JPH07325318A - Image recorder provided with image reading function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an image recorder excellent in portability and capable of instantaneously confirming a recorded image without through developing by imparting functions of reading and image displaying to the image recorder. CONSTITUTION:The image recorder is constituted of an image recording part and an image reading part, and also provided with a display for displaying the read image. The image recording part is constituted of an optical system for exposing the image to a photoconductive layer (lens 40, three-primary colors separation prism 50), a power source 30 for impressing a voltage, an optical shutter 41 and a controller for controlling the power source. Besides, the image reading part is constituted of a light source 60, an image forming lens 70, a sensor 80 and a driving mechanism, and a mask 15 for shading a part of the photoconductive layer 13 is formed on a medium supporting body 11. The image recorder itself is provided with an image reading system for illuminating the recording medium and reading the transmitted light, or the reflected light, furthermore, the display is obtained on a monitor of liquid crystal, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus using a liquid crystal recording medium having a polymer dispersion type liquid crystal recording layer and an optical sensor having a photoconductive layer, and more particularly to reading an image recorded after image recording. The present invention relates to an image recording device capable of displaying.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal recording medium having a liquid crystal layer in which a liquid crystal is dispersed and fixed in a resin is formed on an electrode, and a photosensor having a photoconductive layer formed on the electrode layer are arranged to face each other. It is known that an image is recorded by voltage application exposure. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an image recording apparatus using such a polymer dispersed liquid crystal recording medium. In the figure, 10 is an optical sensor and 20 is a liquid crystal recording medium.
In the optical sensor 10, a transparent electrode 12 and a photoconductive layer 13 are sequentially laminated on a transparent support 11, and in a liquid crystal recording medium 20, a transparent electrode 22 and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer 23 are sequentially laminated on a transparent support 21. There is. The photoconductive layer 13 has a single-layer structure of amorphous selenium, amorphous silicon or the like as an inorganic photoconductive layer, polyvinylcarbazole to which trinitrofluorenone is added as an organic photoconductive layer, or polyvinyl butyral of an azo pigment as a charge generation layer. It is possible to use, for example, a layer in which a charge dispersion layer is dispersed in a resin such as the above and a layer in which a hydrazone derivative is mixed with a resin such as a polycarbonate as a charge transfer layer are laminated.

A type in which a photosensor and a liquid crystal recording medium as shown in FIG. 1 are exposed to each other by applying a voltage by using a spacer such as polyethylene or polyimide to open a gap of about 10 μm and face each other. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a structure in which an optical sensor and a liquid crystal recording medium are laminated is also proposed.
As shown in FIG. 2A, a liquid crystal recording layer is directly laminated on the optical sensor, and as shown in FIG. 2B, a dielectric intermediate layer 24 is interposed.

Such an optical sensor 10 and a liquid crystal recording medium 2
When 0s are arranged facing each other and a voltage is applied between the electrodes 12 and 22 by a power source 30 to irradiate visible light as writing light as shown in FIG. 3, the conductivity of the photoconductive layer 13 changes depending on the exposure intensity. The liquid crystal layer 23 changes, the electric field applied to the liquid crystal layer 23 changes, and the alignment state of the liquid crystal layer changes. Even after the applied voltage is turned off and the electric field is removed, the state is maintained and image information is recorded.

To read the recorded image information, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the light source 40 irradiates the liquid crystal recording medium 20 with read light, and the transmitted light is read by the photoelectric conversion device 60 and converted into an electric signal. It is done by doing. A white light source such as a xenon lamp or a halogen lamp or a laser beam is used as the light source 40, and it is desirable that the reading light with which the liquid crystal recording medium is irradiated be selected to have a proper wavelength of light by the filter 50. The incident light is modulated by the orientation of the liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal recording medium,
The transmitted light is a photoelectric conversion device 60 including a photodiode or the like.
Is converted into an electric signal by the converter, and the converted electric signal is output to a printer or a CRT as necessary.

[0006]

The liquid crystal recording medium used in the present invention has a memory property and is characterized in that the recorded image is maintained even after the voltage application is stopped. Further, since the image is recorded on the liquid crystal recording medium in a state where the transmittance changes according to the exposure intensity, it can be visually confirmed that the image is recorded. However, it is difficult to visually confirm the image because the contrast of the image recorded on the liquid crystal recording medium is low. Further, when recording a color image, color separation is performed by a three-color separation prism and image exposure is performed.
Since three R-, G-, and B-images are recorded on one liquid crystal recording medium, it is impossible to imagine a color image even if the visualized image is viewed as it is. In this respect,
It is possible to combine the images recorded on the three sides using a prism and see it as a color image.
Since the transmittance characteristic of the liquid crystal recording medium is different for each wavelength of G and B light, the combined image does not accurately represent the recorded state.

