Image relay device, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

Abstract

To provide image formation using inexpensive image-forming materials by holding the image-forming material on the surface of a simple intermediate structure and transferring it to the surface of the target object. [Solution] An image relay device 40 for temporarily holding a prepared image and transferring it to the surface of an object comprises a paste holding member 41 and a paste relay member 51 for holding a paste image P on the outer peripheral surfaces 41s and 51s, and a slide mechanism 63 for moving a stage 61 that supports a flat plate member S of the object. By rotating the outer peripheral surfaces 41s and 51s in opposite directions while keeping them in contact, and sliding the flat plate member S in the opposite direction relative to them, the paste image P1 on the outer peripheral surface 41s is transferred to the bottom surface Sb of the straight groove Sd of the flat plate member S via the outer peripheral surface 51s without inverting the front and back sides, thereby forming an image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image relay device, an image forming device, and an image forming method for forming an image by temporarily holding a deformable material before adhesion, such as a formed paste material, as an image in an arbitrary region on the surface of a member, and then transferring the material to the surface of an image forming object so as to closely hold the material as an image.

Background Art

[0002] When forming an image such as characters or patterns on the surface of an image forming object, for example, it is known to form an image by adhering and fixing a paste material formed into the shape of the image to the surface of the object. Specifically, an indirect image forming method is known in which an image of a paste material (hereinafter also simply referred to as a paste image or an image forming material) is transferred and adhered and fixed to the surface of an image forming object after forming the paste material of the image forming material into a shape and holding it on the surface of an intermediate body by screen printing (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] Here, in the above-described screen printing, in order to achieve high-precision image formation, it is simpler to handle the screen plate as a flat surface. When the image forming object is a curved surface, it is more advantageous to adopt a method in which a paste image is formed on the surface of an intermediate body and then transferred (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] In the case of screen printing, it is also possible to directly adhere and fix a paste material to the surface of an object to form an image. However, in consideration of the working space and handling of the screen plate, etc., the above-described indirect offset printing is widely used.

[0005] However, in the formation of an image of a paste material by such a transfer-type indirect method (offset printing), the paste image is pressed against the entire surface of the paste image formed and temporarily held on the image forming surface of the intermediate body, and the paste image is transferred to the surface of the image forming object.

[0006] Therefore, the paste image on the surface of the object to be image-formed is sandwiched between the intermediate surface and transferred in a thinned state. As a result, the image is transferred from the intermediate surface to the surface of the object to be image-formed with its front and back reversed, creating a difference between the images on the intermediate surface and the surface of the object to be image-formed.

[0007] Based on this, the applicant of the present application has realized an image relay device that can transfer a paste image held on the surface of an intermediate material directly onto the surface of an object to be image formed, thereby enabling stable image formation on the surface of the object to be image formed (Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] WO2014 / 050560 publication [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-107407 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7220404 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] Incidentally, in the image relay device described in Patent Document 3, the holding sheet (intermediate surface) receives the paste image and holds it on one side, while the knife-edge shaped tip abuts against the surface of the object and deforms it, thereby enabling the paste image on the holding sheet to be smoothly transferred to the surface of the object, and thus achieving high-quality image formation.

[0010] However, for images made of deformable materials, including paste images made of paste materials, there is a demand for methods that do not require a high-quality image transfer method, but rather for transferring the image to the surface of the object to form an image without significantly distorting it, or for transferring a single-color image to the surface of the object to form an image, or for applications such as when the surface of the object to be image formed is the inner surface of a narrow space.

[0011] Furthermore, if high quality is not required for the image formed on the surface of the object to be imaged, cost reductions can be expected by reviewing the components used for image formation.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide image formation using inexpensive image-forming materials by holding an image-forming material on the surface of a simple intermediate structure and enabling its transfer to the surface of an object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] One aspect of the invention of an image relay device that solves the above problems is an image relay device that temporarily holds an image created based on acquired data and transfers it to the surface of an object to be image formed, comprising: an image holding member that holds a portion or more of the formed image made of an image forming material on its outer surface side; and a relative movement mechanism that moves the outer surface of the image holding member relative to the surface of the object while making direct contact with the surface of the object or contact via the formed image, wherein the image holding member has a shape that can be rotated circulatingly and an outer surface that cannot be deformed, and a rotation axis perpendicular to the direction of circulating rotation of the outer surface, and the relative movement mechanism, at the contact point between the outer surface of the image holding member and the surface of the object, moves the surface of the object in the opposite direction to the direction of circulating rotation while rotating the outer surface of the image holding member circulatingly, thereby transferring the formed image from the outer surface of the image holding member to the surface of the object without reversing the front and back sides of the formed image, and forming the image.

[0014] One aspect of the invention of an image forming apparatus that solves the above problems is characterized by comprising the above-mentioned image relay device, a support device for supporting the object, and a mechanism for adjusting the relative positional relationship between the image relay device and the support device.

