Photocopying – Using microcapsules – Heating
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-08
2003-05-06
Nguyen, Henry Hung (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Using microcapsules
Heating
C355S027000, C355S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06559930
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image exposure apparatus which winds a photosensitive material on a peripheral face of a rotating drum or the like and scanningly exposes the photosensitive material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, for printing, a photosensitive lithographic printing plate (hereafter, referred to as a printing plate) is employed in which a photosensitive layer is formed on a sheet-like support such as an aluminum sheet. Such a printing plate has a size (length and width) which corresponds, for example, to the size (length and width) of a print.
Among image exposure apparatuses that expose an image on a printing plate, there is one in which a printing plate is wound around a rotating drum, and by irradiating a light beam according to image data onto the printing plate while rotating the printing plate together with the rotating drum, the printing plate is scanningly exposed.
Even in this type of image exposure apparatus, it is necessary to precisely form an image at a predetermined position of the printing plate. Thus, among image exposure apparatuses, for example, there is one in which a puncher is provided, a notch for positioning is formed at a tip of the printing plate by the puncher, and a pin for positioning provided in a protruding condition on a peripheral surface of a rotating drum enters the notch when the printing plate is wound around the rotating drum so as to position the printing plate.
In order to position the printing plate on the rotating drum precisely, it is necessary to precisely position the printing plate with respect to the puncher.
In general, for positioning the printing plate, the printing plate is placed on a table for positioning and is moved in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction so as to abut the pin for positioning. However, in order to implement this type of positioning, it is necessary to provide a table whose size is larger than that of the printing plate. Thus, the apparatus becomes quite large-sized. Further, it is necessary to remove the printing plate whose positioning is finished from the table and wind around the rotating drum. Thus, a transport mechanism for this operation is necessary.
As a method for positioning the printing plate, a method has been devised wherein the printing plate is sucked by a sucker so as to make the plate abut a positioning pin. However, in this positioning method, it is necessary to reduce transport speed at the time when the printing plate abuts the positioning pin or to reduce suction of the sucker or both, in order to implement precise positioning while preventing damage to the printing plate. When the transport speed of the printing plate is reduced, exposure processing time becomes long, and rapid processing becomes difficult. In order to decrease the suction of the sucker acting on the printing plate, a high cost, complex switching mechanism is needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed considering the facts described above, and an object of the present invention is to present an image exposure apparatus having a simple structure in which a photosensitive material to be wound around a rotating drum can be reliably positioned in a small space.
In an image exposure apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention, positioning of a sheet-like photosensitive material at a rotating drum is enabled by positioning the photosensitive material at a predetermined position before the photosensitive material is wound onto a peripheral surface of the rotating drum in order to be scanningly exposed, and the image exposure apparatus includes: a transport device which imparts transport force to each of two end portions in a width direction of the photosensitive material, which width direction is perpendicular to a transport direction of the photosensitive material, and transports the photosensitive material while maintaining the photosensitive material in a state in which the photosensitive material is tilted at a predetermined inclination; a first positioning device which stops each of two end portions in the width direction of a leading end of the photosensitive material, which is being transported by the transport device, at a predetermined position; a moving device which moves the transport device and the photosensitive material integrally along the width direction of the photosensitive material after the photosensitive material has been stopped at the predetermined position by the first positioning device; and a second positioning device which stops the photosensitive material, which is moved by the moving device, at a predetermined position.
The transport device imparts the transport force to both respective side edges in the width direction of the photosensitive material, such as a printing plate, to transport the photosensitive material in the state in which the photosensitive material is tilted at a predetermined inclination. The first positioning device stops both end portions in the width direction of the leading end of the photosensitive material transported by the transport device so that both end portions are at predetermined positions. Thus, the photosensitive material is positioned with respect to the transport direction.
The moving device moves the transport device along the width direction of the photosensitive material such that the photosensitive material is moved integrally therewith along the width direction. The second positioning device stops the photosensitive material moved by the moving device at a predetermined position, so as to implement positioning along the width direction of the photosensitive material.
When positioning is implemented with respect to the transport direction and the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction as described above, because the photosensitive material is tilted, positioning can be implemented in a smaller space than positioning the photosensitive material in a horizontal state, whereby an installation space for the apparatus can be made smaller. Further, since positioning of the photosensitive material is implemented on the transport device, transporting the photosensitive material whose positioning is finished can be easy.
In the image exposure apparatus of the present invention, preferably, the transport device includes: a plurality of transport belts provided substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the photosensitive material is transported, with the transport belts being disposed at predetermined intervals along the width direction of the photosensitive material; and a transport roller provided substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the photosensitive material is transported, and with the transport roller disposed to face each of end portions in the width direction of the photosensitive material, the transport roller pinches the photosensitive material between the transport belts and the transport roller and to impart a transporting force to the photosensitive material. Further, preferably, the transport roller is divided into a plurality of rollers along a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the photosensitive material. The plural rollers obtained by dividing the transport roller are preferably mutually relatively rotatable.
By providing rollers opposed to both respective end portions of the width direction of the photosensitive material, the end portions of the width direction of the photosensitive material can be separately held and can be imparted with transport force between the respective rollers and the transport belts.
Even when one end portion side of the width direction of the photosensitive material has been stopped at the predetermined position by the first positioning device, by moving the other end portion side of the photosensitive material, skew with respect to the transport direction of the photosensitive material can be readily remedied.
In the image exposure apparatus of the present invention, the transport device pre
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Nguyen Henry Hung
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