JPH04191867A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image recording device, and particularly to a color image recording device using a photosensitive toner containing a dye precursor and a photocurable resin and a color developer toner. The present invention relates to an image recording device for forming an image.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-143044, etc., the main material is a photocurable resin using a photopolymerization initiator, which cures at each wavelength of red, green, and blue light. JP-A-58-887 discloses a photosensitive recording medium comprising a photocurable resin and a photosensitive toner containing cyan, magenta, and yellow dye precursors coated on the sheet surface;
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 39, image recording apparatuses that form a desired color image using a color developer sheet formed by coating a color developer on the sheet are often used.

In such a conventional image recording device, the photosensitive recording medium is exposed to light based on the image of a desired original, and the exposed photosensitive recording medium and a color developer sheet are superimposed and developed under pressure. Then, by heating and fixing, a desired color image is formed on the developer sheet.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the conventional image recording apparatus, images are formed using a photosensitive recording medium formed by coating a sheet with photosensitive toner, and the photosensitive recording medium is
Since it is stored in a wound state inside a light-shielding cartridge, a large number of parts such as sheets and cartridges are required, which increases material costs and costs 1.
This has the problem that the image forming cost per sheet becomes extremely high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that can form color images at low cost without using sheets, cartridges, or the like.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, an image recording device according to the present invention includes:
A photoreceptor drum is rotatably disposed inside the main body, and an electrostatic latent image based on the image of a predetermined document formed on the photoreceptor drum is transferred to a photosensitive drum containing a dye precursor and a photocurable resin. By developing with toner and color developer and transferring the developed image to the surface of a predetermined recording medium,
In the image recording apparatus that forms a color image on the recording medium, a first exposure device that exposes an image of the document onto the surface of the photosensitive drum, and an image that is exposed by the first exposure device and developed with photosensitive toner. A second exposure device for exposing the original image is disposed in each of the first and second exposure devices.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, after the first exposure device attaches photosensitive toner to the electrostatic latent image of the original image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum, the second exposure device attaches the photosensitive toner to the electrostatic latent image of the document image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum. A latent image is formed on the image, a developer toner is attached to this photosensitive toner image and developed, and the developed image is then transferred to a predetermined recording medium, thereby producing the desired color on the recording medium. An image can be formed.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention.
A document table 3 for placing a document is disposed along the upper surface of the main body 1 so as to be reciprocally movable, and drive wires 4 are connected to both sides of the document table 3. Driving pulleys 5.5, on which the driving wire 4 is wound, are rotatably arranged on both sides of the upper surface of the main body 1, and near the bottom of the one driving pulley 5, the driving wire 4 is connected. A drive motor 6 is provided to drive the document table 3 to reciprocate.

Further, inside the main body 1, a cylindrical photoreceptor drum 7 is provided.
A first exposure device 8 and a second exposure device 9 are provided above the photosensitive drum 7, respectively.

The first exposure device 8 is a CC that reads the image of the original 2.
D10, and this CCD10 has a CCD10
A control device 12 is connected to output a drive signal to an LED array 11 that exposes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 7 based on image data read by the controller.

Further, the second exposure device 9 has a light source 13 that irradiates light onto the original 2, and between the original table 3 and the photosensitive drum 7, the light is irradiated from the light source 13 through a slit 14. A lens 15 is provided to form an image of the light reflected by the original document 2 onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 7.

Further, on the outer circumferential side of the photoreceptor drum 7, a photosensitive toner developed image is formed by attaching a photosensitive toner 16 to an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 7 by the first exposure device 8. A developer toner 18 is disposed near the downstream side of the photosensitive toner developing device 17, and a developer toner 18 is applied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 7 by the second exposure device 9. Color developer toner developer 1
is installed. Note that the color developer toner 18 is
It contains a photocurable resin that hardens with the wavelengths of red, green, and blue light, and cyan, magenta, and yellow dye precursors.

Further, downstream of the developer toner developing device 19, a pressure roller 20, a cleaning unit 22 having a cleaning blade 21, a static elimination lamp 23, and a charging corotron 24 that uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 7 are provided. are arranged in sequence.

Further, on one side of the main body 1, a paper feed cassette 26 in which predetermined recording media 25 are stacked and stored is removably disposed. Above the inner end of the paper feed cassette 26, A half-moon roller 27 is provided to take out the recording medium 25 from the paper feed cassette 26 one by one. Further, in the vicinity of the paper feed cassette 26, a paper feed roller 28° 28 is disposed for conveying the recording medium 25 taken out by the half-moon roller 27 between the photosensitive drum 7 and the pressure roller 20. A thermal fixing device 30 is disposed downstream of the photosensitive drum 7 via conveyance rollers 29 and 29. Further, on the downstream side of the heat fixing device 30, there is a discharge sheet 0.
- rollers 31.31 and a paper discharge tray 32 are provided.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, a desired original 2 is placed on the upper surface of the original table 3 with its image surface facing downward, and a predetermined operation switch (not shown) is operated to drive the drive motor 6. The document table 3 is reciprocated along the upper surface of the main body 1 via the drive pulley 5 and the drive wire 4, and the document 2 is irradiated with light from the light source 13 via the slit 14.

