JP4315587B2 - Sheet-like member holding device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a sheet-like member holding device used in a processing apparatus for treating the surface of a sheet-like member, and the sheet is rotated while rotating the drum while the sheet-like member is wound around and held on the peripheral surface of the drum. The present invention relates to a sheet-like member holding device for tightly holding an end portion of a sheet-like member on a peripheral surface of a drum.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, a photosensitive printing plate (hereinafter referred to as “printing plate”) in which a photosensitive layer is formed on a sheet-like support such as an aluminum thin plate is used for printing. As such a printing plate, those having different vertical and horizontal dimensions according to the size of the printed material are used.
[0003]
In an image exposure apparatus that performs image exposure on a printing plate, the printing plate is wound around a rotating drum, and the printing plate is irradiated with a light beam corresponding to image data while rotating the printing plate integrally with the rotating drum. Scanning exposure is available.
[0004]
When the printing plate is wound around the rotating drum, both ends of the printing plate along the circumferential direction of the rotating drum are fixed by being sandwiched between the rotating drum and a holding member such as a chuck.
[0005]
That is, a chuck corresponding to one end portion (for example, the end portion on the front end side in the winding direction) of the printing plate along the drum circumferential direction is attached to a predetermined position of the rotating drum, and the other end portion of the printing plate ( Here, after the printing plate is wound around the rotating drum, the chuck corresponding to the end of the winding direction rear end portion is mounted at a position corresponding to the size of the printing plate.
[0006]
Here, as a chuck structure for attaching to the rotating drum in accordance with the size of the printing plate, a fixed piece (post) that can be inserted into an arbitrary position in a mounting groove formed in the circumferential direction on the peripheral surface of the rotating drum. ) (Hereinafter referred to as a clamp). The fixed frame attached to the clamp can be moved to any of the mounting grooves, and can hold the end portion of the printing plate at an appropriate position corresponding to printing plates of different sizes.
[0007]
By the way, when exposing the printing plate wound around the rotating drum, the printing plate is brought into close contact with the peripheral surface of the rotating drum, and the printing plate is rotated at a high speed together with the rotating drum.
[0008]
At this time, in order to prevent the end of the printing plate fixed by the chuck portion of the clamp from being lifted by the centrifugal force, the chuck portion is placed at a position opposite to the printing plate chuck position across the position of the fixed frame. A member for promoting the clamping force of the printing plate is provided. This member is an urging member such as a spring, and has a structure in which the urging force of the urging member increases the clamping force by the chuck.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in order to apply a biasing force between the holding device such as the clamp and the rotating drum, it is necessary to bring a biasing member provided in the holding device into contact with the peripheral surface of the rotating drum. For this reason, irregularities due to scratches or the like may be formed on the peripheral surface of the rotating drum.
[0010]
When a printing plate of a different size is in close contact with the position where the unevenness is formed, the printing plate floats due to the unevenness, and when the image is stored by scanning the light beam, focus shift and image distortion occur, The image quality will be adversely affected.
[0011]
Further, if the holding force by the holding member is weak, the adhesiveness of the printing plate to the rotating drum is lowered, causing a focus shift or the like. This is due to the stiffness of the printing plate, and particularly occurs due to a shift in the compression direction of the printing plate at the end portion (clamping position) in the circumferential direction of the rotating drum of the printing plate.
[0012]
In consideration of the above fact, the present invention reliably holds the end of the sheet-like member without forming irregularities due to scratches or the like on the drum peripheral surface when the sheet-like member is held in close contact with the peripheral surface of the drum. In addition, an object of the present invention is to obtain a sheet-like member holding device that can prevent the image quality from deteriorating by preventing floating and the like with respect to the drum peripheral surface.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a sheet-like member holding device used in a processing apparatus for treating the surface of the sheet-like member, and the drum is pivoted in a state where the sheet-like member is wound around and held by the drum. A holding device for a sheet-like member for tightly holding the end of the sheet-like member on the circumferential surface of the drum while rotating the column, and a column that can be attached to a predetermined position on the circumferential surface of the drum; As a fulcrum, a rotating body capable of rotating a predetermined angle around an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the drum, a position of one end portion of the rotating body, and a position facing the arrangement position of the end portion of the sheet-like member In a state where the clamp member, which is provided and is movable to two positions of the clamping position and the clamping release position of the sheet-like member according to the rotation of the rotating body, and the support column are fixed to the peripheral surface of the drum, The clamp member is in front A rotating means for rotating the rotating body in a direction approaching the peripheral surface of the drum; and the sheet-like shape according to a centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the drum in a state where the sheet-like member is held by the rotating means. as slidably in the direction tensioning the member, e Bei a, an engaging means for engaging said clamp member on one end of said rotary body, said engaging means is formed at one end of the rotary body A pair of engaging grooves that are long in an oblique direction with respect to the peripheral surface of the drum, and a pair of engaging convex portions that are formed in the clamp member and slidably engage with the pair of engaging grooves. When the pair of engaging projections approach the peripheral surface of the drum along the pair of engaging grooves, the sheet-like member is slid in a tensioning direction .
[0014]
According to invention of Claim 1, a sheet-like member is arrange | positioned on the surrounding surface of a drum, and a holding | maintenance apparatus is arrange | positioned in the winding direction edge part. The holding device may be arranged in advance at a predetermined position on the peripheral surface of the drum, or waits in a state of being separated from the drum, positions the end of the sheet-like member, and then aligns with the end. You may arrange | position on a drum surrounding surface.
