JPH01201644A - Image recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a photosensitive material go ahead of an image receiving material by a prescribed amount, to superpose them, and to certainly separate each other after copying by respectively detecting the photosensitive material and the image receiving material carried to a superposing part with the aid of two sensors, and varying the carrying timing of the photosensitive material and the image receiving material. CONSTITUTION:A first sensor SW9 to detect the image receiving material C carried to the superposing part 60 is arranged on an upper stream side than a second sensor SW3 to detect the photosensitive material S carried to the superposing part 60. The photosensitive material S can be made to go ahead and to be superposed by making the image receiving material C detected by means of the first sensor SW9 wait at the same time when it is detected, and by starting carrying the image receiving material C at the same time when the second sensor SW3 detects the photosensitive material S. Although both of the sensors are the optical sensors, they do not interfere each other; the photosensitive material S and the image receiving material C can be certainly superposed each other without malfunction of the sensor. Therefore, the photosensitive material and the image receiving material after copying the image are certainly separated, and a jamming inside of the image recorder can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention involves superimposing a photosensitive material and an image-receiving material, which have a substance on a support to which an image produced by imagewise exposure is fixed, and This invention relates to an image recording method for obtaining images.

[Conventional technology]

A novel photosensitive material that requires at least a transfer process, has high photosensitivity, and can obtain high-quality images through simple dry processing is disclosed in the patent application filed by the present applicant. It is disclosed in Publication No. 61-278849. In this light-sensitive material, at least a photosensitive silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image-forming substance are coated on a support, and at least the polymerizable compound and the color image-forming substance are contained in the same microcapsules. It consists of a photosensitive composition encapsulated in a.

Regarding the image recording method of recording an image using this photosensitive material, please refer to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-27 filed by the present applicant.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 8849.

This image recording method first performs imagewise exposure to form a latent image, then develops it by heating, and polymerizes the polymerizable compound in the area where the latent image exists to form a macromolecular compound to form microcapsules. harden. Then, the image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer to which the color image-forming substance can be transferred is stacked and pressurized to rupture at least a portion of the microcapsules in the area where the latent image does not exist, and the color image-forming substance is transferred to the image-receiving material. to obtain an image on an image-receiving material.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In this image recording method, there is a problem in that a jam occurs within the image recording apparatus if the photosensitive material and image receiving material that are superimposed upon each other during image transfer are not reliably separated after the image transfer. For this purpose, the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material are stacked one on top of the other, one in advance of the other, and the two materials are separated by forcibly changing their transport directions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide an image recording method that can reliably separate a photosensitive material and an image-receiving material after image transfer, and can prevent jamming. It's about doing.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to place the developed photosensitive material before the image-receiving material and superimpose both materials, and transfer the image obtained on the photosensitive material to the image-receiving material. In the image recording method of transferring, the image receiving material being conveyed is detected by a first sensor disposed on the image receiving material conveyance path upstream of the overlapping section, and the image receiving material is placed on standby; This is achieved by an image recording method characterized in that the conveyance of the image-receiving material is restarted at the same time as the photosensitive material being conveyed is detected by a second sensor disposed downstream of the first sensor on the photosensitive material conveyance path.

That is, by detecting the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material conveyed to the overlapping section by two sensors, and changing the timing of conveyance of the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material, the photosensitive material is overlaid by a predetermined amount in advance of the image-receiving material. It can be reliably peeled off after transfer.

In the present invention, the photosensitive material may be of any type as long as it is of a type in which a visible image is obtained by transferring an image exposed on the photosensitive material to a transfer material (image receiving material).

For example, there are so-called heat-developable photosensitive materials in which an image obtained by thermal development is transferred to an image-receiving material by heating.

