JPH0627942B2 - Image recorder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus using a photosensitive material which requires at least a heat development processing step and which transfers an image to an image receiving material.

[Conventional technology]

As an image recording apparatus for obtaining a color image using a photothermographic material, as shown in JP-A-59-75247, a photothermographic material is exposed to an image at an exposing portion and then developed at a developing portion, and after thermal development. There is known one in which the above image is transferred to an image receiving material.

In this image recording apparatus, since the photosensitive material on which the image is exposed is developed in the heat developing section, the heat developing section requires a heating means such as a heater, and this heat is released to the outside. Of course, a heat insulating material is provided around the heat developing section, but in the case of continuous operation for a long time, the heat insulating material itself gradually warms to release heat to the outside. For this reason, in the case of a compact design in which the storage portion of the image receiving material for image transfer is arranged above the heat developing portion, this heat heats the image receiving material.
However, the image receiving material contains a substance for image reception, such as a mordant or a developer, which changes with time due to an increase in temperature and changes in image receiving ability to obtain an image of uniform color and density. Becomes difficult.

In view of the above facts, the present invention is an image recording apparatus capable of efficiently discharging heat without the heat discharged from a heating unit such as a heat developing unit or a heat developing transfer unit adversely affecting the image receiving material storage unit. The purpose is to obtain.

[Outline and Action of Invention]

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus using a photosensitive material which requires at least a heat development processing step and transfers an image to an image receiving material, wherein the heating section performs the heat development processing or simultaneously performs the heat development and the transfer. An intake fan for sending outside air to the upper part of the heating section for cooling in order to form a cooling air passage in the upper part of the heating unit, and an exhaust fan for discharging the cooling air after cooling in an amount larger than the amount of air sent by the intake fan. , Is provided.

Therefore, in the present invention, the outside air from the intake pipe is sent to the heating portion for cooling, and the cooling air after this cooling is discharged to the outside again by the exhaust fan. In this case, since the amount of air sent by the exhaust fan is larger than that by the intake fan, the cooling air reliably passes through the upper part of the heating section, and the exhaust heat rising by convection to the cooling air passage is surely sent to the outside. Can be discharged with.

In the present invention, the light-sensitive material may be of any type as long as it requires at least a heat development processing step and transfers an image to an image receiving material to obtain a visible image.

For example, there is the above-described photothermographic material in which an image obtained by performing heat development is transferred to an image receiving material by heating. In this photothermographic material, root development and heat transfer may be performed simultaneously or separately (as separate steps). This heat-developable photosensitive material releases a movable dye in an image form by heating and transfers the movable dye to an image receiving material (dye fixing material) having a mordant with a solvent such as water, a high boiling point. What is transferred to the image receiving material by an organic solvent, what is transferred to the image receiving material by the hydrophilic thermal solvent contained in the image receiving material, or the movable dye is a heat diffusible or sublimable substance, a support, etc. Are known to be transferred to the dye receiving material of
US Pat. Nos. 4,463,079 and 4,474,8
No. 67, No. 4,478, 927, No. 4,507,
No. 380, No. 4,500,626, No. 4,48
No. 3,914: JP-A Nos. 58-149046 and 58-
149047, 59-152440, 59-1
54445, 59-165054, 59-18.
0548, 59-168439 and 59-174.
No. 832, No. 59-174833, No. 59-1748.
34, 59-174835, and the like.

Further, as another example, there is a so-called light and pressure sensitive heat developing material which obtains a visible image by transferring an image generated by imagewise exposure to an image receiving material having an image receiving layer after heat development to obtain a visible image.

As this light and pressure sensitive heat developing material, there is one disclosed in JP-A-61-278849 filed by the present applicant.

This material obtains an image on the image-receiving material by transferring a color image-forming substance to the image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer by pressure after heat development, and at least a photosensitive silver halide and a reducing agent are formed on the support. The polymerizable compound and the color image forming substance are coated, and at least the polymerizable compound and the color image forming substance are encapsulated in the same microcapsule.

Example of Invention

 The image recording apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the image recording apparatus 10 to which the present invention is applied, a roll-shaped photothermographic material 16 is housed in a magazine 14 housed in a machine base 12. This photosensitive material 1
6 is pulled out from the outer circumference, cut into a predetermined length by a cutter 18, and then wound around the outer circumference of the rotary drum 20. An exposure head 22 is arranged corresponding to the outer circumference of the rotary drum 20, and the rotary drum 20 is rotated in the direction of arrow A to expose an image on the wound photosensitive material 16.

The photosensitive material 16 after the exposure is separated from the rotary drum 20 by the scraper 24 by the reverse rotation of the rotary drum 20, and water is applied as an image forming solvent in the water application section 26, and then the inside is a heating section. Sent to 28.

On the other hand, the tray 30 arranged above the heat development transfer means 28
The uppermost layer of the plurality of image receiving materials 32 accommodated in is transferred to the developing and transferring means 28 (direction of arrow S).

In the developing and transferring means 28, the conveying rollers 34 that are in close contact with each other,
36 is provided at the entrance to provide the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 32.
After they are brought into close contact with each other, they are sent to the conveying rollers 38 and 40 at the outlet. The transport roller 42 is provided in the middle portion,
44 is provided and has a role of sending out the closely contacted photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 32 sent out from the carrying rollers 34, 36 to the carrying rollers 38, 40. Each transport roller is configured to receive the rotational force by transmitting the driving force of a motor (not shown).

