JP2009003018A - Photograph printer and conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve highly precise conveyance by suppressing vibration of photographic paper, resulting from the release of the sandwiching state of a pair of conveying rollers. <P>SOLUTION: The photograph printer 1 performs an exposure process while conveying photographic paper in a predetermined direction. The printer 1 includes: the first pair of conveying rollers that convey the photographic paper P in a predetermined direction while sandwiching it between them; a second pair of conveying rollers that are disposed downstream of the first pair of conveying rollers, receive the photographic paper P conveyed by the first pair of conveying rollers and convey it in the predetermined direction; an exposure section Gp that performs the exposure process on the photographic paper in an exposure processing position located downstream of the second pair of the conveying rollers; and a first cam 74 that releases the sandwiched state of the photographic paper P between the first pair of conveying rollers over a predetermined time or longer when the photographic paper P is transferred from the first pair of conveying rollers to the second pair of conveying rollers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographic printing apparatus including two pairs of conveyance rollers disposed in the vicinity of an exposure processing position and a conveyance apparatus including two pairs of conveyance rollers.

  The photographic printing apparatus performs various processes while sequentially transporting long photographic paper wound in a roll shape to obtain individual photographs. These various processes include a process of cutting photographic paper into a print size with a cutter (cutting process), a process of printing a desired image by irradiating light (exposure process), and a process of passing through a developer (development process). ), A process of drying the developer (drying process), and the like.

In a photographic printing apparatus, it is desired that these various processes are sequentially performed efficiently and accurately. For this reason, it is necessary to carry the photographic paper between these processing positions and between processing efficiently and accurately. At present, a roller pair that sandwiches (clamps) and conveys photographic paper is generally used as a conveying unit that meets this need.
Here, among the above processes, the exposure process particularly requires the precision of conveyance. This is because the scanning of the irradiation light in the exposure process is synchronized with the conveyance speed of the photographic paper. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out speed management with high accuracy when transporting photographic paper at the exposure processing position. In other words, if there is a disturbance in the conveyance of the photographic paper during the exposure, uneven exposure due to this disturbance will appear, so the roller pair near the exposure processing position securely holds the photographic paper and conveys it at a stable speed. There is a need.

  Here, the exposure process includes, for example, an exposure head that emits light, and a pair of conveying rollers provided immediately upstream and downstream of the exposure head (for convenience, the second roller pair is used as the upstream side and the downstream side as the downstream side. Is a third roller pair). The photographic paper is transported to the exposure processing unit by an introduction roller pair (first roller pair) provided upstream of the exposure processing, for example, downstream of the cutting processing unit. That is, the first roller pair, the second roller pair, and the third roller pair are arranged in this order from the upstream side.

  These roller pairs are switchable between a pinching state and a pinching release state. Specifically, after the leading edge of the photographic paper from the cutting processing position is nipped by the first roller pair and the conveyance is started, the second paper sheet is reached at the timing when the leading edge of the photographic paper reaches the portion of the second roller pair. The leading edge of the photographic paper is nipped by the roller pair, and the nipping of the first roller pair is released, and the conveyance by the second roller pair is started. Then, at the timing when the leading edge of the photographic paper conveyed by the second roller pair reaches the portion of the third roller pair, the leading edge of the photographic paper is sandwiched by the third roller pair and the second roller pair is sandwiched. Release and start conveyance with the third roller pair.

Here, when the photographic paper is transferred between the second roller pair and the third roller pair, the sandwiched state of the second roller pair is released. At the time of this release, the photographic paper is vibrated, and this There is a problem in that horizontal stripes (banding) occur due to deviation of the exposure position due to vibration.
On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a photographic printing apparatus that can reduce banding by mechanically controlling the release of the second roller pair.
JP 2007-58116 A (published March 8, 2007)

  However, in the configuration of the photographic printing apparatus disclosed in the above publication, it is difficult to completely solve the problem of occurrence of banding by only controlling the release of the second roller pair. This is because the conveying roller pair (first roller pair) provided for transferring the photographic paper from another processing position provided upstream of the exposure processing position to the exposure processing position is released from the nip state of the photographic paper. This is because the vibration is imparted to the photographic paper when the state is released.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the photographic printing apparatus according to the present invention is to suppress the vibration of the photographic paper due to the release of the nipping state of the conveying roller pair (first roller pair) and to carry the sheet with high accuracy.

  A photographic printing apparatus according to a first invention is a photographic printing apparatus that performs exposure processing while conveying photographic paper in a predetermined direction, and includes a first conveying roller pair, a second conveying roller pair, an exposure unit, A clamping state release unit. The first conveying roller pair conveys the printing paper in a predetermined direction with the printing paper sandwiched therebetween. The second conveyance roller pair is disposed on the downstream side of the first conveyance roller pair, and receives the photographic paper conveyed by the first conveyance roller pair and conveys it in a predetermined direction. The exposure unit performs exposure processing on the photographic paper at a predetermined exposure processing position. The nipping state releasing unit releases the nipping state of the photographic paper in the first conveying roller pair over a predetermined time when delivering the photographic paper from the first conveying roller pair to the second conveying roller pair.

Here, in a photographic printing apparatus that transports photographic paper in a predetermined direction and performs an exposure process during the transport, a first transport roller pair and a second transport roller disposed on the downstream side of the first transport roller pair A pair, an exposure unit, and a clamping state release unit that releases the clamping state of the first transport roller pair are provided.
Here, first, the first transport roller pair rotates while holding the photographic paper sent from the upstream side, thereby sending the photographic paper toward the second transport roller pair. The second transport roller pair sandwiches the photographic paper sent from the first transport roller pair and sends it out toward the exposure position. Then, after the second conveying roller pair has nipped the photographic paper, the nipping state of the first conveying roller pair is released, and the nipping state is released over a predetermined time. The exposure processing position may be provided, for example, between the first conveyance roller pair and the second conveyance roller pair, or may be provided immediately downstream of the second conveyance roller pair.

