WO2000039636A1

WO2000039636A1 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and recorder

Info

Publication number: WO2000039636A1
Application number: PCT/JP1999/007371
Authority: WO
Inventors: Satoru Takizawa; Wataru Ogura
Original assignee: Cycolor System Inc.
Priority date: 1998-12-28
Filing date: 1999-12-28
Publication date: 2000-07-06
Also published as: JP2000194081A

Abstract

An exposure apparatus of projection type and exposure method in which the distribution of quantity of light on the exposure surface of a luminous flux modulated by a light bulb to which uniform data is given is found, image data is corrected according to the distribution used as correction data so as to create exposure data. The luminous flux projected onto the exposure surface forms a projection image reflecting the distribution determined by factors such as the exposure apparatus, and an image with less uneven distribution of quantity of light is exposed onto a medium placed on the exposure surface. A printer incorporating such an exposure apparatus can output a color print with less color unevenness at high speed.

Description

Description Exposure apparatus, exposure method and recording apparatus

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus and an exposure method for exposing an image on a photosensitive recording medium. Background art

2. Description of the Related Art A photosensitive recording medium having a photosensitive layer composed of countless microphone mouth capsules containing a photosensitive coloring material is known. By exposing the recording medium (media), the microcapsules are activated or deactivated to form an image (latent image), and a color image can be recorded by further applying pressure to perform development. . Psycolor media 1 shown in Fig. 10 is one of such photosensitive recording media, in which a myriad of microforces called silices 3a to 3c are applied on a thin film 2 of polyester or the like. This is a composite type recording medium. Each of the series 3a to 3c contains one of the cyan, magenta, and ye color developing substances and a photosensitive substance called a photo initiator that is sensitive to light of a specific wavelength. Have been.

Therefore, when light of a specific wavelength is applied to each of the silices 3a to 3c, the silices 3a to 3c including the photoinitiator are cured (inactivated). On the other hand, the uncured silices 3a to 3c are broken by pressure development, and color is formed by causing each color-forming substance to chemically react with the image receiving layer on the film 2 called the receiver 4. As a result, a color image is recorded on the surface of the color media 1. As a means to create a latent image by exposing a color image to a recording medium such as Cycolor media, it is considered to adopt a projector-type exposure device that can project the entire image onto the medium at once. . This projector-type exposure apparatus modulates a light beam from a light source based on exposure data by a light valve such as a liquid crystal panel (LCD), and projects the light onto a medium set on the exposure surface, that is, a position set as the exposure surface. Then, a predetermined image is exposed (exposed) to the medium. This projector-type exposure device can project the entire image data recorded on a single medium at once (one time). The entire image for each color (for example, the three primary colors of red, green and blue) may be illuminated, or the entire color-combined image may be illuminated. In any case, the printing time can be reduced as compared with a scanning exposure apparatus that exposes an image in a dot unit using an LED or a laser light source. After that, the color image appears on the Cycolor media (recording medium) by exposure to light and development with a roller.

To expose a high-quality color image with no noise in image quality such as density or color unevenness using such a projector-type exposure device, irradiate the entire medium with a light beam having an almost constant exposure distribution (light amount distribution). It is important to be able to do so. On the other hand, since the light source of the exposure apparatus is usually a point light source, it is necessary to correct the light amount distribution of the light beam projected from the light source onto the exposure surface. As a method of correcting the light amount, there is a method of disposing a filter having a transmission distribution such that a light beam projected on the exposure surface has a uniform light amount distribution between the light source and the exposure surface. There is also a method of making the light amount distribution uniform by a lens system such as an integrator. However, with these methods, it is difficult to project a light beam having a uniform light amount distribution on an exposure surface on which a recording medium is set. For example, a lamp

(Light source) 適切 The balance is not correct even if the position of an optical element such as a mirror fluctuates minutely, so that appropriate correction cannot be performed. Therefore, to perform correction using the above-described optical system, it is necessary to precisely tune the position and angle of the lamp, mirror, exposure surface, and the like, which is extremely troublesome.

