JPH058817B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) This invention is a method for recording image information such as a face photograph and/or visible information such as a name, address, and other characters, symbols, and codes on the card surface using a photographic method. In addition to this information, identification cards, credit cards, and other cards (hereinafter referred to as ID cards) may have invisible information recorded using optical or electrical methods to prevent counterfeiting and theft. abbreviated)
This invention relates to a conveyance mechanism for photographic materials that are cut to approximately the size of an ID card, which is used in production devices and the like.

(Prior technology) Traditionally, when creating an ID card, improvements have been made since the initial method of pasting a face photo onto a card mount and typing in text information such as name, address, date of birth, etc. This is based on a photographic method in which these different kinds of information are printed on the card surface using a photographic method.

The applicant of this application has been researching the creation of ID cards using the photo method for a long time, and has
Utility Model Publication No. 28144, JP-A-49-123016, JP-A No. 55
−17577, No. 59-15923 No. 59-17546, Japanese Patent Application No. 58-45819, No. 58-45820, No. 58-
We have proposed a device as described in the specification of No. 53844,
In actual use, ID card creation consists of a direct photographing machine type 2 (MODEL IDC 9111), an automatic developing machine type 2 (MODEL IDC 9411), and an automatic laminating/cutting machine (MODEL IDC 9911). There is a device.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional apparatus described above, a roll of photographic material is used, and the photographing machine, automatic developing machine, and automatic laminating/cutting machine are each independent devices. Because of this, the rolled photographic materials had to be moved manually, which was a complicated process and took too much time to create the cards.

This invention was created as part of research and development aimed at making ID card creation devices more compact, labor-saving, and faster using the photographic method. This invention attempts to satisfy these demands by using a card-shaped photographic material, and its main purpose is to clarify the conveyance mechanism of card-shaped photographic materials.Other objects and benefits of this invention are as follows. It is clear from the description and the attached drawings.

(Structure of the Invention) The drawings show one example of an ID card production device to which the present invention is applied, and are shown in abbreviated form as photographic materials.
Although this invention uses a direct positive color photographic material that has been cut to the size of an ID card, this invention is applicable to supplying and conveying card-shaped photographic materials produced by the color diffusion transfer method. Of course.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the device, which is composed of a photographing section A, a developing section B, and a protective layer forming section C. An ID card is created using the material 200.

As the photographic material 200, a color or monochrome direct positive photographic material (hereinafter abbreviated as DPCP) which is cut in advance to approximately the size of an ID card is used, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing one example. , 201 is a base support 2 made of synthetic resin.
02 is a writing layer, which corresponds to conventional note paper, and allows free writing with a pencil or pen. 203 is a photographic emulsion layer, and a layer 204 indicated by a phantom line is a protective layer.As will be described later, this layer 204 does not exist initially, but is formed in the protective layer forming section C after photographing and development are completed.

Photography Department A Photograph of the face of the person receiving the card (portrait image)
and information such as name, date of birth, address, etc. (data image)
This is the part where the images are combined and photographed (exposed) on the photosensitive surface of the photographic material.

To photograph a person image, the subject person is positioned in front of the photographing section A, the focal length is measured by the light beam generator 110, and the strobe device 120 is used.
Take a photo of your face. The incident light is projected onto the photographic material 200 through a path of a mirror 111, a lens 112, a shutter 113, a mask plate 114, and a built-in screen 134. In addition, the aperture and color correction are done by the lens 112.
The exposure time is controlled by a shutter 113. Mask board 1
Reference numeral 14 consists of a mask section for photographing a human image and a mask section for photographing a data image. The mask section is placed, and when the photographing of the person image is completed, it is moved, and the data image photographing mask section is placed at the exposure position and the data image photographing is performed.

Reference numeral 130 is a CRT, on which the information necessary for card issuance from among the computer information previously entered is arranged in a predetermined manner, the letters are black, the back is luminous, and an upside-down image is displayed. will be displayed. The spectral characteristics of the phosphor of the CRT 130 are set so that the light-emitting portion is white compared to the photosensitive material. Therefore, the screen of the CRT 130 is the lens 131,
Built-in screen 134 with shutter 132, reflector 133, frame, item name, red stamp, etc.
When the personal information is projected onto the photographic material 200 through the camera, personal information is printed as black characters on a white background.
Exposure amount correction and color correction are performed by the aperture and filter built into the lens 131, and the exposure time is adjusted by the shutter 132, but these may also be performed by adjusting the CRT screen. .