[0015] One aspect of the invention for an image forming method that solves the above problems is an image forming method that temporarily holds an image created based on acquired data and then transfers it to the surface of an object to form an image, characterized in that a portion or more of the formed image, which is made of an image forming material to be created as the image, is held on the outer surface side of an image holding member having a circulatingly rotatable shape and an immovable outer surface, and then the outer surface of the image holding member is moved in the opposite direction relative to the surface of the object, either in direct contact with the surface of the object or through the formed image, while moving the outer surface of the image holding member relative to the surface of the object, thereby transferring the formed image from the outer surface side of the image holding member to the surface of the object without reversing the front and back sides of the image to form an image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention, the surface of an object moving in the opposite direction is continuously in contact with the outer surface of an image holding member (intermediate body) that rotates in a circular manner without deformation while holding a part or more of the image forming material.

[0017] At this time, the image-forming material is transferred to the surface of the object moving in the opposite direction (a diverging direction, not a parallel direction) from the outer surface of the image-holding member, without being reversed in orientation, and maintaining the surface that is in contact with each surface.

[0018] Therefore, at the contact point between the outer surface of the image holding member and the surface of the object, the image-forming material, which is transferred in accordance with the tangential movement direction of each surface, can be transferred from the outer surface side of the image holding member in a form that conforms to the surface of the object without reversing its front and back sides, thereby forming an image.

[0019] As a result, an image forming material held on the outer surface thereof can be transferred onto the surface of an object using an image holding member that does not need to be deformed, and the image forming material can be formed with a simple and inexpensive structure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus that mounts an image relay apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention together with an image production apparatus and a support apparatus and executes an image forming method, and is a front view showing its overall schematic configuration. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an object to be imaged. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the transfer of a paste image (image forming material) onto the surface of an image forming object by an image relay apparatus, (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the state at the start of the transfer process, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the state during the transfer process, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the state at the end of the transfer process. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the transfer form of a paste image by an image holding member of an image relay apparatus, (a) is an explanatory diagram of the deformation of the paste image transferred between image holding members, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the deformation of the paste image transferred from the image holding member to the surface of the object. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an image forming apparatus that mounts an image relay apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention together with an image production apparatus and a support apparatus and executes an image forming method, and is a front view showing its overall schematic configuration. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view showing the image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the image forming apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the state at the start of the transfer process of a paste image (image forming material) onto the surface of an image forming object by an image relay apparatus, (a) is its front view, and (b) is its side view. [Figure 10]Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the intermediate state of the transfer process, following Figure 9, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a side view. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the intermediate state of the transfer process, following Figure 10, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the intermediate state of the transfer process, following Figure 11, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a side view. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the intermediate state of the transfer process, following Figure 11, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a side view. [Figure 14] Figure 14, following Figure 13, illustrates the state at the end of the transfer process, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a side view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 5 show an image forming apparatus equipped with an image relay device according to the first embodiment of the present invention for performing an image forming method.

[0022] In Figures 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 10 is constructed comprising an image production device 20, an image relay device 40, a support device 60, and a controller 90. The image forming apparatus 10 is constructed so that, for example, the controller 90 controls the various devices 20, 40, and 60, and uses a flat plate member S having two straight grooves Sd on one side surface Ss as the object to be image formed (see Figure 3), and performs a process to form a paste image (formed image) P2 of two straight lines by attaching a paste material (image forming material) to the bottom surface Sb of the straight grooves Sd. At this time, the image forming apparatus 10 performs an image forming method in which the controller 90 suctions and fixes the back side of the image forming surface of the flat plate member S to be image formed by the support device 60, and transfers the paste image P1 formed by the image production device 20 based on the acquired image data to the flat plate member S via the image relay device 40 as described later, and forms the image on the bottom surface Sb of the straight grooves Sd. Here, the paste material used to form the paste image is not limited to a material that is adhesive and adheres to the surface of an object to form an image, but may also be replaced with a liquid material such as ink that adheres with some adhesive force without soaking into the surface of the object. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surfaces 41s and 51s of the paste holding member 41 and paste relay member 51 of the image relay device 40, which will be described later, preferably have a surface to which the paste material can be peeled off or a surface with excellent wettability for liquid materials. It goes without saying that the object to which the image is formed is not limited to a flat plate member S having a straight groove Sd, but may also be a member with other surface shapes, such as a simple flat plane.

[0023] The image formation device 20 comprises a screen plate 21, a plate support section 23, a slide mechanism 25, a squeegee 31, and a scraper 32, and forms two linear paste images P1 made of paste material on the outer circumferential surface (outer surface) 41s of the paste holding member (image holding member) 41 of the image relay device 40, which will be described later. This image formation device 20 is a so-called general-purpose screen printing machine, in which the screen plate 21 of screen mesh is supported by the plate support section 23 installed on the upper part of the image forming device 10, and the plate support section 23 is mounted so as to be slidable in the left-right direction in Figure 1 by the rail 25r of the slide mechanism 25. Furthermore, the image formation device 20 is configured such that the squeegee 31 and scraper 32 each contact the screen plate 21 with the desired pressure at their respective tips, and the screen plate 21 moves relative to the squeegee 21 in the left-right direction in Figure 1 while the tip of the squeegee 31 is in contact with the outer circumferential surface 41s of the rotating paste holding member 41 of the image relay device 40.

