Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Identifying – composing – or selecting
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-21
2004-08-17
Kim, Peter B. (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Identifying, composing, or selecting
C355S029000, C355S046000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06778256
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording device which exposes a photosensitive material and forms an image thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, printing devices using digital exposure, i.e., digital photoprinters, carrying out the following operations have come to be put into practice. A digital photoprinter photoelectrically reads an image recorded on a film, converts the read image into a digital signal, and thereafter, carries out various image processings on the digital signal so as to prepare image data for recording. The digital photoprinter scan-exposes a photosensitive material by recording light which has been modulated on the basis of the image data, so as to record an image (latent image) on the photosensitive material. The digital photoprinter then subjects the photosensitive material to developing processing and outputs the image as a print (photograph).
Such a digital photoprinter is basically structured by an input device having a scanner (image reading device) and an image processing device; and an output device having a printing device (image recording device) and a developing device. At the scanner, projected light of an image photographed on a film is photoelectrically read at an image sensor such as a CCD sensor or the like, and is sent to the image processing device as image data (an image data signal) of the film. The image processing device carries out predetermined image processings on the image data, and sends the processed image data to the printing device as output image data (exposure conditions) for image recording. If the printing device is, for example, a device utilizing light beam scan-exposure, the printing device deflects, in a main scanning direction, a light beam which has been modulated on the basis of the supplied image data, and conveys a photographic printing paper in a subscanning direction which is orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The printing device thereby forms a latent image on the photographic printing paper. The printing device also records predetermined items on the reverse surface of the photographic printing paper as a back print. In the developing device, a predetermined developing processing and the like are carried out on the exposed photographic printing paper, so as to form a print in which the image which was photographed on the film is reproduced.
Image recording devices have been proposed which aim to improve the printing speed (the image recording speed) by conveying sheet-shaped photographic printing papers in plural rows in the subscanning direction and scanning (exposing) a light beam in the main scanning direction.
In this case, in order to convey the sheet-shaped photographic printing papers in plural rows, structures such as the following have been proposed for example. In one such structure, a plurality of photosensitive material magazines are disposed in parallel, and the photographic printing paper which is supplied from each magazine is cut to a predetermined length such that sheet-shaped photographic printing papers are formed, and the sheet-shaped photographic printing papers are conveyed side by side. In another such structure, sheet-shaped photographic printing papers which are being conveyed in one row are distributed into plural rows by a distributing mechanism, e.g., a distributing mechanism using suction cups.
There have been proposed conventional image recording devices (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 11-202418 for example) which aim to improve the printing speed by, while conveying sheet-shaped photosensitive materials in plural rows in the subscanning direction (a multi-row conveying system), simultaneously form latent images on the plural photosensitive materials, and carry out a predetermined developing processing and the like so as to reproduce images photographed on a film (i.e., so as to record images).
However, the type of device which has the plural magazines has the problem that, because plural magazines are needed, the device becomes large. Moreover, when the distributing mechanism is used, the mechanism is complex, and a problem arises in that control also becomes complex.
There are cases in which, among the plural photosensitive materials which are being conveyed in parallel, photosensitive materials do not exist at some of the rows, and the photosensitive materials exist in a state of being offset toward one longitudinal direction end portion of the conveying rollers.
As shown in
FIG. 18
, when a photosensitive material
200
, which is being conveyed in a multi-row conveying system, is offset toward one longitudinal direction end portion of conveying rollers, an imbalance arises in the nipping force of a pair of conveying rollers
202
,
204
, by which nipping force the photosensitive material
200
is nipped.
Elastic members
206
, such as helical tension springs or the like, are suspended between the respective rotating shafts projecting from the both end portions of the pair of conveying rollers
202
,
204
. Due to the urging forces of these elastic members
206
, nipping force is generated at the photosensitive material
200
nipped between the pair of conveying rollers
202
,
204
.
Thus, when the photosensitive material
200
is offset toward one side of the pair of conveying rollers
202
,
204
, a space arises between the conveying rollers
202
,
204
at the side where the photosensitive material
200
is nipped. The further toward the other side, the more this gap between the conveying rollers
202
,
204
narrows, and the conveying rollers
202
,
204
rotate while contacting one another.
Namely, the conveying rollers
202
,
204
rotate while contacting the photosensitive material
200
, in a state in which there is an imbalance in the nipping force nipping the photosensitive material
200
because the rotating shafts of the pair of conveying rollers
202
,
204
are not parallel. Thus, a problem arises in that the photosensitive material
200
cannot be correctly conveyed in a predetermined direction.
In particular, at the time of carrying out exposure processing, when the nipping force becomes unbalanced at a subscanning section at which precise conveying is required, a problem arises in that it is not possible to convey the photosensitive material
200
straight, and the image formed on the photosensitive material
200
is adversely affected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to overcome the above-described drawbacks, an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device in which photographic printing papers can be distributed into plural rows by a simple structure.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device which can properly convey a photosensitive material which is being conveyed on a conveying path.
A first aspect of the present invention is an image recording device for exposing a photosensitive material, which is being conveyed, and recording an image on the photosensitive material, said image recording device comprising: a housing for housing the photosensitive material; a conveying path of the photosensitive material, which includes an intersection region, extends in a first direction towards the intersection region, and at the intersection region, further extends in a second direction, which intersects the first direction; a first conveying mechanism for pulling the photosensitive material out from the housing, conveying the photosensitive material in the first direction along the conveying path, and positioning at least one photosensitive material sheet at the intersection region; and a second conveying mechanism for conveying the at least one photosensitive material sheet, which is at the intersection region, from the intersection region in the second direction along the conveying path. The conveying path includes a first conveying path and a second conveying path.
The photosensitive material which is housed in the housing may be an elongated photosensitive material that is wou
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Kim Peter B.
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