JPH1120984A - Conveying guide - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the conveying guide with both a loop and a width functions and miniaturize the device by reduction of the pass length by composing the conveying guide with a first guide, a second guide, a first loop guide and a second loop guide for guiding sensitive materials toward a specific direction. SOLUTION: When sensitive materials A are not being conveyed, a first and a second loop guides 44, 46 are both closed. A first and a second guides 40, 42 move correspondingly to the size of the sensitive materials A so that the distance between edge guides 54, 58 may be of a specific distance and the first and second loop guides 44, 46 interlink with them. When sensitive materials A are conveyed from a pair of rollers arranged on the upper stream of a conveying guide 10, they are brought in between the first and second guides 40, 42 and the first and second loop guides 44, 46, guided by a guide plate, side register with edge guides 54, 58 at a center normal, and conveyed by being sandwiched between a pair of convey rollers 48 inside the conveying guide 10 and then between a pair of conveying rollers in the lower stream.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention belongs to the technical field of a sheet material conveyance guide used for an image recording apparatus for recording a latent image by exposing a photosensitive material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, an image photographed on a photographic film (hereinafter, referred to as a film) such as a negative film or a reversal film is printed on a photosensitive material such as photographic paper by projecting light of the film onto the photosensitive material. The exposure is performed by so-called direct (analog) exposure in which the photosensitive material is surface-exposed with the projection light.

In recent years, a printing apparatus using digital exposure, that is, an image recorded on a film is photoelectrically read, and the read image is converted into a digital signal.
Various types of image processing are performed to produce image data for recording. A photosensitive material is scanned and exposed with recording light modulated according to the image data to record an image (latent image), and subjected to development processing to print (photograph). Digital photo printers that output images as such have been put to practical use. According to this digital photo printer, images reproduced on a print are subjected to various processing that cannot be performed by a normal direct exposure printer, such as sharpness (sharpening) processing, partial image correction, and synthesis of a plurality of images and character synthesis. Image processing can be performed. In addition, an image (image data) to be reproduced for printing is supplied as an image file to a computer or various image devices, or
It is also possible to receive an image file from these and reproduce the image.

In an image recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a recording apparatus) for recording a latent image on a photosensitive material such as a printing apparatus of a photo printer, a predetermined portion of an image photographed on a film is reproduced as a print. In order to create a print in which a predetermined image is properly recorded in a positional sense, it is necessary to accurately convey the photosensitive material to a predetermined position during exposure. In addition, in order to make full use of the capabilities of the recording device and efficiently produce prints, it is necessary to transport the photosensitive material between the components of the recording device such as the photosensitive material supply unit, the exposure unit, and the back print recording unit. It is necessary to transport the photosensitive material accurately and smoothly without causing (jamming). For this reason, a conveyance guide is arranged at a key point on the conveyance path of the photosensitive material of the recording apparatus in order to realize proper and smooth conveyance of the photosensitive material.

[0005]

Generally, such a conveyance guide has a guide surface which guides the photosensitive material in contact with the photosensitive material surface and a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (hereinafter, the width direction of the photosensitive material). An edge (width) guide that guides the photosensitive material by regulating the width of the photosensitive material in the width direction, that is, the position of the edge end surface of the photosensitive material, by contacting the edge surface of the photosensitive material. For example, the photosensitive material is sandwiched between two transport guides in the width direction to realize smooth and accurate transport of the photosensitive material. In particular, since the position of the edge end face affects the positional accuracy of the photosensitive material at the exposure position or the like, a high accuracy is required, and the recording apparatus generally corresponds to photosensitive materials having a plurality of widths. It is necessary to be able to adjust according to the width of the photosensitive material, and the transport guide is required to suitably satisfy both requirements.

In a recording apparatus, the length of a conveying path of a photosensitive material (so-called path length) greatly affects the size of the entire apparatus. However, the path length between each component is set to allow each component to operate independently and accurately without causing any load fluctuation or the like in the conveyance of the photosensitive material by reliably separating each component. ,fundamentally,
It is necessary to take longer than the corresponding maximum size photosensitive material of the recording apparatus (so-called buffer is necessary). Therefore, the path length of the photosensitive material in the recording apparatus becomes very long. Eliminate such inconvenience,
As a method of reducing the size of the apparatus by shortening the interval between each component, i.e., shortening the linear path length, and eliminating the influence on the operation of each component by reliably separating each component, a method is used in the middle of the transport path. Forming a loop (flexure) of a photosensitive material has been performed.

