JPS63178238A - Heat-developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an unhardened microcapsule from being crushed due to a too strong tension, and also, to prevent uneven and wrinkles from being generated due to a too weak tension on the contrary, by always extending and racking an endless belt by a prescribed tension by a tension adjusting mechanism. CONSTITUTION:A tension adjusting device 126 of a heating developing device 40 is provided with a swing arm 122 supported axially so as to be freely turnable by using one end on a fulcrum 121, a supporting roller 48, and a coil spring 124 for energizing a free end of the swing arm 122 to a fixed part 123. In the vicinity of the fulcrum 121 of the swing arm 122, the supporting roller 48 for supporting an endless belt 50 is attached axially, and the supporting roller 48 is freely turnable centering around the fulcrum 121 together with the swing arm 122. Accordingly, the supporting roller 48 holds the endless belt 50 in a tension state by an action of a lever of the swing arm 122 by an energizing force of the coil spring 124. Accordingly, by selecting the coil spring 124 for generating an appropriate elasticity, a tension of the endless belt 50 can be set to a prescribed value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a heat developing device for heat developing a photosensitive material having an image formed by square exposure.

(Prior Art) As an example of an image recording material using microcapsules encapsulating a photosensitive composition, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-1798
A system is known in which a synthetic polymer resin wall capsule containing a vinyl compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a colorant precursor is supported on a support, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 36. 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.
No. 117089, this recording material contains on a support at least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent,
Coated with a polymerizable compound and a color image-forming substance,
At least the polymerizable compound and the color image forming material are comprised of a photosensitive composition encapsulated in the same microcapsule.

Regarding the image recording method of recording images using this photosensitive material, Japanese Patent Application No. 60-1212 filed by the present applicant
It is disclosed in the specification of No. 84. This image recording method is
First, a latent image is formed by imagewise exposure, and then development is performed by heating, and the polymerizable compound in the area where the latent image exists is polymerized to produce a high molecular compound, thereby hardening the microcapsules. 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.

Then, using the above-mentioned photosensitive material, this photosensitive material is subjected to imagewise exposure, heat development is performed, and then the image recording material is overlaid with an image-receiving material and pressed, and an image is obtained on the image-receiving material by transfer, which is automatically performed. The device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 51896/1989 filed by the present applicant.

In this type of apparatus, the heat developing device has, for example, approximately 12
It consists of a heating roller that is heated to 0°C and an endless belt that is supported by a belt support roller and wrapped around the outer circumference of the heating roller in an arc of about 270''. The heating is performed by holding and conveying the material.

Here, the photosensitive material is pressed against the heating roller by the tension of the endless belt and is heated and developed.

Therefore, in order to perform good heat development, for example, a width of 32 (
The endless belt J must be stretched with a constant tension of 2 to 5 kg per 32 cm width.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in manufacturing the endless belt, it is difficult to make the belt circumference constant, and the endless belt is heated by the heating roller and stretches more than at room temperature. Sometimes I put it away. Therefore, the tension of the endless belt is not constant and may be too strong or too weak.

If the tension of the endless belt is too strong, the photosensitive material is strongly pressed against the heating roller, crushing the microcapsules that have not yet been hardened by heat development, making it impossible to obtain a proper copy image.

On the other hand, if the tension of the endless belt is too weak, the endless belt will
The endless belt tends to shift in one direction on the support roller, and the endless belt comes off the support roller, making it impossible to heat and convey the photosensitive material. In addition, the pressing force against the heating roller is insufficient, and a part of the photosensitive material lifts up from the heating roller, and bad phase or moisture evaporated from the support accumulates in that area, accelerating the progress of development and forming an image. It may cause unevenness or
Or wrinkles may appear on the photosensitive material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a heat developing device in which an endless belt is always stretched under appropriate tension.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A heat developing device heat-develops a photosensitive material having an image generated by imagewise exposure, comprising a heating roller, a plurality of support rollers, and a rotating roller suspended between these rollers. This is achieved by a heat developing device comprising an endless belt, at least one support roller of which is movable in the radial direction, and a tension adjustment mechanism that urges the roller outward from the belt.

