JPH0789639B2 - Light beam scanning device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light beam scanning device, and more particularly, to a two-dimensional scanning of an object to be scanned by a light beam, for example, a stimulable phosphor sheet on which a radiation image is accumulated and recorded. The present invention relates to a light beam scanning device for irradiating the photographic light with excitation light for reading, or irradiating a light beam on the photographic light-sensitive material to record an image on the photographic light-sensitive material.

Recently, a radiation image recording / reproducing system that obtains a radiation image of a subject using a stimulable phosphor (stimulable phosphor) has attracted attention. Here, accumulative fluorescence means radiation (X-ray, α
Rays, β rays, γ rays, electron rays, ultraviolet rays, etc.) accumulates a part of this radiation energy, and when excitation light such as visible light is subsequently irradiated, stimulated emission light corresponding to the accumulated energy is emitted. A fluorescent substance that emits light.

The above-mentioned radiation image recording / reproducing system uses this stimulable phosphor, and a sheet having a layer made of the stimulable phosphor is used to temporarily store the radiation image information of a subject such as a human body. Or simply referred to as a "sheet"), and the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as laser light to generate stimulated emission light, and the stimulated emission light is photoelectrically read. An electric signal is obtained, and a radiation image of a subject is output as a visible image on a recording material such as a photographic photosensitive material or a display device such as a CRT based on the electric signal.

Therefore, in such a radiation image recording / reproducing system, in an image reading device that reads the radiation image from the accumulative phosphor sheet on which the radiation image is stored and recorded, specifically, the radiation image is read by the following method. Reading.

That is, the accumulative phosphor sheet is two-dimensionally scanned with a light beam such as a laser beam, and the photostimulated luminescent light generated at this time is detected in time series by a photodetector such as a photomultiplier to obtain image information. To get Then, in the two-dimensional scanning of the light beam, usually, the accumulative phosphor sheet is one-dimensionally deflected to irradiate the light beam to perform main scanning, and at the same time, the sheet is directed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction. This is achieved by mechanically transporting it to a belt conveyor or the like and performing sub-scanning by this.

Next, the image information obtained as described above is sent to the image recording device. The image recording apparatus irradiates a photographic light-sensitive material, which is a recording material, with laser light modulated based on the image information obtained from a stimulable phosphor sheet, and records a predetermined image on the photographic light-sensitive material. Is configured. This photographic light-sensitive material on which an image has been newly recorded is subjected to development processing, then stored in a predetermined place, and used for medical diagnosis or the like as necessary.

By the way, in the image reading apparatus, the accumulative phosphor sheet conveyed by the belt conveyor must be firmly positioned and fixed on the belt conveyor. That is, if the accumulative phosphor sheet moves on the belt conveyor during scanning, the irradiation position of the light beam on this accumulative phosphor sheet deviates from the desired position, and as a result, as described above, the belt If the accumulative phosphor sheet displaced with respect to the conveyor continues to be scanned by the laser light, the image information obtained therefrom will be inaccurate. In other words, accurate radiation image information cannot be obtained from the accumulative phosphor sheet that has caused the positional displacement, and therefore, if the subject is a patient, there is a possibility that a medical diagnosis error may occur. Expose.

Therefore, conventionally, for example, a suction box is used so that the accumulative phosphor sheet during scanning is not displaced with respect to the belt conveyor. That is, the suction box is disposed in the space of the endless belt conveyor, and the belt conveyor has a plurality of suction holes. Then, when the accumulative phosphor sheet is conveyed to the belt conveyor, the vacuum generator connected to the suction box starts suction,
Since the stimulable phosphor sheet is sucked on the belt conveyer, it is positioned and fixed on the belt conveyer and is transferred with the displacement of the belt conveyer in the sub scanning direction.

However, in this type of conventional technology, since the suction box is used as described above, the mechanism is complicated and large, and at the same time, the vacuum generator for sucking the sheet through the suction box and the driving of this device are used. A control system for controlling is required.

In addition, such a fixing and conveying means of the stimulable phosphor sheet becomes considerably expensive, and the cost of the whole radiation image recording / reproducing system is considerably increased.

