JPH0419633A - Image forming device - 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] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a method for obtaining a color image by exposing a photosensitive recording medium to light through a mask original created by a mask original creation device based on color image information. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is generally known.

That is, FIG. 4 shows the basic configuration of a conventional image forming apparatus of this type, and is a cross-sectional view in which a monochrome laser printer 1 as a mask original printing apparatus and a color image recording apparatus 20 are combined and arranged. It is.

First, the monochrome laser printer 1 is mounted on top of the color image recording device 20. In this monochrome laser printer 1, an electrostatic latent image is drawn on a photoreceptor 3 by irradiating laser light with a polygon scanner 2. The photoreceptor 3 on which this electrostatic latent image has been formed is developed by a developing device 4, and the toner image is transferred onto plain paper or HP sheet fed from a paper feed cassette 5, and fixed by a fixing device 6. . Typically, the monochrome laser printer 1 records data transmitted from a host computer.

The output from the monochrome laser printer 1 is transferred from the monochrome paper output tray 11 or the paper output tray 7 to the automatic document feeder (
ADF) 12, and if a color image is required, the document is sent to the automatic document feeder 12 and then taken into the color image recording device 20.

The sheets sent to the automatic document feeder 12 are taken one by one into the color image recording device 20 by the automatic document feeder paper feed roller 13, and then transferred to the monochrome laser printer 1.
A set of three sheets or a set of monochrome printed paper output from the color image recording device 20 is sent to the mask original plate 15 (
15R, 15G.

15B).

Next, the configuration of the color image recording device 20 will be explained.

An alignment device 31 is located at the bottom of the main body of the color image recording device 20, and the alignment device 31 and the automatic document feeder 12 are connected by a mask original transport path 21. On both the left and right sides of the alignment device 31, pairs of rollers 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 whose rotation direction can be controlled are provided.
．． 27, gate 28, 29 and mask original storage section 102
or are placed. In the middle of the mask original transport path 21, there is a pair of glue curler rollers 10 for removing curls from the mask original 15 discharged from the monochrome laser printer 1.
1 is placed. Further, a mask original discharge tray 30 for discharging the used mask original 15 is arranged outside the roller pair 26, 27.

The alignment device 31 includes a sensor (not shown),
It mainly consists of a pair of rollers 3233 placed near both left and right ends, a glass plate 34 placed between them, and the like.

An exposure device 41 is arranged below the alignment device 31, and this exposure device 41 is connected to the alignment device 3.
It is movable in the left and right direction along 1. This exposure device 41 includes a linear white light source (hereinafter referred to as a lamp) 4.
2. The filter unit 44 mainly includes a reflector 43 that reflects the light from the lamp 42, a red filter 44R, a green filter 44G, and a blue filter 44B.

The photosensitive recording medium 50 is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62143044.
The main material is a photocurable resin using a photopolymerization initiator known in the publication, and the photocurable resin is cured by light of each wavelength of red, green, and blue, and cyan, magenta, and yellow. Microcapsules containing each of the dye precursors are coated on a sheet as a base material. The photosensitive recording medium 50 is housed in a cartridge 51 so as not to be exposed to light. This photosensitive recording medium 5
0 is the glass plate 34 and exposure stage 5 from inside the cartridge 51.
2, passes through the buffer 55, the separation roller 64, the pressure developing device 70, and the drive roller 57, and then the take-up roller 54.
Well, it's being dragged around. The exposure table 52 is lowered by a cam 53 and is configured to bring the mask original 15 conveyed onto the glass plate 34 and the photosensitive recording medium 50 into close contact. Further, the fixed roller 56 is pressed against the left end of the exposure table 52 when the exposure table 52 is lowered to a predetermined position, and is configured to fix the photosensitive recording medium 50 to the exposure table 52 during exposure of the mask original 15. It is located in

The color developer sheet 60 is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-88739.
It is constructed by applying the color developer shown in the above publication onto a base paper, and is set in a cassette 61 with the developer coated side facing downward. A suction cup 62 for feeding the developer sheets 60 one by one is arranged on the upper part of the cassette 61.

The pressure developing device 70 mainly includes a photosensitive recording medium 50 on which a latent image has been formed by exposure, and a pair of pressure rollers 71 for overlapping a color developer sheet 60 and developing it under pressure.

The heat fixing device 80 is constructed between a casing 83 containing a heater 81 and an impeller 82 in the upper part, rubber rollers 84, 85, 86 for conveying the color developer sheet 60 in the lower part, and rollers 87 and 88. It is mainly composed of an endless belt 89.