In other words, at least one of the plurality of support rollers that support the endless belt is equipped with a tension adjustment mechanism, so that the endless belt can always be stretched with a constant tension, so that the photosensitive material is always applied to the heating roller with a predetermined pressure. Can be pressed.

An example of the photosensitive material used in the present invention is a type in which a polymerizable compound is imagewise cured by imagewise exposure and then a visible image is obtained by applying pressure. The material disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 57-179836 is mentioned. This material consists of a vinyl compound on a support,
It supports a synthetic polymer resin wall capsule containing a photopolymerization initiator and a colorant precursor.

Alternatively, after containing silver halide and giving imagewise exposure, 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 form a visible image. An example of the type of material that can be obtained is the material disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 121284/1984 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. .

(Embodiment A) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus equipped with a heat developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The image recording apparatus includes a document supporting glass plate 2 attached to the upper surface of a housing 1 so as to be slidable back and forth in the direction of arrow A. That is, the glass plate 2 is moved back and forth in the direction of the arrow 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 additional illumination lamp 8 is provided, and a fiber lens array 10 for forming an original image on a photosensitive material S at a predetermined position is provided.

A photosensitive material cartridge 14 containing a photosensitive material roll 12 containing a photosensitive material 5t-S is removably attached to the side of the housing l. At the outlet 16 of the photosensitive material rJrS of the photosensitive material cartridge 14, a pair of bad phase feed rollers 21 and 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.
is extended by a certain length at a predetermined time, and is retracted as desired.

When the leading edge of the photosensitive material S advances, the photosensitive material feeding rollers 21 and 22 move away from each other as shown by imaginary lines to facilitate the advance of the photosensitive material S. A canter unit 23 for cutting the photosensitive material S and a guide plate 24 are arranged in front of the magazine connection dark box 20 (hereinafter, "front" refers to the downstream side in the direction of travel of the photosensitive material, etc.). .

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

In front of the exposed photosensitive material support roller 26, a heat developing device 4o that heats and develops the exposed photosensitive material S is arranged. 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 roller 44 that is heated to a temperature of The nip roller 52 pressed into contact with the tension adjustment device 12 provided on the support roller 48
6.

The heat developing device 40 further includes an exposed photosensitive material support roller 26.
a guide device 54 that guides the photosensitive material S fed from the heating roller 44 onto the heating roller 44 and separates the photosensitive material S from the heating roller 44 after being heated and developed; a vertical guide device 58 for guiding the material to the outlet 56;
A sensitive material leading edge detection sensor 60 is provided.

Directly below the outlet 56, a pair of pressure rollers 62, 64,
A photosensitive material receiving paper stacking device comprising a nip roller 66 pressed against a pressure roller 64, and a guide member 68 that guides the photosensitive material S sent by the pressure roller 64 and the nip roller 66 to the contact portion of the pressure rollers 62 and 64. 70 are arranged.

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 cartridge 7 that pivotally supports an image-receiving paper roll 71 on a support base.
3 is removably attached to the housing 1. A pair of feed-out rollers 74, 76, a cutter unit 77, and a guide plate 78 are arranged inside the attached image-receiving paper cartridge 73.

A pair of pressure nip rollers 80.82 and a pressure nip roller 80.8 are provided below the photosensitive image receiving paper stacking device 7o.
A transfer device 88 is provided which includes backup rollers 84 and 86 for uniformizing the pressure applied to the rollers 2 in the axial direction. Pressure nip roller 80.82 has a weight of approximately 500 kg/
- are pressed together by the pressure of -.