Furthermore, in order to favorably adsorb the stimulable phosphor sheet to the belt conveyor, a conveyor path for conveying the stimulable phosphor sheet in parallel to the belt conveyor must be provided, and such a configuration is provided. Therefore, the radiation image recording / reproducing system itself becomes large. For this reason, it is pointed out that it is difficult to effectively utilize a small room, especially when the system is arranged in a hospital or the like.

On the other hand, in an image recording apparatus, a photographic light-sensitive material is provided with a large-diameter drum which deflects and irradiates modulated laser light to perform main scanning, and which engages the photographic light-sensitive material with a rotary drive source. It is sandwiched by a pair of rollers and conveyed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction to perform sub scanning.

However, in this case, there is a possibility that a rotational drive source that rotationally drives the drum when the photographic light-sensitive material is conveyed, such as a motor, may cause load fluctuations and that suitable sub-scanning may not be performed on the photographic light-sensitive material. Therefore, conventionally, a support base is provided in front of and behind the drum in the sub-scanning direction so as to minimize the load fluctuation on the motor during the sub-scanning.
Therefore, a support base having a length equal to or longer than the length of the conveyed photographic photosensitive material in the sub-scanning direction must be disposed at the front and rear of the drum, and the image recording apparatus itself becomes considerably large. It exposes the drawbacks that cause it. In addition, the drum is designed to convey the photosensitive material stably,
Since the width of the photographic light-sensitive material is larger than that of the photographic light-sensitive material, and the motor for rotating the drum is provided in the width direction of the drum, the image recording apparatus can be largely extended in the main scanning direction. I have no choice.

Furthermore, in order to perform highly accurate scanning on the photographic light-sensitive material,
It is necessary to strictly control the motor so as to convey the photographic light-sensitive material at a constant speed in a precise direction with high precision, and the high-precision motor that can be controlled as described above is expensive. There is also the problem that the cost will rise significantly. Further, in order to stably convey the photographic light-sensitive material, it is indispensable to dispose a pair of rollers that are in sliding contact with the drum. Scanning cannot be performed on both ends in the scanning direction. For example, a black frame around the image, a so-called
There is an inconvenience that it cannot meet the demand for black edges.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional image reading apparatus and image recording apparatus, the applicant of the present application irradiates a sheet-shaped object to be scanned with a light beam deflected in a one-dimensional direction to perform main scanning, and In a light beam scanning device that moves the object to be scanned in a direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction to perform sub-scanning and two-dimensionally scans the object to be scanned, a pair of nipping and conveying the object to be scanned. Two sets of the rollers are arranged at intervals shorter than the length of the object to be scanned in the transport direction, and the two pairs of rollers are synchronously rotated to perform sub-scanning.
An application was made for a light beam scanning device characterized in that the light beam deflected between the pair of rollers is irradiated to perform main scanning (Japanese Patent Application No. 60-234182).

The present invention is based on the above-mentioned invention “light beam scanning device”.
In particular, the load fluctuation caused when the object to be scanned is nipped by the roller pair is reduced as much as possible, and therefore, the object to be scanned is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a light beam scanning device that can read or record image information more accurately and smoothly without the risk of unevenness.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides two pairs of rollers, which sandwich and convey a sheet-shaped object to be scanned, at an interval shorter than the length of the object to be scanned in the carrying direction. The sub-scanning conveyance is performed by a pair of rollers, and a light beam deflected in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scanning conveyance direction is radiated between the pair of rollers to perform main scanning to two-dimensionally scan the object to be scanned. In the optical beam scanning device for scanning, at least a roller pair downstream of the two pairs of rollers in the sub-scanning conveyance direction is a first roller that is rotationally driven, and a second roller that is movable back and forth with respect to the first roller. And the second roller is separated from the first roller by a thickness equal to or larger than the thickness of the scanned object before the scanned object enters between the first and second rollers. On the other hand, the object to be scanned is the first and second rollers. An actuator for moving the second roller to the first roller side after entering the space is provided.

Next, the light beam scanning device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings with reference to preferred embodiments.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates an image reading device incorporating the light beam scanning device according to the present invention. A supply magazine 14 is installed in the chamber 12 of the image reading apparatus 10, and in the supply magazine 14, accumulative phosphor sheets A on which radiation images have been accumulated and recorded are stacked and accommodated. A single-wafer mechanism including a suction plate 16 is provided in the chamber 12 in the vicinity of the supply magazine 14. Below the suction plate 16, an endless first conveyor belt for conveying the stimulable phosphor sheet A is provided. 18 are provided.

