U.S. patent application number 09/790586 was filed with the patent office on 2001-09-06 for image recording apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Tanabe, Tsuyoshi.
Application Number | 20010019402 09/790586 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 16441759 |
Filed Date | 2001-09-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010019402 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tanabe, Tsuyoshi |
September 6, 2001 |
Image recording apparatus
Abstract
The improved image recording apparatus comprises a main scanning
section; an auxiliary scanning section; and an upstream transport
section; wherein a light-sensitive material, as it is transported
in an auxiliary scanning direction after its position in a main
scanning direction was regulated by the upstream transport section,
is illuminated with recording light beams, whereby the
light-sensitive material is scanned two-dimensionally with the
recording light beams to record an image on the light-sensitive
material. The apparatus further includes vibration damping members
by which the main scanning section, the auxiliary scanning section
and the upstream transport section are coupled to other components
of the image recording apparatus in such a way as to insulate
vibrations. During image recording on sheets of light-sensitive
material with light beams, any adverse effects of internal and
external vibrations are sufficiently prevented, insulated or damped
to prevent the occurrence of offsets in the position of the
light-sensitive material, unevenness in its transport in the
auxiliary scanning direction and other problems that would
otherwise cause unevenness in image.
Inventors: |
Tanabe, Tsuyoshi; (Kanagawa,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
|
Family ID: |
16441759 |
Appl. No.: |
09/790586 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09790586 |
Feb 23, 2001 |
|
|
|
09123582 |
Jul 28, 1998 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
355/64 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03B 27/32 20130101;
H04N 1/00588 20130101; H04N 1/00549 20130101; H04N 2201/0428
20130101; H04N 1/12 20130101; B41J 2/47 20130101; H04N 1/00623
20130101; H04N 1/00602 20130101; H04N 1/00676 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
355/64 |
International
Class: |
G03B 027/32 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 28, 1997 |
JP |
9-201479 |
Claims
1. An image recording apparatus comprising: a main scanning section
having an optical system for issuing recording light beams either
deflected or arranged one-dimensionally in a main scanning
direction, said main scanning section performing main scanning with
said issued recording light beams; an auxiliary scanning section by
means of which a sheet of a light-sensitive material to be
illuminated with said issued recording light beams from said main
scanning section is transported in an auxiliary scanning direction
perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to said main scanning
direction; and an upstream transport section that is located
upstream of said auxiliary scanning section in a transport
direction of said sheet of the light-sensitive material, that
transports said light-sensitive material and which has a register
unit by which a position of said sheet of the light-sensitive
material in said main scanning direction before it is transported
to said auxiliary scanning direction is controlled and brought into
alignment with a prescribed position; wherein said sheet of the
light-sensitive material, as it is transported in said auxiliary
scanning direction after its position in said main scanning
direction was regulated by said upstream transport section, is
illuminated with said recording light beams that performs main
scanning in said main scanning direction, whereby said sheet of the
light-sensitive material is scanned two-dimensionally with said
recording light beams to record an image on said light-sensitive
material, said apparatus further including a vibration damping unit
by which said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning
section and said upstream transport section are combined into a
unitary assembly and coupled to other components of the image
recording apparatus in such a way as to insulate vibrations.
2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an
optical flat of said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning
section and said upstream transport section are connected and fixed
by a connecting device to form the unitary assembly and the
resulting unitary assembly of the optical flat of said main
scanning direction, said auxiliary scanning section and said
upstream transport section is supported on a main frame of the
image recording apparatus with said vibration damping unit.
3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, which
further includes a light-sensitive material supply section
comprising: a magazine that is located upstream of said upstream
transport section and which contains a roll of said light-sensitive
material; and a cutter by means of which said roll of the
light-sensitive material as unreeled from said magazine is cut to
said sheet of the light-sensitive material having a specified
length which is determined by said image to be recorded.
4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said
main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning section, said
upstream transport section and said light-sensitive material supply
section are combined into a unitary assembly and supported on a
main frame of the image recording apparatus with said vibration
damping unit in such a way as to insulate vibrations.
5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an
optical flat of said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning
section, said upstream transport section and said light-sensitive
material supply section are connected and fixed by said connecting
device to form the unitary assembly and the resulting unitary
assembly of the optical flat of said main scanning section, said
auxiliary scanning section, said upstream transport section and
said light-sensitive material supply section are supported on the
main frame of the image recording apparatus with said vibration
damping unit.
6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a
loop is formed of said unreeled roll of the light-sensitive
material between said cutter in said light-sensitive material
supply section and said register unit in said upstream transport
section and wherein said unreeled roll of the light-sensitive
material to be subjected to main scanning in said main scanning
section is cut to said sheet of the light-sensitive material having
said specified length by means of said cutter as it is transported
in the auxiliary scanning direction through said auxiliary scanning
section.
7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said
register unit in said upstream transport section is located just
next to said cutter in said light-sensitive material supply section
and said sheet of the light-sensitive material is transported by
means of said upstream transport section as its position in said
main scanning direction is aligned to the prescribed position by
said register unit.
8. An image recording apparatus comprising: a main scanning section
using an optical system for issuing recording light beams either
deflected or arranged one-dimensionally in a main scanning
direction, said main scanning section performing main scanning with
said issued recording light beams; and an auxiliary scanning
section by means of which a sheet of a light-sensitive material to
be illuminated with said issued recording light beams from said
main scanning section is transported in an auxiliary scanning
direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to said main
scanning direction; wherein said sheet of the light-sensitive
material as it is transported in said auxiliary scanning direction
is illuminated with said recording light beams that performs main
scanning in said main scanning direction, whereby said sheet of the
light-sensitive material is scanned two-dimensionally with said
recording light beams to record an image on said sheet of the
light-sensitive material, said apparatus further including a
vibration damping unit by which said main scanning section and said
auxiliary scanning section are combined into a unitary assembly and
supported on a main frame of the image recording apparatus in such
a way as to insulate vibrations.
