JPS63250644A - Image recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit heating development at a prescribed temp. at the time of restarting after a pause in the heating development of a photosensitive material by detecting the temp. of the heating drum or endless belt of a heating developing device and starting image recording after a prescribed temp. is attained. CONSTITUTION:The photosensitive material S is let off from a photosensitive material roll 12 and is fed to an exposed photosensitive material supporting roller 26. The original image is passed through a selfoc lens 10 at this time so that the material S is subjected to imagewise exposure and is formed with the latent image. The material S is then fed to the heating developing device 40. The material S is, thereupon, held in place between the heating drum 43 and the endless belt 45 and is subjected to the heating development. The surface temps. of the drum 43 and the belt 45 are detected by detectors 43, 49 at this time. The drum and belt are then heated by a halogen lamp 48 to attain the prescribed temp. or above. The developed material S is fed to a transfer device 88 where the material is superposed on image receiving paper C and the image is transferred thereto. Since the temp. drops of the heating drum and endless belt are detected and the drum and belt are heated to the prescribed temp., the good image formation is permitted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image recording method in which a photosensitive material is imagewise exposed and then heat developed by holding the photosensitive material between a heating drum and an endless belt.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

As an example of an image recording material using microcapsules encapsulating a photosensitive composition, for example, Japanese Patent Application 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 can obtain high-quality images through simple dry processing is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983-1981 filed by the present applicant.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 275742. This recording material is a photosensitive and pressure-sensitive thermal development material, in which at least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image forming substance are coated on a support. The compound and the color image-forming material consist of a photosensitive composition encapsulated in the same microcapsule.

An image recording method for recording an image using this photosensitive pressure-sensitive thermal development material is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1987-278849, filed by the present company. This image recording method first performs imagewise exposure to form a latent image, then develops it by heating, and polymerizes the polymerizable compound in the area where the m-image exists to form a high-molecular compound to form microcapsules. harden. 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 apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 1983-51896 filed by the present applicant.

In order to perform the above-mentioned heat development, a heating drum having a heater inside and an endless belt wrapped around the drum are rotated, the photosensitive material is held between the heating drum and the endless belt, heat development is performed, and then the image is received. A heat development method and apparatus have been proposed in which heat development is delivered to a mating point with a material.

In this heat development 'yJ method and apparatus, the heating drum and the endless belt rotate simultaneously to sandwich the photosensitive material, so stable conveyance is achieved.
When the heating drum and endless belt stop rotating, the heating drum is controlled to a constant temperature, so the part of the endless belt that is in contact with the heating drum surface is also controlled to a constant temperature, but it is not in contact. Since the parts are not subject to temperature control, the temperature gradually decreases.

When the heating drum and endless belt are rotated to develop the photosensitive material, the low-temperature part of the endless belt comes into contact with the heating drum surface and cools the drum surface, causing the drum surface temperature to drop by about 6°C from the predetermined temperature. Put it away. At this time, when the photosensitive material is held and developed, the tolerance range for the development temperature change of the photosensitive phase material is approximately ±2°C, 2°C,
The photosensitive material is not heated uniformly, and development is delayed in areas where the amount of development heat is insufficient, and the color density in these areas becomes higher than it should be, resulting in image unevenness.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to solve the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording method in which a photosensitive material can be heated and developed at a predetermined temperature using a heating drum when restarting image recording during a pause.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above object of the present invention is to provide an image recording method in which after imagewise exposure of a photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is sandwiched between a heating drum and an endless belt to perform heat development. The temperature of the endless belt is detected during one image recording device, and when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature, it is heated prior to image recording)! This is achieved by an image recording method characterized by operating a gym and an endless belt and starting image recording after the heating drum reaches a predetermined temperature.

That is, the temperature of the endless belt is detected, and when the temperature of the endless belt is lower than a predetermined temperature, the heating drum and the endless belt are operated to raise the temperature of the heating drum and the endless belt, so that the temperature of the heating drum reaches a predetermined value. Rather than starting image recording when the photosensitive material is transferred to the heat developing section, the heating drum can apply the required amount of heat to the photosensitive material to perform uniform heat development. Can be done.

In the present invention, the photosensitive material may be a material for obtaining a visible image by applying pressure to a latent image generated by imagewise exposure.

In this case, it may include a step of performing preliminary heat development and wet development before applying pressure.

An example of such a material is a type of material in which a polymerizable compound is imagewise cured by imagewise exposure, and then a visible image is obtained by applying pressure, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-1991 filed by the present applicant. The material disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 179836 is mentioned. This material has a synthetic polymer resin wall capsule containing a vinyl compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a colorant precursor supported on a support.

Further, after containing silver halide and giving imagewise exposure, thermal development is performed to develop the silver halide, and simultaneous IC! As a type of material in which a visible image is obtained by hardening the composite alloy and then applying pressure, there is a material disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-275'742 filed by the present applicant. The material disclosed in JP-A No. 61-275742 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. A microcassette coated with at least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image-forming substance; It is.