When a color image is recorded by the recording system of the present invention, an image recorded on a liquid crystal recording medium by a dedicated image reading device is converted into an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion element of the transmittance or the reflectance, and the image is displayed on three sides. A good image can be obtained by synthesizing the recorded image data. However, a small image recording apparatus (camera) used in the image recording system of the present invention can be carried relatively easily and used for outdoor shooting, etc. It is not suitable for carrying around. Further, the image recording system of the present invention is characterized in that after recording an image, a visible image can be instantly obtained without any developing process, but it is possible to confirm a color image in outdoor photography without an image reading device. This is not possible on the spot, and there is a problem that the characteristics of the recording system of the present invention cannot be utilized.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus having an image reading function, which is excellent in portability and can immediately confirm an image without going through a developing process. To aim.

[0009]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a liquid crystal recording medium in which an optical sensor having a photoconductive layer laminated on an electrode and a polymer dispersion type liquid crystal recording layer having a liquid crystal dispersed and fixed in a resin are laminated on the electrode. In which the image recording devices are arranged to face each other with a gap therebetween, or are laminated directly or with a dielectric layer interposed therebetween, and image exposure is performed by applying a voltage between both electrodes. And an image reading unit including an image forming optical system for forming image light on the photoelectric conversion element.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the image recording apparatus itself is provided with an image reading system for illuminating a recording medium and reading the transmitted light or the reflected light thereof, and further, it is possible to display the image on a monitor such as a liquid crystal. Even if the image is taken outdoors, it is possible to immediately confirm the recorded image.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an image recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 shows the image recording method of the present invention. The figure shows color image recording of a system in which the optical sensor 10 and the liquid crystal recording medium 20 are opposed to each other with an air gap provided by a spacer 31. The recording device includes a lens 40 for forming image light on an optical sensor surface, a prism 50 for separating the image light into R, G, B3 surfaces, and an optical sensor 1.
0 and a power supply 30 for applying a voltage between both electrodes of the liquid crystal recording medium 20. An image is recorded on the liquid crystal recording medium by exposing the photosensor to an image for a certain time by this recording device and applying a voltage between both electrodes for an appropriate time. When recording a monochrome image, naturally a prism that is divided into three surfaces is not necessary. Even when an integrated liquid crystal recording medium in which an optical sensor and a liquid crystal recording medium are laminated is used, recording can be performed in exactly the same manner.

Next, the reading function of the recorded image will be described. As a reading method, there are a case of reading transmitted light and a case of reading reflected light. Since there is an exposure optical system when reading transmitted light, it is necessary to change the medium installation place from the time of image recording. It is possible to read the light by passing the read light through the optical sensor without changing the location of the medium when recording the image, but it is not preferable because the transmittance characteristic of the optical sensor affects the reading. When reading the reflected light, it is possible to read it as it is without changing the medium installation location. It is desirable to read the medium at the same place as when recording, because the size of the entire recording apparatus can be reduced. In both the transmissive type and the reflective type, a method of moving the medium and a method of moving the reading system (light source, imaging lens, photoelectric conversion element) can be considered. As the photoelectric conversion element, there is a method using a CCD line sensor, a CCD area sensor, and a photodiode. Since there are advantages and disadvantages depending on the form of the photoelectric conversion element used, it is necessary to select it according to the purpose.

Next, the image reading method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 shows a method of reading transmitted light using a photodiode. In the figure, after recording, the liquid crystal recording medium 20 is separated from the optical sensor, the reading light from the light source 60 is applied to the liquid crystal recording medium 20, and the transmitted light is imaged on the sensor 80 by the optical system 70 to form only the liquid crystal recording medium. Although the method for reading the transmitted light is described, it can be read even in the state of facing the optical sensor, and the same can be read for the integrated medium in which the optical sensor and the liquid crystal recording medium are laminated. Since a photodiode is used as the sensor 80 in FIG. 6, when reading the entire recording area, the liquid crystal recording medium 20 is moved two-dimensionally as shown by the arrow in FIG. Figure 6
As indicated by the arrow in (b), the reading system including the light source 60, the optical system 70, and the sensor 80 is moved to perform reading.