[0007] Since a loop of the photosensitive material cannot be formed by the above-described transport guide, a loop guide is disposed as a transport guide in the loop forming portion.
The loop guide must be able to accurately guide the photosensitive material to the downstream transport means during linear transport of the photosensitive material at the leading edge of the photosensitive material or small-sized photosensitive material that does not form a loop. Is required. Therefore, the loop guide uses a guide plate, and when the photosensitive material is transported linearly, the photosensitive material is reliably guided to the downstream transport means by sandwiching the photosensitive material between the two guide plates parallel to the photosensitive material surface. When forming a loop, one of the guide plates is retracted by rotation or the like so that a free loop can be formed.

However, with the conventional loop guide, the position of the edge end face cannot be regulated, and the accuracy of conveying the photosensitive material in the loop forming section is reduced. Further, if a width guide is separately incorporated in accordance with the loop guide, the device becomes complicated and the size of the device increases, which is not preferable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel conveyance guide having a simple structure, which has both functions of a loop guide and a width guide, and can easily reduce the size of the apparatus by shortening the path length. It is in.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first guide for abutting one surface of a recording material and guiding the recording material, and a first guide for the recording material. A second guide that is in contact with a surface and guides the recording material, is arranged in parallel with the first guide in a direction perpendicular to the recording material conveyance direction, and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction; A first loop guide abutting on the opposite surface of the first guide to guide the recording material, disposed at least facing the first guide, and retractable in a direction perpendicular to the surface direction of the recording material; Guiding the recording material by contacting the same surface of the recording material as the first loop guide. The recording material is arranged side by side with the first loop guide in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveyance direction, and orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Direction, and A second loop guide that is retractable in a direction perpendicular to the surface direction of the material, and guides the recording material by contacting one end surface of the recording material provided on the second guide and / or the second loop guide. An engaging means for engaging the edge guide, the second guide and the second loop guide and interlocking them in a direction perpendicular to the recording material transport direction; and a size in a direction perpendicular to the recording material transport direction. Accordingly, there is provided a transport guide characterized by having a moving means for moving the second guide or the second loop guide in the orthogonal direction.

Further, the first guide and / or the first guide
It is preferable that the loop guide has a reverse edge guide that guides the recording material by contacting the recording material adjustment guide and the reverse end surface.

Further, the first guide and the first loop guide are movable in an interlocking manner in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveying direction.
Alternatively, it is preferable to have a moving means for moving the first loop guide in the orthogonal direction.

[0013] Further, the engaging means comprises a convex portion formed on one of the second guide and the second loop guide, and an engaging portion with the convex portion formed on the other. It is preferable that the projection also serves as the edge guide.

Further, the first loop guide and the second loop guide are divided into two parts in the recording material transport direction, and only the upstream side in the transport direction is perpendicular to the surface direction of the recording material. It is preferable to be able to retract.

Further, the first loop guide and the second loop guide
It is preferable that the retraction of the loop guide in a direction perpendicular to the surface direction of the recording material is performed by rotation of a conveyance roller for conveying the recording material about a rotation axis.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a transport guide according to the present invention will be described in detail based on a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram of an image recording apparatus using an example of the transport guide of the present invention. The illustrated image recording apparatus 12 (hereinafter, referred to as a recording apparatus 12) using the transport guide 10 of the present invention is used as a printing apparatus of the above-described digital photo printer, and includes a photosensitive material supply unit 14 (hereinafter, referred to as a recording apparatus). , Supply unit 14), a printer 16 for recording a back print, a recording unit 18 for exposing (printing) the photosensitive material A at the exposure position X to record a latent image, and a distribution unit 20. . Such a recording device 12 supplies the photosensitive material A cut into a predetermined length corresponding to the print to be made into a cut sheet from the supply unit 14, records the back print by the printer 16, and performs digital exposure in the recording unit 18. The latent image is recorded on the photosensitive material A by using the developing device 1.
1, the transport guide 10 of the present invention is disposed between the printer 16 and the recording unit 18.

Although not shown in the drawings to simplify the drawing and clarify the structure of the present invention, the recording device 12 includes a conveying roller pair for conveying the photosensitive material A to each part. Various members, such as a unit, a conveyance guide for the photosensitive material A, various sensors, and the like, which are arranged in a normal recording apparatus, are arranged as necessary.