Also, even if tuning was performed at the time of shipment and correction could be made with fairly high accuracy, the user could actually use an exposure device or a printer with an When used, the environmental conditions in use, such as transport conditions and temperature, differ until then. Since there is almost no possibility that the product can be used in the same state as at the time of shipment, it is difficult to maintain the performance at the time of shipment. Furthermore, considering maintenance such as lamp conversion that cannot be avoided in projectors, it is difficult to correct uneven light intensity with an optical system, and it is almost impossible for the user to tune the optical system.

Also, when exposing a color image, the projected image often has a different light amount distribution for each color. One of the factors is that the light source is not an ideal point light source but has a size and distribution, and the light emission spectrum differs depending on the light emission position. Furthermore, individual differences in the lamps of the light source are also factors that cause the light quantity distribution to vary depending on the color. Although an image is formed for each color by color division, it is impossible to completely tune the characteristics of the optical system for each color. For example, filters for color division, dichroic prisms, and the like have transmittances that are not uniform over the whole, and inevitably produce a difference in distribution.

Furthermore, devices such as liquid crystal, which are often used in light valves, are devices that can create a projected image by partially reflecting or transmitting light according to an input signal, and have various characteristics in distribution. However, these transmittances may be different for each color. Furthermore, these light valves also almost certainly have individual differences. Therefore, in the present invention, in a projection type exposure apparatus in which it is very difficult to obtain a substantially uniform light amount distribution due to the above-described factors, it is possible to obtain a high quality image with little color unevenness over the entire print image. It is an object of the present invention to provide an exposure apparatus and an exposure method capable of exposing a high image.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of outputting a high-quality color print using the exposure apparatus of the present invention. Disclosure of the invention

For this reason, in the present invention, the light amount distribution of the light beam projected on the exposure surface is not corrected by the optical system, or, in addition to the correction by the optical system, the light amount on the exposure surface where the recording medium is set and exposed. The distribution is actually obtained as correction data, and the exposure data is generated by correcting the image data supplied from the host and other sources based on the correction data. That is, the exposure apparatus of the present invention comprises: a light source; a light valve that modulates a light beam from the light source based on exposure data; a projection unit that projects the modulated light beam onto a photosensitive recording medium on an exposure surface; A means for generating exposure data by correcting the image data based on the light amount distribution of the light flux modulated by the light valve to which the uniform data is given on the exposure surface, based on the correction data. Further, the exposure method of the present invention comprises an exposure step of modulating a light beam from a light source by a light valve based on exposure data and projecting the modulated light beam on a photosensitive recording medium on an exposure surface. And a step of generating exposure data by correcting image data based on the distribution of the amount of light on the exposure surface of the light beam modulated by the light valve to which the data is given.

According to the present invention, in the means for generating exposure data or in the step of generating exposure data, the image data is corrected so as to correspond to the actual light amount distribution on the exposure surface of the exposure apparatus. The light intensity distribution on the exposure surface includes various factors in the exposure apparatus, and the exposure data is generated as correction data, which is modulated by the light valve driven by the exposure data generated in this manner. The luminous flux becomes a projected image reflecting the light amount distribution on the exposure surface due to each factor of the exposure apparatus. For this reason, an image (latent image) with less unevenness in the light amount due to the exposure device or less noise due to the exposure can be exposed on the medium set on the exposure surface.

Therefore, by using the exposure apparatus of the present invention and providing a paper feeder for feeding a photosensitive recording medium on the exposure surface of the exposure apparatus, a high-quality color image faithfully reproducing a multi-tone color image is provided. Recording device that can output prints Can be realized. For recording media with a photosensitive layer made of microcapsules, such as Cycolor media, and a pressurized development device that pressurizes and develops the recording medium output from the exposure device. Printer can be provided. This printer uses only recording media as consumables, and does not require chemicals or water during the process of recording color images. For this reason, maintenance is very simple, and it can be provided as a color printer suitable for installation in a store event venue or the like as a stand-alone type.

