JP3003270B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for printing out video signals and image data of a personal computer or the like as images using a light valve panel comprising a liquid crystal display panel comprising a plurality of liquid crystal cells.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a liquid crystal display panel in an image recording apparatus of this type has an openable and closable lattice-shaped opening for controlling light transmission, and a non-opening which does not transmit light between the openings. . FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of the openings. In the figure, a square indicates an opening. When an image is exposed on a photosensitive recording medium using such a liquid crystal display panel, the non-opening portion is not exposed, so that it may remain as an unnecessary pattern. In order to prevent this, it has been proposed that the panel is slightly moved in the x and y directions as shown in the drawing and exposed before and after the movement, thereby exposing the non-opening portion of the liquid crystal display panel. I have.

[0003]

However, the non-opening of the liquid crystal display panel used in this type of image recording apparatus is
Since it is narrower than the opening, x1 in the x direction and y1 in the y direction
When moving and exposing, the β area is exposed twice and the γ area is exposed four times, which causes a problem that the image density of these portions is reduced. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and when a photosensitive recording medium corresponding to a non-opening portion of a light valve panel is exposed a plurality of times by shifting the position of the panel, there is an area exposed a plurality of times. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of making the image density uniform.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a light source having a wavelength necessary for exposing a photosensitive recording medium, an opening and closing control in accordance with an image to be recorded, and a light source from the light source. A light valve panel for exposing an image on a photosensitive recording medium by controlling the passage thereof, wherein the panel is shifted a plurality of times to the photosensitive recording medium corresponding to the non-opening of the light valve panel. Mask means for correcting the amount of light in an area to be exposed a plurality of times during exposure is provided to face the panel.

[0005]

In the above construction, the light valve panel is slightly moved, and before and after the movement, the light from the light source is exposed to the photosensitive recording medium through the panel so that the photosensitive recording medium corresponding to the non-opening portion of the panel is exposed. The medium is exposed a plurality of times at different positions. At this time, by exposing through the mask means, the light quantity in the area exposed a plurality of times is corrected so as to be substantially equal to the light quantity in other areas.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the image recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the photosensitive pressure-sensitive paper 7 (hereinafter referred to as microcapsule paper).
And a photosensitive recording medium composed of a color developing paper 8.
The surface of the support of the microcapsule paper 7 used in this embodiment is coated with microcapsules,
The microcapsules contain a dye precursor or the like that reacts with a developer described below. In addition, a color developer is applied to the surface of the support of the color developing paper 8, and the color is formed by reacting with the dye precursor. The details are described in US Pat.
No. 209, etc., and are omitted here. A halogen lamp 2 is used as an exposure light source, and a reflector 3 is disposed above the halogen lamp 2. In addition, a condenser lens 4 is arranged below the halogen lamp 2, and furthermore,
Below this, an infrared cut filter 5 is arranged.

Below the infrared cut filter 5,
Color filters 22R, 22G that can be inserted alternately in the optical path,
22B, a mask plate 100 for correcting the amount of transmitted light for each minute unit area, and, as an example of a light valve, a large number of lattice-shaped openings (for controlling opening and closing of light transmission according to an image to be recorded). Liquid crystal display panels 6 (hereinafter, referred to as LCDs) each having a pixel) are disposed to face each other. The LCD 6 is configured to be finely movable by x1 in the x direction and y1 in the y direction in FIG. It is desirable that x1 and y1 are slightly smaller than the dimensions of the lattice-shaped openings in the x and y directions. As shown in FIG. 3, the mask plate 100 is a filter in which areas having different light transmission amounts are arranged in accordance with the lattice-shaped openings of the LCD 6 and the movement dimensions thereof. In FIG. 3, a bold line square corresponds to the opening of LCD 6.

