JPH06130499A - Halftone film accumulator of automatic color proofing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] The present invention can easily take out an arbitrary set of halftone dot films from a plurality of accumulated sets, and further contribute to downsizing of an automatic color proofing machine and improvement of work efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized halftone dot film accumulating device. A plurality of upper and lower trays 41 for accommodating a plurality of sets of halftone film, a support plate 421 for supporting the trays 41, a first tray support means 42 having an elevating and lowering drive means, and an upper tray group 41u are provided. The second tray supporting means 43 for supporting and the upper tray group 41u are supported by the first tray supporting means 42 so that the plurality of trays 41 are lifted so that the tray group 41u is supported by the second tray supporting means 42u. After being supported by the means 43, the support plate 421 is lowered to control the next tray 41a to the uppermost position of the lower tray group 41d, and the next tray 41a and the upper tray 41b are provided. A predetermined film take-out space is formed between them.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is effective when applied to a halftone film accumulating device of an automatic color proofing machine, and more particularly to a chemical proof type automatic color proofing machine used for color proofing of multicolor printed matter. Regarding an integrated device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a flatbed proofing machine has been mainly used as a color proofing machine for proofreading a color of a multi-color printed matter. It was difficult to do so quickly. Therefore, recently, there has been proposed an automatic color proofing machine of a chemical proof system capable of obtaining a high quality proof (proof) and capable of significantly reducing manpower (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-135828). (See the official gazette).

This automatic color proofing machine outputs a proof by using a plurality of kinds of halftone dot films produced as positive or negative for each color based on the color separation of an original image. A sheet material supplying device and a laminating device. , An exposure device, a developing device, a halftone film stacking device, and a transporting / positioning device for each sheet and film. First, a color material corresponding to one color of the color separation is placed on a base paper. Laminating, exposing the laminated base paper and the coloring material (hereinafter, also referred to as a laminated sheet) with a halftone dot film of one of the above-mentioned plural kinds, and exposing the laminated sheet after the exposure. Then, a color image of one color is formed on the base paper. Then, the following color material is laminated on the base paper, and a step of forming a color image of the next one color on the base paper in a similar process is sequentially performed for each color to perform multicolor printing.

In the conventional halftone dot film accumulating device used in such an automatic color proofing machine, a plurality of halftone dot films corresponding to a plurality of types of color material sheets are set as one set and a plurality of halftone dot films are stacked. In the device, the unexposed halftone dot film is transferred from the top to the film transport means (three-dimensional arm, etc.), and the exposed halftone dot film is inserted under the unexposed halftone dot film bundle. It has become. Then, the place where the exposed halftone film used for exposure in the exposure device is received from the transport means and the place where the unexposed halftone film is accumulated are adjacent to each other. The layout of the automatic color proofing machine has been devised to reduce the installation space of the entire automatic color proofing machine as much as possible.

[0005]

However, in such a halftone dot film accumulating device of the conventional automatic color proofing machine, the delivery place of the halftone dot film after exposure and the unexposed halftone dot to be taken out next. Since the place where the film was delivered and the place where the film was delivered were separate from each other, the device had to be installed in a large area, which led to an increase in the size of the automatic color proofing machine.

Further, since a plurality of sets of halftone dot films are piled up and accumulated in a bundle, it is necessary to carry out the exposure operation in the order of stacking the halftone dot films at the time of the accumulation. It was not possible to take it out quickly, and the efficiency of the color proofing work was reduced. Further, as described above, when the halftone dot film accumulating device projects to the front side of the device, it is possible to reduce the installation space of the entire automatic color proofing machine to some extent, but the workability of the maintenance work of the device behind it is deteriorated. However, it was not preferable in terms of the appearance of the device.

In view of the above, the present invention makes it possible to easily take out any halftone dot film from among a plurality of stacked sets, and further, to reduce the size of the automatic color proofing machine and improve the working efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide a halftone dot film accumulating device.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that any one of a plurality of color material sheets is laminated on a base sheet, and the laminated color material sheet is colored. In an automatic color proofing machine that exposes through a halftone film having color image information corresponding to a material sheet and develops the exposed color material sheet to form a predetermined color image on the base sheet, A plurality of halftone dot films corresponding to the color material sheets as one set and storing a plurality of sets of halftone dot films, a support plate for supporting the plurality of stages of trays, and a drive for driving the support plates up and down. A first tray supporting means having means, a second tray supporting means capable of supporting a group of trays of a plurality of trays lifted to a predetermined height or more at the height, and a halftone film to be taken out. Training The plurality of trays are lifted by the first tray support means so that the upper tray group is at a predetermined height or more, and the upper tray group is supported by the second tray support means in the lifted state, One of the first tray support means and the second tray support means is moved so that the first tray support means is lowered to position the next tray at the uppermost position of the tray group supported by the first tray support means. Control means for controlling the operation, and a predetermined film take-out space is formed between the next tray and the lowermost tray of the tray group stored in the second tray support means. The next halftone dot film can be taken out from the next tray supported by the tray supporting means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first tray support means has a drive means including an induction motor, and the control means has a plurality of limit switches for detecting an ascending / descending position of the support plate. , The control means controls the induction motor based on the position detection information of the limit switch, and when moving the tray, decelerates the induction motor to a predetermined speed or less before the necessary amount of movement is completed. The supporting plate is stopped from the moving state after the deceleration.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, a predetermined film take-out space is formed between the next tray from which the halftone film should be taken out and the lowermost tray of the tray group stored in the second tray supporting means. To be done. Therefore, the halftone film placed on any tray can be easily and quickly taken out, and the installation area of the apparatus can be minimized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the induction motor based on the position detection information of the plurality of limit switches, and when the tray is moved, the induction motor is previously moved before the required amount of movement is completed. The support plate is decelerated below a predetermined speed, and the support plate is stopped from the moving state after the deceleration.
Therefore, the deceleration at the time of stop is reduced and the position accuracy is improved.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 9 are views showing an embodiment of a halftone dot film accumulating device of an automatic color proofing machine according to the present invention. Note that FIG.
3 shows the structure of the halftone dot film accumulating device, and FIG.
9 shows the construction of the entire automatic color proofing machine and other parts.