A photoreceptor paper peeling device 9o is provided below the transfer device 88. The sensitive material receiving paper peeling device 9o includes a guide member 92, a first feed roller 94, a second feed roller 96, and a first
It was wrapped around the guide rollers 98 and 100 so as to press only the photosensitive material S at both outer end portions on the feed roller 94! ! JI! It consists of a belt 102.

A sensitive material disposal section 104 is provided on one side of the peeling device 90, and an image receiving paper take-out section 107 is provided on the other side.

The photosensitive material disposal unit 104 consists of a guide member 108 , a pair of feed rollers 110 and 112, and a waste box 114, and the photosensitive material S sent from the peeling device 9o and guided by the guide member 108 is transferred to the feed rollers 110 and 112. and throws it into the waste box 114.

A take-out tray 130 that receives the image-receiving paper C by means of a guide member 120 is attached to the image-receiving paper take-out section 107 so as to protrude from the housing l.

The image recording device further includes a control unit connected to an illumination lamp 8, a photosensitive material feeding roller 21, 22, a cutter unit 23, a document support glass plate 2, a photosensitive material leading edge detection sensor 60, and a photosensitive material receiving paper stacking device 70. Apparatus (not shown) is provided to perform the following operations. That is, in the operation preparation stage of the image recording apparatus, so-called copy preparation stage, the leading end of the photosensitive material S is placed in the magazine connection dark box 20.

Next, press the copy start button (not shown).
The photosensitive material feeding rollers 21 and 22 operate to feed the photosensitive material S, and just before the leading end of the photosensitive material S reaches position [32], the illumination lamp 8 is turned on to illuminate the document.

When the leading edge reaches position 32, the document support glass vi2 moves, and the photosensitive material S is fed accordingly.
The original image is projected onto the photosensitive material S for imagewise exposure. On the other hand, when the photosensitive material S is fed by an amount equal to the length of the document in the moving direction, the cutter unit 23 is activated and the photosensitive material S
cut. Thereafter, the photosensitive material feeding rollers 21 and 22 are rotated in a direction to retract the photosensitive material S so that the leading end of the photosensitive material S is within the magazine connection dark box 20.

The cut and imagewise exposed photosensitive material S is transferred to a heat developing device 4
0, is pressed against the heating roller 44 by the 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 receiving paper supply device 72, the receiving paper C is fed out from the receiving paper cartridge 73 in synchronization with the pressing of the copy start button or the timing of exposure start, and is cut into a predetermined length by the cutter unit 77.
The image-receiving paper C is stopped after being fed to a position where its leading end is nipped by the pressure roller 64 and the nip roller 66.

In the photosensitive image receiving paper stacking device 70, the image receiving paper C is superimposed on the photosensitive material S, sent to the transfer device 88, and transferred to the image receiving paper by being pressed with a pressure of about 5001+r/aJ. Take-out tray 1 by 96
Sent to 30.

Although the above description has been made with respect to the document table movable type device, similar operations are possible with the document table replaceable type device.

The tension adjustment device 126 of the heat developing device 40 includes a swing arm 122 rotatably supported at one end on a fulcrum 121.
, a support roller 48 , and a coil spring 124 that biases the free end of the swing arm 122 against the fixed part 123 . A support roller 48 that supports the endless bell 1-50 is pivoted near the fulcrum 121 of the swing arm 122, and the support roller 48 is rotatable about the fulcrum 121 together with the swing arm 122.

Therefore, the support roller 48 holds the endless belt 50 in a tensioned state by the lever action of the swing arm 122 due to the biasing force of the coil spring 124.

Therefore, by selecting a coil spring 124 that provides appropriate elasticity, the tension of the endless bell 50 can be set to a predetermined value.

In addition, FIG. 2 shows a tension adjustment device 12 according to another implementation.
In this embodiment, the coil spring 124 is replaced by a constant tension spring 12.
5 is used, and the other configurations are similar to those of the above embodiment. Here, since the constant tension spring 125 generates a constant biasing force regardless of the amount of deformation of the spring, a constant tension can be ensured even if the endless heald 50 extends while the heat developing device 40 is being driven.

