JP2005271345A - Dot impact printer and photo processing apparatus equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a dot impact printer capable of quickly drying information formed on a printing medium such as a photographic photosensitive material.
SOLUTION: An ink ribbon 31 and a print head 32 in which a large number of dot pins 33 are arranged are held on the ink ribbon by controlling the extrusion of the large number of dot pins 33 individually against the ink ribbon. In the dot impact printer configured to transfer the ink to the non-printing body and print information, a large number of needle-like portions 33 a are formed at the tip of each dot pin 33. The tip of each needle-like portion 33a is formed in a rounded shape.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention includes an ink ribbon and a print head in which a large number of dot pins are arranged, and the ink held on the ink ribbon is controlled by controlling the extrusion of the large number of dot pins individually against the ink ribbon. The present invention relates to a dot impact printer configured to transfer information to a non-printing body and print information, and a photo processing apparatus including the dot impact printer.

  An emulsion surface is formed on the surface of the photographic light-sensitive material (paper), and an image is printed on the emulsion surface to produce a photographic print. Image printing exposure is performed by a method of projecting and exposing a frame image of a developed photographic film, or a method of reading a frame image of a developed photographic film with a scanner and performing a scanning exposure based on the acquired digital image data. . Various information is printed as incidental information on the back surface of the photographic photosensitive material. As supplementary information, a frame number, order information, color / density correction data performed at a photo shop, and the like are printed. Since these are printed on the back side, they are also called back prints, and a dot impact printer is mainly used as a printing apparatus therefor. As a photographic processing system that performs back printing, for example, the following Patent Document 1 is known.

  In the photographic print creation process, the photographic photosensitive material is transported along a predetermined transport path in order to perform various processes such as image exposure and transport to the development processing section. Pairs are commonly used. The conveying roller pair conveys the photographic photosensitive material sandwiched between the driving roller and the pressure roller. On the other hand, even after printing on the back surface of the photographic photosensitive material, the photographic photosensitive material is conveyed by the conveying roller pair, but the printed information (ink) is not immediately dried. A special contrivance has been made for. That is, a concave portion is formed at a predetermined location in the conveying roller pair, and the portion where the incidental information is formed is configured not to contact the conveying roller pair. This prevents the printing ink from adhering to the conveying roller pair, and prevents the subsequent photographic photosensitive material from being soiled by the conveying roller pair to which the ink has adhered.

  If such concave portions are formed on the pair of conveyance rollers, the conveyance force with respect to the photographic photosensitive material is reduced, so that the formation area of the concave portions cannot be made large. Therefore, the amount of information to be formed on the back surface of the photographic material is inevitably limited from this viewpoint.

When incidental information is formed on the back side of a photographic material, the reason why it takes time for the ink to dry is that the material on the back side (base) of the photographic material is a material on which ink is difficult to be placed. . In other words, the surface roughness of the back surface is small from the viewpoint of placing the ink, so that it is difficult for the ink to penetrate.
JP-A-11-7090

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a dot impact printer that can quickly dry information formed on a printing material such as a photographic photosensitive material, and a photographic processing apparatus using the dot impact printer. It is to be.

In order to solve the above problems, a dot impact printer according to the present invention is:
An ink ribbon and a print head in which a large number of dot pins are arranged, and by controlling the extrusion of the large number of dot pins individually against the ink ribbon, the ink held on the ink ribbon is made into a non-printing body. A dot impact printer configured to transfer and print information,
A large number of needle-like portions are formed at the tip of each dot pin.

  In the dot impact printer having this configuration, a large number of needle-like portions are formed at the tip of each dot pin. When the dot pin is operated in the pushing direction with respect to the printing medium, minute irregularities can be formed on the printing surface of the printing medium by the needle-like portion at the tip, and the surface roughness can be increased. Thereby, the ink of the ink ribbon can be easily soaked into the printing medium. As a result, it is possible to provide a dot impact printer that can quickly dry incidental information formed on the back surface of a printing medium such as a photographic photosensitive material.

  The tip of each needle-like part according to the present invention is preferably formed in a rounded shape. If the tip of the needle-shaped part is too sharp, there is a possibility that the printing medium will be damaged. Thus, the tip of each needle-like portion has a round shape, so that damage to the printing medium can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the non-printing member is a photographic photosensitive material, and printing is performed on the back surface of the photographic photosensitive material by a print head. Since the material on the back side of the photographic material is a material on which ink is difficult to be placed, the present invention is particularly suitable for printing on the back side of the photographic material.