[0015]
When the column is fixed at a predetermined position on the circumferential surface of the drum, the clamp member is moved toward the drum circumferential surface by the rotation of the rotating body with the column as a fulcrum by the rotation unit. The end of the sheet-like member is clamped with the peripheral surface. Thereby, the edge part of a sheet-like member will be in a holding state.
[0016]
The sheet-like member is wound around the drum peripheral surface, and is held in close contact with the peripheral surface of the drum by holding both ends in the winding direction. In this case, the sheet-like member is prevented from turning up due to the strength of the waist or the like, but may float in the middle of the sheet-like member due to relative movement (displacement) with respect to the drum peripheral surface. This floating becomes inconvenient in processing (for example, image scanning recording processing using a laser beam or the like) in which the distance to the surface of the sheet-like member is uniform.
[0017]
Therefore, in the first aspect of the invention, the clamp member is slidable along the drum circumferential direction. In this state, the clamping member is slid in the direction in which the sheet-like member is tensioned by utilizing the centrifugal force generated according to the rotation of the drum. At this time, since the clamp member causes the sheet-like member to follow, even if the sheet-like member is lifted, this can be eliminated by rotating the drum. That is, since the rotation of the drum is the processing time for the surface of the sheet-like member, at least the floating of the sheet-like member being processed can be prevented.
In addition, since the sliding direction of the clamp member is the direction in which the sheet-like member is tensioned, a force that pulls the sheet-like member in the tension direction always works during drum rotation, and it is possible to prevent the floating or the like from occurring.
[0018]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the rotating means is a direction in which the clamp member approaches the peripheral surface of the drum in a state where the column is fixed to the drum. The rotating urging means is capable of applying an urging force to the rotating body. When the drum rotates, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation promotes the urging force of the rotating urging means. It is said.
[0019]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotating body is rotated by the urging force of the urging means for rotation by fixing the holding device to the drum so that the clamp member approaches the drum direction. A sheet-like member can be sandwiched between the drum and the drum. Further, when the drum rotates in this state, the rotating body rotates around the support column by centrifugal force. Since this rotation direction and the rotation direction of the rotating body by the rotation urging means are the same direction, both the urging force of the rotation urging means and the centrifugal force are added during drum rotation. The Accordingly, it is possible to increase the force for sandwiching the sheet-like member.
[0020]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the drum is provided with a groove having a predetermined width dimension in the circumferential direction, and the column according to the axial rotation position of the column. The width dimension of the column can be wider or narrower than the width dimension of the groove, so that the support column can be inserted into the groove part and can be prevented from coming off in the inserted state.
[0021]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the circumferential groove portion is formed in the drum, and the column can be moved along the groove portion, so that the drum can be disposed at an arbitrary position on the circumferential surface of the drum. Moreover, the rotation of the rotating body utilizing centrifugal force can be ensured by inserting the support column into the groove and preventing the removal in this inserted state.
[0022]
The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the sheet-like member is not sandwiched between the clamp member and the peripheral surface of the drum. Then, it is further characterized by further comprising positioning means for positioning the sliding direction position of the clamp member at the original position where the amount of stroke that can be moved in the tension direction of the sheet-like member is maximized.
[0023]
In a non-contact state with the sheet-like member, the clamp member needs to be returned to the original position where the movable stroke amount becomes maximum in order to earn a movement stroke after contact. Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the positioning means positions at the original position at least when the clamp member is not pressing the sheet-like member.
[0024]
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the invention of the fourth aspect , the positioning means opposes the clamping member with a biasing force that is weaker than a sliding force in the tension direction of the sheet-like member due to the centrifugal force. It is a biasing means for clamping member sliding that biases in the direction.
[0025]
According to invention of Claim 5 , the positioning means of Claim 4 can be made into a simple structure.
[0026]
The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 5 , the holding device is detachable from the drum.
[0027]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the holding device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects is detachable from the drum. That is, for example, when the leading end of the sheet-like member conveyed from the tangential direction of the drum comes to a predetermined position on the peripheral surface of the drum, the first holding device is brought close to the drum and fixed, and the sheet-like member is conveyed. Clamp the direction tip. At this time, since the holding device for holding the rear end portion does not exist on the drum, there is no interference when the sheet-like member is sequentially wound around the drum. When the sheet-like member is wound around the peripheral surface of the drum, the second holding device is made to correspond to the position corresponding to the rear end portion, and then clamped after being fixed. Thereby, the both ends of a sheet-like member can be clamped. Since the first holding device and the second holding device are different in the direction of clamping at the front and rear ends of the sheet-like member, they are only distinguished for convenience and do not need to have different structures.
[0028]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an image exposure apparatus 10 applied to the present embodiment. The image exposure apparatus 10 is a photosensitive lithographic printing plate (hereinafter referred to as “printing plate 12”) in which a photosensitive layer is formed on a rectangular thin plate-like support (for example, a thickness of about 0.3 mm) formed of, for example, aluminum as a sheet member. The printing plate 12 is scanned and exposed by irradiating the printing plate 12 with a light beam modulated based on the image data. The printing plate 12 for which image exposure has been completed by the image exposure apparatus 10 is subjected to development processing or the like by an automatic developing device or the like (not shown).