As described above, in a projector type exposure apparatus, the light amount distribution often differs for each color to be exposed. Therefore, in an exposure apparatus having a projection unit that projects light beams of a plurality of colors so that a color image can be exposed, when generating exposure data corresponding to each color, it is possible to perform correction based on correction data corresponding to each color. desirable. As a result, the optical or other characteristics of the exposure device for each color can be ascertained for each color and reflected in the exposure data, so that the distribution of light and shade can be kept constant, and there is no color unevenness and higher image quality A color image can be exposed to a media, and a high-quality color print can be output.

Further, as described above, the light amount distribution on the exposed surface fluctuates depending on various conditions, such as individual differences of the exposure apparatus, conditions of use by the user, and replacement of optical system parts due to maintenance. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a means and a process for actually measuring the light amount distribution on the exposure surface and generating correction data. By acquiring correction data in the environment or conditions at the time of exposure, it is possible to project an image on the medium on the exposed surface with exposure data that reflects the light amount distribution of the exposure device when actually exposing the image. Even if the light amount distribution on the exposed surface fluctuates due to factors, a latent image without light amount unevenness can be stably and reliably exposed on the medium.

As a means to measure the light intensity distribution on the exposed surface, a device (scanner) equipped with a sensor that can scan the light intensity on the exposed surface or a C CD (Charge Coupled Device). Then, by obtaining the digitized correction data, it becomes possible to digitally perform the process of correcting the image data and obtaining the exposure data.

That is, a step of generating correction data by means for giving uniform data to the light valve and measuring the light quantity distribution, and a step of generating exposure data to be supplied to the light valve by correcting image data by the correction data. It is desirable to control the exposure apparatus and the recording apparatus provided with the exposure apparatus by the control method having the control method. Further, when projecting light beams of a plurality of colors, the step of generating correction data generates correction data corresponding to each color, and the step of generating exposure data generates the exposure data corresponding to each color. At this time, it is desirable to make corrections using correction data corresponding to each color.

In addition, the projection means can temporarily (simultaneously) project an image to be recorded on a recording medium set on the exposure surface, instead of scanning the image. The image may be color-specific or color-composite. However, instead of forming an image partially, the entire image is projected at a time to reduce the exposure time. It is possible to greatly reduce the printing speed and improve the printing speed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the projector type exposure apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a scanner for generating correction data.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an exposure method of the projector type exposure apparatus of the present example.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method of generating the correction data shown in FIG. is there.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of generating the exposure data shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 (a) is a graph showing the red light quantity distribution. FIG. 7 (b) is a graph showing the red light amount distribution after the correction.

FIG. 8 (a) is a graph showing the green light quantity distribution. FIG. 8 (b) is a graph showing a green light quantity distribution after the correction is performed.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the light quantity distribution of blue in FIG. FIG. 9 (b) is a graph showing the blue light quantity distribution after the correction.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a Saikara one media. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Overall configuration of recording device

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a recording apparatus using a projector type exposure apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an outline of the exposure apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. The recording device (printer) 5 of this example is a stand-alone type printer developed to record a color image recorded in a memory such as a flash ROM or a CD-ROM on a cycolor medium.

The printer 5 of this example is entirely housed in a substantially rectangular housing 6. An LCD panel 7, which has both display and operation functions, is arranged on the upper front of the housing 6, and a control unit 8 having almost the same functions as the motherboard of the personal computer is arranged behind it. Have been. The control unit 8 performs overall control of the printer 5 such as a process of acquiring image data from a storage medium such as a flash ROM and a process of printing on the medium 1 based on the image data.

