JP2572131C - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial applications]   The present invention relates to an image recording method and an image recording apparatus, and more particularly, to a thermal head.
When sequentially printing characters, images, and the like on the heat-sensitive material using the heat-sensitive material,
A portion other than the portion where thermal printing of an image or the like is recorded in accordance with an input signal has a predetermined density.
The present invention relates to an image recording method and an apparatus for performing thermal printing recording. [Background of the Invention]   In the medical field, in addition to X-ray imaging devices conventionally used,
Of medical image diagnostic equipment such as X-ray, X-ray CT and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging equipment
I am doing it. In this type of medical image diagnostic apparatus, ultrasound, X-rays, etc. are input from outside the patient's body.
And obtains image information of the affected area by detecting changes in the ultrasonic waves and X-rays.
Is displayed on a CRT, for example, and the image displayed on the CRT is optically displayed.
Many multi-format cameras record on photosensitive materials such as silver-lead films through a system.
Have been used.   Normally, the film recorded in this way is checked by a doctor for lakasten etc.
The patient is observed using the site table, and the diagnosis of the affected part is performed.   However, using a light table, for example, watching the film 2 shown in FIG.
When it is assumed that the amount of light transmitted through the non-image portion 6 that is not blackened with respect to the affected portion image portion 4 is large.
When it becomes extremely difficult to visually recognize the affected part image part 4 which is necessary information
There is a drawback. Therefore, in order to improve this disadvantage, for example,
No. 60-224376 or JP-A-60-245365. 2. Description of the Related Art There has been proposed an image recording apparatus that utilizes system scanning. Are disclosed in these publications
The technical idea is to scan the non-image area other than the image area formed on the film with a light beam.
Blackens to a predetermined density.   However, since such a device is a mechanism that uses scanning of a light beam, the entire device is used.
Is large, and furthermore, the optical deflector and the like constituting the device are extremely expensive,
In addition, since the time required for adjusting the optical system becomes longer, the entire apparatus becomes expensive.
There are difficulties. In addition, the light beam scans the silver lead film
In an image recording apparatus according to the related art for recording image information, an image is recorded on the film.
After exposure, a fixing process needs to be performed. For this reason,
Output the film after fixing process directly from the image recording device using the silver lead film
If you try to do so, it is necessary to integrally attach the automatic machine and have such automatic machine
The image recording apparatus cannot be avoided from becoming larger.   In contrast, the thermal recording method using a thermal material does not require development,
Is easy, and the configuration of the recording device can be realized simply and at low cost.
In recent years, it has been rapidly spreading in the field of facsimile and printers.   However, the conventional transparent heat-sensitive material has to be brought into close contact with the original and irradiated with light.
The infrared light is absorbed by the image portion of the original to raise the temperature of the image portion, thereby increasing the sensitivity.
It is used to develop color of thermal material.
It does not have the thermal sensitivity that allows recording by heat contact printing. In addition, the thermal head
The heat-sensitive layer of the conventional heat-sensitive material that can print and record is devitrified, and is simply called a transparent support.
However, there is an inconvenience that the desired transparency cannot be achieved
ing.   Against such a background, in order to respond to sharks
Direct recording with thermal head for head projector use
It has been desired to develop transparent thermosensitive materials.   In response to such a request, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-88197 filed by the present applicant.
Thermal recording materials have been developed. This thermosensitive recording material is colored at least on the support
Recording material provided with a microcapsule containing a coloring agent and a thermosensitive layer having a color developer
A colorless or pale-colored basic dye precursor as the color former, Emulsified and dispersed after dissolving at least the developer in an organic solvent that is hardly soluble or insoluble in
Prepare an emulsified dispersion and a coating agent comprising the microcapsules, and then support
The first characteristic is that the composition is applied and dried on the body.
The second feature is that the organic solvent is an ester, and further, the support and
The third feature of the present invention is to use a transparent film.
Surprisingly, the heat-sensitive recording material composed as described above has a heat-sensitive layer in which the heat-sensitive layer becomes transparent.
It has been elucidated that the material is a recording material and has high heat sensitivity. Follow
Then, the thermal recording material is applied to a transparent support to form a thermal head.
Therefore, a transparent heat-sensitive material that can easily develop color can be obtained. [Object of the invention]   The present invention has been made in connection with these technical ideas, and
When printing characters, images, etc. on the transparent thermosensitive material by thermal printing using
Of the predetermined portions other than the portions where the image and the like are thermally printed according to the input signal.
Is configured so that thermal print recording is performed at a density of
Each time the blackening process is performed and the heat-sensitive material after the blackening process is
It is possible to create an image that is extremely easy to see when observed by a table
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording method and an apparatus thereof. [Means for achieving the purpose]   In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for moving an image recording material relative to the sub-scanning direction.
While moving, corresponds to the number of pixels of the image in the main scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction
The image recording material is two-dimensionally converted using a thermal head in which the heating elements arranged are arranged.
A method for recording character information, image information, etc. by scanning the thermal head
The width of the heating element in the main scanning direction is the width of the transparent thermosensitive material in the main scanning direction.
