JPH0664804A - Photosensitive material feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the aslant and meandering motion of a photosensitive material to be easily eliminated by cutting the material to the N specified length with a cutter and then releasing the loop of the material using the resilient force and dead load thereof. CONSTITUTION:This photosensitive material feeding device 18 has a sub-scanning and feeding device 58 as a photosensitive material takeout means in common for drawing a long photosensitive material F from a magazine 56 consisting of a coil of the material F and capable of scanning and carrying the material F under restriction at an exposure position. Also, the device 18 has a cutter 60 for cutting the material F to the specified length after image recording, and a plurality of feed roller pairs 62, 64 and 66. After the material F is cut, the clamping of the material F up to the cutter 60 is released at the downstream side of the device 58, while the loop of the material F is formed between the device 58 and the magazine 56. Thereafter, the clamping of the material F with the device 58 is released, thereby eliminating the meandering and aslant motion of the material F.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photosensitive material conveying apparatus for conveying a photosensitive material in a sub-scanning direction, which is used in an image recording apparatus utilizing scanning exposure such as a printing plate making apparatus, a copying apparatus and a laser printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image recording apparatus which uses a photosensitive material magazine formed by winding a long photosensitive material in a roll shape, scans and exposes the photosensitive material by optical scanning such as raster scanning and slit scanning to record an image. It is used in a printing plate making apparatus, a copying apparatus, various printers, and the like.

In such an image recording apparatus, for example, an image recording apparatus based on raster scanning one-dimensionally deflects a recording light beam modulated according to a recording image in the main scanning direction to form an image on a photosensitive material. It is incident on the recording position. An image recording apparatus using slit scanning uses a slit-shaped light source in which a large number of point-shaped light sources are arranged in a one-dimensional direction (main scanning direction), and each point-shaped light source is turned on / off in accordance with a recorded image.
Then, the recording light corresponding to the recorded image is incident on the image recording position of the photosensitive material, or the reading light extending in the one-dimensional direction (main scanning direction) is moved in a direction substantially orthogonal to the one-dimensional direction. Thus, the original is two-dimensionally scanned by the reading light, and the slit-like reflected light from the original is used as recording light to form an image at the image recording position of the photosensitive material.

On the other hand, the photosensitive material is pulled out from the photosensitive material magazine, and is sub-scanned in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction at a predetermined sub-scanning transport speed while being defined at the image recording position. Therefore, the above-mentioned light beam and recording light can two-dimensionally scan the photosensitive material as a result and expose the entire surface. The photosensitive material on which the image recording is completed is conveyed to a cutter, cut into a predetermined length (the cutting may be performed before recording), and then conveyed to a next step such as a developing device.

As means for conveying the photosensitive material in such an image recording apparatus, two rollers for sandwiching the photosensitive material, an exposure drum for defining the photosensitive material at a predetermined image recording position, and the photosensitive material for sandwiching with the exposure drum. A large number of photosensitive material conveying means for nipping and conveying a photosensitive material by two rollers, such as a nip roller, is used.

[0006]

However, in the photosensitive material conveying means for nipping and conveying the photosensitive material drawn out from the photosensitive material magazine by a nip roller or the like, the roller diameter and the nipping force (nip force) in the longitudinal direction of the roller are uniform. However, there are problems such as skewing and meandering of the photosensitive material conveyance due to the difference in the pulling force from the photosensitive material magazine. If the photosensitive material is conveyed in a skewed or meandering state at the image recording position, it causes an error in the image recording position in the output image. It also leads to transport problems, so-called jamming.

In the conventional image recording apparatus, in order to reduce the skew of the photosensitive material and the like, the holding of the photosensitive material by the roller from the photosensitive material magazine to the leading end of the photosensitive material is released during standby, and In some cases, the front end of the photosensitive material is hung so that the skew and meandering of the photosensitive material are reduced by the weight of the photosensitive material pulled out from the photosensitive material magazine.

However, according to this method, the size of the photosensitive material is large (heavy), or the length of the photosensitive material pulled out in the standby state is long. In some cases, a great effect can be obtained in reducing skew and meandering of the photosensitive material. However, when the photosensitive material size is small (lightweight) such as A4 or when the photosensitive material has a short pull-out length during standby. When applied to a recording device, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient effect of reducing skewing and the like.

