JPS63172268A - Device for heating heat developing photosensitive material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To guide a heat developing photosensitive material and an image receiving material to a proper carrying route between heating plates along an inclined face or a curved face of a wide mouthed part by arranging the wide mouthed part on the upper stream side of the heating plates. CONSTITUTION:A pair of heating plate 70 are arranged in parallel through pass lines for the heat developing photosensitive material and image receiving paper and a gap between the heating plates 70 is held by spacers 71 and heaters 74 are fitted to the rear faces of respective heating plates 70. Inclined parts 75 expanded to the outside obliquely to respective pass lines are formed on the upper stream sides of the heating plates 70 in the carrying direction to form a wide mouthed part. Thereby, the heat developing photosensitive material and the image receiving material carried to the heating plates 70 are curled, and even when these materials are positioned on either upper or lower part in the gap between the heating plates, the leading end of the heat developing photosensitive material is slided along the inclined face of the wide mouthed part 77 and guided into the gap. Consequently, no jam is generated between the heat developing photosensitive material and the image receiving material at the inlet of the heating plates and stable carrying can be executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a heat-developable photosensitive material heating device for thermally developing an image imagewise exposed on a photothermographic material and thermally transferring it to an image-receiving material.

[Conventional technology]

Heat-developable photosensitive materials are well known in this technical field, and for information on heat-developable photosensitive materials and their processes, see, for example, Basics of Photographic Engineering Non-Silver Salt Photography 1 (published by Corona Publishing, 1982), 242.
Pages 255 to 255, 40 pages of video information published in April 1978, Neblett's Book of Photography and Reprography (Neblett's Han)
dbook of photography and R
eprography) 7th edition (7tbEd,) 7 Anne Nostrand Reinhold Company (Va
n No5trand Re1nhold Compa
ny), pages 32-33.

Furthermore, many methods have been proposed for obtaining heat-developed f-color images (color images).

There is also a method in which a mobile dye is released in an image form by heating, and this mobile dye is transferred to a dye fixing material with a mordant using a solvent such as water, or a method in which the mobile dye is transferred to a dye fixing material using a high boiling point organic solvent. A method in which the dye is transferred to a dye fixing material using a hydrophilic hot solvent built into the dye fixing material, and a method in which a mobile dye is thermally diffusible or sublimable and is transferred to a dye receiving material such as a support are proposed. ing. (U.S. Patent Nos. 4,463,079, 4,474,867, 4,478,927, 4.507.380
No. 4,500,626, No. 4,483,91
No. 4; JP-A-58-149046, JP-A No. 58-1490
No. 47, No. 59-152440, No. 59-15144
No. 5, No. 59-165054, No. 59-180548
No. 59-168459, No. 59-174832, No. 59-174833, No. 59-174834,
No. 59-174835, etc.) As an apparatus for carrying out this type of image forming method, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-75247, thermal development is performed using an exposure head in an exposure section. After exposing a color image to a photosensitive material, the color image is sent to a heat development section, an image-receiving material is brought into close contact with the photothermographic material after heat development, and the image is sent to a transfer section, where the image is thermally transferred to the image-receiving material. A recording device has been proposed.

In such an image recording device, a thermal development section or a thermal transfer section ↑
The image on the heat-developable photosensitive material is thermally developed by a holding and conveying heating roller equipped with a heater, and is thermally transferred to an image-receiving material.

When heating is performed using the nip-and-convey heating roller, the nip-and-convey heating roller is made of rubber so that it has a large contact surface with the photothermographic material, and it rotates constantly to make the temperature of the heating roller uniform. At the same time, the photothermographic material is heated and conveyed.

Although it is possible to heat the heat-developable photosensitive material with just one pair of gripping conveyance heating rollers, in many cases multiple pairs of gripping conveyance heating rollers are provided in order to perform sufficient and reliable heating. . In the process of conveying the photothermographic material from one pair of nipping and conveying heating rollers to another pair of nipping and conveying heating rollers, a pair of heating plates are installed to guide the travel of the photothermographic material and to heat and keep it warm. , are provided on the upper and lower sides via a conveyance path between a pair of holding and conveying heating rollers.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The heating plates face each other in parallel with each other at an interval greater than the thickness of the photothermographic material through the photothermographic material conveyance path, and the photothermographic material is smoothly conveyed between the heating plates.

However, since the heating plate is a pair of flat plates arranged in parallel with a small gap between them, the photothermographic material inlet and outlet also have the same gap. Therefore, the heat-developable photosensitive material conveyed from the upstream holding and conveying heating rollers is
Unless it travels on an appropriate conveyance path, it cannot enter between the heating plates.