9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said
auxiliary scanning section has sensors for detecting positions in
both said main and auxiliary scanning directions of said sheet of
the light-sensitive material being transported in the auxiliary
scanning direction and a unit of adjusting a recording position in
which said image is to be recorded on said sheet of the
light-sensitive material with said recording light beams.
10. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said auxiliary scanning section has sensors for detecting positions
in both said main and auxiliary scanning directions of said sheet
of the light-sensitive material being transported in the auxiliary
scanning direction and a unit that adjusts a recording position in
which said image is to be recorded on said sheet of the
light-sensitive material with said recording light beams.
11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said upstream transport section comprises: an upstream transport
roller pair for receiving said sheet of the light-sensitive
material from an upstream side in the auxiliary scanning direction
and supplying it to said register unit; said register unit for
regulating a posture and the position of said sheet of the
light-sensitive material in the main scanning direction, that is
being transported by said upstream transport roller pair; and a
downstream transport section for transporting to the auxiliary
scanning section said sheet of the light-sensitive material said
posture and said position of which has been correctly adjusted by
means of said upstream transport roller pair and said register
unit.
12. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said register unit comprises a transport guide which regulates a
posture of said sheet of the light-sensitive material and said
position of said sheet of the light-sensitive material in the main
scanning direction.
13. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
said register unit functions as a width guide that regulates one or
both of edges of said sheet of the light-sensitive material in the
main scanning direction from one side or opposite sides thereof so
that said posture of said sheet of the light-sensitive material is
kept parallel to auxiliary scanning direction whereas at least one
edge position or a center position of said sheet of the
light-sensitive material in the main scanning direction is brought
into registry with a specified regulated position.
14. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
said register unit functions as a loop guide that guides said sheet
of the light-sensitive material downstream in the auxiliary
scanning direction and which is capable of forming a loop of said
sheet of the light-sensitive material and as an edge guide which
guides said sheet of the light-sensitive material in the main
scanning direction being a width direction of said sheet of the
light-sensitive material so that said position of said sheet of the
light-sensitive material in the width direction is regulated and
said posture of said sheet of the light-sensitive is
controlled.
15. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
said register unit comprises: a pair of U-shaped width guides that
can approach and depart from each other; split transport roller
pairs that are provided along the main scanning direction in
correspondence with recesses formed inside said pair of U-shaped
width guides on a midway in the auxiliary scanning directions; and
pivotal guides that are provided upstream of said split transport
roller pairs in the auxiliary scanning direction and which are
supported in such a way that the pivotal guides can pivot along
rotating shafts of said split transport roller pairs and outside
said split transport roller pairs.
16. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
said register unit attains center registry in which a center
position of said sheet of the light-sensitive material in the main
scanning direction is controlled and brought into agreement with a
specified regulated position.
17. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein
said register unit attains side registry in which a position of at
least one edge of said sheet of the light-sensitive material in the
main scanning direction is controlled and brought into agreement
with a specified regulated position.
18. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said vibration damping unit is at least one selected from the group
consisting of a rubber vibration insulators, a vibration damping
cork, a pneumatic spring for vibration damping, a metal spring for
vibration damping, a dynamic damper and a combination thereof.
19. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said vibration damping unit is at least one of a rubber vibration
insulator alone and a combination of the rubber vibration insulator
and a spring.
20. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising a back printing section that is located upstream of said
upstream transport section and records back print information on a
back side of said sheet of the light-sensitive material.
21. The image recording apparatus according to claim 20, wherein
said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning section, said
upstream transport section and said back printing section are
combined into a unitary assembly and supported on a main frame of
the image recording apparatus with said vibration damping unit in
such a way as to insulate vibrations.
22. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising a distributing section that is located downstream of
said auxiliary section and distributes said sheet of the
light-sensitive material into one of a plurality of rows in the
main scanning direction.
23. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8, further
comprising a distributing section that is located downstream of
said auxiliary section and distributes said sheet of the
light-sensitive material into one of a plurality of rows in the
main scanning direction.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to an image recording apparatus that
records an image by scanning with light beams modulated with
digital image signals.
[0002] In commonly employed photographic printing apparatus, an
image is recorded on a photographic film such as a negative or
reversal film and the light transmitted through the photographic
film is directly focused on an unreeled intermittently moving
light-sensitive material such as photographic paper; by this areal
exposure, the recorded image is continuously printed on the roll of
light-sensitive material.
[0003] In copiers capable of reproducing transmission-type
originals such as photographic films, slit scanning light that has
passed through the photographic film moving relative to the light
source is directly focused on a light-sensitive material, for
example, one in a sheet form that is being transported concurrently
in an auxiliary scanning direction which is perpendicular to the
slit length; by this slit scan exposure, the image on the
photographic film is printed onto the light-sensitive material.
[0004] These are so-called "direct (analog) exposure" techniques in
which the projected light from the photographic film is directly
used to have the image on the photographic film printed on the
light-sensitive material. A new technology has recently been
proposed and this is a digital exposure system. Briefly, the image
on a photographic film is read photoelectrically from the projected
light and converted to digital image signals, which are subjected
to various image processing operations to produce recording image
signals; light beams such as laser beams modulated in accordance
with the recording image signals are scanned one-dimensionally (in
a main scanning direction) such that a roll of light-sensitive
material being transported in an auxiliary direction perpendicular
to the main scanning direction is exposed by raster scanning. The
Applicant has put on the market a digital photoprinter that
implements this digital exposure system.