A main object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to reduce the size of the photosensitive material.
To provide a photosensitive material transporting device capable of sufficiently reducing meandering or skewing of photosensitive material transport even when the photosensitive material is lightweight and the length of pulling out the photosensitive material during standby is short. is there.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a photosensitive material withdrawing means for holding and extracting the photosensitive material from a photosensitive material magazine formed by winding a long photosensitive material. A sub-scanning conveying means for nipping and conveying the formed photosensitive material in the sub-scanning direction while defining the photosensitive material at an image recording position, a cutter for cutting the photosensitive material into a predetermined length, and a nipping conveying means for conveying the photosensitive material to the cutter. After the cutter cuts the photosensitive material into a predetermined length, the photosensitive material is clamped to the cutter on the downstream side of the photosensitive material drawing means, and the photosensitive material drawing direction is set by the photosensitive material drawing means. A photosensitive material is conveyed in the opposite direction to form a loop of the photosensitive material between the photosensitive material drawing-out means and the photosensitive material magazine, and after the formation of the loop,
A photosensitive material transporting device, wherein the sandwiching of the photosensitive material by the photosensitive material drawing-out means is released.

Further, in the photosensitive material conveying apparatus of the present invention, the sandwiching conveying means for conveying the photosensitive material to the cutter is a pair of conveying rollers, and one of the conveying rollers has a cam shaft in the photosensitive material withdrawing direction. And a cam that engages with the rotating shaft of the carrying roller by a one-way clutch bearing that operates only in the reverse direction, rotates by the operation of the one-way clutch bearing, and engages with the other carrying roller to separate the two carrying rollers. Are preferably deployed.

Further, in the above-mentioned photosensitive material conveying apparatus of the present invention, a photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter and a photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter are connected by a linear conveying path between the photosensitive material conveying means. A transport guide for guiding the light-sensitive material upward is preferably arranged.

[0013]

The photosensitive material conveying apparatus of the present invention is used for an image recording apparatus such as a printing plate making apparatus, a copying apparatus and various printers which uses a photosensitive material magazine formed by winding a long photosensitive material in a roll shape. It is a photosensitive material conveying device. Specifically, the photosensitive material is pulled out from the photosensitive material magazine, and the photosensitive material is sub-scanned while being regulated at an image recording position.
A photosensitive material conveying device that cuts a photosensitive material on which an image has been recorded into a predetermined length and conveys the photosensitive material to the next step such as a photosensitive material processing device. After the photosensitive material is cut into a predetermined length by a cutter, the photosensitive material magazine The front end of the photosensitive material pulled out from the photosensitive material is conveyed by the photosensitive material drawing means in a direction opposite to the drawing direction to form a loop of the photosensitive material,
Almost at the same time, the sandwiching of the photosensitive material up to the cutter downstream of the photosensitive material pulling-out means is released, and after forming the loop of the predetermined photosensitive material, the sandwiching of the photosensitive material by the photosensitive material pulling-out means is released, and in this state Wait for material conveyance (image recording).

That is, the photosensitive material conveying apparatus of the present invention not only releases the nipping of the photosensitive material by the conveying means such as nip rollers during standby and cancels the meandering and skewing of the photosensitive material conveying due to its own weight. , Before completely releasing the sandwiching of the photosensitive material, after forming a loop of the photosensitive material between the photosensitive material magazine and the photosensitive material pulling-out means, releasing the sandwiching of the photosensitive material by the photosensitive material pulling-out means and pulling it out. By repelling the existing photosensitive material with a loop, the skew and the like are released by utilizing the elastic force of the photosensitive material.

Therefore, according to the photosensitive material conveying apparatus of the present invention, even when the photosensitive material is small or the amount of the photosensitive material pulled out in the standby state is small, the elastic force of the photosensitive material caused by flipping with the loop can be obtained. By using the release and the release using its own weight, it is possible to satisfactorily release the skew and meandering of the photosensitive material, and realize accurate transport of the photosensitive material,
An image recording apparatus can accurately record an image at a predetermined position on a photosensitive material. In addition, since the photosensitive material is not sandwiched at all during the standby, there is no inconvenience such as peeling of the emulsion surface due to the sandwiching and curling of the photosensitive material due to the roller to cause conveyance failure.

