JP2000002579A - Liquid level detector for photosensitive material processors - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect the electrodes of an electrode switch to be a liq. level detector from treating liqs. in a liq. level detector of a photosensitive material processor for treating developing papers. SOLUTION: The level detector uses a machined coaxial cable 232 as an electrode 230 for detecting the liq. level, and the electrode 230 is constituted by exposing a first and second electrodes 234, 236 on the coaxial cable 232 and coating the entire coaxial cable 232 with a conductive resin 238, including the first and second electrodes 234, 236, thereby protecting the first and second electrodes 234, 236 from treating liqs. owing to the conductive resin 238.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid level detecting apparatus for a photosensitive material processing apparatus, and more particularly to a liquid level detecting apparatus used in a photosensitive material processing apparatus such as an automatic developing machine and used in a replenishing tank containing a processing solution. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Automatic developing machines (for example, film processors, printer processors, etc.) used in laboratories process films and color paper. Films and color papers are processed by being conveyed through a plurality of processing tanks containing processing solutions and water for color development, bleach-fixing, washing and stabilization.

The composition and amount of the processing liquid in each processing tank change depending on the processing of the film or color paper. For this reason, a system is provided in which each processing tank is replenished with a new solution from a replenishing tank in accordance with a processing amount. Conventionally, the work of replenishing the replenisher into the replenishment tank was performed manually.
Recently, an automatic method has been proposed.

JP-A-10-78642, JP-A-10-115903
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-139,086 discloses a photosensitive material processing apparatus provided with a processing agent replenishing apparatus for automatically replenishing a replenishing tank with a liquid. According to this photosensitive material processing apparatus, a float switch is provided as a liquid level detecting device in the replenishing tank, and when the float switch detects that the liquid in the replenishing tank has decreased, the replenishing tank is automatically replenished with the liquid. ing.

As a liquid level detecting device, an electrode switch may be used in addition to a float switch. A pair of electrodes of this electrode switch is attached to a predetermined position of the replenishing tank, and when a current flows between these electrodes, that is, when these electrodes are immersed in the processing liquid and short-circuited, a liquid level detection signal is output. I am trying to do it.

[0006]

However, the conventional liquid level detecting device of the photosensitive material processing apparatus has many components in the case of a float switch and is easily broken, and in the case of an electrode switch, the electrode of the electrode switch has a problem. Since the electrode is directly immersed in the processing liquid, the electrode may be corroded by the processing liquid depending on the type of the processing liquid.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a liquid level detection device for a photosensitive material processing apparatus capable of protecting an electrode from a processing solution.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, an electrode is formed by exposing a part of a metal portion of an insulated wire material to protect the electrode from a processing solution of a photosensitive material. A conductive resin electrode is formed by coating a wire material including the electrode with a conductive resin for forming the conductive resin electrode, immersing the conductive resin electrode in a processing solution of a photosensitive material, and based on a current flowing through the conductive resin electrode. The liquid level of the processing liquid is detected.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the electrodes are coated with the conductive resin for protecting the electrodes from the processing solution for the photosensitive material, the electrodes can be protected from the processing solution. According to a second aspect of the present invention, an electrode is formed by processing a coaxial cable. Coaxial cable is
Since the cross-sectional shape is almost circular, it is excellent in handling.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the core wire at the end of the coaxial cable is exposed to serve as a first electrode, and the first electrode is provided.
Since the shield wire of the coaxial cable at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the electrode is exposed to serve as a second electrode, and the core side is connected to ground, the processing liquid and the first electrode can be set to the same potential. it can. According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the first
Since the lower electrode in the vertical direction of the second electrode and the second electrode is connected to the ground, the lower electrode in the vertical direction and the processing liquid can be set to the same potential.

According to the present invention, a metal flange for holding the conductive resin electrode is fixed to the conductive resin electrode by caulking, and the conductive resin electrode is exposed using this flange. Since it is attached to the material processing apparatus, attachment of the conductive resin electrode becomes easy. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the flange is formed of the same material as the conductive resin, the flange can be fixed to the conductive resin electrode by welding. Thereby, the flange can be easily attached to the conductive resin electrode.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the sleeve is formed on the flange and the conductive resin electrode is passed through the sleeve, the tip position of the conductive resin electrode can be stabilized.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a photosensitive material processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an internal structural diagram of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10
Is composed of a photoprinting unit 12 constituting a printer unit, a processor unit 66, and the like. The photographic printing unit 12 is loaded with a paper magazine 16 containing photographic paper 14 as a photosensitive material. This paper magazine 16
2 is provided with a drive roller 18 and a pair of nip rollers 20, 20. The photographic paper 14 stored in the paper magazine 16 is
And a pair of nip rollers 20, 20, and sent out toward the photoprinting unit 12.