The first conveyor belt 18 extends vertically downward and is bent at the inner corner of the image reading device 10 so as to be oriented in the horizontal direction. The first conveyor belt 18 is in contact with one surface of the first conveyor belt 18 in the vertical direction. A plurality of arranged rollers 20a to 20d are provided. Further, a large-diameter roller 22 is arranged at the lower bent portion of the first conveyor belt 18. Therefore, a sub-scanning transport mechanism 24 is provided at a distance from the end of the first transport belt 18.

The sub-scanning transport mechanism 24 includes a first roller pair 26 and a second roller pair 28, and holds the stimulable phosphor sheet A transported between the roller pairs 26 and 28. Guide members 29a, 29b are provided. The first roller pair 26 is composed of a roller 30 which is rotationally driven and a roller 32 which is in sliding contact with the roller 30, and the second roller pair 28 is disposed above the roller 34 which is rotationally driven. It consists of a roller 36.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, both ends of the roller 36 are rotatably held on one end side of the swing member 38,
A support bar 40 is provided at a substantially middle portion of the swing member 38. Further, an oval 42 is formed on the other end side of the rocking member 38, and an actuator, for example, a solenoid 44 is engaged with the rocking member 38 via the oval 42. That is, the pin member 48 is attached to the tip of the plunger 46 provided on the solenoid 44, and the pin member 48 is fitted into the ellipse 42 in advance. Therefore, the swing member 38 swings about the support bar 40 under the driving action of the solenoid 44, and the roller 36 swings and displaces in the arrow E or F direction. In this case, the solenoid 44 is driven via the counter 50, for example.
The counter 50 starts counting when a reading unit to be described later is driven, and issues a signal for driving the solenoid 44 after a lapse of a predetermined time. Therefore, when the tip of the stimulable phosphor sheet A reaches the roller 34, the roller 36 presses the upper surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet A.
It is preferable to select the count-up time of the counter 50 in advance. Further, it is preferable to use a solenoid provided with a damper mechanism (a so-called electromagnetic actuator) as the solenoid 44. Instead of the solenoid 44, a cylinder having a cushion mechanism or a cam mechanism may be used.

The basic configuration of the sub-scanning transport mechanism 24 according to the present embodiment has been described above, but the first roller pair 26 is replaced by the second roller pair described above.
Of course, it can be configured in the same manner as 28.

Next, an endless second conveyor belt 74 is provided near the second roller pair 28. The second conveyor belt 74 is configured to extend in the horizontal direction for a predetermined distance, and in the figure, the second conveyor belt 74 is largely raised in the vertical direction, and further, its tip end is slightly lowered after passing through the horizontal portion. In this case, a large-diameter roller 76 is arranged at the lower bent portion of the second conveyor belt 74, and a plurality of rollers 78a to 78e are provided at the vertically extending portion of the second conveyor belt 74. Set up. Moreover, a large-diameter roller 80 and rollers 82a and 82b are provided at the upper bent portion of the second conveyor belt 74 so that the accumulative phosphor sheet A is conveyed vertically downward. A receive magazine 84 for accommodating the stimulable phosphor sheet A is provided near the roller 82b.

On the other hand, a reading unit 86 is arranged above the sub-scanning transport mechanism 24. The reading unit 86 includes a laser light source 88, and a laser light emitting side of the laser light source 88 is provided with a mirror 92 for scanning the laser light 90 on the sheet, a galvanometer mirror 94, and a condensing reflection mirror 96. In addition, laser light 90
At the scanning position on the sheet of the light guide 98 along the main scanning line.
And a photomultiplier 100 is mounted on the light guide 98.

Furthermore, in the chamber 12, for example, the erasing unit 102 is arranged between the rollers 78b and 78c provided on the conveyor belt 74.
A plurality of light sources (not shown) are arranged inside the erasing unit 102.

The image reading device incorporating the light beam scanning device according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above,
Next, its operation and effect will be described.

First, a supply magazine 14 is attached to the image reading device 10. In this case, the supply magazine 14 contains, for example, a plurality of accumulative phosphor sheets A on which radiation images of a subject such as a human body are accumulated and recorded in a stacked manner.

Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is taken out one by one from the supply magazine 14 under the action of the sheet-fed mechanism including the suction plate 16, and the first conveyor belt 18 and a plurality of sheets are provided below the suction plate 16. It is conveyed to the sub-scanning conveyance mechanism 24 side via the individual rollers 20a to 20d and the roller 22.

Here, the stimulable phosphor sheet A is nipped by the first roller pair 26 and transported in the direction of arrow B. At that time, the reading unit 86
The laser light 90 driven by the laser light source 88 is once reflected by the mirror 92, and then the galvanometer mirror.
At 94, the non-directional stimulated emission light emitted from the sheet A by being scanned on the sheet A under the swinging action of the carbanometer mirror 94 is reflected directly and by the reflection mirror 96. Light into the light guide 98. Then, this is converted into an electric signal by the photomultiplier 100 and sent to, for example, an image recording device or the like.

In this way, the laser light is not transferred onto the accumulative phosphor sheet A.
The two-dimensional scanning is performed by 90, and the stimulable phosphor sheet A is further sandwiched by the second roller pair 28 and conveyed in the direction of the arrow B, passes through the reading unit 86, and all of its image signals are transmitted. Read.

That is, the rollers 36 forming the second roller pair 28 are normally located above the rollers 34 when the reading unit 86 is not driven, as shown in FIG. Then, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A is conveyed to the reading unit 86 via the first roller pair 26, for example, a sensor (not shown) detects the stimulable phosphor sheet A and the reading unit 86 When driven, the counter 50 starts counting. Therefore, the solenoid 44 is driven after a predetermined time elapses, and the solenoid 44
The plunger 46 provided at the position is displaced in the direction of arrow C in the figure, and the roller 36 swings in the direction of arrow E via the swing member 38 that engages with the plunger 46. After all, when the leading end of the stimulable phosphor sheet A reaches the roller 34, the roller 36 presses the upper surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet A, and the rollers 34 and 36 respectively cause the stimulable phosphor sheet A to be stored. The body sheet A is nipped and conveyed in the direction of arrow B (see FIG. 3). And
Before the rear end portion of the accumulative phosphor sheet A passes through the second roller pair 28, the solenoid 44 is driven to displace the plunger 46 in the arrow D direction to swing the roller 36 in the arrow F direction. The holding action of the stimulable phosphor sheet A by the second roller pair 28 is released.

Then, the accumulative phosphor sheet A is transferred to the second conveyor belt 7
4, reaches the erasing section 102 via rollers 76 and 78a, 78b.
In the erasing unit 102, a plurality of erasing light sources (not shown) are turned on, and thus the irradiation light completely erases the radiation image remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet A. The stimulable phosphor sheet A from which the radiation image has been erased is conveyed to the upper part of the image reading device 10 via the second conveyor belt 74 and rollers 78c to 78e, and advances through the roller 80 and the rollers 82a and 82b. It is stored in the receive magazine 84 with its direction deviated.

In this embodiment, in this case, when the accumulative phosphor sheet A conveyed to the second roller pair 28 side enters the space between the rollers 34 and 36, the solenoid 44 is driven by the drive action. Further, the roller 36 is displaced to the roller 34 side, and the stimulable phosphor sheet A is nipped by the second roller pair 28 and conveyed in the direction of arrow B. Therefore, the stimulable phosphor sheet A can be smoothly transferred from the first roller pair 26 to the second roller pair 28. Further, since the solenoid 44 is provided with the damper mechanism, the roller 36 is provided with the accumulative phosphor sheet A.
It is prevented that the accumulative phosphor sheet A is violently collided with the upper surface of the sheet and is given an unnecessary impact. Moreover, since the stimulable phosphor sheet A is always sandwiched and conveyed by at least one of the roller pair 26, 28, the stimulable phosphor sheet A moves in a direction displaced from the conveying direction. There is nothing to do. After all, the accumulative phosphor sheet A is preferably conveyed to the reading unit 86 without any positional deviation,
The reading of the radioactive image of the accumulative phosphor sheet A by the reading unit 86 can be carried out extremely well.

When the reading unit 86 reads the radiation image over the entire surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet A, the first roller pair 26 is used.
By configuring the same as that of the second roller pair 28, in particular, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A is separated from the first roller pair 26, no impact or the like is received. Therefore, it can be easily understood that the radiation image accumulated and recorded on the entire surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet A can be accurately read.