A photographic processing apparatus provided with a dot impact printer according to the present invention,
An image exposure unit that prints and exposes image information on the surface of the photosensitive material;
And a printing control unit for controlling the dot impact printer so that incidental information can be printed on the back surface of the photographic photosensitive material.

  In this photographic processing apparatus, after the incidental information is printed by the dot impact printer, it is transported by the pair of transport rollers. However, the ink is easily soaked and the ink can be dried quickly. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a recess that does not transfer ink to the pair of transport rollers, or the number of transport roller pairs that form the recess can be reduced. Thereby, it can also contribute to the cost reduction of a conveyance roller.

  A preferred embodiment of a photographic processing apparatus (photographic processing system) according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a photographic processing apparatus.

<Configuration of Photo Processing Apparatus (First Embodiment)>
The photographic processing apparatus reads a frame image of a developed photographic film (negative film or positive film) with a scanner, prints and exposes the image on paper (photosensitive material) based on the digital image data of the read frame image, and photographs It has a function to create a print. A scanner 20 (film scanner, corresponding to image data acquisition means) is provided for reading a frame image formed on a developed photographic film. The acquired image data is temporarily stored in the image data storage unit 21. The image data storage unit 21 can be configured by a hard disk or a memory. The image processing unit 22 has a function of performing image processing on image data. The image data acquired by the scanner 20 is not used for exposure as it is, but is checked for color and density in advance, and color and density as necessary so that a photo print of appropriate color and density can be created. The correction data is input by the operator. These correction data are included in the supplementary information and can be printed as supplementary information on the back side of the paper as will be described later. As a function of the image processing unit 22, not only the color / density correction described above but also an image enlargement process according to the size of the photo print, a special correction such as a red-eye correction, and the like are performed. The image data processed by the image processing unit 22 is sent to the image transmission unit 23 and further transferred to the laser control unit 24. The image processing unit 22 can be configured by, for example, image processing software and hardware for image processing. The image transmission unit 23 can be configured by a buffer memory or the like.

  The paper is stored in the form of a roll R in the paper magazine 1. When creating a photo print, one of the paper magazines 1 is used. The paper drawn out from the paper magazine 1 is sent out to the downstream transport path by the advance roller 2. The paper cutter 3 cuts a long paper drawn from the paper magazine 1 into a print size. The sorting and conveying device 4 can change the conveyance mode so that the paper conveyed in one row becomes a plurality of rows in two rows. The sorting and conveying device 4 includes a pair of nipping and conveying rollers 5 for nipping and conveying the paper. The nipping and conveying roller pair 5 is configured to be movable in both a direction along the conveying path and a direction orthogonal to the conveying path.

  The laser exposure device 6 includes a laser engine 7 and scans exposure light based on the image data transmitted from the image transmission unit 23, and prints and exposes an image on the emulsion surface of the paper. The laser exposure apparatus 6 includes a pair of conveyance rollers 8 and 9, and conveys the paper to be exposed along the conveyance path (sub-scanning direction). When image data in which image information and identification information are combined is transmitted, the image information and identification information are printed and exposed on the paper surface.

  Immediately downstream of the laser exposure device 6, a printing device 30 for printing incidental information on the back side of the paper is provided. The printing device 30 includes an ink ribbon 31 and a print head 32, and uses a device called a dot impact printer. Details of the printing apparatus 30 will be described later.

  A large number of conveying roller pairs 10 are provided on the downstream side of the printing apparatus 30, and the paper on which the latent image is formed is sent to the development processing unit 11. The development processing unit 11 includes a plurality of processing tanks, and exposes exposed image information on the paper surface. The drying processing unit 12 performs a drying process on the developed paper. The dried paper is conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 15 and then discharged from the print discharge unit 16 as a finished photographic print. The photo prints are collected in order units by an unillustrated collecting device.

  The supplementary information acquisition unit 17 has a function of acquiring supplementary information. When color / density correction data is input in the image processing operation, the supplementary information acquisition unit 17 acquires the correction data as supplementary information. The correction data is acquired via the input means 14 such as a mouse or a keyboard. Further, when the photographic film is an APS film, magnetic information recorded on the magnetic recording layer of the film can be acquired as supplementary information. Examples of magnetic information include data such as shooting date, shutter speed, and aperture value. The scanner 20 is provided with a magnetic head and can read magnetic information recorded on the magnetic recording layer.