Further, preferably, as a conveying means for sandwiching and conveying the photosensitive material between the cutters, a pair of conveying rollers, one conveying roller via a one-way clutch bearing that operates only in the direction in which the photosensitive material is pulled out and in the reverse direction. The one having a cam that engages with the rotary shaft, rotates by the operation of the one-way clutch bearing, engages with the other transport roller, and separates the transport roller from the other transport roller is used.

According to such a roller pair, it is not necessary to separately provide a driving source such as a solenoid for holding and releasing the photosensitive material by the roller pair, and a pair of conveying rollers having a simple structure can be used for forming the photosensitive material loop. It is possible to realize pinching and opening of the photosensitive material. Further, although the movement of the rollers in this roller pair is extremely small, about 1 mm, this arrangement allows the movement of the rollers to be controlled by the shape of the cam, so that the desired movement amount of the rollers can be easily realized. can do.

Further, when the photosensitive material is cut into a predetermined length by the cutter, it is necessary to temporarily stop the transportation of the photosensitive material, but if the photosensitive material is carried into the next step, for example, a photosensitive material processing device or the like. However, the photosensitive material is pulled by this, and the cutter cannot accurately stop at the desired cutting position. Therefore, in an apparatus in which the cutter and the next process (conveying means) are close to each other, a loop of the photosensitive material is formed between the photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter and the photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter to form the photosensitive material. Must be prevented from being carried into the next process.

Here, preferably, between the photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter and the photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter, the conveying means for guiding the photosensitive material upward from a conveying path connecting the both photosensitive material conveying means with a straight line. By arranging the guide, a loop can be formed well between the two, and the photosensitive material is prevented from passing through between the pair of conveying rollers to be carried into the next step, and the photosensitive material is prevented from being transferred to the cutter. It is possible to accurately stop at a desired cutting position and cut the photosensitive material with an accurate length.

[0020]

Embodiments of the photosensitive material conveying device of the present invention will be described below.
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 conceptually shows an example of a printing plate making apparatus using the photosensitive material conveying apparatus of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printing plate making apparatus 10 basically includes an image reading apparatus 12 for reading an image of an original A,
An image recording device 14 for recording an original image read by the image reading device 12 on the photosensitive material F, and a photosensitive material processing device 16 for developing the exposed photosensitive material F image-recorded by the image recording device 14. To be done. The image recording device 14 is composed of an exposure device 20 and a photosensitive material conveying device 18 of the present invention.

In the printing plate making apparatus 10, the image reading apparatus 12 scans an image of the original A, for example, a continuous tone image, in the sub-scanning direction y indicated by an arrow y in the drawing while scanning the image in the sub-scanning direction y. After photoelectrically reading every line in a direction substantially perpendicular to (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the drawing), an electric signal is transferred to the image recording device 14 as a binarized halftone image signal R. The image recording device 14 receiving the halftone image signal R converts the halftone dot image signal R into a halftone dot gradation image on the photosensitive material F drawn from the magazine 56 substantially in parallel with the image reading (in real time). Record exposure.

The photosensitive material F thus image-exposed by the image recording device 14 is cut into a predetermined length and conveyed to the photosensitive material processing device 16, where it is wet-processed such as developing, bleaching, fixing and washing. Then, processing such as drying is performed to obtain an output image.

The image reading apparatus 1 in the printing plate making apparatus 10
Reference numeral 2 is basically a document table 22, a document pressing plate 24, a light source unit 26 which is a reading scanner, and a mirror unit 2 for changing the optical path of reflected light carrying a document image from the document A.
8. An image forming lens 30 for forming an image of the reflected light, and a reading unit 32 arranged at an image forming position of the reflected light to receive the reflected light and photoelectrically read image information to obtain a halftone image signal R. To be done.

The original table 22 is a transparent glass plate on which the original A is placed at a predetermined position, and an original pressing plate 24 is also provided.
Is to prevent the document A from being displaced by pressing the document A placed on the document table 22.

A light source unit 26 is provided below the document table 22.
A light source moving type scanning optical system including a mirror unit and a mirror unit is disposed. In this scanning optical system, the light source unit 26 moves in the sub-scanning direction indicated by an arrow y in the drawing at a predetermined speed (v) under the driving action of a driving device (not shown),
The mirror unit 28 is one of the moving speeds of the light source unit 26.
Move in the same direction at a speed of 1/2 (1/2 · v).

