JPS63167554A - Copying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form a copying picture with high quality with a simple constitution not requiring a complicated wet type processing process by using a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material, scanning and reading an original to obtain a 3-color decomposition signal. CONSTITUTION:A copying device consists of an image reader 200, an image processor 250, an exposure 300 and a heat developer 40 and a transfer device 88. The part including the image reader 200, the image processor 250 and the exposure 300 is disconnected from the other part by a barrier 3 at the upper part of the housing 1. An aperture 230 is provided to a part through which the optical axis of the exposure 300 passes. In applying 3-color exposure to the photosensitive pressure-sending color photosensitive material by the exposure 300, the latent image formed onto the photosensitive material at one heating by the heat developer 40 is developed and the photosensitive material and the image receiving material are overlapped by the transfer device 88 to transfer the picture of the photosensitive material onto the image receiving material by one pressing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an original copying apparatus, and more particularly to a copying apparatus that copies a color original using a light-sensitive and pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

An electrophotographic method is known as a method for copying color originals. In the electrophotographic method, a color original is generally exposed to light using a blue, green, or red color separation filter to form an electrostatic latent image on a charged photoreceptor drum, and then the latent image is converted into yellow, magenta, cyan, etc. The color toner image is then transferred to a transfer paper and fixed, and then the same process is repeated for each color to reproduce a color image.

Another known copying method is a method using a silver halide color light-sensitive material. This uses a certain type of silver halide color photosensitive material to reproduce color images.

In order to obtain a color image using the former electrophotographic method, the steps of charging, exposure, development, and transfer are repeated three times, which makes the device complicated and large, and it is also necessary to superimpose three-color toner images. Problems such as color misalignment are likely to occur.

In addition, although the latter method using silver halide color photosensitive materials requires only one exposure, it is necessary to carry out complex wet processes such as developing, bleaching, fixing, and washing the photosensitive materials, and therefore each processing step requires A tank for storing the liquid is required, which increases the size of the apparatus, requires troublesome management of the processing liquid, and furthermore requires maintenance such as replenishment and replacement of the processing liquid.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a copying apparatus that does not require complicated wet processing steps and can form high-quality copied images with a simple configuration. .

[Means for solving problems]

A copying apparatus according to the present invention has the following features: an image reading device that photoelectrically scans a document to obtain three-color separation signals; an image processing device that performs predetermined image processing on the read three-color separation signals; and the image processing device. an exposure device that exposes a light-sensitive and pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material in three colors according to an output signal from the device, and a portion that hardens a portion corresponding to a latent image formed on the exposed light-sensitive and pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material; This is achieved by a configuration that includes a heat developing device that immobilizes the photosensitive color photosensitive material and an image receiving material, and a transfer device that superimposes the photosensitive and pressure sensitive color photosensitive material and the image receiving material and presses them together.

That is, after the exposure device exposes the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material to three colors, the heat developing device develops the latent image formed on the photosensitive material with one heating, and the transfer device develops the latent image formed on the photosensitive material. The image on the light-sensitive material is transferred to the image-receiving material by overlapping the material and the image-receiving material and applying pressure once.

In the present invention, the photosensitive and pressure sensitive color photosensitive materials are, for example, those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-17 filed by the present applicant.
There is a type disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 9836 in which a polymerizable compound is imagewise cured by exposure and then pressure is applied to obtain a visible image. This material has a synthetic polymer resin wall capsule containing a vinyl compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a colorant precursor supported on a support.

Also, after containing silver halide and exposing it to light, heat development is performed to develop the silver halide, the polymerizable compound is simultaneously cured in correspondence with this development, and then pressure is applied to obtain a visible image. Examples of this type include the materials disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 121284/1984 or Japanese Patent Application No. 53811/1981 filed by the present applicant. The material disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 121284/1984 is a material that is thermally developed and then transferred to an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer to obtain an image on the image-receiving material. At least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image forming substance are coated, and at least the polymerizable compound and the color image forming substance are encapsulated in the same microcapsule. . Furthermore, the material disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 61-53881 is for obtaining an image on a light-sensitive material without using an image-receiving material. One of the substances that cause a color reaction and a polymerizable compound are contained in microcapsules, and the other substance that causes a color reaction contains a polymerizable compound. The photosensitive layer is present on the support and is present outside the microcapsules.

[Embodiment]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The copying apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a copying machine embodying the present invention.

