JPS62166350A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform processes from the exposure of an image to the formation of an image on an image recording material fully automatically by providing an exposing device, a heat developing device, a superposing device, and a transfer device. CONSTITUTION:A photosensitive material S guides by a guide plate 24 is brought into contact with an exposed photosensitive material support roll 26 by photosensitive material nip rolls 28 and 30. The image of an original is exposed through a fiber lens array at a position 32 between the photosensitive material nip rolls 28 and 30. The heat developing device 40 which heats an exposed photosensitive material S to develop its image is arranged in front of the exposed photosensitive material support roll 26. The image receiving paper C is about 6mm narrower than the photosensitive material S in the direction crossing the conveyance direction A at right angles and superposed by the photosensitive image receiving paper superposing device 7 so that the image receiving paper C is in the center of the photosensitive material S breadthwise. A photosensitive image receiving paper separating device 90 is provided under the transfer device 88.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that records an image using a photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material.

More specifically, a photosensitive and pressure sensitive heat developing material is used, which has a photosensitive substance coated on a support and which is developed by heating and the resulting image is fixed by pressure. After imagewise exposure to the heat-developable material, heat development was performed, and on the other hand, the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material was superimposed on an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer, and these were pressed to obtain an image on the image-receiving material by transfer. The present invention relates to an image recording device.

[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. 179-1989.
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. The method is characterized in 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.

A new recording material that improves these drawbacks, has high photosensitivity, and is capable of obtaining high-quality images through simple dry processing has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1986-2001 filed by the present applicant.
It is disclosed in the specification of No. 117089. This recording material is a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive thermal development material, in which at least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image forming substance are coated on a support, and at least the polymerizable compound and the color image forming substance are coated on a support. The color imaging material consists of a photosensitive composition encapsulated in identical microcapsules.

Regarding the image recording method of recording an image using this light-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material, the patent application No. 6 filed by the present applicant
0-121284. This image recording method first performs imagewise exposure to form a latent image, and then develops it by heating to polymerize the polymerizable compound in the area where the latent image exists to form a polymer compound and form microcapsules. Let it harden. Then, the image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer to which the color image-forming substance can be transferred is stacked and pressurized to rupture at least a portion of the microcapsules in the area where the latent image does not exist, and the color image-forming substance is transferred to the image-receiving material. to obtain an image on an image-receiving material.

However, using the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive heat-developable material, the heat-developable material is imagewise exposed, heat-developed, and then superimposed on the image-receiving material and pressed to form an image on the image-receiving material by transfer. There has not yet been a completed image recording device that uses this method.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides an image recording device that uses a new photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material and can automatically perform the process from exposing an image to obtaining an image on an image-receiving material. The purpose is to provide

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that can easily and reliably peel off the image-receiving material from the superimposed photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable materials.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of recording an image on the entire surface of an image-receiving material.

[Means for solving problems]

The structural features of the image recording device according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object are that the support is photosensitive, development is performed by heating, and the obtained image is fixed by pressure. an image recording device that uses a photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material coated with a substance, the exposure device forming a latent image by imagewise exposing the photo-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material;
A heat developing device that hardens and immobilizes a portion corresponding to the latent image formed on the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material, and an image receiving material is stacked on the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material with their edges not matching. The present invention includes a superimposing device for superimposing the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material and the image receiving material, and a transfer device for applying pressure to the superposed photosensitive pressure sensitive heat development material and image receiving material.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The image recording apparatus of this embodiment has a document supporting glass plate 2 attached to the upper surface of a housing l so as to be slidable back and forth in the direction of an arrow 4, as shown in a sectional view in FIG. That is, the glass plate 2 is slid between the position shown by the solid line and the position shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 1, with the document placed face down.

At the bottom of the glass plate 2, there is a reflecting mirror 6 for illuminating the original.
An illumination lamp 8 is provided, and the original image is placed on a photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material S (hereinafter referred to as "photosensitive material") at a predetermined position.
A fiber lens array IO is provided for formation thereon.