The image recording material has a transparent heat-sensitive layer on a transparent support.
When recording an image or the like on this transparent thermosensitive material,
It is necessary to convert the density of a non-recorded portion other than the recorded information such as image information to a predetermined density.
Features.   Also, the present invention provides a thermal element in which heating elements corresponding to the number of pixels are arranged in the main scanning direction.
A head, a frame memory for recording an input image signal for each screen, and the frame memory. Data is recorded by line data corresponding to the scanning line output from the memory, and
Memory areas corresponding to at least the number of heating elements arranged in the thermal head.
Line buffer memory having an
Initial data input means for inputting initial data, and a transparent heat sensitive material on a transparent support
The transparent thermosensitive material provided with the layer is relatively moved in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction.
To move the heating element of the thermal head and
The original scanning is performed and character information, image information, etc. are recorded according to the input image signal.
Density conversion of an outside non-recorded portion to a density corresponding to the initial data.
You.   Further, the present invention provides a thermometer in which heating elements corresponding to the number of pixels are arranged in the main scanning direction.
Head, a frame memory for recording the input image signal for each screen, and the frame
Data is recorded by the line data corresponding to the scanning line output from the memory.
A memory element corresponding to at least the number of heating elements arranged in the thermal head;
A line buffer memory having an area and an initial data for each scan in the frame memory.
Data input means for inputting data, and providing a transparent heat-sensitive layer on a transparent support.
The provided transparent thermosensitive material is relatively moved in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction.
And the heating element of the thermal head is driven to convert the transparent thermosensitive material two-dimensionally.
Scanning, and character information, image information, etc. are recorded in accordance with the input image signal.
The non-recorded portion is density-converted to a density corresponding to the initial data. [Embodiment]   Next, preferred embodiments of the image recording method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
This will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.   In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a thermistor relating to a main part of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention.
2 shows a head drive circuit. The thermal head drive circuit 10 is basically a video signal
A video signal reading unit 14 for reading a video signal introduced from the input terminal 12;
A video signal memory section 16 for temporarily storing the output signal of the signal reading section 14;
Thermal head drive unit 20 that drives the thermal head 18 according to the output signal of the
And an initial value setting unit for giving an initial value of background density to the video signal memory unit 16.
22.   A video interface 24 (hereinafter referred to as video I /
F), a composite video signal which is a video signal from an X-ray CT (not shown) or the like.
S₀Is introduced, the composite video signal S₀Is the video signal S₁And component
Jet sync signal S_TwoIs separated into As a result, a video signal is output from the video I / F 24.
S₁Is introduced into the signal input terminal of the A / D converter 26 and the composite sync
Signal S_TwoIs introduced into the synchronization signal generation circuit 28. In this case, the A / D converter 26
Input terminal CK₁Clock signal S from the synchronization signal generation circuit 28_ThreeHas been introduced
You.   The output signal of the A / D converter 26, that is, the digital image data S_FiveIs the clock
Input terminal CK_TwoClock signal S input to_ThreeIntroduced into the frame memory 29 every time
It is. Line data S from the frame memory 29₆Constitutes the thermal head 18
Introduced to line buffer memory 30 with memory addresses corresponding to the number of heating elements
And the line data S from the line buffer memory 30₇Is a parallel / series converter 3
2 (hereinafter, referred to as a P / S converter) composed of a shift register and the like
It is introduced into the thermal head drive circuit 34.   The output signal of the thermal head drive circuit 34 is n signals constituting the thermal head 18.
Heating element T_P0Or T_Pn-1And the heating element T_P0Or T_Pn-1By figure
A heat-sensitive material conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by a conveyance mechanism (not shown), for example, a transparent heat-sensitive material.
An image is thermally printed on the film F.   Here, the heating element T constituting the thermal head 18_P0Or T_Pn-1And transparent heat
The lum F is associated with the positional relationship shown in FIG. 3 by a mechanism not shown. You
That is, n heating elements T constituting the thermal head 18_P0Or T_Pn-1Is transparent heat
A main scanning direction (arrow A direction) orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction (arrow B direction) of the film F
Direction). In this case, the thermal head 18
Effective printing width W_TIs the film width W_FSet slightly wider than. Fig. 3
The image recording unit 50 (hereinafter, referred to as an image unit) on the transparent thermal film F is mainly
Scan direction position X₁Or X_TwoAnd sub-scanning direction position Y₁Or Y_TwoArea between
The image recording section 52 (hereinafter, referred to as a non-image section) has a position in the main scanning direction 0 to X₁, Position X_TwoOr
X_ThreeAnd sub-scanning direction positions 0 to Y₁, Position Y_TwoOr Y_ThreeIn the area between You.   The line buffer memory 30 has an operation panel 36 such as a keyboard.
The initial value I of the background density set_dVia the initial value setting circuit 38 for each scan
Has been introduced. Further, in the present embodiment, the transparent heat-sensitive film F is the same as that described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application.
