JPH01214853A - Heating method for heat developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten the warm-up time of a heat developing device by stopping rotation of a heat drum and an endless belt and warming up the device in this state. CONSTITUTION:After an image is exposed on a photosensitive material S by an exposure device 3, the material S is held and carried by a heat drum 14 and an endless belt 16 and the image is developed by heating. Rotation of the drum 14 and the belt 16 is stopped, and the heat developing device where the drum 14 and the belt 16 are provided in a housing 13 is warmed up in this state. The device may be warmed up while slowly rotating the drum 14 and the belt 16. The device may be warmed up while slowly rotating the drum 14 and the belt 16 after the device is warmed up to a desired temperature while stopping the rotation of the drum 14 and the belt 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method in which, after imagewise exposure of a photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is sandwiched and conveyed by a heating drum and an endless belt that rotates together while contacting the heating drum. The present invention relates to a heating method for a heat developing device that performs heat development.

[Conventional technology]

As a photosensitive material that requires at least a heat treatment process,
A novel photosensitive material having high photosensitivity and capable of obtaining high quality images through simple dry processing is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-275T42 filed by the present applicant. In this photosensitive 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 microcapsule. It consists of an encapsulated photosensitive composition.

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. 5742.

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.

In order to perform the above-mentioned heat development, a heating drum having a heater inside and an endless belt wound around the drum are rotated, the photosensitive material is sandwiched between the heating drum and the endless belt, heat development is performed, and then, A heat development method and apparatus have been proposed in which heat development is delivered to a portion where it is superimposed with an image-receiving material.

In the heat development method and apparatus, in order to record a good image, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the heat development apparatus at, for example, about 155°C. Moreover, the warm-up time from when the power is turned on until image recording is performed should be as short as possible, and for this reason, it is necessary to shorten the time required to raise the temperature.

However, if the heating drum and endless belt are warmed up without rotating, the endless belt that is heated in contact with the heating drum radiates heat at a portion away from the heating drum, which increases the amount of heat taken from the heating drum. Therefore, it takes a long time for the heating drum to reach the set temperature, and there is a problem that the first recording after the power is turned on cannot be performed quickly. Therefore, the warm-up time from when the power is turned on until image recording is performed should be as short as possible, and for this reason, it is necessary to shorten the time required for the temperature to rise to the above temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a heating method capable of solving the above-mentioned problems and shortening the warm-up time of a heat developing device.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to convey the photosensitive material by sandwiching it between a heating drum and an endless belt that rotates together while contacting the heating drum after imagewise exposing the photosensitive material. A heating method for a heat developing device that performs heat development by heating the developing device, characterized in that the heating drum and the endless belt are warmed up while the rotation of the heating drum and the endless belt is stopped. be done.

Further, a method of heating a photosensitive material in a heat developing device, in which after imagewise exposure of a photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is sandwiched and conveyed by a heating drum and an endless belt that rotates together while in contact with the heating drum to perform heat development, the heating method comprising: This is achieved by a method of heating a heat developing device, which is characterized by warming up the drum and endless belt while rotating at low speed.

Further, a method of heating a photosensitive material in a heat developing device, in which after imagewise exposure of a photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is sandwiched and conveyed by a heating drum and an endless belt that rotates together while in contact with the heating drum to perform heat development, the heating method comprising: A heat developing device characterized in that the heat developing device is warmed up to a predetermined temperature with the rotation of the drum and the endless belt stopped, and after the predetermined temperature is reached, the heating drum and the endless belt are warmed up with the rotation of the heating drum and the endless belt being rotated at a low speed. This is achieved by the heating method of the device.

That is, according to the heating method, the air in the heat developing device is not stirred during warm-up, and the temperature of the entire endless belt is not raised, so the temperature of the heating drum can be rapidly raised. Warm-up time can be shortened.

Note that the photosensitive material of the present invention may be any material as long as it requires a heat treatment step, such as a heat-developable photosensitive material.

In any heat-developable photosensitive material, a movable dye is released in an image form by heating, and this movable dye is processed into an image receiving material (dye fixing material) having a mordant using a solvent such as water.
transfer to the image-receiving material using a high boiling point organic solvent, transfer to the image-receiving material using a hydrophilic thermal solvent built into the image-receiving material, or transfer to the image-receiving material using a mobile dye that is thermally diffusible. Also known are those that are sublimable and can be transferred to a dye-receiving material such as a support. Specifically, U.S. Pat.
．． 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.

Other examples include the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive heat-developable materials mentioned above. Examples of this photosensitive and pressure sensitive heat development material include JP-A No. 61-278 filed by the present applicant.
There is one disclosed in Publication No. 849. This material comprises microcapsules in which at least a heat-sensitive 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 the same. After imagewise exposure and thermal development, a color image-forming substance is transferred under pressure to an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer, thereby obtaining an image on the image-receiving material.