  Various incidental information is stored in the incidental information database 19. In the incidental information, in addition to the incidental information (first incidental information) that needs to be matched with individual images, such as color / density correction data and data acquired from APS film, matching with images There is also incidental information (second incidental information) that does not require. The second supplementary information includes advertising advertisements for the photo shop, characters, postcard formats, and the like, and is data that can be printed on the back of many papers in common.

  The incidental information setting unit 18 can set incidental information to be printed on the back side of the paper. The operator can freely set whether or not to set accompanying information or what kind of accompanying information is printed. It is also possible to set so that only the first auxiliary information is printed.

  The printing device control unit 25 controls the print head of the printing device 30 so that predetermined auxiliary information can be printed on the back side of the paper according to the contents set in the auxiliary information setting unit 18.

<Configuration of printing device>
Next, a configuration example of the printing apparatus will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the ink ribbon cassette and the print head provided in the printing apparatus according to the present invention, in which the cover plate of the ink ribbon cassette is removed and the print head is partially broken.

  The printing apparatus 30 includes an ink ribbon cassette 34 that contains an ink ribbon 31 and a print head 32 that strikes the ink ribbon 31. The printing device 30 is arranged along the paper transport path as described above, and has a function of printing the accompanying information on the back surface of the paper.

  The ink ribbon cassette 34 incorporates an ink ribbon 31 in a housing 35, and the ink ribbon 31 carries ink used for printing. The ink ribbon 31 is folded and stored in a ribbon storage portion 36 formed in the casing 35, and a ribbon transport roller pair 37 (corresponding to a ribbon transport mechanism) is provided near the exit of the ribbon storage portion 36. Is provided. A space 43 in which the print head 32 can be placed is formed in a substantially half portion of the housing 35, and protrusions 38 and 39 are formed along the outer circumferences on both sides of the space 43. A ribbon outlet 40 and a ribbon inlet 41 are formed at the tips of the protrusions 38 and 39, respectively, so that the ink ribbon 31 can pass therethrough.

  The ink ribbon 31 has a loop shape and is conveyed clockwise (clockwise) in FIG. 2 along the conveyance path in the housing 35. That is, the ink ribbon 31 that has exited the ribbon storage unit 36 is nipped and transported by the ribbon transport roller pair 37, passes through the projecting portion 38, and is temporarily transported from the ribbon outlet 40, and then the projecting portion from the ribbon inlet 41. It is carried in to 39 and stored in the ribbon storage section 36 again. Further, the ink ribbon 31 is reversed in the middle of the transport path (for example, a portion surrounded by the rectangle 42), and is a so-called Mobius ring. Thereby, the front and back of the ink ribbon 31 can be used equally.

  The print head 32 includes a plurality of dot pins 33 (needle pins) arranged in two rows, and the dot pins 33 are configured to reciprocate in the axial direction. The print head 32 is disposed in a space 43 formed in the casing 35 of the ink ribbon cassette 34 and strikes a part of the ink ribbon 31 opened via the ribbon outlet 40 and the ribbon inlet 41 with the dot pin 33. The ink ribbon 31 struck by the dot pin 33 is pressed against the back surface of the paper, and printing is performed by transferring the ink carried thereon.

  The pair of transport rollers 37 that drive the ink ribbon 31 is transported and driven by a ribbon transport motor 31a. As shown in FIG. 3, the print head 32 includes a large number of dot pins 33, and each dot pin 33 can be driven independently by a pin driving mechanism 32a. By pushing the dot pin 33, the ink ribbon 31 can be pushed (tapped) against the back of the paper to transfer the ink. Thereby, incidental information can be printed on the back side of the paper.

  The pin driving mechanism 32a can be the same as the mechanism provided in a known dot impact printer. By providing each dot pin 33 with an actuator such as an electromagnet or a piezoelectric element, the dot pin 33 can be individually set. Can be driven. In FIG. 2, the print head 32 and the pin drive mechanism 32 a are depicted separately, but the pin drive mechanism 32 a can be provided inside the print head 32.

  In the example shown in the figure, a large number of dot pins 33 are arranged along the width direction of the paper. However, the number of arrangement can be appropriately determined according to the range in which incidental information is formed. Moreover, although the dot pins 33 are arranged in two rows, the number of rows can be determined as appropriate.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of each dot pin 33. At the tip of each dot pin 33, a large number of needle-like portions 33a are formed. The tip of each needle-like portion 33a has a rounded shape. By providing such a needle-like portion 33a, when the dot pin 33a is pressed against the back surface of the paper (when tapped), the surface roughness of the paper can be increased. Alternatively, minute unevenness can be formed. As a result, the ink can easily penetrate into the back surface of the paper. Therefore, the ink can be dried quickly.