[0005] One major advantage of the digital photoprinter is that when
the image on a photographic film is reproduced by photographic
printing on a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper,
part or all of the image signals read from the photographic film
are subjected to color and/or tonal correction such that the
quality of the reproduced image is improved by appropriate
processing such as sharpening or that the reproduced image on a
film having failures such as under-exposure or over-exposure that
are problematic in photographic printing or a film having color
failures from shooting with rear light or an electronic flash,
especially the image reproduced on a failure negative film is
rendered to be in an appropriate condition or improved in quality.
Another advantage is that on account of the use of digital image
signals, a computer can be introduced for image generation or
splitting or in order to perform editing jobs such as compositing
and tiling more than one image, image segments, character images
and so forth. If desired, the digital image signals may be loaded
as a video file into various electronic image recording media so
that they can be read, reproduced and edited on a computer and
outputted on a hard copy whenever it is necessary.
[0006] With the digital photoprinter in which the roll of
light-sensitive material being unreeled and transported in an
auxiliary scanning direction is exposed by raster scanning with
deflected light beams, the image to be reproduced must be recorded
on the unreeled light-sensitive material over the entire area in an
appropriate way by means of the deflected light beams. However, if
vibrations from within and/or from the outside of the recording
apparatus are transmitted to the main scanning section which issues
the deflected light beams or the auxiliary scanning section in
which the unreeled light-sensitive material is transported in the
auxiliary scanning direction, displacements or jumps will occur in
the relative positions of the light beams and the light-sensitive
material, eventually causing unevenness in the reproduced
image.
[0007] To avoid this problem, the digital photoprinter which relies
upon the digital exposure system is adapted to form a loop of the
unreeled light-sensitive material in both upstream and downstream
of the auxiliary scanning section and, in addition, a unitary
assembly of the main and auxiliary scanning sections is coupled to
the other parts of the apparatus, in particular, its frame via
rubber vibration insulators so that both the main and auxiliary
scanning sections are vibrationally insulated from the other parts,
thereby preventing not only internal but also external vibrations
from being transmitted to these scanning sections, thereby ensuring
that no unevenness will occur in the reproduced image.
[0008] The digital photoprinter has an additional advantage in that
the position of the unreeled light-sensitive material, particularly
in the main scanning direction can be easily regulated by the
transport guide placed immediately upstream of the auxiliary
scanning section. However, if sheets of light-sensitive material
are to be exposed by raster scanning with deflected light beams as
they are transported in the auxiliary scanning direction, recording
must be done in such a way that the image to be reproduced just
fits within the defined area of each sheet and to meet this need,
the sheets of light-sensitive material have to be arranged with
high precision in position, particularly in the position in the
main scanning direction. The register section for meeting this
requirement is more complex and of higher precision than in the
case of processing the unreeled light-sensitive material and,
hence, must be provided upstream of the auxiliary scanning section.
Such being the case, the conventional vibration damping and
insulating system (mechanism) is incapable of insulating the
internal or external vibrations so that they will not adversely
affect the exposure by raster scanning.
[0009] Under the circumstances, it has been impossible to realize a
high-performance low-cost digital photoprinter that performs raster
scan exposure on sheets of light-sensitive material, for example,
those in a sheet form prepared by cutting the unreeled
light-sensitive material into specified lengths.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] An object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide
an image recording apparatus which, when sheets of light-sensitive
material being transported in an auxiliary scanning direction, such
as those in a cut sheet form prepared by cutting an unreeled
light-sensitive material into specified lengths, are exposed by
raster scanning with modulated light beams either deflected or
arranged in the main scanning direction generally perpendicular to
the auxiliary scanning direction, is capable of insulating,
rejecting or preventing the adverse effects of both internal and
external vibrations so that they will not cause any unevenness in
images, thereby ensuring the production of uniform high-quality
images.
[0011] The stated object of the invention can be attained by an
image recording apparatus comprising:
[0012] a main scanning section that performs main scanning with
issued recording light beams either deflected or arranged
one-dimensionally in a main scanning direction;
[0013] an auxiliary scanning section by means of which sheets of a
light-sensitive material to be illuminated with said issued
recording light beams from said main scanning section are
transported in an auxiliary scanning direction perpendicular or
generally perpendicular to said main scanning direction; and
[0014] an upstream transport section that is located upstream of
said auxiliary scanning section in a transport direction of the
light-sensitive material, that transports said light-sensitive
material and which has a register means by which a position of said
light-sensitive material in said main scanning direction before it
is transported to said auxiliary scanning direction is brought into
alignment with a prescribed position;
[0015] wherein said light-sensitive material, as it is transported
in said auxiliary scanning direction after its position in said
main scanning direction was regulated by said upstream transport
section, is illuminated with said recording light beams that
performs main scanning in said main scanning direction, whereby
said light-sensitive material is scanned two-dimensionally with
said recording light beams to record an image on said
light-sensitive material,
[0016] said apparatus further including vibration damping means by
which said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning section
and said upstream transport section are combined into a unitary
assembly and coupled to other components of the image recording
apparatus in such a way as to insulate vibrations.
[0017] Preferably, an optical flat of said main scanning section,
said auxiliary scanning section and said upstream transport section
are connected and fixed by connecting means to form the unitary
assembly and the resulting unitary assembly of the optical flat of
said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning section and
said upstream transport section is coupled to a main frame of the
image recording apparatus via said vibration damping means.
[0018] In the first embodiment of the invention, it is also
preferred that the image recording apparatus further includes a
light-sensitive material supply section comprising:
[0019] a magazine that is located upstream of said upstream
transport section and which contains a roll of said light-sensitive
material; and
[0020] a cutter by means of which said light-sensitive material as
unreeled from said magazine is cut to a specified length of sheet
which is determined by said image to be recorded.
[0021] In a preferred case of said image recording apparatus, in
addition to said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning
section and said upstream transport section, said light-sensitive
material supply section is combined into a unitary assembly and
coupled to other components of the image recording apparatus by
said vibration damping means in such a way as to insulate
vibrations.