The transport guide according to the present invention is not limited to a recording apparatus that performs exposure after forming such a photosensitive material into a cut sheet, but also performs exposure and the like on a long photosensitive material and finally cuts and prints. The present invention is also applicable to a recording apparatus of direct (analog) exposure which exposes a photosensitive material by projection light of a film or the like, instead of digital exposure. Further, the transport guide of the present invention can be suitably used for transporting not only photosensitive materials, but also various recording materials such as heat-sensitive recording materials and transfer-receiving materials such as plain paper used for electrophotographic image recording. . Above all, it is required to support a wide range of sizes from small E size to A4 size, etc. In addition, since extremely high precision is required for scanning and transporting the photosensitive material A at the time of exposure, recording of a back print and recording unit are required. In view of the necessity of reliably measuring the separation from the recording material 18 (recording position), a digital exposure photographic printing apparatus, particularly a recording apparatus 10 for exposing after forming the photosensitive material A into a cut sheet as shown in the drawing. Is more preferably used.

In the recording apparatus 12, the supply section 14 includes loading sections 22 and 24 and pull-out roller pairs 26 and 2
8 and cutters 30 and 32. The loading portions 22 and 24 are portions for loading a magazine 34 in which a long photosensitive material A wound in a roll shape with the recording surface (emulsion surface) outside is housed in a light-shielding housing. Both loading sections usually have a size (width), face type (silk or mat),
A magazine 34 containing photosensitive materials A of different types such as specifications (thickness, type of base, etc.) is loaded.

The supply section 14 pulls out the corresponding photosensitive material A from the magazine 34 by the pair of draw-out rollers 26 and 28, and transports the photosensitive material A to the printer 16 downstream (hereinafter referred to as downstream) in the transport direction of the photosensitive material A. . This conveyance stops when the photosensitive material A conveyed downstream from the cutters 30 and 32 has a length corresponding to the print to be made, and then the cutters 30 and 32 operate to cut the photosensitive material A. Then, a cut sheet having a predetermined length is obtained.

The printer 16 has a photographing date, print printing date, frame number,
Film ID number (code), I of camera used for shooting
A part for recording various information such as a D number and a photo printer ID number, so-called back print (back print), and is, for example, a dot impact printer, a thermal transfer printer, an ink jet printer, or the like. In particular, an ink jet printer using a water-insoluble, heat-meltable ink that is solid at room temperature is preferably exemplified. In the illustrated example, the photosensitive material A cut to a predetermined length is a guide 16 serving also as a platen.
The back print is recorded by the printer 16 while being guided to a.

Next, a latent image is formed on the photosensitive material A on which the back print has been recorded by the printer 16 in the recording unit 18. Here, the transport guide 10 of the present invention is disposed between the printer 16 and the recording unit 18. The transport guide 10 of the present invention guides the photosensitive material A downstream and, if necessary, forms a loop (flexure) of the photosensitive material with a loop guide (hereinafter, width) perpendicular to the transport direction of the photosensitive material A. Direction), and also has a function of an edge (width) guide for regulating the position of the photosensitive material A in the width direction. In addition, the transport guide 10
A pair of transport rollers 36 is disposed upstream and a pair of transport rollers 38 is disposed downstream.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the transport guide 10 of the present invention. Note that FIG. 2A is a front view (loop forming side),
FIG. 2B is a side view (viewed from the arrow b in FIG. 2A), and the conveying direction of the photosensitive material A is indicated by an arrow y in the figure. FIGS. 1 and 2B are both views seen from the same direction. As will be described later, the loop of the photosensitive material A is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. In (a), it is formed in the front side of the paper.

The transport guide 10 basically has four guide plates for guiding the photosensitive material in a predetermined direction by contacting the photosensitive material surface to regulate the transport direction, that is, the first guide plate.
It comprises a guide 40 (see FIG. 3), a second guide 42, a first loop guide 44, and a second loop guide 46. The first guide 40 and the second guide 42, the first loop guide 44 and the second The photosensitive material A is guided so as to be sandwiched between the two loop guides 46. Hereinafter, these guides may be collectively referred to as a guide plate. The first loop guide 44 includes an upstream rotation guide 44a and a downstream fixed guide 44b, and the second loop guide 46 includes
The upstream rotation guide 46a and the downstream fixed guide 4
6b.

According to the width of the photosensitive material A, the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 are arranged in the width direction (FIG. 2).
By moving in the direction (a) in the direction of the arrow x and in the direction (b) in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing), moving means (not shown) for bringing the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 into and out of engagement with each other are engaged. That is, the transport guide 10 in the illustrated example is an edge guide that regulates the position (edge end face) in the width direction of the photosensitive material A, and the center in the width direction of the photosensitive material A is a predetermined position. Position control, that is, take the side resist.