The method using a photodiode is a CCD
Although the reading time is longer than that when using a line sensor, the optical system of the reading system can be made small, and since the reading is performed by one element, streak noise due to uneven sensitivity of the sensor that occurs when a CCD line sensor is used is generated. It is unlikely to occur and a good image can be obtained. A halogen lamp, a blue light emitting diode (LED), or the like can be used as the light source 60, but it is preferable to use the LED in consideration of heat generated and power consumption. When the display for displaying the read image is not so large and the number of pixels is not so large, the method using the photodiode is preferable because the reading time does not become so long. For a purpose of observing a read image in detail, a method of reading transmitted light with a CCD line sensor is desirable because the display for display is relatively large and the number of pixels is large.

FIG. 7 shows a method of reading using a CCD line sensor. As in the case of using a photodiode, a method of moving a recording medium and a method of moving a reading system are possible. FIG. 7A shows a method of moving the recording medium. Since the line sensor 90 is used, it is necessary to uniformly illuminate the entire recording area of the image recorded on the liquid crystal recording medium 20. As 60, it is desirable to use a halogen lamp that can illuminate a wide area. It is also possible to use a plurality of blue LED lamps arranged in the direction of the line sensor 90. Since it is necessary to illuminate a relatively wide range as uniformly as possible, the focal length of the imaging lens 70 becomes long. Therefore, by appropriately bending the optical path using the reflection mirror 71 as shown in the figure,
Make the optical system smaller. FIG. 7B shows a reading method by moving the reading system including the light source 60, the reflection mirror 71, the imaging lens 70, and the line sensor 90.

In this embodiment, if the optical system is made small, the entire liquid crystal recording medium 20 (line sensor direction).
Since it is difficult to uniformly illuminate, it is desirable to use a diffusion plate or a film for density correction in the illumination optical system. It is necessary to irradiate only the light of an appropriate wavelength with a filter as illumination light, and it is preferable to use blue light of 400 to 500 nm in consideration of the characteristics of the liquid crystal recording medium. Since the contrast ratio of light and darkness of the liquid crystal recording medium is not so large with respect to blue light, the illumination light does not need to be radiated so uniformly, and it is illuminated with the uniform density plate as a reference with the liquid crystal recording medium removed. It can also be used by correcting unevenness. It is also possible to uniformly irradiate the entire R, G, B screens recorded on the liquid crystal recording medium and read each R, G, B screen at a time by using the CCD area sensor. It is possible to read with the same number of pixels on the display and convert the data as it is for display. The mechanism for moving the sensor is simplified and the reading time can be shortened.

Next, the reflection reading method will be described. FIG. 8 shows a form of the medium capable of being read by reflection. Figure 8
(A) shows a reading method of an integrated recording medium in which a photoconductive layer 13, a dielectric mirror layer 25, and a liquid crystal recording layer 23 are sequentially stacked. That is, the reading light from the light source 60 is reflected by the dielectric mirror 25, and the imaging lens 70 forms an image on the sensor 80 to read it. In this case, the dielectric mirror 2
In contrast to 5, the optical system for image exposure is on the optical sensor side, and the optical system for reading is on the liquid crystal recording layer side. It is possible to read in the state of. Of course, it is also possible to automatically or manually move the installation location of the medium after image recording to read the image.

The present inventor has already proposed a method of controlling the voltage application time by measuring the reflected light of the liquid crystal recording medium. However, in the image recording apparatus equipped with such an image reading mechanism, It is also possible to have a function of controlling the voltage application time. The voltage application time is controlled by monitoring the reflected light of the unexposed portion and measuring the alignment state (transmittance) of the liquid crystal layer, but the monitor mechanism can also be used as an image reading mechanism. Uses a value read by the image reading mechanism and controls so that the voltage application is stopped when the transmittance of the liquid crystal layer reaches a predetermined value. As another form of the medium capable of reading by reflection, a separation type recording medium as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C is also possible. FIG. 8B shows a dielectric mirror layer 25 formed on the electrode 22 and a liquid crystal recording layer laminated on the dielectric mirror layer 25. FIG. 8C shows, for example, the electrode 22 formed of Al and the electrode itself. Is used as a mirror layer. In both cases, reading light is irradiated from the liquid crystal recording layer side and reflected by the mirror layer to perform reading. As described above, since image recording is performed in a state where the optical sensor and the liquid crystal recording medium are opposed to each other with the air layer interposed therebetween, the reflection mirror layer is formed on the support or the electrode of the liquid crystal recording medium. It can also serve as a mirror layer by using an electrode layer such as an Al vapor deposition film.