The storage and supply of the photographic material 200 in the photographing section A is carried out in the manner shown in FIG. That is, the photographic material 200 is cut in advance to approximately the size of an ID card, and a large number of sheets are prepared in a stacked manner in the cartridge 210 with the photosensitive surface facing upward. When this cartridge 210 is set in a predetermined position, the lid 211 is pulled out by a mechanism (not shown), and when the paper supply button is operated, only the bottom layer of photographic material 200 is separated and taken out by the up and down movement of the suction cup 220, and the belt 220 is moved to the exposure section. transported to.

Next, when the photographic material 200 is conveyed to the exposure section, the paper stand 240 rises, receives the photographic material 200 from the conveyor belt 230, and pushes it up to the lower surface of the built-in screen 240, which is a predetermined exposure position, and the exposure is completed at that position. will be temporarily suspended until

When the photographing of the person image and the data image is completed, the paper table 240 is lowered, and the photographic material 200 is again transferred to the conveyor belt 230 and runs, and the photographic material 200 is transferred to the photographer 25.
0 and is automatically transferred to the developing section B by gravity.

The operation of each mechanism in the photographing section A described above is controlled automatically by a microcomputer or the like and by manual operation from an operation panel. Further, the photographing section A is placed on the developing section B via a hinge mechanism, etc., and the photographing section A is placed on the developing section B during maintenance etc.
It is configured so that it can be bent to expose the inside.

Developing section B Photographic material 2 that has been photographed (exposed) in photographing section A
00 is the computer 250 and the paper input mechanism 260.
are sent to the developing section B via the developing layer 310, bleach-fixing tank 320, first stabilizing tank 330, second stabilizing tank 340, and drying tank 350. Stabilization and drying processes are performed automatically using a waterless washing method.

The processing liquid is replenished into each tank by the processing liquid replenishing means 380, and the waste liquid is discharged to a waste liquid tank (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the stabilization treatment liquid is replenished into the second stabilization treatment tank 340, and overflows from this tank to the first stabilization treatment tank 330.
It is configured to be replenished.

Note that as the processing liquid replenishment means 380, various methods such as a method of disposing a replenishment tank and replenishing each tank from this replenishment tank using a pump or the like can be applied.

In this apparatus, as described above, a direct positive color photographic material is used as the photographic material, and therefore, the second exposure device 400 disposed in the developer tank 310 performs the second exposure for reversal. It will be done. The second exposure is performed by irradiating light from a light source such as a cold cathode through a diffuser plate (milky white) and a glass plate, and a filter is attached to the diffuser plate to perform color correction.
In the paper input mechanism 260, a first shutter 261 and a second shutter 262 are arranged in upper and lower stages, and the first shutter 261 receives and temporarily holds the photographic material 200 transferred through the shutter 250. The first shutter 261 is controlled to open and send the photographic material 200 to the second shutter 262 side when the second shutter 262 is opened and the photographic material 200 is supplied into the developing device.

270 and 271 are roller mechanisms; the roller mechanism 270 moves the photographic material 200 downward; the roller mechanism 271 moves the photographic material 200 upward; the photographic material 200 is transferred from the roller mechanism 270 to the roller mechanism 271. A worm mechanism 272 and a cam mechanism 273 are used to do this. When the photographic material 200 is pushed upward from the uppermost roller of the roller mechanism 271, it engages with the clamper mechanism 274, which is disposed at the top of the processing tank and reciprocates between different types of processing tanks, and moves to the next processing tank. It is moved to the uppermost roller of the roller mechanism 270.

By repeating the above operations, the photographic material 200 is sequentially subjected to development, bleach-fixing, stabilization, and drying processes, as well as drying by the heater 351 and the fan 352. When these processes are completed, the photographic material 200
is transferred to the protective layer forming section C.

Further, it is preferable that the developing section B is formed into a unit so that it can be pulled out from the frame via a pull-out rail or a hinge mechanism for maintenance or the like.