On the right side of the drive roller 18 in FIG.
A cutter 22 is provided. The cutter 22 has a pair of upper and lower blades, and the printing paper 14 is inserted between the blades. In addition, the pair of blades are driven by a motor 24 in a direction toward and away from each other.
Thus, when the pair of blades are driven by the motor 24 in the direction of relatively approaching, the photographic paper 14 is cut by the pair of blades.

On the right side of the cutter 22 in FIG. 2, there is provided a support 26 having an upper surface formed along the horizontal direction. A winding roller 30 around which an endless belt 28 is wound is provided between the support base 26 and the cutter 22.
And a nip roller 32 for nipping the endless belt 28 between the roller 30 and the winding roller 30. The endless belt 28 has a large number of small holes (not shown) formed over the entire area thereof, and also has a large number of small holes (not shown) on the upper surface of the support 26 on which a part of the endless belt 28 is placed. (Not shown). The inside of the support 26 is formed in a hollow shape, and a pair of ducts 34
(Only one is shown) is connected to the fan box 36. Therefore, fan 3 of fan box 36
When the drive 8 is driven to suck the air in the support 26, the printing paper 14 is suction-held on the upper surface of the support 26 via the endless belt 28.

The endless belt 2 moving on the support 26
Above 8, an easel device 40 is provided. Above the easel device 40, a diffusion box 41 for diffusing light is installed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the diffusion box 41 is provided above a casing 10A constituting an outer frame of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10, and a CC filter 42 is provided adjacent thereto. This CC filter 42 has a movable C inserted into the optical path,
It is composed of three sets of filters M and Y. Also, C
A light source 44 is provided adjacent to the C filter 42.
Therefore, the light beam emitted from the light source 44 is diffused by the diffusion box 41 after passing through the CC filter 42. Then, the light beam is reflected by the reflection mirror 46 in the diffusion box 41 and sent immediately below. Thereby, the negative film 50 on the negative carrier 48 installed below the diffusion box 41 is irradiated with the light beam.

A support plate 54 supported by a guide rail 52 is provided in the photoprinting section 12 so as to be movable in a horizontal direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface). The support plate 54 has a prism 56 and a zoom lens 58 so as to be disposed on the optical axis 55 of the above-described light beam.
Is attached. Therefore, the light beam that has passed through the negative film 50 and has become an exposure light beam is
Zoom lens 58 whose magnification can be changed after passing through
And irradiates the photographic paper 14 located below the easel device 40. Thereby, the image of the negative film 50 is formed on the photographic paper 14 and the image is printed on the photographic paper 14.

A density measuring device 60 for measuring the density of the negative film 50 is disposed in the photographic printing unit 12. The density measuring device 60 is connected to a controller (not shown), and sets an exposure correction value at the time of printing exposure based on the measured data and data input by a key operator. Further, a black shutter 62 is provided in an optical path between the zoom lens 58 and the easel device 40, and the printing exposure time is adjusted by the black shutter 62.

The photographic paper 14 on which the image printing exposure has been completed in the photographic printing unit 12 having the above-described structure is developed, fixed, rinsed, and washed by a plurality of rollers of a roller group 64 provided at the subsequent stage of the support base 26. It is conveyed toward the processor unit 66 that performs each process of drying. The processor 66 includes:
Developing tank 68, fixing tank 70, and washing tank 7 as processing tanks
2, a developer is stored in a developing tank 68, a fixing liquid is stored in a fixing tank 70, and water is stored in a washing tank 72. Therefore, the printing paper 14 after the printing exposure has been completed.
Is subjected to a developing process by a developing solution while passing through the developing tank 68, is fixed by a fixing solution while passing through the fixing bath 70, and is washed by water while passing through the washing bath 72.

The photographic paper 14 having been subjected to the water-washing treatment is supplied to a water-washing tank 72.
The sheet is conveyed to a drying section 74 located above and dried by hot air while passing through the drying section 74. Dried photographic paper 1
The sheets 4 are discharged to the outside of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10 while being sandwiched by a plurality of roller pairs 76, and are stacked one by one on a tray (not shown). The above is the processing flow of the photographic paper 14 by the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10.