[0024] The image formation apparatus 20 is configured to supply paste material for forming a paste image P1 between the squeegee 31 and scraper 32 on the screen plate 21. For example, as the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 of the image relay apparatus 40 (described later) rotates counterclockwise in Figure 1, and the screen plate 21 moves (parallel) at the same speed in the tangential direction at the point of contact with the outer circumferential surface 41s, the paste material that passes through the screen plate 21 adheres to the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41, thereby forming the desired paste image P1.

[0025] As described above, the image relay device 40 is constructed comprising a paste holding member 41 on which a paste image P1 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 41s, and a paste relay member (image holding member) 51 that receives the paste image P1 from the paste holding member 41 on the outer peripheral surface 41s and transfers it to the bottom surface Sb of the straight groove Sd of the flat plate member S of the image-forming object to form an image.

[0026] The paste holding member 41 is equipped with a cylindrical outer surface 41s that is in close contact with the screen plate 21 of the image production device 20 and receives the paste image P1. By rotating it around a rotation axis 41x, the squeegee 31 of the image production device 20 and the outer surface 41s are moved at a constant speed, allowing the paste image P1 to be received. Here, the paste holding member 41 is manufactured in a cylindrical shape with a diameter such that the circumference of the outer surface 41s is smaller than the length of the screen plate 21 corresponding to the direction of movement of the squeegee 31 of the image production device 20, so that the paste image P1 to be formed on the flat plate member S of the object can be formed and held around the entire circumference during a single movement of the squeegee 31. However, the paste holding member 41 is not limited to this, and can also be equipped with a circumference larger than the length of the screen plate 21 so that the paste image P1 can be formed by multiple movements of the squeegee 31.

[0027] The paste relay member 51 is equipped with a cylindrical outer surface (outer surface) 51s that closely contacts the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and receives the paste image P1. By rotating it around a rotation axis 51x parallel to the rotation axis 41x of the paste holding member 41, the outer surface 51s is moved at a constant speed together with the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41, allowing it to receive the paste image P1. Here, the paste relay member 51 is manufactured in a cylindrical shape, similar to the paste holding member 41, for example, with a diameter such that the circumference of the outer surface 51s is smaller than the circumference of the paste holding member 41, so that it can receive the paste image P1 formed on the flat plate member S of the object all around during a single rotation of the paste holding member 41. However, the paste relay member 51 is not limited to this, and the paste image P1 can also be formed by multiple rotations of the paste holding member 41.

[0028] In other words, the image relay device 40 receives the paste image P1 formed by the image production device 20 with the paste holding member 41 (outer surface 41s) and passes it to the paste relay member 51 (outer surface 51s), and then transfers it to the flat plate member S (bottom surface Sb of the two straight grooves Sd on the surface Ss) to form an image. The outer surfaces 41s and 51s of the paste holding member 41 and paste relay member 51 of this image relay device 40 are formed as immovable continuous surfaces in which the cylindrical outer surface (curved surface) rotates cyclically in a direction perpendicular to the arc centers of the rotation axes 41x and 51x, respectively, so that the paste holding member 41 functions as a pre-stage holding member and the paste relay member 51 functions as a post-stage holding member. It goes without saying that since the image relay device 40 may pass the paste image P1 sequentially, one or more intermediate holding members may be placed between the paste holding member 41 and the paste relay member 51. Here, the outer surfaces 41s and 51s of the paste holding member 41 and the paste relay member 51 are continuous surfaces with a circular cross-section that maintain a constant separation distance from the rotation axes 41x and 51x at the center of the arc, respectively, and rotate in a circular motion. However, the outer surfaces 41s and 51s of the paste holding member 41 and the paste relay member 51 are not limited to these, and may also have continuous surfaces with irregular shapes, such as an ellipse, triangle, square, pentagon or more polygons, or shapes that correspond to the planar shape of the image being formed. In this case, the corners of the cross-sectional shape may be formed to be smoothly continuous, such as by being curved.

[0029] The paste relay member 51 is formed on its outer peripheral surface 51s in a manner that two ridge-like shapes 51f are arranged circumferentially, fitting into the two straight grooves Sd on the surface Ss of the flat plate member S, in order to transfer the paste image P1 to the bottom surface Sb of the two straight grooves Sd on the surface Ss of the flat plate member S to form an image. For this reason, the paste relay member 51 can receive the paste image P1 by directly or indirectly contacting the outer peripheral surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 with the outer peripheral top surface 51t of its ridge-like shapes 51f.

