Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-27
2002-12-17
Rutledge, Della J (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
C355S072000, C355S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06496243
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a roller carrying mechanism which includes two sets of carrying roller units each having a drive roller and a pressing roller and a photographic processing device which incorporates the roller carrying mechanism therein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recently, in a digital mini laboratory (photographic processing device), an exposure method which uses an photo print head as an exposure head has been adopted. In performing the exposure using such an exposure method, the photo print head whose exposure range is extended in the main scanning direction is fixed, and a photographic paper is carried in the sub scanning direction which intersects the main scanning direction of the photo print head at a right angle by a first exposure carrying roller unit and a second exposure carrying roller unit each of which includes an exposure driving roller and an exposure pressing roller which are arranged at both sides (upstream side and downstream side in the photographic paper carrying direction) of the photo print head, whereby line exposure is sequentially performed thus completing the surface exposure of an image as a whole.
In such a roller carrying mechanism for photographic paper, the photographic paper during the exposure is transferred to the second exposure carrying roller unit from the first exposure carrying roller unit. For example, in a roller carrying mechanism as described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication 15768/1997, until a photographic paper reaches a first exposure carrying roller unit, a first exposure pressing roller maintains a state in which the first exposure pressing roller is brought into pressure contact with a first exposure driving roller due to a spring force to take a standby posture for receiving the photographic paper. When the photographic paper enters, the first exposure pressing roller is displaced due to the entering force of the photographic paper against the spring force and the photographic paper is directly carried to the second exposure carrying roller unit under the clamped and pressed state. In the same manner, before the photographic paper reaches the second exposure carrying roller unit, a second exposure pressing roller also maintains a state in which the second exposure pressing roller is brought into contact with a second exposure driving roller due to a spring force as a standby posture for receiving the photographic paper. Accordingly, when the photographic paper is transferred from the first exposure carrying roller unit to the second exposure carrying roller unit, the second exposure pressing roller is displaced due to the entering pressure of the photographic paper against the spring force and is directly carried in the state that the photographic paper is clamped and pressed.
In the above-mentioned roller carrying mechanism, depending on a distance between the exposure position and the second exposure carrying roller unit, there is a case in which a leading end of the photographic paper during exposure enters the second exposure carrying roller unit. In such a case, the carrying speed of the photographic paper is largely fluctuated due to an impact applied to the photographic paper at the time of clamping the photographic paper with the second exposure carrying roller unit and hence, there arises a problem that the exposure irregularity is generated on the photographic paper so that the image quality is degraded.
In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a roller carrying mechanism which can suppress the degradation of image quality derived from the clamping of an image holding medium with a second carrying roller unit during exposure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a photographic processing device which incorporates such a roller carrying mechanism therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above-mentioned object, a roller carrying mechanism of the present invention is comprised of a first carrying roller unit which includes a first driving roller, a first pressing roller which is shiftable between a press-contact position at which the first pressing roller clamps an image holding medium between the first pressing roller and the first driving roller and is capable of performing a follower rotation and a press-contact releasing position at which the first pressing roller is released from the first driving roller, and a first pressing roller supporting shaft for supporting the first pressing roller, the first carrying roller unit being arranged at the upstream side of an image processing position, a second carrying roller unit which includes a second driving roller, a second pressing roller which is shiftable between a press-contact position at which the second pressing roller clamps the image holding medium between the second pressing roller and the second driving roller and is capable of performing a follower rotation and a press-contact releasing position at which the second pressing roller is released from the second driving roller, and a second pressing roller supporting shaft for supporting the second pressing roller, the second carrying roller unit being arranged at the downstream side of the image processing position, and a shaft coupling unit which couples the first pressing roller supporting shaft and the second pressing roller supporting shaft such that both pressing rollers are rotated in the same direction even when only one of the first pressing roller and the second pressing roller is held at the press-contact position.
According to the present invention, since the second pressing roller is shiftable between the press-contact position and the press-contact releasing position, by shifting the second pressing roller from the press-contact releasing position to the press-contact position after a leading end of an image holding medium passes between the second pressing roller and the second driving roller, an impact which is given to the image holding medium can be reduced so that the fluctuation of the carrying speed of the image holding medium can be made relatively small.
Further, since the first pressing roller supporting shaft and the second pressing roller supporting shaft are coupled to each other by means of the shaft coupling unit, by making the first pressing roller assume the press-contact position, it is possible to make the second pressing roller rotated in the carrying direction of the image holding medium. Accordingly, by making the first pressing roller assume the press-contact position at the time of shifting the second pressing roller from the press-contact releasing position to the press-contact position, it is possible to bring the image holding medium carried from the first carrying roller unit side into contact with the second pressing roller rotated in the carrying direction of the image holding medium. Eventually, an impact that the image holding medium receives from the second pressing roller can be made extremely small so that the carrying speed of the image holding medium is hardly fluctuated. Accordingly, drawbacks such as the exposure irregularity on the image holding medium and the reading irregularity on the image holding medium are hardly generated thus enhancing the image quality.
Further, since the first pressing roller is shiftable between the press-contact position and the press-contact releasing position, by shifting the first pressing roller from the press-contact position to the press-contact releasing position before a rear end of the image holding medium passes between the first pressing roller and the first driving roller, an impact applied to the image holding medium at the time of discharging the image holding medium from the first carrying roller unit can be reduced so that the fluctuation of the carrying speed of the image holding medium can be made relatively small.
In the present invention, the roller carrying mechanism may adopt the shaft coupling unit which includes a first pulley which is supported on the above-mentioned
Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd.
Rutledge Della J
Smith Patent Office
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