JPH0619629B2 - Image recorder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having a contact portion between an exposed light-sensitive material and an image receiving paper and a heat treatment portion for developing and transferring.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, in the case of a light-sensitive material having a photosensitive layer capable of being heat-developed, which develops an image by coloring itself, the color may be discolored by subsequent heat, and the image storability is poor. A light-sensitive material having a diffusion transfer type heat-developable photosensitive layer capable of thermally developing the formed latent image and storing the resulting image in the form of a non-photosensitive image receiving paper (for example, JP-A-57-179840).
No. 57-198458 and Japanese Patent Application No. 58-104900 related to the applicant's application) were developed, and accordingly, a photosensitive material having a diffusion transfer type photothermographic layer was used. An image recording device is also under development.

The image recording apparatus using the above-mentioned photosensitive material is such that the image-receiving paper is brought into close contact with the exposed photosensitive material and is heated through the heat treatment section to perform development transfer. However, the adhesive force between the photosensitive material and the image-receiving paper only applies pressure. Is not enough, and when the photosensitive material and the image receiving paper are cold when they are supplied to the heat treatment part, they are deprived of these heats, making it difficult to control the temperature during development and diffusion transfer. .

[Object of the Invention]

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that enhances the adhesion between the photosensitive material and the image receiving paper and facilitates temperature control during development and diffusion transfer.

[Structure of Invention]

The present invention relates to an exposed light-sensitive material having a diffusion transfer type photothermographic layer in which a melt former is used in a binder layer, and an image-receiving layer which is not itself photosensitive but which receives a dye formed by the development of the light-sensitive material. In an image recording apparatus comprising a contact portion for closely contacting an image-receiving paper having a heat-sensitive material and a heat treatment portion for developing and transferring the photosensitive material, the contact portion is at a melting temperature of the melt former or higher, By providing a heating means capable of heating to a temperature at which development does not proceed, the photosensitive material and the image receiving paper can be heated and pressed when they are in close contact with each other, and can be supplied to the heat treatment section in a heat retaining state.
The adhesion is enhanced and the temperature control during development and diffusion transfer is facilitated.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a photosensitive material having a diffusion transfer type photothermographic layer in which a melt former is used in a binder layer. The photosensitive material 1 is exposed by an appropriate exposing means (not shown) and is brought into contact with a contact portion 2 through a conveying means. Is supplied to. 3 is an image-receiving paper which is not photosensitive per se, but has a specially treated image-receiving layer for receiving the dye formed by the development of the light-sensitive material 1. The image-receiving paper 3 is supplied to the contact portion 2 through a conveying means, It is brought into close contact with the photosensitive material 1 at the contact portion 2. The sensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 which are in close contact with each other are in the close contact portion 2
Immediately after the above, it is supplied to the heat treatment section 4 arranged continuously and developed and transferred.

The contact portion 2 is composed of a pair of rollers 5 and 6 for sandwiching the photosensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 from above and below, and at least one of the rollers 5 and 6 (lower roller 6 in the figure) generates heat such as a heating wire. A heating means 8 incorporating the body 7 is provided, and the surface temperature is a temperature at which development does not proceed, that is, 100 to 140 ° C (preferably
It can be heated to about 110 ℃).
Since the melt former in the binder layer of the light-sensitive material 1 uses a material that melts at around 100 ° C., since the light-sensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 are brought into close contact with each other at a temperature higher than this melting temperature, the adhesive force increases. In addition, while the adhesion state is stable, the normal sensitive material 1
Can be developed and transferred at 150 ° C or higher, so development does not proceed as long as the temperature of the contact area is within the range of 100 to 140 ° C.

Although not shown, a means for preheating the image receiving paper 3 may be provided before the contact portion 2. It is effective to preheat the image receiving paper 3 supplied to the body part 2 in order to further enhance the adhesion force with the sensitive material 1 at the adhesion part. Similarly, although not shown, it is also effective to obtain a good image by installing a static illuminator and an air cleaner for removing static electricity and dust on the contact surface of the photosensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 in front of the contact portion 2. It will be.

The heat treatment section 4 is usually a surface heater 10 having a heating element 9 such as a heating wire as shown in FIG. 1, and a conveyor belt 1 stretched between two shafts 11 and 11 ′ so as to face the surface heater 10.
2, the conveying path 13 for the photosensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying path 13 is formed by the surface heater 10 and a plurality of conveying rollers 12a arranged opposite to this. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of guide rollers 14 are provided so as to pass through the heat radiation surface 10a of the surface heater 10.
A belt 15 stretched over the sheet is provided, and a conveying path 13 for conveying the photosensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 is formed in a state of being sandwiched by the belt 15 and the conveying belt 12, and further as shown in FIG. A plurality of small rollers 16 may be embedded in the heat radiating surface 10a of the surface heater 10 and the conveying path 13 may be formed by the rollers 16 and the conveyor belt 12 to further reduce the friction coefficient. Of course, other suitable means may be used (for example, when the surface heater is abolished and a conveying belt stretched between two axes of heat rollers is formed to face each other).