[0029]
In the image exposure apparatus 10, a cassette loading unit 18, a plate feeding / conveying unit 20, a recording unit 22, a discharge buffer unit 24, and the like are provided in a machine frame 14. The cassette loading unit 18 is disposed in the machine frame 14 on the lower right side in FIG. 1, and a plurality of cassettes 16 each containing a plurality of printing plates 12 are inclined at a predetermined angle. Loaded.
[0030]
The image exposure apparatus 10 can process a plurality of sizes of printing plates 12 having different vertical and horizontal dimensions. In the cassette 16, the printing plate 12 of any size has a photosensitive layer on the upper side and one end is predetermined. It is positioned and accommodated so as to be in the position. The cassette loading unit 18 is loaded with a plurality of cassettes 16 at predetermined intervals so that one end of the printing plate 12 accommodated in each cassette 16 has a substantially constant height.
[0031]
The plate feeding / conveying unit 20 is disposed above the cassette loading unit 18, and the recording unit 22 is disposed adjacent to the cassette loading unit 18 and at the lower center of the apparatus. A pair of side plates 26 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1) is provided in the plate feeding and conveying unit 20, and a reversing unit 28 and a sheet unit 30 are attached to the side plates 26.
[0032]
The reversing unit 28 includes a reversing roller 32 having a predetermined outer diameter, and a plurality of small rollers (four in this embodiment, small rollers 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D as an example) around the reversing roller 32. Is provided. The small rollers 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> D are arranged from the cassette loading unit 18 side to the recording unit 22 side through the reverse roller 32, and an endless conveyance belt 36 is wound around the small rollers 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> D. Thereby, the conveyance belt 36 is wound around the reversing roller 32 over about a half circumference between the small roller 34A and the small roller 34D.
[0033]
On the other hand, the sheet unit 30 includes a plurality of suction cups 38 for sucking the upper end of the printing plate 12 in the cassette 16, and the suction cups 38 are moved downward so that the inside of the cassette 16 loaded in the cassette loading section 18. The printing plate 12 is sucked so as to face the upper end of the printing plate 12. Further, the sheet unit 30 moves the suction plate 38 adsorbing the printing plate 12 substantially upward to pull out the printing plate 12 from the cassette 16, and the leading end of the drawn printing plate 12 is connected to the reverse roller 32 and the conveying belt. Insert between 36. In FIG. 1, the outline of the moving position of the suction cup 38 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.
[0034]
In the reversing unit 28, the reversing roller 32 and the conveyor belt 36 rotate in the direction in which the printing plate 12 is pulled out from the cassette 16 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1). As a result, the printing plate 12 is sandwiched between the reversing roller 32 and the conveying belt 36 and pulled out from the cassette 16 and is wound around the circumferential surface of the reversing roller 32 to be conveyed and reversed while being curved. The radius dimension of the reversing roller 32 is a dimension (for example, 100 mm or more) that does not cause the printing plate 12 to be bent or bent when the printing plate 12 is curved.
[0035]
As shown by a solid line and a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the side plate 26 moves horizontally according to the position of the cassette 16 for taking out the printing plate 12. Thereby, the suction cup 38 of the sheet unit 30 is opposed to the printing plate 12 in the selected cassette 16.
[0036]
The side plate 26 is provided with a guide 40 below the small roller 34D. The printing plate 12 reversed by the reversing roller 32 is placed between the reversing roller 32 and the conveying belt 36 on the small roller 34D side. It is sent out toward the guide 40. Further, a transport conveyor 42 is disposed above the recording unit 22, and the printing plate 12 sent out from the reversing unit 28 is guided to the transport conveyor 42 by a guide 40.
[0037]
The guide 40 swings with the movement of the side plate 26 so that the guide direction of the printing plate 12 is always directed toward the transport conveyor 42. The small roller 34D on the recording unit 22 side moves so as to change the feeding direction of the printing plate 12 from the reversing unit 28 as the side plate 26 moves, and the small roller 34C moves when the small roller 34D moves. The conveyor belt 36 is moved so as to apply a substantially constant tension. As a result, the printing plate 12 delivered from the reversing unit 28 is gently curved by the guide 40.
[0038]
The conveyor 42 is inclined so that a conveyor belt 48 is wound between a roller 44 adjacent below the plate feeding conveyor 20 and a roller 46 adjacent above the recording unit 22, and the roller 46 side is downward. Has been.
[0039]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a roller 50 is disposed on the conveyor 42 so as to face the roller 46, and the printing plate 12 fed onto the conveyor 42 is conveyed on the conveyor belt 48. And is held between rollers 46 and 50. In the recording unit 22, a rotating drum 54 and a recording head unit 56 are mounted on a gantry 52. A puncher 58 is disposed above the rotating drum 54.
[0040]
As shown in FIG. 2, the puncher 58 is formed with a grip opening 60, and the conveyor 42 sandwiches the printing plate 12 with rollers 46 and 50, and the leading edge of the printing plate 12 is positioned at the gripper of the puncher 58. Insert 60 and hold. When the leading end of the printing plate 12 is inserted into the grip opening 60, the puncher 58 forms, for example, a notch at a predetermined position of the leading end of the printing plate 12 for positioning.