There is no particular limitation on the moving means, and all known means for moving a plate-like object such as rack and pinion, screw transmission, winding transmission, movement using a link mechanism, movement using a cam, etc. can be used. In addition, the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 may be moved by one moving means or by independent moving means. That is, it is appropriately selected according to the size range of the photosensitive material A to be processed. The moving means includes the first guide 40 and the second guide 4
2, instead of engaging with the first loop guide 44 or the second loop guide 46.

Further, in the transport path of the transport guide 10, a transport roller pair 4 composed of transport rollers 48a and 48b shown by a two-dot chain line for transporting the photosensitive material A is shown.
8 are arranged. As shown, the transport rollers 4
8a is disposed on the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 side, and the transport roller 48b is disposed on the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46 side, and both are divided rollers divided into two in the width direction. .

The first guide 40 is a guide plate that guides the photosensitive material A by contacting the back surface of the photosensitive material A to regulate the transport path. The first guide 40 includes a member 50
As shown in FIG. 2B, the transfer roller 48a is movably held in the width direction by the rotating shaft of the transport roller 48a. The first guide 50 is supported by a known means such as a guide rail so as not to move unnecessarily except for the movement in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the first guide 40 has a rectangular notch 52 for inserting the transport roller 48a.
Are formed. Further, the vicinity of the upstream end of the first guide 40 is inclined so as to be separated from the first loop guide 44 toward the upstream side, so that the photosensitive material A can be smoothly and reliably inserted between the guide plates. Insertion is possible.

The first guide 40 is provided at the left end in the figure, that is, on the left side in the width direction toward the recording surface of the photosensitive material A (hereinafter, unless otherwise noted, this is the left side, and the opposite is the right side). An edge guide 54 extending in the transport direction (reverse end) is provided, which abuts against the end surface of the photosensitive material A to regulate and guide the transport direction to take the side resist. This edge guide 54
The member also serves as a member for maintaining a predetermined distance from the first loop guide 44, that is, a distance between the guide plates when a non-loop is formed. The distance between the guide plates is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately determined according to the thickness of the photosensitive material A (conveyed material). Further, the edge guide 54 forms a part of an engaging means for engaging the first guide 40 and the first loop guide 44 to interlock in the width direction. The projections 54a and 54b protrude to the side. The upstream convex portion 54a engages with the rotation guide 44a of the first loop guide 44, and the downstream convex portion 54b engages with the fixed guide 44b, thereby connecting the first guide 40 and the first loop guide 44. Engage.

The second guide 42 is a guide plate provided on the right side of the first guide 40 and guides the photosensitive material A by contacting the back surface together with the first guide 40. As shown in FIG. 2B, the second guide 42 is held by a member 60 on a rotating shaft of the transport roller 48a so as to be movable in the width direction. The second guide 42 is supported by a known means such as a guide rail so as not to move unnecessarily except for the movement in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second guide 42 is formed with a rectangular notch 56 into which the right roller of the transport roller 48a is inserted together with the notch 52. The second guide 42 is provided on the right side with the edge guide 5 described above.
4 has an edge guide 58 extending in the transport direction, which is in contact with the end surface of the photosensitive material A on the opposite side to take a side resist. As described above, the first guide 40 and the second guide 4
2 is engaged with a moving means (not shown) for moving it in the width direction, and is held on the rotating shaft of the transport roller 48 so as to be movable in the width direction. In the transport guide 10, the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 are brought into contact with and separated from each other in accordance with the width (size) of the photosensitive material A to adjust the interval between the edge guide 54 and the edge guide 58, and the side resist is removed based on the center. .

Like the edge guide 54 described above, the edge guide 58 also has a member for maintaining the interval between the guide plates, and engages the second guide 42 and the second loop guide 46 to interlock in the width direction. And a part of the engaging means, which protrudes toward the second loop guide 46 and is
8a and a projection 58b. Upstream convex part 58
a is engaged with the rotation guide 46a of the second loop guide 46, and the downstream projection 58b is engaged with the fixed guide 46b, so that the second guide 42 and the second loop guide 46 are engaged.
And engage.

Further, similarly to the first guide 40, the vicinity of the end on the upstream side of the second guide is also inclined so as to be separated from the second loop guide 46 toward the upstream side. The photosensitive material A can be inserted smoothly and reliably. In addition, the vicinity of the upstream end of the edge guide 58 is also formed so as to gradually extend outward in the width direction toward the upstream side.
This makes it possible to smoothly and reliably insert the photosensitive material A into the gap between the photosensitive material A and the side resist. The edge guide 54 may have the same configuration.