First, the overall structure of the automatic color proofing machine will be described. This automatic color proofing machine is made of four kinds (a plurality of kinds) prepared as positives (or negatives) for each color based on color separation of original images. ). A proof print is output by using the halftone dot film F of 4) and a plurality of types of color material sheets corresponding to these halftone dot films F. The feed device 10, the laminating device 20, and the laminating device 20 shown in FIG.
An exposure apparatus 30, a halftone dot film accumulating apparatus 40, and a developing apparatus 50 of one embodiment are provided, and a conveying apparatus 60 which is divided into these apparatuses 10 to 50 and forms a predetermined conveying path as a whole. The feed device 10, the laminating device 20, the exposure device 30, and the halftone film stacking device 40 are engaged with each other.
It is configured as a detachable independent device, and is arranged in a straight line along the predetermined transport path, and a developing device 50 is arranged below the laminating device 20 arranged in a straight line. Each of these devices 10 to 50 includes an operation input unit for operation commands, and a microcomputer or the like that can independently operate each device based on the input to the operation input unit, internal sensor information, and the like. The control circuit built in each device 10 to 50 is connected to a host computer (not shown) that centrally manages the operation of each device 10 to 50, and each control device operates in accordance with a command from the host computer. It is adapted to carry out the operation of the device.

Next, the structure of each part of the automatic color proofing machine will be described in the order of sheet flow. <Feed Device 10> As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the feed device 10 is mainly a vertically movable base sheet storage tray 11 for accommodating and accommodating a plurality of (for example, 50) base sheets (not shown). And cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (BK).
Upper and lower layers (plural) of color material sheet storage trays 12, 13, 14, 15 for storing each sheet), a transport unit 16 provided below the base sheet storage tray 11, and color material sheet storage trays 12 to 15 Also, it is composed of lifting drive means 17 and 18 for driving the transport unit 16 up and down, and an automatic winding type cover (not shown) that covers the loading / unloading ports of the trays 11 to 15.

The base sheet storage tray 11 is usually provided so as to be positioned at a predetermined base sheet feeding height (position shown in FIG. 5), and the transport unit 16 is driven by the elevating and lowering drive means 18 to its highest position. When it is opened, it can be lifted by the carrying unit 16 as shown in FIG. Further, the color material sheet storage trays 12 to 15 are moved up and down as a group by the elevating drive means 17, and any one of the color material sheet storage trays 12 to 15 has a predetermined color material sheet feeding height (in FIG. 5). The color material sheet storage tray 12 is located). The transport unit 16 has a transport belt 16a that can rotate in the forward direction at the lowest position (the positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) and can rotate in the reverse direction at the highest position. Paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 71, or the developed circulating sheet is re-fed (details will be described later).

FIG. 6 shows the construction of the elevating and lowering drive means 17, 18. As shown in the figure, the lifting / lowering drive means 17 includes color material sheet storage trays 12 to 15 on both front and rear sides of the feeding device 10.
A chain 171, which is connected to the support plate 19 that detachably supports the left and right in the figure, a plurality of sprocket wheels 172-176 that engage with the chain 171, and the sprocket wheel 17
2 and a motor 177 for rotating the same. Further, the elevating and lowering drive means 18 is provided on both front and rear sides of the feed device 10 with chains 181, which are respectively connected to the transport unit 16 on the left and right sides in the drawing,
It has a plurality of sprocket wheels 182-186 that engage with the chain 181, and a motor 187 that rotationally drives the sprocket wheels 182. The sprocket wheels 172-176 and 182-186 are rotatably supported by the frame 10f of the feed device 10. Further, a plurality of limit switch dogs 179 and 189 are attached to the right end portion of the support plate 19 and the transport unit 16 in FIG. 6, respectively, and a plurality of limit switches corresponding to these are provided on the frame 10f side of the feed device 10. 178 and 188 are attached, and the support plate 19 and the transport unit are controlled by the built-in control circuit that receives signals from the plurality of limit switches 178 and 188.
The motors 177 and 187 are stopped at a plurality of 16 stop positions, whereby the color material sheet storage trays 12 to 15 and the transport unit 16 are stopped at the respective stop positions.

Further, in FIG. 5, the base sheet storage tray 11 and the color material sheet storage trays 12 to 15 are located at positions A ₁ and A ₂ near the laminator device 20, respectively. , Also referred to as a suction robot), and the base sheet and each color material sheet are fed by the suction robot to the nip portions of the upper and lower introduction rollers 23a and 23b of the laminating apparatus 20 while keeping the upper and lower sides of the paper surface constant. It is supposed to be. That is, the feed device 10 is a laminating device for a base sheet and a color material sheet of any one of a plurality of types.
It is possible to feed to the transport path on the 20 side, and the transport belt 16a of the transport unit 16 is reversely rotated at the base sheet feed height to re-feed the circulating sheet,
The sheet feeding path for the base sheet and the sheet feeding path for the circulating sheet to the laminating apparatus 20 are commonly used.

The automatic roll-up type cover is like a well-known roll-up type curtain which has a roll-up portion above the tray loading / unloading port and can be opened / closed and stopped at an appropriate position. It is designed to open automatically when you pull it, push it to the back and release it. <Laminating device 20> The laminating device 20 includes a laminator portion 21 adjacent to the feed device 10 and a stripping portion 22 adjacent to the exposure device 30, and the laminator portion 21 includes the introduction rollers 23a and 23b and a base sheet conveying device. A vacuum tank 25 arranged in proximity to the path 24a and the color material sheet transport path 24b, a cleaning sheet 26 for cleaning the opposite surfaces of the base sheet and the color material sheet on the vacuum tank 25, and both transport paths. It is composed of a pair of laminating rollers 27 provided at the confluence of 24a and 24b, and roller driving means (not shown). When one sheet of base sheet and one sheet of coloring material are fed from the feeding device 10, the base sheet and the coloring material sheet are cleaned by the cleaning means 26, and then the pair of laminating rollers 27 contact with each other with a predetermined pressure. A color material sheet is laminated on the base sheet through the gap. The cleaning sheet 26 is formed of a band-shaped non-woven fabric and wound on a roll. The cleaning sheet 26 covers a portion of the vacuum tank 25 near the transport paths 24a and 24b, and can be sequentially drawn out and wound up. .