A paper discharge tray 63 is attached to the outside of the heat fixing device 80.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the conventional example described above, the mask master 15 created by the monochrome laser printer (mask master creating device) 1 is once conveyed to the paper output tray 7 and then taken into the automatic document feeder 12. At this time, if the mask master 15 is fed to the automatic document feeder 12 in a skewed state, when the mask master 15 is taken into the automatic document feeder, the rear end of the mask master 15 in the take-in direction will be Sometimes the paper did not reach the paper roller 13 and got caught on the way.

In addition, if the mask original plate 15 has curls, the insertion head of the mask original plate 15 or the paper feed roller 1 of the automatic document feeder
There were times when I got stuck in the middle without reaching 3.

If the mask original plate 15 is fed from the automatic document feeder 12 into the color image recording device 20 in such a state, a jam may occur and the mask original plate 15 may be torn, peeled off, wrinkled, etc. There is a problem in that this may occur, making it impossible to reuse it.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a relatively simple configuration to reliably transfer a mask original from a mask original production device to a color image recording device via an automatic document feeder. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can be transported.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve this object, the image forming apparatus of the present invention creates a plurality of mask originals based on color image information using a mask original creation device, and imports the mask originals into an automatic document feeder through a mask original intake port. The medium is inserted into the color image recording device through the insertion slot and conveyed to the exposure position of the exposure device, and the exposure device exposes the photosensitive recording medium to color separation light through the mask master plate to form the exposed color latent image. In an image forming apparatus that obtains a color image by color development, the automatic document feeder has a side end surface of the mask original that extends from the mask original intake port along the conveyance path at an interval approximately equal to the width of the mask original. An intake opening plate spring for pressing and guiding the mask original is provided on both sides in the width direction of the insertion opening of the automatic document feeder, and insertion opening plate springs for pressing the upper surface of both side edges of the mask original are respectively provided.

[Operation] According to the image processing apparatus of the present invention having the above configuration, when a mask original is taken into the automatic document feeder from the mask original intake port, even if the mask original is skewed, the mask original cannot be taken in. The skinny of the mask original is corrected by the intake opening leaf spring that extends from the opening along the conveyance path at intervals approximately equal to the width of the mask original and presses against the side edge surface of the mask original to guide it. A mask original is set at a predetermined position. In addition, even if the mask original plate located in the automatic document feeder is curled,
The leading edge of the insertion head of the mask original is pressed against both edges by the insertion opening plate springs provided on both sides of the insertion opening into the color image recording device in the width direction, and the mask original is inserted into the color image recording device in this state. This curl is also corrected. Thereby, the mask original created by the mask original creation device can be reliably fed one by one from the automatic document feeder into the color image recording device.

〔Example〕

An embodiment embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view (corresponding to FIG. 4) of a monochrome laser printer 1 as a mask original printing device and a color image recording device 20 combined and arranged, and the same parts as the conventional example shown in FIG. The same reference numerals are used to omit the explanation.

That is, the differences from the conventional example shown in FIG. 4 above are as follows.

Marking original plate 1 output from monochrome laser printer 1
5 is taken into the automatic document feeding device 12, and the automatic document feeding device 1 of this monochrome laser printer 1
A paper discharge tray 7 is attached to the second side. and,
This paper output tray 7 and the intake port 9 of the automatic document feeder 12
A sensor 91 for detecting the mask original 15 output from the monochrome laser printer 1 is provided between the color image recording device 20 and the color image recording device 20 .

Further, the intake port 90 of the automatic document feeder 12 includes a pair of left and right intake rollers 92a, 92b, and a mask original 1.
5 are provided with presser plate springs 92c and 92d that press the member 5 from above. When the sensor 91 detects the mask original 15, the take-in rollers 92a and 92b are moved by motors (
(not shown). By driving this motor, the mask original 15 is moved to the take-in roller 92a.

It is held between 92b and presser plate springs 92c and 92d and pushed up to the upper left in FIG. The rear end of the mask original 15 is a take-in roller 92a.

After passing over 92b, the mask original 15 falls by its own weight to the insertion opening 96 of the automatic document feeder 12 and is taken there.

The automatic document feeder 12 includes a base plate 94 and a cover plate 95 attached to the base plate 94. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the insertion port 96 side of the cover plate 95, A pair of guide portions 97a97b are provided. This guide portion 97a97b includes a pair of intake leaf springs 9 made of film extending in parallel from the intake 91 along the conveyance path.
The proximal ends of 8a and 98b are fixed.

