JPS62144166A - Heat developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an unfavorable influence due to contact between a photosensitive material and air by bringing a flexible endless belt into contact with the outer peripheral surface of a heat roll at a relatively large wrap angle and clipping the pressure-sensitive heat-developed photosensitive material between the heat roll and the endless belt in an approximately completely hermetic state and carrying it while heating it. CONSTITUTION:When an exposed photosensitive material 1 is supplied, it is caught between a heat roll 2 and an endless belt 4. While the photosensitive material 1 is heated by the heat roll 2, it has flexibility and is covered completely with the endless belt 4 whose width is wider than that of the photosensitive material 1. The surface to which a photosensitive compostion is applied of the photosensitive material 1 is pressed to the endless belt and is brought uniformly into contact with the heat roll 2 or the endless belt 4 without a gap to not only prevent contacting with air but also heat the photosensitive material uniformly and efficiently. Especially, the heat efficiency is good and preferable in case of contacting between the photosensitive composition and the heat roll 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is based on a substrate coated with a photosensitive substance that is developed by heating and the resulting image is fixed by pressure. The present invention relates to a thermal developing device for thermally developing a photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal developing material.

(Technical background of the invention and its problems) As an example of an image recording material using microcapsules containing a photosensitive composition, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-179.
A system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 836 is known in which a synthetic polymer resin wall capsule containing a vinyl compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a colorant precursor is carried on a support. The image recording method using this system is to imagewise harden the microcapsules by exposure to light, rupture the unhardened microcapsules by applying pressure, and obtain a color image from the released colorant precursor. Yes, but
This method has the advantage that high quality images can be obtained through simple dry processing. However, this system has the drawback of significantly lower photosensitivity than systems using silver halide.

By improving these shortcomings, it has high photosensitivity and dry σ
) A novel recording material that allows high-quality images to be obtained through simple processing is disclosed in a patent application filed in 1986 by the present applicant.
-117089 or Japanese Patent Application No. 121284/1984. This recording material is a photosensitive and pressure sensitive heat developable material! At least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image-forming substance are coated on the support, and at least the polymerizable compound and the color image-forming substance are contained in the same microcapsule. One type consists of an encapsulated photosensitive composition.

To record an image using this photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material, first, imagewise exposure is performed to form a latent image, and then development is performed by heating to polymerize the polymerizable compound in the area where the latent image exists. to generate a polymer compound and harden the microcapsules. The color image-forming substance is transferred to the image-receiving material by stacking it with an image-receiving material and pressurizing it, rupturing at least a portion of the microcapsules in the area where the m-image does not exist, and transferring the color image-forming substance to the image-receiving material. Get the image on the material.

When recording an image using the above-mentioned photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material, in order to obtain a high-quality image, it is necessary to allow sufficient heat development processing time, and at the same time, during heating, the photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material It is desirable to avoid contact of the material with air (oxygen) as much as possible. This is because air oxidizes the reducing agent contained in the photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material, inhibits the polymerization of polymerizable compounds, and suppresses the formation of high molecular compounds, making it difficult to perform development efficiently. This is because high-quality images cannot be obtained.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is an apparatus for heat developing a photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material, comprising:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact heat developing device that prevents a heat developing material from coming into contact with air during heat development, secures sufficient heating time, and has good thermal efficiency.

(Structure of the Invention) The object of the present invention is to develop a photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development film, in which a support is coated with a substance that is photosensitive and that develops by heating and fixes the resulting image by pressure. A device for heating and developing a material, which includes a heating roller and an endless belt that comes into contact with a part of the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller and moves in the rotational direction of the heating roller, and between the heating roller and the endless belt. This is achieved by a heat developing device characterized in that it heats and develops the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat developing material while holding and transporting it.

The heat developing device can also be used to heat materials such as a photosensitive composition and an image-receiving material coated on the same support. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a schematic sectional view showing a heat developing device showing one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, an endless belt 4 is attached to the outer peripheral surface 3 of the heating row 22.
is wrapped at a predetermined angle. The endless belt 4 is made of a heat-resistant and flexible material, preferably one that has no air permeability and has removability without adhering to the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material. For example, it is made of glass fiber cloth coated with Teflon. This endless belt 4 is stretched around a rotatable auxiliary row 75, and its width j2 is equal to the width of the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material 1.
The heating roller 2, which is set to be larger than the width 11 of the material (hereinafter referred to as "photosensitive material"), is configured as a hollow body, and a heating means (not shown) is provided inside thereof.

