JPS61153651A - Heat developing and transferring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To superpose a photosensitive material tightly to image receiving paper and to suppress the generation of a carrying shift of the photosensitive material from the image receiving paper. CONSTITUTION:Upper and lower heat resisting carrying belts 11, 12 are locked by chains at their end edges to increase the tension. In case of using a photosensitive material for color diffusion transfer, the photosensitive material is exposed, superposed to the image receiving paper, inserted into a pair of carrying rollers 15, 16 for preparatory heating, and while being held and transferred by the press-contacts of the belts 11, 12, developed with heat, and then discharged to a paper discharging tray 10. An one-way clutch is pressed into a rotary shaft of a detecting member 17 in its turning direction and follows the turning direction, but when the rotation is stopped, a detecting element part 18 is position in the vertical direction by its weight without fail and is not oppositely contacted with the sensor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a thermal development transfer device, and more particularly, it improves the adhesion between a heat-developable photosensitive material and an image-receiving material, and improves belt meandering, which occurs during conveyance. The present invention relates to a thermal development transfer device having a heat-resistant belt equipped with a jam prevention mechanism.

(Prior Art) Black and white photothermographic materials characterized in that the developing process is carried out by heat treatment have been known for a long time.
No. 921 and No. 43-4924 disclose a photosensitive material comprising an organic acid silver salt, silver halide, and a developer. Furthermore, many color heat-developable photosensitive materials are also known, to which this black-and-white photothermographic material is applied.

For example, U.S. Patent Nos. 3,531,286 and 3,761.
, No. 270, No. 3,764,328, Research Disclosure
re) (hereinafter referred to as RD) NO015108, same NO.
, 15127, No. 0012044 and No. 15127.

No. 16479, etc., is a heat-developable photosensitive material containing a photographic coupler and a color developing agent.
, 180,731, RD No. 13443 and the same No.

14347 etc. use leuco dye,
U.S. Patent No. 4,235,957, RD No. 14
433, same No.

14448, same NO, 15227, same NO, 1577
6, U.S. Pat. No. 18137 and U.S. Pat. No. 19419, etc., which apply the silver dye bleaching method, U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,398, U.S. Pat. No. 273 describes a method for thermally bleaching photothermographic materials.

However, in these proposals regarding color heat-developable photosensitive materials, it is difficult or impossible to bleach or fix the simultaneously formed black and white silver image, or even if it is possible, wet processing is required. That is.

RD No. 16966 is a heat-developable color photosensitive material in which a color image is obtained by separating a silver image and a dye by releasing a diffusible dye by heat development and transferring this dye to an image-receiving layer. , Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-5032
No. 8, JP-A-57-179840 and JP-A No. 57-18
No. 6744, No. 59-12431, No. 59-1243
No. 39, No. 59-181345, patent application No. 58-109
No. 293, No. 59-181604, No. 59-1825
No. 07, No. 59-1796 Eup No. 7, No. 59-18250
It is described in publications such as No. 6 or specifications.

On the other hand, as a developing device and a developing method for heat-developable photosensitive materials, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 54-158230 and 54-1582
31, 55-2281, 56-1939, 56-4904, Research Disclosure No. 16810 and Research Disclosure No. 17623, the method of pressing against a heat block for a certain period of time, Methods such as moving, using a heated drum, blowing hot air, and developing methods using infrared rays, electric current, or microphone A-waves are known.

In addition to the above, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. Sho 59-247991 describes a thermal development transfer device comprising a heater block inside the heater and a conveyor belt facing the heater block. Also, in R D No. 17635,
A thermal development transfer device is described which consists of two adjoining belts, each heated by a built-in heater.

As mentioned above, the thermal development transfer device that uses a conveyor belt in the heating conveyance section to carry out thermal development or thermal development transfer while conveying the photosensitive material is considered useful because it is automatic and has good thermal development efficiency. This is one of the devices that does ν.

However, thermal development transfer using a conveyor belt
! ,: In order to ensure reliable conveyance, it is necessary for the belt to be tensioned with equal force on each drive shaft, and if the belt is used continuously for a long time, the above Due to minute movements of the drive shaft or physical changes in the conveyor belt due to heat, it may become impossible to maintain the uniform tension as described above.

