JPH04317059A - image recording 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]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an apparatus for recording images by exposing a photosensitive recording medium, and more particularly to an image recording apparatus for recording and outputting video signals, image or character data of a personal computer, etc. It is.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art An apparatus for recording an image by exposing a photosensitive recording medium is known as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 140524/1983. The photosensitive recording medium used in this type of device consists of a base material coated with microcapsules containing a photosensitive substance whose hardness changes in response to light and a dye precursor. After forming a latent image by exposure, the latent image is developed by a pressure developing device. The exposure device forms a latent image corresponding to image information by exposing the photosensitive recording medium to cause a change in the hardness of the master cylinder, and the pressure developing device pressurizes the photosensitive recording medium after exposure. The latent image is developed by destroying the soft microcapsules and allowing the dye precursor and a color developer to develop color from the dye precursor to interact with each other. Formation of a latent image on a photosensitive recording medium is performed using an original or a light valve, C.
This is accomplished by exposing an image formed on an RT or the like onto the photosensitive recording medium using an imaging lens.

0003

However, in the above image recording apparatus, it is difficult to superimpose another image or character data. In other words, when copying an original, if you want to overlay another image or text, first copy that image or text onto a transparent film-like PET paper, then overlap the PET paper over the original and copy again. It took a lot of effort to do it. Furthermore, for output images from liquid crystal display panels, CRTs, etc., it is necessary to process and superimpose other images or character data on the original image data before exposure, making data processing difficult. In this case, the resolution of another image or character data is determined by the LCD panel, CR
It depends on the resolution of T, etc. Here, even if the resolution of an LCD display panel is low, the image data has gradation, so it looks relatively clean, but in the case of text data, the text becomes rough and difficult to read depending on the low resolution. There was such a problem. The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to record another image or character data to be superimposed with high quality with simple recording control, and improve the resolution. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image recording device that achieves the following.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a method in which microcapsules containing a photosensitive material whose hardness changes in response to light and a dye precursor are coated on a substrate. An exposure device that exposes a light image to the medium to form a latent image, and pressurizes the exposed photosensitive recording medium to destroy the soft microcapsules and destroy the soft microcapsules. In an image recording apparatus equipped with a pressure developing device that develops the dye precursor of the microcapsules by applying a color developer of a color developing paper to the dye precursor, the optical image is The medium is equipped with a thermal recording device that forcibly destroys the dye precursor in the microcapsules by heating in accordance with image or character information different from the medium, and overwrites the information on the same medium.

[0005]

[Function] In the above configuration, the microcapsules hardened by light exposure are heated with a thermal recording device (e.g., a thermal head) based on the images or text information to be superimposed, thereby destroying the shells of the microcapsules with heat and dyeing the microcapsules. The precursor is easily released to the outside by pressure. If the temperature of the microcapsules decreases, the shells of the microcapsules will return to their original state and harden, so the thermal recording device should be placed just before pressurization, and after heating the microcapsules, the microcapsules should be heated immediately before the temperature drops. Pressure development is performed using a pressure development device. Only the dye precursor in soft microcapsules that have not been irradiated with light and the dye precursor whose microcapsule shells have been destroyed by heating are transferred to the developing paper. In this way, after the microcapsules are exposed to light, images or characters to be superimposed are recorded using a separate thermal recording device, so that image recording can be easily controlled, and resolution can also be controlled separately. Note that if there are three types of microcapsules containing the three primary colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), each YMC microcapsule will be destroyed by heating, so the output result will be YMC
It becomes black with a mixture of.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows a liquid crystal exposure apparatus using a liquid crystal display panel as a light valve panel. The image recording apparatus 1 has a halogen lamp 2 as an exposure light source, and a reflector 3 is arranged above the halogen lamp 2. A condensing lens 4 is arranged below the halogen lamp 2, and an infrared cut filter 5 is arranged below it to block light from the halogen lamp 2. Below this infrared cut filter 5, a filter unit 6 consisting of color filters 6R, 6G, and 6B, which are switched by a motor 27, is installed in the optical path from the infrared cut filter 5, and a light valve is installed at a slight distance below the filter unit 6. A liquid crystal display panel 7 (hereinafter referred to as LCD) as a panel is arranged.

An unexposed microcapsule paper 10 is wound around a cartridge shaft 15 and housed in the cartridge 17 . This microcapsule paper 10 is exposed to light through the LCD 7, and the exposed microcapsule paper 10 passes through a thermal head 51, and further passes through a pressure roller 11 together with the color developer paper 18, and is wound onto a winding shaft 16. The developer paper 18, onto which the image has been transferred after passing through the pressure roller 11, is conveyed by a conveyor belt 14, passes through a heat fixing device 12 equipped with a heater 13, and is output as a recording paper 51 on which the image is printed.