This copying apparatus basically includes an image reading device 200, an image processing device 250, an exposure device 300, a heat developing device 40, and a transfer bag 28B.

In the upper part of the housing 1, a portion including the image reading device 200, the image processing bag W250, and the exposure device 300 is separated from other portions by the partition wall 3. An opening 230 is provided in a portion of the RI optical device 300 through which the optical axis passes.

A window material cartridge 14 containing a photosensitive material roll 12 wound with a photosensitive and pressure sensitive heat-developable color photosensitive material S (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive material) 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 and 30 that are 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.
Imagewise exposure is performed by an exposure device 300 at a position 32 between 30 and 30 .

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.
An endless belt 50 is supported by a heating roll 44 that is heated to 0.degree. The nip roll 52 is pressed into contact with the nip roll 52.

The heat developing device 40 further includes an exposed light-sensitive material support roll 26.
A guide and a device 54 for guiding the photosensitive material S fed from the heating roll 44 onto the heating roll 44 and separating the photosensitive material S from the heating roll 44 after heat development; It has a vertical guide device 58 for guiding the liquid to the outlet 56, and the outlet 56 is provided with a bad phase front end detection sensor 60.

Directly below the outlet 56, a pair of pressure rolls 62, 64,
The nip roll 66 is pressed against the pressure roll 64, and the receiver (i) sent by the pressure roll 64 and the nip roll 66 is
A photoreceptor paper stacking device is provided, which includes a guide member 68 that guides the paper to the contact portion of the pressure rolls 62 and 64.

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 l and is removably attached, an image-receiving paper take-out roll 76 for feeding out the image-receiving paper C in the cassette 74, and a feed-out roll 76. The output image-receiving paper C is pressed into contact with the roll 64.
and a guide plate 78 that guides the nip roll 66 to the contact portion. Here, the width of the image-receiving paper C is about 6 arms 71% wider than the width of the photosensitive material S, and the image-receiving paper C is placed in the center of the photosensitive material S in the width direction in the photosensitive image-receiving paper stacking device 70. are superimposed.

A pair of pressure nip rolls 80, 82 and pressure nip rolls 80, 8 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 equalizing the pressure of the two in the axial direction. Pressure nip roll 80.82 is approximately 500kg/
They are pressed together by the pressure of cj.

A photoreceptor paper peeling 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 press only 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 photosensitive material disposal unit 104 includes a guide member 108, a pair of feed rolls 110, 112, and a waste box 114, and the photosensitive material S sent from the peeling device 90 and guided by the guide member 10B is sent by the feed rolls 110, 112. Throw it into the waste box 114.

The fixing device 106 includes a guide member 120 and a reflecting member 1.
It consists of an ultraviolet irradiation lamp 124 with a 22 attached and a pair of feed rolls 126 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. conduct.

A take-out tray 130 for receiving the image-receiving paper C is attached to the front of the fixing bag W106 so as to protrude from the housing 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an exposure path from the image reading device 200 through the image processing device 250 to the exposure device 300. The image reading device 200 includes an illumination lamp 208. Mirror 210 and
A mirror 212 that moves in the same direction at half the speed of the illumination lamp 208 and reflects the light of the illumination lamp 208 in that direction.
214, a liquid crystal filter unit 216 that time-divides the light from the mirror 214 into three colors and is divided into three color regions on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis as shown in FIG. 3, and an imaging lens 218. and a CCD sensor 220 that performs photoelectric conversion.
It is made up of.

By rotating the filter unit 216 at a constant high speed by a drive device (not shown), the light from the mirror 214 is repeatedly time-divided into three colors, and the light of each color is sequentially irradiated onto the CCD sensor 220. By synchronizing the scan of the CCD sensor 220 and the rotation of the filter unit 216, one color of light is transmitted to the CC during one scan.
By irradiating the D sensor 220, the three color signals of R9G and H can be sequentially read out as shown in FIG.

Next, in the image processing bag M250, the analog/digital conversion circuit 222 converts the readout signal from the CCD sensor 220 into a digital signal.
A contour enhancement circuit 224 corrects deterioration of the spatial frequency response caused by the 8 and CCD sensor 220, a color correction calculation circuit 226 determines the exposure amount of each pixel, and an exposure control circuit 228 controls the exposure amount of each color.

And 3 colors in 1! Light is emitted from the exposure device 300 as I, and the photosensitive material S is exposed along the optical axis. Here, as the photosensitive material S,
The photosensitive material (VI[[) of Example 3 disclosed in No. 1-42747 can be used.

