JPS62222254A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a photosensitive surface of a developing material from being damaged by providing the titled device with a carrying means for holding only both the side parts of the developing material when the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive developing material is successively carried through an exposure part, a heat developing part and a pressure fixing part. CONSTITUTION:The photosensitive and pressure-sensitive developing material 1 is successively carried through the exposing part for forming a latent image, the developing part for heating the latent image and the fixing part for pressing a developed image. In this case, the developing material 1 is carried by a pair of rollers 2, 3 to be the carrying means and flanges 4, 5 are fitted to both sides of the rollers 2, 3. The photosensitive surface of the developing material 1 is pinched and carried by the flanges 4, 5. It may be similarly available to heighten both the side parts of a pair of endless belts to pinch and carry the photosensitive surface. Since both the side parts of the photosensitive surface of the developing device are pinched to carry the material, damage due to bursting of a microcapsule on the photosensitive surface can be suppressed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image recording device that records an image using a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive heat-developable material. Using a photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material coated with a material that has a high temperature and is developed by heating and the resulting image is fixed by pressure, the light sensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material is subjected to imagewise exposure and then heat development. The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that fixes an image on the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material by applying pressure.

[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 in which a synthetic polymer resin wall capsule containing a vinyl compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a colorant precursor is supported on a support is known, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 836. The image recording method is to harden microcapsules imagewise by exposure to light, rupture the unhardened microcapsules by applying pressure, and obtain a color image from the released colorant precursor.This method is a simple dry method. It is characterized by the ability to obtain high-quality images through extensive 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.
No. 117.089. This recording material is a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive heat-developable 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 is coated on a support. The compound and the color imaging material are comprised of a photosensitive composition encapsulated in the same microcapsule.

Regarding the image recording method of recording an image using this photosensitive pressure sensitive heat development material, please refer to the patent application filed in 1983 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.

When configuring an image recording device that records images using the above-mentioned photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material, the shape of the photo-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material may be one of sheet-like or roll-like. This sheet-like photosensitive and pressure-sensitive thermal development material is cut into lengths, and is transported and processed according to each processing step. When transporting a photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material in this way, if it is directly held and transported by transport means such as rollers, the photosensitive surface may be damaged or
Alternatively, the microcapsules supported on the photosensitive surface may rupture, and the substance inside the capsules may adhere to the conveying means, which may then be transferred to the photosensitive surface of the subsequent photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material, staining the photosensitive surface. There is a possibility that this may occur.

In particular, microcapsules have a property of being softened by heating, and breakage of the microcapsules is likely to occur near the heating zone, so it is preferable to transport the microcapsules without contacting the photosensitive surface as much as possible.

[Purpose of the invention]

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a structure that allows the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat developing material to be transported to each processing section without damaging or contaminating the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat developing material. An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material having a photosensitive material coated on a support, which is developed by heating, and the resulting image is fixed by pressure. an exposure section that performs imagewise exposure to form a latent image; a heat development section that heats the exposed photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material;
and a pressurizing section that presses and fixes the developed image of the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material, and rotates or moves the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material by holding only both sides of the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material in the conveying direction. This is achieved by an image recording apparatus characterized by being equipped with a conveyance means for conveying a pressure-sensitive heat-developable material.

In other words, by providing a means for conveying the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material by holding both sides of the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material without contacting the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material involved in exposure and development, the photosensitive The photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material can be conveyed without damaging the surface, so that the microcapsules on the photosensitive surface are ruptured and the substance inside the capsules is transferred through the conveying means to the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material that follows. It can prevent it from adhering to surfaces.

Note that this apparatus can be used even if the photosensitive composition contains a substance that undergoes depolymerization by light and a latent image is formed by the photodepolymerization reaction, or the developing reaction does not transfer the latent image to the image-receiving material. The same applies even when the process is performed on the same material on which a latent image has been formed.

[Embodiment]

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings.