A photosensitive material cartridge 14 containing a photosensitive material roll 12 wound with a photosensitive material S is removably attached to the side of the housing 1. At the outlet 16 of the photosensitive material S of the photosensitive material cartridge 14, a pair of photosensitive material take-out rolls 22,22 housed in the magazine connection dark box 20 are arranged, whereby the photosensitive material S wound on the photosensitive material roll 12 is removed. It is pulled out to a certain length at a predetermined time.

When the leading edge of the photosensitive material S advances, the photosensitive material take-out rolls 22.22 move in a direction away from each other as shown by the imaginary lines to facilitate the advance of the photosensitive material S. A cutter unit 23 for cutting the photosensitive material S and a guide plate 24 are disposed in front of the magazine connection dark box 20 (hereinafter, the term "front" refers to the downstream side in the traveling direction of the photosensitive material, etc.).

In front of the guide plate 24, an exposed photosensitive material support roll 26 and two photosensitive material nip rolls 28, 30 pressed against the exposed photosensitive material support roll 26 are arranged. The photosensitive material S guided by the guide plate 24 is brought into close contact with the exposed photosensitive material support roll 26 by the photosensitive material nip rolls 28.30.
Fiber lens array 1 at position 32 between 30
0 provides imagewise exposure of the original.

A heat developing device 40 that heats and develops the exposed photosensitive material S is arranged in front of the exposed photosensitive material support roll 26 . The heat developing device 40 includes a developing housing 42 having a heat insulating effect, and is disposed within the developing housing 42, and has a diameter of about 120 mm.
The endless belt 50 is supported by a heating roll 44 heated to 0.degree. It has a nip roll 52.

The heat developing device 40 further includes an exposed light-sensitive material support roll 26.
A guide device 54 guides the photosensitive material S fed from the heating roll 44 onto the heating roll 44 and separates the photosensitive material S from the heating roll 44 after being heated and developed; It has a vertical guide device 58 for guiding to the exit 56, and the exit 56 is provided with a sensor 60 for detecting the tip of the sensitive material.

Directly below the outlet 56, a pair of pressure rolls 62, 64,
A photosensitive material receiving paper stacking device comprising a nip roll 66 pressed against a pressure roll 64, and a guide member 68 that guides the photosensitive material S sent by the pressure roll 64 and the nip roll 66 to the contact portion of the pressure rolls 62 and 64. is placed.

An image-receiving paper supply device 72 is disposed on the side of the photosensitive image-receiving paper stacking device 70 . The image-receiving paper supply device 72 includes an image-receiving paper supply cassette 74 that protrudes from the housing 1 and is removably attached, an image-receiving paper take-out roll 76 for taking out the image-receiving paper C in the cassette 74, and a take-out roll 76. It consists of a guide plate 78 that guides the output image-receiving paper C to the contact portion of the pressure roll 64 and the nip roll 66. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the width of the image-receiving paper C in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction A is about 6 mm larger than the width of the photosensitive material S.
1. In the photosensitive image receiving paper stacking device 70, the image receiving paper C is stacked on top of the photosensitive material S so that it is centered on the photosensitive material S in the width direction. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, if desired,
They are stacked so that the leading edge of the photosensitive material S is in front of the leading edge of the image-receiving paper C not only in the width direction but also in the transport direction A.

A pair of pressure nip rolls 80.82 and a pressure nip roll 80.82 are provided below the photosensitive image receiving paper stacking device 70
A transfer device 88 is provided which includes backup rolls 84 and 86 for making the pressure uniform in the axial direction. Pressure nip roll 80.82 is approximately 200kg/-
are pressed together by the pressure of

A sensitive material image receiving and stripping device 90 is provided below the transfer device 88 . The sensitive image receiving paper peeling device 90 includes a guide member 92, a first feed roll 94, a second feed roll 96, and a first
It consists of a peeling belt 102 wrapped around guide rolls 98 and 100 so as to come into pressure contact only with the photosensitive material S at both outer end portions on the feed roll 94.