When the tension of the conveyor belt loses balance in this way, the conveyor belt meandering occurs, and the photosensitive material being conveyed or the photosensitive material and the image receiving material overlaid thereon are conveyed deviating from the specified position. As a result, the heat-developed image may be uneven, and as a result of the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material being overlaid and being thermally developed with misalignment, the image formed on the image-receiving material may have some portions of the image. may be missing.

Further, conveyance by a conveyor belt has a longer conveyance path than other conveyance means, such as conveyance by rollers, and therefore, if a failure occurs in the conveyance system for some reason, it is somewhat troublesome to deal with the failure. For this reason, it is necessary to detect the above-mentioned failure of the transport system as soon as possible and take prompt action.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, the present invention improves the above-mentioned drawbacks of a thermal development transfer device having a conveyor belt, prevents meandering of the conveyor belt, and further improves the relationship between the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal development transfer device that can further strengthen adhesiveness before thermal development and can quickly detect failures that occur in a conveyance system constituted by a conveyance belt.

(Means for Solving the Problems and Problems) According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problem of the present invention is achieved by extending a heat-resistant conveyor belt around a plurality of rotating shafts so as to move the heat-resistant conveyor belt in close contact with a heating member; A fitting is attached to the edge of the heat-resistant conveyor belt to connect it to a chain stretched over a rotating shaft that is directly connected to the rotating shaft, and the chain and heat-resistant conveyor belt are moved integrally, and the heating member and As a pre-process of the development process by close contact with the heat-resistant conveyor belt, a preheating section that heats to a temperature below the development temperature is arranged, and the conveyance surface of the heating member is curved, and the detection member that monitors the conveyance drive state is conveyed. This was achieved using a thermal development transfer device installed in the system.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below.

The color photosensitive material used in the present invention is a photothermographic material in which a color image is exposed to a photomaterial using a dye-donating substance that releases a diffusible dye upon heat development, and then placed in a stacked relationship with an image-receiving layer. It is particularly useful in a color image forming method in which a color image is obtained by uniformly heating the dye and thermally transferring the released or formed diffusible dye to the image-receiving layer after or simultaneously with thermal development.

The heat-developable photosensitive materials that can be used in the present invention include:
For example, JP-A-59-52440, JP-A No. 59-15444
No. 5, No. 59-124327, No. 59-164903
and Japanese Patent Application No. 58-42779.
No. 9-159159, No. 58-149046, No. 58
-149047, 59-12431, 59-4
No. 8705, No. 59-181345 and patent application No. 1973
No. 8-109238, No. 59-79887, No. 59-
No. 181604, No. 59-182507, No. 59-1
Heat-developable photosensitive materials such as those disclosed in publications and specifications such as No. 79657 and No. 59-182506 are useful.

Further, heat-developable photosensitive materials such as those described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-15
No. 2440, No. 59-154445, No. 59-124
No. 320, Japanese Patent Application No. 58-42779, etc. disclose photosensitive silver halide (which may contain an organic silver salt), an electron donor/or its precursor, and/or an electron transfer agent, A photosensitive material that contains a dye-donating substance that releases a thermally transferable dye when reduced at high temperatures, or a photosensitive/SO silver genide (preferably containing an organic silver salt), which is halogenated in exposed areas at high temperatures. It is a photosensitive material containing a dye-providing substance that is oxidized by silver, an organic silver salt, or both, and does not release a thermally transferable dye.

This type of photosensitive material can be produced by simply performing image exposure and thermal development using ordinary black-type/S silver lodenide, and the image will be in a positive relationship with the silver image, which has a one-positive relationship with the original. Provides heat transferable dye.