Below these, a mechanism for recording a color image on Cycolor media (hereinafter, “media”) 1 which is a photosensitive recording medium is arranged. The printer 5 in this example is directed from the rear on the right side of the drawing to the front on the left side of the drawing and Paper cartridge 71 in which a plurality of media 1 are stored, a paper feeder 70 in which the paper cartridge 71 can be detachably mounted, and a paper feeder 70 And a paper feed mechanism 76 that feeds the paper to the exposure stage 78. The exposure stage 78 of this example rotates around a central axis that extends back and forth in a tetrahedron, and each surface of the exposure stage 78 is an exposure surface 30 that can hold the medium 1. In the printer 5 of this example, the surface facing downward, which is the direction of the exposure device 10, is the surface on which an image is actually projected from the exposure device 10.

The printer 5 further includes a pressure developing device 72 that pressurizes and develops the exposed medium 1, and a fixing device 74 that heats the developed medium 1 with a halogen lamp or the like to promote color development. These are arranged inside the housing 6 in order from the rear side along the paper feed path # 7 so that they can be taken out from the paper feed port 9.

In the printer 5 of the present example, a projector-type exposure apparatus 10 that projects an image on the medium 1 temporarily held on the exposure surface 30 and forms a latent image is disposed further below these. I have. The projector type exposure apparatus 10 includes a projector mechanism section 50 for projecting an image on the medium 1 on the exposure surface 30 and an exposure control section 60 for controlling the projector mechanism section 50. Further, a scanner 40 capable of measuring the light amount distribution on the exposure surface 30 is provided. Projector type exposure equipment

As shown in FIG. 2, the projector mechanism 50 of the present example has almost the same configuration as a projector device that projects on a screen, and a metal halide lamp 11 serving as a light source, and a light emitted from the light source Mirror that guides to 0 degree direction 1 2, Heat ray absorption filter 14 to exclude heat rays in the light source, Collimator lens 16 to make parallel rays, Color filters of each color (red R, green G and blue B) 20. A liquid crystal type light valve (LCD) 22 for forming an image is arranged in order. Furthermore, L The projection lens 24 that projects the light flux 90 modulated by the CD 22 onto the media 1 on the exposure surface 30 and the media 1 that directs the light flux 90 from the projection lens 24 to a direction of approximately 90 degrees. Mirrors 28 leading to the exposure surface 30 to be mounted are arranged in order. Further, a shutter 26 for blocking unnecessary light beams is provided on the optical path of the projection lens 24 and the mirror 28.

The exposure control section 60 of the present example that controls the projector mechanism section 50 has an exposure data generation section 62 that generates exposure data Φ3 as a control function of supplying exposure data to the LCD 22 that is a light valve. And a correction data generation unit 64 that generates correction data φ 2 based on the light amount distribution measured by the scanner 40.

The correction data generation unit 64 of this example supplies exposure data with uniform intensity to the light valve 30, and measures the light intensity distribution of the modulated light beam on the exposure surface 30 by the scanner 40 in that state. I do. Based on the data obtained by the measurement, correction data # 2 is generated to actually create exposure data. When the image is projected onto the medium 1 set on the exposure surface 30, the correction data generation unit 64 of this example uses a unit corresponding to each pixel (dot) constituting the image on the medium. Correction data φ 2 is generated. Therefore, the correction data φ2 is data indicating the light amount at the position (coordinate) corresponding to the dot.

Further, the correction data generation unit 64 obtains measurement data with the scanner 40 for each light beam of each color adjusted by the color filter 20. Therefore, the correction data φ 2 R,

2 G, and {2} are generated and prepared for correction.

The exposure data generator 62 corrects the print image data φ 1 input from the controller 8 or an external host computer using the correction data Ψ 2 obtained above, and supplies the corrected data to the LCD 22. Exposure data φ 3 is generated. Therefore, in the projector mechanism 50, not the image data φ1 itself, but the light flux 90 modulated by the LCD 22 driven by the exposure data φ3 is projected onto the medium 1 on the exposure surface 30. Fired. That is, in this specification, the image data φ1 corresponds to the exposure data that is not corrected by the light quantity distribution, but is not the image data input from a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a host computer. This also includes data on which known correction processing such as gamma correction has been performed.