The interval 1 between the intake leaf springs 98a and 98b is approximately the same as the width of the mask original 15, and the upper part in the height direction gradually becomes wider upward.

By providing the intake plate springs 98a, 98b in this manner, when the mask original 15 is taken into the automatic document feeder 12, the elastic force of the intake plate springs 98a, 98b causes the mask original 15 to be internally moved at both end surfaces thereof. As a result, even if the mask original 15 is skewed, the skew is corrected and the mask original 15 is set at a predetermined position in the automatic document feeder 12.

Also, the color image recording device 20 of the automatic document feeder 12
On both sides of the insertion opening 96 in the width direction, there is a film made of film that gradually narrows in the transport direction of the mask original 15, that is, from the top to the bottom, and presses the upper surface of both side edges of the top of the mask original 15 in the insertion direction. Insertion port leaf springs 100a and 100b are provided.

In this way, the insertion slot plate made of film 100a100b
By providing this, when the mask original plate 15 set at a predetermined position in the automatic document feeder 12 falls downward due to its own weight, even if the mask original plate is curled, the lower end of the original plate is moved downward. Press to correct curls,
This allows the lower end of the mask original 15 to fall to the feed roller 13 of the automatic document feeder without being caught on the way.

As a result, the mask original plate 15 created by the monochrome laser printer (mask original plate creation device ff1) 1 is
Even if the original mask plate 15 is supplied to the automatic document feeder 12 in a skinny state, or even if the mask original plate 15 is curled, each sheet will be transferred from the automatic document feeder 12 into the color image recording device 20 one by one. It is possible to feed paper.

In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the operation when a plurality of color images are obtained from one set of mask originals 15 will be described next.

First, a mask original plate 15R for red is created using the monochrome laser printer 1. This mask original version 15R is
In order to harden the microcapsules containing a cyan dye precursor among the microcapsules coated on the photosensitive recording medium 50, this mask original plate has toner as a light-shielding image placed on other parts. At this time, the mask original 15R outputted from the monochrome laser printer l is reliably fed into the color image recording device 20 by the automatic document feeder paper feed roller 13 of the automatic document feeder 12 as described above. . Then, the mask original 15R fed into the color image recording device 20 passes through the mask original transport path 21 and is sent to the alignment device 31 by the roller pair 2422.

The curl of the mask original plate 15R is corrected by the curler roller 101 on the way. At this time, the gate 28 is in the position shown by the solid line.

Next, the alignment device [31 transports the mask original 15R to a predetermined exposure position by a pair of rollers 32, and then, while the sensor reads the alignment mark printed on the mask original 15R, the mask original is moved by a drive source (not shown). Original version 15R
move it into place.

Immediately before alignment, the exposure table 52 is lowered to a predetermined position by the cam 53, and the fixed roller 56 is pressed against the left end of the exposure table 52 to fix the photosensitive recording medium 50 to the exposure table 52. After the alignment is completed, the exposure table 52 is further lowered by the cam 53 and comes into contact with the glass plate 34 of the alignment device 31, bringing the mask original 15R and the photosensitive recording medium 5o into close contact.

When the exposure table 52 comes into close contact with the alignment device 31, the lamp 4
2 lights up, and the exposure device 41 performs scanning exposure in the direction of arrow A in order to expose the photosensitive recording medium 50 with red light via the mask original 15R via the red filter 44R. When the exposure is completed, the lamp 42 is turned off and the exposure device 4 is turned off.
1 moves back in the direction of arrow B. At this time, the filter unit 44 of the exposure device 41 is moved by a drive source (not shown), and the green filter 44G is positioned above the lamp 42.

While the exposure device 41 moves backward, the exposure table 52 rises due to the rotation of the cam 53, and the photosensitive recording medium 50 is placed in the alignment device 3.
1 and the mask original 15R. At this time,
Pack tension is applied to the photosensitive recording medium 50 at the center of roll rotation of the photosensitive recording medium 50 in the cartridge 51 .

Therefore, when the exposure table 52 goes up, a length corresponding to the amount of descent of the exposure table 52 is pulled out from the storage cartridge 51, and when the exposure table 52 goes up after exposure, the length of the photosensitive recording medium 50 is pulled out. It seems to be rewound in the direction that takes up the slack.

Even after the exposure is completed by the red mask master plate 15R, the exposure table 52 is raised only to a predetermined position. remains fixed.