In addition, as a type that obtains an image on a photosensitive pressure-sensitive heat development material having an image-receiving layer without using an image-receiving material,
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1983-53881 filed by the present applicant.

This material contains silver halide, a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound, and two types of substances that cause a color reaction when in contact with each other, and one of the substances that cause a color reaction and the polymerizable compound are housed in microcapsules. is in a state,
The support has a photosensitive layer in which the other of the substances that cause a coloring reaction exists outside the microcapsules containing a polymerizable compound.

Note that in the present invention, low speed rotation refers to rotation lower than the rotation speed during normal standard heat treatment. Preferably, the speed should be reduced to A or less.

[Embodiment] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image recording apparatus in which the method of the present invention is implemented, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a heating control circuit.

Although the present invention relates to a heating method for the heat developing device 12, which will be described later, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the entire image recording device will be explained first, and then the main parts will be explained.

A transparent supporting glass plate 2 on which a document is placed is provided on the upper surface of the housing 1, and an exposure device 3 is provided below the glass plate 2. The exposure device 3 is fixed within the housing 1, and the glass plate 2 is reciprocated in the horizontal direction indicated by an arrow A over the exposure device 3 by a driving means (not shown).

The photosensitive material S is wound into a roll and stored in the magazine 4, and is drawn out from the magazine 4 by an integrated feeding roller 5. The magazine 4 is attached and detached after the upper cover 37 is rotated around its right end and opened. The photosensitive material S pulled out from the magazine 4 is transferred to the conveying roller 7.
8.9, it is transported to the exposure section, and is cut into a predetermined length by the cutter 6 without being exposed.

The photosensitive material S having the exposed image and cut into sheets is then conveyed to the heat developing device 12 by conveying rollers 10.11.

The heat developing device 12 includes a hollow cylindrical heating drum 14, four belt support rollers 15, and a belt stretched around the support rollers 15 in a heat insulating housing 13. Wrapped endless belt 1
6, the photosensitive material S is transferred to the belt 16 and the heating drum 14.
It is conveyed while being held between the heating drum 14 and heated at about 155° C. by a halogen lamp 17 provided in the heating drum 14.

The surface temperature of the heating drum 14 is detected by a temperature detector 60, and the halogen lamp 17, which is a heat source, is controlled so that the temperature is constant.

The housing 13 is heated and developed by the heat developing device 12.
The photosensitive material S discharged from the photosensitive material S is transported by a transport roller 18 to a superimposing section 19, where it is overlapped with an image receiving paper C fed from an image receiving paper cassette 20 or a manual feed section 21, and is transported to a pressure transfer device 22.

The pressure transfer device 22 includes an integrated pressure roller 23 that is in pressure contact with the
A blade 72 consisting of a backup roller 24 in pressure contact with each pressure roller 23 and for preventing wrinkles in the photosensitive material S and image receiving paper C is provided in the artificial part, and its tip is elastically attached to the pressure roller 23. are in contact with each other. The superimposed photosensitive material S and image receiving paper C are pressed at a pressure of about 550 kg/cm&.

When the image recorded on the photosensitive material S is transferred to the image receiving paper C, the superimposed photosensitive material S and the image receiving paper C are conveyed to a peeling device 25.

The peeling device 25 consists of a conveyance roller 26 and a peeling claw 27, and when the peeling claw 27 swings downstream of the conveyance roller 26, its tip enters between the photosensitive material S and the image-receiving paper C and peels them off. .

The photosensitive material S peeled off from the image-receiving paper C by the peeling device 25 is conveyed to the waste tray 31 by conveyance rollers 28, 29, 30, discarded, and stored. On the other hand, after the image-receiving paper C to which the image has been transferred is peeled off from the photosensitive material S, it is transported to a post-heating device 33 by a transport roller 32 . Then, the image-receiving paper C is irradiated with ultraviolet rays by, for example, an ultraviolet lamp 34 provided in the post-heating device 33 to promote color development of the image, and is discharged onto a take-out tray 36 by a conveying roller 35.

The entire image recording apparatus has been described above, and the heating method for warming up the heat developing device is carried out by the following heating method.

In addition, in order to shorten the warm-up time, the present inventor
Various experiments were conducted.

That is, the time required to stop the endless belt 16 and warm it up from 25° C. to 150° C. was reduced by 40% compared to when the endless belt 16 was driven to rotate.

Furthermore, when the endless belt 16 was warmed up by being driven at the rotational speed A during operation, the warm-up time could be reduced by 27%.

Furthermore, if the endless belt 16 rotation is stopped while the temperature is rising from 25°C to about 145°C, and the endless belt 16 is driven to rotate while the temperature is rising from 145°C to 150°C, the warm-up time can be shortened by 5%. was completed.

Next, a heating method for the heat developing device 12 will be explained based on the above experimental results.

The temperature detector 60 detects the surface temperature of the heating drum 14, and the voltage level of the detection voltage VA changes in accordance with the surface temperature. The detected voltage VA is amplified by a preamplifier 61 and then supplied to one input terminal of a voltage comparator 62.