The exposure data generation unit 62 calculates correction data φ 2 of the coordinates of the image data φ 1 of the coordinates corresponding to the dot (corresponding to the uncorrected exposure data), and calculates the exposure data (after correction) φ 3 I'm trying to get By driving the LCD 22 with the exposure data, a projection image in which the light amount distribution on the exposure surface 30 is canceled can be obtained. Therefore, an image having no light amount unevenness caused by the exposure device is projected on the medium 1, and a latent image of the image prompting the input image data is exposed.

As described above, since the correction data φ 2 R, φ 2 G, and ψ 2 B for each color are generated by the correction data generation unit 64, the image data for each color is also generated in the exposure data generation unit 62. ψ Correct 1. As a result, corrected exposure data φ 3 R, φ 3 G, and φ 3 B reflecting the exposure distribution for each color are obtained.

Further, the exposure apparatus 10 of this example is provided with a scanner 40 as a means for measuring the amount of light on the exposure surface, and the correction data generation unit 64 generates correction data φ 2 at an appropriate timing. Can be generated. It is also possible to update the correction data φ2. The timing for generating the correction data φ2 is when the exposure apparatus 10 is mounted on the printer 5 for inspection, when the user actually prints out, or when the maintenance is performed, the It can be considered that the printer has been replaced, that a certain time (period) has elapsed since the printer 5 was provided to the user, or that a specific number of prints have been made. Of course, the user can also give instructions manually. Then, at such a timing, the light amount distribution on the exposure surface 30 is actually obtained by the scanner 40, and the correction data φ2 can be updated based on the distribution. At some of the timings as described above, the performance of the optical system of the projector mechanism 50 is delicate but often fluctuates due to differences in environmental conditions and the like. For example, the light emitting position and the light amount change due to the aging or replacement of the metal highlight lamp 11 as a light source. Therefore, by updating the correction data φ2 using the scanner 40 at such a timing, the correction data φ2 reflecting the light amount distribution based on the condition of the exposure apparatus 10 or the printer 5 at that time is obtained. can get. For this reason, the irradiation condition on the exposure surface can be grasped at any time, and an image with little unevenness in light amount can always be projected on the medium 1 to provide a color print with stable quality and beautiful coloring. Of course, it is possible to cope with changes such as individual differences of each replacement part and individual differences of the optical system in each exposure apparatus.

Furthermore, in the exposure apparatus 10 of the present example, since the correction can be made based on the distribution of the amount of light actually projected on the exposure surface 30, even if the tuning of the optical system is insufficient, the unevenness of the amount of light or the unevenness of the color is also reduced. It can be corrected by the correction data φ2. Therefore, it is also possible to eliminate or reduce the trouble of tuning at the factory shipment stage, etc., and to deliver a low cost, high performance printer to the user in a short time. According to the present invention, in a printer employing a projection type (projector type) exposure apparatus 10 which is conventionally considered to be very difficult to obtain a substantially uniform light quantity distribution, the present invention provides a color image forming apparatus over the entire surface of a printed image. It is possible to provide an exposure apparatus capable of exposing a high-quality image with little image quality and a printer capable of outputting a high-quality color print.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the scanner 40 that is the correction data generating means of the present example. The scanner 40 of the present example includes a sensor 42 for measuring the amount of light on the exposure surface 30 in a point manner, and a drive mechanism 44 for moving the sensor 42 over the entire surface of the exposure surface 30. The drive mechanism 44 includes two guide shafts 45 so that the sensor 42 can move in a two-dimensional direction (h direction, V direction) of the inner surface parallel to the exposure surface 30, and these guide shafts. The carrier shaft 47 is provided so as to be able to move between the points 45. The sensor 42 is mounted so as to be movable by a belt 46 along a carrier shaft 47. Therefore, the scanner 40 of this example can scan the exposure surface 30 with the sensor 42 and measure the light amount in the preset measurement divided area. In this example, an area obtained by dividing the exposed surface 30 into eight in the h direction and six in the V direction is defined as a measurement area, and the sensor 42 measures the amount of light at the center of each area. The greater the number of divisions of the cell, the higher the accuracy. It is desirable to perform measurement at the position where each pixel is divided, but the measurement time is greatly increased. In particular, since the correction data for each color is obtained, three times the number of measurements is required for the number of areas, and if the area is divided finely, the processing time for obtaining the correction data becomes slow. For this reason, in this example, the number of areas is determined to the extent described above, and the value measured at the center of each area is interpolated (approximate) to the light intensity distribution at the position corresponding to each pixel, and each pixel unit And correction data φ2 for each color.