A sensitive material disposal section 104 is provided on one side of the peeling device 90, and a fixing device 106 is provided on the other side. The sensitive material disposal section 104 includes a guide member 108, a pair of feed rolls 110 and 112, and a disposal box 114.
The photosensitive material S sent from the peeling device 90 and guided by the guide member 108 is placed into a waste box 114 by feeding rolls 110 and 112.

The fixing device 106 includes a guide member 120 and a reflective member 12.
2 ultraviolet irradiation lamps 124 and a pair of feed rolls 1
26 and 128, and the image receiving paper C sent from the peeling device 90 and guided by the guide member 120 is irradiated with ultraviolet light for about 5 seconds to fix it.

A take-out tray 130 for receiving the image receiving paper C is attached to the front of the fixing device 106 so as to protrude from the housing 1 .

The image recording device further includes an illumination lamp 8, a cutter unit 23, a document support glass plate 2, and a sensitive material leading edge detection sensor 6.
0, and a control device (not shown) connected to the photosensitive image receiving paper stacking device 70, which performs the following operations. That is, in the operation preparation stage of the image recording apparatus, the so-called copy preparation stage, the leading end of the photosensitive material S is placed near the cutting part of the cutter unit 23 or inside the magazine connection dark box 20.

Next, press the copy start button (not shown).
The photosensitive material take-out roll 22 is operated to feed the photosensitive material S, and just before the leading end of the photosensitive material S reaches a position 32, the illumination lamp 8 is turned on to illuminate the original.

When the leading end reaches position 32, the document supporting glass plate 2 moves, and the photosensitive material S is fed accordingly, and the document image is projected onto the photosensitive material S and exposed. On the other hand, when the photosensitive material S is fed by a distance equal to the length of the document in the moving direction, the cutter unit 23 is activated and the photosensitive material '14
Cut s.

The exposed and cut photosensitive material S is sent to a heat developing device 40, pressed against a heating roll 44 by an endless belt 50, heated at about 120° C., and developed. The passage of the leading edge of the developed photosensitive material S through the outlet 56 is detected by the sensitive material leading edge detection sensor 60 .

On the other hand, in the image-receiving paper supply device 72, the image-receiving paper C is fed out in synchronization with the pressing of the copy start button or the timing of exposure start, and the leading end of the image-receiving paper C is brought out by the pressure roll 6.
4 and the nip roll 66, the image receiving paper C is stopped.

In the photosensitive material image receiving low overlapping device 70, as shown in FIG. It is superimposed so that it is aligned with the leading edge of the paper C or a few millimeters in front of it as shown in FIG. The image is transferred to the image receiving paper by being pressed with the pressure of .

The photosensitive material S after transfer is removed by a peeling bell in a peeling device 90)
The photosensitive material is peeled off from the image receiving paper C by 102 and sent to the waste section 104.
sent to. On the other hand, the image receiving paper C is sent to the fixing device 106, where it is irradiated with ultraviolet light for about 5 seconds to be fixed.
After that, the feed rollers 126 and 128 take out the tray 1.
Sent to 30.

The illumination lamp with a reflector in the above embodiment may be one that emits radiation Jtm including visible light, and specifically, strobes, flashes, halogen lamps such as tungsten lamps, mercury lamps, and iodine lamps, and xenon lamps. , laser beams, CRT light sources, plasma light sources, fluorescent tubes, light emitting diodes can be used as light sources. Also, L.C.
It can also be configured by combining a micro-shutter array using D (liquid crystal) or PLZT (lanthanum-doped lead titanium zirconate) with a linear light source or a planar light source.