  Conventionally, in a photographic printing apparatus, at least one conveyance is performed upstream and downstream of the exposure processing position so that the photographic paper passes through the exposure processing position irradiated with light for exposure at a predetermined speed. A roller pair is provided. Each of these transport roller pairs can individually hold and release the photographic paper. Specifically, a first transport roller pair that transports (delivers) from another processing position (for example, a cutting processing position that cuts photographic paper to a predetermined length) provided upstream of the exposure processing position to the exposure processing position. And a second transport roller pair and a third transport roller pair provided respectively immediately upstream and downstream of the exposure processing position. Thus, reliable delivery from the other upstream processing position to the exposure processing position (first transport roller pair and second transport roller pair) and precise predetermined speed transport of the exposure processing position (second transport roller pair) 3rd conveyance roller pair) can be obtained.

  Here, in the exposure process, in the exposure unit of this type of photographic printing apparatus, the photographic paper is moved (conveyed) in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed, and light is scanned in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the photographic paper. Is done by. Since this light scanning is synchronized with the conveyance speed of the photographic paper, the conveyance of the photographic paper at the exposure processing position needs to be managed with high accuracy. Therefore, if the conveyance of the photographic paper during exposure is disturbed, exposure unevenness due to this disturbance will appear, so the rollers in the vicinity of the exposure processing position need to securely pinch the photographic paper and transport it at a stable speed. .

  However, even if it is possible to keep the rotation speed of the roller pair constant, the photographic paper may vibrate at the moment of releasing the nipping of the roller pair at the time of delivery between the rollers. As a result, horizontal stripes (banding) occur in the exposed area when this vibration occurs. That is, for example, the conveyance roller pair (first conveyance roller pair) provided for transferring the photographic paper from another processing position provided upstream of the exposure processing position to the exposure processing position is in a state where the photographic paper is nipped. When shifting from the release state to the release state, this release may impart vibration to the photographic paper, which may reduce the quality of the photograph.

Therefore, in the photographic printing apparatus according to the present invention, in order to prevent the vibration of the printing paper when the nipping of the roller is released, the nipping release of the first conveying roller pair is released over a predetermined time by the nipping state releasing unit.
According to such a configuration, when the nipping state of the first conveying roller pair is released, it is not released suddenly and is released slowly as compared with the conventional case. In other words, a state (intermediate state) between the sandwiched state and the released state can be provided instead of the two-stage control of the sandwiched state and the released state. For this reason, the photographic paper is pulled by the second conveying roller pair until the photographic paper is completely released from the state held between the first conveying roller pair, and the first conveying roller. It is possible to avoid a sudden change in the balance between the pair of clamping surfaces and the frictional force between the photographic paper. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the action of external force on the photographic paper caused by releasing the first conveying roller pair from the conventional case.
As a result, the deflection and vibration of the photographic paper at the exposure processing position are reduced, and a high-quality photograph can be printed.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a second aspect is the photographic printing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the nipping release speed of the first conveying roller pair is 10 mm / second.
Here, the first conveying roller pair shifts from the sandwiched state to the completely released state at a speed of 10 mm / second or less, thereby shifting from the sandwiched state to the released state through the intermediate state over the predetermined time described above. .

  As a result, it becomes possible to maintain a constant nipping release speed or less at all times, so that the conveyance can be performed while more effectively suppressing the application of vibration from the first and second conveyance roller pairs to the photographic paper. Therefore, it is possible to reduce banding, and it is possible to always print a high quality photo.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a third aspect is the photographic printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the nipping release speed of the first conveying roller pair and the conveying speed of the photographic paper in the first conveying roller pair. The ratio is 0.1 to 0.7.
Here, A / B is 0.1 to 0.7, where A is the nipping release speed of the first transport roller pair and B is the transport speed.
Thereby, the range of the conveyance speed with respect to the nipping release speed of the first conveyance roller pair is determined. By setting the nipping release speed with respect to the conveyance speed within this range, it is possible to suppress the application of vibrations from the first and second conveyance roller pairs to the photographic paper, thereby more reliably suppressing the banding.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a fourth aspect is the photographic printing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the nipping state release unit includes a cam.
Here, a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the rollers of the first conveying roller pair is included as a mechanism for bringing the first conveying roller pair into the nipping release state.
As a result, for example, it is possible to convert the rotational motion into a vertical motion, so that the power of the motor for rotating the roller including the first transport roller pair can be used in combination with this clamping state release. Become. In addition, the shape of the cam makes it possible to mechanically create a pinched state, a released state, and an intermediate state thereof with high precision and high reproducibility without applying mechanical vibration.
As a result, it is possible to always print a high-quality photograph while minimizing the increase in size and cost.

A photographic printing apparatus according to a fifth invention is the photographic printing apparatus according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the nipping state release unit is configured by two rollers included in the first conveying roller pair. It is a separation mechanism that adjusts the interval.
Here, a separation mechanism for adjusting the roller interval of the first conveying roller pair is used as the nipping state release unit. As the separation mechanism, for example, a mechanism including a stepping motor that displaces one roller of the first conveying roller pair in the vertical direction and a control circuit that controls the stepping motor can be used.