FIG. 4 shows a procedure for performing an exposure process using the exposure apparatus 10 of the present example using a flowchart. First, in ST10, the exposure control unit 60 determines whether or not it is time to update the correction data φ2. When it is time to update, the scanner 40 measures the light amount distribution on the exposure surface 30 at ST 20 to generate correction data ψ2. At this time, the light quantity distribution is measured for each color, and correction data φ 2 R, φ 2 G, and ψ 2 B are generated for each color.

Next, in ST 30, if there is image data φ と to be printed out, ST 40 corrects image data φ 1 for each color to correction data φ 2 and generates exposure data φ 3. You. Then, in ST 50, each color of the light beam to be projected is selected by the filter 20, and the LCD 22 as a light valve is driven based on the exposure data φ 3 for each color. As a result, an image without unevenness in light amount (color unevenness) is projected and exposed on the medium 1 set on the exposure surface 30. The process of generating the correction data φ2 in ST 20 will be described in further detail with reference to FIG. In this example, a value obtained by normalizing the measurement data measured by the scanner 40 with its minimum value is obtained as correction data φ2.

First, in ST 21, the exposure surface 30 was divided into h in the horizontal direction and V in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 3, with all the dots of the LCD 22 being driven with uniform gradation data. Move the sensor 42 to the center of each split area, measure the light quantity at that position, and obtain the measurement data D (h, V). Next, in ST22, data Dmin that is the minimum value of the measured data is obtained. Further, in ST23, the measurement data D (h, V) is normalized by the minimum value Dmin according to the following equation (1) to calculate correction data φ2 (h, V).

φ 2 (h, V) = D (h, v) / Dmin i... (1)

In ST 24, the correction data at the center of each area is interpolated to obtain correction data φ 2 (x, y) at a position corresponding to each pixel (dot). This process is performed for each light beam of each color, and correction data (ί> 2) is generated for each color and each dot.

With reference to FIG. 6, the process of obtaining the exposure data # 3 of the ST 40 shown in FIG. 4 will be described in detail. In this example, the exposure data is obtained by dividing the image data φ 1 corresponding to each pixel of LCD 22 which is the exposure data φ 3 R without light intensity correction by the correction data φ 2 corresponding to that pixel. Seeking φ3. This calculation is performed for each color of the projected light. FIG. 6 illustrates a process of obtaining exposure data φ3 of red R.

In SΤ41, the image data φ 1 R (x, y) of red R corresponding to a certain pixel is read. In ST 42, read out the red correction data φ 2 R (x, y) corresponding to the red image data φ 1 (x, y). Then, red exposure data φ 3 R (x, y) to which correction is added is obtained.

3 R (x, y) = φ 1 R (x, y) / φ 2 R (x, y)

• · · (2) Then, in ST44, the above steps are repeated until the exposure data φ3 of red R of all pixels is obtained. Exposure data φ 3 G for green G and exposure data φ 3 青色 for blue Β are calculated in the same manner. Although it is possible to use the measurement data D of light intensity as the correction data as it is, it may not be possible to correct the data when the measurement data is larger or smaller than the reference value. On the other hand, in the above, the correction data φ 2 is normalized by the minimum value D min of the measurement data, so the correction data φ 2 is larger than 1 and the image data ψ 1 is set at the dot position (each pixel). It is obtained by dividing by the corresponding correction data φ2. The exposure data φ 3 becomes smaller according to the light amount ratio than the minimum value D min. Therefore, all the image data φ 1 can be corrected by the light amount distribution on the exposure surface 30, and an image without color unevenness can be exposed on the medium 1.