Reference numeral 17 designates the surface heater 10 of the heat treatment section 4 for radiating the heat.
The heat insulating member 17 is covered by excluding a, and the heat insulating member 17 prevents the heat of the surface heater from diffusing and improves the heating efficiency of the photosensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3. Further, in order to further improve the heating efficiency, in the present embodiment, the conveyor belt 12 facing the surface heater 10 is made of a material having a small thermal conductivity, for example, a thermal conductivity of 3 ×.
Items of 10 ^-3 J / cm · S · K or less (for example, a belt with a polyester cord as a core) are selectively adopted.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a thermocouple provided in the surface heater 10 of the heat treatment section 4. The thermocouple 18 operates a control mechanism (not shown) that controls energization to a heating element by an electromotive force generated by heat of the surface heater 10. It is a thing. That is, as described above, the photosensitive material 1 can be developed and transferred at 150 ° C. or higher, so that the temperature can be controlled to be higher than that temperature.

In the present embodiment, an example in which a heating element 7 is built in at least one of the contact rollers 5 and 6 is shown as the heating means of the contact portion 2 for contacting the image receiving paper 3 to the photosensitive material 1.
If necessary, the contact roller 6 is rotatably embedded in the upper surface of the surface heater 10 of the heat treatment section 4 to configure the contact section 2 and the heat treatment section 4 as one block so that the heat of the heat treatment section can be effectively used. It may be configured.

Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment will be described. The photosensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 are heated and adhered at a temperature (60 to 140 ° C.) in a range where development is not progressed in the adhesion portion 2, and then the heat treatment portion 4 is continued. And passes through the transport path 13 with a proper adhesion. This passage time is adjusted within the range of 2 seconds to 3 minutes in relation to the heating temperature, and the transfer speed of the contact portion 2 is also synchronized with this. In addition, the image receiving paper 3 supplied to the contact portion 2
When a sensor (not shown) senses that the tip of the photosensitive material 1 has passed a predetermined position, it is sent out with a certain time difference from that, and both tips are made to coincide with each other, or with a peeling means in the subsequent peeling step. Due to the relationship, one side overlaps the other with a slight delay.

The photosensitive material 1 and the image receiving paper 3 which are passing through the heat treatment section 4 have a temperature (for example, 150 to 200 ° C.) necessary for development transfer during this interval.
Is given heat. As a result, the photosensitive material 1 is exposed by the exposure means.
The latent image formed on the photosensitive surface is heat-developed, a silver image appears on the exposed portion, a diffusible dye is formed accordingly, and the dye is diffuse-transferred to the image-receiving surface of the image-receiving paper 3. .

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes an exposed light-sensitive material having a diffusion transfer type photothermographic material in which a melt former is used in a binder layer, and a developing material for the light-sensitive material which is not photosensitive per se. In an image recording apparatus having a contact portion for closely contacting an image receiving paper having an image receiving layer for receiving a dye formed by the above, and a heat treatment portion for developing and transferring the photosensitive material, the contact portion is melted by the melt former. Since a heating means that can heat the photosensitive material to a temperature above which the development of the photosensitive material does not proceed is provided so that the photosensitive material and the image receiving paper can be heated and pressed when they are in close contact, the contact force increases and the close contact is achieved. In addition to the stable state, it is possible to supply the heat-treated part in a heat-retaining state, which facilitates temperature control during development and diffusion transfer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a main portion, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic sectional views showing a modified example of a heat treatment portion. 1 ... Sensitive material, 2 ... Adhesive part 3 ... Image receiving paper, 4 ... Heat treatment part 5,6 ... Roller, 7,9 ... Heating element 8 ... Heating means, 10 ... Surface heater 10a. Heat dissipation surface, 12 …… Conveying belt 12a …… Conveying roller, 13 …… Conveying path 17 …… Insulating member

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Hirotaka Hara, No. 1 Sakuramachi, Hino City, Tokyo Konishi Roku Photo Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References , A) JP 58-40551 (JP, A) JP 50-62635 (JP, A) JP 60-135946 (JP, A) JP 44-16309 (JP, Y1)

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claims: 1. An exposed photosensitive material having a diffusion transfer type photothermographic layer using a melt former in a binder layer, and a dye which is not itself photosensitive but is formed by the development of the photosensitive material. In an image recording apparatus provided with a contact portion for closely contacting an image receiving paper having an image receiving layer and a heat treatment portion for developing and transferring the photosensitive material, the contact portion is not less than the melting temperature of the melt former, An image recording apparatus provided with a heating means capable of heating to a temperature at which development of a material does not proceed. 2. The contact portion comprises a pair of rollers for sandwiching a photosensitive material and an image receiving paper, and the heating means can heat the surface temperature of at least one of the rollers to 100 to 140 ° C. Patent The image recording apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The heat treatment section comprises a conveyor belt or roller and a surface heater, and the surface heater is covered by a heat insulating member except for the heat radiation surface thereof. The image recording apparatus described. 4. The conveyor belt has a thermal conductivity of 3 × 10 5.
^-3 J / cm · SK following range of materials is obtained by using the claimed second term or image recording apparatus of the third term describes. 5. The image recording method according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment section is capable of adjusting the passage time of the photosensitive material and the image receiving paper within a range of 2 seconds to 3 minutes. apparatus. 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pre-heating unit for pre-heating the image receiving paper, which is provided immediately before the contact portion.