The first loop guide 44 is a guide plate which comes into contact with the recording surface of the photosensitive material A, regulates the transport path and guides the photosensitive material A, and is arranged facing the first guide 40. As described above, the first loop guide 44 is divided into the upstream rotation guide 44a and the downstream fixed guide 44b. The rotation guide 44a is rotatably supported by the rotation shaft of the transport roller 48b near the end on the downstream side by bearings 62, 62, and is guided by the rotation shaft to be movable in the width direction. ing. Note that the pivot needs to be large enough to easily rotate the loop of the photosensitive material A when the loop guide 44a is pressed.

When no loop is formed, the rotation guide 44a rotates toward the first guide 40 by gravity, for example, and abuts the left end on the edge guide 54 (hereinafter, this state is closed). ), And a predetermined interval is maintained between the first guide 40 and the rotation guide 44a. On the other hand, the fixed guide 44b has the left end portion thereof as the first guide 4
The first guide 4 is brought into contact with the edge guide 54 of the first guide 4 by a well-known means.
It is held at 0.

Here, the upstream guide 54a of the edge guide 54 of the first guide 40 is provided on the rotation guide 44a.
An engagement hole 66 with which the projection 54a engages is formed, and the projection 54a is loosely fitted and engaged with the engagement hole 66 when closed. An engagement hole 70 is formed in the fixed guide 44b so as to correspond to the projection 54b on the downstream side of the edge guide 54. The engagement hole 70 engages with the projection 54b.
Both are engaged. That is, these engagement holes together with the edge guide 54 constitute an engagement means. Further, as described above, the rotation guide 44a is held movably in the width direction by the rotation shaft of the transport roller 48b by the bearing 62, and the fixed guide 46b is held by the second guide 42.
Therefore, the first loop guide 44 moves in conjunction with the first guide 40 by the movement of the first guide 40 in the width direction according to the size of the photosensitive material A described above, and moves in accordance with the size of the photosensitive material A. The position in the width direction is adjusted.

A transport roller 48b is provided on the rotation guide 44a.
Is formed. In addition, the vicinity of the upstream end of the rotation guide 44a is inclined so as to be separated from the first guide 40 toward the upstream, so that the photosensitive material A can be smoothly and reliably inserted between the guide plates. Making it possible. Further, the rotation guide 44a moves to the fixed guide 4
If necessary, the vicinity of the upstream end of the fixed guide 44b may be similarly inclined in order to smoothly and reliably transport the photosensitive material A to the fixed guide 44b. In the illustrated example,
Since one bearing 62 of the rotation guide 44a is disposed between the transport rollers 48b, 48b, the transport rollers 48b, 48
The interval b needs to be an interval that does not hinder the movement of the first guide 40 and the first loop guide 44 in the width direction according to the maximum size of the photosensitive material A.

The second loop guide 46 is a guide plate which is arranged side by side on the right side in the width direction of the first loop guide 44, and guides the photosensitive material A together with the first loop guide 40 by contacting the recording surface. Therefore, the second loop guide 46 faces the second guide 42. As described above, the second loop guide 46
Is divided into an upstream rotating guide 46a and a downstream fixed guide 46b.

The rotation guide 46a is held near the downstream end by a bearing 72 on a rotating shaft of the transport roller 48b, and is rotatable about the rotating shaft, and is guided by the rotating shaft to have a width. It is movable in the direction. As in the case of the rotation guide 44a, the bearing by the bearing 72 is such that the rotation guide 46a can be easily rotated by the loop of the photosensitive material A. The rotation guide 46a has an engagement hole 74 with which the projection 58a is engaged, corresponding to the upstream projection 58a of the edge guide 58 of the second guide 42. Is closed similarly to the rotation guide 44a when no loop is formed, and the projection 5
8 is loosely fitted into the engagement hole 74 and abuts on the edge guide 58, so that the second guide 42 and the rotation guide 46a are maintained at a predetermined interval. That is, the engaging hole 74 forms an engaging means together with the edge guide 58.

On the other hand, the fixed guide 46b has an engaging hole 76 corresponding to the convex portion 58b on the downstream side of the edge guide 58 so as to be engaged therewith. That is, the engagement hole 76 also forms an engagement means together with the edge guide 58.
The fixed guide 46b fits the projection 58b into the engagement hole 76 and abuts on the edge guide 58.
And is held by the second guide 42 by a known method.

Here, as described above, the rotation guide 46a
Is held movably in the width direction by the rotation shaft of the transport roller 48b, and the fixed guide 46b is held by the second guide 42. Therefore, the rotation guide 46a and the fixed guide 4
The second loop guide 46 composed of the photosensitive material A moves in conjunction with the second guide 42 by the movement of the second guide 42 in the width direction according to the size of the photosensitive material A described above.
The position in the width direction is adjusted according to the size of the.