FIG. 3 shows a processing solution replenishment path for replenishing the processing baths 68 to 72 with respective processing solutions. As shown in the figure, the developer replenished in the developing tank 68 is stored in the developer replenishing tank 80 in advance. This developer replenishment tank 80
Is supplied to the developing tank 68 via a pipe 84 by driving a pump 82. The fixing solution replenished in the fixing tank 70 is stored in advance in two fixing solution replenishing tanks 86A and 86B.
The fixing solution is supplied to the pipe 9 by driving the pump 88.
0 is supplied to the fixing tank 70. Further, the washing tank 72
Is stored in a water replenishing tank 92 in advance, and the water is supplied to a washing tank 72 via a pipe 96 by driving a pump 94.

In the processing solution replenishment path, a processing solution kit 100 containing a processing solution (concentrated solution) of a developing solution and a fixing solution is stored.
Is loaded. The processing agent kit 100 is configured as a unit including one bottle 102 in which a concentrated solution of a developing solution is stored and two bottles 104 and 106 in which a concentrated solution of a fixing solution is stored. This treatment agent kit 10
0 indicates that when a message indicating the loading of a kit is displayed on the display unit 108 of FIG. 1, the lid 110 provided on the upper part of the processor unit 66 is opened and the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10 is loaded at a predetermined position. .

At the loading position of the processing agent kit 100, as shown in FIG. 3, opening devices 112, 114 and 116 for automatically opening the stoppers of the bottles 102, 104 and 106 are provided. The opening device 112 for the bottle 102 is connected to the pipe 1
18 is connected to a developer replenishing tank 80. Therefore, when the bottle 102 is opened by the opening device 112, the concentrated solution of the developer in the bottle 102 is removed by the opening device 112.
Is supplied to the developer replenishing tank 80 via a pipe 118. Further, the bottles 104 and 106 are opened by the opening devices 114 and 1.
When the bottle is opened at 16, the concentrated solution of the fixing solution in the bottles 104 and 106 flows from the opening devices 114 and 116 to the pipes 120 and 1.
The fixing solution is supplied to the fixing solution replenishing tanks 86A and 86B via the fixing solution replenishing tanks 86A and 86B, respectively.

On the other hand, a pipe 124 for supplying dilution water is connected to the developer replenishing tank 80. This pipe 124
It is connected to the tap water tap 128 via the valve 126A of the electromagnetic valve device 126. Therefore, when the valve 126A is opened, tap water is supplied to the developer replenishing tank 80 via the pipe 124. Thereby, the concentrated solution of the developer supplied to the developer replenishing tank 80 is diluted to a specified concentration.

Similarly, diluting water supply pipes 130 and 132 are connected to the fixing solution replenishing tanks 86A and 86B, respectively.
These pipes 130 and 132 are provided with an electromagnetic valve device 126.
Tap water tap 12 through valves 126B and 126C of
8 is connected. Therefore, the valves 126B, 1
When 26C is opened, tap water is supplied to fixer replenishment tanks 86A and 86B via pipes 130 and 132. Thereby, the concentrated solution of the fixing solution supplied to the fixing solution replenishing tanks 86A and 86B is diluted to a specified concentration.

Further, a water supply pipe 134 is connected to the water replenishing tank 92, and this pipe 134 is connected to the electromagnetic valve device 1.
It is connected to faucet 128 via 26 valve 126D. Therefore, when the valve 126D is opened, the tap water is supplied to the water replenishing tank 92 via the pipe 134.
Thereby, a predetermined amount of water is stored in the water replenishing tank 92. By the way, in each of the replenishment tanks 80, 86A, 86B, 92,
Liquid level detecting devices 142 and 144, which will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The liquid level detecting devices 142, 1
The liquid level detection signal from 44 is output to the control device 146,
When the liquid level detection signals are output from the liquid level detection devices 142 and 144, the control device 146 controls the opening devices 112 to
116 and each valve 126A of the electromagnetic valve device 126
The opening and closing of ~ 126D is controlled.