[0030] These paste holding member 41 and paste relay member 51 are rotatably supported by slide mechanisms 45, 55, with their rotating shafts 41x, 51x connected to the rotating shafts of motors 43, 53, respectively. Each of the rotating shafts 41x, 51x is rotatably supported by support members 45s, 55s (bearings not shown), which are vertically slidably supported by the support columns 45p, 55p of the slide mechanisms 45, 55. In other words, the image relay device 40 arranges ridge shapes 51f at two (multiple) locations on the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 in the direction of extension of the rotating shaft 51x (the direction in which the rotating shaft extends), separating the outer circumferential top surface 51t of the outer circumferential surface of the member, thereby preventing the paste image P1 from adhering to unnecessary areas.

[0031] The support device 60 is constructed with a stage 61 and a sliding mechanism 63, and the stage 61 attracts and fixes the back side of the image-forming surface of the flat plate member S to be image-formed. In this support device 60, the sliding mechanism 63 supports the stay 61b of the stage 61 so that it can slide freely on the sliding rail 63r, and the sliding mechanism 63 slides the stage 61 in forward and reverse directions in the rotational direction of the outer peripheral surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 based on a control signal from the controller 90.

[0032] The controller 90 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various types of memory, and is connected to the image creation device 20, the image relay device 40, and the support device 60 so that various types of information can be exchanged between them.

[0033] The controller 90 has pre-set positional information and driving conditions for the image creation device 20, the image relay device 40, and the support device 60, and executes a pre-stored control program to coordinately drive the various devices 20, 40, and 60. As a result, the controller 90 executes an image formation process (image formation method) in which the paste image P1 formed by the image creation device 20 is transferred to the bottom surface Sb of the straight groove Sd of the flat plate member S, which is supported by the support device 60, via the outer peripheral surfaces 41s and 51s of the paste holding member 41 and paste relay member 51 of the image relay device 40, without reversing the front and back sides.

[0034] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4(a), the controller 90 is positioned so that the outer surfaces 41s of the screen plate 21 and the paste holding member 41 are in contact so as to enable screen printing, and so that the outer surfaces 41s of the paste holding member 41 and the outer surfaces 51s of the paste relay member 51 are in contact with each other so as to enable the transfer of the paste image P1, as will be described later. At the same time, the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 is positioned so as to be separated from the surface Ss of the flat plate member S supported by the support device 60 (preparation). In this preparation, the controller 90 moves the screen plate 21 to the screen printing start position and rotates and positions the outer surfaces 41s of the paste holding member 41 and the paste relay member 51 so as to coincide with their respective predetermined positions, so as to enable the holding start positions of the paste image P1 on their outer surfaces 41s and 51s, as will be described later. The paste holding member 41 and paste relay member 51 may be positioned by rotating them so that predetermined positions on their outer surfaces 41s and 51s are used as the starting position for holding the paste image P1. However, they are not limited to this, and the holding of the paste image P1 may be started by using the motor drive timing to set the entire circumference of their outer surfaces 41s and 51s as the starting position.

[0035] After this preliminary preparation, the controller 90 moves relative to the screen plate 21 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4(a) so that the tangential direction of the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and the sliding direction of the screen plate 21 are in the same direction and move leftward at a constant speed. As a result, the controller 90 places the paste image P1 from the screen plate 21 onto the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 with high quality from the initial holding start position and forms a primary relay image (primary relay image formation). At the same time, the controller 90 moves relative to the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 in opposite directions in the tangential direction of the outer surfaces 41s and 51s at the contact point between the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51. In other words, it rotates leftward so that the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 moves in the opposite direction relative to the leftward rotation of the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41, which rotates parallel to the direction of movement of the screen plate 21. As a result, the image relay device 40 transfers (transfers) the paste image P1 from the outer peripheral surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 to the outer peripheral surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 without reversing it from the secondary holding start position, as shown in Figure 5(a), thereby forming a secondary relay image (secondary relay image formation).

[0036] After these primary and secondary relay image formations, as shown in Figure 4(b), the controller 90 separates the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 from the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and brings it into contact with the bottom surface Sb of the straight groove Sd of the flat plate member S supported by the support device 60 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S). As a result, the controller 90 moves the flat plate member S, which is supported by the support device 60 together with the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51, so that it is in a contact state where the paste image P1 can be transferred from the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 to the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S as a paste image P2, as will be described later (relay preparation). In this relay preparation, the controller 90 lowers and rotates the paste relay member 51 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4(b) and slides the support device 60 (flat plate member S) to the right to position them so that the transfer start position of the paste image P2 on the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S supported by the support device 60 coincides with the secondary holding start position of the paste image P1 on the outer peripheral surface 51s of the paste relay member 51.

[0037] After these relay preparations, as shown in Figure 4(c), the controller 90 rotates the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 and the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S supported by the support device 60 so that the tangential direction of the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 and the direction of movement of the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S are in opposite directions at the point of contact between the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 and the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S supported by the support device 60. In other words, as shown by the arrows in the figure, the controller 90 rotates the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 so that the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S is rotated counterclockwise while the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S is moved counterclockwise. As a result, as shown in Figure 5(b), the image relay device 40 transfers the paste image P1 from the outer surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 to the bottom surface Sb of the two straight grooves Sd on the surface Ss of the flat plate member S as paste image P2 without inverting it (image formation complete).