As a result, the distance between the rollers can be freely controlled. Further, various settings can be made only by changing the program of the control circuit, and even when the thickness of the photographic paper or the frictional force between the roller and the photographic paper is changed, it is possible to easily cope with it. For this reason, it becomes possible to always maintain the optimal clamping release speed, and to suppress banding.
As a result, even when various photographic papers are used, it is possible to always print high quality photographs.

  A conveying device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is disposed on the downstream side of the first conveying roller pair that conveys the sheet material in a predetermined direction while being sandwiched between two rollers, and the first conveying roller pair. When the sheet material conveyed by the first conveyance roller pair is received and conveyed in a predetermined direction, and when the sheet material is transferred from the first conveyance roller pair to the second conveyance roller pair, And a controller that releases the nipping state of the sheet material in the first conveying roller pair over a predetermined time.

Here, it is a conveying device for conveying a sheet material in a predetermined direction, and includes a first conveying roller pair, a second conveying roller pair disposed on the downstream side of the first conveying roller pair, and a first conveying roller. A clamping state releasing unit that releases the clamping state of the roller pair.
Here, first, the first conveying roller pair rotates while sandwiching the sheet material sent from the upstream side, thereby sending the sheet material toward the second conveying roller pair. The second conveying roller pair rotates in a state where the sheet material sent from the first conveying roller pair is sandwiched, thereby sending the sheet material toward the downstream side. And after the 2nd conveyance roller pair clamps a sheet material, cancellation | release of the clamping state of a 1st conveyance roller pair is performed over predetermined time or more. In addition, as a clamping state cancellation | release part, the cam and separation mechanism which adjust the distance between the rollers of a 1st conveyance roller pair can be used.

  In general, when a sheet material such as paper or a thin plate metal is conveyed, a pair of rollers that sandwich and rotate the sheet material is used. The roller pair can be continuously conveyed regardless of the length of the sheet material, and the conveyance direction can be easily changed. For this reason, it is widely used as an efficient conveying means. Furthermore, when a desired process is performed on the conveyed sheet material, it is possible to change the conveyance speed for each processing step by combining a plurality of roller pairs.

  Here, when the conveyed sheet material is transferred from the upstream roller pair to the downstream roller pair in a state of being divided into a predetermined length, the upstream end portion of each sheet material is There is a conveying method for releasing the clamping of the roller pair before it is completely fed out from the roller pair. This is to prevent the upstream roller pair from applying unnecessary external force to the sheet material after the downstream roller pair sandwiches the sheet material.

  However, when the upstream roller pair is released, the vibration caused by the release is transmitted to the conveyed sheet material, which affects the conveyance of the sheet material. For example, the sheet material is bent by the vibration, and the processing performed on the downstream side is not performed normally, or the sheet material is conveyed to the downstream roller pair while being bent by the vibration, and a crease can be formed. There is a risk that a transport error will occur.

Therefore, in the conveying device according to the present invention, in order to prevent the vibration of the sheet material due to the release of the pair of rollers, the release of the upstream pair of rollers is released over a predetermined time by the holding state release unit.
According to such a configuration, when the clamping state of the upstream roller pair is released, it is not released suddenly and can be released slowly as compared with the conventional case. In other words, a state (intermediate state) between the sandwiched state and the released state can be provided instead of the two-stage control of the sandwiched state and the released state. In this case, the sheet material is pulled between the upstream roller pair and completely released from the state where the sheet material is clamped by the upstream roller pair, and the upstream side The balance between the holding surface of the roller pair and the frictional force between the sheet material does not change abruptly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effect of external force on the sheet material caused by releasing the clamping of the upstream roller pair.

  As a result, processing (for example, exposure processing) performed on the downstream side is performed normally, and occurrence of conveyance errors in the downstream roller pair can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently convey a high quality sheet material with high accuracy.

  According to the photographic printing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the effect of external force on the photographic paper caused by releasing the nip of the photographic paper conveyance roller pair to the exposure processing position. Therefore, bending and vibration of the photographic paper at the exposure processing position provided in the vicinity of the first and second transport roller pairs can be reduced, and a high quality photograph can be printed.

A photo print system (photo print device) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Note that “upstream” and “downstream” used in the following description relate to the direction in which the photographic paper P is conveyed, and the photographic paper roll side will be upstream and the photographic paper P carry-out port 100 side will be downstream. .

[Configuration of Photo Print System 1]
A photographic print system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a photographic print system 1 called a so-called digital minilab as shown in FIG.
The photo print system 1 includes an operation unit 20 and a print unit 50.
The operation unit 20 captures image data from a medium such as a memory card in which digital image data shot with a developed photographic film or a digital camera is stored, creates print data, and transmits the print data to the print unit 50. .

Based on the print data received from the operation unit 20, the print unit 50 performs exposure processing and development processing on the photographic paper P (sheet material), which is a photosensitive material, to form a photographic print image.
[Configuration of Operation Unit 20]
As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 20 includes a monitor 21, a keyboard 22, a mouse 23, a computer unit 30, a media reader 31, and a film scanner 40.

The computer unit 30 is connected to the monitor 21, the keyboard 22, and the mouse 23, and controls operations of each unit included in the film scanner 40 and the printing unit 50, image processing, input / output of image data, and the like.
The monitor 21 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for various controls and an image to be processed.

The media reader 31 is mounted on the computer unit 30 that functions as a controller of the photographic print system 1 and transfers digital data of an image taken by a digital camera or the like from a medium such as a memory card, various semiconductor memories, or a CD-R. take in.
The film scanner 40 captures an image corresponding to the photographed frame developed on the photographic film F as digital image data.

