Electric heating – Heating devices – Combined with container – enclosure – or support for material...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-03
2001-09-11
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Heating devices
Combined with container, enclosure, or support for material...
C219S216000, C399S279000, C399S328000, C430S350000, C432S060000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06288370
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for subjecting a sheet which must be subjected to heat treatment, to heat treatment and more particularly to a heat development apparatus for use in a recording operation which is performed in a dry system, such as an image recording operation using a dry material such that a wet process is not performed.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image recording apparatus for recording a medical image for use in a digital radiography system, a CT, an MR or the like which uses a heat accumulating fluorescent sheet is known. The foregoing apparatus employs a wet system for obtaining a reproduced image by performing a wet process after an image has been photographed or recorded on a silver-salt photo-graphic photosensitive material.
In recent years, a recording apparatus has attracted attention which employs a dry system in which the wet process is not performed. The foregoing recording apparatus is arranged to use a photosensitive and/or thermo-sensitive recording material or a film made of a heat development photosensitive material (hereinafter called “recording materials”). In the recording apparatus using the dry system, the recording material is irradiated (scanned) with a laser beam in an exposing section so that a latent image is formed. Then, the recording material is, in a heat development section, brought into contact with a heating means so that heat development is performed. Then, the recording material on which an image has been formed is discharged to the outside of the apparatus.
The dry system of the foregoing type is able to form an image in a shorter time as compared with the wet process. Moreover, the problem of a necessity of disposal of waste liquid produced in the wet process can be overcome. Therefore, increase in the demand of the dry system is expected.
The foregoing dry system is usually structured to incorporate the heat development section having a heating means which is a heating drum. An endless belt is wound along the surface of the heating drum for a predetermined angle so that a recording material is held and transferred by the heating drum and the endless belt. Thus, heat development is performed. If the tension of the endless belt becomes non-uniform owing to heat deterioration or the like, uniform contact between the recording material and the heating drum cannot be realized. Thus, irregular development occurs.
Since images for use in the medical field must have a high quality, the recording materials have significantly high sensitivity. If the state of contact with the heating drum encounters slight non-uniformity, the image quality excessively deteriorates.
In the heating means, a decrease in the temperature in an edge portion to which heat is not greatly supplied, in particular, contact between the surface of the heating member and the low-temperature sheet causes a temperature gradient of the heating member to occur in a direction in which the sheet is transferred. Since the foregoing temperature gradient cannot quickly be overcome, differences in the temperature occur in the surface of the sheet or among sheets in a case of a sequential process. Thus, there arises a problem in that the quality of a result of the heat treatment deteriorates.
When the recording material is held between the heating drum and the endless belt, there arises a problem in that buckling of an end portion causes undesirable folding and a crease.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus which is capable of making the contact between the heating member and the recording material to be furthermore uniform, which is free from occurrence of adhesion of dust, undesirable folding and a crease, and which is able to realize furthermore, uniform heating so as to form a high-quality image free from irregular development.
The foregoing object can be achieved by the following structures according to the present invention.
(1) A heat treatment apparatus for subjecting a sheet, which must be subjected to heat treatment, to heat treatment by transferring the sheet along the surface of a heating member, the heat treatment apparatus comprising:
at least two heating members fixedly aligned in a direction in which the sheet, which must be subjected to heat treatment, and arranged to subject the sheet, which must be subjected to heat treatment, to heat treatment which is performed at a predetermined temperature;
transferring means for sliding and transferring the sheet, which must be subjected to heat treatment, along the surface of each heating member; and
pressing means for pressing at least a portion of the sheet, which must be subjected to heat treatment and which is being transferred, against the surfaces of the heating members.
(2) A heat treatment apparatus according to (1), wherein the distance among the heating members is 50 mm or shorter.
(3) A heat treatment apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the temperature of each heating member is independently controlled.
The heat treatment apparatus having the above-mentioned structure and the heat development apparatus using the same are arranged to independently set and control the corresponding temperatures of heating members divided into sections in a direction in which the heat-development photosensitive material sheet or the photosensitive and thermosensitive recording material sheet is transferred. Thus, the difference in the temperature of the sheet can be reduced. Moreover, irregular development, which takes place owing to heat deterioration in a case of the endless belt being employed, can be prevented so that furthermore, uniform heating is realized. As a result, a high-quality image free from irregular development can be obtained.
A first aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus for subjecting a sheet, which is to be subjected to heat treatment by transferring the sheet along the surface of a heating member, said heat treatment apparatus which comprises:
at least two heating members fixedly aligned in a direction in which the sheet is transferred and arranged to subject the sheet to heat treatment which is performed at a predetermined temperature;
transferring means for sliding and transferring the sheet along the surface of each heating member; and
pressing means for pressing at least a portion of the sheet which is being transferred, against the surfaces of said heating members.
A second aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the distance among said heating members is 50 mm or shorter.
A third aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the temperature of each heating member is independently controlled.
A fourth aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein a temperature sensor is disposed at a most downstream position of each heating member.
A fifth aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the heat capacity of the heating member disposed in an upstream inlet portion in the direction in which the sheet, being subjected to heat treatment, is transferred, is larger than the heat capacity of the heating member disposed downstream.
A sixth aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein each heating member incorporates an inclined sliding surface for sliding and guiding the leading end of the sheet, being subjected to heat treatment, at an upstream end in the direction in which the sheet is transferred.
A seventh aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein said pressing means is composed of a plurality of pressing rollers urged against the surfaces of said heating members.
An eighth aspect of the apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein said
Ogawa Masaharu
Torisawa Nobuyuki
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Fuqua Shawntina
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Walberg Teresa
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