The movement or operating state of each mechanism in the developing section B. The temperature of the processing liquid, drying temperature, etc. are automatically controlled by a microcomputer, etc., and when a malfunction occurs, an alarm is displayed on the operation panel, etc. be notified. In addition, the processing speed, liquid temperature, drying temperature, and second exposure intensity are variable, and the exposure/
It is possible to adjust the processing agent to the optimum conditions.

Protective Layer Forming Section C The photographic material 200 that has been processed in the developing section B is automatically transferred to the protective layer forming section C, where a protective layer 204 is formed on the print surface.

In order to form the protective layer 204, a laminate film may be heat-sealed as in the past, but setting of materials etc. is very complicated, so in the illustrated embodiment, for example, UV curing is used. Since the protective layer 204 is formed using a synthetic resin, it is possible to greatly improve work efficiency and form a highly stable protective layer.

To form the protective layer 204, a coating mechanism 420 coats the photosensitive surface of the photographic material 200 conveyed by a conveyor belt 410 with a monomer (including an oligomer) that forms a UV-curable resin. According to the ultraviolet irradiation device 440
This is done by sending the resin to a container and irradiating it with ultraviolet light to cure the UV-curable resin.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The drawing shows processing layers 310, 320, 330,
340, 350, etc., the photographic material 200 cut to approximately the size of an ID card is fed into the processing layer from the direction of the arrow, and the rollers of the roller mechanism 270 rotate. Accordingly, it descends in the processing tank, and when the engagement by the lowest roller is released, it is transferred to the worm mechanism 272. As shown in FIG. 4, this worm mechanism 272 is composed of a pair of side worms 272A and a bottom worm 272B.
The sides and bottom of the photographic material 200 are supported to maintain the photographic material in an upright position, and its rotation causes it to move in the direction of the arrow.

A cam 273 is provided at the end of the bottom worm 272B, and when the photographic material 200 reaches the end of the worm, the bottom of the photographic material 200 is pushed up by the cam 273 rotating simultaneously with the bottom worm, and as a result, the photographic material The upper end of the photographic material 200 engages with the lowermost roller of the lifting roller 271, and the photographic material 200 rises within the processing tank as the roll rotates.

As mentioned above, the photographic material 200 is transferred to the roller mechanism 2.
71 and reaches a state where it protrudes from the uppermost roller, it is engaged with the clamper mechanism 274 and transferred to the next processing tank (process).

Note that the rotation speed of the worm is determined by the roller mechanism 27.
It is synchronized with 0.271 and has a mechanism that repeatedly stops and rotates. That is, while the rotation of the worm is stopped, the photographic material 200 is engaged by the roller mechanism 270 with the valley of the screw of the worm, and after the engagement, it rotates slightly and is stopped again, and the next photographic material is engaged. - In the case of this device, the worm is rotated and stopped regardless of the presence or absence of photographic material, and the synchronization of the feeding of photographic materials is performed by the paper input mechanism described above.

The worm mechanism has been described above as being placed at the bottom of a processing tank such as a developing tank, but it can also be used as a transport mechanism in other processing steps, including a drying tank, for card-shaped photographic materials. Of course, the type of photographic material does not matter as long as it has a shape.

(Effect of the invention) In the method for conveying a card-shaped photographic material of the present invention,
A card-shaped photographic material that is thick and curved and cannot be transported is passed through each processing tank divided into a plurality of developing processing means by the rotation of a pair of rollers for downward conveyance and a pair of rollers for upward conveyance. Therefore, the photographic material is conveyed vertically in a substantially vertical position, and the conveyance from the lowest stage of the pair of rollers for downward conveyance to the lowest stage of the pair of rollers for upward conveyance is carried out by at least one supporting roller for the lower end of the photographic material. The photographic material is transferred from the worms to the pair of rollers for upward conveyance according to the rotation of two worms and at least one worm each supporting the lateral end of the photographic material, and the end of the worm supporting the lower end of the photographic material. The photographic material is pushed up by a cam fixed to the cam, which keeps the photographic material in a nearly vertical position.Furthermore, the photographic material is transferred from the pair of rollers for upward conveyance to the pair of rollers for downward conveyance in the next processing tank. This is done by a clamper mechanism provided at the boundary of the processing tank, and engagement with this clamper mechanism is performed by pushing up by a pair of rollers for upward conveyance, and from the clamper mechanism a pair of rollers for downward conveyance Since the photographic material is automatically transferred to the roller by engaging the lower end of the photographic material with the pair of rollers for downward conveyance, it is possible to change direction and convey the card-shaped photographic material without bending it down. Since this is possible, it is possible to use a photographic material even if the support is strong or thick. In the conventional mechanism, a roller mechanism was also placed in the worm mechanism 272, so it was not flexible, and a strong and thick one could not be used, and even if it was forcibly bent, it would have a negative impact on the card itself and the photosensitive surface. However, the mechanism of the present invention eliminates these difficulties.