[Configuration of Print Unit 50]
Based on the print data received from the operation unit 20, the print unit 50 forms a photographic print image by performing exposure processing and development processing on the photographic paper P while conveying the photographic paper P.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the print unit 50 includes a photographic paper magazine 51, a sheet cutter 52, and a back print unit 53 in order from the upstream in the transport direction of the photographic paper P. A chucker type conveyance unit 58, an exposure unit 54, a processing tank unit 55, a drying unit 60, a conveyor 56, a sorter (not shown), and a conveyance unit for conveying the photographic paper P between the respective members. A conveying roller pair 57.

The photographic paper magazine 51 stores one roll-shaped photographic paper P inside the printing unit 50, and a necessary amount of the photographic paper P is drawn out by the conveying roller pair 57.
The sheet cutter 52 is arranged on the downstream side of the plurality of conveying roller pairs 57 that draws the photographic paper P from the photographic paper magazine 51, and cuts the photographic paper P drawn from the photographic paper magazine 51 into a desired size.

The back print unit 53 is disposed on the downstream side of the sheet cutter 52, and prints print processing information such as color correction information and a frame number on the back side of the photographic paper P cut to a desired size such as a print size. .
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the chucker type conveyance unit 58 conveys the downstream side (leading side) of the photographic paper P cut into a print size or the like to the downstream side by pinching from both sides in the conveyance direction. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the exposure unit 54 is disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the chucker-type transport unit 58, and is on the surface of the photographic paper P cut to the print size or the test print size. The photographed image to be printed is exposed. The exposure unit 54 includes an exposure unit Gp including an exposure head Gh that emits light, and a transport unit Gc (transport device) that transports the photographic paper P. The transport unit Gc includes an exposure introduction transport unit 102 that introduces the photographic paper P transported from the chucker transport unit 58 to the exposure processing position, and an exposure transport unit 103 that transports the photographic paper P at the exposure processing position. It has. The configurations of the exposure unit Gp and the transport unit Gc (exposure introduction transport unit 102, exposure transport unit 103) will be described in detail later.

  The processing tank unit 55 is disposed adjacent to a plurality of conveying roller pairs 57 on the downstream side of the exposure unit 54, and a color developing tank 55a for storing a color developing processing liquid and a bleach-fixing for storing a bleach-fixing processing liquid. It has the tank 55b and the stable treatment tank 55c which stores a stable treatment liquid. Then, the exposed photographic paper P is conveyed through these processing tanks 55a to 55c in this order, so that a desired photographic print image is formed on the surface of the photographic paper P.

The drying unit 60 is disposed on the downstream side of the processing tank unit 55 and is provided for drying the photographic paper P that has been developed. Therefore, a device for blowing out warm air such as a blower (not shown) is provided, and the developed photographic paper P is dried while being conveyed.
The conveyor 56 is exposed at the upper part of the printing unit 50, and conveys the photographic paper P on which the photographic print image is formed on the surface and discharged after the drying process in the direction of the sorter.

The sorter is arranged in a state in which a plurality of trays are arranged in the vertical direction with respect to the front side of the printing unit 50, and the printed photographic paper P conveyed by the conveyor 56 is placed on each tray in order units, for example. Distribute.
The conveyance roller pair 57 pulls out the roll-shaped photographic paper P accommodated in the photographic paper magazine 51 inside the printing unit 50, and draws the photographic paper P cut into a print size or the like with respect to the photographic paper P. It is transported at a transport speed corresponding to various processes performed. The conveying roller pair 57 is configured by combining at least two rollers, and the photographic paper P is rotated downstream by pressing (nip) the photographic paper P in a gap between the two rollers and rotating. Transport to.

[Configuration of Exposure Unit 54]
As described above, the exposure unit 54 includes the exposure unit Gp and the transport unit Gc.
(Configuration of exposure part Gp)
The exposure unit Gp has an exposure head Gh that performs line exposure along the main scanning direction of the photographic paper P, as shown in FIGS. As this exposure head Gh, phosphors in the form of a large number of dots are arranged in a line in three vacuum cases corresponding to the three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). A phosphor configured to emit light independently is used. Further, in place of the exposure head Gh having such a configuration, in the main scanning direction, the exposure head Gh is guided to the photosensitive surface of the photographic paper P from a shutter of a liquid crystal type or the like that controls irradiation of light rays from the light source in units of pixels. You may comprise so that the exposure with respect to the linear area | region which follows may be performed. Alternatively, three types of laser beams corresponding to the three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are guided from an acousto-optic modulator to a rotating polygon mirror and reflected by this polygon mirror. A configuration may also be adopted in which line exposure is performed by guiding the laser beam thus caused to the photosensitive surface of the photographic paper via an optical system such as a mirror.

(Configuration of the transport unit Gc)
As described above, the transport unit Gc includes the exposure introduction transport unit 102 and the exposure transport unit 103.
(Configuration of exposure introduction conveyance unit 102)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the exposure introducing and conveying unit 102 includes a first driving roller 71 and a first driven roller 71 </ b> A capable of switching between a pressure-bonding state and a pressure-release state with respect to the first driving roller 71. It has. The first drive roller 71 and the first driven roller 71A are combined to form a first transport roller pair. A first transport motor M1 that drives the first drive roller 71 is provided at an end of the first drive roller 71 via an endless belt V1 wound around a pulley (pulley).