As the heating means, a halogen lamp heater, an infrared ray heater, a nichrome wire heater, a ceramic heater, etc. are used.

Alternatively, a heated heat medium may be introduced into the heating roller 2 to heat it, or an induction coil may be provided inside or outside the heating roller 2, and an AC voltage may be applied to short-circuit the heating roller 22 body. caused by passing a current,
Heating may be performed using Joule heat. Although not shown, the heating roller 22 is configured to be rotationally driven by a drive means such as a motor via gears, chains, etc., and is endlessly driven in the same direction as the rotational direction of the heating roller 2. The belt 4 is adapted to follow. Note that the auxiliary roller 5 may be driven instead of rotating the heating row 22, or both rollers may be driven.

When the exposed photosensitive material 1 is supplied to the heat developing device configured as described above, it is bitten into the heating row 22 and the endless belt 4. While the photosensitive material 1 is being heated by the heating row 22, it is completely covered by the endless belt 4, which is flexible and has a width larger than the width of the photosensitive material 10. In this case, the surface of the 8-light material 1 coated with the photosensitive composition may be the side that contacts the roller, or the side that contacts the endless belt 4.

In either case, the surface of the photosensitive material 1 coated with the photosensitive composition is pressed against the endless belt, and the heating roller 2
Alternatively, it is possible to uniformly contact the four surfaces of the endless belt without gaps, which not only prevents contact with air but also enables uniform and efficient heating. Particularly, it is preferable that the photosensitive composition and the heating row 22 come into contact with each other because of good thermal efficiency.

Further, since the photosensitive material 1 is heated while the heating roller 2 rotates, for example, 180 degrees or more, a sufficient heating time can be provided.

The heating temperature of the photosensitive material 1 by the heating row 22 varies somewhat depending on the characteristics of the photosensitive material, but is generally 80C to 200C1.
Preferably it is 100C to 160C.

In the above embodiment, the heating row 22 is directly heated by the heating means, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the endless belt 4 may be directly heated, or both may be heated directly. They may be configured to be used together.

In the embodiment described above, there is a configuration in which only one heating row 22 is provided, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, two heating rows 22 are used.
It is also possible to have a structured structure. In this case, the first belt 4a is installed between the first heating roller 2a and the second heating roller 2b so that both the first and second heating rollers 2a, 2b rotate together, Further, the second belt 4b held by the auxiliary roller 5 is provided so as to wrap around the two heat rollers 2a and 2b. Then, the photosensitive material 1 is transferred to the first belt 4.
In this case, the heat treatment temperature of the first heating roller 2a and the second heating roller 22b is set as follows: For example, the first heating row 22a can be set lower than the second heating row 22b, and various changes can be made depending on the characteristics of the photosensitive material 1.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, in the heat developing device of the present invention, a flexible endless belt is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller at a relatively large wrap angle, and the gap between the heating roller and the endless belt is The light-sensitive, pressure-sensitive, heat-developable photosensitive material is sandwiched in an almost completely sealed state and transported while being heated.
1. The light-sensitive, pressure-sensitive, heat-developable photosensitive material is not exposed to air during heating, thereby preventing adverse effects caused by contact between the photosensitive material and air during heating, and without increasing the size of the device. It is possible to increase the heating time sufficiently.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an efficient heat development apparatus that can perform heat development processing extremely well and efficiently.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of essential parts of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the heat developing device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of another embodiment. Reference numeral 1 in the figure: photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material, 2: heating roller,
2a...First heating roller, 2b...Second heating roller, 6...Outer peripheral surface, 4...Endless belt, 4a...First belt, 4b...Second belt,
5... Auxiliary roller. Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material having a support coated with a substance that is photosensitive and develops by heating and fixes the resulting image by pressure. An apparatus for heat-developing, comprising a heating roller and an endless belt that contacts a part of the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller and moves in the same direction as the rotational direction of the heating roller. A heat developing device characterized in that the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material is sandwiched between the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material and a belt, and is heat developed while being conveyed. 2) The heat developing device according to claim 1, wherein the width of the endless belt is larger than the width of the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material. 3) The heat developing device according to claim 1, wherein the endless belt is made of a non-air permeable material.