The photosensitive and pressure-sensitive heat-developable material (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive material) in this image recording device is imagewise exposed to light such as a photograph or original in an exposure section, developed in a heat development section, and then image-receiving in a pressure section. The image is transferred to the material and further fused if necessary. Within the apparatus, the photosensitive material is conveyed to each processing section by a conveying means, and the image formed on the photosensitive surface is transferred to the image-receiving material, fixed if necessary, and then discharged from the apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image recording apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention.

The photosensitive material 1 is stored in a roll in a removable cartridge 30, pulled out by a pair of cutter rollers 13, and cut into a predetermined length by a cutter unit 14. The photosensitive material cut into sheets is 2
Sensitive material support roller 1 by two nip rollers 15 and 16
7 and between the nip rollers 15 and 160.
Imagewise exposure is performed by 8. The photosensitive material 1, whose photosensitive surface has been imagewise exposed, is then conveyed to a heat developing section 19, where it is brought into contact with a heating row 220 for a predetermined period of time to be heat developed. Further, the photosensitive material 1 imagewise developed by the heat developing section 19 is superimposed on the image receiving paper 22 fed from the image receiving paper supply cassette 21 by a pair of pressure rollers 25, 24, and a pair of pressure rollers 25, 26 The developed image on the photosensitive surface is transferred to the image receiving paper by the pressure applying section 27 consisting of the following. After the transfer, the photosensitive material 1 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus, which is composed of an image receiving paper 22, and the image receiving paper 22Fi is also attached to a fixing section 2 as necessary.
After the transferred image is fixed in step 8, it is discharged onto a tray 29.

FIGS. 2 and 5 are a front view and a side view of the photosensitive material conveying means.

The conveying means consists of a pair of rollers 2, 3 that press against both sides of the photosensitive material 10 from the front and back, and the roller 22.3 has a pair of radial flanges 4, 5 that contact both sides of the photosensitive material 10. Then, while the flanges 4.degree. 5 sandwich the photosensitive material 1, the respective rollers 2 and 3 rotate as shown by arrows in FIG. 3, thereby conveying the photosensitive material to a predetermined processing section.

Here, each roller 2.3 is driven by a drive source (not shown). Further, the illustrated conveyance means is composed of a large diameter roller 2 and a small diameter roller 3, but the diameter size can be changed as appropriate depending on the installation location of the conveyance means, and both rollers may be molded to have the same diameter.

It consists of two large-diameter rollers, a shaft portion 6 and flanges 4 provided at both ends thereof. The structure is such that the shaft portion 6 is separated from the photosensitive material 1 and does not come into contact with it. Similarly, the small-diameter roller 3 has a structure in which the diameter of the shaft part 7 is smaller than the diameter of the flange 5, and the shaft part 7 does not come into contact with the photosensitive material 1. It becomes. Therefore, regardless of whether the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive material 1 is on the upper or lower side in the figure, the rollers 2 and 3 are involved in development because the rollers 2 and 3 sandwich both sides of the photosensitive material 1 with the 7-wheels 4 and 5 and convey it from the front side. Do not damage the photosensitive surface.

4 and 5 are front and side views of another embodiment of the photosensitive material conveying means. The conveying means is made up of two pairs of endless belts 8, 8, which are each supported by a pair of rollers 11 having a width approximately equal to the width of the photosensitive material 1.

Further, one of the pair of rollers 11 is driven by a driving means such as a motor via a gear or the like, so that the endless belt 8 can run at a constant speed.

These upper and lower belt pairs 8, 8 are formed to have a width that will sandwich only both sides of the photosensitive material 1, so that the photosensitive material 1 can be conveyed without coming into contact with the photosensitive surface involved in development.

FIG. 6 is a front view of another embodiment of the photosensitive material conveying means, in which an endless belt 12 in contact with the non-photosensitive side of the photosensitive material 1 is formed to have approximately the same width as the photosensitive material 1.

7 and 8 are front and side views of still another embodiment of the photosensitive material conveying means.