  The first driven roller 71A is urged by a spring toward the pressure-bonding direction, and both ends are supported by a swingable support body 71B so that the pressure-bonded state and the pressure-release state can be switched. A first cam follower 71C is provided at one end of the first driven roller 71A. Further, in the vicinity of the driven roller, a first cam 74 (clamping state releasing portion) that switches between a pressure-bonded state and a pressure-released state of the first driven roller 71A by contacting the first cam follower 71C, and the first cam And a first cam motor M74 for driving 74.

(Configuration of exposure conveyance unit 103)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the exposure conveyance unit 103 includes a second drive roller 72, a second driven roller 72 </ b> A that can switch between a pressure-bonding state and a pressure-release state with respect to the second drive roller 72, The third drive roller 73 and a third driven roller 73A that can switch between a pressure-bonding state and a pressure-release state with respect to the third drive roller 73 are provided. The second driving roller 72 and the second driven roller 72A are combined to form a second conveying roller pair, and the third driving roller 73 and the third driven roller 73A are combined to form a third conveying roller pair. ing.

An endless belt V2 is wound around a pulley (pulley) provided at ends of the second drive roller 72 and the third drive roller 73 and a small diameter portion of the intermediate pulley. Further, the second transport motor M2 drives the endless belt V3 wound around the large diameter portion of the intermediate pulley to drive the second drive roller 72 and the third drive roller 73.
Further, the second and third driven rollers 72A and 73A are urged by springs (not shown) in the pressure-bonding direction, and both ends thereof are supported by swingable supports 72B and 73B. With this, it is possible to switch between the crimping state and the crimping release state.

  Cam followers 72C and 73C are provided at one end of each of the second and third driven rollers 72A and 73A. At positions near the second and third driven rollers 72A and 73A, the positions of the second and third driven rollers 72A and 73A are changed by being in contact with the second and third cam followers 72C and 73C. There are provided second and third cams 75 and 76 for switching between the state and the pressure release state, and second and third cam motors M76 for driving the second and third cams 75 and 76 coaxially.

<Conveyance of photographic paper P in exposure unit 54>
Here, the conveyance of the photographic paper P in the exposure unit 54 will be described together with the configurations of the first cam 74, the second cam 75, and the third cam 76.
As shown in FIG. 5, the first cam 74 has an outer peripheral surface 107 in which a small-diameter portion 105 and a large-diameter portion 106 are smoothly continuous around a central portion 104. The outer peripheral surface 107 and the first cam follower 71C are in contact with each other and rotate. The rotation direction of the first cam 74 shown in FIG. 5 is a counterclockwise direction toward the paper surface as indicated by an arrow 108.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, portions A to H on the outer peripheral surface 107 of the first cam 74 will be described. Part A is the part having the longest distance from the central part 104 in the first cam 74. The parts B to H indicate intersections with the outer peripheral surface 107 when a straight line passing from the central part 104 to the part A is used as a reference line and the reference line is rotated about the central part 104 at intervals of 45 degrees. ing. The state where the part D is in contact with the first cam follower 71C is the starting point of the crimped state (crimped state start position). In addition, the state where the portion H is in contact with the first cam follower 71C is the starting point of the press release state (the start state of the press release state) (see FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the second cam 75 and the third cam 76 have a small-diameter portion 111, 112 and a large-diameter portion 113, 114 smoothly and continuously around a central portion 110 of the same shaft (not shown). The outer peripheral surfaces 115 and 116 are respectively provided. The outer peripheral surface 115 and the second cam follower 72C are in contact with each other, and the outer peripheral surface 116 and the third cam follower 73C are in contact with each other to rotate. Moreover, the outer peripheral surface 115 and the outer peripheral surface 116 have plane portions 117 and 118, respectively. The second cam 75 and the third cam 76 have the same shape, but are fixed to the same shaft in a state where the central portions 110 are aligned and the front and back sides are exchanged. In addition, the respective fixed angles are fixed so that the respective plane portions 117 and 118 are included in the same plane. Note that the rotation direction of the second cam 75 and the third cam 76 shown in FIG. 6 is the clockwise direction toward the paper surface as indicated by an arrow 119.

First, the crimping state, the crimping release state, and the intermediate state of the first conveying roller pair will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 8A to 8C.
The crimped state is a state where the small diameter portion 105 of the first cam 74 is in contact with the first cam follower 71C as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8B, the pressure-release state is a state in which the large-diameter portion 106 of the first cam 74 is in contact with the first cam follower 71C. The intermediate state is a state where the intermediate portion T of the outer peripheral surface 107 of the first cam 74 is in contact with the first cam follower 71C as shown in FIG. 8C.

It should be noted that the force (crimping force) for crimping the photographic paper P of the first transport roller from these crimping states to the first cam follower 71 </ b> C is the first cam follower 71 </ b> C. FIG. 10 is a chart showing the state of contact with the reference.
Next, the crimping state and the crimping release state of the second and third transport roller pairs will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9D.

  When both the second and third transport roller pairs are in the pressure-released state, as shown in FIG. 9A, the large-diameter portions 113 and 114 of the second and third cams 75 and 76 are the second and second, respectively. The three cam followers 72C and 73C are in contact. When the second transport roller pair is in the press-bonded state and the third transport roller pair is in the press-released state, the second cam 75 is not in contact with the second cam follower 72C as shown in FIG. The large diameter portion 114 is in contact with the third cam follower 73C. When both the second and third conveying roller pairs are in a press-bonded state, as shown in FIG. 9C, the second and third cams 75 and 76 are in contact with the second and third cam followers 72C and 73C. Absent. When the second conveyance roller pair is in the pressure-released state and the third conveyance roller pair is in the pressure-bonded state, as shown in FIG. 9D, the large-diameter portion 113 of the second cam 75 is in contact with the second cam follower 72C. The third cam 76 is not in contact with the third cam follower 73C.