This heat-developable photosensitive material is one in which a mobile dye is released in an image-like manner by heating, and the mobile dye is transferred to an image-receiving material (dye-fixing material) having a mordant using a solvent such as water. , transfer to the image receiving material is performed using a high boiling point organic solvent, transfer is performed to the image receiving material using a hydrophilic thermal solvent contained in the image receiving material, or the mobile dye is thermally diffusible or sublimable, There are known methods that transfer to dye-receiving materials such as supports, and specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4.463.079 and 4.474
, No. 867, No. 4.478.927, No. 4.50
7.380, 4,500.626, 4.4
No. 83,914; JP-A No. 58-149046, No. 58
-149047, 59-152440, 59-
No. 154445, No. 59-165054, No. 59-1
No. 80548, No. 59-168439, No. 59-17
No. 4832, No. 59-174833, No. 59-174
No. 834, No. 59-174835, etc.

Another example is a so-called photosensitive pressure-sensitive material in which a visible image is obtained by transferring an image generated by imagewise exposure to an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer by pressure.

This photosensitive and pressure sensitive material can be used, for example, by curing a polymerizable compound imagewise by imagewise exposure as disclosed in JP-A-57-179836 filed by the present applicant, and then overlaying it with an image-receiving material and applying pressure. There is a type that obtains a visible image by adding This photosensitive and pressure sensitive material has a synthetic polymer resin wall capsule containing a vinyl compound, a photopolymerization initiator, and a colored precursor supported on a support.

Further, there is a type in which a visible image is obtained by preliminary thermal development or wet development of a latent image generated by imagewise exposure, and then overlapping it with an image-receiving material and applying pressure. Examples of such materials include Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61 (1983) related to this patent application.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. -278849.

This material is used to obtain an image on an image-receiving material by transferring a color image-forming substance to an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer after thermal development.
A reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and a color image-forming substance are coated, and at least the polymerizable compound and the color image-forming substance are encapsulated in the same microcapsule.

[Embodiment]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below, taking as an example a case where a type of photosensitive material that undergoes heat development before pressure transfer is used.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus that implements the method of the present invention.

The upper surface of the housing 2 is equipped with a transparent document support glass plate 4 on which a document is placed, and below the glass plate 4 is an exposure device 6 consisting of an exposure lamp 3, a SELFOC lens array 5, and a shutter 7. We are prepared. The exposure device 6 is fixed within the housing 2, and the glass plate 4 is reciprocated in the horizontal direction indicated by arrow A by a driving means (not shown).

The photosensitive material S is wound into a roll and stored in the magazine 8, and is drawn out from the magazine 8 by a pair of feed rollers 10. The photosensitive material S pulled out from the magazine 8 is
It is transported to the exposure section by a pair of transport rollers 12, and is cut into a predetermined length by a canter 18 while being exposed by an exposure device 6 between a pair of transport rollers 14 and 16.

The photosensitive material S, on which a latent image has been formed by the exposure device 6 and cut into a predetermined length, is transferred to a pressure transfer device 30 by a pair of conveying rollers 20.
transported to.

The heat developing device 30 includes a hollow cylindrical heating drum 34 , four belt support rollers 36 , and a heating drum 3 that is stretched around the belt support rollers 36 in a heat insulating housing 32 .
Endless belt 3 wrapped around the circumferential surface of 4 at an angle of approximately 240°
8, the photosensitive material S is transferred to the belt 38 and the heating drum 34.
It is conveyed while being held between the heating drum 34 and heated at about 150° C. by a halogen lamp 40 provided in the heating drum 34.

The photosensitive material loading section and unloading section of the heat developing device 30 include
a heating roller 42 that heats the photosensitive material S before and after heat development;
44 are arranged. The heating rollers 42, 44 are equipped with halogen lamps 46, 48 inside, and accelerate development by heating the photosensitive material S before and after heat development.

A fan 50 is disposed near the heat developing device 30 to exhaust the atmosphere of the heat developing device 30 to the outside of the housing 2.
The high temperature atmosphere around the heat developing device 30 is exhausted to prevent the image recording device from becoming too hot.