The other input terminal of the voltage comparator 62 is connected to a reference voltage V r a for setting the surface temperature to, for example, 155°C.
t is supplied.

At the start of warm-up, the surface temperature is about the same as the room temperature, so the detection voltage VA and the reference voltage V r @
The relationship with f is VA<V r * t,
The output voltage Vi of the voltage comparator 62 becomes high level.

When the output voltage VB is at a high level, the drive circuit 63 operates to energize the halogen lamp 17, which is a heat source.

At this time, since the endless belt 16 is not rotationally driven, the air within the heat developing device 12 is not stirred, and the entire endless belt 16 is not heated, so the surface temperature of the heating drum 14 rises rapidly.

Then, in response to the increase in the surface temperature of the heating drum 14,
The voltage level of the detection voltage vA also changes to a high level, but V
During A<Vr,f, the output voltage VB remains at a high level, and the halogen lamp 17 continues to be energized.

As a result, the surface temperature rapidly rises to a preset temperature, for example 155° C., and the warm-up time is shortened.

When the surface temperature reaches 155° C., VA>Vr,f, and the output voltage Vs of the voltage comparator 62 changes to a low level. Endless belt 1 is detected by detecting this level change.
By rotationally driving 6, heat development can be performed following the completion of warm-up.

In addition, as the endless belt 16 is driven to rotate,
Since the air inside the heat developing device 12 is stirred, the surface temperature is lowered.

However, when it comes to the relationship VA < V r e t ,
Output voltage VB becomes high level and halogen lamp 1
Since energization to 7 is immediately started, the period during which the temperature decreases due to air stirring is extremely short, and does not interfere with the heat-developing operation.

After the heating drum 14 reaches a predetermined temperature, the endless belt 1
By rotationally driving the heat developing device 6, the temperature inside the heat developing device 12 is made uniform, and images of good quality can be recorded.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the following heating method may be adopted based on the above experimental results.

i.e. heating drum 14 and endless bell) 16
Alternatively, the endless belt 16 may be warmed up while it is stopped, and after the surface temperature of the heating drum 14 reaches a predetermined temperature, the endless belt 16 is driven to rotate at a low speed. It is also possible to do this.

Alternatively, the surface temperature may be controlled to a low temperature during a pause in image recording in order to reduce power consumption, and then raised to a predetermined temperature when image recording is started.

Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes an example of application to an image recording apparatus that performs pressure transfer after heat development, it can also be applied to an image recording apparatus that performs heat development and heat transfer instead.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the warm-up time can be shortened by warming up the heat developing device with the rotation of the heating drum and endless belt of the heat developing device stopped before starting image recording.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the image recording apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the heating control circuit. Symbols in the figure: 1...Housing, 2...Glass plate, 3...Exposure device, 4...Magazine, 5...Feeding roller, 6
...Cutter? , 8.9.10.11... Conveyance roller, 12... Heat developing device, 13... Housing, 14... Heating drum, 15... Belt support roller, 16... Endless belt, 17...Halogen lamp, 18...Conveyance roller, 19...Overlapping section, 20...Receiving paper cassette, 21...Manual feed section, 2
2... Pressure transfer device, 23... Pressure roller, 24...
...Backup roller, 25...Peeling device, 26.
...Conveyance roller, 27...Peeling claw, 28.29.30
... Conveyance roller, 31 ... Waste tray, 32 ...
Conveyance roller, 33... Post-heating device, 34... Ultraviolet lamp, 35... Conveyance roller, 36... Take-out tray, 37... Upper cover, 60... Temperature detector, 61
...Preamplifier, 62...Voltage comparator, 63...
Drive circuit, VA...detection voltage, VB...output voltage.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A method for heating a photosensitive material in a heat developing device, in which after imagewise exposure of a photosensitive material, the photosensitive material is sandwiched and conveyed by a heating drum and an endless belt that rotates together while in contact with the heating drum to carry out heat development, which comprises: 1. A method of heating a heat developing device, comprising warming up the heat developing device while stopping rotation of a heating drum and an endless belt. (2) A method of heating a photosensitive material in a heat developing device, which performs heat development by sandwiching and conveying the photosensitive material between a heating drum and an endless belt that rotates together while in contact with the heating drum after imagewise exposure of the photosensitive material, which comprises: A heating method for a heat developing device, characterized by warming up a heating drum and an endless belt while rotating at a low speed. (3) A method of heating a photosensitive material in a heat developing device, which performs heat development by sandwiching and conveying the photosensitive material between a heating drum and an endless belt that rotates together while in contact with the heating drum after imagewise exposing the photosensitive material, which comprises: Heating characterized by warming up the heat developing device to a predetermined temperature with the heating drum and endless belt stopped rotating, and after reaching the predetermined temperature, warming up with the heating drum and endless belt rotating at a low speed. How to heat the developing device.