Based on the above, the conveyance state of the photographic paper P will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, the photographic paper P is transported by the chucker-type transport unit 58, and its leading end portion is inserted between the first drive roller 71 and the first driven roller 71A. At this time, the first transport roller pair is in a released state. That is, since the first cam follower 71C is in contact with the large-diameter portion 106 of the outer peripheral surface 107 of the first cam 74, the first driven roller 71A is separated from the first drive roller 71. It is in a state (see FIGS. 7A and 8B).

  The leading end portion of the photographic paper P is inserted between the first drive roller 71 and the first driven roller 71A, and is pressed by the first transport roller pair. That is, the small-diameter portion 105 comes into contact with the first cam follower 71 </ b> C through the state in which the crimping start portion (part D) of the outer peripheral surface 107 of the first cam 74 is in contact. Thus, the photographic paper P is sandwiched between the first driven roller 71A and the first drive roller 71, and the conveying force (frictional force) of the first drive roller 71 is transmitted to the photographic paper P (FIG. 7B). ), See FIG.

  Next, the photographic paper P is conveyed by the first conveying roller pair in the above-described state of the first cam 74, and the leading end portion thereof is inserted between the second driving roller 72 and the second driven roller 72A. At this time, the second conveying roller pair is in a released state. That is, the second cam follower 72C is in contact with the large-diameter portion 113 of the outer peripheral surface 115 of the second cam 75, and the second driven roller 72A is separated from the second drive roller 72 to be in a pressure release state. (See FIGS. 7C and 9A).

  Then, after the leading end portion of the photographic paper P is inserted between the second drive roller 72 and the second driven roller 72A, the second transport roller pair presses the photographic paper P. That is, the outer peripheral surface 115 of the second cam 75 is not in contact with the second cam follower 72C, and the photographic paper P is sandwiched between the second driven roller 72A and the second drive roller 72, and the second drive roller The transport force (frictional force) 72 is transmitted to the photographic printing paper P (see FIGS. 7D and 9B).

  In this state, since the conveyance of the photographic paper P is started by the second conveyance roller pair, the first conveyance roller pair starts to shift to the release state. Here, the first cam rotates, and the pressing force of the first conveying roller pair shifts from the state where the part E is in contact to the state where the part F is in contact as shown in FIG. That is, the first cam 74 rotates so that the intermediate state start part (part G) contacts the first cam follower 71C and then transitions to the state where the press release state start part (part H) contacts. This state is a transient state in which the force for pinching the photographic paper P gradually decreases (see FIGS. 7E and 8C).

In this embodiment, the moving speed of the first cam follower 71C in this transient state, that is, the moving speed of the first driven roller 71A in the pressure-release releasing direction (nip release speed) is 5 mm / second. Further, the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P at this time is 10 mm / second (nipping release speed / conveyance speed = 0.5).
By passing the photographic paper P between the first and second transport roller pairs through this state, vibration is applied to the photographic paper P at the moment when the first transport roller pair releases the photographic paper P. Can be avoided.

After the transition state, the first cam follower 71C is brought into contact with the large-diameter portion 106 of the outer peripheral surface 107 of the first cam 74, and the first driven roller 71A is completely separated from the first drive roller 71. (See FIG. 7F).
On the other hand, the photographic printing paper P conveyed by the second conveyance roller pair is sent to the third conveyance roller pair in the pressure released state. Then, when it reaches between the third drive roller 73 and the third driven roller 73A, the third drive roller 73 and the third driven roller 73A sandwich the photographic paper P (see FIG. 7G). At this time, as shown in FIG. 9C, the second cam 75 and the third cam 76 are not in contact with the second cam follower 72C and the third cam follower 73C. That is, the second conveyance roller pair and the third conveyance roller pair sandwich the photographic paper P at the same time.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9D, the large-diameter portion 113 of the second cam 75 is in contact with the second cam follower 72C, and the second conveying roller pair is in a pressure-release state. The photographic paper P is transported only by the third transport roller pair (see FIG. 7H).
As described above, the photographic paper P is transported in the exposure unit 54 by the first transport roller pair, the second transport roller pair, and the third transport roller pair. Here, the photographic paper P is separated into a finite length by the above-described sheet cutter. Therefore, when printing a plurality of photographs continuously, the first conveying roller pair, the second conveying roller pair, and the third conveying roller pair periodically perform the above operation in synchronization with the length of the photographic paper. Repeated.

  The initial state positions of the first cam 74, the second cam 75, and the third cam 76 are determined in advance. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, sensors S74 and S110 are individually provided in the vicinity of the first cam 74, the second cam 75, and the third cam 76, respectively. Each cam is provided with a shielding plate (not shown) for shielding the light emitted from the sensor. And the position which this shielding board shields the light of a sensor is made into the initial state.

[Features of Photo Print System 1]
(1)
The photo print system 1 of the present embodiment is a system that performs photo processing such as exposure processing while transporting the photographic paper P in a predetermined direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first transport roller pair ( A first driving roller 71 and a first driven roller 71A), a second conveying roller pair (second driving roller 72 and second driven roller 72A), and an exposure unit Gp disposed on the downstream side of the second conveying roller pair; , And a cam 74 as a nipping release portion of the first conveying roller pair. The cam 74 as the nipping release unit drives the first conveying roller pair so that the nipping is released over a predetermined time when the printing paper P is transferred between the first and second conveying roller pairs.