[0038] Here, the controller 90 may detect and confirm the positions of various components of the image formation device 20, image relay device 40, and support device 60 using sensors or image recognition, and then control their drive. Alternatively, it may start driving using a preset electrical or mechanical reference position such as a motor or fitting as the initial position, and then coordinately execute a desired series of image forming processes (the same applies to other embodiments described below).

[0039] At this time, the image relay device 40, at the contact point where the outer peripheral surfaces 41s, 51s of the paste holding member 41 and the paste relay member 51 move relative to each other in opposite directions, adheres to the top surface 51t of the ridge shape 51f of the outer peripheral surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 by contacting it, as shown in Figure 5(a). It receives a deformation load corresponding to the angle Dt1 sandwiched between them in the tangential directions, and is transferred as the intermediate paste image P1 without being flipped over.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(b), at the contact point where the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 and the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S supported by the support device 60 move relative to each other in opposite directions, the paste image P1 of the top surface 51t of the two ridge shapes 51f on the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 comes into contact with the bottom surface Sb of the two straight grooves Sd on the surface Ss of the flat plate member S, and adheres to it. While receiving a deformation load corresponding to the angle Dt2 sandwiched between them in the tangential directions, it is transferred as the completed paste image P2 without being flipped over.

[0041] In this case, the paste images P1 and P2, which are transferred from the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 to the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51, and from the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 to the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S of the support device 60 without inverting their front and back sides, are subjected to deformation loads corresponding to the tangential angles Dt1 and Dt2, respectively, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), and thus form images. In short, for images of extremely thin paste materials or ink materials, which are less affected by deformation loads during transfer, images can be formed on the surface of the object with the image production quality produced by the image production device 20. Furthermore, even in the case of monochrome images or rough images where image quality is less likely to be a problem, images can be formed without any issues. Here, the paste images P1 and P2, which are transferred from the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 to the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51, and from the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 to the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S of the support device 60 without being reversed, are transferred by being pushed out by a force that resists deformation of their own shape. To facilitate smoother transfer, the adhesiveness that maintains their own shape and the adhesion force with the surface they adhere to may be adjusted. In other words, the adhesion force with the downstream side may be greater than that with the upstream side to facilitate the transfer.

[0042] Therefore, the image relay device 40 can transfer the attached paste images P1 and P2 from one to the other without reversing their orientation by moving them relative to each other while maintaining contact between the outer circumferential surface 41s of the immovable paste holding member 41 and the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51, and between the outer circumferential surface 51s of the paste relay member 51 and the bottom surface Sb of the flat plate member S of the support device 60, thereby forming an image on the bottom surface Sb of the straight groove Sd on the surface Ss of the flat plate member S.

[0043] Thus, in this embodiment, by using a paste holding member 41 and a paste relay member 51 with a simple and inexpensive structure that does not require deformation, the paste images P1 and P2 held on their outer surfaces 41s and 51s can be transferred to the bottom surface Sb of the straight groove Sd on the surface Ss of the flat plate member S to be image-formed, thereby forming an image.

[0044] Next, Figures 6 to 14 show an image forming apparatus equipped with an image relay device according to a second embodiment of the present invention for performing an image forming method. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for components as in the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0045] In Figures 6 to 8, the image forming apparatus 100 is constructed with an image relay device 140 and a support device 160, in addition to the image production device 20 and controller 90 common to the above-described embodiment, with other components replaced by those of the above-described embodiment. In this image forming apparatus 100 as well, the controller 90 controls the various devices 20, 140, and 160 in a unified manner, so that, for example, a cylindrical member C is used as the object to be image formed, and a paste material is applied to the entire surface of its inner surface (inner circumferential surface) Ci to form a paste image P2 (not shown in the figures) on the entire inner surface of the cylinder. At this time, the image forming apparatus 100 is constructed such that the controller 90 causes the support device 160 to rotatably support the outer surface (outer circumferential surface) Co on the back side of the image forming surface of the cylindrical member C to be image formed, and, as in the above-described embodiment, the paste image P1 formed by the image production device 20 is transferred to the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C via the image relay device 140, as will be described later, to form an image. Here, the object to be image-formed is not limited to a cylindrical member C having a cylindrical shape with a perfectly circular inner surface that is continuous in the circumferential direction. For example, it may be a cylindrical member with a slit having an incomplete circular inner surface with a slit that extends in the axial direction and has a width into which the paste relay member 151 described later can enter. The paste relay member 151 may be inserted into the cylindrical member through the slit and the paste image P2 may be applied to the inner surface. It goes without saying that the object to be image-formed can also be a flat plate member, and the paste image P2 can be transferred from the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 to the surface of the flat plate member to form an image.