In the above embodiment, the photosensitive material S is exposed to light by forming an original image directly on the photosensitive material S using the fiber lens array 10. However, a spherical lens can also be used instead of the fiber lens array 10. In addition, the exposure of the photosensitive material S is controlled by the CRT, FO
T (Fiber optic tube), LCA
(Liquid crystal array)
, an electro-optical element array, a combination of a laser, a modulator and a scanner, a combination of an LED and a scanner, etc. In this case, it becomes possible to perform processing on the image signal for gradation correction, color correction, scaling, editing, etc. of the projected image.

Further, in the above embodiment, when scanning a document, both the document and the photosensitive material are moved and the optical system is fixed, but a method in which either the document or the photosensitive material and the optical system are moved is also possible.

Further, in the above embodiment, the heat developing device 40 is heated by the heating roll 44, but instead of this, belt heating, heating by a thermal head formed by arranging heating elements in a line, electrical heating, microwave or infrared irradiation can be used. It is also possible to form it so that it does. Further, depending on the photosensitive material S, it is also possible to heat it using an overcurrent generated by electromagnetic induction. a liquid inert to the photosensitive material S;
For example, a fluorine-based liquid may be heated in a heated lotus; the heating temperature in these cases is generally 80°C or higher.
The temperature is 200°C, preferably in the range of 100°C to 160°C.

The transfer device 88 may employ a skew roller, a crown roller, or the like in which two rollers intersect and contact each other instead of the pressure nip rolls 80, 82 with the bank up rollers 84, 86.

Further, the fixing device 106 of the above embodiment may be configured to simply perform heating or pressurization.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the small and medium-sized image-receiving sheets C were stacked so that they were centered in the middle direction of the wider photosensitive material S, but they were stacked to one side, and only one peeling belt was used. It is also possible to peel it off. Further, in the above embodiment, the overlapping device 70 is arranged downstream of the heat developing device 40, but the present invention can also be suitably implemented even if it is arranged upstream of the heat developing device 40. It is clearly possible. In this case, heat development is performed in a state where the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C are superimposed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, using the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material, it is possible to automatically perform the process from exposure to obtaining an image on an image receiving material by heat development and pressure transfer, and also by simple dry processing. This has the effect that high quality images can be obtained with a small and inexpensive device.

According to the present invention, it is further possible to easily and reliably separate the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C using a simple device.

The present invention also has the effect that the photosensitive material S whose peripheral portion cannot be exposed to light can be made larger than the image receiving paper C, and that images can be recorded on the entire surface of the image receiving paper C.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural explanatory diagram of an image recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 or 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a thermal development material and an image receiving paper are superimposed. S...Photosensitive pressure sensitive thermal development material C...Receiving paper 1...Housing 2...Document support glass 8...Illumination lamp 14 ......Sensitive material cartridge 40...Heat developing device 70...Sensitive material receiving paper stacking device 72...
. . . Receiving paper supply device 90 . . . Sensitive material receiving paper peeling device 106 . . . Fixing device Fig. 2 Fig. 3

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) An image recording device that uses a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive heat-developable material on which a support is coated with a material that is photosensitive, develops by heating, and fixes the resulting image by pressure. an exposure device that imagewise exposes the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material to form a latent image; and a heating device that hardens and immobilizes a portion corresponding to the latent image formed on the photo-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material. a developing device, a superimposing device that superposes an image receiving material on the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material without matching the edges thereof, and a transfer device that presses the superimposed photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material and image receiving material. An image recording device comprising: (2) The photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material has at least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image-forming substance coated on a support, and at least the polymerizable compound and a color image-forming substance are coated on a support. The image recording device according to claim 1, wherein the substances are encapsulated in the same microcapsule. (3) The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping device overlays the image receiving material on the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat development material without matching at least their edges in the transport direction. (4) The image according to claim 1, wherein the superimposing device superposes the image receiving material on the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat development material without making at least their edges in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction coincide with each other. Recording device. (5) The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material is formed larger than the image receiving material.