cleaning device i.
It is configured to be used for the next copy.

On the other hand, in order to obtain a large number of copies, that is, printed matter, from the same type of original, first operate the operation button described above to enter the retention mode, and then first write a latent image of the original q on the photosensitive sheet c using the same process as in the copy mode described above. , this is developed by the developing and cleaning device i described above to form a print image of insulating toner or conductive toner, and this image is transferred to the fixing device l for plate making.
This electrostatic printing plate is then charged with the above-mentioned charging corotron g (see FIG. 4A) and exposed with a full-surface exposure lamp h to form a conductive part t and an insulating part u. (see Fig. 4B), and this latent image is developed with toner by the developing/cleaning device i (see Fig. 4C).
), this toner is transferred to the paper s by the transfer and charge-eliminating corotron j (see Fig. 4D), and then fixed by the fixing device o to obtain a copy.The above process, that is, electrostatic printing A large number of copies are continuously obtained by repeating the process of charging the plate, exposing the entire surface, developing the toner, transferring the image, and fixing the image. After copying a large number of sheets, the take-up roll e in the scroll drum b rotates to remove the photosensitive sheet c, which is the electrostatic printing plate.
The photosensitive sheet c is wound up and a new photosensitive sheet c is supplied to the scroll drum b. Furthermore, although FIG. 4 shows an electrostatic printing plate on which a printed image is formed using insulating toner, if the image is formed using conductive toner, the conductive portion and the insulating portion are separated in the charging process. Since a latent image consisting of is directly formed, the above-mentioned entire surface exposure step is not necessary.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In this type of apparatus, a flash fixing device has conventionally been used as the fixing device l for plate making in the retention mode. If the fuser is an oven type, there is a risk of fire, but if the fuser is a roller type, which uses a heating roller,
This is because the insulating toner or conductive toner is crushed during fixing, resulting in an unclear image, and a member for preventing offset is also required, which takes up a large amount of space. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3, a flash fixing device is used as the fixing device l for plate making, but when this fixing device is used, the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive sheet c is subject to photodeterioration due to strong light irradiation during fixing. There was a problem in that the charging properties deteriorated.

For this reason, in the conventional apparatus, after creating an electrostatic printing plate, a refresh cycle is performed in which the scroll drum b is rotated multiple times while the charging corotron g is applied to charge the printing plate and restore its chargeability. There was a problem in that a waiting time of about 30 seconds to 1 minute was required from the time the printing plate was created to the start of the printing process, resulting in a lack of promptness and a slow printing speed.

In addition, in this type of apparatus, paper-based zinc oxide photosensitive paper is mainly used as the photosensitive sheet c from the viewpoint of operational stability and ease of handling, but this photosensitive paper has a low sensitivity. There was a problem that it was not possible to form a latent image at high speed because of the poor quality.

For this reason, in conventional devices, it is necessary to rotate the scroll drum b at a reduced speed during copy mode to form a latent image, and the number of copies per minute is usually less than 10. However, there was a problem with the lack of promptness.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made by focusing on the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to improve printing and copying speeds even in retention mode or copy mode. Our goal is to provide fast printer equipment.

That is, the present invention provides an electrostatic printing plate by winding a carrier provided with a photosensitive layer of zinc oxide around a scroll drum, and fixing a print image composed of an insulating toner or a conductive toner to the photosensitive layer in a retention mode. This plate is electrically charged, the entire surface of the plate is exposed to light as necessary to form a latent image consisting of a conductive part and an insulating part, this latent image is developed by a toner developer, and this toner is applied to the plate from the plate. In a printer device configured to repeatedly obtain copies of the original document by transferring it to a recording medium, the image forming means for the printed image may be a printing means capable of directly forming a fixed image on the photosensitive layer based on an appropriate image signal. The developing device is arranged so as to be able to approach and separate from the scroll drum, and in the copy mode, the developing device is moved away from the scroll drum to uniformly charge the photosensitive layer and charge the carrier. The present invention is characterized in that it is configured such that the printing means can directly print onto a recording medium that is electrostatically attracted to the recording medium.