The heat-sensitive recording material disclosed in JP-A-62-88197 is used.   That is, the heat-sensitive recording material has a matrix containing at least a color former on a support.
In a thermosensitive recording material provided with a microcapsule and a thermosensitive layer having a developer,
Uses a colorless or pale-colored basic dye precursor as a color former and is hardly soluble or insoluble in water
An emulsified dispersion obtained by dissolving at least the developer in an organic solvent of
And a coating solution comprising the microcapsules, and then coating and drying on a support
This is a heat-sensitive recording material characterized by being subjected to a heat treatment.   As the basic dye precursor, an electron is donated or a proton such as an acid is received.
A colorless or light-colored compound is appropriately selected from known compounds that develop color upon receipt. This
Compounds such as lactones, lactams, sultones, spiropyrans, esters,
It has a partial skeleton such as an amide, and these partial skeletons are opened or
Preferred compounds that can be cleaved include, for example, triarylmethane-based compounds.
Compounds, diphenylmethane compounds, xanthene compounds, thiazine compounds,
Spiropyran compounds and the like can be mentioned.   Particularly preferred compounds are those represented by the following general formula:   Where R₁Is an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, R_TwoIs an alkyl having 4 to 18 carbon atoms
Or an alkoxyalkyl group or a tetrahydrofurfuryl group, R_ThreeIs water
An element atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 15 carbon atoms or a halogen atom, R_FourIs carbon
Represents a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group represented by Formulas 6 to 20; R_FourAs a substituent of
C1-C5 alkyl, alkoxy, halogenated alkyl and halogen
Is preferred.   By encapsulating the color former in microcapsules,
Prevents fogging during material production, and at the same time preserves raw and recorded qualities of heat-sensitive materials
Can be improved. In this case, the wall material of the microcapsules and
By selecting the manufacturing method, the image density at the time of recording can be increased. Departure
The amount of the coloring agent used is 0.05 to 5.0 g / m.^TwoIt is preferred that   Polyurethane, polyurea, polyester
, Polycarbonate, urea-formaldehyde resin, melamine resin, polystyrene
Styrene, styrene methacrylate copolymer, styrene-acrylate copolymer,
Ratin, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol and the like. The present invention
In the above, two or more of these polymer substances can be used in combination.   Here, among the above-mentioned polymer substances, polyurethane, polyurea, polyamide, poly
Preferred are polyesters, polycarbonates, etc., especially polyurethanes and polyurethanes.
Is preferred.   The microcapsules emulsified a core material containing a reactive material such as a color former.
Later, a macromolecular substance wall can be formed around the oil droplets and microencapsulated.
Preferably, in this case, the reactant that forms the polymer substance is placed inside the oil droplet and / or
Or it is added outside the oil droplets. The present invention, such as a preferred method for producing microcapsules
Details of microcapsules that can be preferably used in, for example,
It is described in JP-A-59-222716.   Here, an organic solvent for forming oil droplets is generally used as a pressure-sensitive oil.
It can be appropriately selected from those that can be used. Among the preferred oils
Are compounds represented by the following general formulas (I) to (III) and triallylmethane (eg,
For example, tritoluylmethane, toluyldiphenylmethane), terphenyl compound
Stuff (Eg, terphenyl), alkylated diphenyl ethers (eg, propyl
Diphenyl ether), hydrogenated terphenyl (eg, hexahydroterphenyl)
), Diphenylether chlorinated paraffin and the like.  Where R¹Represents hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms;^TwoRepresents an atom having 1 to 18 carbon atoms.
Represents a alkyl group. p¹, Q¹Represents an integer of 1 to 4, and the total number of alkyl groups is 4
Within.   Note that R¹, R^TwoIs preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.   Where R^ThreeIs a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, R^FourHas 1 to 12 carbon atoms
Alkyl group. n represents 1 or 2.   p^Two, Q^TwoRepresents an integer of 1 to 4. When n = 1, the total number of alkyl groups is four
And when n = 2, the total number of alkyl groups is within six.   Where R^Five, R⁶Is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl of the same or different kind having 1 to 18 carbon atoms.
Represents a hydroxyl group. m represents an integer of 1 to 13. p^Three, Q^ThreeRepresents an integer of 1 to 3, and
The total number of alkyl groups is up to three.   Note that R^Five, R⁶Is particularly preferably an alkyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms.   Examples of the compound represented by the formula (I) include dimethylnaphthalene, diethylnaphthalene
And len and diisopropylnaphthalene.   Examples of the compound represented by the formula (II) include dimethylbiphenyl, diethylbiphenyl
Nyl, diisopropylbiphenyl and diisobutylbiphenyl.   Examples of the compound represented by the formula (III) include 1-methyl-1-dimethylphenyl
-1-phenylmethane, 1-ethyl-1-dimethylphenyl-1-phenylmeta
And 1-propyl-1-dimethylphenyl-1-phenylmethane.   The above oils can be used together or with other oils.   The size of the microcapsules is described, for example, in JP-A-60-214990.
It is preferable that the volume average particle size is 4 μm or less according to the measurement method used.   Preferred microcapsules manufactured as described above are used for conventional recording materials.
