JPS63268650A - Image output device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To output a monochrome image during forming a color image, by providing a controlling part for operating, synchronously or independently, a printer part for making mask original plates and a color printer part for outputting a color image by use of the mask original plates. CONSTITUTION:Based on data obtained through color separation by an external device, mask original plates are sequentially made on an ordinary paper by a laser printer part B, and are brought into close contact with a photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900. Then, the mask original plates subjected to exposure in a close contact condition are not directly discharged, and are passed through a color printer part C a predetermined number of times by switching a paper- feeding passage 20a by a branching unit. Namely, the passage 20a is set to have a length greater than at least two sheets of the mask original plates, and circulation through the passage is repeated to output a predetermined number of sheets of color images. After the mask original plates are made, the laser printer part B can be operated independently from the color printer part C, and a monochrome image is outputted even during forming the color image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image output device that outputs a color image onto a color photosensitive recording medium using a color-separated mask original.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, this type of image output device includes a laser scanner unit 1o, a xerography unit 20, a transparent member transport unit 30, an exposure unit 40, and a photosensitive pressure sensitive recording device. The device laser scanner unit 10, which is composed of a paper supply unit 50, a pressure fixing unit 60, etc., has a motor 11,
A polygon mirror 12 rotated by a motor 11 and a semiconductor laser 1 that irradiates the polygon mirror 12 with laser light.
3. It is composed of an fθ lens 14 and a plane mirror 15 that allows laser light to reach the photosensitive drum 22.

The xerography unit 20 includes a photosensitive drum 22 as a photoreceptor, a toner 24 as a light blocking material, and a toner case 23 containing the toner 24 in order to apply a light blocking material to the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 22. a developing sleeve 25 for attaching the toner 24 to the photosensitive drum 22;
A transfer roller 26 transfers the toner 24 attached to the photosensitive drum 22 onto a transparent insulating film (hereinafter referred to as film) 36, which will be described later, and collects the residual toner 24 on the photosensitive drum 22 after being transferred to the film 36. It is composed of a cleaning member 27, a collected toner case 28 that stores the collected toner 24, an erase lamp 29 that removes residual charges on the photosensitive drum 22, and a charge corotron 21 that uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 22. There is.

After the photosensitive drum 22 is uniformly charged by the charge corotron 21, only the image portion receives laser light (l! light) from the laser scanner unit 10 to form an electrostatic latent image.

In this embodiment, a black one-component toner 24 is stored in the toner case 23, and this is uniformly applied onto the developing sleeve 25, and the latent image on the photosensitive drum 22 is developed. In this case, the toner 24 has the same charge as the unexposed portion of the latent image.
The year number is electrically charged and adheres to the exposed portion of the drum due to electrostatic repulsion.

The untransferred toner remaining on the drum is removed by cleaning member 2.
The charges remaining on the drum are recovered from the drum at step 7, and the remaining charges on the drum are exposed and erased by an erase lamp 29.

The transmission member culm feeding unit 30 includes a driving roller 31 and a driven roller 32 that transport the film 36, a motor (not shown) that drives the driving roller 31 and stops the film 36 at a predetermined position, and a motor (not shown) that drives the driving roller 31 and stops the film 36 at a predetermined position. It is comprised of a cleaning grade 33 that collects the toner 24 transferred thereto, a collected toner case 33 that stores the collected toner 24, and the like. The exposure unit 40 includes an exposure lamp 41, a deflector 42 that focuses the light emitted from the exposure lamp 41 onto a film 36, and cyan, magenta, and yellow coloring materials coated on a photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet, which will be described later. In order to selectively photocure the color, the color filter unit 43 includes a filter unit 43 incorporating an interference filter that transmits only light having a wavelength corresponding to each color.

As shown in FIG. 6, the photosensitive and pressure sensitive recording paper supply unit 50 includes a paper feeding cassette 53 that stores the sheet S;
It is comprised of a paper feed roller 51 that takes out sheets from a paper feed cassette 53, a seed guide section 52 that guides the sheets fed by the paper feed roller 51, and the like. The sheet guide section 52 is disposed below the film 36 so that the sheet S can be disposed directly below the film 36 (referred to as an exposure station), and the sheet S is placed between a pair of pressure rollers 60, which will be described later. It is structured so that it can guide you.

The pressure fixing unit 60 crushes unexposed microcapsules and records an image on a sheet using the dye flowing out from the microcapsules, and is composed of a pair of pressure rollers 61 and a sheet feeding member (not shown). There is.