The light source unit 26 is a fluorescent tube which is a rod-shaped light source that emits band-shaped illumination light (slit light) in one direction that is the same as the main scanning direction, so-called aperture type fluorescent tube 3.
4a, 34b, a housing 38 that holds the fluorescent tubes 34a, 34b and has a slit 36 through which reflected light from the original A passes, and a first mirror 40 that reflects the reflected light from the original A by 90 degrees. Composed. First mirror 40
The reflected light reflected by the mirror unit 28
Incident on. The mirror unit 28 has a second mirror 42 and a third mirror 44 that respectively deflect the optical path of the reflected light by 90 degrees.

The reflected light reflected by the third mirror 44 is
The light passes through the imaging lens 30 fixed at a predetermined position and enters the reading unit 32. The reading unit 32 photoelectrically converts the reflected light into one line of a document image of the document A as one block and converts the reflected light into an analog electric signal as image density data.
And an image processing device 48 for processing the data photoelectrically read by the CCD 46 and transferring it as a halftone image signal R to the image recording device 14.

The image processing device 48 supplies a clock generator for generating a main scanning clock that determines the timing for reading the image data for one line of main scanning from the CCD 46, and an analog image data signal read from the CCD 46 based on the main scanning clock. After analog correction such as gain correction, convert to image data signal as digital signal A
The D / D converter, a memory for storing the digital image data, and an image processing unit for image-processing the image data signal and finally outputting it as a halftone image signal R to the image exposure device 42. Here, the image processing unit stores various data including a processing circuit that performs various processes described below necessary for generating a halftone image signal, a CPU that performs various image data signal calculations and determinations, and image data. RAM or R
It consists of memory such as OM.

To read the image information by the image reading device 12, first, the document A is placed on the document table 22 and fixed by the document pressing plate 24 so as not to be displaced. Next, in the drawing, the light source unit 26 is moved in the sub-scanning direction indicated by an arrow A at a predetermined speed under the action of a drive source (not shown), and the mirror unit 28 is moved at a speed half the moving speed of the light source unit 26. Is moved in the direction. The image information carried on the document A is reflected by the document A and is reflected by the first mirror 23, the second mirror 31,
The optical path is changed by the third mirror 32, and an image is formed on the CCD 46 of the reading unit 32 by the image forming lens 30.
It is photoelectrically converted by the CD 46, processed by the image processing device 48, and sequentially processed as an image signal R in the image exposure device 2.
Is transferred to 0.

The image recording device 14 comprises the image exposure device 20 and the photosensitive material conveying device 18 of the present invention as described above. The image exposure device 20 basically emits a recording beam L which is read by the image reading device 12, processed by the image processing device 48, and modulated according to the halftone image signal R generated and transmitted. A light source 50,
A resonant scanner 52 that deflects the recording beam L in a one-dimensional direction (main scanning direction), and the recording beam L that has been deflected and scanned.
Fθ lens 54 for adjusting the focus on the photosensitive material F. Further, a sync signal detector for controlling the exposure may be further provided.

On the other hand, the photosensitive material conveying apparatus 1 according to the present invention
Numeral 8 basically draws the photosensitive material F from a magazine 56 formed by winding a long photosensitive material F, and
Is defined as a predetermined exposure position for sub-scanning conveyance, which also serves as a photosensitive material drawing means, a cutter 60 for cutting the photosensitive material F, which has finished image recording, into a predetermined length, and this cutter 60. A conveyance roller pair 62 arranged on the upstream side (hereinafter, referred to as the upstream side) in the drawing direction of the photosensitive material F with the sheet sandwiched therebetween and driven by a motor 62M, and a conveyance roller pair arranged on the downstream side and driven by a motor 64M. 64
And a conveyance roller pair 66 driven by a motor 66M that conveys the exposed photosensitive material F cut into a predetermined length to the photosensitive material processing device 16, and a conveyance guide 68 disposed between the conveyance roller pairs 64 and 66. , And a control device 19 for controlling the drive of the sub-scanning transport device 58 and each transport roller pair.

