JPS60131269A - Optical printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a high quality recorded picture of stabilized density by controlling constantly at a uniform level the luminance of a fluophor in a dot array fluorescent tube. CONSTITUTION:A dot array fluorescent tube 200 has a surplus region Y in addition to a region X for photo information writing in which the fluophors for photo information writing are arranged and in the region Y surplus fluorphors that have nothing to do with writing are arayed. And, the light from the surplus fluorphors is received by a light receiving element 500 and the output is converted into voltage signal by a photoelectric conversion circuit 501 and the signal is given to a luminance control circuit 502 which control, according to the voltage signal, the voltage to drive the dot array fluorescent tube 200 in order for the input voltage signal to maintain a given value and the luminance is maintained constantly at a fixed level. Thus, the picture density is stabilized and a recorded picture of high quality is obtained.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Technical field) The present invention relates to an optical printer device.

(Prior art) An information signal corresponding to image information to be recorded is converted into optical information by a dot array fluorescent tube, and this optical information is imaged and projected onto a photoreceptor by a 1-magnification imaging element to generate optical information. An optical printer device that performs writing has been proposed.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of this type of optical printer device intended by the present inventor.

Hereinafter, based on this example, the dot array fluorescent tube and its operation, as well as the optical printing process will be briefly explained, and the problems to be solved by the present invention will be discussed.

□Now, in Figure 1, 100 is an optical information writing device, 101 is a photoconductive photoreceptor, 104 is a convergent light transmission array used as a 1-magnification imaging element, and 105 is a developing device. , 106 is a transfer device, 107 is a fixing device, i08 is a cleaning device, 109 is a changer, 110 and 111 are brushes, and 112 is a roller, respectively.

□The photoconductive photoreceptor 101 is formed in the shape of an endless belt, and is wound around the boots 1J-, 102, and 103, so that it can rotate clockwise.

Focusing light transmission body array 104, developing device 105, transfer device 106, fixing device 107, cleaning device 108,
Since the charger 109 is already well known in connection with electronic copying machines, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The photoreceptor 1 is located directly below the convergent light transmitter array 104.
The roller 112 that comes into contact with the back surface of the photoreceptor 101
This is to ensure that the surface of the converging light transmitting element array 104 always coincides with the imaging plane of the converging light transmitting element array 104.

The brushes 110 and 111 are connected to the focusing light transmitter array 104.
This is to prevent stains caused by toner.

Note that as the same-magnification imaging element, a well-known roof mirror lens array may be used instead of the converging light transmitting body array.

FIG. 2 shows the optical information writing device 100 in an explanatory diagram.

That is, in FIG. 2, numeral 1 is a dot array fluorescent tube, numeral 2 is a substrate, numerals 3-1, 3-2. ....

a-, 2, a-, 2+1, . . . represent the ■C chip, and numeral 4 represents a bonding wire, respectively.

IC chip 3-1. 3-2. ..., ai-,...
- is for driving the dot array fluorescent tube 1, and is mounted on the substrate 2 together with the dot array fluorescent tube 1. The substrate 2 can be a glass plate, a resin plate, etc., but a ceramic plate is particularly suitable, and a ceramic plate is used in this example.

The bonding wire 4 is connected to the dot array fluorescent tube 1.
The anode lead terminal is connected to each of the driving terminals of the IC chip 3-1 and the like. The connection between the anode lead terminal and the driving terminal can also be performed using a thermocompression bonding flexible connection tape, which is conventionally known for connection of LED arrays and the like.

Now, the dot array fluorescent tube 1, as shown in FIG.
The substrate glass 10 and the face glass 11 constitute a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped non-vacant chamber whose longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the drawing, and a cathode ray filament 12.
A fluorescent body 14-L, a grid electrode 16, etc. are arranged in opposition. A transparent electrode 13 is provided on the inner surface of the face glass 11.
is provided. Further, reference numeral 15 indicates an insulating layer, and reference numeral LL
, LL+1 is the anode lead terminal of the anode electrode, code DL,
DL+1 indicates a driving terminal connected to the anode lead terminals LQ and Ij+1, respectively.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, on the substrate glass 10, anode lead terminals Ll, L2. L3. ..., LL, L, j
+(... are provided so that they can be pulled out alternately on the left and right sides.

The tips of these anode lead terminals are anode electrodes,
On these anode electrodes, phosphors 14-1.14-2°...
. . , 14-L, . . . are formed. Fluorescent material 14
Magnitude -1 is minute, and each one emits light as a dot. The fluorescent bodies 14-L are arranged in an array in one row in the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber.