FIG. 9 shows a method of using a separation type recording medium and reading it as it is at the time of recording without separating it from the optical sensor. FIG. 9A shows a reflective mirror layer 25 formed on a liquid crystal layer. After recording, the light source 60 emits reading light from the liquid crystal layer side, and the reflected light from the reflective mirror layer 25 is reflected by the imaging lens 70. Then, the image is formed on the sensor 80 and read. Further, FIG. 9B shows an electrode 22 of the liquid crystal recording medium 20.
Is formed of Al, and the electrode itself is used as a mirror layer. The reading light is irradiated from the optical sensor side, and the reflected light from the electrode 22 is read by the sensor 80. As described above, as a reading method, other than the method of irradiating the illumination light at an appropriate incident angle and reading the reflected light, a method of irradiating the illumination light vertically and directing the reflected light to the sensor side with a semi-reflecting mirror is possible. Is. When a semi-reflective mirror is used, the amount of light is reduced. Therefore, when there is a sufficient amount of light, the resolution is excellent because of vertical incidence, but when the resolution is not so required, the former method is preferred.

FIG. 10 shows the case of reading the R, G, B three-sided image, FIG. 10 (a) shows the case of moving the recording medium, and FIG. 10 (b) shows the case of moving the reading system.
FIG. 11 shows a case where the image recorded on the integrated recording medium is read by the CCD line sensor.
A halogen lamp that can illuminate a wide area is used as the light source for reading with a CCD line sensor. Of course, it is also possible to use a plurality of blue LED lamps arranged side by side in the direction of the line sensor 90. FIG. 11A shows a case where the reading system is moved. The recording medium is illuminated from the light source 60 through the semi-reflective mirror 71, and the reflected light from the dielectric mirror layer 25 is passed through the reflective mirror 71 and the imaging lens 70. It is read by the CCD line sensor 90. FIG. 11B shows the case where the recording medium is moved, and the image is read in the same manner. Even in the case of the integrated recording medium, when the dielectric mirror layer is not formed, it is possible to read by the transmitted light as described in FIG.

Next, an image recording method and a reading method will be described with reference to FIG. 12 by taking an integrated recording medium in which a photoconductive layer and a liquid crystal recording layer are laminated as an example. In FIG. 12A, the image recording device includes an image recording portion and an image reading portion, and includes a display (not shown) for displaying the read image. The image recording part is
An optical system (lens 40, for exposing an image on the photoconductive layer).
It is composed of a three-color separation prism 50), a power supply 30 for applying a voltage, an optical shutter 41, and a control device (not shown) for controlling the power supply. The image reading unit includes a light source 60, an imaging lens 70, a sensor 80, and a drive mechanism (not shown). Medium support 11
A mask 1 for blocking a part of the photoconductive layer 13 is provided on the top.
5 is formed.

The image reading section measures the reflected light of the liquid crystal recording layer corresponding to the portion (unexposed portion) where the mask 15 is formed during image recording. The image reading unit
Since the transmittance of the unexposed portion of the liquid crystal medium is measured, image exposure and voltage application are performed, and the liquid crystal medium in the unexposed portion starts alignment, and voltage application is stopped when the reflected light amount reaches a specified value. By doing so, it is possible to record a good image having a large contrast between the bright portion and the dark portion. The state at this time is shown in FIG. 12B, in which an image is recorded on the RGB3 surface, and the liquid crystal is aligned in a state where the portion M corresponding to the portion where the mask is formed corresponds to the transmittance of the unexposed portion. is doing.

As shown in the figure, the image recording apparatus is provided with a reference reflection plate 16 for measuring the density of illumination light.
The reflectance of the reference reflection plate 16 is adjusted to be equal to that of the dielectric mirror layer of the recording medium. When a part of the liquid crystal recording layer is completely oriented or the liquid crystal recording layer is not formed, the reflected light of this part is measured to measure the intensity of the illumination light and It can be used as a substitute. Before reading an image, it is possible to measure the light reflected from the reference reflection plate, measure the illumination unevenness and the intensity to correct it, and estimate the value of the bright part of the liquid crystal recording layer from the value at this time. Since the reflected light density of the portion corresponding to the unexposed portion is measured at the time of image recording, the entire image reading portion can be read by moving the image reading portion as shown in the figure.