In addition, FIG. 3 shows a tension adjusting device 128 according to another embodiment a.
In this embodiment, a support roller 48 is movably pivoted along a slide member 131, and a support roller 48 is connected to a slide member 13.
Coil spring 132 biasing along 1 and coil spring 1
A fixing part 13 fixing one end of 32 to the developing housing 42
3.

In the embodiment B described above, a tension spring is used as the biasing member for the support roller 48, but the present invention is not limited to this (a compression spring may also be used).

Further, the tension adjusting device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may have any configuration as long as it applies a constant tension to the endless belt 50.

Further, support rollers 46, 47 of the heat developing device 40.
By forming flanges 129 as shown in FIG. 4 at both ends of the endless belt 50, the support roller 46.4
7.48.49 can be more effectively prevented from being lopsided.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, since the endless belt is always stretched at a predetermined tension by the tension adjustment mechanism, the tension may be too strong and crush the uncured microcapsules, or conversely, the tension may be too weak and may crush the uncured microcapsules. Image unevenness and wrinkles will not occur, and furthermore, the endless belt will not come off the support rollers and become unable to be conveyed.

Therefore, with the heat developing device of the present invention, the photosensitive material can be transported and heated well.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus equipped with a heat developing device of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views of a heat developing device showing other embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a flange. FIG. 3 is a front view of the attached support roller. (Symbols in the figure) S...Photosensitive material C...Receiver paper 1...Housing 2...Glass plate 6...Reflector 8...Illumination lamp 10...Fiber lens array 12. ...Sensitive material roll 14...Sensitive material cartridge 16...Exit 20...Magazine connection dark box 21.
22...Sensitive material feeding roller 23...Cutter unit 24...Guide plate 26
...Exposed sensitive material support roller 28.30...Sensitive material nip roller 32...Exposure position 40...Heat developing device 42...Developing housing 44...Heating roller 46.47.48.49.・・・
Support roller 50...Endless belt 52...Nip roller 54...Guide device 56...Outlet 58...Vertical guide device 60...Sensitive material tip detection sensor 62.6
4... Pressure roller 66... Nip roller 6B...
Guide member 70...Sensitive material image-receiving paper stacking device 71...Image-receiving paper roll 72...Image-receiving paper supply device 7
3... Receiving paper cartridge shifter 4.76... Feeding roller 77... Cutter unit 78... Guide plate 80
．． 82... Pressure nip roller 84. 86... Bathokur roller 88... Transfer device 90... Window material image receiving paper peeling device 92... Guide member 94... First feed roller 96...・Second feed roller 98.100...Guide roller 102...Peeling belt 104...Sensitive material disposal section 107...Receiving paper take-out section 108...Guide member 110.112...Feed roller 114 ... Waste box 120 ... Guide member 121 ... Fulcrum 122 ...
・Swing arm 123... Fixed part 124... Coil spring 125... Constant tension spring 126.127.1
2B...Tension adjustment device 129...Flange 130
... Take-out tray 131 ... Slide member 1
32...Coil spring 133...Fixed part Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 1? Q Procedural amendment 2, Name of the invention Heat developing device 3, Relationship to the Shin case where the amendment is made: Name of patent applicant: (520) 1st Photographic Film Co., Ltd. 4, Agent 5, Number of inventions increased by amendment 207. Contents of the amendment: (1) On page 14, line 5 of the specification, "replaceable type" is amended to read "fixed type". (2) Correct Figure 1 as shown in the attached sheet.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A heat developing device that heats and develops a photosensitive material having an image formed by imagewise exposure, which comprises a heating roller, a plurality of support rollers, and an endless belt that rotates while being stretched around these rollers, and includes at least A heat developing device characterized in that one support roller is movable in the radial direction and includes a tension adjustment mechanism that urges the roller outward from the belt. (2) The heat developing device according to claim 1, wherein the support roller has flanges at both ends.