The light irradiated onto the original 2 is received by the CCD10 and sent as image data to the control device 12. The control device 12 controls the LED array 11 based on the image data while rotating the photosensitive drum 7. By driving the photosensitive drum 7, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 at a predetermined image forming position. At this time, the light source 13
Of the light emitted from the document 2 and reflected by the original 2, the light incident on the lens 15 is blocked by a light blocking mechanism (not shown) so that it is not imaged on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 7.

Then, the photosensitive toner developing device 17 causes the photosensitive toner 16 to adhere to the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 7, thereby making this electrostatic latent image visible. Thereafter, due to the rotation of the photosensitive drum 7, the photosensitive toner 16 is attached to the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, and after the static electricity is removed by the static elimination lamp 23, the entire surface is uniformly charged by the charging corotron 24, and the photosensitive drum 7 returns to its original position. will be returned to.

Next, the document table 3 is moved again, and the light irradiated from the light source 13 to the same document 2 is reflected by the document 2 and enters the lens 15, and the photosensitive toner 16 is imaged and exposed. Ru. In this exposure, at the same time as the electrostatic latent image is formed, the photosensitive toner 1 adhering to the photoreceptor drum 7 is
The image forming exposure of the reflected image of the original on 6 is performed,
The exposed photosensitive toner 16 is
The viscosity of the photosensitive resin inside changes depending on the amount of exposure, and a latent image is formed depending on the degree of this viscosity change.

Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum 7 is developed by the developer toner 18 supplied from the developer toner developing device 19.
It is developed so as to be superimposed on the previously deposited exposed photosensitive toner 16.

After the development, the half-moon roller 27 is rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 7 to take out the recording medium 25 one by one from the paper feed cassette 26, and transfer the recording medium 25 to the paper feed roller 28. The photosensitive drum 7 is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 7 and the pressure roller 20. The recording medium 25 is sandwiched between the photosensitive drum 7 and the pressure roller 20, whereby the photosensitive toner 16 on the photosensitive drum 7 is destroyed by pressure, and the photosensitive toner 16 is exposed to light. A chromogen corresponding to the degree of
When it comes into contact with 8, it reacts and develops a color.

At the same time, the developed chromogen is held in the developer toner 18 layer and transferred onto the recording medium 25 under pressure. At this time, the photoreceptor drum 7 functions as a pressure roller, and only when the recording medium 25 and the pressure roller 20 are interposed, the photoreceptor drum 7 and the pressure roller 20 are connected. A clamping pressure is applied between them.

The recording medium 25 on which the color image has been transferred by the photoreceptor drum 7 and the pressure roller 20 is transported by a transport roller 29 and heated by a heat fixing device 30.
After the color image is fixed, the sheet is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 32 by the sheet discharge roller 31, and the desired image forming process is completed.

On the other hand, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 7 is coated with photosensitive toner 16.
After transferring the color developer and the color developer, the cleaning unit 22
After the excess toner is removed by the cleaning blade 21 and the charge is removed by the charge removal lamp 23, the charging corotron 24 uniformly charges the toner, and the image forming apparatus returns to the initial image forming standby state.

Therefore, in this embodiment, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 7 without using a photosensitive recording medium formed by coating a sheet with the photosensitive toner 16. By attaching the photosensitive toner 16 to the photosensitive toner 16, it is used as a photosensitive recording medium, and by attaching the developer toner 18 again on the photosensitive toner 16, a desired image is formed. As shown in the figure, members such as sheets and cartridges for applying the photosensitive toner 16 are not required, and the cost of materials can be reduced, and the cost of forming an image per sheet can be significantly reduced.

Note that the CCD10 may be not only an array type but also a surface type CCD10.
The exposure device 8 is not limited to the LED array 11, and may use laser light, LSC, or the like.

Further, in the embodiment, the image data read by the LCD is transmitted to the LED array 11 by the control device 112.
However, in order to prevent the image from shifting due to an error in the exposure position when the photosensitive drum 7 rotates twice, the image data is controlled by the control device 12. A thickening process may be added. moreover,
During exposure by the first exposure device 8, exposure by the second exposure device 9 may be used in combination. In this case, each exposure device 8,
It is desirable to match the exposure positions according to 9.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention uses photosensitive toner as a photosensitive recording medium by attaching photosensitive toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum, and develops the color again on the photosensitive toner. Since the desired image is formed by adhering the agent toner, unlike the conventional method,
This eliminates the need for members such as sheets and cartridges for applying photosensitive toner, leading to reductions in material costs and significant reductions in image forming costs per sheet.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention. 1...Main body, 2...Document, 7...Photosensitive drum,
8... first exposure device, 9... second m light device, 10.
... CCD, 11... LED array, 12... Control device, 13... Light source, 15... Lens, 16...
Photosensitive toner, 17... Photosensitive toner developer, 18.
... Color developer toner, 19... Color developer toner developer, 2
o... Pressure roller, 25... Recording medium, 26...
Paper feed cassette, 30...heat fixing device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A photoreceptor drum is rotatably disposed inside the main body, and an electrostatic latent image based on the image of a predetermined document formed on the photoreceptor drum is transferred to a photosensitive drum containing a dye precursor and a photocurable resin. By developing with toner and color developer and transferring the developed image to the surface of a predetermined recording medium,
In the image recording apparatus that forms a color image on the recording medium, a first exposure device that exposes an image of the document onto the surface of the photosensitive drum, and an image that is exposed by the first exposure device and developed with photosensitive toner. An image recording apparatus characterized in that a second exposure device for exposing an original image is provided in each of the first and second exposure devices.