The photosensitive material S heat-developed by the heat-developing device 30 is
It is conveyed to the overlapping device 60. On the other hand, the image receiving paper C is supplied from the image receiving paper cassette 70 by the image receiving paper supply roller 74 or the image receiving paper C is supplied from the manual feed tray 72.
is conveyed to the overlapping device 60 by a pair of conveying rollers 76. The photosensitive material S and the image-receiving paper C are then overlapped at the overlapping portion and conveyed to the pressure transfer device 80 by the pair of conveying rollers 62. Here, the photosensitive material S is superimposed on the image-receiving paper C about 15 sheets in advance.

The pressure transfer device 80 includes a pair of pressure rollers 82 that are in pressure contact with each other, and a bank up roller 84 that equalizes the axial pressure exerted by the pressure rollers 82. Approximately 500 kg/
Pressurize with cut pressure.

By pressing the superimposed photosensitive material S and image receiving paper C, the image on the photosensitive material S is transferred to the image receiving paper C and the image develops color. Further, the pressure transfer device 80 is configured to transfer the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C so that wrinkles do not occur when the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C are sandwiched between the pressure rollers 82.
A blade 86 is provided that urges one pressure roller 82.

Further, the pressure transfer device 80 includes a wrap prevention member 88 that comes into contact with the pressure roller 82 in order to prevent the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C from wrapping and adhering to the pressure roller 82 after being pressed. We are prepared.

Photosensitive material S and image receiving paper C after pressure transfer; peeling device 9
0. The peeling device 90 consists of a conveyance port-ra pair 92 and a peeling claw 94 that swings downstream of the conveyance roller 90, and separates the photosensitive material S conveyed after pressure transfer onto the image receiving paper C.
Peel it off. The peeling device 90 includes a photosensitive material detection sensor upstream of the conveying roller 92, and after a predetermined period of time has passed after the sensor detects the photosensitive material S, the peeling claw 90 swings from the standby position to remove the leading portion of the photosensitive material S. The photosensitive material S is flipped up and biased toward one of the conveyance rollers 92. Receiving paper C is photosensitive material S
Since the photosensitive material S is more rigid, when the leading portion of the photosensitive material S is flipped up and biased by one of the conveying rollers 92, the conveying direction of only the photosensitive material S changes, and the front portion of the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C are separated.

In front of one side of the peeling device 90 is a photosensitive material waste tray 1.
00, and the photosensitive material S after peeling is transported by a pair of transport rollers 102.
Accordingly, it is discarded to the discard tray 100.

Furthermore, a fixing device 110 is provided in front of the other peeling device 90, and the fixing device 110 consists of a pair of heating rollers 112 having a halogen lamp 111 inside. The fixing device 110 heats the peeled image-receiving paper C conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers 114 and fixes the image obtained on the image-receiving paper C to the image-receiving paper C.

A receiving paper discharge tray 120 is provided in front of the fixing device 110 so as to protrude from the housing 2, and the receiving paper C after the image is fixed is discharged by a pair of transport rollers 122.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the superposition device 60.

The overlaying device 60 includes a pair of transport rollers 62, a first sensor S"vV9 that detects the image receiving paper C supplied from the manual feed tray 72 or the image receiving paper cassette 70, and a developed photosensitive sensor transported from the heat developing device. The second detecting material S
It consists of a sensor SW3. The first sensor SW9 and the second
The sensor SW 3 is of a light reflection type or a light transmission type, and the first sensor S'vV 9 is arranged upstream of the second sensor SW 3 from the pair of conveyance rollers 62. The first sensor SWg and the second sensor SW3 are electrically connected to a drive control device for a transport roller pair 76 that transports the image receiving paper C, and the first sensor SW9 detects the image receiving paper C being transported. Then, a detection signal is supplied to the drive control device,
The drive device operates to stop driving the transport roller pair 76. Therefore, the image receiving paper C is the first sensor S'VV
It is waiting at the detection position indicated by 9. While the image receiving paper C is waiting, the photosensitive material S is transported from the heat developing device and detected by the second sensor SW3. When the second sensor SW3 detects the photosensitive material S, a detection signal is supplied to the drive control device, and the drive control device operates to drive the conveyance roller pair 76, which has been stopped.