[0046] The image formation apparatus 20, similar to the embodiment described above, forms a paste image P made of paste material on the outer peripheral surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 of the image relay apparatus 140, which will be described later. For example, as the outer peripheral surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 6, the paste material that passes through the screen plate 21 moving at the same speed adheres to the outer peripheral surface 41s of the paste holding member 41, forming a desired paste image P1.

[0047] Furthermore, the image relay device 140 is constructed to include, in addition to the paste holding member 41 similar to that in the above embodiment, a paste relay member 151 that receives the paste image P1 from the outer peripheral surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and transfers it to the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C of the object to be image formed for image formation.

[0048] The paste relay member 151, similar to the embodiment described above, is equipped with a similar cylindrical outer surface (outer surface) 151s that is in close contact with the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and receives the paste image P2. By rotating it around a rotation axis 151x parallel to the rotation axis 41x of the paste holding member 41, the outer surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and its outer surface 151s can be moved at a constant speed to receive the paste image P. Here, the paste relay member 151 is manufactured in a cylindrical shape with an outer surface 151s having a diameter smaller than the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C so that it can be inserted into the cylindrical member C of the object. The paste relay member 151 is not limited to a configuration in which the paste image P is transferred to the entire circumference of the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C in a single rotation, but may also be configured to receive the paste image P1 from the paste holding member 41 multiple times and transfer it to the cylindrical member C to form the paste image P2 over the entire surface of its inner surface Ci.

[0049] These paste holding members 41 and paste relay members 151 are rotatably supported by support members 45s and 155s of slide mechanisms 45 and 155, respectively, with their rotating shafts 41x and 151x connected to the rotating shafts of motors 43 and 153, respectively, and the slide mechanisms 45 and 155 support the support members 45s and 155s on the support columns 45p and 155p so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.

[0050] Furthermore, as will be described later, the paste relay member 151 is equipped with a bearing 155sm that rotatably supports a slide support member 155ss, which is located on the opposite side of the motor 153, so as not to interfere with the operation of transferring the paste image P onto the cylindrical member C of the object. This bearing 155sm of the slide mechanism 155 is connected to a bearing shaft 158, which is moved by the shaft feed mechanism 157, and is rotatably supported in place of the slide support member 155ss.

[0051] The support device 160 is configured to support the cylindrical member C of the object at a desired position so that the paste image P2 can be transferred while the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 is in close contact with the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C of the object.

[0052] The support device 160 includes a pair of support rollers 161 at a total of four locations that separate the cylindrical member C of the object so that it can rotate around its axis; a support width adjustment mechanism 163 that moves these support rollers 161 in forward and reverse directions in the separation direction around the axis of the cylindrical member C; and an object feeding mechanism 165 that moves the support rollers 161 and the support width adjustment mechanism 163 in forward and reverse directions in the axial direction of the cylindrical member C.

[0053] Furthermore, in addition to the support rollers 161, the support width adjustment mechanism 163, and the object feeding mechanism 165, the support device 160 is constructed to include a cylindrical rotation drive member 171 that rotates while pressing the outer surface Co with the outer surface 171s to realize stable rotational rotation of the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C, a motor 173 connected to the rotation shaft 171x of the rotation drive member 171, and a slide mechanism 175 that, together with the motor 173, is rotatably supported by the support member 175s, while the support column 155p of the slide mechanism 155 of the paste relay member 151 is commonly used to support the rotation shaft 171x of the rotation drive member 171 in a vertically slidable manner.

[0054] Similar to the embodiment described above, the controller 90 is connected to the image production device 20, the image relay device 140, and the support device 160 so as to be able to exchange various information, and drives the various devices 20, 140, and 160 in a coordinated manner. As a result, the controller 90 executes an image formation process (image formation method) in which the paste image P2 formed by the image production device 20 is passed to the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C, which is the image to be formed and is supported by the support device 160, via the outer surfaces 41s and 151s of the paste holding member 41 and paste relay member 151 of the image relay device 140 without reversing the front and back sides.

[0055] Specifically, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, similar to the embodiments described above, the controller 90 positions the outer peripheral surfaces 41s of the screen plate 21 and the paste holding member 41 at screen-printable contact positions, while positioning the outer peripheral surfaces 41s and 151s of the paste holding member 41 and the paste relay member 151 in a contact state where the paste image P1 can be exchanged with each other (preparation). In this preparation state, the paste relay member 151 is separated from the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160.

[0056] After this preliminary preparation, the controller 90 moves the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and the screen plate 21 relative to each other in the direction of the arrow in the figure so that they rotate and slide to the left at a constant speed in the same direction, thereby transferring the paste image P1 from the screen plate 21 to the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 with high quality and forming a primary relay image (primary relay image formation). At the same time, the controller 90 rotates the outer circumferential surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 to the left so that they move in the opposite direction relative to the left rotation of the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41, thereby transferring (transferring) the paste image P1 from the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 to the outer circumferential surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 without reversing the front and back sides from the secondary holding start position and forming a secondary relay image (secondary relay image formation).