[0041]
When the cutout is formed in the printing plate 12, the transport conveyor 42 drives the rollers 46 and 50 in reverse rotation together with the transport belt 48 to pull out the leading end of the printing plate 12 from the gripper 60 of the puncher 58. Further, the conveying conveyor 42 is provided with a swinging means (not shown), and the swinging means is moved downward with the roller 44 side as an axis so that the roller 46 side approaches the rotating drum 54 of the recording unit 22. (Indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2). As a result, the printing plate 12 on the transport belt 48 is transported on the transport belt 48 toward the rotary drum 54 with its leading end directed to a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary drum 54.
[0042]
The rotating drum 54 is driven by a driving means (not shown) in the mounting exposure direction of the printing plate 12 (the direction of arrow B in FIGS. 1 and 2) and the removing direction of the printing plate 12 opposite to the mounting exposure direction (FIGS. 1 and 2). In the direction of arrow C).
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 2, a tip chuck 62 is attached to a rotary drum 54 provided in the recording unit 22 at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface. In the recording unit 22, when the printing plate 12 is mounted on the rotating drum 54, first, the front end chuck 62 is positioned at a position (printing plate mounting position) facing the front end of the printing plate 12 fed by the conveyor 42. 54 is stopped.
[0044]
The recording unit 22 is provided with a mounting cam 64 facing the tip chuck 62 at the printing plate mounting position. The front end chuck 62 can be inserted between the front end chuck 62 and the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 54 by rotating the mounting cam 64 and pressing one end side thereof. In the recording unit 22, the front end of the printing plate 12 is released by returning the mounting cam 64 and releasing the pressure on the front end chuck 62 while the front end of the printing plate 12 is inserted between the front end chuck 62 and the rotary drum 54. Is held between the tip chuck 62 and the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 54. At this time, the printing plate 12 is inserted into the notch formed by the puncher 58, and a positioning pin (not shown) protruding at a predetermined position on the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 54 enters the rotating drum 54. Positioned against.
[0045]
In the recording unit 22, when the leading end of the printing plate 12 is fixed to the rotary drum 54, the rotary drum 54 is rotated in the mounting exposure direction. As a result, the printing plate 12 fed from the transport conveyor 42 is wound around the circumferential surface of the rotary drum 54.
[0046]
A squeeze roller 66 is disposed in the vicinity of the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 54 on the downstream side in the mounting exposure direction from the printing plate mounting position. The squeeze roller 66 moves toward the rotating drum 54 to press the printing plate 12 wound around the rotating drum 54 toward the rotating drum 54, thereby bringing the printing plate 12 into close contact with the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 54.
[0047]
Further, the recording unit 22 is provided with a rear end chuck attaching / detaching unit 68 in the vicinity of the upstream side in the mounting exposure direction of the rotating drum 54 relative to the squeeze roller 66, and a removal cam 70 is disposed in the vicinity of the downstream side in the mounting exposure direction. . In the rear end chuck attaching / detaching unit 68, a rear end chuck 74 is attached to the front end of the shaft 72 protruding toward the rotating drum 54.
[0048]
In the recording unit 22, when the rear end of the printing plate 12 wound around the rotary drum 54 faces the rear end chuck attaching / detaching unit 68, the shaft 72 is protruded and the rear end chuck 74 is mounted at a predetermined position on the rotary drum 54. To do. As a result, the trailing edge chuck 74 holds the trailing edge of the printing plate 12 with the rotating drum 54 and holds it.
[0049]
In the recording unit 22, when the front end and the rear end of the printing plate 12 are held by the rotary drum 54, the squeeze roller 66 is separated. Thereafter, the recording unit 22 emits a light beam modulated based on image data from the recording head unit 56 in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating drum 54 while rotating the rotating drum 54 at a high speed at a predetermined rotation speed. . As a result, the printing plate 12 is scanned and exposed based on the image data.
[0050]
In the recording unit 22, when the scanning exposure to the printing plate 12 is completed, the rotating drum 54 is temporarily stopped at a position where the trailing edge chuck 74 holding the trailing edge of the printing plate 12 faces the trailing edge chuck attaching / detaching unit 68. At the same time, the printing plate 12 is sandwiched between the rotary drum 54 by the squeeze roller 66. The rear end chuck attaching / detaching unit 68 removes the rear end chuck 74 from the rotating drum 54 when the rear end chuck 74 faces and the rotation of the rotating drum 54 stops. Thereby, the rear end of the printing plate 12 is opened.
[0051]
In the recording unit 22, when the rear end chuck 74 is removed from the rotary drum 54, the rotary drum 54 is rotated in the direction of taking out the printing plate 12. As a result, the printing plate 12 is sent out between the squeeze roller 66 and the rotary drum 54.
[0052]
As shown in FIG. 1, the discharge buffer 24 is provided above the squeeze roller 66, and the rotating plate 54 rotates in the direction in which the printing plate 12 is removed. To the discharge buffer unit 24. The rotating drum 54 rotates in the direction in which the printing plate 12 is taken out, and stops at the printing plate removal position where the tip chuck 62 faces the removal cam 70. In the recording unit 22, the leading end chuck 62 is pressed by rotating the detaching cam 70 at this position, and the nipping of the leading end of the printing plate 12 between the leading end chuck 62 and the rotating drum 54 is released. As a result, the printing plate 12 is removed from the rotary drum 54.
