JPH03250441A - Recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the addition and conversion of 2nd information to 1st information by recording the 2nd information in superposition to the area of the 1st information recorded on an information recording layer. CONSTITUTION:A DC voltage Va is impressed between the transparent electrode and electrode 15 of a recording medium 30 formed with the transparent electrode on the surface of a photoconductive layer recorded with images 56 of the 1st information. Light 51, such as, for example, laser beam, subjected to intensity modulation in correspondence to the 2nd information is condensed by using an optical system consisting of a laser light emitting device L, an optical scanner 52, a reflecting plate 53, a condenser lens, etc., and the spot of the laser beam 51 is scanned to the prescribed place of the recording medium 30 to record the 2nd information in the recording area 57. The impressed voltage is set smaller than the impressed voltage at the time of recording of the 1st information in this case, by which the overlap recording is executed without changing the state of the 1st information. The addition and conversion of the 2nd information to the 1st information are thus possible.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a recording method that aims at high resolution and high sensitivity, and particularly relates to a recording method in which electromagnetic radiation is incident on a photoconductive layer and recorded on the recording layer. Regarding.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, recording systems aiming at high resolution utilize electrostatic latent images (charged images).

In this recording method, the recording medium is made up of a dielectric layer and an electrode, and a
A recording head (writing head) having a transparent electrode on one side of the photoconductive layer is arranged facing each other so that the photoconductive layer and the dielectric layer face each other, and an image of a subject is formed on the photoconductive layer of the recording head by an optical lens. It is something. The electrical resistance value of the photoconductive layer changes depending on the intensity (brightness and darkness) of the incident light, so the brightness and darkness caused by imaging causes a change in the electrical resistance of the photoconductive layer, so the transparent electrode of the recording head and the electrode of the recording medium When a predetermined voltage is applied between the dielectric layer and the photoconductive layer, an electric field corresponding to the change in electrical resistance is applied between the dielectric layer and the photoconductive layer. A charge image is recorded according to the brightness of the optical image of The light modulation layer has the property of changing the physical state of the incident light depending on the magnitude of the applied electric field.For example, it is made of lithium niobate, which has an electro-optic effect, or nematic liquid crystal. layers are used.

The principle of playback is that when a playback head and a recorded recording medium are placed with a dielectric mirror surface and a dielectric layer separated by a small distance, the light recorded on the dielectric layer is placed between the light modulation layer and the transparent electrode. An electric field corresponding to the charge image is applied via a dielectric mirror. At this time, light emitted from, for example, a laser light source is passed through a polarizer from the transparent electrode side of the reproducing head to become a linearly polarized light beam, and then emitted by an optical deflector as a beam polarized in two directions. The light is made into parallel light by a collimator lens, and the light beam incident on the beam splitter is condensed by the lens and is made incident on the transparent electrode side of the reproducing head as reading light. The reading light passes through the light modulation layer and is reflected by the dielectric mirror, but since this reflected light passes through the electric field of the light modulation layer given by the charge image, it depends on the magnitude of the electric field at each part. The change in the amount of rotation of the plane of polarization (change in physical quantity) is then converted into the brightness of the light using an analyzer, etc., and the charge image recorded on the recording medium is can be converted into images or electrical signals corresponding to images.

In the application claiming priority of the previously filed Japanese Patent Application No. 63-289707 and the patent application No. 1-291.660, the present applicant has disclosed that the above-mentioned recording media used in the recording/reproducing system aiming at high resolution are As a result, we have proposed a new type of recording medium that includes a light modulating layer member and a charge image forming layer member, or a new type of recording medium that includes a light modulating member having a memory function and a photoconductive layer member.

The latter type of recording medium uses a polymer-liquid crystal composite film as a light modulation layer member having a memory function. These are used in polymer-liquid crystal composite films, for example, in polymer materials such as polyester resin and polycarbonate resin.
It is constructed by dispersing nematic liquid crystals with high volume resistivity.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a recording medium 10 including a light modulating layer and a photoconductive layer made of a polymer-liquid crystal composite film. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a light modulation layer, which is composed of a polymer material 12 made of polyester resin or the like, and a liquid crystal 13 sealed in pores in the polymer material 12. 14 is a photoconductive layer, which is formed on one surface of the optical modulator F@11. Reference numeral 15 denotes an electrode formed in close contact with the other surface of the light modulating layer 12.

The recording medium 10 described above is produced by reducing the size of the pores in the polymer material 12 so that the force applied to the liquid crystal 13 of the polymer material 2 becomes larger. When an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal 13 of the modulation layer 1, the alignment state generated in the liquid crystal 13 such that the light modulation layer 11 becomes transparent is maintained even after the applied electric field is removed. Therefore, it has a memory function.

It goes without saying that a smectic type liquid crystal may be used as the liquid crystal.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation during recording using the recording medium shown in FIG. 7, and will be explained below using the same diagram.

In the figure, reference numeral 16 denotes a recording head, and transparent electrodes 18 are formed on the surface of a transparent substrate 17 made of glass or the like.