It is necessary to correct the density (gradation) of the read image data by the method shown in FIG. The horizontal axis of FIG. 13 indicates the gradation (0 to 25) of the read image density (light amount).
5), the vertical axis represents the corrected gradation, the maximum density (Dmax) of the read image is obtained from the measurement of the reference reflector portion, and the minimum density (Dmin) is obtained from the value of the dark portion measurement portion. Gradation correction is performed by linearly converting as shown in the figure.

When displaying on a display, it is necessary to perform data conversion according to the gamma characteristic of the display.

In the case of the recording apparatus as shown in the figure, the composition of the images recorded on the three sides is such that the image light image forming surface and the image recording layer are at substantially the same position, so the recording medium is removed from the recording apparatus. In this state, an appropriate image is formed on the recording surface, and the image is read to measure the positional relationship between the three surfaces in advance.
Images can be combined based on this information. When the image forming system and the reading system are integrally installed in the recording apparatus, the information acquisition for the alignment may be performed once. If the reading system reads the transmitted light or has a structure in which the recording medium is moved to read the image after image recording, the measurement system for dark area measurement described above is installed separately from the reading system. , It is necessary to use another method to collect information for alignment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention. The recording apparatus includes an image recording unit 101, a reading unit 102, a driving unit 103, a gradation converting unit 104, and a monitor 105. The driving unit 103 drives and scans the image recording unit 101 or the reading unit 102 to read a recorded image. To be The read image is the gradation conversion unit 104.
The gradation is corrected by and is displayed on the monitor 105.

As described above, it is necessary to select the reading method depending on the shape of the medium, the number of images on the display device, the purpose, and the application. As the image display device, a liquid crystal display of about 1 to 5 inches, A flat type display such as a plasma display is desirable because it is easy to carry. Further, in the above description, the case where the reading system is formed integrally with the image recording apparatus has been shown, but it is not always necessary to make it an integrated type, and the medium recorded by the recording apparatus is set and read, and only the display function is provided. You may make it an apparatus which has. Also in this case, in order to improve portability, it is necessary to make the optical system as small as possible and reduce the power consumption of the light source.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing the image recording apparatus with the reading function and the image display function, the image recording apparatus is excellent in portability and the recorded image can be immediately confirmed without development. Is possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure of a liquid crystal recording medium.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a liquid crystal recording medium.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an image recording method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an image reading method.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a color image recording method.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an image reading method of a separation type liquid crystal recording medium using a photodiode.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an image reading method of a separation type liquid crystal recording medium using a CCD line sensor.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating reflective reading.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an image reading method of the separation type liquid crystal recording medium as it is at the time of recording.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method of reading R, G, and B images.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an image reading method of a CCD line sensor of an integrated liquid crystal recording medium.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating image recording and reading.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating gradation conversion.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a recording apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 10 ... Photosensor, 11 ... Substrate, 12 ... Electrode, 13 ... Photoconductive layer, 15 ... Mask, 16 ... Reference reflector, 20 ... Liquid crystal recording medium, 22 ... Electrode, 23 ... Liquid crystal layer, 24 ... Intermediate layer, 2
5 ... Dielectric mirror layer, 30 ... Power supply, 40 ... Lens, 50
... 3-color separation prism, 60 ... Light source, 70 ... Lens, 80
... sensor, 90 ... CCD line sensor.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical sensor in which a photoconductive layer is laminated on an electrode and a liquid crystal recording medium in which a polymer dispersed liquid crystal recording layer in which liquid crystal is dispersed and fixed in a resin is laminated on an electrode are arranged to face each other with a gap. Alternatively, in an apparatus for recording an image by directly or laminating via a dielectric layer, imagewise exposing and applying a voltage between both electrodes, the image recording apparatus photoelectrically emits a light emitting element for illuminating a recording medium and image light. An image recording apparatus having an image reading function, comprising an image reading unit composed of an image forming optical system for forming an image on a conversion element. 2. The image recording apparatus having an image reading function according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor including a flat display for displaying the read image information. 3. The image recording apparatus having an image reading function according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element for illumination is a blue LED or a halogen lamp. 4. The image recording apparatus having an image reading function according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal recording medium or the image reading means is driven and scanned to read an image. 5. The image recording apparatus having an image reading function according to claim 1, further comprising means for converting the gradation of the read image data.