The stripping section 22 has a stripping tape unit 28 which comes into contact with the upper surfaces of the base sheet and the coloring material sheet laminated by the laminator section 21, that is, the upper surface of the coloring material sheet on the base sheet. The tape unit 28 includes an adhesive tape 28a having an adhesive surface on the surface of the transport paths 24a and 24b facing the merge transport path 24, and the tape 28a.
a, a pair of rolls 28b and 28c for sequentially feeding and winding according to the number of times of sheet passing, a guide roller 28d for bringing the tape 28a close to the confluent conveying path 24, and a winding tape pressing member 28e.
And the like, and by bringing the adhesive tape 28a into contact with the upper surface of the color material sheet on the base sheet, the tip end side of the carrier film forming the upper surface of this color material sheet is peeled off from the lower layer portion. There is. This peeling operation is necessary because the coloring material sheet is a known one in which the coloring material is applied to one surface of the flexible carrier film, and the carrier film becomes unnecessary after the coloring material is laminated on the base sheet.

The base sheet and the color material (hereinafter, referred to as "laminated by the laminator portion 21" and the carrier film of the color material film peeled off by the peeling tape unit 28 (hereinafter,
The laminate sheet S) is positioned and placed on a laminate sheet placing table 29 provided in the stripping section 22 close to the exposure device 30 side. Loop positioning belt 29
This sheet is positioned at a predetermined position by a and the sheet position sensor 29b.

The carrier film which comes into contact with the adhesive tape 28a of the stripping tape unit 28 and is stripped off by a predetermined amount on the tip side thereof is stripped off entirely by a stripping claw (not shown) and then stripped off. The sheet is discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) provided on the upper side of. Further, in FIG. 6, 201 is a chain that links the drive systems (details not shown) of the laminator section 21 and the stripping section 22 in order to synchronize them.

<Exposure Device 30> The exposure device 30 is provided with an exposure lamp unit 31 provided at the uppermost portion thereof and having a predetermined exposure output,
A glass plate unit 32 provided below the exposure lamp unit 31, an exposure table 35 provided below the glass plate unit 32, and an exposure table 35 which is driven up and down to expose the exposure table 35 and the glass plate unit 32. A moving means 36 for relatively moving the two in a facing direction, and a vacuum pump for removing air in a space surrounded by the seal member 33 between the exposure table 35 and the glass plate unit 32 (details). (Not shown).

The exposure lamp unit 31 emits light (for example, ultraviolet rays) of a predetermined output during a preset exposure time (the lightness and darkness of an image changes depending on the increase or decrease of the exposure time). As shown in FIG. 7, the glass plate unit 32 has a substantially rectangular shape and is arranged around the glass plate main body 321 that transmits light from the exposure lamp unit 31 in a predetermined exposure area and the exposure area of the glass plate main body 321. The sealing member 33 is provided, and an air vent passage 34 connected to the air venting means 37 is provided in a part of the peripheral portion thereof. The glass plate unit 32 and the exposure table 35 are vertically spaced apart by a predetermined distance except during exposure.

The exposure table 35 is, for example, a substantially rectangular metal elastic plate 35 made of a thin plate of stainless steel having a constant plate thickness.
1, a supporting frame 352 that supports the peripheral portion of the metal elastic plate 351, and one side of the metal elastic plate 351 that is close to the halftone dot film accumulating device 40. The laminate sheet S and A known resist pin 353 which engages with each of a plurality of positioning holes (holes formed in the base sheet and the halftone film) of the halftone film to position the sheet S _E to be exposed, which is a laminate of these, at a predetermined position. (Positioning member).

When the glass plate unit 32 and the exposure table 35 come close to each other due to the rise of the exposure table 35 (state of FIG. 7), a space surrounded by the seal member 33 and shielded from the surroundings is formed therebetween. . Further, the metal elastic plate 351 forming the lower surface of this space has a substantially flat shape facing the glass plate body 321 in the entire exposure region, and the air in the space passes through the air vent passage 34 by the air vent means 37. When the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure or less, the metal elastic plate 351 bends toward the glass plate unit 32 side. Then, at the time of this bending, the metal elastic plate 351
The exposed sheet S _E previously placed on the glass sheet main body 321 is sequentially pressed from the central portion to the peripheral portion thereof, and the upper surface of the exposed sheet S _E (upper surface of the halftone dot film) and the glass sheet main body. The air remaining between the sheet 321 and the surface 321 is pushed out to the peripheral portion side, and the exposed sheet S _E is surely brought into close contact with the glass plate body 321 in the entire exposure region.

The elevation drive means 36 for the exposure table 35 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the exposure table
A chain 362 connected left and right in the figure with a support member 361 that supports 35 from below, a plurality of sprocket wheels 363 to 368 that engage with the chain 362, a motor 370 that rotationally drives the sprocket wheel 363, and an exposure. It has four (plural) limit switches 371 to 374 attached to a frame (not shown in detail) of the device 30 and connected to the built-in control circuit.
The motor 370 can be stopped according to the ON / OFF states of 1 to 374, and the exposure table 35 can be positioned at four stop positions above and below. When the exposure table 35 stops at the lowest position, the cylinder causes the registration pin 35
3 is driven, and the resist pin 353 engaged with the resist hole of the laminate sheet S is recessed in the lower side, and the positioning of the laminate sheet S is released. In addition, the support member 36
1 has a wire so that its moving direction is opposite to that of the supporting member 361.
A relatively lightweight counterweight 378 is connected via the 375 and a plurality of pulleys 376 and 377 so as to reduce the variation in the driving load due to the lifting and lowering of the support member 361.