The core of the microcapsule is not destroyed by heat or pressure as
Reactive substance contained in and outside reacts through the microcapsule wall
I can do it.   The wall material of the microcapsule is selected, and if necessary, a glass transition point adjusting agent (for example,
For example, by adding a plasticizer described in JP-A-60-19862),
Preparing microcapsules consisting of walls with different transfer points, basic colorless dyeing with different hues
Multicolor intermediate colors can be realized by selecting the combination of the colorant precursor and its developer. Rukoto can. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to a single color thermal paper,
It can also be applied to color or multicolor thermal paper and thermal paper suitable for gradation image recording.
Rukoto can.   Also, if necessary, for example, Japanese Patent Application Nos. 60-125470, 60-125471, 60
The anti-fading agent described in JP-A-125472 can be appropriately added.   Examples of a color developer that causes a color development reaction upon thermal melting with the basic colorless dye include:
Any known one can be used as appropriate. For example, color development for leuco dye
Phenol compounds, triphenylmethane compounds, sulfur-containing phenols
Compounds, carboxylic acid compounds, sulfone compounds, urea or thiourea compounds
And the details thereof are described in, for example, the Paper and Pulp Technology Times (1985) 49-
It is described on pages 54 and 65-70. Among these, particularly, the melting point is 50 ° C to 25 ° C.
Preference is given to those having a water solubility of 0 ° C.
Organic acids are preferred. When two or more color developers are used in combination, the solubility increases, which is preferable.
Good.   Among the developers, particularly preferred ones are represented by the following general formulas (IV) to (VII).
You.   R₁Is an alkyl group, an aryl group or an aralkyl group, especially a methyl group,
Til and butyl groups are preferred.  R_TwoIs an alkyl group, especially butyl, pentyl, heptyl and octyl.
A tyl group is preferred.   R_ThreeIs an alkyl group or an aralkyl group.   Therefore, after dissolving the developer in an organic solvent that is hardly soluble or insoluble in water,
Mixing with an aqueous phase containing a surfactant and having a water-soluble polymer as a protective colloid, milk
It is used in the form of a dispersed dispersion.   Is the organic solvent that dissolves the developer among those commonly used as pressure-sensitive oils?
Can be selected as appropriate. Among the preferred oils are esters and the like.
And compounds represented by the following general formulas (V) to (VII) and triallylmethane (for example,
For example, tritoluylmethane, toluyldiphenylmethane), terphenyl compounds
(Eg, terphenyl), alkylated diphenyl ethers (eg, propyl
Diphenyl ether), hydrogenated terphenyl (eg, hexahydroterphenyl)
), Diphenyl ether and the like.   Among these, the use of esters is important for the solubility of the developer and the developer. It is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of the emulsion stability of the emulsified dispersion.  Where R¹Represents hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms;^TwoRepresents an atom having 1 to 18 carbon atoms.
Represents a alkyl group. p¹, Q¹Represents an integer of 1 to 4, and the total number of alkyl groups is 4
Within.   Note that R¹, R^TwoIs preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.   Where R^ThreeIs a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, R^FourHas 1 to 12 carbon atoms
The alkyl group, n represents 1 or 2.   p^Two, Q^TwoRepresents an integer of 1 to 4. When n = 1, the total number of alkyl groups is four
When n = 1, the total number of the alkyl groups is within six.   Where R^Five, R⁶Is a hydrogen atom or a same or different alkyl having 1 to 18 carbon atoms
Represents a group. m represents an integer of 1 to 13. p^Three, Q^ThreeRepresents an integer of 1 to 3, and
The total number of the kill groups is 3 or less.   Note that R^Five, R⁶Is particularly preferably an alkyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms.   Examples of the compound represented by the formula (V) include dimethylnaphthalene and diethylnaphthalene.
And len and diisopropylnaphthalene.   Examples of the compound represented by the formula (VI) include dimethylbiphenyl and diethylbiphenyl.
Nil, diisopropylbiphenyl and diisobutyldiphenyl.   Examples of the compound represented by the formula (VII) include 1-methyl-1-dimethylphenyl
-1-phenylmethane, 1-ethyl-1-dimethylphenyl-1-phenylmeta
And 1-propyl-1-dimethylphenyl-1-phenylmethane.   Examples of the esters include phosphate esters (eg, triphenyl phosphate, triphosphate phosphate).