[0053]
On the other hand, the discharge buffer unit 24 is provided on the inner side of the discharge port 76 formed in the machine casing 14 and includes a discharge roller 78. A plurality of small rollers (small rollers 80A, 80B, 80C, 80D, and 80E as an example) are arranged around the discharge roller 78, and an endless conveyance belt 82 is disposed between the small rollers 80A to 80E. It is wrapped around. As a result, the conveying belt 82 is wound around the discharge roller 78 in the range of 1/2 to 3/4 between the small roller 80A and the small roller 80E.
[0054]
The small roller 80A protrudes toward the squeeze roller 66 side of the recording unit 22, and the roller 84 is disposed to face the roller 80A. The printing plate 12 delivered from the recording unit 22 is guided toward the space between the small roller 80A and the roller 84, and is sandwiched between the small roller 80A and the roller 84.
[0055]
In the discharge buffer unit 24, the discharge roller 78 is rotationally driven in the drawing direction (arrow D direction) of the printing plate 12, thereby discharging the printing plate 12 sandwiched between the small roller 80 </ b> A and the roller 84 from the recording unit 22. Between the discharge belt 78 and the conveyance belt 82, and is wound around the discharge roller 78. At this time, in the discharge buffer unit 24, the front end portion of the printing plate 12 (the rear end side when being sent from the recording unit 22) is sandwiched between the small roller 80A and the roller 84, thereby being printed around the discharge roller 78. The plate 12 is temporarily held.
[0056]
On the other hand, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, in the discharge buffer unit 24, the small roller 80 </ b> A and the roller 84 move to positions facing the discharge port 76. At this time, the small roller 80 </ b> A and the idle roller 84 rotate together so that the front end of the printing plate 12 is directed to the discharge port 76. The small roller 80B above the small roller 80A moves following the movement of the small roller 80A, and applies a certain tension to the conveying belt 82.
[0057]
In the discharge buffer unit 24, when the front end of the printing plate 12 is directed to the discharge port 76, the conveyance speed of the printing plate 12 in a processing device such as an automatic developing device in which the discharge roller 78 is disposed adjacent to the discharge port 76. Is rotated in the direction of feeding the printing plate 12 (the direction opposite to the arrow D direction) at a rotational speed corresponding to Thereby, the printing plate 12 is sent out from the discharge port 76.
[0058]
By the way, the rotary drum 54 is provided with a tip chuck 62 for fixing the tip of the printing plate 12 to a predetermined position on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 54 when the printing plate 12 is wound around the rotary drum 54. A rear end chuck 74 for fixing the rear end of the printing plate 12 is mounted.
[0059]
As shown in FIG. 3, the tip chuck 62 includes a plate 150 formed in a strip shape having a predetermined length, and the plates 150 are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the rotary drum 54 at predetermined intervals. ing. The rear end chuck 74 includes a belt-like plate 150 having a predetermined length, and the plate 150 is mounted on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 54 at predetermined intervals.
[0060]
The plate 150 is rotatably supported by a later-described support column 154, a side body engaging unit 150S that is fixed to both sides of the plate body 150M by screws and that engages a later-described clamp unit 160, An intermediate engagement body 150I that is fixed to the plate body 150M by a screw at a predetermined distance (interval corresponding to the length of the clamp part 160) from the side engagement body 150S and engages the clamp part 160, and a plate The belt-shaped weight adjusting plate 150H is attached to the main body 150M and increases the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotary drum 54.
[0061]
Although there is no difference in the functional structure of the front end chuck 62 and the rear end chuck 74, the direction of the plate 150 is different, and in this embodiment, the front end chuck 62 is always attached to the rotary drum 54. The difference is that the rear end chuck 74 is attachable to and detachable from the rotating drum 54.
[0062]
Hereinafter, the structure of the front end chuck 62 and the rear end chuck 74 will be described with reference to FIGS. A description will be given by taking the rear end chuck 74 provided with a mechanism detachable from the rotary drum 54 as an example. The difference in structure between the front end chuck 62 and the rear end chuck 74 in the present embodiment is that the front end chuck 62 is fixed to the rotary drum 54, whereas the rear end chuck 74 is fixed to the rotary drum 54. It is only a point which can be attached or detached.
[0063]
The plate 150 of the rear end chuck 74 is formed with a through hole 152 in a substantially intermediate portion in the width direction at predetermined three locations along the longitudinal direction, and a column 154 is inserted therein. The support column 154 includes a rectangular block-shaped base portion 154A (details will be described later) and a columnar support portion 154B provided upright on the upper surface of the base portion 154A. A cylindrical spacer 156 is inserted on the base side of the support portion 154B so that the plate 150 can be supported at a predetermined height from the base portion 154A.
[0064]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of groove portions 90 are formed at predetermined intervals on the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 54, and the rear end chuck 74 has the base portion 154 </ b> A of the support column 154 accommodated in the groove portion 90. In this state, it is attached to the rotating drum 54. In this accommodated state, the support column 154 is rotatable in the drum circumferential direction around the contact point between the mounting groove 90 and the support column 154.
