JPS6241091A - Image-storing transfer printing plate device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To transfer a desired image securely and repeatedly, by a method wherein projected bodies are formed of a shape memory alloy, and a temperature distribution is provided according to the lightness of each picture elements of an image to selectively restore the projected bodies to previously stored shape, thereby achieving plate making for a desired image. CONSTITUTION:A block form main body is provided with a multiplivity of small diameter cavities extended from the upper side 1' toward the lower side 1'' to a predetermined depth. An elementary wire 3 of a shape memory is disposed in each of the cavities, and a uniform pressure is applied to the entire parts of tip parts of the wires 3 exposed from the upper side 1' of the main body 1, thereby previously giving the wires 3 a plastic deformation by compression. A manuscript (c) is inserted between a light source and a lens system (d). Where a laser capable of generating IR rays (a) is used as the light source, only the portion of IR rays which is incident on a character is transmitted through the character to form an image of the character on an image area, whereby only the elementary wires at that part are heated with the result of a shape memory effect, and are selectively restored to the previously stored shape, resulting in that the wires at the image part protrude (while the others do not protrude), thereby forming a printing plate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to stamps for transferring visible patterns such as characters and figures, that is, images, to sheet-like members such as paper or cloth, and particularly to The present invention relates to an image memory transfer plate device using an electronic image processing technology that uses a shape memory alloy as an element.

Prior Art Conventional stamps are made by carving letters, figures, etc. onto the smooth surface of a block-like or sheet-like material such as rubber, wood, synthetic resin, gold a, etc. to form an uneven surface, and then applying ink, etc. to this uneven surface. Attach the letter and press it onto paper or cloth to mark the letter.
It is used to transfer figures, etc., and is widely used as office equipment and household items.

Such stamps are popular for the spread of science and technology due to their irreplaceable convenience, such as their small and simple structure, ease of handling, low price, and availability everywhere.
It is presumed that its use will continue even in the future, when the trend towards advanced information technology continues to grow. However, images such as characters and figures provided on stamps are fixed and semi-permanent, and cannot be changed at will. Even if it is possible to change the display by adopting a stamp, there are restrictions on the scope of the change, making stamps extremely inflexible.

In addition, in a broad sense, image transfer means, that is, transfer plate devices, naturally include electronic copying devices such as xerography and facsimile machines, but both of them have a structure of the device itself. In addition to being complex and large-scale, it is also subject to restrictions regarding the material of the paper to be transcribed, and it is difficult to selectively transcribe only to specific areas on the paper. In the latter case, in particular, the time required for transfer is relatively long and multiple printings are not possible. In addition, with thermal transfer technology such as the recent popular product Blinto Gotsuko (trade name), it is necessary to create an original drawing, which requires the use of a special flash lamp each time, resulting in high costs. Ta.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention adopts the following configuration as a technical means for solving the above problems.

Many minute protrusions (e.g. area 1#1I112 or less)
In a stamp or transfer plate having a pixel area in which an image is expressed by the height of these pixels, a shape memory alloy is particularly used as a material for forming the pixels. The protrusion that becomes the pixel is, for example, one flat end surface of bundled ultrafine shape memory alloy strands, and the end surfaces of each of these many strands are arranged in a planar arrangement as a whole. It is constructed by something that has been given shape memory so as to have a specific curved arrangement distribution. Instead of using such wAll shape memory alloy strands, a single shape memory alloy thin plate was used, and a large number of minute protrusions of a constant shape were formed on the thin plate by an appropriate method (described later). However, in this case as well, for a protrusion formed on a thin plate, each tip of the protrusion may have an arrangement distribution in the form of one plane or one specific curved surface as a whole. Needless to say, it has shape memory.

The projections having the first arrangement distribution due to being given shape memory as described above are further given compressive plastic deformation by applying a pressing force over the entire surface of the pixel area, For this purpose, the protruding height of the protrusions is reduced, and the plate surface is formed as a whole by having a second planar arrangement distribution or a specific curved arrangement distribution different from the first arrangement distribution. ing. Therefore, a heat ray or light beam carrying the optical information of each pixel in the image to be transferred is directed onto this printing plate, which becomes a pixel area! ) J By doing so, a temperature distribution corresponding to the brightness and darkness of each of these pixels is given to the printing plate.