Further, the sub-scanning conveyance device 58 is provided with a photosensitive material F.
Is defined as a predetermined exposure position, nip rollers 72 and 74 that are pressed by the exposure drum 70 across the exposure position (main scanning line), and a motor 70M that is a drive source of the exposure drum 70. The photosensitive material F is sub-scanned while being regulated at a predetermined exposure position by being nipped and conveyed by the exposure drum 70 and the nip rollers 72 and 74. Further, the nip rollers 72 and 74 are configured to be able to come into contact with and separate from each other (holding and releasing the photosensitive material F) in a direction substantially opposite to the pressing direction to the exposure drum.

A more detailed structure and operation of the photosensitive material conveying device 18 will be described later. Although not shown in order to simplify the drawing, the photosensitive material conveying device 18 is similar to a normal photosensitive material conveying device in that the driving source and its transmitting means necessary for its operation and action, various conveying guides, and the like. Of course, sensors and the like are arranged.

The image recording on the photosensitive material F in the image recording device 14 is emitted from the recording light source 50 modulated according to the halftone image signal R transferred from the image processing device 48 of the image reading device 12. The recording beam L is deflected in a one-dimensional direction by the resonant scanner 52, passes through the fθ lens 54, is extracted from the magazine 56, and is sub-scanned while being defined at the image recording position by the exposure drum 70 and the nip rollers 72 and 74. The light-sensitive material F to be exposed is exposed to record a halftone image two-dimensionally.

Hereinafter, the operation of the photosensitive material conveying device 18 associated with the image recording operation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The arrow a in the figure indicates the moving direction of the photosensitive material F. Further, the drive source of each roller is omitted to simplify the drawing. In the state of waiting for image recording, as shown in FIG. 2A, the nip of the photosensitive material F between the sub-scanning conveying device 58 and the conveying roller pair 62 is released, and the photosensitive material F is simply transferred from the magazine 56. It is in a hanging state. When an image recording start signal is input to the control device 19 of the photosensitive material conveying device, as shown in FIG. 2B, the nip rollers 72, 74 of the sub-scanning conveying device 58.
Are pressed by the exposure drum 70 to sandwich the photosensitive material F. Nip roller 7 for sandwiching (and opening) photosensitive material F
The moving means 2, 74 are not particularly limited, and any known means using a solenoid or the like can be used.

When the nip rollers 72, 74 and the exposure drum 70 sandwich the photosensitive material F, the sub-scanning conveyance device 58
(Motor 70M) is driven to convey the photosensitive material F in the direction opposite to the pull-out direction (hereinafter referred to as the sub-scanning direction) as shown in FIG. 2C, and the leading end comes to a predetermined position. Stop the transportation. Next, the sub-scan transport device 58 is shown in FIG.
Then, the photosensitive material F is pulled out as shown in (3) and stopped at a point where the photosensitive material F is pulled out by a length required for image recording. Here, almost simultaneously with the pulling out of the photosensitive material F by the sub-scanning conveyance device 58, two rollers of the conveyance roller pair 62 (driving roller 62
a and the driven roller 62b (see FIG. 6) are in close contact with each other, and the leading end of the photosensitive material F is stopped there. This operation and mechanism will be described in detail later.

After pulling out the photosensitive material F having a predetermined length, FIG.
As shown in (e), the sub-scan transporting device 58 transports the photosensitive material F in the sub-scanning direction, and the image is recorded by the recording beam L. That is, the photosensitive material F is sub-scanned in the sub-scanning direction at a predetermined speed by the sub-scanning transporting device 58 while being defined in the image recording position by the exposure drum 70, modulated in accordance with the recorded image, and deflected in the main scanning direction. Two-dimensional scanning exposure is performed by the light beam L thus obtained, and an image is recorded.

When the image recording by the light beam L is completed,
As shown in FIG. 3F, the sub-scanning transport device 58 and the transport roller pairs 62 and 64 transport the exposed photosensitive material F in the pull-out direction in order to cut it into a predetermined length. In order to cut the photosensitive material F into an accurate length, it is necessary to stop the conveyance of the photosensitive material F at the time of cutting.
When the photosensitive material F is carried into the photosensitive material processing device 16 (next step), the photosensitive material F is conveyed (pulled) by the conveying means of the photosensitive material processing device 16, and the photosensitive material F is reliably stopped at the cutting position. I can't.

