JPS63239450A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent dew condensation from being formed and water droplets from falling by forming many air flow holes in the upper guide plate of the solvent tank of a device which transfers an image recorded on a heat- developable photosensitive material to an image receiving material in the presence of a solvent for image formation. CONSTITUTION:The heat-developable photosensitive material which is conveyed under the guidance of lower and upper guide plates 51b and 51a and has an image formed by exposure is applied with water of the solvent for image formation by a coating roller 52. A large hole 54 and a small hole 55 where air of high temperature rising from a main tank 72 flows penetrate the guide 51a. Therefore, the air flows through those holes 54 and 55 to hold the humidity of the air below a saturation point even if the air is increased owing to vapor from a coating tank 72 equipped with a heater 73, and a heater 53 provided to the plate 51a prevents dew condensation from being formed and waterdroplets from falling on the plate 51a. Therefore, there is neither a defect nor irregularity in the conveyance of a photosensitive material and a photodetecting material and an image of good quality is formed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an image recording method for obtaining an image on an image-receiving material by transferring an image recorded on a heat-developable photosensitive material to the image-receiving material in the presence of an image-forming solvent. It relates to a recording device.

[Conventional technology]

As shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-75247, an image recording device for obtaining a color image using a heat-developable photosensitive material is one that exposes an image to the heat-developable photosensitive material and then sends it to a heat development section.
There is known a method in which an image receiving paper is brought into close contact with a photosensitive material after heat development, and an image is transferred to the image receiving paper through a transfer process.

Before this photosensitive material or image-receiving paper is sent to a transfer section, a transfer aid (image-forming solvent) such as water is applied in advance to improve transfer efficiency.

To explain in detail with reference to FIG. 4, in the image recording apparatus 10, a magazine 14 is mounted on a machine stand 12 and stores a photothermographic material 16. Photosensitive material 16 in magazine 14
is pulled out from its outer periphery, cut into a predetermined length by a cutter 18, and then wound around the outer periphery of the exposure drum 20 (
In the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4), an exposure pad 22 corresponds to the outer periphery of the exposure drum 20, and after exposure, the exposure drum 20 is reversed, the photosensitive material 16 is peeled off by a scraper 24, and is developed through a water coating section 34. The image is sent to a transfer section 28.

The image receiving paper 32 partially accommodated in the tray 30 is transferred to the development transfer section 2.
After being sent to the photosensitive material 8 and superimposed on the photosensitive material 16, it is heated by a heater in the development and transfer section 28.

As a result, the photosensitive material 16 is developed, and the developed image is transferred to the image receiving paper 32.

After the transfer is completed, the photosensitive material 16 is stored in a waste tray 38 via a peeling section 36, and the image receiving paper 32 is sent out via a drying section 40 to a take-out tray 42.

FIG. 3 is a detailed side sectional view of the water applicator 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of conveyance rollers 44 and 46 are arranged in the water application section 34 to sandwich the photosensitive material 16 being conveyed, and a pair of conveyance rollers 44 and 46 are arranged downstream of these conveyance rollers 44 and 46. 48 and 50 are arranged to sandwich the photosensitive material 16.

These rollers are configured to send out the photosensitive material 16 in the direction of arrow B to the thermal development/transfer section 28 by receiving the driving force of a motor (not shown). Furthermore, guide plates 51A and 51B are provided between these conveyance rollers corresponding to both ends of the photosensitive material 16 being conveyed to guide the photosensitive material 16 from between the conveyance rollers 44 and 46 to between the conveyance rollers 48 and 50. It is designed to guide you.

The photosensitive material 1 is placed between the conveyance roller 46 and the conveyance roller 50.
A coating roller 52 as a coating member corresponds to the center portion of the back surface (emulsion side) of 6.

The application roller 52 has its rotating shaft 54 supported by the machine base 12 . A motor (both not shown) is connected to the rotation shaft 54 via a shaft coupling, and the application roller 52 is rotated in the direction of arrow C by the driving force of this motor.

A portion of the coating roller 52 is immersed in a main tank 72 filled with water 70, which is an image forming solvent, so that when the coating roller 52 rotates, the water 70 is brought out on its circumferential surface.

The water 70 taken out by the application roller 52 is applied to the photosensitive material 16.
A bead 70A is formed between the
This situation! According to the conveyance of the photosensitive material 16, the photosensitive material 1
A coating film is formed on the back side of 6.

A supply vibrator 74 that supplies water 70 and a discharge vibrator 76 that discharges water 70 from the main tank 72 are attached to the main tank 72 filled with water 70, and a pump 81 is installed in the middle of the supply vibrator 74. installed. Further, a replenishment tank 82 is installed at one end of this supply vibe 74,
Therefore, by driving this pump 81, water can be supplied from the replenishment tank into the main tank 72 as needed.

Further, a heater 73 is attached to the main tank 72 in order to maintain the temperature of the water 70 at 35°C.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, water vapor heated by the heater 73 and evaporated from the water 70 in the main tank 72 diffuses into the air above the main tank 70, increasing the humidity of the air, and when the image recording device is installed in a low temperature environment. Alternatively, when the humidity is high, dew condenses on the guide plate 51A, and the water droplets fall onto the back surface of the photosensitive material 16, causing poor conveyance and unevenness of the photosensitive material.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and provides an image recording device that does not cause dew condensation or falling water droplets regardless of changes in environmental temperature and humidity, and does not cause poor conveyance or unevenness of photosensitive materials or image-receiving materials. It is in.