Next, the liquid level detecting device according to the present invention will be described by taking the developer replenishing tank 80 as an example. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the control method in the developer replenishing tank 80. Since the control method of the other replenishment tanks 86A, 86B, and 92 is the same as the control method of the developer replenishment tank 80, only the control method of the developer replenishment tank 80 will be described here. Description of the control methods of 86B and 92 will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, one end opening 140A of a tube 140 is connected to the bottom of the developer replenishing tank 80.
Reference numeral 40 denotes a lower limit liquid level detector 142 and an upper limit liquid level detector 1
Reference numerals 44 are respectively provided at the lower limit position and the upper limit position of the liquid surface, and the other end opening 140B is located near the upper portion of the developer replenishing tank 80 and is open to the atmosphere. Therefore, the liquid level in the tube 140 is equal to the liquid level in the developer replenishing tank 80,
By detecting the liquid level in the pipe 140 by the liquid level detecting devices 142 and 144, the liquid level in the developer replenishing tank 80 is indirectly detected. The developer replenishing tank 8
A floating lid 81 is previously dropped into the inside of the container 0, and the floating lid 81 prevents the liquid level in the developer replenishing tank 80 from coming into contact with air.

The liquid level detecting device 142 is provided below the pipe 140 so as to detect an L (Low) level liquid level, and the liquid level detecting device 144 detects an H (High) level liquid level. It is provided on the upper part of the pipe 140 so that
Note that the liquid level at the H level is the liquid level when the concentrated solution of the developer supplied to the developer replenishing tank 80 is diluted to a specified concentration with water.

The detection signals from the liquid level detection devices 142 and 144 are output to the control device 146. Control device 14
6 controls the opening device 112 and the valve 126A based on the detection signal. That is, when a detection signal is output from the liquid level detecting device 142, the control device 146 recognizes that the liquid level of the developer replenishing tank 80 has become L level (developer has decreased), and The plug device 112 is driven and controlled. Thereby, the tank 102 of the processing agent kit 100 shown in FIG. 3 is opened by the opening device 112, and the concentrated solution of the developing solution in the tank 102 is supplied to the developing solution replenishing tank 80 via the pipe 118. Thereby, the developer replenishing tank 8
0 is replenished with a new concentrated solution of the developer.

Next, the control device 146 controls the electromagnetic valve device 126 to open the valve 126A. As a result, tap water from the faucet 128 is supplied to the developer replenishing tank 80 via the pipe 124, and the concentrated solution of the developer is diluted with the tap water. When a detection signal is output from the liquid level detection device 144, the control device 14
6 recognizes that the liquid level in the developer replenishing tank 80 has reached the H level (the developer has been diluted to a specified concentration), and controls the electromagnetic valve device 126 to close the valve 126A. As a result, the supply of tap water is stopped, and the concentration of the developer in the developer replenishment tank 80 becomes a specified concentration. The above is the description of the control device 146.
To control the replenishment of the developer. FIG. 5 and FIG.
5A and 5B are a front view and a longitudinal sectional view of an electrode switch which is an embodiment of the liquid level sensors 142 and 144 shown in FIG.

As shown in these drawings, the electrode switch 200 mainly includes a case 210 and a conductive resin electrode 2.
30. The case 210 has an internal space 21 for accommodating the processing liquid and the conductive resin electrode 230.
2 and its internal space 212 has a liquid volume of 1
It is formed so as to be within 00 ml. This is because the storage of the processing solution is basically performed in the processing solution replenishing tank, and thus the capacity of the case 210 is desirably small. Since the processing liquid replenishment tank has a capacity of 10 liters, the increase in the volume can be neglected within 1% of 100 ml.

At the upper and lower ends of the case 210, pipe connection portions 214 and 21 for guiding the processing liquid into the case are provided.
6 are formed. In the case of the electrode switch 200 for detecting the uppermost surface of the processing liquid, the pipe connection portion 214 on the upper end may be a simple air vent. A tapered or inclined surface 218 is formed on the upper surface in the case 210 so that air lock does not occur when the liquid level rises, while a tapered or inclined surface 220 is formed on the lower surface in the case 210. Is formed, and when the liquid level drops, liquid pooling is not possible. Further, the case 210
A gap 222 between the inner wall of the case 210 and the conductive resin electrode 230 housed in the case 210 is 1.5 mm or more. This is because if the gap 222 between the inner wall of the case and the conductive resin electrode 230 is within 1.5 mm, a liquid pool may be formed in the gap 222 and the liquid level may be erroneously detected.