In addition, the stimulable phosphor sheet A has a pair of rollers 26 and 28, respectively.
Each conveyor belt 18
It is not necessary for the portions 74 and 74 to extend in the horizontal direction at the portions close to the roller pair 26 and 28, and therefore the image reading device 10 can be miniaturized as much as possible.

FIG. 4 shows a sub-scan transport mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals indicate the same constituent elements as those in the above embodiment.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotating shaft of the nip roller 36
36a shows a coil spring 101 that pulls upward in the figure.
A roller 103 is fitted to the rotary shaft 36a coaxially with the roller 36. Laura 103
Includes an arm 106 extending from the rotary actuator 104.
Are in sliding contact with each other.

In the above configuration, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A is guided by the guide member 29a and reaches a predetermined position, this is detected by a sensor (not shown), and the position detection signal outputs a drive signal to the rotary actuator 104. To send. The arm 106 descends in accordance with the urging of the rotary actuator 104, and this arm pushes downward together with the roller 36 and the roller 103, which are normally separated from the roller 34 by the coil spring 101. Run.

Therefore, if the drive roller 34 and the nip roller 36 are previously rotated in the direction of the arrow by a rotary drive source (not shown), the stimulable phosphor sheet A reaches the roller 34 under the action of the rotary actuator 104. At the same time, the roller 36 is in sliding contact with the stimulable phosphor sheet A, so that the stimulable phosphor sheet A is sandwiched between the driving roller 34 and the nip roller 36 in the direction of the arrow. To be transported to.

Also in this embodiment, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment, it is possible to carry the accumulative phosphor sheet A conveyed while sandwiching it between the driving roller 34 and the nip roller 36 without impact.

FIG. 5 shows a sub-scan transport mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment as well, the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment indicate the same components.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in particular, a locking member and a shock absorber that are pressed by a coil spring are provided in association with the rotary actuator 104. That is, close to the roller 34, the shock absorber
A shock absorbing member 114 made of, for example, rubber is attached to a tip end portion of a rod 112 which is provided with the shock absorber 110 and extends upward from the shock absorber 110. The cushioning member 114 faces the roller 103 coaxially attached to the roller 36.

On the other hand, the arm 106 of the rotary actuator 104 is arranged on the roller 103 so as to always push the roller 103 in a direction to push the roller 103 upward.
A pressing member 116 is slidably contacted with the upper surface of 3. That is, the pressing member 116 is formed with a recess 116a that engages with the roller 103, and the pressing member 116 is attached to the tip of the rod 118. Coil spring 120 around rod 118
Is configured so that one end thereof engages with the flange 122 and the other end thereof presses the upper surface of the pressing member 116.

In the above-described structure, the rotary actuator 104 normally exerts the action of pressing the roller 103 upward via the arm 106 thereof. Therefore, the coil spring 120 is in a compressed state under the pressing action of the pressing member 116.

Then, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A is guided by the guide member 29a and reaches a predetermined position, the rotary actuator 104 is moved in the arrow direction by the detection signal, that is,
The arm 106 is displaced in the direction of separating from the roller 103.
As a result, the coil spring 120 acts to displace the pressing member 116 downward due to its elastic force. However, when it is displaced by a predetermined amount, the cushioning member 114 attached to the tip of the rod 112 of the shock absorber 110 preferably comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the roller 103 and serves to cushion the elastic force of the coil spring 120.

Therefore, as a result of the stimulable phosphor sheet A reaching a predetermined position, the drive roller 34 and the nip roller 36 capture the stimulable phosphor sheet A without any impact and transfer it in the arrow direction. Become.

Also according to the present invention, unlike the transport mechanism according to the prior art, both the nip roller 36 and the drive roller 34 can be combined in advance to capture the stimulable phosphor sheet A without impact. .

Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows a sub-scan transport mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention. Also in this embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the above-mentioned respective embodiments indicate the same components.

In this embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a cam mechanism is adopted instead of the rotary actuator 104, and the vertical displacement of the nip roller 36 is regulated by this cam mechanism and a bent angle member. ing.

That is, an eccentric cam 134 is pivotally mounted on a rotary shaft 132 extending from a motor 130 via a gear train (not shown), and one arm of an angle member 138 pivotally mounted on the shaft 136 is slidably contacted to the cam 134. The other arm of the angle member 138 is arranged so as to contact the roller 103.