Here, the above-mentioned printing means of the present invention includes a recording head that operates based on an image signal as appropriate, and a sheet supply section that supplies a transfer sheet to the recording head. Transfer-type thermal printers and pressure-sensitive printers that selectively transfer a pressure ink layer onto the photosensitive layer to directly form a printed image can be used, and inkjet printers that use quick-drying ink can also be used. can be used.

[Operation] The present invention operates as follows. That is, in the printer device of the present invention, since the image forming means for the printed image is constituted by a printing means capable of directly forming a fixed image on the photosensitive layer based on an appropriate image signal, the electrostatic charge in the retention mode is There is no need to perform the above-mentioned flash fixing process when creating a printing plate.

Therefore, photodeterioration of the photosensitive layer does not occur and a refresh cycle becomes unnecessary, so printing can be performed immediately after the printing plate is prepared, and printing speed in retention mode can be increased.

On the other hand, in the copy mode, since the printing means directly prints onto the recording medium that is electrostatically attracted to the carrier, high-speed copying is possible without being affected by the sensitivity of the photosensitive layer. Furthermore, since the developing device is separated from the scroll drum, toner does not adhere to the carrier, and copying speed can be increased in the copy mode.

In addition, in the present invention, since the print image is fixed on the photosensitive layer and used as an electrostatic printing plate in the retention mode, the photosensitive layer is charged and the recording material is electrostatically attracted to it in the copy mode. There is no need to separately provide a transport mechanism for feeding the recording medium to the printing means.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.The printer device of the present invention, as shown in FIG. A scroll drum 4 equipped with a charge-eliminating corotron 5, a charging corotron 6, a full-surface exposure lamp 7, a developing device 8, a thermal head printer 9, a transfer and charge-eliminating corotron 10, and a peeling belt 11 are provided along the circumference of the drum 4. The main part is composed of.

The thermal head printer 9 includes a thermal head 12 provided along the length of the scroll drum 4 and placed in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the scroll drum 4, and a transfer sheet 13 on which an insulating heat-sensitive ink layer is formed. It is composed of a supply roller 14 that supplies between the thermal head 12 and the scroll drum 4, and a take-up roller 15 that winds it up.
The thermal head 12 is connected to an image reading section 17 disposed on the lower surface of the platen 16, and a heating resistor (not shown) provided inside the thermal head 12 is connected to an image reading section 17 disposed on the lower surface side of the platen 16. ) is formed to selectively generate heat, and thermal ink is transferred to the photosensitive paper 1 on the scroll drum 4 to directly form an insulating print image.

Further, in this device, as shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 8 is arranged so as to be able to move toward and away from the scroll drum 4 by a retracting means (not shown), and in the retention mode, the developing device 8 moves forward. It is configured to move backward and come into contact with the scroll drum 4, while moving backward and away from the scroll drum 4 in the copy mode. 1 in Figure 1
Reference numerals 8 and 18 indicate paper feed cassettes, 19 a paper conveyance belt, and 20 a fixing device.

In order to obtain multiple copies, that is, printed matter, from the same type of original using this device, after setting the device to retention mode by operating an operation button (not shown), place the original 21 on the platen 16. and read it by the image reading section 17,
This signal is output to the thermal head 12 of the thermal head printer 9 to form an insulating print image directly on the photosensitive paper 1, and then, as in the conventional device, the electrostatic printing plate on which the print image has been formed is charged. The toner is then exposed to light, toner is developed, the toner is transferred to the paper 22, and it is fixed to obtain copies. Thereafter, the above-mentioned charging process to fixing process are repeated to continuously obtain a large number of copies. be.

At this time, in this apparatus, since a print image is directly formed on the photosensitive paper 1 by the thermal head printer 9 to create an electrostatic printing plate,
The plate making time is significantly shortened, flash fixing processing becomes unnecessary, and the above-mentioned refresh cycle can be omitted. Therefore, it is possible to print immediately after creating the electrostatic printing plate, which speeds up the printing process, and also increases the durability of the printing plate since photo-deterioration of the photosensitive layer does not occur. .

