JPH01229662A - 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] Industrial Application] The present invention records image information on a heat-sensitive recording medium, uses this as a photomask plate, and exposes the photosensitive recording medium through this mask plate to create an image. The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that forms images.

[Prior Art] Image recording apparatuses using photosensitive recording media are already known, but for example, according to an image recording apparatus using a color-compatible photosensitive recording medium (see US Pat. No. 4,399,209), Red, green, and other colors input using an image scanner, etc.
Image information for each color of blue is recorded in a single color (usually black) on a recording medium such as a transparent film to create three types of mask plates, and then these three types of mask plates are sequentially transferred one by one to a photosensitive recording medium. It is superimposed on a surface and exposed to light using a light emission wavelength corresponding to each color information. A color image is then formed by a predetermined development process.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, it has been found that when the photomask plate is replaced with a transparent film or the like and is used as a recording medium with color sensitivity such as thermal paper, the outline of the image becomes clearer and there is also a cost advantage. However, immediately after information is recorded on the mask plate, the coloring density is not stabilized immediately due to the poor coloring sensitivity of the thermal paper itself.

Therefore, the recording start part and recording end part of the mask version are
The light transmittance of the printed area is different, and there is a slight difference in density between the same images. Therefore, if the entire surface is exposed immediately after the photomask plate is prepared, there is a problem in that differences in shading, contrast, etc. occur in the image output after development at the recording start and end portions.

The present invention creates a photomask plate using a heat-sensitive information recording medium, and when exposing the photosensitive recording medium through this mask plate, it is possible to obtain a clear and good quality image without color unevenness in the output image. The object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device that can be used as an image recording device.

[Means for solving the problem] In order to achieve this object, the image recording device of the present invention has the following features:
a> Mask plate creation means for sequentially recording information by line recording on a heat-sensitive information recording medium based on input image information to create a photomask plate; An optical recording means is provided for exposing a photosensitive recording medium in a line manner from an information recording start end of the mask plate to form an optical image on the photosensitive recording medium based on the input image information.

[Function] Since the photomask plate is created by recording on a heat-sensitive information recording medium by line recording, the color density at the end of recording is unstable compared to the beginning of recording.
While the mask plate is sequentially exposed in a line manner from the information recording start edge, the color density at the recording end area also tends to stabilize. When this happens, there is no variation in color density, and the photosensitive recording medium is uniformly exposed.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.The image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 0 records a color image. Recording is performed using an input device or the like based on image data for each color of red, green, and blue, but a description of the means for inputting the image data will be omitted since it is not the gist of the present invention.

However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Thermal paper F, which is a heat-sensitive information recording medium sent from the uncoiler 6, passes through it, and after being linearly conveyed a certain distance in the horizontal direction, it is wound up by the recoiler 20. There is. The thermal head 1 includes:
Image information is input via the control unit 3 for each color of red, green, and blue. Further, an endless light source transfer belt 10 is stretched between pulleys 9a and 9b so as to face the upper surface of the thermal paper F being conveyed, and a light source unit 4 is attached to the belt 10 so as to face the upper surface of the thermal paper F. can be installed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the light source unit 4 has a structure in which a tubular light source 17 elongated in the width direction of the thermal paper F is surrounded by a light-shielding tube 16 and a filter unit tube 18 in a double-cylindrical shape. A light slit 21 is opened in the long horizontal direction facing the surface of the thermal paper F, and a filter unit cylinder 18 is opened.
A red filter 19a, a green filter 19b, and a blue filter 19c are attached to the filters, respectively. The filter unit cylinder 18 is rotated by a motor (not shown), so that the filters 19a to 19c are configured to face the optical slit 21 in a switchable manner. A motor 5 is connected to the pulley 9a via a transmission belt 12a, and the motor 5 is connected to a one-way clutch 15 provided on the roller shaft of the platen roller 2 via a transmission belt 12b. The thermal paper F is made by coating microcapsules containing dye (usually black) on its surface, and when the microcapsules are ruptured by the heat of the thermal head 1, the dye in that part becomes colored. It is used.