In the above structure, the motor 130 is normally operated by the cam 134.
Is held at the position shown in FIG. That is, the first arm 138a of the angle member 138 is connected to the cam 134 of the second arm 138b.
In order to make sliding contact with the roller, the roller 103 is held at the position shown with the shaft 136 as the center. Therefore, in this state, the roller 34 and the roller 36 are in a separated state. The coil spring 120 presses the pressing member 116 downward because the roller 103 is in the raised position, but its operation is restricted by the first arm 138a of the angle member 138.

Therefore, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A reaches the predetermined position of the guide member 29a, the motor 130 is detected by the detection signal.
Are driven, and the cam 134 rotates via the rotation shaft 132. The rotating operation of the cam 134 causes the second arm 138b to act so as to approach the motor 130 about the shaft 136 as shown by the arrow. That is, as a result, the first arm 138a descends, and eventually, the elastic force of the coil spring 120 releases its restriction and displaces the pressing member 116 downward, so that the roller 103 is finally moved to the position shown by the broken line in the figure. To reach. Therefore, the roller 34 and the roller 36 catch the stimulable phosphor sheet A and convey it while sandwiching it.

Similar to the above embodiment, also in this embodiment, the driving roller 34 and the nip roller 36 can capture and convey the stimulable phosphor sheet A without impact.

FIG. 7 shows a sub-scan transport mechanism according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in particular, the pulley 140 is pivotally mounted on the roller 36, while below the driving roller 34, the second pulley 14 is connected to a rotary driving source (not shown).
Two are arranged.

A belt 14 is provided between the first pulley 140 and the second pulley 142.
4 is suspended, and a roller 146 is in sliding contact with this belt 144. In this case, the roller 36 is configured to be vertically displaceable in the figure.

Therefore, in such a state, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A does not reach the guide member 29a, the nip roller 36 and the driving roller 34 are in a separated state as shown in FIG. 7a. However, when the stimulable phosphor sheet A reaches the predetermined position of the guide member 29a, the detection signal displaces the roller 146 in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. This displacement of the roller 146 eventually acts to shorten the length of the belt 144, and the nip roller 36 descends as the pulley 140 descends, and the accumulative phosphor sheet A is conveyed. And the conveyance is continued in the direction indicated by the arrow while nipping the stimulable phosphor sheet A together with the roller 34.

Also in this embodiment, similarly to the above embodiment, the driving roller 34 and the nip roller 36 can capture and convey the stimulable phosphor sheet A without impact.

By the way, in the radiation image recording / reproducing system, as described above, the light beam scanning image recording device is adopted, and while carrying the sub-scanning of the photographic photosensitive material, the laser beam is irradiated onto the photographic photosensitive material so that the radiation image is recorded on the photographic photosensitive material. A predetermined image is recorded based on the information. Therefore, the sub-scan transport mechanism 24
When used in the image recording apparatus, the image recording carrier, that is, the photographic light-sensitive material can be conveyed accurately and smoothly without causing impact or the like on the record carrier during image recording. The image recorded on the material is much better. Further, since it is possible to perform excellent recording on the end portion of the photographic light-sensitive material in the sub-scanning direction, it is possible to meet the demand for black edge.

As described above, according to the present invention, a sheet-shaped object to be scanned such as a stimulable phosphor sheet is sandwiched by a pair of rollers to be sub-scanned and conveyed, and at least the image reading section or the image recording section is passed. A pair of rollers that convey the object to be scanned can be opened and closed. Therefore, when the object to be scanned approaches between the pair of rollers, if one roller is displaced toward the other roller under the action of the actuator, the object to be scanned smoothly enters between the pair of rollers. You can do it. Therefore, for example, when the sub-scanning transport mechanism is used when irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet with excitation light or when irradiating the photographic photosensitive material with laser light, clear and good image information or visible image is obtained. It becomes possible to obtain. Furthermore, since the structure of the sub-scanning conveyance mechanism is simple, there is an advantage that it can be manufactured at low cost and can be miniaturized as much as possible.