In the exposure apparatus 300, the red light has a wavelength of 1300n+w.
A semiconductor laser 251 that emits a laser beam of 172, and a second harmonic generating element (
(hereinafter referred to as an SHG element) 255.

The semiconductor laser 251 is, for example, NDL manufactured by NEC Corporation.
It is 5004. The SHG element 255 is L i N b
It is an Os optical waveguide type element, and emits a red light beam having a wavelength of 650 nm by setting the wavelength of the incident laser light to 172 nm. A laser beam with a wavelength of 650n+m emitted from the SHG element 255 passes through a collimator lens 258 and is shaped.
The light is reflected by the total reflection mirror 261 toward the polygon mirror 270 .

The green light is a Ga55zP (1-111 semiconductor laser 25
It is formed by converting a laser beam with a wavelength of 11064n excited by the Nd:YAG crystal 254 into a wavelength of 172n by the SHG element 256. The laser beam emitted from the Nd:YAG crystal 254 is converted into a wavelength of 532nll by the SHG element 256, shaped through the collimator lens 259, and then converted into a polygon mirror 270 by the google clock mirror 262 that passes red light and reflects green light. reflected towards.

The blue light is generated by a semiconductor laser 253 that emits a laser beam with a wavelength of 850n- and an SHG that converts this laser beam into 172.
formed by element 257. The semiconductor laser 253 is, for example, NDL3108 manufactured by NEC Corporation. 5)I
The laser beam with a wavelength of 425 nm emitted by the G element 257 is
A guichroic mirror 26 is shaped through a collimator lens 260 and passes red and green light and reflects blue light.
3 toward the polygon mirror 270.

The above-mentioned red light, green light, and blue light pass through the same optical path 264 and are reflected by the polygon mirror 270, and are reflected by the fθ lens 280.
The light is further reflected by a mirror 290 and reaches the photosensitive material S. Then, as the polygon mirror 270 rotates around the axis 271, the image light scans and exposes the photosensitive material 5. Then, an image is formed by moving the photosensitive pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material S in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the laser beam.

The exposure apparatus 300 may use not only the laser beam described above but also a three-color liquid crystal shutter array, three linear plasma arrays, or the like.

The edge enhancement circuit 224 calculates corrected gradation values Ri' and Gi' for the i-th pixel based on the following formula.

The image is corrected by determining Bi'. In the formula below, α and β are correction coefficients that vary depending on the color.

Ri'=αRi−β* (Ri”t +Rt−+)
Gi'=α, Ri−βa (Rt−+ + Rt−
+) Bi'=α, Ri−β* (Rt−+ +Rt
-+) Furthermore, the color correction calculation circuit 226 determines the exposure amount Ci, Mi, and Yi of each pixel based on the following formula.

Here, a and ~a are correction coefficients that take into account characteristics of filters and the like.

Further, the color correction calculation circuit 226 is provided with a color balance automatic setting mode. That is, the exposure apparatus 300
A pattern having a predetermined hue, saturation, and brightness is irradiated from the image receiving paper C onto which the pattern has been transferred, and the hue, saturation, and brightness of the image receiving paper C are measured by a sensor 400 provided downstream of the peeling section 90, and a predetermined value is measured. The correction coefficients of the color correction calculation circuit 226 are controlled.

In the sensor 400, as shown in FIG.
02 illuminates the image on the image receiving material, the reflected light is divided by a color separation filter 403, the light is converted into an analog signal by a photoelectric conversion element 404 such as a CCD, a photodiode, or an amorphous silicon diode, and the arithmetic circuit 40
5, the analog signal is digitized.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the arithmetic circuit 405. 404 is a photoelectric change element that converts red light, 406 is an operational amplifier that converts current into voltage, 407 is an analog switch, and 408
is a sample halt circuit, 409 is an A/D converter, 410
．． 412 is a photoelectric conversion element that converts green light and blue light, respectively, and 411 and 413 are operational amplifiers of the elements. The microprocessor 414 compares the digital signal from the arithmetic circuit 405 with a reference signal, and controls correction by changing a, to a22 in the color correction arithmetic circuit 226. Also, al
Changes from l to a23 are made using the lookup table (LUT)
It may be done based on.