A transport roller 48b is provided on the rotation guide 46a.
A rectangular notch 78 into which the right-hand roller is inserted is formed. In the same manner as the rotation guide 44a, the vicinity of the upstream end of the rotation guide 46a is inclined so as to be separated from the second guide 42 toward the upstream side, and the photosensitive material is provided between the guide plates. A can be inserted smoothly and securely. Further, similarly to the fixed guide 44b, the photosensitive material A
If necessary, the vicinity of the upstream end of the fixed guide 46b may be similarly inclined in order to ensure smooth and reliable conveyance.

In the illustrated example, the edge guide 40
Has a configuration in which the first loop guide 44 and the first guide 40 are engaged with each other, and the edge guide 58 also serves as an engagement between the second loop guide 46 and the second guide 42. The present invention is not limited to this, and the engaging means and the edge guide may be separate members. Also, the engagement means is not limited to such a convex portion and an engagement hole, and various known methods such as a method of engaging the both by a hook, a method of using a pin for engagement, and the like can be used. It is.

In the transport guide 10, when the photosensitive material A is not transported, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46 (the rotation guide thereof). Are closed together. Further, the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 are moved so that the interval between the edge guide 54 and the edge guide 58 becomes a predetermined interval according to the size of the photosensitive material A. The second loop guide 46 is also linked to this.

When the photosensitive material A is transported from the transport roller pair 36 disposed upstream of the transport guide 10, the photosensitive material A
Are carried between the guide plates, that is, between the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 and between the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46, are guided by the guide plates, and are guided by the edge guide 54 and the edge guide 58. Then, the sheet is side-registered on the basis of the center, and then nipped and transported by a pair of transport rollers 48 in the transport guide 10, and further nipped and transported by a pair of transport rollers 38 downstream of the transport guide 10.

Here, the transport speed of the transport roller pairs 48 and 38 is the same as the scanning transport speed in the recording unit 18 described later, and the transport speed of the upstream transport roller pair 36 is set slightly higher than this. I have. The interval between each pair of conveying rollers is smaller than or equal to the minimum size of the photosensitive material A targeted by the recording apparatus 12 in the conveying direction. Therefore, when the photosensitive material A is nipped by the transport roller pair 48, the photosensitive material A starts to bend due to the transport from the transport roller pair 36 and a loop is formed, and the transport difference between the transport roller pair 36 and the transport roller pair 48 is increased. It increases according to.

When the loop of the photosensitive material A becomes larger than the gap between the guide plates, the loop presses the guide. Here, as described above, the rotation guide 44a and the rotation guide 4 of the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46.
6a is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft of the pair of conveying rollers 48, so that when the formed loop presses both the rotating guides, as shown in FIG. Rotate the guide 46a so that it jumps up,
A loop corresponding to the length of the conveying roller pair 36 and the photosensitive material A in the conveying direction is formed, and the conveying roller pair 48 is formed in parallel.
And 38 transported downstream. Therefore, when the length of the photosensitive material A in the transport direction is short, the rotation guide 44
a and the rotation guide 46a may not rotate.

As described above, the transport guide according to the present invention has both functions of an edge guide and a loop guide with a simple configuration.
In addition, since the edge guide can be easily adjusted according to the width of the photosensitive material A, it is possible to realize a recording apparatus having a small and simple configuration in which the path length of the photosensitive material is reduced.

In the illustrated example, the first loop guide 44
Although the second loop guide 46 and the second loop guide 46 are divided in the transport direction, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46 may both be a single plate. By dividing both loop guides in the transport direction as in the illustrated example, it is possible to transport a photosensitive material A of a larger size stably and smoothly.
This is preferable in that there is no need to depend on the length of the width.

The rotation axis of the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46 (rotation guide) is not limited to the rotation axis of the transport roller in the transport guide, and a separate rotation axis may be provided. It should be noted that the transporting means in the transporting guide does not need to be particularly arranged depending on the distance between the transporting means disposed upstream and downstream of the transporting guide of the present invention. Further, the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46 (rotation guide) are urged toward the first guide 40 and the second guide 42 so as to be surely closed when there is no loop of the photosensitive material A. May be. Further, in the illustrated example, the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46 are rotated by rotation.
The (rotation guide) is retractable in a direction perpendicular to the surface direction of the photosensitive material A. In addition, the loop guide pressed by the loop slides in the direction perpendicular to the surface direction. You may make it evacuate.