7 to 9 show the results of measuring the light amount distribution on the exposure surface 30 for each color. (A) of each figure shows a value obtained by driving the LCD 22 with exposure data of a uniform gradation value and normalizing the measurement data measured on the exposure surface 30 at that time.

In each figure (b), when uniform gradation value data is provided as image data φ1, the image data φ1 is corrected with correction data φ2 according to equation (2). The measurement data obtained on the exposure surface 30 when the LCD 22 is driven with the exposure data # 3 obtained as a result is shown. As can be seen from these figures, the light amount unevenness caused by the exposure apparatus 10 does not appear by performing the correction using the correction data φ2. Therefore, the projector-type exposure device 10 can expose an image on the entire medium 1 without being affected by the unevenness in the light amount. Since the scanner 40 is provided, the correction data φ2 can be updated at any time, and the best latent image for printing is exposed on the medium 1. it can. Therefore, the medium 1 exposed by the exposure apparatus 10 of this example is further pressure-developed and fixed, so that a wide range of shading or color unevenness is obtained. Print out high quality color images.

In this example, the scanner 40 is described as an example of the means for generating correction data, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to obtain measurement data by arranging a CCD on the exposure surface. . It is expensive to use CCDs with a density corresponding to the pixels. However, since the actual exposure amount is measured for each pixel, there is an advantage that more accurate correction data can be obtained in a short time.

Furthermore, in the above description, the process of correcting the image data with the data of the exposure surface to generate the exposure data φ3 is performed as part of the control of the exposure control unit 60 of the exposure apparatus 10; It is also possible to generate the exposure data # 3 by the control unit 8 that controls the main body of the camera. Further, the correction data can be performed on the host computer, but since the correction data is data attached to the exposure apparatus or the printer, the data exchange processing is smaller when performed on the printer or the exposure apparatus. However, it is also possible to increase the processing speed by using the arithmetic function on the host side. In such a case, the exposure data according to the present invention is generated by software such as a driver installed on the host side. Control or exposure method processing can be realized. Such software can be recorded on an appropriate recording medium or provided through a network.

In addition, the present invention can be applied to a projector type exposure apparatus using other light valves, such as a micromirror device, without being limited to the LCD22. Furthermore, in this example, the explanation is based on a projector type exposure apparatus of a type that sequentially exposes the images of each color by red R, green G and blue B filters, but a three-plate type using a dichroic prism or the like. Even in a projector type exposure apparatus, it is possible to perform the same control as described above for LCDs (light valves) of each color. In addition, it is possible to expose color images with less unevenness in a shorter time. A rap print can be output.

In this example, a description is given based on a projector-type exposure apparatus and a printer that project images of each color collectively for each color, or collectively project images of all colors simultaneously or simultaneously on a medium. I have. On the other hand, the present invention can be applied to a method in which exposure is partially repeated on a medium and a method in which scanning is performed while scanning. However, the exposure speed can be further increased in the exposure apparatus and the printer of this example. Furthermore, since the entire image is exposed, the exposure apparatus and the printer described above are the most suitable examples to which the present invention is applied, considering that the area to be exposed is widened and the light amount distribution is easily affected. Is one of As described above, in the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of the present invention, the light amount distribution of the light beam projected on the exposure surface is actually measured, and the image is projected on the recording medium by the exposure data corrected based on the measurement. . Therefore, in the present invention, since the unevenness in the light amount due to the exposure device or other factors does not appear in the image projected on the recording medium, a latent image without the unevenness in the light amount can be exposed to the recording medium. For this reason, a desired amount of light (intensity) of light is appropriately projected onto each pixel according to image data over the entire recording medium, and a high-quality image can be recorded.