Further, as a thermal diffusion transferable photosensitive material, it is also possible to use the photosensitive material disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 89376/1989 filed by the present applicant.

[Embodiment]

Below, before performing pressure transfer as a photosensitive material.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where a thermal development type is used.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention.

The image recording apparatus includes a document supporting glass plate 2 mounted on 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 arrow A with the document placed face down. A cell 7 lens array 10 is provided to be formed on the photosensitive material S at the position shown in FIG.

A photosensitive material magazine 14 containing a photosensitive material roll 12 wound with a photosensitive material S is removably attached to the side of the housing 1. At the outlet 16 of the photosensitive material S of the photosensitive material magazine 14, a pair of photosensitive material feeding rollers 21 and 22 housed in the magazine connection dark box 20 are arranged, whereby the photosensitive material S wound around the photosensitive material roll 12 is moved to a predetermined position. It is sometimes extended a certain length and then retracted as desired.

When the leading edge of the photosensitive material S advances, the photosensitive material feeding rows 221 and 22 move away from each other as shown by imaginary lines to facilitate the advancement of the photosensitive material S. A cutter unit 26 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 traveling direction of the photosensitive material, etc.). There is.

In front of the guide plate 24, there is an exposed photosensitive material support roller 26 and two photosensitive material nip rollers 28.3 in contact with the exposed photosensitive material support roller 26.
0 is placed. The photosensitive material S guided by the guide plate 24 is densely packed onto the exposed photosensitive material support row 226 by the photosensitive material nip rollers 28.50, and is then packed by the cell 7 on-clean lens array 10 at a position 32 between the photosensitive material nip rollers 28, 30. An imagewise exposure is made.

In front of the exposed photosensitive material support roller 26, a heat developing device 40 that heats and develops the exposed photosensitive material S is arranged.

A heat developing device 40Fi, a hollow cylindrical heating drum 46 in a heat insulating housing 41, and four belt support rows 2.
47, and an endless belt 4 stretched around the support roller 47 and wrapped around the outer periphery of the heating drum 46 at an angle of approximately 2700 degrees.
5, the photosensitive material S is transferred to the belt 45 and the heating drum 43.
It is conveyed while being held between the heating drum 46 and heated to about 140° C. by a halogen lamp 48 provided in the heating drum 46.

The heating drum 46 is then heated by the temperature detector 42.49.
The surface temperature of the belt 45 is detected, and the heating drum 46, the belt 45, and the halogen lamp 4 are
It controls the operation of 8.

The heat developing device 40 further includes a conveying roller 44 for carrying in the photosensitive material S, a peeling claw 50 for peeling off the photosensitive material S from the heating drum 46, and a conveying roller 246 for carrying out the photosensitive material S.

The previous version of the conveyance roller 46 includes a pair of pressure rollers 60,
A guide member 61 guides the photosensitive material S transported by the transport roller 46 to the contact portion of the pressure roller 60 , and a guide member 61 guides the image receiving paper C supplied from the image receiving paper supply device 72 and transported by the transport roller 262 to the contact portion of the pressure roller 60 . A photosensitive material image-receiving paper stacking device 1 consisting of a guide member 66 for guiding to the contact portion
t70 is placed.

The receiving paper supply device 72 includes a receiving paper cassette 76 that is attached to the side of the housing 10 and stores the receiving paper C, a feeding roller 74 that supplies the uppermost receiving paper C in the receiving paper cassette 76 to the transport roller 62, and a guide. It consists of a member 75.

A pair of pressure rollers 80.82 and a pressure roller 80.8 are provided in front of the photosensitive image paper stacking device &70.
A transfer device 88 is provided which includes knock unroller rollers 84 and 86 for uniformizing the pressure applied to the two in the axial direction. Pressure Nin Roller 1:10.82 is approximately 5UO
They are pressed together by a pressure of Ky/-.

A photoreceptor paper peeling device 90 is provided in front of the transfer device 88 . The photosensitive material receiving paper peeling device 90 includes a guide member 92, a feed roller 94, and a guide roller 298 so as to press only the photosensitive material S at both end portions on the feed roller 294.
, IDO.

A sensitive material disposal section 104 is provided in front of one side of the peeling device 90 . The photosensitive material disposal section 104 includes a guide member 108, a pair of feed rollers 110, 112, and a waste stick 114. The photosensitive material S that has been introduced from the peeling device 90 and guided by the guide member 108 is transferred to the feed roller 110. ,112
and throws it into the waste box 114.

A fixing device 106 may also be intermittently in contact with the other front side of the peeling device 90. The temperatures detected by the temperature detectors 42 and 49 are input as signals to the developing device control section 56, and the developing device control section 50 controls the operation of the drive control section 51 and the heating control section 520.