[0022] More preferably, the optical flat of said main scanning
section, said auxiliary scanning section, said upstream transport
section and said light-sensitive material supply section are
connected and fixed by said connecting means to form the unitary
assembly and the resulting unitary assembly of the optical flat of
said main scanning section, said auxiliary scanning section, said
upstream transport section and said light-sensitive material supply
section are coupled to the main frame of the image recording
apparatus via said vibration damping means.
[0023] In yet another preferred embodiment, a loop is formed of
said unreeled light-sensitive material between said cutter in said
light-sensitive material supply section and said register means in
said upstream transport section and said unreeled light-sensitive
material to be subjected to main scanning in said main scanning
section is cut to a specified length of sheet by means of said
cutter as it is transported in the auxiliary scanning direction
through said auxiliary scanning section.
[0024] Alternatively, said register means in said upstream
transport section is located just next to said cutter in said
light-sensitive material supply section and said light-sensitive
material is transported by means of said upstream transport section
as its position in said main scanning direction is aligned to the
prescribed position by said register means.
[0025] The object of the invention can also be attained by an image
recording apparatus comprising:
[0026] a main scanning section that performs main scanning with
issued recording light beams either deflected or arranged
one-dimensionally in a main scanning direction; and
[0027] an auxiliary scanning section by means of which sheets of a
light-sensitive material to be illuminated with said issued
recording light beams from said main scanning section are
transported in an auxiliary scanning direction perpendicular or
generally perpendicular to said main scanning direction;
[0028] wherein said light-sensitive material as it is transported
in said auxiliary scanning direction is illuminated with said
recording light beams that performs main scanning in said main
scanning direction, whereby said light-sensitive material is
scanned two-dimensionally with said recording light beams to record
an image on said light-sensitive material,
[0029] said apparatus further including vibration damping means by
which said main scanning section and said auxiliary scanning
section are combined into a unitary assembly and coupled to other
components of the image recording apparatus in such a way as to
insulate vibrations.
[0030] Preferably, said auxiliary scanning section has a sensor for
detecting positions in both said main and auxiliary scanning
directions of said light-sensitive material being transported in
the auxiliary scanning direction and a means of adjusting a
recording position in which said image is to be recorded on said
light-sensitive material with said recording light beams.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic section of an embodiment of the image
recording apparatus of the invention;
[0032] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the transport guide used
in the image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
[0033] FIG. 3 is schematic section III-III of the transport guide
shown in FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of its operation;
[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how an example of the
vibration insulator used in the image recording apparatus shown in
FIG. 1 is mounted;
[0035] FIGS. 5a and 5b are schematic diagrams showing two different
cases of operation of another embodiment of the image recording
apparatus of the invention; and
[0036] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating yet another embodiment of
the image recording apparatus of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0037] The image recording apparatus of the invention will now be
described with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the
accompanying drawings.
[0038] FIG. 1 shows schematically an embodiment of the image
recording apparatus of the invention. The apparatus generally
indicated by 10 in FIG. 1 is for recording an image (to be more
exact, a latent image) on a sheet of light-sensitive material A as
it is exposed by raster scanning with light beams such as laser
beams deflected one-dimensionally, i.e., in the main scanning
direction. The sheet A is transported in an auxiliary scanning
direction generally perpendicular to the main scanning direction.
The apparatus 10 comprises a light-sensitive material supply
section 12 for feeding cut sheets of light-sensitive material A
(this section is hereinafter referred to as the "supply section"),
a back printing section 14 for recording back print information on
the back side of a supplied sheet of light-sensitive material A, a
register section 16 which regulates both the posture of the sheet A
on which the back print information has been recorded and its
position in the main scanning direction such that it is correctly
positioned for the main scanning direction (i.e., aligned), a main
scanning section 20 for issuing laser beams deflected in the main
scanning direction, an auxiliary scanning section 18 that is
provided downstream of the register section 16 and by means of
which the light-sensitive material A that has been aligned and
which is being exposed by raster scanning with the deflected laser
beams from the main scanning 20 is transported in the auxiliary
scanning direction generally perpendicular to the main scanning
direction, and a distributing section 22 for distributing
individual sheets of the exposed light-sensitive material A into a
plurality of rows.
[0039] The image recording apparatus 10 of the invention is of such
a type that the exposed sheets of light-sensitive material that
have been distributed into multiple rows in the distributing
section 22 are ejected as such to emerge from an outlet 24 (to be
described later) and enter a light-sensitive material processor 25
connected to the outlet 24. In the illustrated image recording
apparatus 10, the back printing section 14 and the register section
16 combine to form the upstream transport unit of the
invention.
[0040] Needless to say, transport means such as transport roller
pairs for transporting the light-sensitive material A to various
locations, guides for transport of the light-sensitive material A,
various sensors and other various members that are provided in
ordinary recording apparatus are provided in the image recording
apparatus 10 as required although they are omitted from FIG. 1 in
order to clarify the basic construction of the apparatus.
[0041] In the recording apparatus 10, the supply section 12
comprises loaders 26a and 26b, withdrawing roller pairs 28a and
28b, and cutters 30a and 30b. The loader 26a (or 26b) is a site at
which a magazine 32 containing a roll of light-sensitive material A
in a lightproof case, with the recording side (where emulsion is
coated) facing outward, is loaded. The magazines 32 to be loaded in
the loaders 26a and 26b are usually adapted to contain different
types of light-sensitive material A which is characterized by their
size (width), surface gloss (silk-finish, matte and so forth),
specifications (e.g., thickness and base type), and so forth.