Cresyl, butyl phosphate, octyl phosphate, cresyl diphenyl phosphate), phthalic acid
Stele (dibutyl phthalate, 2-ethylhexyl phthalate, ethyl phthalate,
Octyl phthalate, butybenzyl phthalate), dioctyl tetrahydrophthalate
, Benzoic acid esters (ethyl benzoate, propyl benzoate, butyl benzoate,
Isopentyl benzoate, benzyl benzoate, abietic acid ester (avietic acid
Ethyl, benzyl abietic acid), dioctyl adipate, isodecyl succinate
, Dioctyl azelate, oxalate (dibutyl oxalate, dioxalate)
Bentil), diethyl malonate, maleic ester (dimethyl maleate, male
Diethyl oleate, dibutyl maleate), tributyl citrate, sorbic acid
Stele (methyl sorbate, ethyl sorbate, butyl sorbate), sebacine
Acid esters (dibutyl sebacate, dioctyl sebacate), ethylene glycol
Esters (formic acid monoesters and diesters, butyric acid monoesters and diesters)
Esters, lauric acid monoesters and diesters, palmitic acid monoester
And diesters, stearic acid monoesters and diesters, oleic acid
Monoester and diester), triacetin, diethyl carbonate, diphenyl carbonate
, Ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, borate ester (tributyl borate, borate
Acid tribenzyl) and the like. Of these, tricresyl phosphate alone or Or when used as a mixture, the developer has particularly good emulsification and dispersion stability.
No.   Therefore, an auxiliary solvent is further added to the above organic solvent as a low boiling point dissolution aid.
You can do it. Such co-solvents include, for example, ethyl acetate,
Pills, butyl acetate, methylene chloride, and the like are particularly preferred.
I can do it.   Water to be included as a protective colloid in an aqueous phase mixed with an oil phase in which a developer is dissolved
The soluble polymer is a known anionic polymer, nonionic polymer, or amphoteric polymer.
Can be appropriately selected from polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, cellulose
Derivatives and the like are preferred.   In addition, as the surfactant to be contained in the aqueous phase, anionic or nonionic surfactants
Among the surfactants, it does not precipitate or aggregate due to the action with the protective colloid.
Can be appropriately selected and used. Alkyl is a preferred surfactant.
Sodium rubenzenesulfonate (eg, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate),
Sodium alkyl sulfate (eg, sodium lauryl sulfate), sulfosuccinic acid
Dioctyl sodium salt, polyalkylene glycol (for example, polyoxyethylene
Rennonylphenyl ether) and the like.   The emulsified dispersion of the developer is composed of the oil phase containing the developer, the protective colloid, and the surfactant.
Aqueous phase containing the agent is used for ordinary fine particle emulsification, such as high-speed stirring and ultrasonic dispersion.
It can be easily obtained by mixing and dispersing using means.   To this emulsified dispersion, a melting point depressant for a developer may be added as appropriate. this
Some of such melting point depressants function as a glass transition point regulator for the capsule wall.
Also have. Such compounds include, for example, hydroxy compounds, carbamine
Acid ester compounds, sulfonamide compounds, aromatic methoxy compounds, etc.
Details thereof are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 59-244190.   These melting point depressants are used in an amount of 0.1 to 2 parts by weight per part by weight of the developer for lowering the melting point.
Parts, preferably in the range of 0.5 to 1 part by weight.
It is preferable to use a laxative and a color developer whose melting point falls by the same location.
New When adding to different places, add 1 to 3 times the above amount Is preferred.   Prevent sticking to thermal head and improve writability for thermal recording materials
For the purpose, silica, barium sulfate, titanium oxide, aluminum hydroxide, zinc oxide,
Pigment such as calcium carbonate, fine powder such as styrene beads, urea-melamine resin
It can be added, but to maintain the transparency of the thermosensitive layer,
A protective layer for the purpose of storage and stability is provided by a known method.
Is preferably added. For details on the protective layer, see, for example, “Paper Pulp Technology
Times "(September 1985, pp. 2-4).   Similarly, metal soaps can be added to prevent sticking.
. The amount of these used is 0.2-7 g / m^TwoIt is.   The heat-sensitive recording material can be coated using a suitable binder.   As the binder, polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose,
Chill cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, gum arabic, gelatin,
Livinylpyrrolidone, casein, styrene-butadiene latex, acryloni
Tolyl-butadiene latex, polyvinyl acetate, polyacrylate,
Various emulsions such as a tylene-vinyl acetate copolymer can be used. use
The amount is 0.5 to 5 g / m as solid content.^TwoIt is.   The heat-sensitive recording material comprises a microcapsule containing a color former and at least a developer.
A coating containing the main component of a dispersion obtained by emulsifying and dispersing a binder and other additives such as a binder.
Make a cloth liquid and apply a bar, a blade, or the like on a support such as paper or synthetic resin film.
Air knife coating, gravure coating, roll coating coating, spray coating, die coating
The coating is dried by a coating method such as top coating and the solid content is 2.5 to 25 g / m^TwoHeat-sensitive layer
It is manufactured by providing. The heat-sensitive layer of the heat-sensitive material thus manufactured is
The reason is not clear, but surprisingly it has a very good transparency.   As the paper used for the support, use neutral sizing agents such as alkyl ketene dimer.
Resized neutral paper having a heat extraction pH of 6 to 9 (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-14281).
Is advantageous from the viewpoint of storage stability over time.   Prevents the coating solution from penetrating into the paper and improves the contact between the thermal recording head and the thermal recording layer.
For this, described in JP-A-57-116687,In addition, paper having a Beck smoothness of 90 seconds or more is advantageous.   Further, the optical surface roughness described in JP-A-58-136492 is 8 μ or less and the thickness is 40 to 40 μm.