Next, the operation of this image output device will be explained. A yellow mask original plate is formed with toner on the photosensitive drum 22 by the laser scanner unit 10, and is sequentially transferred onto a light-transmissive image bearing sheet (for example, polyethylene terephthalate, etc.) using a transfer roller 26. Image bearing sheet 36
The upper toner image moves in the direction of arrow A, stops on the photosensitive microcapsule sheet S, and is exposed to light of a wavelength that hardens the microcapsules that are to be colored yellow, thereby turning yellow in the areas not masked by the toner image. The microcapsules that should be colored are hardened.

Subsequently, a magenta mask original plate is produced by the laser printer unit 10 and exposed on the photosensitive microcapsule sheet S with light having a wavelength that hardens the microcapsules to be colored magenta. A similar process is carried out for cyan, a latent image is formed on the photosensitive microcapsule sheet S, and a color image is obtained using a pressure developing device (not shown). The toner image on the image bearing sheet 36 is cleaner grade 3.
3, and the image bearing sheet 36 is used repeatedly.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, since the image bearing sheet is used repeatedly, even when it is desired to output a plurality of sheets of the same color image, it is necessary to newly create the same toner image using a laser printer unit. Therefore, there was a problem that the efficiency was very low and the image output speed was slow.

[Purpose of the Invention] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to synchronize a printer section that creates a mask master and a color printer section that outputs a color image using the mask master. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image output device that can output a monochrome image while creating a color image by operating both independently or independently, and has excellent work efficiency.

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides an image output device that outputs a color image onto a color photosensitive recording medium using a plurality of color-separated mask originals. a printer unit that creates the mask master; a color printer unit that outputs a color image using the mask master; and a control unit that operates the printer unit and the color printer unit synchronously or independently. has been established.

[Operation] According to the invention having the above configuration, when the color printer section obtains a color image using the mask original created by the printer section, the printer section can also output a monochrome image at the same time, thereby increasing the processing speed as a whole. goes up.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, the apparatus of the present invention is comprised of a laser printer section B and a color printer section C.

The laser printer section B includes a scanner unit 100 that writes external data as an optical signal as a latent image on the photosensitive drum 2a, and a photosensitive unit that can continuously perform development, transfer, cleaning, etc. of the latent image using a toner. body unit 2
00, a paper feed unit 300 that feeds transparent plain paper to the transfer section, a heat fixing unit 400 that heat-fixes the toner image transferred onto the plain paper, and a position located behind the heat fixing unit 400. 0, which is composed of a branching unit 500 that can selectively switch the paper path.
The branching unit 500 has a rotatably mounted shaft 600 and one or more claws 700 in the axial direction as shown in FIG.
is fixed, and a shaft 600 is rotated by a solenoid 800 to selectively switch the paper path.

The color printer section C includes a support section 9a that supports a roll of unused photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900, a support section 10a that supports a roll 1o wound with a used photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900, and a photosensitive A conveying section 10b that conveys the color-separated microcapsule sheet, an exposing section 17a that conveys and fixes the color-separated mask original output from the laser printer section B, and the mask original placed in the exposing section 17a. An exposure unit 170 including light sources R, G, and B that emit light of each primary color performs contact exposure on the photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900 (see FIG. 3), and a latent image on the photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900. A developer paper 120 coated with a developer to visualize the image is conveyed via the feed roller 14, the photosensitive microcapsule sheet 9°O and the developer paper 120 are superimposed, and development is performed on the developer paper 120. A pressure developing unit 130 and the color developing paper 12
0 to the developing unit 130 via the conveyance roller 14, and a developer paper conveyance unit 140 for conveying the mask original to the developing unit 130 via the conveyance roller 14, and for discharging the mask original after contact exposure to a mask original discharge tray 180 outside the apparatus or conveying it again to the exposure unit 110. A branching unit 15 (the branching unit 15 is formed similarly to the branching unit 500 shown in FIG. It consists of a manual feed tray 210 into which the user inserts the original mask.

Next, the electrical configuration of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.

Central control unit (CPU) 4 that controls this image output device
0 is R, which contains a program to control this device.
The OM 41 has a built-in RAM 42 that stores data for controlling this device.

In addition to inputting signals from the panel 43 that the user operates when using this device, the CPU 40 also inputs signals from each sensor 44.
Input the signal from The CPU 40 also controls a CPU 45 that controls a printer section B for creating a mask original, and a CPU 46 that controls a color printer section.
The CPU 45 has a ROM 47. It has 48 RAM and C
PU46 is ROM49. It has 50 RAM. and,
The CPU 45 controls the aforementioned thermal fixing unit 400, laser scanner unit 100, photosensitive unit 200, and paper control device 18. The CPU 46 is an exposure unit 170
, pressure fixing unit 130, and paper conveyance control device 19.