In the illustrated transport guide 10, the edge guides are arranged on the first guide 40 and the second guide 42, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the edge guides are arranged on the loop guide side. Alternatively, the edge guide may be disposed on both the first guide and the second guide and the loop guide.

The illustrated transport guide 10 includes a first guide 40 and a first loop guide 44 and a second guide 4.
The second and second loop guides are separated from each other and the side resist of the photosensitive material A is removed on the basis of the center.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first guide 40
Is completely fixed, the first loop guide 44 is also fixed in the width direction, and only the second guide 42 and the second loop guide can be moved in the width direction, and the edge guide 54 of the first guide 40 is used as a reference. The side resist may be removed on the basis of what is called an end surface.

In the transport guide of the present invention, the first
When the guide 40 and the first loop guide 44 are fixed in the width direction, it is not always necessary to provide the edge guide 54, and the side resist of the photosensitive material A is removed only by the edge guide 58 on the moving side. Good. The transport guide having this configuration is not intended for applications requiring a high-precision side resist such as the side resist immediately before exposure as shown in FIG. 1, but for example, immediately downstream of the cutter 30 as shown in FIG. This is suitably used for a department that does not require relatively high precision of the side resist, such as the transport guide 10 </ b> A arranged at the center.

The material for forming the transport guide 10 of the present invention is not particularly limited, and various metallic materials, resin materials, and the like can be used as long as the material can realize the smoothness and surface properties that can guide the photosensitive material A without damage. Various materials used for the sheet material conveyance guide can be used. However, the first loop guide 44 and the second loop guide 46 (rotation guide)
It is necessary that the weight of the photosensitive material A is such that the photosensitive material A can be easily pressed by the loop of the photosensitive material A and can move by rotation or the like.

As described above, the photosensitive material A that has passed through the transport guide 10 of the present invention is transported to the recording unit 18. The recording unit 18 scans and conveys the photosensitive material A and exposes the photosensitive material A by so-called digital raster scanning exposure using recording light modulated in accordance with digital image data, thereby recording a latent image. And an exposure unit 82,
And a scanning transport unit 84. Exposure unit 82
Is, for example, an optical unit that performs digital exposure using a light beam L as recording light, and light corresponding to each of red (R) exposure, green (G) exposure, and blue (B) exposure of the photosensitive material A. A light source that emits a light beam; a modulating unit such as an AOM (acousto-optic modulator) that modulates the light beam emitted from the light source according to digital image data; An optical deflector such as a polygon mirror that deflects light in the vertical direction, an fθ (scanning) lens that forms a light beam deflected in the main scanning direction at a predetermined position on an exposure position X (scanning line) with a predetermined beam diameter, and the like. This is a known light beam scanning device configured to include:

On the other hand, the scanning and transporting means 84
A pair of conveying rollers 86 arranged with the (scanning line) interposed therebetween
And 88, and an exposure guide 50 for more suitably holding the photosensitive material A at the exposure position X. While the exposure guide 50 holds the photosensitive material A at the exposure position X,
The photosensitive material A is scanned and transported by the transport roller pairs 86 and 88 in a sub-scanning direction (rightward in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the main scanning direction. As described above, since the light beam L is deflected in the main scanning direction, the photosensitive material A is two-dimensionally scanned and exposed by the light beam L modulated according to an image to be recorded, and a latent image is recorded. Is done.

The photosensitive material A that has been exposed is conveyed to the sorting unit 20. The sorting unit 20 sorts the photosensitive material A in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction (hereinafter, referred to as a lateral direction for convenience) as necessary, such as the size of the photosensitive material A. At present, in general silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials used for photography, development processing and exposure require more time for development processing. It is necessary to temporarily store the material in a stocker or the like. The sorting unit 20 is arranged to solve this inconvenience, and sorts the photosensitive material A conveyed in a single row in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the conveying direction to form a plurality of rows overlapping in the conveying direction. This makes it possible to improve the processing capacity of the developing device 11, for example, it is possible to perform less than twice the processing of a single row in the case of two rows and less than three times in the case of three rows. It offsets the time difference.