75 μ paper, density 0.9 g / cm as described in JP-A-58-69097.^ThreeLess and optical contact
Paper having a percentage of 15% or more, a Canadian standard freeness described in JP-A-58-69097 (JISP8
121) Paper is made from pulp immediately treated to 400 cc or more to prevent penetration of coating liquid.
Stopped paper, base paper made by Yankee machine described in JP-A-58-65695
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-35985, in which a glossy surface of a coating is used as a coating surface to improve color density and resolution.
No., paper with corona discharge treatment applied to base paper to improve the coating aptitude
Used in the present invention and gives good results. Other than these, in the field of ordinary thermal recording paper
Any of the supports used can be used as the support of the present invention.   The heat-sensitive recording material has high heat sensitivity even though the heat-sensitive layer is transparent, and
An image can be formed by a thermal head such as a kushimi-mirror. Therefore, as a support
When using a transparent film, receive it by facsimile and immediately use OHP
Not only can you use it, but also the color image is heat sensitive even when multicolored
The sharpness of the image is good because it is not affected by the opacity of the layer.
And the color reproduction is also good.   Hereinafter, the heat-sensitive recording material will be described in further detail.
It is not specified. Example 1 (Preparation of capsule liquid)   Crystal violet lactone 14g (leuco dye), Takenate D-110
N (Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. capsule wall material) 60g and Sumisoap 200 (Sumitomo Chemical (
2 g of an ultraviolet absorber manufactured by Co., Ltd.) and 55 g of 1-phenyl-1-xylylethane,
It was added to and dissolved in a mixed solvent of 55 g of chloride. The solution of this leuco dye was
100 g of a 40% aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution, 40 g of water and 2% of di-sulfosuccinic acid
Octyl sodium salt (dispersant) was mixed with an aqueous solution (1.4 g) and mixed with Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd.
Jechs Emulsify with a homogenizer at 10,000 rpm for 5 minutes, add 150 g of water, and add
After reacting for hours, a capsule solution having a capsule size of 0.7 μ was produced. (Preparation of developer emulsified dispersion)   8 g of the developer represented by the following structural formula (a), 4 g of (b) and 30 g of (C) were combined with 1-phenyl.
-1-xylylethane 2.0 g, dibutyl phthalate 6.0 g and ethyl acetate 30 g
Dissolved. The obtained developer solution was combined with 100 g of an 8% aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol.
Mix in an aqueous solution of 150 g of water and 0.5 g of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate.
Using an ace homogenizer manufactured by Seiki Co., Ltd., emulsify at 10,000 rpm for 5 minutes at room temperature.
Thus, an emulsified dispersion having a particle size of 0.5 μ was obtained.   5.0 g of the above capsule liquid, 10.0 g of the developer emulsified dispersion and 5.0 g of water were stirred and mixed.
, 70μ thick transparent polyethylene tenphthalate (PET) support with solid content
15g / m^TwoAnd dried, then a 2μ protective layer of the following composition is provided,
A transparent heat-sensitive film was produced. (Composition of protective layer)   10% polyvinyl alcohol 20g   30g of water   2% dioctyl sulfosuccinate   0.3g of sodium salt   3 g of polyvinyl alcohol, 100 g of water and 35 g of kaolin in a ball mill
3g of dispersed kaolin dispersion   Hydrin Z-7 (Chukyo Yushi Co., Ltd.) 0.5 g   Printing the thermosensitive material obtained as above with Mitsubishi Melphas 600 (GIII mode)
To obtain a blue image. The image density is 0.7 in Macbeth transmission density,
I was able to go to HP. Examples 2 to 10 and Comparative Example 1   In Example 1, the 1-phenyl-1 used for preparing the developer emulsified dispersion was used.
The following oils (Table 1) were used in place of xylylethane and dibutyl phthalate
Except for the above, the same operation as in Example 1 was performed to obtain a transparent blue image.   To each of the obtained emulsions, 0.5 parts of water was added to dilute the mixture, and the mixture was stirred with a stirrer for 6 hours.
Apply to PET base, visually observe the surface of the applied surface, and emulsify the emulsion of the developer
The results of comparing the stability and the Macbeth transmission density of each sample are shown in Table 1.
.   The transparent thermosensitive recording material prepared as described above has a heat sensitivity of 100 mJ / m.
m^TwoIt has been confirmed that the color develops below, and the thermal sensation of the heat-sensitive recording material according to the prior art
It is small compared to degrees. Therefore, by using this thermal recording material, Recording images with a recording device that can directly perform thermal printing recording with a normal thermal head
Can be done.   Therefore, in this embodiment, the transparent heat-sensitive film F uses the above-mentioned heat-sensitive recording material.
Shall be   Next, an image recording apparatus for recording an image using the above-described heat-sensitive recording material and
The operation and effect of the thermal head drive circuit will be described below.   In this case, the image recording apparatus may be an X-ray CT (not shown) or an ultrasonic imaging apparatus.