During recording, the recording medium 10 is disposed so that its photoconductive layer 14 faces the transparent electrode 18 of the recording head 16 with a minute distance t apart, and the transparent electrode 18 and the electrode 15
A DC power source Vb is connected to the photoconductive layer 14 , and an optical image of the object 9 is formed on the photoconductive layer 14 via the recording head 16 by the imaging lens 20 .

The electrical resistance value of the photoconductive layer 14 changes depending on the optical image of the object 19 formed, but a DC power source V is connected to the transparent electrode 18 of the recording head 16 and the electrode 15 of the light modulation layer 11. Therefore, the electric field strength at the interface 21 between the photoconductive layer 14 and the light modulating layer 11 changes according to the change pattern of the electrical resistance value of the leading conductive layer 14, and due to discharge with the transparent electrode 18, the electric field strength at the interface 21 between the photoconductive layer 14 and the light modulating layer 11 changes. The charge image formed at the interface 21 with the object 11 corresponds to the optical image of the subject 19 .

When a charge image is formed, an electric field due to the charge image is applied to the light modulating layer 11, so that a corresponding change in the liquid crystal 13 occurs in the light modulating layer 11, and recording is performed for the above-mentioned reason.

During reproduction, when the light modulation layer 14 of the recording medium 10 with a charge image recorded on the photoconductive layer 14 is irradiated with reading light (reproduction light) of a constant light intensity, transmitted light or reflected light of the light modulation layer 14 is emitted. It is clear that the image has information on the charge image formed on the photoconductive layer 14.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Conventionally, a recording method has been established in which other information is further added or changed to the recorded content recorded on a recording layer made of a polymer-liquid crystal composite film. Therefore, a new recording method was desired.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and includes at least a first electrode layer, a photoconductive layer, an information recording layer, and a second electrode, In the recording method, an image corresponding to the electromagnetic radiation flux is recorded on the recording layer by making an electromagnetic radiation flux corresponding to the photoconductive layer enter the photoconductive layer and applying a predetermined voltage to the two electrodes. The present invention provides a recording method characterized in that second information is recorded overlappingly in an area of first information recorded on an information recording layer.

(Example) FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operational principle of recording information in the recording method of the present invention, and will be explained below using the same diagram. Components that are the same as those described above are given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted.

30 is the first recording medium used in the embodiment of the present invention, and the photoconductive layer 1 forming the recording medium 10 shown in FIG.
The first information is recorded using a structure in which a transparent electrode 31 is formed on the surface of the electrode 4, and a DC power source V is connected between the transparent electrode 31 and the electrode 11.

The second recording medium 40 used in the present invention is a second recording medium 40 used in the present invention.
As shown in the figure, a light modulation layer 11 having memory properties made of the above-mentioned polymer-liquid crystal composite film and having electrodes 15 formed thereon is used. In this case, a recording head 41 in which a transparent electrode 31 is formed on the photoconductive layer 14 is used, and the recording head 41 and the second recording medium 40 are arranged so that the photoconductive layer 14 and the light modulating layer 1 are separated by a minute interval. The first information is recorded as a configuration in which the transparent electrodes 31 and 15 are arranged to face each other and are separated by a distance d, and a DC power supply Vb is connected between the transparent electrodes 31 and the electrodes 15.

As the third recording medium used in the present invention, the conventional recording medium 10 shown in FIG.
information is recorded.

Next, the operation of recording the first information when using the three examples of recording media described above will be described.

In the case of using the first recording medium, in order to record the first information, in the above configuration, a DC voltage is applied between the electrodes 15 and 31, and an optical image of the subject 19 is transferred to the transparent electrode using the imaging lens 20. When an image is formed on the photoconductive layer 14 through the photoconductive layer 31, the electrical resistance value of the photoconductive layer 14 changes depending on the brightness and darkness of the image formation.
The electric field strength at the interface 21 with the light beam changes accordingly, and a charge image corresponding to the optical image is formed. When a charge image is formed, an electric field due to the charge image is applied to the light modulating layer 11, so that a corresponding change in liquid crystal occurs in the light modulating layer 11, and recording is performed.

When the second recording medium is used, the operating principle for recording the first information is the same as that described above, but the difference is that there is a minute space d in the photoconductive layer 14 and the light modulation layer 11. Therefore, a charge image is formed on the light modulating layer 1 due to the discharge during this period, and recording is performed on the light modulating layer due to a change in the electric field due to this charge image.

Since the method for recording the first information using the third recording medium has already been explained in the prior art, the explanation will be omitted.

Next, a second
Explain how to record information.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining the operating principle of the first embodiment in which second information is recorded on the light modulation layer on which the first information has been recorded.

In this example, the first recording medium 3 on which the first information is recorded
0 is used, a DC voltage V is applied between the transparent electrode 31 and the electrode 15, and light 51, such as a laser beam, whose intensity is modulated in accordance with the second information is transmitted to the laser emitter L.
, an optical system 55 consisting of an optical scanner 52, a reflector 53, a condensing lens 54, etc., is used to scan and record a spot of the racer light 51 at a predetermined location on the first recording medium 30.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the state in which the second information is recorded on the first information, and in the same figure, 56 indicates an image of the first information, and 57 indicates the state in which the second information is recorded. The recording area of the second information is shown. This second information may be text information or audio information, and the signal may be either digital or analog. Further, recording of the second information is limited to scanning the light spot of the laser beam 51;
In the same manner as in the case where the information is recorded, the second information may be provided as surface information to the recording area 57 by imaging.