Another type of photosensitive material is a photosensitive material containing a dye-providing substance that releases or forms a heat transferable dye upon heating. Such dye-donating substances include dyes that cause a coupling reaction when heated with an oxidized form of a reducing agent oxidized by silver halide, an organic silver salt, or both, and as a result, are released from the coupling site of the dye-donating substance. Those whose residues become heat transferable dyes (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-18874)
No. 4, No. 57-207250, No. 59-48765, No. 59-116642, No. 59-116643,
No. 59-159159), as well as those using heat transferable dyes formed by coupling the oxidized form of the reducing agent and the dye-donating substance (for example, JP-A No. 58-159).
No. 149046, No. 58-149047, No. 59-1
No. 24339, No. 59-181345, Patent Application No. 1983-
No. 109293, No. 59-79887, No. 59-18
No. 1604, No. 59-182507, No. 59-179
No. 657, No. 59-182506, etc.).

Another dye-providing substance is one in which a reducing dye-providing substance is oxidized by silver halide, fg1am, or both when heated to release a heat transferable dye in the presence of a dye release aid (for example, Showa 57-1798
No. 40, No. 57-198458, No. 58-58543
No. 59-168439).

These heat-developable photosensitive materials can be image-wise exposed and then heat-developed to form a heat-transferable dye image in an imagewise manner depending on the type thereof.

The image-receiving material that can be used in the present invention is one in which an image-receiving layer capable of receiving a dye released from a heat-developable photosensitive material by heat development is formed on a support. This image-receiving layer contains a mordant for the dye, and the mordant can be selected and used depending on the properties of the dye to be released, other components contained in the heat-developable photosensitive material, transfer conditions, etc. A high molecular weight polymer mordant such as that described in Japanese Patent No. 59-181345 can be used.

Using the above color diffusion transfer type heat-developable photosensitive material-1, after imagewise exposure to the photosensitive material, an image-receiving sheet is stacked so that the image-receiving layer is in close contact with the exposed surface, and then the combined photosensitive material is thermally developed. A color image can be obtained by heating the image-wise formed color image onto an image-receiving sheet by thermal diffusion transfer.

In these heat development transfer methods, visible light is used as a light source for image exposure to record a latent image on a heat development photosensitive material, such as a tungsten lamp, a mercury lamp, a halogen lamp such as an iodine lamp, a xenon lamp, or even a xenon lamp. A laser light source, CRT light source, fluorescent tube, LED, etc. can be used. The exposure method may be a normal full-surface exposure method, or scanning exposure using a lens or in close contact with a video image or an image signal ecRT or FOT sent from a TV station.

Furthermore, any method including slit exposure used in normal electrophotography may be used.

The peeling process following the exposure, overlapping process, and heat development transfer process may be performed manually or automatically using a known method. The process of bonding the photosensitive material is carried out as necessary in order to increase the degree of adhesion between the image receiving sheet and the photosensitive material.
It is preferable to preheat the photosensitive material, image-receiving sheet, etc. as described in Japanese Patent No. 7986.

The preferred temperature range for preheating is 80 DEG to 250 DEG C., particularly 100 DEG to 180 DEG C., preferably within a range that does not exceed the development temperature.

In addition, the heating temperature in the heating process for thermal development transfer is approximately 80"
-250°C, particularly preferably 120°-200°C.

The transfer of the thermal transfer dye to the image-receiving layer is usually carried out using a diffusion aid built into the heat-developable photosensitive material or the image-receiving sheet, but the peeling process can be carried out in the transfer device by combining a known peeling device. However, it is also possible to carry out the heating process within the apparatus and peel it off by hand. The present invention relates to a heat development method and an apparatus thereof among these steps.

(Example) EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, this invention will be specifically explained according to the Example of a drawing.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows a conventional thermal development transfer device.

First, a conventional thermal development transfer device will be explained with reference to FIG.

The thermal development transfer device shown in FIG.

In the figure, 1 shows the overall structure of the thermal development transfer device, and 2
3 is the upper conveyor belt of the two upper and lower conveyor belts, and 3 is the lower conveyor belt. The conveyor belt 2 can be rotated by being stretched around rotating rollers 5a and 5b,
Further, the conveyor belt 3 can be rotated while being stretched around rotating rollers 4a and 4b.

And on the inside where the lower conveyor belt 3 is stretched, there are 2
The heaters 6a and 6b are separated into
A heat plate 7 heated by elements a and 6b is enclosed in a heater chamber 8 and forms a heating member.