[0042] The withdrawing roller pair 28a or 28b in the supply section
12 is operated to unreel and withdraw the light-sensitive material
A from the magazine 32 in the associated loader 26a or 26b,
respectively, and transports it downstream toward the back printing
section 14. The transport of the light-sensitive material A stops
at the point of time when it has been transported downstream from
the cutter 30a or 30b by a length corresponding to each of the
prints to be produced. Subsequently, the cutter 30a or 30b turns on
to cut the unreeled light-sensitive material A to individual sheets
of a specified length. The illustrated supply section 12 is adapted
to be such that the roll of light-sensitive material A in the
magazine 32 is unreeled, cut to specified lengths by means of the
cutter 30a or 30b and supplied as cut sheets. This is not the sole
case of the invention and a cassette containing a stack of sheets
of light-sensitive material A may be placed within at least one of
the loaders 26a and 26b such that the individual sheets are taken
out one by one by means of a pickup roller (not shown) and
transported toward the back printing section 14.
[0043] The back printing section 14 records on the back side (where
no emulsion is coated) of the light-sensitive material A a back
print consisting of various pieces of information, such as the date
when the image was taken, the date of printing (exposure), frame
number, film identification (ID) number (code), ID number of the
camera used to take the image and ID number of the photoprinter.
The back printing section 14 consists of a back printer 34 and a
platen guide 35. The back printer 34 may be of any type that is
capable of marking with a water-insoluble ink or the like that will
not be erased even if the light-sensitive material A is subjected
to wet processing (as with the developing solution, bleach-fixing
solution and rinsing water) in the processor 25 connected to the
recording apparatus 10. Examples of the back printer 34 include a
dot impact printer, a thermal transfer printer and an ink-jet
printer. A particularly preferred printer is an ink-jet printer
that uses a heat-fusible ink that is water-insoluble and which is
solid at ordinary temperatures.
[0044] In the illustrated back printing section 14, the
light-sensitive material A cut to sheets of a specified length are
guided one by one through the platen guide 35 as the necessary back
print information is recorded with the back printer 34.
[0045] After back printing in the back printing section 14, the
sheet of light-sensitive material A is transported to the register
section 16. The register section 16 helps ensure correctness for
the transport of the sheets of light-sensitive material A in the
auxiliary scanning direction in the auxiliary scanning section 18
and for the exposure by raster scanning in the main scanning
section 20. To this end, the register section 16 regulates not only
the posture of the sheet of light-sensitive material A before it is
transported into the auxiliary scanning section 18 but also its
position in the main scanning direction so that the light-sensitive
material A is in agreement with the desired posture and position.
Having this capability, the register section 16 comprises an
upstream transport roller pair 36, a transport guide 38 and a
downstream transport roller pair 40.
[0046] The transport guide 38 may be of any type insofar as it
functions as a width guide that regulates the position of each
sheet of light-sensitive material A at least in the main scanning
direction, namely, in the width direction perpendicular to the
transport of the light-sensitive material A, thereby regulating
both the posture of the light-sensitive material A before it is
transported into the auxiliary scanning section 18 and its position
in the main scanning direction such that it is brought into
agreement with the correct posture and position. A preferred
example of the transport guide 38 to be used in the invention
functions not only as a loop guide that guides the light-sensitive
material A downstream and which forms a loop (slack portion) of the
material A as required but also as an edge (width) guide which
guides the light-sensitive material A in the direction of its width
so that its position in the width direction is regulated and its
posture is controlled.
[0047] An example of the transport guide 38 that can be used in the
invention has been proposed by the Applicant in Japanese Patent
Application No. 182390/1997. An embodiment of the transport guide
38 is shown schematically in FIG. 2 (front view) and FIG. 3 (side
view). The transport guide 38 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 comprises a
pair of U-shaped width guides 42 and 44 that can approach or depart
from each other in the main scanning direction indicated by arrow x
and split transport roller pairs 50 (50a and 50b) that are provided
in correspondence with recesses 46 and 48 formed in the inner end
faces of the upper and lower sides 42a and 42b of the width guide
42, as well as the upper and lower sides 44a and 44b of the width
guide 44 in areas part of the way in the direction of arrow y. One
of the opposed guide surfaces 42a and 42b of the width guide 42 and
one of the opposed guide surfaces 44a and 44b of the width guide
44, which are 42a and 44a in the illustrated case, are used as
pivotal guides 42c and 44c in those areas which are upstream of the
split transport roller pairs 50 and supported in such a way that
they can pivot outside the split transport roller pair 50a whereas
they are axially movable along the rotating shafts 50c and 50d
between the roller pairs 50a and 50b.
[0048] Having this structure, the transport guide 38 is capable of
forming a loop of the light-sensitive material A in the area
between the upstream transport roller pair 36 and each of the split
transport roller pairs 50 (see FIG. 3). At the same time, the inner
sides 42d and 44d of the width guides 42 and 44 which serve as
surfaces that regulate the edges of the light-sensitive material A
regulate both of its edges from opposite sides so that its posture
is kept parallel to the direction of transport y whereas its center
position in the main scanning direction x is brought into registry
with the specified appropriate position.
[0049] The transport guide 38 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is adapted to
be such that irrespective of the width of the light-sensitive
material A, the U-shaped width guides 42 and 44 can either approach
or depart from each other to ensure that the center position of the
light-sensitive material A in the main scanning direction x is
brought into agreement with the specified appropriate position
(i.e., center registry is attained). However, this is not the sole
case of the invention and only one of the U-shaped width guides 42
and 44 may be adapted to be movable in the x direction and the
position of one edge of the light-sensitive material A in the x
direction is brought into agreement with the specified appropriate
position (i.e., side registry is attained).