Therefore, if the front end of the heat-developable photosensitive material is bent or deviates from the conveyance path after being discharged from the clamping and conveying heating rollers, the photothermographic material will not be conveyed between the heating plates and will become jammed at the entrance. There is a problem with putting it away. This problem becomes particularly noticeable when a heat-developable photosensitive material and an image-receiving material are superimposed and thermal transfer, thermal development, or transfer is performed using a heating roller and a heating plate. This is because the overlapping photothermographic material and image-receiving material, which are heated by a heating roller and conveyed between heating plates, have different moisture contents and expansion/contraction rates due to their different compositions, and when they are overlapped and heated. This is because it curls strongly in either direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a photothermographic material heating device in which the photothermographic material and image receiving material conveyed from the sandwiched conveyance heating rollers properly enter between the heating plates. It is about providing.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by providing a heat-developable photosensitive material heating device↑ that thermally develops an image imagewise exposed on a photothermographic material and thermally transfers it to an image-receiving material. , a pair of opposing heating plates provided via a conveyance path for the overlapping photothermographic material and image-receiving material, each having a wide opening that is inclined or curved and widens on the upstream side in the conveyance direction. This is achieved by a developing photosensitive material heating device.

In other words, by having a wide opening on the upstream side of the heating plate, even if the tips of the heat-developable photosensitive material and image-receiving material that are being conveyed to the heating plate are curled and deviated from the conveyance path, the inclined surface or curved part of the wide opening can be avoided. The heat-developable photosensitive material and the image-receiving material can be guided along the surface to an appropriate conveyance path between the heating plates.

The heat-developable photosensitive material used in the present invention is composed of a photosensitive material having a photosensitive layer and a dye fixing material (image receiving material) having a dye fixing layer capable of receiving a hydrophilic and diffusible dye formed in the photosensitive layer. be done.

In this case, the specific method for forming a color image is to transfer mobile dyes produced or released by thermal development. For this purpose, the present invention ↑ consists of a photosensitive material having a photosensitive layer having on a support at least a photosensitive silver halide, a dye-donating substance, an inder, and optionally an organic silver salt and a reducing agent, and a photosensitive element. It is preferable to use a dye-fixing material that can accept the diffusing mobile dye.

The above-mentioned light-sensitive materials and dye-fixing materials are specifically described in Japanese Patent Application No. 89376/1989 filed by the present applicant, and can be used in the present invention.

The photosensitive layer and the dye fixing layer may be formed on the same support or on separate supports.

The dye fixing layer and the photosensitive layer can also be peeled off. For example, after imagewise exposure, uniform heat development can be carried out, and then the dye fixing layer or the photosensitive layer can be peeled off. In addition, when a photosensitive element with a photosensitive layer coated on a support and a dye fixing element with a dye fixing layer coated on a support are formed separately, the fixing element is overlapped by imagewise exposure of the photosensitive element. The diffusible dye can be transferred to the fixed layer by uniform heating in the presence of water.

The dye fixing layer can contain, for example, a dye mordant for dye fixation. Various mordants can be used as the mordant, and polymer mordants are particularly useful. In addition to the mordant, a base, a base precursor, etc., and a thermal solvent may also be included.

Particularly when the photosensitive layer and the dye fixing layer are formed on different supports, it is especially useful to include a base or a base fluorescer in the fixing layer! be.

There are two types of forms in which the photosensitive element and the dye-fixing element are formed on separate supports: one is a peelable type and the other is a peelable type. In the case of the former peel-off type, after image exposure, the coated surface of the photosensitive element and the coated surface of the dye-fixing element are overlapped, and after the transfer image is formed, the photosensitive element is immediately peeled off from the dye-fixing element.The final image is reflected. Depending on whether type 1 or transparent type is used, the support for the dye fixing element can be selected from an opaque support or a transparent support. Further, a white reflective layer may be coated if necessary. In the case of the latter type that does not require peeling, it is necessary to interpose a white reflective layer between the photosensitive layer in the photosensitive element and the dye fixing layer in the dye fixing element. It may be coated on any of the fixing elements. The support for the dye fixing element must be a transparent support↑.

A typical configuration in which the photosensitive element and the dye-fixing element are coated on the same support is a configuration in which there is no need to peel the photosensitive element from the image-receiving element after the transfer image is formed. In this case, a photosensitive layer, a dye fixing layer and a white reflective layer are formed on a transparent or opaque support. Embodiments of the present invention will be described by taking as an example the devices each having on a separate support.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus incorporating a photothermographic material heating apparatus of the present invention.

In this image recording device 10, a hemaga on the machine base 12, a kun 1
4 is mounted to house a photothermographic material 16. This photothermographic material 16 is pulled out from the magazine 14,
After being cut to the required length by the cutter 18, it is wrapped around the outer periphery of the exposure drum 20 installed in the machine base 12 (in the direction of the arrow), and the exposure head 22 is exposed.
0 is peeled off by the scrubber nog 24 and sent to the water application section 64.

In the water application section 34, the water in the tank 65 is applied to the heat-developable photosensitive material 1.
The heat-developable photosensitive material 16 coated with water is sent to the overlapping section 26.

On the other hand, the image-receiving paper 62 is supplied in a state housed in the cassette 30, and is sent from the top layer to the overlapping section 26. In the overlapping section 26, the photothermographic material 16 and the image-receiving paper 32 are overlaid and then heated. The image is sent to a developing/transfer section 28. A stripping section 36 is provided downstream of the heat development/transfer section 28 , and the heat-developable photosensitive material 16 is sent to a disposal tray 38 downstream from the stripping section 66 , and the image-receiving paper 32 is taken out through a drying section 40 . It is designed to be sent to a tray 42.