Next, the green mask original 15G created by the monochrome laser printer 1 is transferred to the automatic document feeder 12,
Automatic document feeder paper feed roller 13, recurler roller 10
1 and the mask original transport path 21 until it reaches just before the roller pair 24. At this time, roller pairs 22, 24, 25, 27
, the pair of rollers 32 and 33 of the alignment device 31 rotates in the direction of conveying the mask original 15R to the right, and the mask original 1
At the same time as the mask original 15G is sent out from the alignment device 31, the mask original 15G is transported to the exposure position and stopped. At this time,
Gates 28 and 29 are located at the positions indicated by solid lines, and the exposed mask original 15R is held between the roller pair 27 and its rear end passes through the gate 29, by stopping the rotation of the roller pair 27. Retained.

The mask original 15G guided to the alignment device 31 is aligned with the photosensitive recording medium 50, as in the case of the mask original 15R, and then the exposure table 52 is lowered to align the mask original 15G with the photosensitive recording medium 50. I am brought into close contact with this. Thereafter, the lamp 42 is turned on and exposure to green light is performed via the green filter 44G. After the exposure is completed, the exposure table 52 is raised to a predetermined position. In addition, the exposure device 41
returns to the original position, and the filter unit 44 moves to position the blue filter 44B above the lamp 42.

Next, the blue mask original 15B created by the monochrome laser printer 1 is similarly fed to the color image recording device, and transported just before the roller pair 24.
The roller pairs 24, 22, 25° 26 and the roller pair 32, 33 of the alignment device 31 rotate to convey the mask original 15G to the right. Then, the mask original 15G is sent out from the alignment device 31, and the mask original 15G is sent out from the alignment device 31.
B is transported to the exposure position and stopped. At this time, gate 2
8 is located at the position shown by the solid line, and the gate 29 is located at the position shown by the broken line. It is maintained by stopping rotation.

The mask original 15B guided by the alignment device 31 is brought into close contact with the photosensitive recording medium 50 by the same operation. The photosensitive recording medium 50 is then exposed to blue light through the mask original 15B.

Through the above operations, a latent image of a desired color image is recorded on the photosensitive recording medium 50.

Next, the exposure table 52 is raised to the initial position, the fixed roller 56 and the left end of the exposure table 52 are separated from each other, and the buffer 55 is moved in the direction of the arrow E to remove the unexposed portions of the photosensitive recording medium 50. is ejected from the cartridge 51 below the exposure table 52. The driving roller 57 transports the photosensitive recording medium 50 and stops when the leading edge of the latent image reaches the pressure roller 71 of the pressure developing device 70 .

In synchronization with the movement of the photosensitive recording medium 50, the developer sheet 60 is sent out from the cassette 61 by a suction cup 62,
After being conveyed to a position where the leading edge of the color developer sheet 60 coincides with the leading edge of the latent image forming area of the photosensitive recording medium 50, it is stopped.

Next, the pressure roller 71 of the pressure developing device 70 is pressed against the roller 71 while rotating in the direction of the arrow by a drive device (not shown). At this time, by lowering the exposure table 52 to a predetermined position again, the fixed roller 56 is pressed against the left end of the exposure table 52, and the photosensitive recording medium 50 is fixed to the exposure table 52. The photosensitive recording medium 50 is overlapped with the color developer sheet 60 and fed while being pressurized, and the uncured microcapsules on the photosensitive recording medium 50 are destroyed by the pressure and correspond to the latent image on the photosensitive recording medium 50. The color image is displayed on developer sheet 6.
0 is developed.

As the pressure roller 71 of the pressure developing device 70 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the buffer 55 moves in the direction of the arrow F. The color developer sheet 60 is peeled off from the photosensitive recording medium 50 by a separation roller 64 and guided toward a heat fixing device 80 .

Heat fixing device! At 80, the color developer sheet 60 is heated by the heater 81 and by the air circulating in the casing 83 by the impeller 82, thereby promoting color development of the color image. Along with this, a binder polymer (binder resin) for fixing the color developing medium to the base paper of the color developing paper sheet 60
The color developer sheet 60 is thermally melted to have a smooth surface, and the surface of the color developer sheet 60 has an appropriate level of gloss. Then, the color developer sheet 60 that has been subjected to color development and gloss treatment is discharged to a paper discharge tray 63.