[0065]
Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the cross-sectional shape of the groove 90 is substantially trapezoidal, and the width W1 of the opening end is formed smaller than the width W2 of the bottom. On the other hand, the accommodating portion of the support column 154 in the groove 90 is rectangular, and one dimension W3 of a pair of opposing sides is smaller than the width dimension W1 of the opening of the groove 90, and the other dimension W4 is It is formed smaller than the width dimension W2 of the bottom part 90A of the groove part 90 and larger than the width dimension W1 of the opening part 90B. For this reason, when the support column 154 is inserted into the groove portion 90, it can be inserted by aligning the narrow side in the width direction of the groove portion 90, and is prevented from coming off by being rotated approximately 90 ° after insertion. Will be.
[0066]
Here, in the case of the tip chuck 62, since it is not necessary to attach and detach, it is not necessary to have the structure as described above. For example, the tip chuck 62 may be fixed by bolting or the like. It may be in a fixed state.
[0067]
The plate 150 has the center of gravity positioned to the right of the axis of the column 154 with all the components attached (see FIGS. 8 and 10).
[0068]
The clamp portion 160 is slidably engaged with the plate 150 of the rear end chuck 74 on one end side in the width direction. The clamp part 160 is composed of a rod-shaped clamping member having at least a plane (clamping surface) 160A (see FIG. 5) facing the rotary drum 54.
[0069]
The clamp part 160 is slidable in the V direction (see FIG. 4) which is an oblique direction with respect to the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 54, and three clamp parts 160 are continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction with respect to one plate 150. Is provided.
[0070]
On both sides of the clamp part 160, two round bar-like engagement convex parts 160P are provided so as to protrude on either side.
[0071]
As shown in FIG. 5, a side-side engagement portion 151 having an engagement hole 151H that is long in an oblique direction with respect to the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 54 is formed on the distal end side of the side-side engagement body 150S. Thereby, the engagement convex portion 160P engages with the engagement hole 151H so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the hole. Similarly, an intermediate engagement portion 149 with which the engagement convex portion 160P is slidably engaged is formed on the distal end side of the intermediate engagement body 150I.
[0072]
As a result, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the side-side engagement portion 151 and the middle-side engagement portion 149 approach the drum peripheral surface due to the centrifugal force generated in the plate 150, the engagement is caused by the hole wall of the engagement hole 151H. The joint convex portion 160P is pushed in the U direction, and as a result, the clamp portion 160 moves in a direction (C direction) for tensioning the printing plate 12.
[0073]
A compression leaf spring 161 is provided between the right side surface of each clamp portion 160 in FIGS. 8 and 10 (the side surface where the notch portion 160B is formed in FIGS. 4 and 5) and the side surface of the plate body 150M. Yes. The clamp 160 is urged and held by the urging force of the compression plate spring 161 toward the end of the sliding range on the direction in which the printing plate 12 is inserted (this position is hereinafter referred to as the original position). Called).
[0074]
Further, one end of the compression coil spring 180 is fixed to the lower surface side of the right end of FIGS. 7 and 8 of the plate 150. The compression coil spring 180 is urged in a direction approaching the rotating drum 54, and a cover 182 that is in contact with the bottom 90A of the groove 90 of the rotating drum 54 is attached to the other end.
[0075]
When the compression coil spring 180 with the cover 182 is attached to the rotary drum 54, the compression coil spring 180 is accommodated in the groove portion 90 provided in the rotary drum 54. That is, when the rear end chuck 74 approaches the rotary drum 54, the cover 182 first comes into contact with the bottom surface of the groove 90, and when further approached, the compression coil spring 180 is elastically deformed. The urging force generated by the elastic deformation becomes a force for rotating the plate 150 with the support column 154 as a fulcrum, thereby forming a pressing force by the clamp unit 160. The cover 182 slides on the bottom surface of the groove portion 90 when the compression coil spring 180 is elastically deformed. Since this sliding surface is a circular arc surface, the coefficient of comparative friction is small so that the sliding can be performed smoothly. It has become.
[0076]
The operation of this embodiment will be described below.
[0077]
In the image exposure apparatus 10, when image data to be exposed is input to the printing plate 12, the size and the number of exposures of the printing plate 12 on which the image exposure is performed are set, and when the start of image exposure is instructed, The image exposure process is started. These processes may be performed by providing an operation panel in the image exposure apparatus 10 and instructing it by operating a switch on the operation panel. A signal from an image processing apparatus or the like that outputs image data to the image exposure apparatus 10 may be used. May be used to instruct the image exposure apparatus 10 to start processing.
[0078]
In the image exposure apparatus 10, when the start of processing is instructed, the sheet unit 30 is moved together with the reversing unit 28 to the position corresponding to the cassette 16 containing the printing plate 12 of the designated size, and is sucked by the suction cup 38. The printing plate 12 in the corresponding cassette 16 is sucked and taken out, and sent between the reversing roller 32 and the conveying belt 36 of the reversing unit 28. As a result, the printing plate 12 is nipped and conveyed between the reversing roller 32 and the conveyor belt 36 and sent to the conveyor 42.
[0079]
The transport conveyor 42 first inserts the leading end of the printing plate 12 into the grip opening 60 of the puncher 58. The puncher 58 forms a notch for positioning at a predetermined position of the inserted printing plate 12. When the cutout is formed in the printing plate 12, the transport conveyor 42 pulls out the printing plate 12 from the holding port 60 of the puncher 58 and sends it out toward the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 54.