  As a result, when the nipping state of the first conveying roller pair is released, it is not released abruptly and is released slowly as compared with the prior art. In other words, a state (intermediate state) between the sandwiched state and the released state can be provided instead of the two-stage control of the sandwiched state and the released state. For this reason, the photographic paper P is pulled by the second conveyance roller pair and the first conveyance roller until the photographic paper P is completely released from the state of being held between the first conveyance rollers. It is possible to avoid a sudden change in the balance between the holding surface of the roller pair and the frictional force between the photographic paper P. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effect of external force on the photographic paper P caused by releasing the nipping of the first conveying roller pair as compared with the conventional case.

As a result, bending and vibration of the photographic printing paper P at the exposure processing position provided on the downstream side of the second conveying roller pair are reduced, and a high-quality photograph can be printed.
(2)
In the photographic print system 1 of the present embodiment, the nip release speed of the photographic paper P in the first conveying roller pair (the first driving roller 71 and the first driven roller 71A) is set to be 5 mm / second.

  As a result, when the photographic paper P is transferred from the first conveyance roller pair to the second conveyance roller pair, the transition to the nipping release state in the first conveyance roller pair can be performed over a predetermined time. As a result, it is possible to reduce the vibration or impact applied to the photographic paper P when the photographic paper P is delivered by the first and second conveyance roller pairs, and to perform highly accurate conveyance. Therefore, the exposure process in the exposure unit 54 can be performed with high accuracy.

(3)
In the photo print system 1 of the present embodiment, the ratio between the nip release speed of the photographic paper P in the first conveyance roller pair (the first drive roller 71 and the first driven roller 71A) and the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P is set to 0. .5 is set.
As a result, when the photographic paper P is transferred from the first conveyance roller pair to the second conveyance roller pair, the transition to the nipping release state in the first conveyance roller pair can be performed over a predetermined time. As a result, it is possible to reduce the vibration or impact applied to the photographic paper P when the photographic paper P is delivered by the first and second conveyance roller pairs, and to perform highly accurate conveyance. Therefore, the exposure process in the exposure unit 54 can be performed with high accuracy.

(4)
In the photographic print system 1 of the present embodiment, the first cam 74 provided on the first driven roller 71A side is used as a mechanism for releasing the nipping of the photographic paper P in the first conveying roller pair.
As a result, the first cam 74 having a predetermined shape is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed, so that the nipping release of the first conveying roller pair can be easily performed.

[Other Embodiments]
(A)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the moving speed (clamping release speed) of the first driven roller 71A in the pressure-release releasing direction is set to 5 mm / second has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the nip release speed of the photographic paper may be less than 5 mm / second or greater than 5 mm / second.
However, in consideration of reduction of vibration and impact force at the time of delivery of the photographic paper being conveyed, it is preferably 10 mm / second or less.
Even in this case, since the nip of the photographic paper can be released over a predetermined time or more, the photographic paper can be transferred between the pair of conveying rollers with reduced vibration and impact.

(B)
In the above embodiment, an example in which the ratio of the moving speed (clamping release speed) of the first driven roller 71A in the pressure release direction to the conveyance speed of the photographic paper P (clamping release speed / conveyance speed) is 0.5. And explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, in the above-described condition that the clamping release speed is set to be equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, the magnitude of the ratio may be in the range of 0.1 to 0.7.

Even in this case, since the nip of the photographic paper can be released over a predetermined time or more, the photographic paper can be transferred between the pair of conveying rollers with reduced vibration and impact.
(C)
In the said embodiment, although the example using the 1st cam 74 of a shape as shown in FIG. 5 was given and demonstrated as a clamping state cancellation | release part, this invention is not limited to this.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the outer peripheral shape of the cam 301 may be a substantially triangular shape. In this case, a control unit 302 capable of precisely controlling the rotation of the cam motor M301 that rotates the cam 301 is provided, and the rotation angle of the cam 301 is adjusted by the control unit 302.
Even with such a configuration, since the pressure-bonding release of the first conveying roller pair can be performed over a predetermined time, the photographic paper can be delivered between the conveying roller pair with reduced vibration and impact. .

(D)
In the said embodiment, although the example using the 1st cam 74 was given and demonstrated as the clamping state cancellation | release part, this invention is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 12, with respect to the first driven roller 201, one end 202 a is fixed to the end of the first driven roller 201, and a rod member 202 extending in the pressure-release release direction, a gear 203, A separation mechanism including a stepping motor M203 and a control unit 204 that controls the stepping motor M203 may be used. More specifically, the side surface 202b of the bar member 202 is provided with a sawtooth portion 202c, and the gear 203 has a shape that meshes with the sawtooth portion 202c. The gear 203 has a shaft 203a at the center, and this shaft 203a is shared with the rotating shaft of the stepping motor M203.

  According to such a configuration, the control unit 204 can freely displace the first driven roller 201 in the pressure-release release direction by controlling the operating angle of the stepping motor M203. As a result, even when the thickness, elasticity, frictional force, etc. of the photographic paper changes when the photographic paper P is changed to another photographic paper, the pressure release of the first conveying roller pair is required for a predetermined time or more. Therefore, the transfer of the photographic paper between the pair of conveyance rollers can be performed in a state where vibration and impact are reduced.

(E)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to two pairs of transport rollers (first transport roller pair and second transport roller pair) arranged on the upstream side of the exposure unit 54 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the present invention can be applied to two pairs of transport rollers (second transport roller pair and third transport roller pair) arranged so as to sandwich the exposure unit.