It is connected to a medical image diagnostic apparatus via a video signal input terminal 12, and a doctor etc.
After observing the image displayed on the monitor or the like of the medical image diagnostic apparatus, the desired image is transmitted
A hard copy is to be obtained on the bright heat film F.   Therefore, first, when a doctor or the like checks the image on the monitor or the like, the initial value setting unit 22
The initial value I of the background density of the image projected on the monitor by operating the operation panel 36 constituting
_dSet. Normally, the transparent thermal film F has a density characteristic as shown in FIG.
And the heating element T which constitutes the thermal head 18_P0Or T_Pn-1Applied to
The density changes according to the number of pulses. On the other hand, as described above, the line buffer
The memory address of the memory 30 corresponds to the n heating elements T constituting the thermal head 18._P0
Or T_Pn-1It corresponds to. Therefore, the doctor etc.
Memory address M₀To M_n-1Density D as data content to be recorded in_m(
Initial value I corresponding to FIG. 4)_d(Actually, pulse number data)
It may be set by operating the keyboard constituting 6 (see FIG. 5a).
.   Under such preparations, image information of the affected area is carried from a medical diagnosis device (not shown).
Composite video signal S₀To video I / F 24 via video signal input terminal 12
be introduced. In this case, the video I / F 24 is connected to the full scale of the A / D converter 26 described later.
Video signal whose video amplitude and pedestal level are adjusted to correspond to the
S₁Is introduced into the signal input terminal of the A / D converter 26, and the composite
Video signal S₀The composite sync signal S_TwoWhen
Then, the signal is introduced into the synchronization signal generation circuit 28. The synchronization signal generation circuit 28 is, for example, a PLL circuit.
A wave number multiplying synthesizer or the like. Signal S_TwoAre multiplied by a predetermined number, and the clock signal S_ThreeA / D
Clock input terminal CK of converter 26 and frame memory 29₁, CK_TwoBe introduced to
.   Therefore, the video signal S introduced to the signal input terminal by the A / D converter 26
₁Is the clock signal S_ThreeDigital image data S_FiveConverted to digital and converted
Image data is the clock signal S_ThreeEach time it is introduced into the frame memory 29. this
Image data S after A / D conversion_FiveAre sequentially stored in the frame memory 29
Introduced to a fixed address, and image data for one screen is stored in the frame memory 29
. The image data for one screen stored in the frame memory 29 corresponds to the line corresponding to the scanning line.
Data S₆Each time it is introduced into the line buffer memory 30.   Line data S for each scanning line introduced into the line buffer memory 30₆Is the details
Line data S to be described in detail₇Is converted to P and constitutes the thermal head drive unit 20
It is introduced to the thermal head drive circuit 34 via the / S converter 32. The therm
Heating element T constituting the thermal head 18 from the head driving circuit 34_P0Or T_Pn-1To
The line data S₇That is, the line buffer memory 30 is configured
Memory address M₀To M_n-1Drives according to the data content of the pulse number recorded in
A current pulse is provided. Thereby, the heating element T_P0Or T_Pn-1Generates heat and is transparent
Thermal printing is recorded on the thermal film F. The transparent heat-sensitive film F is not shown.
In a state where the thermal head 18 is pressed by the platen roller, as shown in FIG.
As shown in the drawing, the paper is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction in the direction of arrow B, while
A is printed over the entire surface of the transparent thermal film F by being thermally printed on A.
An image is originally formed.   In this case, the front end position 0 to the position Y of the transparent thermal film F in the sub-scanning direction.₁Between
Position Y_TwoOr Y_ThreeThe line data S from the line buffer 30 shown in FIG.₇To
Therefore, since the thermal printing is recorded, the scanning line α₀, Α_TwoInitial value I over the entire section of_dTo
Corresponding density D_mWill be recorded. Also, the position Y₁Or Y_TwoThe line shown in FIG.
Data S₇Is recorded by thermal printing. That is, the scanning line α₁Inside, memory add
Less M₀To M_P-1(T as a heating element_P0Or T_PP-1) And memory address M_q-
1To M_n-1(T as a heating element_Pq-1Or T_Pn-1Section corresponding to) Is the initial value I_dConcentration D corresponding to_mThe thermal printing is recorded on the scanning line α₁Inside, memory add
Less M_P(T as a heating element_PP) Through M_q(T as a heating element_pqCorresponding to)
The section is line data S₆An image is recorded in accordance with the signal level of.   Thus, the line data S is stored in the image area 50 on the transparent thermal film F.₆,
That is, the composite video signal S input to the image recording apparatus is₀Based on
A fixed image is recorded, and the initial value I_dConcentration D corresponding to_mTall
A landscape image is recorded. Therefore, the transparent heat-sensitive film F recorded in this manner is shuffled.
When a doctor or the like observes the image by attaching it to a light table such as
It is possible to observe the image area 50 for a long time
It is possible to perform medical diagnosis accurately.   In the above embodiment, the initial value I_dIn the line buffer memory 30.
The configuration is not limited to this configuration. For example, the initial value setting shown in FIG.