That is, only the shape of the protrusion that has been irradiated changes from the state in the second arrangement distribution to the state under the first arrangement distribution, that is, at the temperature B of the shape memory effect that was previously imparted. Since it is heated to the above extent and selectively returns to its original shape, a transfer plate is formed on the printing plate having irregularities representing the image to be transferred.

The present invention is characterized as a technical means for the configuration of a transfer plate that can be formed as described above, that is, an image memory transfer plate device that utilizes a shape memory effect.

In addition, in the transfer plate apparatus of the present invention, since the unevenness on the plate surface represents an image as described above, the uneven plate surface is coated with ink or transferred through a copying paper such as carbon paper. A desired transfer of the original image can be obtained by press-contacting it onto a suitable paper or cloth. In this way, after the required number of transfers are completed, all the protrusions are pressed again to return to the state before irradiation. The above operation process may be repeated each time the image to be transferred changes.

Embodiment Next, an embodiment of an image storage transfer plate device that embodies the idea of the present invention will be described, and furthermore, a process for forming a large number of fine protrusions of various sizes in the essential parts of the device of the present invention will be explained. I will also mention.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an embodiment of the image storage transfer plate apparatus of the present invention, and are particularly intended to clearly explain the basic structure of the present invention and the principle on which it is based. That is, FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the external appearance of this embodiment apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating the appearance of a document on which, for example, the letters rAJ are drawn, is irradiated with a light beam in the apparatus of FIG. 1A. This drawing shows a reduced cross section taken along the X-X line in part of the drawing. J3 in Fig. 1 Δ
1 is a block-shaped main body of the stamp or transfer plate, which is made of a heat insulating material such as synthetic resin such as polyurethane or phenol, or ceramic. This block-shaped main body 1 has a large number of elongated cavities having a predetermined depth bored from the upper surface 1' to the lower surface 1'', and the frontage of each of these cavities is arranged in a predetermined manner on the upper surface 1' of the main body. They are arranged at intervals of , J3 at one end thereof and/or the peripheral edge near the one end, and fixed to the bottom and/or wall surface of each cavity by using a suitable adhesive.The other end of each strand is a block-shaped body. These strands are exposed from the upper surface 1', and a uniform pressing force is applied to the entire tip of the exposed portion to give plastic deformation due to compression in advance.This pressing force After applying, each strand 3
Each of the tips faces the openings arranged on the upper surface 1' of the main body, and protrudes therefrom while maintaining a predetermined minute dimension. Therefore, in this embodiment, the protruding tips of each strand form one plane in the normal state. In addition, although only a small number of shape memory alloy strands 3 are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in actual use by Mr. B, a much larger number than this is necessary to correspond to the number of pixels. The diameter of the wire is extremely thin, and
Needless to say, the arrangement distribution of the frontage and the tips of the strands is also extremely precise.

To give you an example, the dimensions of the wire are 0.
5M and a height of 30 mm, and these are neatly arranged in a block-shaped main body 1 of 50 nm in length and width so as to correspond to 100×100=10,000 pixels. 11th
FIG. 3 shows how a transferred size image is formed in the pixel fI area formed by the arrangement distribution of the tips of the strands shown in FIG. 1A.

In the figure, the original is inserted between a light source (not shown) and a lens system. As a light source, for example, a xenon lamp or a laser is used. Taking the case of using a laser that generates infrared rays as an example, of the infrared rays irradiated onto the document, only the infrared rays that hit the letter "A" are transmitted. The character “△” forms an image,
Only the strands in that part absorb the infrared energy and are heated above the martensitic transformation temperature of the shape memory alloy, creating a shape memory effect. It selectively restores itself to its previously stretched state and stands out from the rest. In FIG. 1B, the blackened portions are the reconstructed strands, and their tips as a whole represent an image similar to the characters IAJ on the manuscript. Therefore, when using the transfer plate device of this embodiment, hold the block-shaped main body 1 and place the upper surface side of the block-shaped main body 1 on a stamp pad (not shown).
When brought into contact with the ink, the ink adheres only to the end face of the above-mentioned protruding strands, so by pressing the upper face side to the transfer paper or cloth, the desired image on the document can be transferred thereto.