[0080]
In the recording unit 22, when the front end of the printing plate 12 is held on the rotary drum 54 by the front end chuck 62, the printing plate 12 is wound around the rotary drum 54 while being squeezed by the squeeze roller 66, and the rear end of the printing plate 12 is moved to the rear end. The rotating drum 54 is held by the chuck 74. This holding procedure will be described later.
[0081]
Thereafter, the recording unit 22 scans the printing plate 12 by irradiating the printing plate 12 with a light beam based on the image data from the recording head unit 56 while rotating the rotary drum 54 at a high speed. At the time of this high speed rotation, the front end chuck 62 and the rear end chuck 74 act by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotary drum 54, and the force for clamping the printing plate 12 and the force for tensioning the printing plate 12 (preventing floating). It is like that. This detailed operation will be described later together with the holding procedure.
[0082]
When the scanning exposure of the printing plate 12 is completed, the front end chuck 62 is removed, and the printing plate 12 is sent to the discharge buffer unit 24.
[0083]
In the discharge buffer unit 24, the printing plate 12 is nipped and conveyed by the small roller 80A and the roller 84 and wound around the discharge roller 78. Then, the small roller 80A and the roller 84 are opposed to the discharge port 76, and the predetermined amount is supplied from the discharge port 76. Sends out at a transfer speed of.
[0084]
Next, a procedure for holding and tensioning the printing plate 12 on the rotating drum 54 by the front end chuck 62 and the rear end chuck 74, and maintenance will be described. In the following, since the front end chuck 62 and the rear end chuck 74 have the same action, the rear end chuck 74 will be described as an example.
[0085]
(Removal of rear end chuck 74)
First, when the rear end chuck 74 is attached to the rotating drum 54, the short side is made to correspond to the opening width direction of the groove portion 90 so that the base portion 154 </ b> A of the column 154 is accommodated in the groove portion 90 of the rotating drum 54. Accordingly, the base portion 154A is smoothly accommodated in the groove portion 90. After the accommodation, the entire support column 154 is rotated by approximately 90 ° so that the long side of the base portion 154A extends along the opening width direction of the groove portion 90, and the retaining portion is prevented.
[0086]
When the rear end chuck 74 is removed from the rotary drum 54, the base 154A is rotated by approximately 90 ° and pulled out.
[0087]
(Clamping the printing plate 12)
When the end of the printing plate 12 comes between the rotary drum 54 and the plate 150, the tip chuck 62 releases the rotation prevention by the cam 64, so that the plate 150 is supported by the urging force of the compression coil spring 180. Rotate. By this rotation, the clamp unit 160 moves in the circumferential surface direction of the rotary drum 54, so that the printing plate 12 can be held between the clamp unit 160 and the circumferential surface of the rotary drum 54.
[0088]
Further, since the rear end chuck 74 is mounted on the rotary drum 54 when the printing plate 12 reaches a predetermined position, the urging force of the compression coil spring 180 acts along with the mounting movement (the compression coil spring 180). The cover 182 reaches the bottom surface of the groove 90 first), and the plate 150 is gradually rotated with the support column 154 as a fulcrum, and the positioned printing plate 12 is sandwiched between the peripheral surface of the rotary drum 54 be able to.
[0089]
When the holding of the printing plate 12 by the front end chuck 62 and the rear end chuck 74 is completed, the rotary drum 54 starts to rotate at high speed for image recording.
[0090]
By this rotation, the plate 150 is rotated about the support column by a centrifugal force. At this time, since the center of gravity of the plate 150 is in a direction opposite to the clamp portion 160 across the support column 154, the rotation due to the centrifugal force is the same direction as the rotation due to the biasing force of the compression coil spring 180, and the side engagement The pressing force to the clamp part 160 by the part 151 and the middle side engaging part 149 increases. For this reason, during the high-speed rotation of the rotating drum 54, that is, during image recording, it is possible to increase the clamping force at the front and rear ends of the printing plate 12.
[0091]
(Tension of printing plate 12)
When the side-side engaging portion 151 and the middle-side engaging portion 149 approach the drum peripheral surface due to the centrifugal force generated in the plate 150 by the high-speed rotation of the rotating drum 54, the engaging convex portion 160P is formed by the hole wall of the engaging hole 151H. Pushing in the U direction generates a force that slides the clamp 160 from the original position in the C direction.
[0092]
Thus, the force that slides the clamp part 160 from the original position in the C direction is larger than the urging force of the compression leaf spring 161, and therefore the clamp part 160 slides from the original position in the C direction.
[0093]
When the clamp part 160 slides from the original position, the printing plate 12 held between the rotary drum 54 is pulled in the tension direction. In this case, since the contact of the clamp unit 160 with the printing plate 12 is a surface contact, the friction coefficient is large, and the printing plate 12 can be reliably tensioned.
[0094]
Since this action occurs simultaneously at the front and rear ends of the printing plate 12, the intermediate portion of the printing plate 12 does not float with respect to the peripheral surface of the rotating drum 54.
[0095]
If floating occurs, the focal point of the laser beam at the time of image recording on the surface of the printing plate 12 is shifted. In this embodiment, the front and rear ends of the printing plate 12 are moved to the rotating drum 54 by the clamp unit 160. Between the compression plate spring 180 and the centrifugal force applied to the plate 150, and the printing plate 12 is tensioned, so that the intermediate portion of the printing plate 12 does not float, Degradation of image quality can be prevented.