[Means for solving problems]

The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus for obtaining an image on an image-receiving material by transferring an image recorded on a heat-developable photosensitive material to the image-receiving material in the presence of an image-forming solvent. This is achieved by an image recording apparatus characterized in that the guide plate located above the liquid tank has a large number of holes through which air flows.

In the present invention, a more reliable effect can be obtained by attaching a planar heater to the guide plate.

The image recording device of the present invention is, for example, US Pat. No. 443
No. 0415, No. 4483914, No. 450062
No. 6, No. 4503137, JP-A-59-15444
No. 5, JP-A-59-165054, JP-A-59-18
No. 0548, JP-A-59-218443, JP-A-60
-120356, Japanese Patent Application No. 59-209563, Japanese Patent Application No. 79709-1980, Japanese Patent Application No. 169585-1987,
The heat-developable photosensitive material (pt3! developable photosensitive element) and image-receiving material (dye-fixing element) described in Japanese Patent Application No. 60-244873 and the like can be used.

The image recording apparatus of the present invention includes a heat developing section that heat-develops the exposed heat-developable photosensitive material, and a transfer section that heats the heat-developed photosensitive material and the image-receiving material by overlapping them and transferring the image to the image-receiving material. Alternatively, the heat development section and the transfer section may be provided at the same place, that is, the exposed photothermographic material and the image-receiving material may be placed on top of each other and heated. A thermal development/transfer section that performs thermal development and thermal transfer simultaneously may be provided.

Further, the image recording apparatus of the present invention may be one in which the image-forming solvent is applied to a photosensitive material, an image-receiving material, or both.

In the present invention, the image-forming solvent is a solvent required for image formation, such as water, a low-boiling organic solvent (
(alcohols, ketones, amides, etc.) or those obtained by adding various additives such as surfactants, development accelerators, and development stoppers to these solvents.

The fact that the guide plate in the upper part of the main tank in the present invention has a large number of holes through which air flows will be explained with reference to FIG.
The plan view 2(b) is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2(a).

The guide plate 51a has a large number of holes, for example, large holes 54, through which the high temperature air rising from the main tank 72 flows. It has a small hole 55.

The shape and size of the hole may be any shape as long as it does not interfere with the function of the guide plate to guide the photosensitive material.

Appropriate hole aperture ratio is about 3 to 10% of the guide plate. In the present invention, attaching a planar heater to the guide plate will be explained with reference to FIG. 0 means to put on clothes
A planar heater is a thin, flexible heater that generates heat by sandwiching a heating element between insulating materials and applying electricity. The purpose of this heating temperature is to raise the temperature to such a temperature that there is no problem even when the ribs 53 come into contact with the photosensitive material, and to a temperature that does not cause dew condensation on other parts of the guide plate due to heat transfer.

(Function) The present invention is an image recording device that obtains an image on an image-receiving material by transferring an image recorded on a heat-developable photosensitive material to the image-receiving material in the presence of an image-forming solvent. Since the guide plate at the top of the coating liquid tank has a large number of holes through which air flows, even if the humidity of the air increases due to the solvent evaporating from the coating tank, the air will be allowed to flow through the large number of holes. This allows the increase in air humidity to be kept below saturation. (If no holes are provided, air movement under the guide plate
Moisture evaporating from the coating tank below saturates the humidity of the air, resulting in condensation on the guide plate.

) Also, if the temperature of the guide plate is increased by attaching a surface heater to the guide plate, even if the air on the lower surface becomes saturated, if the temperature of the surface of the guide plate is higher than the air temperature, the guide plate will come into contact with the guide plate. The relative humidity of the air decreases to the relative humidity relative to the temperature of the surface of the guide plate, resulting in an unsaturated state and no condensation. This method is commonly used. This further ensures prevention of dew condensation on the guide plate.

〔Example〕

When a guide plate with a 6% opening was used as shown in Figure 1, dew condensation that had been occurring until now stopped, and water droplets no longer fell, resulting in uneven water application and exposure. The occurrence of material transportation defects has been resolved.

〔Effect of the invention〕

An image recording device that obtains an image on an image-receiving material by transferring an image recorded on the photothermographic material of the present invention to the image-receiving material in the presence of an image-forming solvent, the upper part of a coating liquid tank containing the solvent. The guide plate has a large number of holes through which air can circulate, which prevents dew condensation on the guide plate, and prevents uneven water application on the surface of the photosensitive material or image-receiving material due to water droplets adhering to the back side of the photosensitive material or image-receiving material. This eliminates problems such as poor photosensitive material or image-receiving material photography caused by water droplets adhering to the back surface coming into contact with rollers, etc., and rusting on other mechanical parts due to contact with water droplets.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the guide plate of the image recording apparatus of the present invention (al is a plan view, (b) is a sectional view taken along line A-A. FIG. 2 shows another embodiment (FIG. 81 is a plan view). , Cb
1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a water application section according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image recording apparatus to which FIG. 3 applies. 10... Image recording device 16... Photosensitive material 18... Cutter 20...
・Exposure drum 28...Development transfer section 32...Receiving paper 34...
Water application section 38... waste trays 51a, 51b...
・Guide plate 52... Application roller 53... Rib 54... Large hole 55... Small hole 56... Planar heater
70...Water 72...Coating liquid tank 73...Heater (and 3 other people) - Figure 3 Figure 4 Illusion

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An image recording apparatus that obtains an image on an image-receiving material by transferring an image recorded on a heat-developable photosensitive material to the image-receiving material in the presence of an image-forming solvent, the apparatus comprising a coating liquid tank containing the solvent. An image recording device characterized in that an upper guide plate has a large number of holes through which air circulates. (2) The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate is provided with a planar heater.