In this way, when the required number of transfers or number of sheets is completed, pressing force is applied again to the upper surface side of the block-shaped main body 1, and the protruding wire is brought into the same compressed state as the other wires. be done. Note that the medium for Φλ copying is not limited to the above-mentioned stamp and ink, but various paints can be used, and copying paper such as carbon paper may be used instead of these.

Furthermore, as in the case of normal printing, the block-shaped main body 1 on which the image to be transferred is formed is placed facing upward, transfer paper or cloth is placed on top of it, and transfer is performed by pressure rolling. Of course it's a good thing.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the large number of protrusions arranged and distributed over the entire pixel area to form one plane are formed by shape memory alloy wires that are fitted and fixed into the cavities of the block-shaped main body. Although formed by a tip, ie, a free end, extremely other embodiments are conceivable in implementing the idea of the invention. To name a few of these:
As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2E. Figure 2A (1) ~
In (3), a shape memory alloy wire with a circular cross section is used as in FIGS. 1A and 8, but a block-shaped main body is not used. However, instead of this, a hard synthetic wood board or metal plate having an area roughly comparable to the pixel area is used, one end of each strand is fixed on the surface thereof, and the entire strands are bundled by appropriate means. are taken. In FIG. 2A, (1) is a top view of a portion thereof, (2) is a perspective view showing the overall structure, and (3) is a partially enlarged view. (The drawings with these symbols +11, +21, and (3) have the same meanings in Figures 2B to 2E, which will be described later.) Next, Figures 2B (1) to 2E have the same meanings. In (3), a thin plate of a shape memory alloy having an area almost comparable to the pixel area is used, and a large number of chevron-shaped protrusions are formed on the thin plate itself by press working or the like, and the shape is memorized. Further, although FIGS. 2C (1) to (3) also use thin plates of shape memory alloy, the protrusion in this example is particularly semicircular, as is clear from (3). In order to form such protrusions, a large number of pairs of parallel linear slits are formed in a thin plate in a predetermined arrangement distribution using, for example, a laser cutter, and for each pair of slits, A constant pressing force may be applied from one side of the thin plate to the other side to memorize the shape. Figure 2D (1) - (
3) shows a case in which a particularly fine hair-like wire of a shape memory alloy is used. In the figure, a large number of hair-like strands are formed by cutting the surface of a shape memory alloy into lines and fluffing them to look like artificial grass or a blanket. Figure 2E (1), (2
).

(3) shows an example in which spherical elementary powder or fine powder of a shape memory alloy is used. That is, a large number of spherical powders having uniform particle size are prepared, and these large numbers of spherical powders are fixed on one surface of a hard substrate such as ceramic or metal so that they form a predetermined arrangement and distribution. . An appropriate adhesive or the like is used as the fixing means.

Next, in actual use of the image storage transfer plate device of the present invention, specific examples of writing image files (characters, symbols, figures, etc.) of a manuscript in the pixel area are as follows. As shown in Figure 8 and Figures 4 to 9. First, in FIG. 3A, 3 corresponds to, for example, the shape memory alloy strands in FIG. A temperature increase due to irradiation results in a free end that can extend downwardly from a predetermined aligned level. Light from an irradiation light source, such as a xenon lamp, is focused by an optical system such as a collimator and a lens system, and sequentially scans the document two-dimensionally, producing reflected light that carries information on the density of each pixel. This irradiation light source is combined with a photo-addressable liquid crystal ILCM, which will be described later, and both move together over the document, so the reflected light is reflected as shown in the figure.
The back of this liquid crystal mirror is illuminated in a spot-like manner. On the other hand,
The liquid crystal mirror is irradiated with a laser beam such as a YAG laser, and the areas that are irradiated with this laser beam and the areas that are irradiated with the reflected light from the pixels are adjusted so that they always match throughout scanning. . By the way, as shown in FIG. 38, the photo-addressable liquid crystal mirror LCM has a photoconductive layer (for example, PbS, Pb5e, a-
3i) 9, a light blocking layer 10, and a dielectric mirror 11 are sequentially deposited, and a liquid crystal material 12 is held between the dielectric mirror 11 and the second transparent electrode 8'. As the liquid crystal substance 12, for example, TN type nematic liquid crystal is selected. Although a bias voltage is constantly applied between the first and second transparent electrodes 8, 8', intermediate light)! ! Since the electric resistance value of the electric layer 9 is high, no effective voltage is applied to the TN type nematic liquid crystal, and the liquid crystal maintains a transparent state.
The first light reaches the dielectric mirror, becomes reflected light, and irradiates the lower end of the shape memory alloy wire, causing it to protrude.