[0050] After its posture and its position in the main scanning
direction have been correctly adjusted by means of the transport
roller pair 36 and the transport guide 38 in the register section
16, the light-sensitive material A is transported to the auxiliary
scanning section 18 by means of the downstream transport roller
pair 40. The auxiliary scanning section 18 comprises two transport
roller pairs 52 and 54 located on opposite sides of the exposing
position x (the main scanning line), an exposure guide 56 for
holding the light-sensitive material A at the exposing position X
in a more advantageous way, and an edge detecting sensor 58 for
detecting both the advancing and trailing edges of each sheet of
light-sensitive material A. The light-sensitive material A as it is
held flat in the exposing position X by means of the exposure guide
56 is transported in the auxiliary scanning direction (to the right
in FIG. 1) which is perpendicular to the main scanning direction by
means of the transport roller pairs 52 and 54 which are driven to
rotate in synchronism.
[0051] The time of starting the exposure of the light-sensitive
material A with the light beams L issued from the main scanning
section 20 is controlled by detection of the advancing edge of the
light-sensitive material A with the edge detecting sensor 58.
Briefly, the exposure starts a specified time after the issuance of
the detection signal.
[0052] As already mentioned, the light beams L from the main
scanning section 20 are deflected in the main scanning direction,
so the light-sensitive material A in the main scanning section 20
is exposed by two-dimensional raster scanning with the light beams
L modulated in accordance with the image to be recorded, whereby a
latent image is recorded.
[0053] In the auxiliary scanning section 18, one of the lower
rollers in the two transport roller pairs 52 and 54 is connected to
a drive source and these lower rollers are connected together with
a synchronizing belt or transmission means such as gear wheels so
that they are capable of synchronous rotation.
[0054] The upper rollers in the transport roller pairs 52 and 54
are adapted to either approach or depart from the lower rollers
independently of each other and the advancing edge of each sheet of
light-sensitive material A is smoothly fed into and gripped by the
respective roller pairs 52 and 54 and, at the same time, the
trailing edge of the light-sensitive material A is smoothly
released from the grip by those roller pairs and allowed to emerge
therefrom so that there will be little or no unevenness and other
troubles while the sheets of light-sensitive material A are
transported in the auxiliary scanning direction by means of the
transport roller pairs 52 and 54.
[0055] The mechanism of the auxiliary scanning section 18 to be
used in the invention is by no means limited to the above-described
means of transport in the auxiliary scanning direction which
employs two transport roller pairs. Any other transport means can
be employed insofar as it is capable of transport in the auxiliary
scanning direction of various kinds of light-sensitive material in
sheet form that are to be subjected to scan exposure, in
particular, raster scan exposure. Two examples of such alternative
transport means are as follows: a means of transport in the
auxiliary scanning direction which uses an exposing drum that
transports the light-sensitive material A as it is held in registry
with the recording position X and two nip rollers that are placed
on opposite sides of the recording position X and in contact with
the exposing drum; a transport means which transports the
light-sensitive material A in the auxiliary scanning direction as
it is placed on a conveyor belt.
[0056] The main scanning section 20 is an optical unit for
performing digital exposure using light beams L such as laser
beams. Although not shown, the main scanning section 20 comprises a
light source assembly emitting light beams for performing exposure
of the light-sensitive material A to red (R), green (G) and blue
(B) lights, a modulating means such as AOM (acoustic optical
modulator) that modulates the issued light beams in accordance with
the recording digital image signals, an optical deflector such as a
polygonal mirror that deflects the modulated light beams in the
main scanning direction (normal to the plane of FIG. 1), and an
optical element such as an f.theta. (scanning) lens with which the
light beams L deflected in the main scanning direction are focused
to form a beam spot of a specified diameter at a specified point on
the exposing position X (scanning line); these optical parts and
elements are assembled on optical flats and so forth that compose
an enclosure. The main scanning section 20 to be used in the
invention may be any optical beam scanner that is capable of
modulating, pixel for pixel, the light beams for exposure to three
primaries in accordance with the digital image signals for the
respective colors, optionally combining the modulated trichromatic
light beams, deflecting the combined or uncombined light beams in
the main scanning direction, and emitting the deflected light beams
L. As long as this requirement is met, any known optical beam
scanner may be employed.
[0057] It should be noted that the main scanning section 20 that
can be used in the invention is in no way limited to the
above-mentioned optical beam scanner and it may be replaced by
various kinds of exposing means based on digital image signals
using various arrays of light-emitting devices and spatial
modulating devices which extend in the main scanning direction
perpendicular to the transport of the light-sensitive material A in
the auxiliary scanning direction. Specific examples of such
exposing means are raster exposing means based on digital image
signals using a PDP (plasma display) array, an ELD
(electroluminescent display) array, an LED (light-emitting diode)
array, an LCD (liquid-crystal display) array, a DMD (digital
micromirror device) array, a laser array and so forth.
[0058] After the exposing step, the light-sensitive material A is
transported to the distributing section 22. The distributing
section 22 distributes individual sheets of the light-sensitive
material A in the main scanning direction perpendicular to its
transport (which direction is hereinafter referred to as the
"lateral direction" for the sake of convenience), as required by
the size and other parameters of the light-sensitive material
A.
[0059] With common silver salt photographic materials which are
currently used in photography, development processing is more
time-consuming than exposure and, if exposure is performed
continuously, development processing cannot keep pace with the
exposure but lags behind it and this introduces the need for
storing temporarily the as-exposed light-sensitive material in a
reservoir, a stocker or the like.
[0060] The distributing section 22 is provided with a view to
eliminating this difficulty and by distributing a single row of
sheets of the light-sensitive material A in the lateral direction
perpendicular to their transport so that they are rearranged in a
plurality of rows in the direction of transport, the throughput of
the developing machine 25 can be improved (almost doubled in two
rows and tripled in three rows) and the time difference between
development processing and exposure is satisfactorily
cancelled.