On the other hand, an exposure table 11 is placed on the lower surface side of the thermal paper F to be transported.
is provided, and the photosensitive pressure paper 7, which is a photosensitive recording medium, fed from the recoiler 7a over the exposure table 11 is placed on the photosensitive paper F.
It is designed so that it passes almost overlapping the surface. The photosensitive and pressure sensitive paper 7 is attached to a pair of pressure rollers 8a of the pressure developing section 8.

After passing between 8b, it is cut off by a cutter 13 and sent to a stacker 14. The light-sensitive and pressure-sensitive paper 7 has microcapsules of cyan, magenta, and yellow color-forming base materials mixed and coated on its surface, and the details of its color-forming principle are already disclosed in U.S. Pat.
Although it is known from the specification of No. 99209 and the like, so the explanation will be omitted, the photocuring wavelength of microcapsules of cyan, magenta, and yellow color forming base materials is determined, for example, cyan is 450 nm, magenta is 550 nm, The yellow color is photocured at 650 nm. In this embodiment, so-called self-coloring photosensitive pressure sensitive paper is used.

In the image recording apparatus configured as described above, if red image information is first input to the thermal head 1, the platen roller 2 is simultaneously rotated by the drive of the motor 5 and the thermal paper F is rotated. Information is recorded on the surface based on the red image information, and a photomask plate for the red image is created. At this time, as the light source transfer belt 10 is driven by the motor 5 and moves from the broken line position f (position B) in FIG. do. When the photomask plate for the red image is completed on the surface of the thermal paper F in this way, the light source unit 4 is located exactly at the information recording start edge of the photomask plate (at the position A indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1). 1), then, with the light source unit 4 set on the red filter 19a, the light source 1 is
7 lights up, and the light source unit 4 is moved back in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow a by the reverse rotation drive of the motor 5. As a result, the surface of the photosensitive pressure sensitive paper 7 is exposed through the photomask plate for the red image.

At this time, the cyan microcapsules on the surface of the photosensitive pressure sensitive paper 7 are photocured. At this time, even if the color density of the photomask plate at the end of the information recording by the thermal head 1 is not yet sufficiently stable in terms of time compared to the beginning of information recording, it becomes stable during the time when the light source unit 4 returns. As a result, the surface of the photosensitive pressure sensitive paper 7 is uniformly exposed. In this way, once the exposure is completed based on the red image @ information, next based on the green image information,
Further, based on the blue image information, an optical image is sequentially superimposed on the surface of the photosensitive and pressure sensitive paper 7, and once this is completed, the photosensitive and pressure sensitive paper 7 is sent to the pressure developing section 8 to crush the uncured microcapsules, thereby creating a desired visible image. is obtained. still,
Needless to say, in the case of green image information, the green filter 19b is used to photocure the magenta microcapsules, and in the case of blue image information, the blue filter 19c is used to photocure the yellow microcapsules. stomach.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments,
For example, in this embodiment, so-called self-coloring type photosensitive and pressure sensitive paper was used, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to transfer type photosensitive and pressure sensitive paper.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the detailed description above, according to the present invention,
Even though the photomask plate is created on a heat-sensitive information recording medium, the exposure of the photosensitive recording iJX body is carried out in a state where the color density of the mask plate is not stabilized. A high-quality image record with clear outlines and no unevenness can be obtained. Another advantage is that the image recording time can be shortened by proceeding with line exposure without waiting for the color density of the photomask plate to be stabilized at the end of information recording.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a detailed diagram of a light source unit 4. As shown in FIG. In the figure, 1 is a thermal head, 2 is a platen roller, 4 is a light source unit, 5 is a motor, 7 is photosensitive pressure sensitive paper, 8 is a pressure fixing unit, and F is thermal paper. Patent application Katsuji Kawashima, President and Director of Brother Industries, Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mask plate creating means for sequentially recording information by line recording on a heat-sensitive information recording medium based on input image information to create a photomask plate; An image recording apparatus comprising an optical recording means for exposing a photosensitive recording medium in a line manner from the information recording start end side of the mask plate to form an optical image on the photosensitive recording medium based on the input image information.