Further, a Mylar film tongue piece 64 is provided in a cantilevered manner on a guide plate interposed between the respective conveyance paths of the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C, and the free end of the tongue piece 64 is connected to a pair of conveyance rollers 62. It is directed towards the nip part of the By providing this Mylar film tongue piece 64, even if the photosensitive material transport path and image receiving paper transport path of the overlapping device 60 are narrowly defined,
The photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C can be reliably overlapped.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the operation of the present image recording apparatus, and the operation of the present apparatus will be explained in detail based on FIG. The sensors SWI to SW9 for detecting the photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C are arranged at the positions shown in FIG.
, 16, image receiving paper supply roller 74, conveyance roller pair 76.1
4, and a forward rotation clutch CL6 and a reverse rotation clutch CL7, which drive the document support glass plate 4 in the direction of the arrow, are provided below the document support glass plate 4, and transmit power from a drive means (not shown).

When a recording start signal is input from the print key, the DC motor, AC motor, and halogen lamp 111 of the fixing device 110 are activated (t), and then the forward rotation clutch CL is activated.
U6 is activated (t2), the document support glass plate 4 starts moving from the home position, and the exposure lamp 3 is activated (t3).

Next, when the table sensor 5W11 for starting the conveyance of the photosensitive material S is turned off, the shutter 7 is released, the clutches CLI and CL2 are activated, and the conveyance and exposure of the photosensitive material S is started (t4).

When conveyance and exposure of the photosensitive material S is started, the pulses of the DC motor for cutting the photosensitive material S are counted, and when the pulses reach a predetermined count, the cutter device 18 is activated to cut the photosensitive material S into a predetermined length. (t5).

The cut photosensitive material S is exposed while being further conveyed, and when the document support glass plate 4 reaches the limit position, the exposure lamp 3, the shutter 7, and the normal rotation clutch CL6 are turned off.
The F signal is supplied, and the exposure of the photosensitive material 5 (7) is completed (
t6).

Further, an ON signal is supplied to the reverse clutch CL7, and the document supporting glass plate 4 starts returning to the home position (t,).

The exposed photosensitive material S is then conveyed to the heat developing device 30, and an ON signal is supplied to the clutch CL5 (t,
), the unexposed photosensitive material S is also continuously conveyed.

When the sensor S W 2 is turned on and detects the rear end of the exposed photosensitive material S (t8), an ON signal is supplied to the clutch CL3 (t8), the conveyance of the image receiving paper C is started, and furthermore, the rear end of the unexposed photosensitive material S is detected. When the front end of the photosensitive material S is detected by the sensor SW2, an OFF signal is supplied to the clutch CL5 (too), and then an OFF signal is supplied to the clutches CL1 and CL2 (tz),
The conveyance of the unexposed photosensitive material S is stopped, and it waits for the next exposure.

Further, when the table sensor 5W11 is turned OFF and it is detected that the original support glass plate 4 has returned to the home position (t), a FF signal is supplied to the reverse clutch CL7, and the original support glass plate 4 is stopped.

Next, an ON signal is supplied to the forward rotation clutch CL6 and U+□
), transportation and exposure of the second sheet of photosensitive material S are started in the same manner as for the first sheet.

On the other hand, due to the ON signal of the clutch CL3, the image receiving paper C supplied by the image receiving paper supply roller 74 is transferred to the transport roller pair 76.
After contacting the image receiving paper C, the image receiving paper C is slightly conveyed and the skew is corrected, and the sensor SW4 detects the image receiving paper C. After a predetermined time (t13), an ON signal is supplied to the clutch CL4, and the image receiving paper C is conveyed by the pair of conveying rollers 76. transported. And sensor S
When W9 detects the image receiving paper C (ta<), an OFF signal is supplied to the clutch CL4 to stop the conveyance by the pair of conveying rollers 76, and the image receiving paper C waits with its front end at the position of the sensor SW9.