The heat plate 7 is pressed against the back surface of the conveyor belt 3,
The photosensitive material being transported on the transport path is heated and developed.

The development temperature by heating in the present invention is 80°C to 200°C.
is within the range of Therefore, the conveyor belts 2 and 3 used in the present invention are heat-resistant conveyor belts made of, for example, silicone rubber.

According to the present invention, the heat plate 7 is connected to the conveyor belt 3.
The shape of the portion that comes into pressure contact with is in a gentle arc shape, and is strongly pressed against the back surface of the conveyor belt 3 to apply tension to the conveyor belt 3. Therefore, the adhesion between the conveyor belt 2 and the conveyor belt 3 on the conveyance path is further improved, and the conveyance of the photosensitive material is excellent.

In the thermal development transfer device configured as described above, the photothermographic material is pressed and guided by the pair of transport rollers 9a and 9b, moves to the heating transport path, is heated and developed, and is deposited on the paper discharge tray 10. It will be stored.

The reason why two heaters are used in the thermal development transfer apparatus is to facilitate temperature distribution and temperature control during thermal development.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the general configuration of a thermal development transfer device as an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes an upper thermal conveyor belt whose end edge is locked by a chain and whose tension is increased.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a lower heat-resistant conveyor belt whose end edge is secured by a chain and whose tension is increased. The locking of the conveyor belt by this chain will be described later.

Each chain that locks the upper and lower conveyor belts is stretched around a rotating shaft that is directly connected to the rotating shaft of the rotating roller of the conveyor belt as shown in FIG. It can be rotated in accordance with the rotation of the rotation shaft of the rotation roller. That is, in the figure, 13a and 13
14a and 14b are rotating shafts on which the upper conveyor belt 11, which is attached to the chain, is stretched; and 14a and 14b, which are attached to the chain than the lower conveyor belt 12, are stretched. It is. Incidentally, 13c and 14c are the long shafts 13c and 14c, respectively, for adjusting the tension of the conveyor belt secured to the chain.

In this way, by locking the edge of the heat-resistant conveyor belt to the chain and applying a strong and equalized tension, the meandering of the conveyor belt when conveying the photosensitive material by pressure contact between the conveyor belt 11 and the conveyor belt 12 is prevented. is improved, and occurrence of misalignment in conveyance of the photosensitive material is prevented. Furthermore, even when the conveyor belt 12 is stretched due to heat, the conveyor belt 12 does not slacken (the conveyor belt 12 is reliably conveyed).

Furthermore, in the figure, 15 and 16 are a pair of conveyance rollers, and according to the present invention, at least one of the conveyance rollers is a heating roller. This heating roller is used to preheat the color diffusion transfer photosensitive material in order to more closely overlap the photosensitive material and the image receiving paper when thermally developing the color diffusion transfer photosensitive material. The preheating temperature according to the present invention is lower than the heat development temperature, for example, 100°C to 1°C.
The temperature range is 80°C.

That is, according to the present invention, the apparatus of the present invention exhibits excellent effects when thermally developing color diffusion transfer photosensitive materials, which are particularly useful. In the case of color diffusion transfer photosensitive materials,
After image exposure, the photosensitive material is overlapped with the image receiving paper, inserted into the pair of preheating conveyance rollers 15 and 16 on the left in FIG. After being heated and developed, it is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 10.

According to this apparatus, there is no meandering caused by the conveyor belt and there is no shift in the conveyance of the photosensitive material, and therefore a beautiful transferred image can be formed at the correct position on the image receiving paper.

One of the features of the present invention is that the drive member is provided with a detection means for detecting whether or not the photosensitive material is being conveyed regularly in the thermal development apparatus configured as described above.

In the figure, 17 is a detection member of a detection device disposed on the rotation axis of a rotation shaft 14a which is a driving conveyance system of the conveyor belt 12, and 18 is a detection element portion of the detection member. Therefore, the detection member 17 can rotate at the same speed as the rotation shaft 14a rotates.