The case 210 is desirably made of a thermoplastic resin in terms of manufacturing cost and freedom of shape. As the material, vinyl chloride, ABS, polyolefin and the like, which are both excellent in chemical resistance and adhesiveness, are preferable. Polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. have good chemical resistance,
Poor adhesion and difficult to use. In addition, the case 210 can be made entirely or partially transparent or translucent so that the liquid surface can be seen. Further, as described later, the electrode switch 2
Case 21 so that the liquid level at which 00 operates can be confirmed.
It is preferable to provide a liquid level indicator 224 at 0. The liquid level indicator 224 is placed on the surface of the case 210 at 0.1 mm.
It can be easily provided by providing a step of about 2 mm.

FIG. 7 is an external view of the conductive resin electrode 230 provided in the case 210, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the front end portion A of the conductive resin electrode 230. As shown in these drawings, a processed coaxial cable 232 is used as the conductive resin electrode 230. this is,
This is because a cable having a circular cross section is more excellent in handling. The conductive resin electrode 230 is connected to the first electrode 234 and the second electrode 236 on the coaxial cable 232.
Are exposed, and these are coated with a conductive resin 238.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the coaxial cable 232 covers the core 232A, the insulator 232B covering the core 232A, the metal net-shaped shield wire 232C covering the insulator 232B, and the shield wire 232C. And the insulator 232D.
The core wire 232A at the tip of the T.32 is exposed to be used as a first electrode 234, and the shield wire 232C is exposed at a position separated from the first electrode 234 by a predetermined distance, and this is connected to a second electrode 234.
Electrode 236. The entire coaxial cable 232 including the first electrode 234 and the second electrode 236 is coated with a conductive resin 238.

As the conductive resin 238, any material may be used as long as it is a material used for electric wires. As a material for protecting the electrodes from the processing solution of the photosensitive material, Teflon (polyethylene fluoride) containing carbon is used. Fibers) are preferred. Note that the conductive resin 238 has a thickness of about 0.2 mm and has an appropriate electric resistance between the first electrode 234 and the second electrode 236.

A flange 240 for holding the case 210 is attached to the coaxial cable 232 processed as described above (see FIG. 7). The flange 240 is made of the same material as the conductive resin 238 so that it can be thermally welded.
A is fixed to the coaxial cable 232 by welding.

The thinner coaxial cable 232 is cheaper and has better maneuverability, but in this case, the position of the tip becomes unstable. Therefore, it is preferable that the sleeve 240B below the flange 240 be extended to the vicinity of the second electrode 236 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Further, a metal flange may be used instead of the flange 240 made of the same material as the conductive resin 238. In this case, the metal flange is fixed to the coaxial cable 232 by caulking.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
2, the insulator 232B covering the core wire and the shield wire 232C are separated, and the core wire and the shield wire 23 are separated.
2C are connected to pins in the connector 242, respectively. The conductive resin electrode 230 thus configured
Is fixed to the case 210 using the flange 240 as shown in FIG.

Next, a method for detecting the liquid level by the electrode switch 200 having the above configuration will be described. Conductive resin electrode 23
The 0 connector 242 is connected to a detection circuit (not shown). At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the core wire 232A is connected to ground, and the shield line 232C is connected to a reference power supply for liquid level detection. Now, when the liquid level of the processing liquid in the case 210 is equal to or lower than the first electrode 234, the electric resistance between the first electrode 234 and the second electrode 236 becomes the conductive resin 238 between the electrodes. And a relatively large electric resistance, so that only a small current flows between the electrodes.

After that, when the liquid level of the processing liquid rises and becomes higher than the first electrode 234, the processing liquid of the photosensitive material has relatively good conductivity, so that the current is reduced to the first electrode. 2
It flows mainly through the processing solution without passing through the portion of the conductive resin 238 between the electrode 34 and the second electrode 236 that is immersed in the processing solution. That is, when the level of the processing liquid gradually rises, the electric resistance between the first electrode 234 and the second electrode 236 gradually decreases, and the current flowing between the electrodes gradually increases. Then, when the liquid level of the processing liquid reaches the second electrode 236, the electric resistance between the first electrode 234 and the second electrode 236 becomes minimum, and the current flowing between the electrodes becomes maximum.