In the thermal development/transfer section 28, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, a pair of first heating rollers 5o, a pair of second heating rollers 52, and a pair of sixth heating rollers 54 are arranged at a predetermined distance apart. ing.

A .xi. line of the photothermographic material 16 and the image receiving paper 32 is sandwiched between the first heating roller 250 and the second heating roller 252 and between the second heating roller 52 and the sixth heating roller 254, respectively. Heating plates 70 and 72 are arranged. Each heating plate 70, 72 is provided with a heater 74, 76. The first heating roller 50, the second heating roller 52, and the third heating roller 54 are all driven and rotated synchronously by a driving device (not shown).

The first heating roller 50, the second heating roller 52, and the sixth heating roller 54 are manufactured by Zam and are each provided with drive shafts 51, 53, and 55 made of conductive material. The first heating roller 50, the second heating roller 52, and the sixth heating roller 5
4, a heater 6 is installed along the axial direction of each heating roller.
0, 62, and 64 are arranged respectively.

Each heater 60.62.64 corresponds to each heating roller 50.52.
A plurality of heating elements (not shown) are provided along the axial direction of the roller 54, so that each heating roller 50, 52, 54 can be heated at a plurality of locations.

These heaters 60, 62, 64 are connected to a power source (not shown) via a control device (not shown).

FIG. 6 is a side view of one heating plate 70, and the other heating plate 72 has the same configuration.

A pair of heating plates 70 are disposed in parallel with each other across the pass line of the photothermographic material 16 and the image receiving paper 32, and are separated by a spacer 71 so as to have an approximately 21 rI! The gap L is maintained.

A heater 74 is provided on the back surface of each heating plate 70 (on the opposite side of the heating plate 70), and is electrically connected to a power source (not shown) via a control device (not shown). Thermal development photosensitive material 16 and image receiving paper 62 sent from the first heating roller 50
is conveyed in the direction shown by arrow A, and the heating plate 70 heated by the heater 74 is heated by the heat-developable photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving paper 3.
2 is heated and kept warm.

On the upstream side of the heating plate 70 in the conveying direction, a sloped portion 75 is formed which extends outward at an angle θ with respect to the gas line.
A wide mouth portion 77 is formed that opens toward the upstream side in the conveyance direction. The tip of this inclined portion 75 is arranged as close to the first heating roller 50 as possible.

Photothermographic material 16 discharged from the first heating roller 50
The image-receiving paper 32 is conveyed from the wide opening portion 77 to the gap between the heating plates 70, but if the leading edge deviates from the gap between the heating plates 70 in either the up or down direction, the leading edge will contact the inclined portion 75 and then It is guided along the slope and transported into the gap.

The closer the inclination angle θ is to 90°, the greater the pressing force and the greater the friction when the tips of the photothermographic material 16 and the image receiving paper 32 abut against the inclined portion 75. Therefore, the relationship between the flexibility and pressing force of the photothermographic material 16 and the image receiving paper 32 is such that the tip of the photothermographic material 16 does not slide on the inclined surface.
If this happens, the image receiving paper 32 may become bent inside the wide opening portion 77, and a jam may occur.

As a result of repeated experiments, it was found that if the angle of inclination θ is 60° or less, no bending occurs and stable conveyance can be performed. Further, as long as the length of the inclined portion 75 is sufficiently long, the angle θ21° may be acceptable, but it is preferably 5° or more in practice.

Under these circumstances, the inclination angle θ is preferably 15° to 25°, particularly preferably 18° to 22°.

In this embodiment, the heating plate 70 has a wide mouth part 77 formed by an inclined part 75, but as shown in FIG. A curved portion 77 may be formed. In this case, a curved portion 78
The inclination angle θ of the tip is also set to the above value.

The image recording apparatus of this embodiment is one in which the heat-developable photosensitive material 16 and the image-receiving paper 32 are overlapped to perform thermal development and thermal transfer. It can also be implemented in a heating device.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the heating plate has a wide opening that inclines or curves toward the upstream side in the conveying direction, and the heat-developable photosensitive material and the image receiving material that are conveyed to the heating plate curl to form a gap between the heating plates. Even if the photothermographic material is shifted upward or downward, the leading end of the photothermographic material slides along the inclined or curved surface of the wide opening and is guided into the gap. Therefore, the photothermographic material and the image-receiving material can be stably transported without jamming at the entrance f of the heating plate.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the image recording apparatus, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the thermal development/transfer section, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are side views of the heating plate. Code in the figure:

Claims (1)

[Claims] A heat-developable photosensitive material heating device that thermally develops an image imagewise exposed on a heat-developable photosensitive material and thermally transfers it to an image-receiving material,
A heat development device characterized in that a pair of opposing heating plates provided through a conveyance path for the overlapping photothermographic material and image-receiving material have a wide opening that is inclined or curved and widens on the upstream side in the conveyance direction. Photosensitive material heating device.