A one-way clutch is press-fitted into the rotating shaft of the detection member 17 in the rotational direction, and the rotational direction is followed, but when the rotation stops, the detection element portion 18 is always positioned in the vertical direction due to its own weight. It is configured so that it does not come into face-to-face contact with a sensor (described later).

Reference numeral 19 denotes a sensor, which is disposed at a position other than perpendicular to the aforementioned detection member 17 (in the illustrated embodiment, diagonally downward).

According to the present invention, since the detection member and the sensor are arranged as described above, the detection member 17 rotates together with the rotating shaft 14a that rotates the conveyor belt 12, and the sensor uses rotation information of the conveyor belt 12 as a signal. can be transmitted to. Therefore, in the present invention, the conveyor belt 12 is
While the rotation information is transmitted as a signal to the sensor 19 at regular time intervals, the conveyor belt 12 is rotated correctly at a specified speed, and the photosensitive material and image receiving paper are also conveyed at a specified speed. , means heat-developed.

Conversely, if the rotation information from the detection member 17 is not transmitted as a signal to the sensor 19 at correct time intervals, this means that an abnormality has occurred in the rotation of the conveyor belt 12.

The detection device comprising the detection member 17 and sensor 19 according to the present invention can use a wide variety of conventionally known detection methods, such as magnetic, optical, and electrical.

For example, if a magnetic sensor is used as the sensor 19 and a magnetic material is used in the detection element section 18, rotation information can be obtained magnetically.Also, if a light emitting device is used as the sensor 19 and a reflective member is used in the detection element 'M118, rotation information can be obtained magnetically. For example, rotation information can be obtained optically.

According to the present invention, the signal obtained magnetically and optically as described above is sent from the sensor to the detection circuit, and then the judgment circuit judges whether it is normal or abnormal, and if it is abnormal, a warning is issued. or can be controlled.

The control referred to in the present invention means, for example, separating the conveyor belt from the drum or stopping heating of the heater.

:jS2 figure shows another embodiment of the present invention,
The present invention relates to a thermal development transfer device of a type in which a heating conveyance path is constituted by a drum and a conveyance belt.

In the figure, 20 is a conveying drum that can rotate in the direction of the arrow. Reference numeral 21 denotes a heat-resistant conveyance belt with a chain attached to its edge, which is in pressure contact with the drum 20 to form a semicircular heating conveyance path, and is directly connected to the rotation axis of the rotation roller of the conveyance belt. The rotating shafts 22a, 22b, and 22c are stretched around rotating shafts 22a, 22b, and 22c, and can be rotated at the same speed as the drum 20 in the direction of the arrow.

Reference numeral 22d designates a long sleeve hole of the rotating shaft for adjusting the tension of the conveyor belt which is engaged with the chain.

A heater 23 and a heat insulating member 24 are both placed inside the heat-resistant conveyor belt 21 to form a heating member. The heater 23 is formed in a semicircular shape according to the shape of the conveyor belt 21 forming a heating conveyance path, and is placed in close contact with the back surface of the conveyor belt 21 to heat the belt. The heat development temperature ranges from 80° to 200°C.

After imagewise exposure of the photosensitive material 26 as described above, the photosensitive material 26 is superimposed on the image receiving paper, and is inserted between the pair of preheating transport rollers 5 and 16 as shown in FIG. It is transferred to the conveyance path through the plate 25. A drum 20 and a heat-resistant conveyor belt 21 connected to a chain that rotates at the same speed hold and press the photosensitive material and image-receiving paper in an overlapping state, and heat and develop them as they are conveyed. be discharged.

The above-mentioned detection means for detecting the conveyance state is also useful in a thermal development transfer device in which a heating conveyance path is formed by such a drum and a conveyance belt.

In the illustrated embodiment 17, 18 and 19 are the same as in the sensing device in FIG. The detection member 1f is disposed on the rotation axis of the rotation shaft 22c forming the drive conveyance system of the conveyor belt 21, and can therefore rotate at the same speed as the rotation shaft 22c rotates.

The mechanism, performance, effects, etc. of the detection device in this embodiment are all exactly the same as those of the thermal development transfer device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing a partial configuration of a locking member for locking the conveyor belt to the chain.