The photosensitive material °S developed by the heat developing device 30 is detected by the sensor SW3 while the image receiving paper C is waiting (t15).
) At the same time, an ON signal is supplied to the clutch CL4, the image receiving paper C is transported by the transport roller pair 76, and the photosensitive material S
and image-receiving paper C are superimposed by a superimposing device 60. Here, since the sensor SW9 is disposed slightly upstream of the sensor SW3, the photosensitive material S is superimposed on the image receiving paper C in advance.

Thereafter, the superimposed photosensitive material S and image receiving paper C are pressed by a pressure transfer device 80, and the image on the photosensitive material S is transferred to the image receiving paper C. Then, the photosensitive material S after the transfer is completed.
The front end of is detected by sensor SW 6 (t's)
After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, an ON signal (1+1) is supplied to the solenoid provided in the peeling claw 94 of the peeling device 90, flipping up the leading portion of the photosensitive material S transported by the pair of transport rollers 92, and separating the photosensitive material S and the image receiving part. Peel off paper C.

The peeled photosensitive material S is then detected by the sensor SW 7 and discarded into the waste tray 100.

Further, after the image is fixed on the peeled image receiving paper C by the fixing device 110, it is detected by the sensor SW8 (t's
) and are discharged to the discharge tray 120.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments,
Any image recording method may be used as long as it is a method in which a photosensitive material and an image-receiving material are superimposed, an image is transferred, and then both materials are peeled off.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the first sensor that detects the image-receiving material conveyed to the overlapping section is disposed upstream of the second sensor that detects the photosensitive material conveyed to the overlapping section, and the first sensor detects the photosensitive material conveyed to the overlapping section. The image-receiving material is placed on standby while being detected, and transport of the image-receiving material is started at the same time as the second sensor detects the photo-sensitive material, thereby separating the photo-sensitive material and the image-receiving material.
It is possible to superimpose the photosensitive material in advance. Moreover, since the first sensor is placed upstream of the second sensor, even if the two sensors are optical sensors, they will not interfere with each other, and the sensors will not malfunction and will accurately detect the photosensitive material and image receiving material. Can be superimposed. Therefore, the photosensitive material and the image-receiving material after the image transfer are reliably separated, preventing jamming in the image recording apparatus, and making it possible to perform good image recording.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the image recording device, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the overlaying device, and FIG. 3 is an operation timing chart of the image recording device. Reference symbols in the figure: 2 Housing 3 Exposure lamp 4 Document support glass Plate 5 SELFOC lens array 7 Shutter 6 Exposure device 8 Magazine 10 Feeding roller pair 12.14.16, 20.62, 76.92, 102.
114.1'22 Conveying roller pair 30 Heat developing device 32 Heat insulating housing 34 Heating drum 3
6 Belt support roller 38 Inbel) 40
Halogen lamp 42.44 Heating roller 46.48 Halogen lamp 60 Layering device 70 Receiving paper cassette 72 Manual tray 74 Receiving paper supply roller 80 Pressure transfer device 82 Pressure roller 84 Backup roller 88, anti-wrapping member 90 Peeling device 94 Peeling claw 100 Waste tray 110 Fixing device 111 Halogen lamp 120 Ejection tray SW1-5W12 Sensor CLI-CL7 Clutch

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) An image recording method in which a developed photosensitive material is placed in front of an image-receiving material, the two materials are superimposed, and the image obtained on the photosensitive material is transferred to the image-receiving material, the method comprising: A first sensor disposed on the image-receiving material conveyance path upstream detects the image-receiving material being conveyed and makes the image-receiving material standby, and a sensor disposed downstream of the first sensor on the photosensitive material conveyance path upstream of the overlapping portion An image recording method characterized in that the conveyance of the image-receiving material is restarted at the same time when the photosensitive material being conveyed is detected by a second sensor disposed in the second sensor. 2) The image recording method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor, and the photosensitive material or image-receiving material is detected by the incidence or interruption of light into a light-receiving section.