With the above configuration and effects, photographic materials cut approximately to the size of an ID card can be easily used to create an ID card, so that the above-mentioned purpose can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an ID card production device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of photographic materials, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a photographic material supply device in a photographing section, and FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the photographic material supply device in the developing section, FIG. 6 is a front view, and FIG. 7 is a side view. In the figure, 110 is a light beam generator;
1 is a mirror, 112 is a lens, 113 is a shutter, 114 is a mask plate, 120 is a strobe device,
130 is a CRT, 131 is a lens, 132 is a shutter, 133 is a reflecting mirror, 134 is a built-in screen, 200 is a photographic material (DPCP/direct positive color paper), 201 is a support, 202 is a writing layer, 203 is a photographic emulsion layer, 204 is a protective layer, 210 is a cartridge, 211 is a lid body, 21
2 is an opening, 213 and 215 are engaging portions, 214 is an operating lever, 216 is a knob, 217 is an operating plate, 22
0 is a suction cup, 230 is a conveyor belt, 240 is a paper stand, 250 is a shutter, 260 is a paper input mechanism, 261 is a first shutter, 262 is a second shutter, 270, 271 is a roller mechanism, 272 is a worm mechanism, 273 274 is a cam mechanism, 274 is a clamper mechanism, 300 is a second exposure device, 310 is a developer tank,
320 is a bleach-fix tank, 330 is a first stabilization tank, 3
40 is a second stabilization tank, 350 is a drying tank, 351 is a heater, 352 is a fan, 360 is a heat exchanger, 3
70 is a pump, 380 is a processing liquid replenishing means, 41
0,430 is a conveyor belt, 420 is a coating mechanism, 4
40 indicates an ultraviolet irradiation device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 An ID card that is exposed by combining image information obtained by directly photographing the subject with an image capturing device and visible information such as the subject's name, address, and other characters, symbols, and codes output on a CRT screen. It is applied to a developing processing means that processes and dries standard direct positive color photographic material cut to a size of The material is transported through each processing tank and subjected to immersion treatment in sequence, and each processing tank has paired rollers that transport the photographic material downwards or upwards in a substantially vertical position continuously at regular intervals. Below the pair of rollers at the lowest end is a mechanism for transferring the photographic material from the pair of rollers conveying downward to the pair of rollers conveying upward. at least two worms supporting the photographic material and at least one worm each supporting a lateral end of the photographic material are disposed, and a cam is provided at the end of the worm supporting the lower end of the photographic material; The photographic material, which has been moved to the cam position as the worm rotates, is pushed up at its lower end by the cam while remaining in an almost vertical position, and its upper end engages with a pair of rollers for upward conveyance located at the lowest position. When the photographic material reaches the top of the pair of rollers for upward conveyance, the pair of rollers for upward conveyance and the pair of rollers for downward conveyance of the next processing tank are moved. The photographic material that is pushed up as the pair of rollers for upward conveyance rotates is automatically engaged with a clamper mechanism that is prepared to reciprocate between the uppermost stages, and the movement of this clamper mechanism The engaged photographic material is transferred in a nearly vertical position to the top of the pair of rollers for downward conveyance in the next processing tank, and when the lower end engages with this pair of rollers, the clamper mechanism is automatically activated. The photographic material is disengaged and transported downward as the pair of rollers rotates, and the same transport is performed sequentially thereafter to transport the photographic material in a processing tank such as development. A transport mechanism for card-shaped photographic materials.