The output signal of the circuit 38, ie, the initial value I_dTo introduce into the frame memory 29
Then, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 7, the frame memory 29 corresponds to the non-image portion 52.
The data content of the memory address (the hatched portion in the figure) is the initial value I_dLed
Or the initial value I is stored in all the memory addresses of the frame memory 29._dTo
Needless to say, it may be configured to be introduced.   Furthermore, as a transparent heat-sensitive recording material, Japanese Patent Application Sho 62
Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-88197 discloses a thermal recording material disclosed in
The heat-sensitive recording material disclosed in JP-A-63-318546 can be listed. This thermal note
The recording material is a photosensitive material having a support and a diazo compound and a coupler on one surface thereof.
In a light and heat sensitive recording material provided with a heat layer, the light and heat sensitive layer may be a diazo compound or
Makes microcapsules contain one of the couplers and the other
An emulsified dispersion obtained by dissolving in an organic solvent that is hardly soluble or insoluble in water and then emulsifying and dispersing.
Adjusted, and then coated and dried with a coating solution that is a mixture of both.
It is a heat-sensitive layer.   The thermal recording material is irradiated with ultraviolet light over the entire surface after thermal recording.
Thus, the non-heat applying portion can fix light.   In addition, the thermal sensitivity of this thermal recording material was 100 mJ / mm.^TwoConfirm that color develops below Therefore, by using this thermal recording material, ordinary thermal recording material can be used.
It is a matter of course that thermal print recording can be performed directly by an image recording apparatus having a head.
You. [The invention's effect]   As described above, according to the present invention, characters and images are printed on a thermosensitive material using a thermal head.
When recording an image or the like, a portion for recording an image or the like in accordance with an input signal in the heat-sensitive material
A configuration in which a portion (non-image portion) other than the (image portion) is recorded at a predetermined density.
doing. For this reason, for example, a transparent thermosensitive material is used
When observing with a light table such as a ten, unnecessary transmitted light from non-image areas
Because it can be suppressed, the effect of observing the country image is easy and the eyestrain is reduced.
It is. Moreover, in the present invention, the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application No. 62-88197 and the Japanese Patent Application
By using a high-sensitivity transparent thermosensitive material shown in JP-A-63-318546, the light beam
Without using a scanning mechanism, an image recording apparatus having a normal thermal head can be used.
A high quality image can be obtained. Therefore, the image recording apparatus itself is small and low-priced.
Price can be configured.   As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Of course, improvements and design changes are possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of an image formed on a film output from an image recording apparatus according to the prior art, and FIG. 2 is a main part of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the transparent thermal film and the thermal head, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the density characteristics of the transparent thermal film, and FIGS. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a memory address and data contents of a line buffer memory shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram when thermal printing is performed by a thermal head, and FIG. FIG. 10 ... thermal head drive circuit 14 ... video signal reading section 16 ... video signal memory unit 18 ... thermal head 20 ... thermal head drive unit F ... transparent heat-sensitive film T _P0 ~T _Pn-1 ... heating element

Claims (1)

(1) A thermal element in which an image recording material is relatively moved in a sub-scanning direction and heating elements corresponding to the number of pixels of an image are arranged in a main scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction. In the method of two-dimensionally scanning the image recording material using a head to record character information, image information, and the like, the width of the heating element constituting the thermal head in the main scanning direction is the main scanning of the transparent thermosensitive material. The image recording material is composed of a transparent thermosensitive material having a transparent thermosensitive layer on a transparent support, and when recording an image or the like on the transparent thermosensitive material, character information, image information And a non-recording portion other than the recorded portion is converted into a predetermined density. (2) A thermal head in which heating elements corresponding to the number of pixels are arranged in the main scanning direction, a frame memory for recording an input image signal for each screen, and line data corresponding to scanning lines output from the frame memory And a line buffer memory having a memory area corresponding to at least the number of heating elements arranged in the thermal head, and initial data input means for inputting initial data to the line buffer memory for each scan. Moving the transparent thermosensitive material provided with a transparent thermosensitive layer on a transparent support in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction and driving a heating element of the thermal head to form the transparent thermosensitive material. Is scanned two-dimensionally, and non-recording portions other than those to be recorded, such as character information and image information, are recorded in the initial data according to the input image signal. An image recording apparatus for performing density conversion to a density corresponding to data. (3) A thermal head in which heating elements corresponding to the number of pixels are arranged in the main scanning direction, a frame memory for recording an input image signal for each screen, and line data corresponding to scanning lines output from the frame memory And a line buffer memory having a memory area corresponding to at least the number of heating elements arranged in the thermal head, and initial data input means for inputting initial data to the frame memory for each scan. The transparent thermosensitive material provided with a transparent thermosensitive layer on a transparent support is relatively moved in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and a heating element of the thermal head is driven to drive the transparent thermosensitive material. Scan in two dimensions,
An image recording apparatus, wherein non-recording portions other than those to be recorded, such as character information and image information, are density-converted to a density corresponding to the initial data in accordance with the input image signal.