[0057] After these primary and secondary relay image formations, the controller 90 moves the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160 together with the outer circumferential surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 so that the outer circumferential surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 is separated from the outer circumferential surface 41s of the paste holding member 41 and can be transferred to the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160, and so that, as described later, the paste image P1 can be transferred from the outer circumferential surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 to the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C as paste image P2 (relay preparation).

[0058] In this relay preparation, as shown in Figure 9, the controller 90 first lowers the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160 by widening the distance between the pair of support rollers 161 that support both ends of the cylindrical member C, as indicated by the arrows in the figure, so that the central axis of the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160 matches the height of the bearing shaft 158 ​​moved by the shaft feed mechanism 157. The controller 90 also lowers the rotation axis 151x of the paste relay member 151 to a position that matches the height of the axis of the lowered cylindrical member C and the bearing shaft 158 ​​of the shaft feed mechanism 157 (relay preparation 1).

[0059] After this relay preparation 1, as shown in Figure 10, the controller 90 moves the shaft feed mechanism 157 so that the bearing shaft 158 ​​faces the bearing 155sm of the rotation shaft 151x of the paste relay member 151, as indicated by the arrow in the figure, and connects the bearing shaft 158 ​​to the bearing 155sm of the rotation shaft 151x so that it is rotatably supported together with the slide support member 155ss of the support member 155s of the slide mechanism 155 (relay preparation 2).

[0060] After this relay preparation 2, as shown in Figure 11, the controller 90 retracts the sliding support member 155ss of the support member 155s on the opposite side of the motor 153 so that it is detached from (separated from) the bearing 155sm of the rotation shaft 151x of the paste relay member 151, and together with the support member 155s on the motor 153 side, the rotation shaft 151x is rotatably supported by the bearing shaft 158 ​​of the axis feed mechanism 157 (relay preparation 3).

[0061] After this relay preparation 3, as shown in Figure 12, the controller 90 moves the support width adjustment mechanism 163 together with the support rollers 161 group of the support device 160 below the paste holding member 41 by the object feeding mechanism 165, thereby maintaining the axis of the cylindrical member C to be supported and its rotation axis 41x in a parallel state (relay preparation 3).

[0062] In these relay preparations 2 and 3, the paste relay member 151 is rotatably supported at both ends by a bearing (not shown) at one end of the rotation shaft 151x and a bearing 155sm at the other end, and is supported by a support member 155s and a bearing shaft 158 ​​of the shaft feeding mechanism 157, and is rotatably driven by a motor 153. In relay preparation 3, the paste relay member 151 is inserted into a cylindrical member C which is rotatably supported by a group of support rollers 161 of a support device 160, so that the outer circumferential surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 faces the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C.

[0063] Then, after relay preparation 3, as shown in Figure 13, the controller 90 narrows the distance between the pair of support rollers 161 that support both ends of the cylindrical member C using the support width adjustment mechanism 163, as indicated by the arrows in the figure, thereby raising the cylindrical member C and bringing the inner surface Ci of the raised cylindrical member C into contact with the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 (relay preparation 4).

[0064] Furthermore, after this relay preparation 4, as shown in Figure 14, the controller 90, as indicated by the arrows in the figure, causes the slide mechanism 175 to lower the rotational drive member 171, pressing the outer peripheral surface 171s against the outer surface Co of the cylindrical member C and rotating it, while the motor 173 rotates the paste relay member 151, rotating the outer peripheral surface 151s that contacts the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C, thereby completing image formation (image formation complete).

[0065] In this image formation completion, the tangential direction of the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 and the direction of movement of the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160 move in opposite directions relative to each other at the contact point between the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 and the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160. In other words, the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 is rotated counterclockwise while the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C is rotated clockwise, causing them to move relative to each other. As a result, the image relay device 140 can complete image formation by transferring the paste image P1 from the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 to the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C as paste image P2 without inverting the front and back sides, in a configuration similar to Figure 5(b) of the above embodiment (though not shown in the illustration).

[0066] At this time, the image relay device 140 makes contact with the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 and the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C supported by the support device 160 at contact points where they move relative to each other in opposite directions, as they curve in the same direction. As a result, the paste image P2 transferred from the outer surface 151s of the paste relay member 151 to the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C of the support device 160 without being reversed is transferred under a larger deformation load due to the smaller angle between the tangential directions compared to the configuration shown in Figure 5(b) of the above-described embodiment, and is transferred without being reversed. Therefore, similar to the above-described embodiment, for example, with an extremely thin paste image P that is less affected by the deformation load during transfer, the image can be formed on the surface of the object with the same production quality as the image production device 20, and in the case of monochrome or rough images where image quality is unlikely to be a problem, the image can be formed without any issues.

[0067] Thus, in this embodiment, the same effects and advantages as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained, and an image can be formed on the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C to be imaged.