In addition, the correction coefficients of the color correction calculation circuit 226 can be determined not only in the automatic color balance setting mode described above, but also in the automatic color balance setting mode described above.
The CCD sensor 220 detects a section on the original where the hue, saturation, and brightness are constant, and the sensor 400 measures the hue, saturation, and brightness in the section on the image receiving paper C after transfer that corresponds to this section. , correction coefficients all~ are set so that the value of the image receiving paper detected by the sensor 400 and the value of the main scanning line are equal to each other.
By determining ass, correction coefficients a, ~aSS can be calculated online without setting up a particular color balance mode.
can be changed.

Note that the photosensitive material S in the above embodiment has a structure in which microcapsules that develop colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan are dispersed in a single layer.
Compared to a color photosensitive material composed of three cyan emulsion layers, the sharpness of the recorded image is poor.

In other words, the outline of the image tends to be blurred.In this embodiment, predetermined signal processing (contour enhancement processing) is performed on the three-color separation signals read by scanning the original, so that the outline of the image can be blurred. You can get the image. moreover,
In this embodiment, a copying apparatus using a type that performs heat development as a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material is shown, but if a type that does not perform heat development is used, the heat development device 40 may be omitted. It becomes what is given.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, by using a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material, it is possible to copy a color original with a simple configuration, and also to scan and read the original. Since color separation signals are obtained, desired image signal processing can be performed and a high quality copy image can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a route diagram showing an exposure path from an image reading device to an exposure device,
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the filter, Figure 4 is the filter and CCD.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the sensor on the image-receiving paper side, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the arithmetic circuit in the lower-side image-receiving sensor. Symbols in the figure: S...Photosensitive material C...Receiving paper 1...Housing 3...Partition wall 12...Sensitive material roll 14...Sensitive material cartridge 16...Outlet 20...Magazine Connecting dark box 22...Sensitive material cutting roll 23...
Cutter unit 24... Guide plate 26... Exposure sensitive material support roll 28. 30... Sensitive material nip roll 32... Exposure position 40... Heat developing device 42.
...Development housing 44...Heating roll 46.4
7゜48, 49... Belt support roll 50... Belt 52... Nip roll 54... Guide device
56...Exit 58...Vertical guide device 60...
・Sensor 62.64...Pressure roll-66...Nip roll 68...Guide member 70...Sensitive material image-receiving paper stacking device 72...Image-receiving paper supply device 74
...Receiving paper supply cassette 76...Receiving paper feed roll 78...Guide plate 80.82...Pressure nip rolls 84, 86...Back unroll
88... Transfer device 90... Peeling device 92... Guide member 94... First feed roll 96... Second
Feeding roll 98.100...Guide roll 102
... Peeling belt 104 ... Sensitive material disposal section 106 ...
Fixing device 108... Guide member 110.112.
・Feed roll 114 ・Disposal box 120 ・
...Guide member 122...Reflection member 124...
Lamp 126.128...Feed roll 130...
・Eject tray 200...image reading device 208・
・・Illumination lamp 210.212.214 ・・Mirror 216 ・・Liquid crystal filter unit 218 ・
・・Imaging lens 220・CCD sensor 222・
...Analog/digital conversion circuit 224...Contour emphasis circuit 226...Color correction calculation circuit 228...Exposure control B circuit 230...Aperture 250...Image processing device 251.252.253... Semiconductor laser 25
4...Nd:YAG crystal 255, 256.257...
・SHG element 258.259.260... Collimator lens 261... Total reflection mirror 262, 263
...Guicron Cumira-264...Light path 270...
・Polygon mirror 271...axis 280...f
θ lens 290...Mirror 400...Sensor 402...Lamp 403...Color separation filter 404.410.412...Photoelectric conversion element 405
... Arithmetic circuit 406.411.413 ... Operational amplifier 407 ... Analog switch 408 ... Sample and hold circuit 409 ... Analog/digital converter 414 ... Microprocessor (and 3 others) No. 3 Figure: C Figure 1/6 Procedural Amendments September 9, 1986

Claims (1)

[Claims] an image reading device that photoelectrically scans an original to obtain three-color separation signals; an image processing device that performs predetermined image processing on the read three-color separation signals; an exposure device that exposes a photosensitive material to light in three colors; a heat development device that hardens and immobilizes a portion corresponding to a latent image formed on the exposed pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material; A copying apparatus comprising a transfer device that superimposes a pressure-sensitive color photosensitive material and an image-receiving material and presses them together.