[0096]
As described above, in the present embodiment, since the contact with the printing plate 12 in the clamp portion 160 provided on the plate 150 is in surface contact, the holding force of the printing plate 12 can be increased. In addition, as a mechanism for applying tension to the printing plate 12, the clamping unit 160 is slid using a centrifugal force acting on the plate 150 separately from the holding mechanism of the printing plate 12 by the clamping unit 160. The inclination due to the rotation of the plate 150 is reduced, and the amount of protrusion from the rotating drum 54 can be reduced.
[0097]
Furthermore, since the clamp portion 160 is disposed at the tip of one end portion in the width direction of the plate 150, the allowance for the printing plate 12 is shortened, and the image recordable area can be increased.
[0098]
In the present embodiment, the procedure for holding the printing plate 12 around the rotating drum 54 is such that the front end chuck 62 is fixed and the rear end chuck 74 is detachable. It is possible to fix or fix the front end chuck 62, and to fix the rear end chuck 74. Further, the chuck position to be fixed is not limited.
[0099]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, when the sheet-like member is held in close contact with the peripheral surface of the drum, the end of the sheet-like member is securely held without forming irregularities due to scratches or the like on the drum peripheral surface. In addition, there is an excellent effect that the image quality can be prevented from being lowered by preventing floating and the like with respect to the drum peripheral surface.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an image exposure apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a recording unit of the image exposure apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an arrangement of a front end chuck and a rear end chuck on a rotating drum.
FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of a rear end chuck which is one of the holding devices.
FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing that the clamp part is slidable.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a dimensional relationship between a groove provided in a rotating drum and a support column.
7 is a side view taken along arrow 7-7 in FIG. 4;
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the clamp portion is moved in the tension direction of the printing plate by centrifugal force generated in the plate (corresponding to FIG. 8).
11 is a partially enlarged side view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 4 in the state shown in FIG. 10 (corresponding to FIG. 9).
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Image exposure equipment (processing equipment)
12 Printing plate (sheet-like member)
54 Rotating drum (drum)
62 Tip chuck (holding device)
74 Rear end chuck (holding device)
149 Middle engagement portion (engagement means)
150 plate (rotating body)
151 Side side engaging portion (engaging means)
151H engagement hole (engagement means, engagement groove)
154 Prop 160 Clamp part (Clamp member)
160P engaging convex part (engaging means, engaging convex part)
161 Compression leaf spring (positioning means, clamping member sliding biasing means)
180 Compression coil spring (turning means, turning biasing means)

Claims (6)

A holding device for a sheet-like member used in a processing apparatus for treating the surface of the sheet-like member, wherein the sheet-like member is wound while rotating the drum while the sheet-like member is wound around and held on the peripheral surface of the drum. A holding device for a sheet-like member for tightly holding an end portion on the peripheral surface of the drum,
A column that can be attached to a predetermined position on the peripheral surface of the drum;
Using the support column as a fulcrum, a rotating body capable of rotating a predetermined angle around an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the drum,
Provided at a position of one end portion of the rotating body and at a position opposite to an arrangement position of the end portion of the sheet-like member, and according to the rotation of the rotating body, the holding position and the holding release position of the sheet-like member A clamp member movable to two positions of
A rotating means for rotating the rotating body in a direction in which the clamp member approaches the peripheral surface of the drum in a state where the support column is fixed to the peripheral surface of the drum;
One end of the rotating body is slidable in a direction in which the sheet-like member is tensioned in accordance with a centrifugal force generated by rotation of the drum in a state where the sheet-like member is held by the turning means. Engaging means for engaging the part;
Bei to give a,
The engaging means is formed at one end of the rotating body, and a pair of engaging grooves that are long in an oblique direction with respect to the peripheral surface of the drum;
A pair of engaging projections formed on the clamp member and slidably engaged with the pair of engaging grooves,
The sheet-like member holding device, wherein the sheet-like member is slid in a tensioning direction when the pair of engaging convex portions approach the peripheral surface of the drum along the pair of engaging grooves.   The turning means is a turning biasing means capable of applying a biasing force to the turning body in a direction in which the clamp member approaches the peripheral surface of the drum in a state where the support column is fixed to the drum. 2. The holding device for a sheet-like member according to claim 1, wherein when the drum rotates, a centrifugal force generated by the rotation promotes an urging force of the turning urging means. In the drum, a groove portion having a predetermined width dimension is formed in the circumferential direction, and the width dimension of the strut can be wider or narrower than the width dimension of the groove according to the axial rotation position of the strut, The sheet-like member holding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support column can be inserted into the groove portion and can be prevented from being detached in the inserted state. In a state in which the sheet-like member is not sandwiched between the clamp member and the peripheral surface of the drum, the stroke in which the clamp member can move in the sliding direction in the tension direction of the sheet-like member is maximized. holding of a sheet member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a positioning means for positioning a position. The positioning means is a clamping member sliding biasing means that biases the clamp member in the opposite direction with a biasing force that is weaker than the sliding force in the tension direction of the sheet-like member due to the centrifugal force. The sheet-like member holding device according to claim 4 . The sheet-like member holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the sheet-like member holding device is detachable from the drum.

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