On the other hand, if the document surface is white and part of the illumination light is reflected by it and illuminates the photoconductive layer as writing light, light S
The electrical resistance value of the electrical layer decreases, and an effective bias voltage is applied to the liquid crystal. Therefore, since the liquid crystal becomes opaque and the incident light is not reflected, the wires of the shape memory alloy are not heated and protruded.

Next, FIG. 4 shows that in place of the irradiation light source system in FIG. 3A, a half mirror 14 that also moves in cooperation with the liquid crystal mirror is provided. The irradiation light sequentially scans each pixel of the document, and the reflected light passes through the half mirror again and is incident on a specific location on the back of the liquid crystal mirror. Figure 5 shows an optical fiber 15 with a special structure, avoiding the use of a combination of light and a laser as well as a liquid crystal mirror to illuminate the pixels as in the previous examples. By using a combination of the mirror and the half mirror 16, desired effects can be obtained.

In FIG. 6, an optical fiber 15' is used for the optical path, and the reflected light carrying information about each pixel of the original 5 is
It is received by a light receiving element 2o such as an image sensor and converted into an electric signal, amplified by an amplifier 21, and applied to a thermal head 22 to convert it into heat, and this thermal head 22 synchronizes with the scanning of the original image by illumination light. , the corresponding shape memory alloy element 1i13 is scanned. In this case, each strand 3
Unlike the above, the scanning is done on their fixed end side.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention develops a new use for shape memory alloys and provides a novel image transfer plate device that utilizes the same. It is not a fixed or semi-permanent thing like a stamp, but it is changeable and erasable, making it highly flexible.In addition, the transfer medium materials include not only stamps, inks, and various paints, but also carbon paper, etc. Various materials can be used, and paper and cloth can be selected without any particular restrictions as the transfer target.Also, compared to those using plate-making methods such as electrophotography or facsimile, There are a number of outstanding advantages in that the simple structure and technical means allow reliable and repeatable transfer of the desired image at relatively low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1A is a perspective view conceptually showing the overall structure of an embodiment of the image storage transfer plate device of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. Figure 2A (11,
+21,! 31 to 2E+11, (21. (3) are drawings that do not show different embodiments of a group of protrusions of a shape memory alloy, which is a component of the present invention, and (1) in each drawing shows a group of protrusions. (2) is a perspective view of the whole, and (3) is a locally enlarged view. Figures 3A to 6
The figures are drawings conceptually showing specific examples of several methods for embedding an image in a pixel area in actual use of the apparatus of the present invention.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A transfer plate having a pixel area in which an image is expressed by the heights of a large number of fine protrusions arranged and distributed in a plane or a specific curved shape as pixels, wherein the protrusions are , is made of a shape memory alloy, and is given shape memory so that each tip thereof forms a first planar or specific curved arrangement distribution as a whole, and once covers the entire surface of the pixel area. Due to the plastic deformation imparted by the application of the pressing force, the protrusion height of the protrusions is reduced, resulting in a second planar or specific curved arrangement distribution different from the above arrangement distribution as a whole. A temperature distribution corresponding to the brightness of each pixel in a desired image is given to the pixel region, and the shape of the protrusion changes from the state under the second arrangement distribution to the state under the second arrangement distribution. An image storage transfer plate device characterized in that it is configured to be able to perform plate making for the desired image by selectively restoring the state under the arrangement distribution of 1.