[0061] The distributor to be used in the distributing section 22 is
not limited to any particular type and various methods are
available that receive individual sheets being supplied in a single
row and which distribute them into a plurality of rows. The
following examples may be given: a device that distributes the
sheets using a circular turret capable of rotation about a shaft; a
device in which the means of transporting the light-sensitive
material A is divided into a plurality of blocks, say, three blocks
and the center block is moved in the lateral direction to
distribute the incoming sheets into a plurality of rows; a device
in which belt conveyors as transport means which carries the
individual sheets of light-sensitive material A and transports them
downstream are combined with lift transport means which lifts the
sheets of light-sensitive material A using suckers or the like and
transports them in the lateral direction such that when the sheets
of light-sensitive material A have been transported by the upstream
conveyors to a specified position, the lift transport means turns
on to lift the sheets and transports them either in the lateral
direction or in an oblique lateral (downstream) direction to be
distributed in a plurality of rows; and a device comprising a
plurality of spaced belt conveyors as transport means that
transports the light-sensitive material A downstream and
semicircular (D-shaped) roller pairs which are provided between
adjacent belt conveyors to distribute individual sheets of the
light-sensitive material A in the lateral direction to form a
plurality of rows.
[0062] The individual sheets of light-sensitive material A which
have been distributed in the lateral direction into a plurality of
rows in the distributing section 22 are further transported by a
roller pair 60 so that they emerge from the outlet 24 to be fed
into the developing machine 25, where they are subjected to a
specified development and processing scheme that includes color
development, bleach-fixing, rinsing and other steps that are
determined by the type of the light-sensitive material A; as a
result, the latent image on the light-sensitive material A is
rendered visible and the thus processed sheets of light-sensitive
material A are dried to yield finished prints, which are rearranged
in a single row in the order they were prepared (i.e., the exposure
was done) and subsequently ejected into a sorter or the like.
[0063] In the image recording apparatus 10 of the invention, the
frame of the register section 16 (which combines with the back
printing section 14 to make up the upstream transport unit), the
frame of the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the optical flats of
the main scanning section 20 are connected (as indicated by an
alternate long and short dash line 66 in FIG. 1) by connecting
means such as plates or rods that may serve as stays and fastened
into a unitary assembly by fastening means such as screws or bolts
and nuts. The unitary assembly of the frame of the upper transport
unit including the register section 16, the frame of the auxiliary
scanning section 18 and the optical flats of the main scanning
section 20 is supported on the main frame 64 of the housing 11 of
the apparatus via rubber vibration insulators 62, one of which is
shown in FIG. 4. Reference numeral 66 in FIG. 4 shall denote either
the frame of the register section 16 or the upstream transport
section or the frame of the auxiliary scanning section 18 or the
optical flats or enclosure frame of the main scanning section 20 or
the frame of the unitary assembly constructed by connecting
together these frames and optical flats by suitable connecting and
fastening means.
[0064] In the illustrated case, the rubber vibration insulators 62
are used as vibration damping means to be interposed between the
frame 66 of the unitary assembly and the main frame 64. However,
this is not the sole case of the invention and any vibration
damping element may be used insofar as it undergoes elastic
deformation under compression or shear to absorb the energy of
impact or vibration, thereby ensuring that the internal or external
vibrations from the main frame 64 are insulated or sufficiently
damped. Aside from rubber vibration insulators, various vibration
damping elements may be employed, as exemplified by vibration
damping cork, pneumatic spring, metal spring and other elastic
members that will not cause self-excited oscillation but which are
capable of significant energy absorption by the spring action;
dynamic dampers using such elastic members may also be adopted. The
vibration damping elements or members described above may be used
either singly or in combination; for example, rubber vibration
insulators 62 may be used in combination with springs (coil
springs).
[0065] In the case of the invention which is illustrated in FIG. 1,
the upstream transport unit (particularly the register section 16),
the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the main scanning section 20
are combined into a unitary assembly and the frame of this unitary
assembly is delineated by the alternate long and short dash dashed
line 66. A plurality of units of the rubber vibration insulator 62
(see FIG. 4), and six units in the illustrated case, are interposed
between the frame 66 and the main frame 64 supported on the housing
11 of the apparatus 10 so as to achieve vibrational insulation
between the two frames, thereby ensuring that neither internal nor
external vibrations will be transmitted to the frame 66 of the
unitary assembly. As a result, offsets in the relative positions of
the register section 16, the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the
main scanning section 20, offsets in the position of the
light-sensitive material A, unevenness in its transport in the
auxiliary scanning direction and other problems that would
otherwise occur from the internal or external vibrations can be
effectively prevented and, hence, high-quality and uniform images
can at all times be recorded without suffering from the problem of
unevenness in image.
[0066] In the case illustrated in FIG. 1, the register section 16,
the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the main scanning section 20
are supported on the main frame 64, with two rubber vibration
insulators 62 being placed under each section and a total of six
insulators for the frame 66 of the unitary assembly. This is not
the sole case of the invention and the number of rubber vibration
insulators 62 to be employed and the positions in which the rubber
vibration insulators 62 are to be interposed between the main frame
64 and the frame 66 of the unitary assembly may be adjusted as
appropriate for the specific need.
[0067] Described above is the basic construction of the image
recording apparatus of the invention.
[0068] In the above-described case of the image recording apparatus
10, the upstream transport unit including the register section 16,
the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the main scanning section 20
are combined into a unitary assembly, which is supported on the
main frame 64 via a plurality of rubber vibration insulators 62. If
desired, the whole upstream transport unit including both the
register section 16 and the back printing section 14 may be
combined with the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the main
scanning section 20. Alternatively, only the auxiliary scanning
section 18 and the main scanning section 20 may be combined into a
unitary assembly as delineated by a dotted line in FIG. 1 (the
upstream transport unit including the register section 16 is not a
part of the unitary assembly), with the frame 68 of the unitary
assembly being supported on the main frame 64 via rubber vibration
insulators 62.