The conveying means consists of a pair of endless belts 8, both belts 8 are provided on a support 9 having a length approximately equal to the width of the photosensitive material 1 at intervals approximately equal to the width of the photosensitive material 1. A clamp 10 is provided to clamp both sides of the material 1. The photosensitive material 1 is held on both sides by the clamps 10 and fixed to the belt 8, and the entire area of both measurement sections is placed on the belt 8 and moves together with the belt 8.

Clamps 10 are provided at predetermined intervals by cutting in the longitudinal direction of the belt 8, and clamp both ends of the photosensitive material 1 until all processing is completed, and the clamps are released after all processing is completed. to release the photosensitive material 1.

Further, the support 9 is separated from the photosensitive material 1 by the thickness of the belt 8, so that even if the photosensitive surface is the lower surface of the photosensitive material 1 in FIG. 7, it does not come into contact with the photosensitive surface. However, if the belt 8 is formed thin, it is necessary to maintain a predetermined distance between the support 9 and the photosensitive material 1 by providing the support 9 with legs or the like to support the belt 8.

Note that the support 9 has a distance between the pair of belts 8 that corresponds to the photosensitive material 1.
The shape is not limited to the shape shown in the drawings, and other means can be used instead.

Furthermore, the belt is formed into a width approximately equal to the width of the photosensitive material,
It is also possible to provide a pair of clamps on the upper surface of the belt for holding the photosensitive material at both ends thereof while separating the photosensitive material from the belt.

As explained above, the photosensitive material conveying means according to the present invention is configured to convey the photosensitive material while holding both sides of the photosensitive material in the conveying direction, and the conveying means contacts the photosensitive surface to be subjected to processing such as exposure and development. It is possible to transport the photosensitive material without any trouble.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material conveying means conveys the photo-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material while sandwiching only both sides of the photo-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material, so that the conveying means touches the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material. There will be no contact. Therefore, the conveyance means does not damage the photosensitive surface, and damage such as bursting of the microcapsules coated on the photosensitive surface can be avoided.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substances in the microcapsules from adhering to the conveying means and contaminating the conveying means, and from transferring the adhered substances to another photosensitive surface, thereby preventing the exposure, heat development, and It is possible to reliably convey the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive heat-developable material without adversely affecting all processes of pressure transfer and, if necessary, fixing, and without degrading image quality. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image recording apparatus that can carry out highly reliable conveyance.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the image recording apparatus, FIGS. 2 and 3 are front and side views of the photosensitive material conveying roller, FIGS. 4, 6, and 7 are front views of the endless belt, and FIGS. FIG. 8 is a side view of the endless belt. Code in the figure: 1...Photosensitive pressure sensitive heat development material, 2131"'...
Roller, 4.5...7 Lunge, 6,7...Shaft, 8
, 12... Endless belt, 9... Support body, 10
...Clamp, 13...<Extrusion roller, 14...
・Cutter unit), 15.16... Nip roller,
17... Sensitive material support roller, 18... Exposure section, 19...
...Heat developing section, 20...Heating roller, 21...Receiving paper feed cassette, 22...Image receiving paper, 23, 24...
・Pressure roller, 25.26... Pressure roller, 27...
- Pressure section, 28... Fixing section, 29... Tray, 30
... Cartridge Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure 3 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-sensitive material in which a material that is photosensitive, is developed by heating, and the obtained image is fixed by pressure is coated on a support. an exposure section that imagewise exposes a developing material to form a latent image; a heat development section that heats the exposed light-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material; and a developed image of the light-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material. and a pressurizing section for pressure-fixing the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material, and a conveying means that conveys the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material by holding only both sides of the photosensitive pressure sensitive heat developing material in the conveying direction and rotating or moving it. An image recording device characterized by: 2) The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance means is a pair of rollers that rotate while pressing against both sides of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material from the front and back. 3) The image recording device according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance means is a pair of endless belts that move while being pressed against both sides of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material from the front and back. . 4) The conveyance means is a pair of endless healds that have clamps that clamp both sides of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material and move along the conveyance path of the photo-sensitive pressure-sensitive heat-developable material. , an image recording device according to claim 1.