The sorting device in the sorting unit 20 is not particularly limited, and various methods for sorting sheet materials supplied in a single row into a plurality of rows can be used. As an example, an apparatus for distributing using a circular turret rotating about the center; a means for conveying the photosensitive material A is divided into a plurality of blocks in the conveying direction, for example, three blocks, and a central block among them is moved in the lateral direction. A belt conveyor as a transport means in the downstream direction for placing and transporting the photosensitive material A, and a lift transport means for lifting the photosensitive material A using a suction cup or the like and transporting the photosensitive material A in the lateral direction. A device for transporting and sorting the photosensitive material A transported to the belt conveyor from the upstream and transported to a predetermined position in a horizontal or diagonal lateral (downstream) direction by a lift transporting device; a transporting device for transporting the photosensitive material A in a downstream direction And a plurality of belt conveyors arranged at an interval from each other, and the photosensitive material A, which is arranged between the belt conveyors, is conveyed in a lateral direction to shake. An example is a sorting device having a half-moon roller (D roller) pair for sorting.

The photosensitive material A, which is divided in a plurality of rows by the sorting section 20 in the horizontal direction, is transported by a pair of conveying rollers 92.
Thereby, the latent image is supplied from the discharge port 94 to the developing device 11 and subjected to a predetermined developing process according to the photosensitive material A such as a color developing tank, bleach-fixing, and a washing tank, so that the latent image is visualized and then dried. The prints are finished, and are stacked again in a single line in the order of print creation (exposure order) and discharged to a sorter or the like.

The transport guide of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is.

[0062]

As described above in detail, the transport guide of the present invention has both functions of an edge guide and a loop guide and has a simple width, and the width of the photosensitive material A is relatively small. Since the edge guide can be easily adjusted in accordance with the above, a recording apparatus having a small and simple configuration in which the path length of the photosensitive material is reduced can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of an image recording apparatus using a conveyance guide according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an example of a transport guide of the present invention;
(A) is a front view, (b) is a side view.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a part of the transport guide shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the conveyance guide shown in FIG. 2 and shows a state when a loop of the photosensitive material is formed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an example of an image recording apparatus using another embodiment of the transport guide of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 10A transport guide 11 developing device 12 (image) recording device 14 (photosensitive material) supply unit 16 printer 18 recording unit 20 sorting unit 22, 24 loading unit 26, 28 pull-out roller pair 30, 32 cutter 34 magazine 36, 38, 48, 86, 88, 92 Conveying roller pair 40 First guide 42 Second guide 44 First loop guide 44a, 46a Rotating guide 44b, 46b Fixed guide 46 Second loop guide 52, 56, 64, 78 Notch 54 ( Edge guide 58 Edge guides 54a, 54b, 58a, 58b Convex portions 50, 60 Members 62, 72 Bearings 66, 70, 74, 76 Engagement holes 82 Exposure unit 84 Scanning / conveying means 90 Exposure guide 94 Outlet A Photosensitive material

Claims (6)

[Claims] A first guide for contacting one surface of the recording material and guiding the recording material; and a conveying direction of the recording material for guiding the recording material by contacting the same surface with the first guide of the recording material. A second guide that is provided in parallel with the first guide in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and that is movable in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction; and guides the recording material by contacting the surface opposite to the first guide of the recording material. A first loop guide disposed at least facing the first guide and retractable in a direction orthogonal to a surface direction of the recording material; and a first loop guide of the recording material in contact with the same surface as the first loop guide. The first loop guide is provided in parallel with the first loop guide in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording material for guiding the recording material, and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and is further orthogonal to the surface direction of the recording material. Second retractable in the direction An edge guide provided on the second guide and / or the second loop guide to guide the recording material by contacting one end surface of the recording material; and engaging the second guide and the second loop guide. An engagement means for interlocking the two in a direction perpendicular to the recording material transport direction, and according to a size in a direction perpendicular to the recording material transport direction,
Moving means for moving the second guide or the second loop guide in the orthogonal direction. 2. The conveyance guide according to claim 1, wherein the first guide and / or the first loop guide has a reverse edge guide that guides the recording material by contacting a reverse end surface of the recording material adjustment guide. . 3. The first guide and the first loop guide are movable in an interlocking manner in a direction orthogonal to the recording material conveying direction. The transport guide according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that moves in an orthogonal direction. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the engaging means comprises a convex portion formed on one of the second guide and the second loop guide, and an engaging portion with the convex portion formed on the other. The transport guide according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the convex portion also serves as the edge guide. 5. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the first loop guide and the second loop guide are divided into two parts in a direction in which the recording material is conveyed, and only the upstream side in the conveyance direction is perpendicular to the surface direction of the recording material. The transport guide according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transport guide is retractable. 6. The retracting of the first loop guide and the second loop guide in a direction perpendicular to the surface direction of the recording material is performed by rotation of a transport roller for transporting the recording material about a rotation axis. The transport guide according to claim 1.