The elastic plate 351 may be made by appropriately selecting its material and shape so as to draw a desired bending curve (elastic curve) when the space is depressurized to a predetermined pressure.
A metal having elasticity other than stainless steel, or an elastic plate in which a part or the whole is made of plastic may be used if the area of the exposure region is small. The resist pin 353 is driven by an air cylinder or the like (not shown), and a plurality of O-rings 355 surrounding the resist pin 353 are provided in a guide portion 354 fixed to one side of the metal elastic plate 351 so as to guide the resist pin 353. , 356 is installed.

<Dot Film Accumulating Device 40> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dot film accumulating device 40 of this embodiment has a plurality of upper and lower trays 41 each having a substantially rectangular shape, and these trays 41 are moved up and down. The first tray support means 42 that supports the tray tray 41 and the second tray support means 43 that can support the tray group 41u that has risen above a predetermined transfer line height at that height and that can release the supported state. A control means (not shown) for controlling the operation of the first and second tray support means 42, 43, and an automatic winding type cover (not shown) for covering the inlets and outlets of the plurality of trays 41 (the automatic winding type of the feeding device 10). (Substantially similar to the cover).

The tray 41 includes a plurality of halftone dot films F corresponding to the plurality of kinds of color material sheets, for example, four kinds (four sheets) of halftone positive films obtained by color separation of original images.
Predetermined color order as a set (for example, black (B
K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) in this order), and upper and lower trays 41 store a plurality of sets of halftone film corresponding to a plurality of original images. There is. If the exposure and development are repeated four times using the four halftone dot films of each tray 41, a proof print corresponding to the original image can be made.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of positioning pins 411 and a plurality of static elimination brushes 412 are provided at predetermined intervals on one side of each tray 41.
12 is designed to prevent the halftone dot films F from being attracted to each other by static electricity. Further, the left and right side walls of each tray 41 are formed on the concave groove, and the second tray supporting means 43 is engaged with the both side walls.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first tray supporting means 42 includes a support plate 421 for supporting a plurality of trays 41 from below on both front and rear sides of the halftone film stacking device 40, and a support plate 421. Chain 422 connected on the left and right in the figure and this chain 4
A plurality of sprocket wheels 423 to 428 that engage with 22,
It has an unillustrated induction motor (driving means) for rotationally driving the sprocket wheel 423 and vertically moving the support plate 421. Although not shown, the sprocket wheel 423
A brake device is connected to the sprocket wheel 423 via a one-way clutch and a belt, and when the support plate 421 is lowered, the braking force from the brake device acts on the sprocket wheel 423. Further, a counter weight 441 is connected to the support plate 421 via a wire 435 and a plurality of pulleys 436 to 439 so that the moving direction thereof is upside down, and the tray 41 is fully loaded on the support plate 421. The load of the induction motor is reduced. The brake device and the pulley are supported by the frame of the halftone dot film stacking device 40.

The first tray support means 42 is located at the uppermost position of the plurality of trays 41d on which the next tray 41a from which the halftone dot film F is to be taken out is placed on the support plate 421.
In addition, the support plate should be placed so that it is located at the predetermined pass line height.
Position 421. Then, the halftone film F in the next tray 41a is sequentially taken out from the uppermost one to the developing device 50 side by the first transporting means 70 described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second tray supporting means 43 is a pair of rotating claws 431a and 431b provided on both front and rear sides of the apparatus so as to be horizontally rotatable at a predetermined transfer line height.
And a cylinder 43 that connects the other ends of both rotation claws 431a and 431b.
3 and a rod 434. A pair of rotating claws 431a, 4
31b is engageable with both side walls of the tray 41 at one end, and the cylinder 433 has a rotating pawl 431 through a rod 434 when it extends.
The a and 431b can be brought into pressure contact with both side walls of the tray 41, and the tray 41 is positioned and held by the pressure contact engagement of the pair of front and rear turning claws 431a and 431b. Further, the cylinder 433 rotates the pair of rotating claws 431a and 431b to a position where the tray 41 can be moved up and down when the cylinder 433 is contracted to release the positioning holding state, and the respective rotating claws 431a and 431b are moved to the tray 41. Separate from both sidewalls. This second tray support means 43
Is a means capable of supporting the tray group 41u lifted above the predetermined delivery line height (predetermined height) by the pair of front and rear rotating claws 431a and 431b, and below the tray group 41u. It is possible to form a film take-out space for a predetermined number of stages or more between the descended support plate 421 and the tray group 41d. The fluid supply means to the cylinder 433 and its control valve are well known and will not be described in detail, but they are controlled by the built-in device circuit.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a plurality of limit switches 429 connected to the built-in control circuit are mounted in a line on the frame 40f of the halftone film integrated device 40. , These multiple limit switches 42
Corresponding to 9, dogs 431 for a plurality of limit switches are attached to the end of the support plate 421. These limit switch 429 and dog 431 constitute a control means together with the built-in control circuit and a valve for controlling a cylinder,
A control program for executing a predetermined tray moving work is stored in the built-in control circuit. This tray moving operation is executed by the control means when a predetermined halftone film take-out preparation command is received from the host computer. Although the details of this work will be described later, the first tray supporting means 42 has a tray group 41u above the tray (hereinafter, referred to as the next tray) 41a storing the ordered (taken out) halftone film F. The plurality of trays 41 are lifted so that the height is equal to or higher than a predetermined delivery line height. The second tray support means 43 supports the tray group 41u above the delivery line height. Then, the supporting plate 421 of the first tray supporting means 42 descends, and the first tray supporting means 4
The uppermost tray 41a of the tray group 41d supported by 2
A predetermined film take-out space is formed between the lowermost tray 41b of the tray group 41u stored in the second tray supporting means 43.