Each transport roller has a heater 46 disposed on the opposite side of the transport path between the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 32, and is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating element composed of an electric heating element.

A peeling means 48 is disposed downstream of the developing and transferring means 28, and the photosensitive material 16 sent out from the developing and transferring means 28.
To the waste box 50 and the photosensitive material 16 to the drying device 52 separately. The image receiving material 32 is dried by the drying device 52 and then sent out onto the takeout tray 54 formed on the top of the machine base 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of intake fans 56 are attached to the rear surface of the machine base 12 via a frame 58.
These intake fans 56 are rotated by receiving the driving force of a motor (not shown), and send the outside air between the developing and transferring means 28 and the tray 30 in the direction of arrow B. For this reason, in the frame 58, the outlet for the cooling air is at the developing and transferring means 2.
8 has a cylindrical shape so as to open between the tray 8 and the tray 30.

Exhaust fans 62 are attached to the frame 60 on both sides of the intake fan 56, and the cooling air after cooling is guided in the directions of arrows C and D and is discharged to the outside as shown by arrow E. Therefore, the exhaust fan 62 is also rotated by receiving the driving force of a motor (not shown).

Ducts 64 that open upward are respectively connected to the frame 60, and as shown by arrows C and D, the cooling air that has bypassed the tray 30 and has been cooled is guided to the exhaust fan 62. .

Here, the exhaust fan 62 is designed to discharge a larger amount of air in the direction of arrow E to the outside than the amount of outside air sent into the machine base 12 in the direction of arrow A by the intake fan 56. Therefore, the outside air sucked by the intake fan 56 surely passes through the upper portion of the developing and transferring means 28 to perform effective cooling.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

When a start button (not shown) is pressed, the photosensitive material 16
Is drawn from the magazine 14 and wound around the outer periphery of the rotary drum 20, and the rotary drum 20 rotates at a high speed to expose an image by the exposure head 22.

After exposure, the photosensitive material 16 is peeled off by the scraper 24, coated with water in the water coating section 26, and sent to the developing and transferring means 28.

On the other hand, the image receiving material 32 in the tray 30 is sent from the uppermost layer to the developing and transferring means 28 and is brought into close contact with the photosensitive material 16.

The light-sensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 32 that have been brought into close contact with each other are sent to the carrying rollers 42 and 44 through the carrying rollers 34 and 36. Further, it is sent out between the conveying rollers 42 and 40 through the conveying rollers 38 and 40. When a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers are used for feeding, the conveying rollers are heated by the heater 46, so that the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 32 are immediately brought to a predetermined temperature and exposed to the photosensitive material 16. The image is thermally developed and transferred to the image receiving material 32 at the same time.

After the transfer, the photosensitive material 16 and the image receiving material 32 are separated by the peeling means 48, and the photosensitive material 16 is discarded in the box 50.
Then, the image receiving material 32 passes through the drying device 52, and then the ejection tray 54.
Taken out.

During such an operation, the heater 46 of the developing and transferring means 28 is used.
The exhaust heat due to is dissipated. In particular, this heat dissipation is radiated to the upper part of the developing and transferring means 28 through the heat insulating material around the developing and transferring portion. Then, when the cooling air from the intake fan 56 is sent to the upper portion of the developing and transferring means 28, this exhaust heat is cooled by the cooling air, and the cooling air that has exchanged heat with the exhaust heat is exhausted to the outside by the exhaust fan 62.

The intake fan 56 and the exhaust fan 62 are not driven until the photothermographic material 16 passes through the water coating section 26 and is housed in the developing transfer means 28, and is operated after entering the developing transfer means 28. By doing so, the cooling air does not hit the photothermographic material 16 before the heat development, and thus the drying unevenness of the photothermographic material 16 can be prevented.

Further, it is preferable to provide a light-shielding louver and a dust-removing filter that prevent outside light from entering the inside of the machine base 12 before and after the intake fan 56 and the exhaust fan 62.

Further, in the above embodiment, the cooling air is sent only to the upper part of the developing and transferring means 28, but the cooling air may be applied to other parts such as the lower part of the developing and transferring means 28.

In the above embodiment, the present invention provides the heat developing portion of the photosensitive material and the heat transfer portion of the photosensitive material to the image receiving material at the same location
That is, although the embodiment applied to the image recording apparatus of the type in which the heat development transfer is performed at the same time has been shown, the present invention is also applicable to the image recording apparatus provided with the heat development section and the heat transfer section separately.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the exhaust heat of the heating portion such as the heat development portion or the heat development transfer portion does not adversely affect the image receiving material storage portion and the like, and an excellent effect that heat can be efficiently discharged can be obtained. Have.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing cooling-related parts in an image recording apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an entire image recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. 10 ... Image recording device, 16 ... Photothermographic material, 28 ... Development transfer means, 30 ... Tray, 32 ... Image receiving material, 46 ... Heater, 56 ... Intake fan, 62 ... Exhaust fan.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image recording apparatus using a photosensitive material which requires at least a heat development step and transfers an image to an image receiving material, the heating section performing the heat development processing or performing the heat development and the transfer at the same time. To form a cooling air passage on top of
An image recording apparatus comprising: an intake fan for sending outside air to the upper part of the heating unit for cooling; and an exhaust fan for discharging the cooled cooling air in an amount larger than the amount of air supplied by the intake fan. .