On the other hand, in order to obtain a single copy, i.e., a printed matter, from a different type of original, the device is set to copy mode by operating the operation button, and the developing unit 8 is first separated from the scroll drum 4, and the heat source (not shown) is moved away from the scroll drum 4. ) is stopped from supplying heat to the fixing device 20, and the fixing function is stopped.

Next, the charging corotron 6 is activated to uniformly charge the photosensitive paper 1 on the scroll drum 4, and the paper 22 fed from the paper feed cassette 18 is electrostatically attracted onto the photosensitive paper 1, and the paper 22 is A copy is obtained by directly printing with the thermal head printer 9. In addition, the above photosensitive paper 1
The paper 22 on the photosensitive paper 1 is released from suction and peeled off by a peeling belt 11, and is discharged via a paper conveyance belt 19 and a fixing device 20. It is configured as follows.

Since the thermal head printer 9 is configured to print even in the copy mode, it is possible to print at a high speed of 20 to 30 sheets per minute without being affected by the sensitivity of the photosensitive paper 1. Copy speed in copy mode can be increased.

Here, in the apparatus according to this embodiment, a thermal head printer 9 is used as the printing means, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. A transfer-type pressure-sensitive printer using a formed transfer sheet, or an inkjet printer or the like may be used, and the configuration thereof is arbitrary.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the printer device of the present invention, the image forming means for the printed image is constituted by a printing means capable of directly forming a fixed image on the photosensitive layer based on an appropriate image signal. , it is possible to omit the flash fixing process conventionally required when producing an electrostatic printing plate.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent photodeterioration of the photosensitive layer and eliminate the need for a refresh cycle, making it possible to print immediately after creating a printing plate, thereby speeding up printing in retention mode. It has an effect.

On the other hand, in the copy mode, the printing means is configured to directly print onto the recording medium that is electrostatically attracted to the carrier, so high-speed copying is possible without being affected by the sensitivity of the photosensitive layer. This has the effect of speeding up copying in copy mode.

Further, in the present invention, the carrier on which the print image is fixed in the retention mode is a photosensitive layer, and in the copy mode, the recording medium is electrostatically attracted to the photosensitive layer and conveyed. There is no need to provide a conveyance mechanism for feeding the recording medium separately from the scroll drum, and it is possible to avoid complication of the apparatus and reduce its cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 are side sectional views of a printer device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a conventional printer device. FIG. 4 shows explanatory diagrams showing the printing process. [Explanation of symbols], 1...Zinc oxide photosensitive paper, 2,
14... Supply roller, 3, 15... Take-up roller,
4...Scroll drum, 5...Charging corotron, 6...Charging corotron, 7...Full exposure lamp, 8...Developing device, 9...Thermal head printer, 10...Transfer and static elimination corotron, 11...Peeling Belt, 12...Thermal head, 13...Transfer sheet, 16...Platen, 17...Image reading section, 18...Paper feed cassette, 19...Paper transport belt, 20...Fuser, 21...Document , 22...
...Paper.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A carrier provided with a photosensitive layer of zinc oxide is wound around a scroll drum, and a print image composed of an insulating toner or a conductive toner is fixed to the photosensitive layer in retention mode to produce an electrostatic printing plate. This plate is charged, and if necessary, the entire plate is exposed to light to form a latent image consisting of a conductive part and an insulating part, and this latent image is developed by a toner developer, and this toner is In a printer device that repeatedly obtains copies of the original document by transferring it from a plate to a recording medium, the image forming means for the print image can directly form a fixed image on the photosensitive layer based on an appropriate image signal. and the developing device is arranged so as to be able to approach and separate from the scroll drum, and in the copy mode, the developing device is moved away from the scroll drum to uniformly charge the photosensitive layer. A printer device characterized in that it is configured such that the printing means can directly print onto a recording medium electrostatically attracted onto a lever carrier. 2. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the printing means is a transfer type thermal printer. 3. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the printing means is a transfer type pressure-sensitive printer. 4. The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the printing means is an inkjet printer.