An unexposed microcapsule paper 7 is wound around a cartridge shaft 15 in a light-shielding cartridge 18. Further, the cartridge 18
A feed roller 19 is disposed on the right side of. The microcapsule paper 7 is exposed in a stationary state under the LCD 6 to form a latent image. The microcapsule paper 7 passes between the pressure rollers 11a and 11b and is wound on a winding shaft 16. On the other hand, a half moon roller 9 is provided above the color developing paper 8, and a paper feed roller 10 and a paper feed guide 17 are provided on the left side. A heat fixing device 12 is provided below the color developing paper 8, a heater 13 is provided inside the heat fixing device 12, and a transport belt 14 is provided below the heat fixing device.

Next, the operation of the image recording apparatus 1 will be described. First, when a print start key (not shown) is pressed, an image corresponding to an image signal input from the outside is displayed on the LCD 6. Next, the halogen lamp 2 as a light source is turned on. The light from the halogen lamp 2 is efficiently condensed by the reflector 3 and the condensing lens 4, becomes a light having a predetermined spread, and is applied to the LCD 6 via the infrared cut filter 5 and the red filter 22R. This LC
D6 is stationary at the position A in FIG. 2 when described with reference to the one opening. On the other hand, the stationary microcapsule paper 7 is first exposed at the position A with light selected by the LCD 6 controlled according to the red signal of the image to be recorded, and thereafter the LCD 6 is moved in the y direction (downward). It is moved by x1 in the y1 and x directions and by y1 in the y direction (upward), and is sequentially exposed at positions B, C, and D, respectively.

At this time, in the area α shown in FIG. 2, only one exposure was performed in the four exposures, but twice in the area indicated by β and in the area indicated by γ. It will be exposed four times. On the other hand, assuming that the optical transmittance is 1 in the area α of the mask plate 100 as shown in FIG. 3, the transmittance is １ ／ in the area indicated by β, and the transmittance is エ リ ア in the area indicated by γ. Is inserted into the mask plate 100 so that the difference in the number of exposures is corrected.
The light amount becomes uniform. When the red exposure is completed, the red filter 22R is replaced with the green filter 22G, and the LCD 6
Is switched to a green signal and is similarly exposed. The same applies to the blue light, and the halogen lamp 2 is turned off when the three exposures are completed. Thus, a color latent image is formed on the microcapsule paper 7.

Next, the microcapsule paper 7 is wound on the winding shaft 1.
6 and the pressure roller 11a by the driving force of the feed roller 19,
It is sent in the direction of b. On the other hand, the color-developed paper 8 is fed one by one by a half-moon roller 9, and is fed to a pressure roller 11 a or b by a paper feed roller 10 through a paper feed guide 17. Pressing rollers 11 a and 11 b press the microcapsule paper 7 with the exposed surface of the microcapsule paper 7 and the developer application surface of the developed paper 8 facing each other, and the image is transferred to the developed paper 8. The developing paper 8 is further conveyed by the conveyer belt 14, and the color is promoted by the heat fixing device 12 having the heater 13, and is output as an image. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, the position of the LCD panel is shifted three times, but the number of times is not limited to this.

[0012]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the pattern is erased by slightly moving the light valve panel,
By performing the exposure a plurality of times, even if there is an area that is exposed a plurality of times, the image density can be made uniform by interposing the mask means, and an appropriate image can be recorded.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a minute movement of a liquid crystal display panel in the image recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an optical transmittance of a mask plate in the image recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 image recording device 6 LCD 7 microcapsule paper 100 mask plate

Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 27/32 G03B 27/72-27/80 B41J 2/435-2/465

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A light source which has a wavelength necessary for exposing a photosensitive recording medium and a light which is opened and closed according to an image to be recorded and which controls the passage of light from the light source to expose an image on the photosensitive recording medium. In an image recording apparatus including a valve panel, when the photosensitive recording medium corresponding to the non-opening portion of the light valve panel is exposed a plurality of times while shifting the position of the panel, a light amount of an area exposed a plurality of times is corrected. An image recording apparatus, wherein a mask means is provided to face the panel.