Therefore, in the printing plate making apparatus 10 of the illustrated example, a loop of the photosensitive material F is formed between the conveying roller pair 64 arranged immediately downstream of the cutter 60 and the conveying roller pair 66 arranged next. , The front end of the photosensitive material F is prevented from being carried into the photosensitive material processing device 16, but if the loop is not reliably formed, the photosensitive material F is conveyed to the conveying roller pair 6
6, the entrance shutter is opened, and the photosensitive material processing apparatus 16 is opened.
Invades. Here, as a preferable mode, the photosensitive material transporting device 18 of the illustrated example has a transporting path in which a pair of transporting rollers 64 and 66 are connected by a straight line in order to easily and surely form a loop during this period. A conveyance guide 68 for guiding the photosensitive material F upward is arranged.

As shown in FIG. 5, the conveyance guide 68 is higher than the linear conveyance path between the conveyance rollers 64 and 66 indicated by the alternate long and short dash line by the amount indicated by the arrow b in the figure. The light-sensitive material F is guided upward by the amount. Therefore, the transport guide 69 (not shown in FIG. 2 and the like) is then provided.
The photosensitive material F guided by the conveying roller pair 66 reaches the conveying roller pair 64 and 66 by the conveying guide 68.
A small loop is formed between the photosensitive material F and the photosensitive material F, and the photosensitive material F is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 64 or the like to easily form a loop. Therefore, it is not carried into the photosensitive material processing device 16 which is the next step.

There is no particular limitation on the shape or the like of the conveying guide 68 arranged immediately downstream of the cutter 60, and the photosensitive material F is provided above the linear conveying path between the pair of conveying rollers arranged to sandwich the same. It may be any shape having a shape higher than the straight conveying path so as to guide the. Further, the height (arrow b in FIG. 5) is not particularly limited as long as the photosensitive material F forms a small loop between the conveying roller pairs 64 and 66 by the conveying guide 68.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 3G, when the cut position of the photosensitive material F is pulled out to the working position of the cutter 60, the sub-scanning conveying device 58 and the conveying roller pair 62. , 64 are stopped to stop the conveyance of the photosensitive material F, and then the cutter 60 is operated to cut the photosensitive material F into a predetermined length. When the photosensitive material F is cut, as shown in FIG. 3H, the exposed photosensitive material F is transferred to the photosensitive material processing device 16 by the conveying roller pairs 64 and 66.
On the other hand, the sub-scanning transport device 58 and the transport roller pair 62 transport the photosensitive material F on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction to form a loop for reducing skew and meandering.

Here, in the illustrated example, as a preferable mode, the conveying roller pair 62 uses a one-way clutch bearing and a cam, and holds the photosensitive material F by rotating in the sub-scanning conveying direction (hereinafter, reverse rotation). The photosensitive material F is sandwiched by opening and rotating forward. FIG. 6 conceptually shows the transport roller pair 62.

As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of conveying rollers 62
Is composed of a drive roller 62a and a driven roller 62b connected to a motor 62M (not shown in FIG. 6). The driven roller 62b (the rotation shaft 80 thereof) is rotatably supported by the drive roller 62a so that the driven roller 62b and the drive roller 62a are pressed against each other by a known means such as a spring. The rotation shaft 82 is reversely rotated with respect to the rotation shaft 82 of the drive roller 62a (direction of arrow c in FIG. 6).
The one-way clutch bearing 84, which operates when the above operation is performed, is engaged, and the cam 86 is fixed to the one-way clutch bearing 84. The cam 86 has a cam portion 88 that engages with and pushes the rotating shaft 80 of the driven roller 62b, and a locking portion 92 that locks the return spring 90. The other end of the return spring 90 is locked to the fixed shaft 94.

In the forward rotation of the conveying roller pair 62, the driving roller 62a and the driven roller 62b are pressed against each other by means of a spring or the like as described above, as shown in FIG. 6 (a). Here, when the pair of transport rollers 62 stops the forward rotation and starts the reverse rotation (direction of arrow c), the one-way clutch bearing 84 operates, and the cam 86 fixed thereto rotates in the same direction. As a result, the cam portion 88 engages with the rotary shaft 80 of the driven roller 62b and pushes the rotary shaft 80 as shown in FIG. 6 (b), separating the drive roller 62a and the driven roller 62b from each other and the photosensitive material F. Release the nip. The reverse rotation of the drive roller 62a is
When the drive roller 62a and the driven roller 62b are separated by about 1 mm, that is, about 1/4 rotation is stopped in the illustrated example, but the normal rotation of the cam 86 is stopped by the action of the one-way clutch bearing 84. The roller 62a and the driven roller 62b are held in a separated state.