The control means is the first tray support means.
When moving (elevating) the tray 41 by 42, the induction motor is operated based on the detection information of the plurality of limit switches 429 to move the support plate 421, and before the movement of the necessary number of steps is completed (for example, One stage before), the induction motor is previously decelerated to a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, and the induction motor is stopped in the moving state after the deceleration.

Further, the plurality of limit switch dogs 431 constituting the control means have cutout regions of different lengths and positions, and the limit switch 429 corresponding to each dog has a cutout of the dog. For example, ON in the area,
It is turned off in other areas, and tray 4 is selected from the combination of ON / OFF of multiple limit switches 429.
It is possible to detect the amount of ascent and descent for each step and multiple steps of 1.

<Developing device 50> The developing device 50 is not specifically shown in the drawing, but sprays a developing solution onto the laminated sheet S which has been exposed by the exposure device 30 and unfixes the color material sheet by a brush roller or the like. A part of the color material is removed from the base sheet, and a predetermined color image is developed on the base sheet. Then, the base sheet on which the color image has been developed is washed with water, then dried with hot air and a Molton roll, post-exposed and discharged. Such a developing process is known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When it is not necessary to superimpose the next color image on the discharged base sheet, that is, when the proof printing is completed, this base sheet is used as the transport unit.
The paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 71 by 16. On the other hand, when it is necessary to superimpose the next color image on the base sheet, the base sheet is lifted up to the base sheet feeding height by the transport unit 16 as a circulating sheet and fed again to the laminating apparatus 20.

<Conveying Device 60> The conveying device 60 provided by being divided into the above-mentioned respective devices 10 to 50 is the same as the above-mentioned 2 of the feeding device 10.
Suction robot, transport unit 16 and lifting drive means
17 and a plurality of roller groups 23a, 23b in the laminating apparatus 20.
Etc. and the positioning belt 29a, the elevating and lowering drive means 36 of the exposure table 35 of the exposure device 30, and the first conveying means 70 described later
A second conveying means 80 provided on the sheet introducing side of the developing device 50 and a third conveying means 90 provided on the sheet discharging side of the developing device 50.
The sheet is conveyed by a predetermined conveying path that passes through the feed device 10, the laminating device 20, the exposure device 30, and the developing device 50.

Here, the first transfer means 70 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 7, a main guide rail 71 and an auxiliary guide rail 72 that have entered both devices 20 and 40 along the front and rear inner wall surfaces of the laminating device 20 and the halftone dot film collecting device 40, and a plurality of rollers 73a, 73b, 74a, A linear transfer robot 75 driven straight by a rodless cylinder (not shown) guided by both guide rails 71 and 72 via 74b, and a frame 70f supporting the linear transfer robot 75 and the guide rails 71 and 72.
(The details are not shown), and a steady rest mechanism 77 interposed therebetween. The straight transfer robot 75 has an upper frame 76 movable along the guide rails 71 and 72,
The suction holding unit 78 is supported by the upper frame 76 via a plurality of joint members 79 so as to be able to move up and down.
The suction holding unit 78 can suck and hold the peripheral portions of the laminate sheet S and the halftone dot film F by introducing a negative pressure to the plurality of suction portions 781, and by releasing this negative pressure, the sheet holding state is maintained. It can be canceled. Further, a cam and a motor (not shown) are attached to the upper frame 76, and when the cam engages with the suction holding unit 78 and rotates, the suction holding unit 78 moves up and down.

The first transfer means 70 is a linear transfer robot.
The laminate sheet S is supplied from the laminating apparatus 20 to the exposure apparatus 30 by 75, and the halftone film F is taken out from the lower tray 41a of the two trays vertically separated in the halftone film stacking apparatus 40, and the exposure apparatus 30 is used. It is conveyed and placed on the laminate sheet S placed on the exposure table 35 inside. The frame 70f of the first transfer means 70
Is supported only by the exposure device 30 when the devices 10 to 40 are separated. Also. Positioning cylinders 711 and 712 for positioning the upper frame 76 in the exposure apparatus 30 are provided on the guide rail 71, and both cylinders 711 and 712 press a positioning member (not shown) against the upper frame 76 to set the upper frame 76 in a predetermined manner. Position in position.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the straight-ahead transport robot 75 has a cleaning member 75 which is vertically movable.
1 and a squeeze roller 752 are provided. The cleaning member 751 is supported by the upper frame 76 so as to be rotatable up and down, and when rising, the glass plate body 321 of the glass plate unit 32.
And the glass plate unit 32 is cleaned as the upper frame 76 moves (returns). The squeeze roller 752 is similar to the cleaning member 751 in the upper frame 76.
Is supported so as to be rotatable up and down, contacts the exposed sheet S _E on the exposure table 35 when descending, and rolls along with the movement of the upper frame 76 while pressing the sheet S _E ,
The sheet S _E is pressed onto the exposure table 35 without any gap. These members 751 and 752 are both cylinders.
Driven by the 753.

The steady rest mechanism 77 has a pair of pulley support shafts (not shown) provided so as to project vertically upward from the upper frame 76 of the straight transfer robot 75, and a pair of pulley support shafts 1
Two pairs of pulleys 771 and 772 attached to each pair and a pair of pulleys 771 and 772 are hung from near one end of the guide rail 71 to near the other end of the auxiliary guide rail 72, and two pairs of pulleys 77 are provided on the way.
The first wire 773 wound around the pair of pulleys 771 and 772 in the upper part of the 1 and 772, and the first wire 773 is hung from near one end of the auxiliary guide rail 72 to near the other end of the guide rail 71. The lower pulley 77 of the pair of pulleys 771 and 772
The first wire 774 is wound around the first wire 772. The first wire 773 and the second wire 774 are so-called fighting wires, both ends of which are locked to the frame 70f, and the inclination of the linear transfer robot 75 driven by the rodless cylinder on the guide rail 71 side is fixed. It can be blocked by each tension.