Next, the electrical configuration of this device will be explained. Image data from the outside is input through the video I/F circuit 21, and the data is converted into digital data by the A/D conversion circuit 22 and stored in the video RAM 23 for each color data of R, G, and B. Ru. Further, character data to be superimposed is inputted via the digital I/F circuit 55, and the character data is stored in the character RAM 56. The CPU 29 controls the entire device, and when a start command is input from the outside, the signal from the start SW 25 changes to C.
The data is transferred to the PU 29, and the CPU 29 controls the lamp control circuit 26.
, filter control circuit 28, LCD controller 24, and video RAM 23 to control exposure of the microcapsule paper 10. The thermal head 51 overwrites (superimposes) the character data in the character RAM 56 onto the exposed microcapsule paper 10.

Next, the operation of the image recording apparatus 1 will be explained. When print start SW25 is pressed,
The video I/F circuit 21 takes in external image data, and the A/D conversion circuit 22 converts the image data into R, G,
The R, G, and B data are converted into digital signals separately and stored in each block of the video RAM 23. CPU29
In order to prevent the microcapsule paper 10 from being exposed to excess light, all pixels of the LCD 7 are closed, the motor 27 is driven to set the red filter 6R, a signal is sent to the lamp control circuit 26, and the halogen lamp 2 is turned on. Turn it on.

Furthermore, the CPU 29 causes the LCD 7 to display an image corresponding to the red image data via the LCD controller 24. As a result, a red image is exposed on the microcapsule paper 10 by the light from the halogen lamp 2 that has passed through the red filter 6R. When this red exposure is completed, the motor 27 removes the red filter 6R and sets the green filter 6G. Further, red data is switched to green data, and green exposure is performed in the same manner as above. When the green exposure is completed, the motor 27 removes the green filter 6G and sets the blue filter 6B. At the same time, green data is switched to blue data, and blue exposure is performed in the same manner as above. When the exposure of the three colors is completed, the CPU 29 controls the LCD 7 so that the microcapsule paper 10 is not exposed to excess light.
All pixels are closed to block light, and a signal is sent to the lamp control circuit 26 to turn off the halogen lamp 2.

Next, the operation of overwriting character data on the microcapsule paper 10 using the thermal head 51 is shown in FIG.
Explain with reference to. The microcapsule paper 10 on which a latent image has been formed by exposure as described above is sent in the direction where the pressure roller 11 is located and is pressurized. is input as a dot image to the thermal head 51 in synchronization with paper feeding. The thermal head 51 generates heat only in the character portion made up of dot images, and heats the microcapsule paper 10. Thereafter, the microcapsule paper 10 is overlapped and pressed with the color developer paper 19 by a pressure roller 11 before the temperature of the microcapsules decreases, and the color developer of the color developer paper 19 is applied to the dye precursor of the microcapsules. Let it develop color. The developed color developing paper 19 is conveyed by a conveyor belt 14 and its color development is promoted by a heat fixing device 12 having a heater 13 . As a result, the image and character data are superimposed and output.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 52 indicates a microcapsule hardened by exposure, 53 indicates a softened microcapsule, and 54 indicates a microcapsule thermally destroyed by the thermal head 51. If three types of microcapsules containing the three primary colors of Y, M, and C are present, each of the YMC microcapsules is destroyed by heating by the thermal head 51, so that the output character becomes black. Further, normally, the resolution of the LCD 7 is about 80 dpi, while the resolution of the thermal head 51 is 200 dpi.
i or more, character quality improves when character data is overwritten, and control for overwriting is also simple. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments detailed above, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, in this embodiment, a halogen lamp is used as a light source, but a metal halide lamp may also be used, and the order of replacing color filters is not limited to RGB.

[0013]

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, immediately before pressure development is performed on a photosensitive recording medium on which an image has been formed by exposure, an image or character other than the light image is formed. Since the microcapsules of the medium are forcibly destroyed by heating with a thermal recording device according to the information, and the information is overwritten on the same medium, the control for overwriting is easier than in the past. Moreover, another image or text information can be superimposed and recorded at high resolution.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a liquid crystal exposure apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a state diagram of microcapsule paper in the present device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image recording device 3. Halogen lamp 7 LCD 10 Microcapsule paper 11 Pressure roller 51 Thermal head

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: Using a photosensitive recording medium in which a substrate is coated with microcapsules containing a photosensitive substance whose hardness changes in response to light and a dye precursor, the medium is exposed to a light image. An exposure device that forms a latent image and a photosensitive recording medium after exposure are pressurized to destroy the soft microcapsules, and a developer from a developer paper is applied to the dye precursor in the destroyed microcapsules. In an image recording apparatus equipped with a pressure developing device that acts to develop the image, the photosensitive recording medium is heated in accordance with information of an image or text different from the optical image immediately before being pressurized by the pressure developing device. An image recording device comprising a thermal recording device that forcibly destroys the dye precursor of the microcapsules and overwrites the information on the same medium.