[0068] By the way, in the first and second embodiments described above, the case in which the image holding member includes the preceding paste holding member 41 and the subsequent paste relay members 51 and 151 is described as an example, but it is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the system may also be configured to directly transfer the paste image P from the outer peripheral surface 41s of a single paste holding member 41 to the surface Ss of the flat plate member S of the object.

[0069] Furthermore, the image relay devices 40 and 140 can expand or contract the images formed on the surface Ss of the flat plate member S and the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C supported by the support devices 60 and 160 by increasing or decreasing the relative speed of the outer surfaces 51s and 151s of the paste relay members 51 and 151 with respect to the outer surfaces 41s and 151s of the paste holding member 41 in the first and second embodiments described above, or by increasing or decreasing the relative speed of the surface Ss of the flat plate member S and the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C supported by the support devices 60 and 160 with respect to the outer surfaces 51s and 151s of the paste relay members 51 and 151. Here, this increase or decrease in relative speed can be achieved by adjusting the rotational movement speed of each motor by providing a speed detection unit for each, or by drive control of the various motors.

[0070] Furthermore, the image relay devices 40 and 140 can also be appropriately deformed by providing a mechanism that allows the outer surfaces 41s, 51s, and 151s of the paste holding member 41 and the paste relay members 51 and 151, as well as the surface Ss of the flat plate member S and the inner surface Ci of the cylindrical member C supported by the support devices 60 and 160, to slide freely in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction.

[0071] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrative and described exemplary embodiments, but also includes all embodiments that produce effects equivalent to those aimed at by the present invention. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the combination of features defined by each claim, but can be defined by any desired combination of specific features from all disclosed features.

Claims

1. An image relay device that temporarily holds an image created based on acquired data and transfers it to the surface of an object on which the image is formed, An image holding member that holds a portion or more of the formed image on the outer surface side, which is made of an image forming material that forms the aforementioned image, A relative movement mechanism that moves the outer surface of the image holding member in the direction of extension of the formed image while directly contacting the surface of the object or contacting it via the formed image, Equipped with, The image holding member has a shape that allows for circulating rotation and an outer surface that is not deformable, and also has a rotation axis perpendicular to the direction of circulating rotation of the outer surface. The relative movement mechanism, at the point of contact between the outer surface of the image holding member and the surface of the object, rotates the outer surface of the image holding member in a circular motion while moving the surface of the object in the opposite direction of the circular rotation, thereby transferring the formed image from the outer surface of the image holding member to the surface of the object without reversing the front and back of the formed image, thereby forming the image. An image relay device characterized by the following features.

2. The image holding member has a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the rotation axis that is circular, elliptical, polygonal, or irregularly shaped, and its outer surface is formed as a continuous surface that is continuous in the direction of the cyclic rotation. The image relay device according to feature 1.

3. The image holding member is formed on a continuous surface whose outer surface is smoothly continuous with a curved surface whose arc center is the axis of rotation. The image relay device according to feature 2.

4. The image holding member is constructed to include a front-stage holding member that receives the formed image on the outer surface, and a rear-stage holding member that transfers the formed image to the surface of the object. The image relay device according to feature 1.

5. The image holding member is constructed to include one or more intermediate holding members positioned between the preceding holding member and the succeeding holding member, which receive the formed image from the preceding holding member and pass it on to the succeeding holding member. The image relay device according to feature 4.

6. The outer surface of the image holding member has a convex curved surface that is smaller than the concave curved surface of the object surface. The image relay device according to feature 1.

7. The image holding member is formed in a cylindrical shape, with its outer surface having a convex curved surface smaller than the concave curved surface of the object surface. The relative movement mechanism is configured such that, given that the object has a surface formed on a complete or incomplete circular inner surface for image formation, the outer surface of the image holding member faces the surface of the object, and the image holding member is inserted into the circular inner surface and rotated in a circular motion. The image relay device according to feature 6.

8. The image holding member is composed of multiple shapes arranged at multiple locations in the extending direction of the rotation axis, and the outer surfaces of each of them are spaced apart. The image relay device according to feature 1.

9. The image holding member is configured such that the adhesion force of the formed image is less than the adhesion force of the formed image to the surface of the object, and when the formed image held on the outer surface comes into contact with the surface of the object at the contact point, it is transferred to the surface of the object. The image relay device according to feature 1.

10. An image relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 above, A support device for supporting the aforementioned object, The system includes a mechanism for adjusting the relative positional relationship between the image relay device and the support device. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

11. An image forming method which involves temporarily holding an image created based on acquired data, and then transferring it to the surface of an object to form an image, After holding a portion or more of the formed image, which is made from the image-forming material produced as the image, on the outer surface side of an image-holding member having a circulatingly rotatable shape and an immovable outer surface, the outer surface of the image-holding member is moved in the opposite direction relative to the surface of the object, either in direct contact with the surface or via the formed image, while moving the image-holding member relative to the surface in the extending direction of the formed image. This transfers the formed image from the outer surface side of the image-holding member to the surface of the object without reversing its front and back sides, thereby forming the image. A method for forming an image characterized by the following features.

Images