  The paper on which the supplementary information is printed is transported by the transport roller pair 10. However, it is not necessary to form a recess in the transport roller for preventing ink from being transferred to the transport roller. Or the number of the conveyance rollers which form a recessed part can be reduced. Thereby, while being able to reduce the processing cost of a conveyance roller, the area which prints incidental information can be expanded.

<Operation flowchart>
A schematic procedure for creating a photo print in the photo processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, a photographic film such as a negative film is set on a film carrier (# 1). The photographic film is conveyed and scanning of the frame image is started (# 2). Image data acquired from the frame image of the photographic film is stored in the image data storage unit 21 (# 3).

  The operator displays a predetermined number of each frame image on the monitor screen, and determines whether or not a photo print having an appropriate color and density is created (# 4). The operator inputs color / density correction data using the input means as necessary. All images for one order (one film) are judged (# 5). Further, it may be determined whether special correction such as red-eye correction is necessary as necessary. The input correction data corresponds to incidental information.

  When the image processing operation is completed, a print processing start command is issued (# 6). For example, it can be started by clicking a specific button on the monitor screen. Thereby, the correction process of the image data is performed based on the correction data input earlier. The corrected image data is transmitted from the image transmission unit 23 to the laser engine 7. The laser engine 7 performs image printing exposure on the emulsion surface of the paper based on the transmitted image data (# 7).

  The paper on which the image is printed and exposed is sent to the printing device 30 located immediately downstream of the laser exposure device 6, and the incidental information is printed on the back surface of the paper (# 8).

  The paper on which the image is printed and exposed and the accompanying information is printed is transported by the transport roller pair 10 and subjected to development processing in the development processing section 11 and drying processing in the drying processing section 12 (# 9). By passing through the development processing unit 11, the image information that was a latent image becomes obvious. When the paper passes through the drying processing unit 12, the paper is discharged from the paper discharge unit 16, collected by the stacking unit in the order unit (# 10), and packed by the operator. An example of printing on the back side of a photographic print is shown in FIG. In this example, the frame number and the correction data, which are the first auxiliary information, are printed (area surrounded by A), but the print configuration example is not limited to this, and various modifications can be considered. It is done.

<Another embodiment>
In the present embodiment, an example in which image data is acquired from a photographic film has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it acquire from media, such as a recording medium of a digital camera, MO disc, and CD-R. The image exposure unit may be constituted by an analog projection exposure unit instead of a digital engine.

  The number of needle-like portions 33a formed on one dot pin 33 can be determined as appropriate. The shape of the tip roundness of the needle-like portion 33a can be an appropriate R-surface shape (spherical surface or any other curved surface).

  In the present embodiment, the photographic photosensitive material has been described as an example of the printing material, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other materials such as inkjet recording paper are difficult to carry ink. Any technology that can be applied.

Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the photo processing device Diagram showing the configuration of a dot impact printer Diagram showing the configuration of the print head Enlarged view showing tip shape of dot pin Flow chart showing the procedure for creating a photo print Diagram showing an example of the print configuration on the back of a photo print

Explanation of symbols

6 Laser exposure device (image exposure unit)
25 Printing Device Controller 30 Printing Device (Dot Impact Printer)
31 Ink ribbon 31a Ribbon transport motor 32 Print head 32a Pin drive mechanism 33 Dot pin 33a Needle-shaped part

Claims (4)

An ink ribbon and a print head in which a large number of dot pins are arranged, and by controlling the extrusion of the large number of dot pins individually against the ink ribbon, the ink held on the ink ribbon is made into a non-printing body. A dot impact printer configured to transfer and print information,
A dot impact printer having a large number of needle-like portions formed at the tip of each dot pin.   The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein the tip of each needle-like portion is formed in a rounded shape.   The dot impact printer according to claim 1, wherein the non-printing body is a photographic photosensitive material, and printing is performed by a print head on a back surface of the photographic photosensitive material. A photographic processing apparatus comprising the dot impact printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An image exposure unit that prints and exposes image information on the surface of the photosensitive material;
A photographic processing apparatus comprising: a printing control unit that controls the dot impact printer so that incidental information can be printed on a back surface of a photographic photosensitive material.

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