The operation of this device is (1) outputting a monochrome image, (ii)
The following four cases will be explained: (...) outputting a single color image, (...) outputting multiple sheets of the same color image, and (iv) outputting a color image from a stored mask original.

(1) Output of a monochrome image Based on data output from an external device (not shown), only the laser printer section B is operated to obtain an image output. At this time, the output image is conveyed by the branching unit 500 to the monochrome paper discharge tray 160 and is discharged. In this case, since it is similar to a conventional copying apparatus, detailed explanation will be omitted.

(ii) Output of one color image Based on the data of color-separated yellow, magenta, and cyan mask originals created by an external device (not shown), laser printer section B sequentially creates toner mask originals on plain paper. . At this time, the branching unit 500 first transports the yellow mask original to the color printer section C. This yellow mask original plate has toner applied to the portions to be colored yellow, and is conveyed to the exposure unit 170 and brought into close contact with the stopped photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900. Thereafter, the exposure unit 170 scans in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 1, and exposes the microcapsules with a light source B that emits light of a wavelength that hardens only the microcapsules to be colored yellow. The light sources R1G and R1B in the exposure unit 170 are configured to switch the exposure light depending on the mask original to be exposed, as shown in FIG. The original mask after S light is branched unit 1
50, the mask original is discharged to the mask original discharge tray 180.

Similarly, the magenta and cyan mask originals are exposed in the exposure unit 1.
It stops sequentially at 70. The mask original plate discharge tray 18 is closely exposed on the photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900.
A color latent image is formed on the photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900 through the steps of 0 and above.

Thereafter, the photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900 moves the latent image to the pressure development unit 130 by the winding roll 100, overlaps it with the color developer paper 120 conveyed from the color developer paper conveyance unit 140, and performs pressure development. The color image visualized through the color image output tray 1
Discharge to 90.

(m) Output of multiple sheets of the same color image The mask original plate, which has been closely exposed to the photosensitive microcapsule sheet 900 in the same process as above, is not discharged as it is, but the paper conveyance path 20a is switched by the branching unit 150, and the paper conveyance path 20a is switched a predetermined number of times. pass through the color printer section C, i.e.,
The transport path 20a is circulated through a transport path longer than at least two mask originals, and by repeating the above-described process, a predetermined number of color images are output. Laser printer section B
After creating the mask original, it can operate independently of the color printer section C, so even while the color printer section C is creating a color image, the laser printer section B can output a monochrome image.

(iv) Outputting a color image from the stored mask original The mask original is passed from the manual feed slot 21 to the color printer section C.
A color image is output using the same process as above. In this case as well, the laser printer section B can be used independently from the color printer section C.

The above example was explained using a laser printer, but
It goes without saying that other types of monochrome printers can be used in the same way.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the speed when outputting the same image is increased, and the monochrome printer section and the color printer section can be operated independently in some cases. Therefore, when only the color printer section is operating, the monochrome printer section can output a monochrome image, increasing the efficiency of the entire apparatus.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 show embodiments embodying the present invention,
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a branching unit for switching the paper conveyance path, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a light source in the exposure unit, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the conventional apparatus, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conveying section for conveying a photosensitive recording sheet used in the conventional apparatus. B is a laser printer section, C is a color printer section, 9 is a photosensitive microcapsule sheet, 5 is a branching unit, 15
is a branching unit, and 20 is a conveyance path.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An image output device that outputs a color image onto a color photosensitive recording medium using a plurality of color-separated mask originals, comprising: a printer unit that creates the mask original; and a printer unit that uses the mask original. What is claimed is: 1. An image output device comprising: a color printer section that outputs a color image; and a control section that causes the printer section and the color printer section to operate synchronously or independently. 2. A patent characterized in that the control section is equipped with a mechanism capable of switching the conveyance path depending on whether the image output by the monochrome printer section is a color image mask original or a normal monochrome image. An image output device according to claim 1. 3. The control unit has a mechanism that switches the conveyance path of the mask master when outputting multiple copies of the same color image and when outputting only one copy, and a mechanism that switches the conveyance path of the mask master again after exposure when outputting multiple copies. The image output device according to claim 1, further comprising a paper transport path having a length longer than at least two mask originals to be transported to the exposure device section. 4. The image output device according to claim 1, wherein the control section is provided with a mechanism capable of directly inserting the mask original into the color printer section.