In the figure, 30 is a heat-resistant conveyor belt, and 31 is a chain stretched around a rotating shaft directly connected to the rotating shaft of the conveyor belt 30. Reference numeral 32 denotes a fitting, ie, a locking member, for attaching the chain 31 to the edge of the conveyor belt 30, and one end of this locking member is fixed to the chain 31. The edges of the conveyor belt 30 in this case may be edges on one side of the belt or edges on both sides, but it is preferable to lock the chain to the edges on both sides. Further, numeral 33 is a locking hole for locking the locking member 32 to the conveyor belt 30, but a similar locking method may also be used.

According to the present invention, the heat-resistant conveyor belt 30 that is locked by the third chain as described above is given even stronger tension, and during the conveyance process by the conveyor belt that rotates integrally with the chain, the heat-resistant conveyor belt 30 is No blurring occurs.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration when chains are respectively locked to the edges of the two upper and lower conveyor belts.

In the figure, 34 is the upper heat-resistant conveyor belt, and 35
is the lower heat-resistant conveyor belt. Further, 36 is a rotation axis of a rotation roller of the conveyance belt 34, and 37 is a rotation axis of a rotation roller of the conveyance belt 35. These rotation axes 36 and 37
A rotating shaft 38 and V39 are directly connected to each of the rotating shafts 38 and V39, and can rotate as the rotating shafts are driven.

The rotation shafts 38 and 39 are connected to a chain 40, respectively.
and 41, thus chain 40
and 41 can rotate as the rotation shafts 38 and 39 rotate. In the figure, 42 and V43 are attachments, that is, locking members, to the conveyor belt whose ends are fixed to the chains 40 and 41, respectively. The rack is locked.

As is clear from the figure, the locking member 42 of the upper conveyor belt 34 and the locking member 43 of the lower conveyor belt 35 have different lengths. This is to prevent the chains from colliding with or coming into contact with each other when the rotating upper conveyor belt 34 and lower conveyor belt 35 come into contact with each other on the heating conveyance path.

The effect of attaching the chain to the conveyor belt using the locking members so as to uniformly increase the tension as described above has already been described above.

(Effects of the Invention) In the apparatus of the present invention, a preheating section is provided as a pre-process of the developing process of the thermal development transfer device in which a heating conveyance path is formed by a conveyor belt, and a chain that rotates together with the conveyor belt is used to uniformly apply heat to the conveyor belt. We applied a strong tension and also placed a detection device in the drive conveyance system to monitor the conveyance status.
It is possible to closely overlap the photosensitive material and image receiving paper,
Furthermore, since the conveyor belt does not meander, there is no misalignment in conveyance between the photosensitive material and the image-receiving paper, and a beautiful image can always be formed at a prescribed position on the image-receiving paper.

Furthermore, even if an abnormality occurs in the conveyance system or the drive system, it can be quickly detected by the detection device, so that accidents due to failure can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the general structure of a thermal development transfer device as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing the general structure of a heat development transfer device as another embodiment of the invention. , 3rd
The figure is a top view showing a partial configuration of a chain locking member;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of two upper and lower conveyor belts that are engaged with a chain, and FIG. 5 is a front view showing a schematic structure of a conventional thermal development transfer device. 1... Overall configuration of thermal development transfer device, 6a, 6b and 23... Heater 7... Heat plate 11.12 and II/'21... Conveyor belt locked to chain

Claims (1)

[Claims] A heat-resistant conveyor belt is stretched around a plurality of rotating shafts so as to move while closely contacting the heating member, and the edge of the heat-resistant conveyor belt is stretched around a rotating shaft that is directly connected to the rotating shafts. Attach a fixture that connects to the chain, move the chain and heat-resistant conveyor belt together, and heat the heating member to a temperature below the developing temperature as a pre-process of the developing process by bringing the heating member into close contact with the heat-resistant conveyor belt. A thermal development transfer device characterized in that a heating section is arranged, a conveyance surface of a heating member is curved, and a conveyance drive system is provided with a detection member for monitoring a conveyance drive state.