[0069] In this alternative case where only the main scanning
section 20 and the auxiliary scanning section 18 are combined into
a unitary assembly enclosed with the frame 68, internal and
external vibrations may cause positional offsets between the
register section 16 and the auxiliary scanning section 18 in both
the main and auxiliary scanning directions, whereupon the
light-sensitive material A is positionally offset in both the main
and auxiliary scanning directions. If the positional offset of the
light-sensitive material A is in the auxiliary scanning direction,
its leading edge is detected by the edge detecting sensor 58 in the
auxiliary scanning section 18, so the time of starting image
recording in the auxiliary scanning direction by means of the light
beams L from the main scanning section 20 is appropriately
controlled to eliminate the possibility for an offset to occur in
the position on the light-sensitive material A where recording
starts.
[0070] On the other hand, if the positional offset of the
light-sensitive material A is in the main scanning direction, the
time of starting line-for-line image recording in the main scanning
direction by means of the deflected light beams L from the main
scanning section 20, which is controlled by the step of alignment
in the register section 16, is unavoidably offset, whereupon there
occurs an offset in the start of recording on the light-sensitive
material A. In an extreme case, some areas of the light-sensitive
material A will remain blank (no image is recorded at all) or the
image to be recorded fails to be formed on the light-sensitive
material A.
[0071] If this situation is expected, not only the edge detecting
sensor 58 which detects the leading and trailing edges (in the
auxiliary scanning direction) of the light-sensitive material A but
also a position sensor (not shown) for detecting the position of
the light-sensitive material A in the main scanning direction, for
example, an edge or edges thereof in the direction of width (in the
main scanning direction) has to be provided in the auxiliary
scanning section 18 so that the detected position in the main
scanning direction or its departure from the appropriate position
is referenced to control the timing of starting the recording of an
image in the main scanning direction with the light beams L from
the main scanning section 20. In this way, the recording of an
image on the light-sensitive material A with the light beams L can
be started in the correct position, and offsets in the position of
the light-sensitive material A, unevenness in its transport in the
auxiliary scanning direction and other problems that would
otherwise occur from the internal or external vibrations can be
effectively prevented and, hence, high-quality and uniform images
can at all times be recorded without suffering from the problem of
unevenness in image.
[0072] FIGS. 5a, 5b and 6 show other embodiments of the invention,
in which not only the upstream transport unit including the
register section 16, the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the main
scanning section 20 but also the supply section 12 which is located
further upstream of the upstream transport unit and which includes
the cutters 30, withdrawing rollers 28 and loaders 26 of the
magazines 32 of light-sensitive material A is included as a part of
a unitary assembly and its frame 70 (see FIGS. 5a and 5b) or 72 is
supported on the main frame 64 of the housing 11 of the apparatus
via rubber vibration insulators 62.
[0073] Making a vibration-proof construction by combining the
loaded magazines 32 of light-sensitive material A with the register
section 16, the auxiliary scanning section 18 and the main scanning
section 20 to form a unitary assembly is necessary and effective in
the following two cases; one is shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, where the
path of transport from the magazine 32 to the auxiliary scanning
section 18 is very short and as sheets of the light-sensitive
material A are transported in the auxiliary scanning direction
through the auxiliary scanning section 18 and subjected to exposure
by raster scanning with the light beams L from the main scanning
section 20, the light-sensitive material A is unreeled and drawn
out of the magazine 32 by a specified length by means of the
withdrawing roller pair 28 and subsequently cut into sheets of a
given length by means of the cutter 30; the other case is shown in
FIG. 6, where the register section 16 is provided just next to the
outlet of the magazine 32 and sheets of the light-sensitive
material A are transported to the auxiliary scanning section 18 as
they are aligned in the main scanning direction (lateral direction)
at a site just next to the outlet of the magazine 32.
[0074] If the web of light-sensitive material A is cut into sheets
with the cutter 30 as it is transported in the auxiliary scanning
direction as shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, it is necessary to ensure
that the cutting action will in no way affect the transport of the
light-sensitive material A in the auxiliary scanning direction
through the auxiliary scanning section 18 and its exposure in the
main scanning section 20. To meet this requirement, a loop of a
specified size is formed of the light-sensitive material A in the
space between the cutter 30 and the register section 16 before it
is cut with the cutter 30 as shown in FIG. 5b. In the case shown in
FIG. 6, the light-sensitive material A as cut to a specified length
with the cutter 30 must then be transported in the auxiliary
scanning direction for exposure. If successive sheets of the
light-sensitive material A can be aligned in the main scanning
direction by means of the register section 16, the distance from
the magazine 32 to the auxiliary scanning section 18 can be made as
short as in the case shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b.
[0075] Thus, according to additional embodiments of the invention,
the supply section 12, the register section 16, the auxiliary
scanning section 18 and the main scanning section 20 are combined
to form a unitary assembly, of which the frame 70 or 72 is
supported on the main frame 64 via rubber vibration insulators 62.
Even in this case, offsets in the position of the light-sensitive
material A, unevenness in its transport in the auxiliary scanning
direction and other problems that would otherwise occur from the
internal or external vibrations can be effectively prevented and,
hence, high-quality and uniform images can at all times be recorded
without suffering from the problem of unevenness in image.
[0076] While the image recording apparatus of the invention has
been described above with reference to various embodiments, the
invention is by no means limited to these particular embodiments
and various improvements and design modifications can of course be
made without departing from the scope and spirit of the
invention.
[0077] As described above in detail, the present invention ensures
that during image recording on sheets of light-sensitive material
with light beams, any adverse effects of internal and external
vibrations are sufficiently prevented, insulated or damped to
prevent the occurrence of offsets in the position of the
light-sensitive material, unevenness in its transport in the
auxiliary scanning direction and other problems that would
otherwise cause unevenness in image.
[0078] Consequently, the invention has the advantage of recording
uniform high-quality images correctly at all times on sheets of
light-sensitive material.
* * * * *