Therefore, the first electrode 234 is detected by the detection circuit.
The current flowing between the second electrode 236 and the second electrode 236 can be detected, and the level of the processing liquid can be detected based on the magnitude of the current. In the detection circuit, when the liquid level of the processing liquid gradually decreases and reaches the liquid level L1 shown in FIG. 5 (when a current value corresponding to the liquid level L1 is detected), the liquid level of the processing liquid is reduced. A liquid level detection signal (L level signal) indicating that the processing liquid has dropped to a predetermined level is output. On the other hand, when the liquid level of the processing liquid gradually rises and reaches the liquid level L2 shown in FIG. When a current value corresponding to the surface level L2 is detected), a liquid level detection signal (H level signal) indicating that the liquid level has risen to a predetermined level is output. That is, the liquid level detection signal has a hysteresis, and the liquid level differs between when switching from H level to L level and when switching from L level to H level.

The reason why the core 232A is connected to the ground as shown in FIG. 8 is that the processing liquid is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater and grounded for safety. Treatment liquid and first electrode 23
4 is set to the same potential. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG.
Although the front end of the conductive resin electrode 230 faces vertically downward, the present invention is not limited to this, and the front end of the conductive resin electrode 230 may be disposed vertically upward. However, in this case, the shield wire side is connected to the ground. That is, the lower electrode is always connected to the ground, regardless of the direction of the tip of the conductive resin electrode 230. The electrode switch 200 according to the second embodiment of the liquid level sensor is configured by attaching the conductive resin electrode 230 to the case 210, but is not limited thereto. You may make it attach to a replenishment tank and a processing tank.

It should be noted that the electrode switch has the advantage of being smaller in size than the float switch because it has no movable parts. Since the electrode switch may not be able to detect a liquid having low conductivity such as ion-exchanged water, it is preferable to use the electrode switch in consideration of the conductivity of the liquid.

[0047]

As described above, according to the liquid level detecting apparatus of the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention, the electrodes are coated with the conductive resin for protecting the electrodes from the processing solution of the photosensitive material. The electrode can be protected from the liquid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural view of the photosensitive material processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a piping diagram of the photosensitive material processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an example in which the liquid level detecting device of the present embodiment is attached to a developer replenishing tank.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an electrode switch.

6 is a vertical sectional view of the electrode switch shown in FIG.

7 is an enlarged view showing a conductive resin electrode of the electrode switch shown in FIG.

8 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion A of a conductive resin electrode of the electrode switch of FIG. 7;

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Photosensitive material processing apparatus 12 ... Photo printing section 66 ... Processor section 68 ... Development tank 70 ... Fixing tank 72 ... Washing tank 80 ... Development replenishment tank 100 ... Processing agent kit 200 ... Electrode switch

Claims (7)

[Claims] An electrode is formed by exposing a part of a metal portion of an insulated wire material, and the wire material including the electrode is coated with a conductive resin for protecting the electrode from a processing solution of a photosensitive material. A photosensitive material comprising a conductive resin electrode, immersing the conductive resin electrode in a processing liquid for a photosensitive material, and detecting a liquid level of the processing liquid based on a current flowing through the conductive resin electrode. Liquid level detection device for processing equipment. 2. The electric wire according to claim 1, wherein said electric wire is a coaxial cable.
Liquid level detecting device for photosensitive material processing equipment. 3. A first electrode by exposing a core wire at a tip end of the coaxial cable, and exposing a shield wire of the coaxial cable at a predetermined distance from the first electrode to form a second electrode. 3. A liquid level detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said core wire is connected to ground. 4. A first electrode by exposing a core wire at a tip of the coaxial cable, and a second electrode by exposing a shield wire of the coaxial cable at a predetermined distance from the first electrode. 3. A liquid level detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a vertically lower electrode of said first electrode and said second electrode is connected to ground. 5. A metal flange for holding said conductive resin electrode is fixed to said conductive resin electrode by caulking, and said conductive resin electrode is attached to a photosensitive material processing apparatus using said flange. 5. The liquid level detecting device for a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 6. A flange for holding said conductive resin electrode is formed of the same material as said conductive resin, said flange is fixed to said conductive resin electrode by welding, and said conductive resin electrode is used for said conductive resin electrode. 5. The liquid level detecting device for a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductive resin electrode is attached to the photosensitive material processing apparatus. 7. The conductive resin electrode includes a sleeve extending at least a predetermined length toward a tip of the conductive resin electrode, and passing the conductive resin electrode through the sleeve. 7. The liquid level detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the tip position is stabilized.