Although the light beam scanning device according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various improvements and designs are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course, it is possible to change.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of an image reading apparatus incorporating a light beam scanning device according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic explanatory views of a main part of a sub-scanning conveyance mechanism, and FIG. 4 is another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic explanatory views showing a sub-scanning transport mechanism according to an embodiment, FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic explanatory views showing a sub-scanning transport mechanism according to still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the subscanning conveyance mechanism which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. 10 …… Image reading device, 14 …… Supply magazine 18 …… Conveyor belt, 24 …… Sub-scanning transport mechanism 26, 28 …… Roller pair, 30, 32, 34, 36 …… Roller 38 …… Swing member, 44 …… solenoid 46 …… plunger, 50 …… counter 74 …… transport belt, 84 …… receive magazine 86 …… reading section, 102 …… erase section

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toru Itakura 798 Miyadai, Kaisei-cho, Ashigagami-gun, Kanagawa Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-55-50259 (JP, A)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A pair of rollers for sandwiching and transporting a sheet-shaped object to be scanned are provided at two sets at intervals shorter than the length of the object to be scanned in the transport direction, and the pair of rollers make a sub-roller. A light beam scan for performing two-dimensional scanning of the object to be scanned while performing scan conveyance and irradiating a light beam deflected in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scan conveyance direction between the pair of rollers to perform main scanning. In the apparatus, at least the roller pair on the downstream side in the sub-scanning conveyance direction of the two pairs of rollers includes a first roller that is rotationally driven, and a second roller that can advance and retract with respect to the first roller, The second roller is separated from the first roller by a thickness equal to or larger than the thickness of the scan target before the scan target enters between the first and second rollers. The second roller after entering between the first and second rollers. An optical beam scanning device comprising an actuator for moving the roller to the first roller side. 2. The light beam scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the roller pair on the upstream side in the sub-scanning conveyance direction is rotatable with respect to the first roller and is movable back and forth with respect to the first roller. A second roller, and the second roller is configured to move the second roller in the conveyance direction of the object to be scanned while nipping and conveying the tip end side in the conveyance direction of the object to be scanned by the roller pair on the downstream side. An optical beam scanning device, characterized in that an actuator for separating from a rear end side is provided. 3. The light beam scanning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the actuator is a solenoid provided with a damper mechanism, and one end of the swing member is engaged with the solenoid, On the other hand, a light beam scanning device in which a second roller is rotatably engaged with the other end side of the swinging member and the space between the second roller and the first roller is opened and closed under the driving action of the solenoid. . 4. The light beam scanning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an elastic member for pulling and separating the second roller from the first roller is attached to the second roller, and further, An arm member for restricting the pulling action is engaged with the second roller, the second roller is separated from the first roller under the pulling action of the elastic member at all times, and the arm is reached by reaching the predetermined position of the object to be scanned. A light beam scanning device in which a member is displaced under the action of an actuator to bring the first roller and the second roller close to each other. 5. The light beam scanning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an elastic member for disposing the second roller toward the first roller so as to approach the second roller is provided. An arm member for restricting the displacement of the two rollers is provided, while a shock absorber is arranged so as to face the displacement of the second roller, and the elastic member is elastically displaced by displacing the arm member under the action of an actuator. A light beam scanning device in which the second roller is brought closer to the first roller below and the displacement operation of the second roller is buffered by the shock absorber. 6. The light beam scanning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an elastic member is provided on the second roller so as to direct the second roller toward the first roller and bring the second roller closer to the first roller. An angle member that regulates the displacement of the two rollers is provided,
A cam mechanism that is rotated by a rotary drive source is disposed at one end of the angle member, and the angle member is swung under the urging action of the cam mechanism to move the first roller and the second roller toward and away from each other. Light beam scanning device. 7. The light beam scanning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pair of pulleys and a belt for engaging the second roller with the second roller oriented toward the first roller are engaged with the second roller. An optical beam scanning device in which the first roller and the second roller are moved toward and away from each other by controlling the relative distance between the pair of pulleys by pressing and separating the pressing means from the belt via an actuator. 8. A light beam scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the scanned object is a stimulable phosphor sheet on which image information is recorded and which is irradiated with the light beam. A light beam scanning device adapted to photoelectrically read stimulated emission light according to image information emitted by. 9. A light beam scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the object to be scanned is made of a photographic light-sensitive material, and an image is recorded by light beam irradiation. Beam scanning device.