The second conveying means 80 is a lift driving means 36 for the exposure table 35 and a sheet S _E on the exposure table 35 when the exposure table 35 is lowered to the lowest position (base sheet outside the image forming area). And a retractable roller robot 81 that engages with. The retractable roller robot 81 is
An arm member 82 supported by a common base frame (not shown) of the laminating device 20 and the developing device 50 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction in FIG. 5, and an O-ring attached to one end of the arm member 82. Friction transfer roller 83 and arm member 82
It is composed of a drive cylinder or the like (not shown) that is connected to the other end of the arm member 82 to swing the arm member 82.
Since the friction coefficient between the (O-ring) and the base sheet is large, the base sheet on the exposure table 35 is developed by the developing device.
It can be frictionally conveyed to a conveyor (not shown) on the 50 side. The third transfer means 90 is the transfer unit 16 and the lifting drive means.
18 and a built-in control circuit of the feeding device 10, and when it is necessary to form the next color image on the developed base sheet by superimposing, a command from the host computer is received to move up and down. The conveyor belt 16a of the conveyor unit 16 moved to the base sheet conveying height by 18 is reversely rotated, the circulating sheet is caught in the introducing roller 23a of the laminating apparatus 20, and is re-supplied to the base sheet conveying path 24a.

<Host Computer> According to a predetermined control program, the host computer sets setting conditions relating to production information of the automatic color proofing machine (number of original image to be processed, number of copies, order, etc.) and a control circuit from each device. Based on the signal (operation information) and various data stored in advance in the memory, the operation sequence of the automatic color proofing machine as a whole, the management of the interlock between each device 10 to 50, the management of the production information, etc. By executing the above-mentioned one set of halftone dot films corresponding to one original image, it is possible to form color images corresponding to various kinds of color material sheets by superimposing them on the base sheet. In addition, the feeding device 10, the laminating device 20, the exposure device 30, the halftone film stacking device 40
Also, the operation of the developing device 50 (including the transport system) is centrally controlled to control the work flow of the entire automatic color proofing machine. The control program of the host computer can be changed.

In the present embodiment, if one proof print is output with one original image, the processes from lamination to development are continuously executed for each color. However, the number of proof prints output with a plurality of original images is increased. When there are a plurality of copies, or when a plurality of copies are to be output for one original image, for example, rather than performing exposure of the next M (magenta) (exposure of the base sheet) after exposure of C (cyan), It is advantageous to increase the processing speed by using a halftone film of the same color for the exposure. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, in the case of producing a plurality of proofs corresponding to a plurality of original images, the halftone dot films of the same color stored in the plurality of trays 41 are used to continuously perform the exposure process of the same color. The sequence is adopted in which the developing process is executed (while the developing process can be executed), and then the exposure for the next one color is executed.
In such a case, the number of base sheets flowing in the system is, for example, three at maximum. In the case of outputting a plurality of copies, the exposed halftone dot film F is once returned to the tray 41 (tray 41a or other replacement tray), and is discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) after the completion of exposure of all the sheets. It

Next, the operation will be described. First,
In the preparatory stage for producing a proof, one set of four types (plural types) of halftone dot films is prepared as a positive for each color in advance by color separation of the original image, and each halftone film of each set is produced. Are stored in each tray 41 of the halftone dot film accumulating device 40. The storage order of each halftone film F at this time is as follows.
The order is such that the one used first at the stage of producing the proof print is on top. In addition, the base sheet storage tray 11 and the color material sheet storage trays 12, 13, 14, and 15 store an appropriate number of base sheets and color material sheets, respectively. Further, necessary data is input to the host computer so that the numbers of the original images and the tray numbers of the trays 41 in a plurality of stages match.

Next, in the step of actually outputting the proof by the automatic color proofing machine, first, the original image number of the image for producing the proof and the necessary number of copies thereof are input to the host computer to operate the apparatus. To start. When the operation is started, first, the feed device 10 to the laminating device 20
The base sheet is supplied to the
A seed color material sheet is fed to the laminating apparatus 20. The base sheet and the color material sheet fed into the laminator section 21 of the laminating apparatus 20 have their surfaces facing each other cleaned by the cleaning means 26, and then are laminated by the laminating roller 27 while being peeled off. twenty two
Sent to the side. In the stripping section 22, the stripping tape unit 28 strips off the carrier film of the color material sheet from the front end side, and the stripping claws strip the entire surface of the carrier film and discharge it.

On the other hand, the laminated sheet S from which the carrier film has been peeled off is the laminated sheet mounting table 29.
Is positioned above and vertically faces the suction holding unit 78 of the linear transfer robot 75. Then, the straight transfer robot
The suction holding unit 78 of 75 is lowered by the operation of the cam, a negative pressure is introduced into the suction portion 781 to suck and hold the peripheral portion of the laminate sheet S, and then the suction holding unit 78 is moved up again and moved to the exposure device 30 side. At this time, since the wires 773 and 774, which are fighting wires, are hung on the upper frame 76 of the linear transfer robot 75 driven on the guide rail 71 side, the inclination of the linear transfer robot 75 depends on the tension of the wires 773 and 774. Is always blocked by.

When the laminate sheet S moves to the exposure table 35, the suction holding unit 78 is lowered by the operation of the cam, the negative pressure is released, and the sheet holding state of the suction holding unit 78 is released. At this time,
The plurality of resist pins 353 protruding to one side of the metal elastic plate 351 of the exposure table 35 are engaged with the positioning holes of the laminate sheet S, and the laminate sheet S is positioned.