During the above-described series of development and color gloss processing, the photosensitive recording medium 50 is held and fixed by the exposure table 52 and the fixed roller 56, so that while the development processing for one screen is being performed, at the exposure position, Exposure processing of the latent image of the next color image can be performed.

When performing a second color image, first, the mask original 15B at the exposure position is sent out to the left, and the mask original 15R held by the roller pair 27 is moved to the positioning device 1.
31, roller pairs 24, 22, 25.2
7 and the pair of rollers 32 and 33 of the alignment device 31 are rotated so as to convey the mask original 15R to the left. At this time, the cages 28 and 29 are located at the positions shown by solid lines.

The mask original plate 15B is held between a pair of rollers 24 and
8, the rotation of the pair of rollers 24 is stopped and held. The mask original 15R sent to the alignment device 31 is aligned and brought into close contact with the photosensitive recording medium 50. The photosensitive recording medium 50 is then exposed to light through the mask original 15R.

Next, the mask original 15R at the exposure position is sent to the left, and the mask original 15G held at the position of the roller pair 26 is sent to the alignment device 31. Roller pair 32 of the matching device
．． 33 rotates so as to convey the mask original 15G to the left. At this time, games h28 and 29 are located at the positions indicated by broken lines. The mask original plate 15R has roller pair 23.
At the rear end or past Gate 28,
This is maintained by stopping the rotation of the roller pair 23.

The mask original 15G sent to the alignment device 31 is
It is aligned and brought into close contact with the photosensitive recording medium 50. The photosensitive recording medium 50 is then exposed to green light through the mask original 15G.

Next, the mask original 15G at the exposure position is sent to the right, and the same operation is performed to send the mask original 15B held at the position of the roller pair 24 to the alignment device 31, and the color is placed on the photosensitive recording medium 50. A latent image of the image is formed to form a color image on the developer sheet 60.

By repeating the same operation, one set of mask originals 1
5, it is possible to output a predetermined number of color images.

After obtaining the required number of color images from the same mask original 15, each mask original 15 is discharged from the roller pair 27 or the roller pair 26 to the paper discharge tray 30.

Furthermore, if the next mask original 15 is output from the monochrome laser printer 1 while a series of color images are being exposed, it is temporarily stored in the automatic document feeder 12 and the previous mask original 15 is exposed. After this is completed, the sheets are fed one by one into the color image recording device 20 by the feed roller 13 of the automatic document feeder.

In addition, when reusing a mask original 15 output from another monochrome laser printer 1 or a previously used mask original 15, the mask original 15 can be inputted by setting it in the automatic document feeder 12. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the detailed description above, according to the present invention, the mask original output from the mask original production device is corrected for skew via the intake plate spring, and taken into the automatic document feeder. Furthermore, even if the original mask is curled,
By pressing downward through the insertion slot plate spring, it is possible to ensure that the paper reaches the automatic document feeder's paper feed roller section, thereby ensuring that the original mask is transferred sheet by sheet to the color image recording device. can be delivered.

Moreover, it has the advantage that it is relatively simple in structure and can be provided at low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show embodiments embodying the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus, FIG. 2 is a plan view of an automatic document feeder, and FIG. is also a front view,
FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a conventional example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Monochrome laser printer (mask original plate creation device), 12... Automatic document feeder, 13... Automatic document feeder paper feed roller, 15... Mask original plate, 20...
- Color image recording device, 31... positioning device, 41
. . . Exposure device, 44 . . . Filter unit, 50.
. . . Photosensitive recording medium, 52 . . . Exposure table, 60 . . . Color developer sheet, 70 .・Take-in roller, 92c, 92d... Presser plate spring, 96...
Insertion port, 98a, 98b ---Intake port plate spring, 100
a. 100b...Insertion port leaf spring. Figure Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of mask originals are created by the mask original creation device based on the color image information, and the mask originals are taken into the automatic document feeder through the mask original intake port, inserted into the color image recording device through the insertion slot, and then processed into the exposure device. In the image forming apparatus, the photosensitive recording medium is conveyed to an exposure position by the exposure device, and the photosensitive recording medium is color-separated exposed through the mask original plate, and the exposed color latent image is developed and colored to obtain a color image. , the automatic document feeder is provided with an inlet plate spring that extends from the mask original inlet inlet along the conveyance path at intervals approximately equal to the width of the mask original, and presses and guides the side end surface of the mask original; An image forming apparatus characterized in that insertion slot leaf springs are provided on both widthwise sides of an insertion slot of a document feeding device, respectively, for pressing the upper surfaces of both side edges of a mask original.