The cathode filament 12 is tensioned in the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber by a spring plate 20.

The grid electrode 16 is held by the insulating layer 15 and is disposed between the cathode filament 12 and the array arrangement of the phosphors 14-L (see FIG. 3), and as shown in FIG.
It has a slit-shaped opening whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber. The slit-shaped opening of the grid electrode 16 is
The opening corresponds to the array arrangement of the fluorescent bodies 14-L and is opened at a portion directly above the array arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 5, the portion of the grid electrode 16 having the slit-shaped opening is in the form of an elongated plate, and the portion other than this plate-like portion has a hexagonal mesh structure. The width A of the shaped part is 500μ, and the slit-shaped opening SL
The width B of is about 150μ.

Of course, the length of the opening SL is greater than the length of the phosphor array.

Now, returning to FIG. 2, as mentioned earlier, the IC chip 3-1 etc. are only for driving the dot array fluorescent tube 1, but in relation to FIG. To explain, in FIG. 2, 1, C chips 3-1, 3-3,
..., 3-, i+1. . . . are used to drive the odd-numbered phosphors 14-1, 14-3, 14-5, . . . in FIG. 4, and in FIG. IC chips 3-2, 3-4. . . 3-J, . . . are for driving even-numbered phosphors 14-2.14-4.14-6, .

FIG. 6 shows an example of an IC chip circuit. The part surrounded by the broken line corresponds to one chip of the IC. Each IC chip has a 64-bit shift register and a latch circuit, and therefore each IC chip has a 64-bit shift register and a latch circuit.
It will be responsible for driving 64 phosphors.

Now, assuming that the information signal for one line is 2560 bits, the total number of phosphors 14-L is also 2560.

This 2560-bit signal is divided into odd bits and even bits. The distributed signals are designated as an odd bit string signal and an even bit string signal.

The odd bit string signal is sent to the anode lead terminals LL, L3.
.

Odd numbered phosphors 14-1, 14 due to L5...etc.
-3.

14-5... is applied to the anode electrodes.

Even-numbered bit string signals are transmitted to even-numbered phosphors 14-2, 14 through anode lead terminals L2, L4, L6, etc.
-4°14-6... is applied to the anode voltage.

Now, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 6, application of an odd bit string signal will be explained.
The signal enters the shift register of the C chip 3-1, exits from the output terminal, enters the adjacent IC chip 3-3, and so on, and so on, until the 1280-bit signal is
IC chip 3-1.3-3°3-5. 64 bits are input into the shift register of... Subsequently, these signals are transferred to the latch circuit according to the latch signal, and a driving voltage is applied to each odd-numbered anode electrode according to the information signal according to the strobe signal. The same applies to the application of even-numbered bit string signals.

Next, the operation of the dot array fluorescent tube will be explained.

See Figure 3. When the transparent electrode 13 is grounded, an AC voltage of 10 to 20 V is applied to the cathode filament 12, and the current is heated, the cathode filament 1
Thermionic electrons are emitted from 2.

In this state, most of the generated thermoelectrons will be absorbed by the transparent electrode 13, but at this time, a specific anode lead terminal, for example, terminal LA, will cause the anode electrode at the tip of this anode lead terminal LL to be absorbed by the transparent electrode 13. When a positive voltage of about 40 V is applied to the anode, the thermoelectrons are attracted to the anode and collide with the phosphor 14-L formed on the anode. Then, the phosphor 14-L emits light having a spectrum specific to the substance that makes up the phosphor. At this time, a positive voltage of 10 to 20 V is applied to the grid electrode 16, which acts like a -S electron lens and effectively guides the thermoelectrons onto the phosphor.

As mentioned above, since a driving voltage is applied to each anode electrode according to the information signal, it is possible to cause each phosphor to emit light according to the information signal, and the information signal is converted into one line of optical information. Can be converted.

Returning to FIG. 1, the convergent light transmitting body array 104 is arranged between the optical information writing device 100 and the photoreceptor 101, and the convergent light transmitting body array 104 is arranged between the optical information writing device 100 and the phosphor array arrangement. It is connected to the photoreceptor 101 in an imaging relationship. Therefore, if one line of optical information is generated in the optical information writing device as described above, a true-to-scale image of the optical information will be created on the photosensitive material by the imaging action of the convergent light transmitter array 104. An image is formed on the body 101.