On the other hand, when the drive roller 62a rotates forward,
The action of the one-way clutch bearing 84 is released,
Since the cam 86 is in a rotatable state, the cam 86 is rotated forward by the action of the return spring 90, and the cam portion 88 is rotated.
Is disengaged from the rotary shaft 80, and the drive roller 62a and the driven roller 62b press.

The conveying roller pair 62 having the above-described structure does not require a drive source such as a solenoid for sandwiching and releasing the photosensitive material F (contact and separation between the driving roller 62a and the driven roller 62b), and has a simple structure. The pinching and opening of F can be realized. Further, the driving roller 62a and the driven roller 62b need only be separated from each other by about 1 mm, and if they are too far apart, the photosensitive material F may come off the conveying path. According to the above configuration, the amount of movement of the driven roller 62b can be easily set to a suitable amount.

When a sub-scanning conveyance device 58 and a conveyance roller pair 62 are further provided with a conveyance roller pair, it is preferable that these are also the conveyance roller pair having the above-mentioned mechanism. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration of the pair of conveying rollers 62, and the two rollers may be brought into contact with and separated from each other by a known method such as a solenoid.

In this way, the nip of the photosensitive material F by the conveying roller pair 62 is released, the photosensitive material F is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the sub-scanning conveying device 58, and as shown in FIG. 4 (i). When a predetermined loop of the photosensitive material F is formed between the magazine 56 and the sub-scanning conveyance device 58 which also serves as a photosensitive material drawing-out means, the conveyance of the photosensitive material F is stopped.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (j), the nip rollers 72 and 74 are separated from the exposure drum 70. Here, since the photosensitive material F forms a loop, the photosensitive material F stretches so as to be repelled by its own elastic force, so that slack or looseness of the photosensitive material F and skew or meandering can be suitably reduced. be able to. Further, since the photosensitive material F is held in such a hung state (that is, the same state as that of FIG. 2A described above), the slack, the slack of the magazine 56, and the skew and the meandering are canceled by its own weight.

The photosensitive material conveying device 18 of the present invention as described above.
According to the method, the elastic force of the photosensitive material F is used to release the meandering, skewing, etc. by flipping with a loop, and the meandering and skewing of the photosensitive material conveyance is canceled by the weight of the photosensitive material F. Even when the photosensitive material is small or the amount of the photosensitive material pulled out during standby is small, the skew and meandering of the photosensitive material can be canceled well, and accurate transport of the photosensitive material can be realized, which is accurate in the image recording device. Moreover, it is possible to record an image at a predetermined position on the photosensitive material. Moreover, since the sandwiching of the photosensitive material F is released during the standby, there is no problem such as peeling of the emulsion surface due to the sandwiching and curling of the photosensitive material F due to the roller to cause conveyance failure.

The size of the loop formed by the sub-scanning conveyance device 58 (photosensitive material drawing-out means) is not particularly limited, and a sufficient effect can be obtained depending on the strength and size (weight) of the photosensitive material F. The size that can be obtained may be appropriately determined.

On the other hand, the exposed light-sensitive material F carried into the light-sensitive material processing device 16 has a developing tank 96, a bleach-fixing tank 98,
In each of the wet processing tanks 96, 98, 100 of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 16 having the water washing tank 100 and the drying unit 102,
The exposed photosensitive material F is subjected to wet processing such as development, fixing, bleaching and washing with water, dried in the drying section 102, and discharged as a plate-making film to the take-out tray 104.

In the photosensitive material conveying device 18 in the illustrated example, the sub-scanning conveying means 19 also serves as the photosensitive material drawing means, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the photosensitive material drawing means is separately sub-scanned. It may be provided on the upstream side of the conveying means. In this case, it is needless to say that the holding of the photosensitive material F by the sub-scanning transporting means 19 needs to be released during opening of the loop and during standby. Further, in the illustrated example, the photosensitive material F is cut into a predetermined length by the cutter 60 after the image recording, but the present invention may be used in an apparatus for recording an image after cutting the photosensitive material by the cutter. Further, the sub-scanning transporting means used in the photosensitive material transporting device of the present invention is not limited to the one using the exposure drum and the nip roller as shown in the drawing, and is arranged with the image recording position sandwiched in the sub-scanning direction. A pair of conveying rollers, etc.
Various sub-scanning conveyance means for a roll-shaped photosensitive material magazine can be used.

Although the photosensitive material conveying device of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and improvements can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course it is good.

[0057]

As described above in detail, according to the photosensitive material conveying apparatus of the present invention, even if the photosensitive material is small or the amount of the photosensitive material to be pulled out in standby is small, By using a loop that utilizes elastic force and a release that uses its own weight, skewing and meandering of the photosensitive material can be satisfactorily released, accurate photosensitive material conveyance can be realized, and the photosensitive material can be accurately transferred in an image recording device. It is possible to record an image at a predetermined position. Moreover,
Since the photosensitive material is not sandwiched at all during the standby, there are no problems such as peeling of the emulsion surface due to the sandwiching, and curling of the photosensitive material due to the roller to cause conveyance failure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view conceptually showing an example of a printing plate making apparatus to which a photosensitive material conveying device of the present invention is applied.

2 (a), (b), (c) and (d) are diagrams schematically showing the action of an example of the photosensitive material transporting device of the present invention.

3 (e), (f), (g) and (h) are diagrams schematically showing the action of an example of the photosensitive material transporting device of the present invention.

4 (i) and (j) are diagrams schematically showing an operation of an example of the photosensitive material transporting device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of a transport guide used in the photosensitive material transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view conceptually showing an example of a pair of conveying rollers used in the photosensitive material conveying device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printing plate making apparatus 12 Image reading apparatus 14 Image recording apparatus 16 Photosensitive material processing apparatus 18 Photosensitive material conveying apparatus 19 Control apparatus 20 Exposure apparatus 22 Document table 24 Original pressing plate 26 Light source unit 28 Mirror unit 30 Imaging lens 32 Reading unit 46 CCD 48 Image Processing Device 50 Recording Light Source 52 Resonant Scanner 54 fθ Lens 56 Magazine 58 Sub-scanning Conveying Device 60 Cutter 62, 64, 6
6 conveying roller pair 62a driving roller 62b driven roller 68,69 conveying guide 70 exposure drum 72,74 nip roller 80,82 rotating shaft 84 one-way clutch bearing 86 cam 88 cam portion 90 return spring 92 latching portion 94 fixed shaft 96 developing tank 98 Bleach-fixing tank 100 Washing tank 102 Drying section 104 Extraction tray A Original document F Photosensitive material L Recording beam

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A photosensitive material drawing-out means for sandwiching and drawing out the photosensitive material from a photosensitive material magazine formed by winding a long photosensitive material, and defining the drawn-out photosensitive material at an image recording position in the sub-scanning direction. A sub-scanning transporting unit for sandwiching and transporting,
A cutter that cuts the photosensitive material into a predetermined length, and a sandwiching and conveying means that conveys the photosensitive material to the cutter, and after the cutter cuts the photosensitive material into the predetermined length, is located downstream of the photosensitive material drawing-out means. And the clamping of the photosensitive material up to the cutter is released, and the photosensitive material is conveyed by the photosensitive material drawing-out means in a direction opposite to the photosensitive material drawing-out direction, and the photosensitive material is drawn between the photosensitive material drawing-out means and the photosensitive material magazine. And forming a loop of the photosensitive material and releasing the holding of the photosensitive material by the photosensitive material drawing means after the formation of the loop. 2. A one-way clutch bearing in which a nipping and conveying means for conveying the photosensitive material to the cutter is a pair of conveying rollers, and a cam shaft is operated only in one of the conveying rollers in a direction in which the photosensitive material is pulled out and in a reverse direction. 2. A cam is provided which is engaged with the rotary shaft of the carrying roller by means of and is rotated by the operation of the one-way clutch bearing to engage the other carrying roller to separate the two carrying rollers. Photosensitive material transport device. 3. A conveying guide for guiding the photosensitive material upward from a conveying path connecting the photosensitive material conveying means with a straight line between the photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter and the photosensitive material conveying means immediately after the cutter. The photosensitive material conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive material conveying device is arranged.