Next, after the suction-holding unit 78 moves up, the straight-ahead transport robot 75 moves to the halftone dot film accumulating device 40 side and moves up and down in the halftone dot film accumulating device 40 as in the case of the laminate sheet S. Two trays 41 separated
After taking out the halftone dot film F from the lower tray 41a of a and 41b, the halftone dot film F is moved to the inside of the exposure device 30 again and conveyed and stacked on the laminate sheet S (base sheet and color material sheet). Also at this time, the registration pins 353 that engage with the positioning holes of the halftone dot film F perform predetermined positioning. As a result, the exposed sheet S _E, which is a laminate of the laminate sheet S and the halftone dot film F, is placed on the exposure table 35.

Here, one set of halftone film stored in the tray 41a corresponds to an image for which a proof is to be produced, and the control circuit built in the halftone film integrated device 40 corresponds to the original image number. Then, the next tray 41a accommodating the halftone film to be taken out, the tray group 41d below the tray 41a, and the tray group 41u above the next tray 41a are moved up and down relative to each other in advance to correspond to the original image. The next tray 41a storing the halftone dot film is located at the uppermost position of the lower tray group 41d of the two tray groups 41d and 41u which are vertically separated from each other.

The movement (relative movement) of the tray 41 is performed by
The built-in control means receives the halftone film take-out preparation command from the host computer, and first and second control means
This is done by activating 42,43. Specifically, first, the first tray support means 42 is activated by a command from the control circuit so that the tray group 41u above the next tray 41a becomes higher than a predetermined delivery line height. , Lift multiple trays 41. Then, in the lifted state, the second tray support means 43 is activated to rotate the claws on both side walls of the lowermost tray 41 of the upper tray group 41u.
By engaging 431a and 431b, this tray group 41u is supported above a predetermined transfer line height. Then, the first tray support means 42 lowers the support plate 421. At this time, the next tray 41a is the tray group 41 on the support plate 421.
A predetermined film take-out space is formed between the tray 41a and the lowermost tray 41b of the tray group 41u stored in the second tray support means 43, which is located at the uppermost position of d. In this state, the first tray support means 42
Tray supported by and stopped at a predetermined pass line height
The next halftone dot film F can be taken out from 41a.

During this tray moving work, the control means actuates the induction motor based on the detection information of the plurality of limit switches 429 to move the support plate 421 up and down, and the required number of tray stages. Before the movement of the minute is completed, the induction motor is previously decelerated to a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, and the induction motor is stopped in the tray moving state after the deceleration. Therefore, the support plate 421 (tray 41)
The stop position accuracy when stopping at a predetermined position becomes high.

Next, the straight-ahead transport robot 75 returns to the initial position (the rightmost position shown in FIG. 5), but at this time, the cleaning member 751 is raised and the glass plate unit 3 is moved.
The second glass plate body 321 is contacted, and the glass plate body 321 is cleaned as the upper frame 76 returns. Further, squeeze roller 752 is lowered into contact with the sheet S _E on the exposure table 35, that roll with the movement of the upper frame 76 while pressing the sheet S _E, the sheet S
_{Press E} onto the exposure table 35 without any gap.

During the transfer operation of the first transfer means 70, the exposure table 35 is stopped at the position detected by the second limit switch 373 among the four, but the frame 7
After the 6 and the suction holding unit 78 return to the initial position, the exposure table 35 is driven by the elevating and lowering drive means 36 to the position of the second surface from the top (for example, a position about 10 mm below the lower surface of the glass plate body 321). Move relatively fast.

The exposure table 35 ascends at a low speed from this position, and even after contacting the seal member 33, the exposure table 35 ascends by a small amount and stops. At this time, the exposure table 35 and the glass plate unit
A space surrounded by the seal member 33 and isolated from the outside air is formed between the space 32 and 32. Next, air is evacuated from this space, and when the pressure in this space becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure, the metal elastic plate 351 bends toward the glass plate unit 32 side, and the air between the exposed sheet S _E and the glass plate main body 321 is reduced. The sheet S _{E to} be exposed which is positioned by the resist pins 353 while surely pushing out from the central portion of the exposure area to the peripheral portion.
The glass plate main body 32 in order from the center of the exposure area to the periphery.
Press on 1. Therefore, the exposed sheet S _E is surely brought into close contact with the glass plate main body 321 over the entire exposure region, and the air bleeding is instantly completed.

Next, the sheet S _E to be exposed, which is in close contact with the glass plate unit 32, is exposed by the light from the exposure lamp unit 31. Then, this exposure forms a latent image on the color material sheet. After that, the exposure table 35 descends to the original position, and the linear transfer robot 75 moves into the exposure device 30 again. The halftone dot film F is removed from the laminate sheet S by the movement of the straight-ahead transport robot 75, and the original tray 41a is used when the next output of a plurality of copies is to be made. Sent to the tray. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange the placing surfaces of the exposed halftone film F and the unexposed next halftone film F side by side to replace each other as in the conventional case. Can be reduced.

Next, the exposure table 35 is moved up and down by the driving means 36.
When the resist sheet 353 is driven to move to the lowermost position, the resist pin 353 is driven in the retracted direction to release the positioning of the laminate sheet S, and the drawing roller robot 81 engages with the laminate sheet S on the exposure table 35. It swings, and the frictional conveyance roller 83 comes into contact with the laminate sheet S. When the friction conveyance roller 83 rotates, the friction coefficient between the friction conveyance roller 83 and the laminate sheet (the base sheet outside the image forming area) is larger than the friction coefficient between the base sheet and the metal elastic plate 351. The base sheet on the exposure table 35 is frictionally conveyed to a conveyor (not shown) of the developing device 50.

In the case of outputting a plurality of copies, the following laminating sheet fed from the feeding device 10 and laminated by the laminating device 20 is placed on the exposure table 35 returned to the original position (the second position from the bottom). S is placed by the straight-ahead transport robot 75, and further, one kind of halftone film F (for example, cyan (C) halftone positive) among plural kinds of halftone films corresponding to the next original image is placed, and Such an exposure operation is performed.