(F)
In the above embodiment, after the nipping of the first conveying roller pair (first driving roller 71 and first driven roller 71A) is released, the third conveying roller pair (third driving roller 73 and third driven roller 73A) is nipped. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.

For example, after the third conveying roller pair (the third driving roller 73 and the third driven roller 73A) is held, the first conveying roller pair (the first driving roller 71 and the first driven roller 71A) is released. Good.
Even with such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment in which the transfer of the photographic paper between the pair of conveying rollers can be performed in a state where vibration and impact are reduced.

(G)
In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the exposure unit 54 included in the photo print system 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the present invention can be applied to a transport apparatus that includes two pairs of transport rollers and does not include an exposure unit.

  In this case, since the vibration applied to the sheet material can be reduced when the sheet material is transferred between the two pairs of conveying rollers, the sheet material can be conveyed with high accuracy. Similar effects can be obtained.

  The conveyance device mounted on the photographic print system of the present invention can transfer photographic paper between a pair of conveyance rollers in a state where vibration and impact are reduced, and therefore, as a conveyance device that conveys various sheet materials. Widely applicable.

1 is an external view of a photographic print system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the photograph printing system of FIG. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the internal configuration of the chucker-type transport unit and the exposure unit included in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a top view cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the chucker-type transport unit and exposure unit of FIG. FIG. 4 is a side perspective view illustrating a configuration of a first cam and a first transport roller pair. The side see-through | perspective view which shows the structure of a 2nd cam, a 2nd conveyance roller pair, and a 3rd cam and a 3rd conveyance roller pair. (A)-(h) is a side view which shows the photographic paper conveyance operation | movement in the conveyance part contained in the photograph printing system of FIG. 1 in order of operation. (A) is a side view of the first cam and the first conveying roller pair showing the pressure-bonded state of the first conveying roller pair. FIG. 5B is a side view of the first cam and the first conveying roller pair showing a state where the first conveying roller pair is released from the pressure bonding. (C) is a side view of the first cam and the first conveying roller pair showing an intermediate state of the first conveying roller pair. (A)-(d) is a side view which shows each crimping | compression-bonding state and crimping | release state of a 2nd and 3rd conveyance roller pair. The chart figure which shows the amount of pressure of the 1st conveyance roller pair and the displacement of the 1st driven roller with respect to the operating angle of the 1st cam. The side view which shows the clamping state cancellation | release part in the photographic print system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. The side view which shows the separation | spacing mechanism in the photographic print system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Photo printing system (photo printing device)
20 Operation unit 21 Monitor 22 Keyboard 23 Mouse 30 Computer unit 31 Media reader 40 Film scanner 50 Print unit 51 Printing paper magazine 52 Sheet cutter 53 Back print unit 54 Exposure unit 55 Processing tank unit 55a Color development tank 55b Bleach fixing tank 55c Stabilization Tank 56 Conveyor 57 Transport roller pair 58 Chucker-type transport unit 60 Drying unit 71 First drive roller 71A First driven roller 71B Support 71C First cam follower 72 Second drive roller 72A Second driven roller 72B Support 72C Second cam follower 73 Third drive roller 73A Third driven roller 73C Third cam follower 74 First cam (nipping release portion)
75 2nd cam 76 3rd cam 100 Unloading port 102 Exposure introduction conveyance part 103 Exposure conveyance part 104 Center part 105 Small diameter part 106 Large diameter part 107 Outer surface 108 Arrow 110 Center part 111 Small diameter part 112 Small diameter part 113 Large diameter part 114 Large Diameter portion 115 Outer peripheral surface 116 Outer peripheral surface 117 Flat portion 118 Flat portion 119 Arrow 201 First driven roller 202 Bar member 202a End portion 202b One side surface 202c Sawtooth portion 203 Gear 203a Shaft 204 Control portion 301 Cam 302 Control portion M1 First transport motor V1 endless belt M2 second transport motor V2 endless belt V3 endless belt M74 first cam motor M76 second and third cam motor S74 sensor S110 sensor M203 stepping motor M301 cam motor

Claims (6)

A photographic printing apparatus that performs exposure processing while conveying photographic paper in a predetermined direction,
A first conveying roller pair that conveys the photographic paper in the predetermined direction while sandwiching the photographic paper;
A second conveying roller pair that is disposed downstream of the first conveying roller pair, receives the photographic paper conveyed by the first conveying roller pair, and conveys the photographic paper in the predetermined direction;
An exposure unit that performs exposure processing on the photographic paper at a predetermined exposure processing position;
When the photographic paper is delivered from the first conveying roller pair to the second conveying roller pair, the nipping state is released to release the nipping state of the photographic paper between the first conveying roller pair over a predetermined time. And
Photo printing device equipped with. The clamping release speed of the first conveying roller pair is 10 mm / s or less,
The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1. The ratio between the nipping release speed of the first transport roller pair and the transport speed of the photographic paper in the first transport roller pair is 0.1 to 0.7.
The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The clamping state release unit includes a cam provided on the first conveying roller pair,
The photographic printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The nipping state release unit is a separation mechanism that adjusts an interval between two rollers included in the first conveyance roller pair.
The photographic printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A first conveying roller pair that conveys the sheet material in a predetermined direction while being sandwiched between two rollers;
A second conveying roller pair that is disposed downstream of the first conveying roller pair, receives the sheet material conveyed by the first conveying roller pair, and conveys the sheet material in the predetermined direction;
When the sheet material is transferred from the first conveying roller pair to the second conveying roller pair, the nipping state is released to release the nipping state of the sheet material in the first conveying roller pair over a predetermined time. And
Conveying device equipped with.

Images