The developing device control section 56 is, for example, a CPU, and the drive control section 51 and the heating control section 52 are, for example, a power switch.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for controlling the operation of the heat developing device [40], and is a flowchart from the recording start operation of the image recording apparatus to the actual start of recording. When a recording start signal is input while the image recording apparatus is not in operation, the temperature of the belt 45 is detected by the second temperature detector 49, and it is determined whether the belt temperature is, for example, 100° C. or higher. When the belt temperature is 100° C. or higher, it is assumed that the decrease in the temperature of the belt 45 has no adverse effect on the heating drum 46, and recording is started.

Further, when the belt temperature is as low as 100° C., if recording is started as it is, the temperature of the heating drum 46 will drop significantly as a result of the temperature drop of the belt 45.

The fixing device 106 includes a guide member 120 and a reflective member 12.
2 ultraviolet irradiation lamps 124 and a pair of feed rollers 1
From 26 and 128, 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 perform fixing.

In front of the fixing device 106, a take-out tray 160 for receiving the image-receiving paper C is attached so as to protrude from the housing 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration for controlling the operation of the heat developing device 40. Heat developing device & 40? The i-first temperature detector 42 detects the surface temperature of the citrus 460, the second temperature detector 49 detects the temperature of the υ belt 45, and the operation is controlled based on these detected temperatures. The two temperature sensors 42 and 49 are, for example, thermistors, the first temperature sensor 42 is always in contact with the drum, and the second temperature sensor 49 is preferably in contact with a part of the belt 45 where there is a significant temperature drop and is always in contact with the drum. It may be in contact with the belt 45.

Therefore, the heat developing device 40 is operated prior to the start of recording. That is, the heating drum 46 and the belt 45 are driven and the halogen lamp 48 is operated without carrying out the conveyance or exposure of the photosensitive material S. Then, it is determined whether the temperature of the heating drum 46 is, for example, 140° C. or higher, and if the temperature of the heating drum 46 is 14 U° C. or higher, good heat development can be performed and recording is started. Also, the temperature of the heating drum 46 is 14
When the temperature is lower than 0°C, the heating drum 46 and belt 45
and the operation of the halogen lamp 48 are continued.

The belt temperature and heating drum temperature, which are the criteria for determining whether to start recording, are not limited to the above-mentioned set values, but can be appropriately set using buttons such as the heat capacity of the heating drum 46 and the belt 45, the atmospheric environment, etc.

In the embodiment described above, the temperature detector 49 is in contact with the endless belt 45 and detects the temperature of the endless belt 45 (7); Alternatively, the belt temperature may be detected automatically.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, a drop in the temperature of the endless belt is detected when recording is restarted during a pause in image recording, and the temperature of the heating drum may drop to a temperature that may adversely affect development due to contact between the endless belt and the heating drum. In some cases, by operating the heating drum and the endless belt prior to image recording, it is possible to bring the surface of the heating drum into a uniform predetermined temperature distribution state during heat development. Therefore, the photosensitive material can be uniformly heated to a predetermined temperature by the heating drum, and good image recording can be performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram for controlling the operation of the heat developing device, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart for controlling the operation of the heat developing device. Symbols in the figure: 1...Housing, 2...Original support glass plate, 6...
...Reflector, 8...Illumination lamp, 10...Self-on-cleanse array, 12...Sensitive material roll, 14...
Sensitive material magazine, 16...Exit, 20...Magazine connection dark box, 21.22...Sensitive material sheeting roller, 26°
°・Canter unit, 24...Guide plate, 26...
- Exposure sensitive material support roller, 28.60...Sensitive material nip roller, 62...Exposure position, 40...Heat developing device,
41...Housing, 42.49°...Temperature detector,
46... Heating drum, 44.46... Conveyance roller,
45... endless bell), 47... belt support roller, 48 river halogen lamp, 50... peeling claw, 51
... Drive control section, 52... Heating control section, 56...
Developing device control unit, 60... Pressure roller, 61... Guide member, 62... Conveyance roller, 66... Guide member, 70... Sensitive material image receiving paper stacking device, 72...
Receiving paper supply device, 76... Receiving paper power cent, 74...
・Feeding roller, 75...Guide member, 80.82...
・Pressure roller, 84, 86... Non-contact roller % 88... Transfer device, 90... Sensitive material receiving paper peeling device, 92... Guide member, 94... Feed 90-
98.100... Guide roller, 1o2... Peeling belt, 104... Sensitive material disposal section, 106... Fixing device, 108... Guide member, 110, 112... Feed roller, 114... Waste box, 120... Guide member, 122... Reflective member, 124... Lamp, 126. 128... Feed roller, 130... Take-out tray. Agent Patent Attorney (8107) Kiyotaka Sasaki':,
ゝ-- (6 others) Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] An image recording method in which after imagewise exposure of a photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is sandwiched between a heating drum and an endless belt and thermally developed, and the temperature of the endless belt is detected at the start of image recording, and the temperature is The heating drum and endless belt are activated prior to image recording when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature.
An image recording method characterized in that image recording is started after a heating drum reaches a predetermined temperature.