The exposed laminated sheet S conveyed to the developing device 50 by the second conveying means 80 is developed by the above-described developing process, and a predetermined color image is formed on the base sheet. Then, the base sheet on which the color image has been developed is washed with water, dried and post-exposed to convey unit 16
Discharged on top. When it is necessary to superimpose the next color image on the base sheet, the base sheet is lifted to the base sheet feeding height by the transport unit 16 of the third transport means 90 as a circulating sheet, and the transport belt 16a of the transport unit 16 is reversed. Is again fed to the laminating apparatus 20.

Thereafter, the same steps are sequentially performed using the color material sheet and the halftone dot film corresponding to the next color, and when all the color images are formed on the base sheet discharged from the developing device 50. The proof print is completed, and the proof print is discharged to the paper discharge tray 71 by the transport unit 16. Thus, in the present embodiment, the halftone dot film accumulating device 40
Prior to taking out the halftone film F from the
The tray group 41d below 41a and the tray group 41u above the tray group 41u are separated and separated from each other, and the lowermost one of the tray group 41u deposited on the next tray 41a and the second tray support means 43 from which the halftone film F should be taken out. A predetermined film take-out space is formed between the tray 41b and the tray 41b. Therefore, any tray
The halftone dot film F placed on 41a can be easily and quickly taken out, and it is necessary to place the placing surfaces side by side or side by side to replace the next halftone dot film and the exposed film. No, halftone film accumulator 40
The installation area of will be the smallest space that can accommodate the maximum size of the halftone dot film. As a result, it is possible to realize a halftone dot film accumulating device that can contribute to downsizing of an automatic color proofing machine and improvement of work efficiency.

Further, when the induction motor is controlled by the control means on the basis of the position detection information of the plurality of limit switches 429 and the tray 41 is moved, the induction motor is moved to a predetermined speed or less before the necessary amount of movement is completed. Decelerating to and stopping the support plate 421 from the moving state after deceleration,
It is possible to realize a low-cost drive unit that has a high stop position accuracy of the support plate 421 and that does not use an encoder or a servomotor.

[0064]

According to the invention described in claim 1, a predetermined film is provided between the next tray from which the halftone film is to be taken out and the lowermost tray of the tray group stored in the second tray supporting means. Since the take-out space is formed, the halftone film placed on any tray can be taken out easily and quickly, and the installation area of the device can be minimized. It is possible to provide a halftone dot film accumulating device that can contribute to downsizing and improvement of work efficiency.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the induction motor is controlled by the control means based on the position detection information of the plurality of limit switches to move the tray, the induction is performed in advance before the required amount of movement is completed. Since the electric motor is decelerated to a predetermined speed or less and the support plate is stopped from the moving state after the deceleration, it is possible to realize a low-cost driving means with high accuracy of the stop position of the support plate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a halftone dot film accumulating device of an automatic color proofing machine according to the present invention, in which FIG.
(b) is a side view of the exposure apparatus side.

2A and 2B are views showing a tray provided in the halftone film accumulating apparatus of one embodiment, FIG. 2A is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 2B is a side view seen from a side surface engaging with a second supporting means. Is.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the second supporting means.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic color proofing machine to which the halftone film accumulating device is applied.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the automatic color proofing machine.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the configuration of a lifting drive system of the automatic color proofing machine.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an exposure device of the automatic color proofing machine.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a configuration of a first conveying means of the automatic color proofing machine.

FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of a suction holding unit for taking out the halftone film.

[Explanation of symbols] 10 Feed device 11 Base sheet storage tray 12, 13, 14, 15 Color material sheet storage tray 20 Laminating device 30 Exposure device 40 Halftone film stacking device 41 Tray 41a Next tray 41d Lower tray group 41u Upper Tray group 42 First support means 43 Second support means 50 Developing device 60 Transfer device 75 Straight transfer robot 78 Adsorption holding unit 421 Support plate 429 Multiple limit switches F Halftone film

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A color material sheet of any one of a plurality of types is laminated on a base sheet, the laminated color material sheet is exposed through a halftone film having color image information corresponding to the color material sheet, and exposed. In an automatic color proofing machine that develops the formed color material sheet to form a predetermined color image on a base sheet, a plurality of halftone dot films corresponding to the plurality of types of color material sheets are provided as a plurality of sets. A plurality of upper and lower trays (41) for storing the halftone film, a support plate (421) for supporting the plurality of trays (41), and a first drive means for vertically moving the support plates (421). A tray supporting means (42), a second tray supporting means (43) capable of supporting a tray group (41u) of a plurality of trays (41) lifted to a predetermined height or more at the height, and a net. The tray group (41) above the next tray (41a) from which the point film (F) should be taken out ) Lift the plurality of trays (41) by a predetermined become more height as the first tray support means (42), said lifting said upper tray group in the state (41 u) of the second
After being supported by the tray supporting means (43), the first tray supporting means (42) is lowered to move the next tray (41a) to the first tray supporting means (43a).
Of the first tray supporting means (4) so that it is positioned at the uppermost position of the tray group (41d) supported by the tray supporting means (42).
2) and a control means for controlling the operation of the second tray supporting means (43), and an upper tray group ((a) deposited on the next tray (41a) and the second tray supporting means (43). 41u) lowermost tray (4
1b) forms a predetermined film take-out space, and the next tray (4) supported by the first tray support means (42).
A halftone dot film accumulating device for an automatic color proofing machine, wherein the following halftone dot film (F) can be taken out from 1a). 2. The first tray support means (42) has a drive means including an induction motor, and the control means includes a plurality of limit switches (429) for detecting an ascending / descending position of the support plate (421). The control means controls the induction motor based on the position detection information of the limit switch (429), and the tray (4
When (1) is moved, the induction motor is decelerated to a predetermined speed or less in advance before the necessary amount of movement is completed, and the support plate (421) is stopped from the moving state after the deceleration. The halftone dot film accumulating device of the automatic color proofing machine according to claim 1.