In the above embodiment, when recording the second information,
By setting the applied voltage to be lower than the applied voltage when recording the first information, overlapping recording is possible without changing the state of the first information other than the recording area 57 of the second information. Note that this second information recording method can be similarly implemented in a configuration in which the first recording information is recorded using the second recording medium 40 and the third recording medium 10.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the operating principle of a second embodiment in which second information is recorded on the light modulation layer 11 on which the second information is recorded.

This example uses the second recording medium 40 shown in FIG. 2 on which the first information is recorded, and a needle-like electrode 58 is attached to the light modulation layer 11 on which the first recording information is recorded. The second information is directly recorded by scanning, and it may be a contact type in which the second recording medium 40 and the needle electrode 58 are in contact with each other, or it may be a non-contact type.

[Third Embodiment] When recording second information overlappingly on the light modulation layer 11 on which the first information has already been recorded, the area 57 where the second information is to be recorded
If the transparency of the image is already at or near saturation, recording the second information there will not provide the necessary contrast.

In such a case, among the first information recorded in advance,
After erasing only the area 57 in which the second information is to be recorded, the second information is recorded therein by the method described in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining an embodiment for erasing the first information, in which the laser emitter L1 optical scanner 5
2. By the erasing optical system 59 consisting of the condensing lens 54,
The area 57 where the second information is to be recorded is erased by scanning with a laser beam.

In this case, the first recording medium 30 and the second recording medium]0
In the case of the second recording medium 40, the temperature of the liquid crystal 13 can be increased by irradiating the liquid crystal 13 through the photoconductive layer] 4 or directly on the light modulation layer 11 in the case of the second recording medium 40, and the state of the liquid crystal 13 can be made opaque. .

In other erasing embodiments, suitable heater means can be used to achieve the same effect. In short, any means may be used as long as it can apply heat only to the area 57 where the second information is to be recorded and can make the liquid crystal 13 opaque.

[Fourth Embodiment] In addition, as in the third embodiment, when the transparency of the area 57 where the second information is to be recorded is already saturated or has reached a level close to it, the second information is not heated. By converting it into energy and applying it, it is possible to lower the transmittance of a large portion of thermal energy, making it possible to record with good contrast.

In this case, the second information can be provided by thermal writing by condensing intensity-modulated laser light to generate thermal energy and scanning it, or by recording means using a thermal head or the like.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the recording method of the present invention includes at least a first electrode layer, a photoconductive layer, an information recording layer, and a second electrode, and emits electromagnetic radiation corresponding to the recording target. A recording method in which an image corresponding to the electromagnetic radiation flux is recorded on the recording layer by making the flux incident on the photoconductive layer and applying a predetermined voltage to the two electrodes, the recording method comprising recording on the information recording layer. Since the second information is recorded over the area of the first information, it is possible to add or convert the second information to the first information, making it possible to provide a new recording method that has never existed before. shall be.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operating principle of recording the first information in the recording method of the present invention, and FIG. A fourth perspective view for explaining the operating principle of the first embodiment for recording information.
The figure is a perspective view for explaining the operating principle of a second embodiment in which second information is recorded on a light modulation layer in which second information is recorded.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the state in which the second information is recorded on the first information, FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining an embodiment for erasing the first information, and FIG. A cross-sectional view of a recording medium equipped with a light modulation layer and a photoconductive layer made of a polymer-liquid crystal composite film,
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation during recording using the recording medium shown in FIG. 7. 10.30.40... Recording medium, 11... Light modulation layer, ]-2... Polymer material, 13... Liquid crystal, 14...
- Photoconductive layer, 15... Electrode, 16.41... Recording head, 18.3]... Transparent electrode, one... Subject,
20... Imaging lens, 51... Light, 52... Optical scanner, 53... Reflection plate, 54... Condensing lens, 55.
59...Optical system, 56...Image of first information, 57
. . . second information recording area, 58 . . . needle-like electrode.

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) It has at least a first electrode layer, a photoconductive layer, an information recording layer, and a second electrode, and the electromagnetic radiation flux corresponding to the recording target is incident on the photoconductive layer, and a predetermined amount of radiation is applied to the two electrodes. In the recording method of recording an image corresponding to the electromagnetic radiation flux on the recording layer by applying a voltage of A recording method characterized by: (2) The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the information recording layer includes at least a light modulation layer member. (3) The recording method according to claim 1, wherein when recording the second information, the absolute value of the externally applied voltage is set smaller than when recording the first information. (4) The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the second information is character information. (5) The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the second information is audio information. (6) The recording method according to claim 1, characterized in that an area for recording the second information is erased in advance from among the recorded first information, and then the second information is recorded. . (7) The recording method according to claim 1, characterized in that the second information is thermally written.