Also, when printing (recording) by updating the correction data even when conditions change due to transportation conditions, environmental conditions, etc., by correcting the light intensity distribution on the exposed surface with the actually measured correction data. Exposure data that meets the above conditions can be generated. Therefore, high quality images can be exposed and recorded anytime and anywhere. Furthermore, by correcting the exposure data with the correction data for each color, it is possible to generate exposure data reflecting the light amount distribution for each color. For this reason, it is possible to project a high-quality image for each color onto a recording medium on the exposed surface. Therefore, by employing the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of the present invention, color unevenness is It is possible to provide a printer that performs high-quality color printing without any problems. Industrial applicability

The exposure apparatus of the present invention is suitable for a recording apparatus such as a printer that records and outputs a color image on a photosensitive medium such as a cycolor medium. In particular, the present invention is suitable for a projector-type exposure apparatus and a printer employing the same, and can provide a printer that outputs high-gradation color prints at high speed. For this reason, it is suitable for printers that are installed alone in stores or event venues, and in which many users print a large number of sheets.

Claims

Scope of Claim 1. A light source, a light valve that modulates a light beam from the light source based on exposure data,

Projection means for projecting the modulated light beam onto an exposure surface,

Means for generating, as correction data, a light amount distribution of a light flux modulated by the light valve to which the light valve is given on the exposure surface, and correcting the image data based on the correction data to generate exposure data.

2. The projection means projects light beams of a plurality of colors,

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for generating the exposure data corrects the data with correction data corresponding to each color when generating the exposure data corresponding to each color.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for measuring a light amount distribution on the exposure surface and generating correction data.

4. The projection means projects light beams of a plurality of colors,

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the means for generating the correction data generates correction data corresponding to each color.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for measuring a light amount distribution on the exposure surface.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the means for measuring the light amount distribution is a scanner or a CCD.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection unit projects an image to be recorded on a recording medium set on the exposure surface at a time on the exposure surface.

8. A recording apparatus comprising: the exposure apparatus according to claim 1; and a sheet feeding apparatus that feeds a photosensitive recording medium onto an exposure surface of the exposure apparatus.

9. The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the recording medium is a recording medium provided with a photosensitive layer formed by a microphone opening capsule, and further comprising a pressure developing device that performs pressure development of the recording medium output from the exposure device.

10. An exposure step of modulating a light beam from a light source by a light valve based on exposure data and projecting the light flux on a photosensitive recording medium on an exposure surface.

Prior to this exposure step, the distribution of the light flux on the exposure surface of the light beam modulated by the light valve to which uniform data is given is used as correction data, and image data is corrected based on the distribution to generate the exposure data. Exposure method comprising:

1 1. In the exposure step, light beams of a plurality of colors are projected,

10. The exposure method according to claim 10, wherein in the step of generating the exposure data, when generating the exposure data corresponding to each color, correction is performed using correction data corresponding to each color.

12. The exposure method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of measuring a light quantity distribution on the exposure surface to generate correction data.

1 3. In the exposure step, light beams of multiple colors are projected,

13. The exposure method according to claim 12, wherein in the step of generating the correction data, correction data corresponding to each color is generated.

14. The exposure method according to claim 10, wherein in the exposure step, all images to be recorded on a recording medium set on the exposure surface are simultaneously projected on the exposure surface. Law

15. Control of an exposure apparatus having a light valve that modulates a light beam from a light source based on exposure data, a projection unit that projects the modulated light beam onto an exposure surface, and a unit that measures a light amount distribution on the exposure surface. Generating correction data by means for giving uniform data to the light valve and measuring the light quantity distribution,

Generating exposure data to be supplied to the light valve by correcting image data with the correction data.

1 6. The projection means projects light beams of a plurality of colors,

The step of generating the correction data includes generating correction data corresponding to each color,

16. The control method for an exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein in the step of generating the exposure data, when generating the exposure data corresponding to each color, correction is performed using correction data corresponding to each color.