Now, the recording process by this recording apparatus is performed as follows.

The photoconductor 101 rotates clockwise, and first, the charger 109 uniformly charges the circumferential surface of the photoconductor 101 . When the uniformly charged peripheral surface of the photoreceptor reaches the exposure area, that is, the position directly below the focusing light transmitter array 104, an information signal corresponding to the image to be recorded is applied to the optical information writing device 100. , is converted into optical information by the 1000-dot array fluorescent tube 1 of the same device, and applied to the photoreceptor 101 by the convergent light transmitter array 104, and writing is performed line by line sequentially.

In this way, the electrostatic latent image formed in response to the information signal is developed by the developing device 105, and the electrostatic latent image formed in response to the information signal is developed by the developing device 105.
1 is transferred onto a recording sheet S such as paper by a transfer device 106, and then fixed onto the recording sheet S by a fixing device 107.

A recorded image is thus obtained.

On the other hand, residual toner is removed from the photoreceptor 101 after the visible image has been transferred by a cleaning device 108.

Now, the problems to be solved in such an optical printer device are as follows.

In other words, the luminance of the phosphor in the dot array fluorescent tube tends to gradually decrease over time, as shown in FIG. 7(1), due to the deterioration of the phosphor over time. As shown in FIG. 7 (II), it also varies depending on the ambient temperature. Therefore, if this is left unaddressed, the amount of light for writing optical information on the photoreceptor will change, which is undesirable because the density of the recorded image will change over time or due to changes in ambient temperature.

(Purpose) Therefore, the present invention effectively solves the above-mentioned problems.
The purpose is to provide a new optical printer device.

(composition) The present invention will be explained below.

In the optical printer device of the present invention, the dot array fluorescent tube has an extra fluorescent material other than one for writing optical information.

This extra light from the phosphor is not used for writing optical information, but is received by a dedicated light receiving element. There is a control means for controlling the luminance of the dot array fluorescent tube to a constant value based on the output of the light receiving element.

This will be explained below using a specific example.

FIG. 8 shows only the essential parts of one embodiment of the present invention in an explanatory diagram. In the figure, 200 is a dot array fluorescent tube, 300 is a 1-magnification imaging element, 400 is a photoconductive photoreceptor, 500 is a light receiving element, 501 is a photoelectric conversion circuit, and 502 is a luminance The control circuits are shown respectively.

The dot array fluorescent tube 200 has an extra area Y in addition to an area X for writing optical information. In area X, phosphors for writing optical information are arranged in an array, and in area Y, extra phosphors that are not involved in writing are arranged. The light from the extra phosphor is received by the light receiving element 500, and the output of the light receiving element 500 is converted into a voltage signal by the photoelectric conversion circuit 501 and applied to the brightness control circuit 502. The brightness control circuit 502 is the photoelectric conversion circuit 50
According to the voltage signal applied from 1, the driving voltage for driving the dot array fluorescent tube 200 is controlled so that the voltage signal maintains a predetermined set value. As a result, the luminance of the phosphors in the dot array fluorescent tube 200 is always constant. In this embodiment, the photoelectric conversion circuit 501 and the brightness control circuit 502 constitute a control means.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the light from the extra phosphor is directly received by the light receiving element 500, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. The light may be received by the light-receiving element 500 disposed on the imaging surface of the same-magnification imaging element 300' via the same-magnification imaging element 300'.

(Effects) As described above, according to the present invention, a novel optical printer device can be provided. In this optical printer device, since the luminance of the phosphor in the dot array fluorescent tube is controlled so as to be constant, a high quality recorded image with stable image density can be obtained.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining an optical printer device using a dot array fluorescent tube, and Figures 2 to 6 are diagrams for explaining a dot array fluorescent tube and its operation. 7 is a diagram for explaining the problem to be solved by the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory side view schematically showing only the essential parts of one embodiment of the present invention. , FIG. 9 is an explanatory side view schematically showing only essential parts of another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An information signal corresponding to an image to be recorded is converted into optical information by a dot array fluorescent tube, and this optical information is formed and projected onto a photoreceptor by a 1-magnification imaging element to produce light. An optical printer device for writing information, wherein the dot array fluorescent tube has an extra phosphor other than for writing optical information, and receives light from the extra phosphor. a light receiving element, and a control means for controlling the luminance of the phosphor in the dot array fluorescent tube to a constant value based on the output of the light receiving element;
An optical printer device comprising: