JP2001033929A - Coating applicator and developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a developing device which is excellent in transportability of a photosensitive material and prevents the flawing of the photosensitive material during the course of transportation. SOLUTION: A squeezing roller 28 for squeezing excess water W sticking to a film F is arranged in the coating applicator. The roller comprises a phenol roller 28A and a closed cell foamed sponge roller 28B. The phenol roller 28A holds the emulsion surface side of the film F. A peeling pawl 104 is arranged on the phenol roller 28A side to peel the film F stuck thereto from the phenol roller 28A, by which the passability of the film F may be assured and a jam may be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a developing apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a photosensitive material on which an image has been exposed, and performing a heat development process using a heating drum and a processing member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a developing device, water as a processing liquid for image formation is applied to a photosensitive material by a coating device, superimposed on a processing member containing a chemical for forming an image, wound around a heating drum and heated for a predetermined time. In some cases, after processing, the photosensitive material and the processing member are peeled off to visualize the image of the photosensitive material.

Incidentally, a squeeze roller for squeezing out excess water adhering to the photosensitive material is arranged in the coating apparatus. However, since the emulsion surface of the photographic material is gelatinous, when it contains water, its viscous force increases, and it may stick or wrap around the squeeze roller. For this reason,
A jam occurs and stable transportability cannot be ensured.

A guide plate is usually provided between the upstream transport roller and the downstream transport roller.
Since the photosensitive material may be rubbed by friction with the guide plate, it is necessary to take some measures.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object to provide a coating apparatus and a developing apparatus which are excellent in the transportability of a photosensitive material and prevent the photosensitive material from being damaged during transportation. I do.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a photosensitive material on which an image has been exposed. The coating apparatus is provided with a squeeze roller for squeezing excess processing liquid attached to the photosensitive material, and a peeling member for peeling the photosensitive material squeezed by the squeeze roller from the squeeze roller.

Thus, even if the leading end of the photosensitive material is curled and wrapped around the squeeze roller, or the emulsion surface of the photosensitive material adheres to the squeeze roller, the leading end of the photosensitive material is peeled off by the peeling member. Thus, the passage of the photosensitive material can be ensured, and jam can be prevented.

In the invention according to the second aspect, the peeling member retracting means retracts the peeling member from the squeeze roller after the leading end of the photosensitive material has passed through the peeling member. For this reason, unnecessary load is not applied to the squeeze roller, and wear of the peeling member and the squeeze roller can be prevented.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the squeeze roller is composed of a pair of a high hardness roller and a low hardness roller, the high hardness roller being on the emulsion side of the photosensitive material, and the low hardness roller being a substrate of the photosensitive material. And the peeling member is disposed on the high-hardness roller side.

In this configuration, when the emulsion surface of the photosensitive material is in contact with the high-hardness roller, the photosensitive material is easily peeled off by the peeling member when the photosensitive material is stuck.

The high-hardness roller means a roller which is harder than the peeling member, and the low-hardness roller means that when the photosensitive material is sandwiched between the high-hardness roller and the photosensitive material, it is deformed to a thickness greater than the thickness of the photosensitive material. And a roller capable of guaranteeing squeezing performance when the photosensitive material is nipped and conveyed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, an invitation guide for guiding the photosensitive material to the downstream conveying path is provided on the low hardness roller side, thereby ensuring the passage of the photosensitive material.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the high hardness roller is a roller having a low contact angle. As a result, the wettability of the high hardness roller is ensured (it does not become a polka dot), and the photosensitive material does not carry the processing liquid accumulated on the nip surface when the rear end of the photosensitive material separates.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the low-hardness roller is an independent foamed sponge roller.

With this independent foaming sponge roller, the processing liquid adhering to the substrate side (back surface side) of the photosensitive material can be evenly dispersed without unevenness, so that when dried, the processing liquid is free from unevenness and becomes white. Absent. In addition, the independent foaming sponge roller is less likely to be clogged with dust after squeezing than the continuous foaming sponge roller.

According to the present invention, a guide member having a small contact area per unit area with the photosensitive material is disposed in the photosensitive material conveying path. Therefore, contact with the emulsion surface of the photosensitive material can be avoided as much as possible. Also, by reducing the contact area per unit area, the emulsion surface does not stick to the guide member.

According to the present invention, the guide member retreating means retreats the guide member from the transport path after the leading end of the photosensitive material has passed through the guide member. For this reason, contact of the photosensitive material during transportation is prevented.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the guide member is arranged along the conveying path and has a plurality of rollers which are in line contact with the photosensitive material, and the stopper plate which is disposed between the rollers to prevent the photosensitive material from sneaking in. And is composed of

By making the guide member a roller, the contact area with the photosensitive material can be reduced, and by rotating, the transportability can be ensured. Further, by providing the stopper plate, the leading end of the photosensitive material can be prevented from sneaking between the rollers, and no jam occurs.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the guide member is a guide plate having a plurality of protrusions formed on a surface thereof.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the guide member is a guide plate having a serrated surface.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the guide member guides portions other than the image area of the photosensitive material.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a casing 12 of a developing device 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with a cartridge loading section 14 into which a cartridge 16 containing an exposed film is loaded. Have been. The cartridge loading section 14 is provided with a light blocking door 18.
It is closed while the cartridge 16 is being loaded, and shields the interior of the cartridge loading section 14 from light.

The film F is unwound from the cartridge 16 loaded in the cartridge loading section 14 and sent to the coating device 22 by the transport roller 20. In addition, a cutter 24 is provided on the upstream side of the transport roller 20.
The rear end of the film F is cut and separated from the cartridge 16.

The coating device 22 includes a dish-shaped coating tank 26 having a curved bottom surface along the transport path of the film F. On the upstream side of the coating tank 26, a pair of supply rollers 2
7, a squeeze roller 28 is provided on the downstream side. The squeeze roller 28 sends the film F to the coating tank 26, and squeezes out excess water from the film F to which the water W has been applied.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the squeeze roller 28 is a phenol roller 28A as a high hardness roller.
And a low-hardness roller formed of an independent foamed sponge roller 28B having a hardness of about 20 degrees, and a predetermined nip pressure is applied to the shaft portion.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the independent foamed sponge roller 28B is elastically deformed and narrows down without leaving a gap between the edge portion of the film F and the outside air, so that the squeezing performance is guaranteed.

The phenol roller 28A sandwiches the emulsion side of the film F, the independent foam sponge roller 28B sandwiches the substrate side (back side) of the film F, and the outer peripheral surface of the phenol roller 28A Peeling nail 104
Are in contact with each other. In this way, by bringing the phenol roller 28A having high hardness into contact with the emulsion surface side, when the film F is stuck, the film is easily peeled off by the peeling claw 104.

Further, the independent foamed sponge roller 28B
Can uniformly disperse the treatment liquid attached to the substrate side of the film F without unevenness, so that when dried, there is no unevenness and no whitening occurs. In addition, the independent foaming sponge roller is less likely to be clogged with dust after squeezing than the continuous foaming sponge roller.

Further, since the phenol roller 28A has a low contact angle (good wettability) and a uniform water film and does not form a polka dot, the phenol roller 28A and the independent sponge roller 28B The film F does not carry the water accumulated on the nip surface.

On the other hand, the base of the peeling claw 104 is rotatably supported by a pin 106. Further, a tension spring 108 is connected to an intermediate portion of the peeling claw 104, and the claw 104
A is urged toward the phenol roller 28A.

Further, the peeling claw 104 has a solenoid 1
Ten plunger portions 112 are connected. When the solenoid 110 is excited and the plunger 112 is retracted, the peeling claw 10 is
The fourth claw 104A can be separated from the phenol roller 28A.

An invitation guide 114 for guiding the film F to the downstream transport path is provided on the independent foamed sponge roller 28B side, so that the film F can pass therethrough. A pass sensor 116 that detects the leading end of the film F is disposed on the invitation guide 114.

The passage sensor 116 is connected to the controller 34
When the passage sensor 116 detects the leading end of the film F, the solenoid 110 is excited by the controller 34 and the claw 104A is connected to the phenol roller 28.
Leave A. As a result, unnecessary load is not applied to the squeeze roller 28, and wear of the claw 104A and the phenol roller 28A can be prevented.

On the other hand, above the application tank 26, a heat exchanger block 30 having a kamaboko shape is supported. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heat exchange block 30 is manufactured by pressing an aluminum material to reduce the manufacturing cost. Further, the heat exchange block 30 is lightened except for the side wall 30B so that the outer peripheral wall 30A immersed in the water W stored in the coating tank 26 becomes thin. An arc-shaped gap between the outer peripheral wall 30A of the heat exchange block 30 and the bottom surface 26A of the coating tank 26 (in this embodiment, the interval is set to 2 mm) is a passage portion of the film F.

On the back side of the outer peripheral wall 30A of the heat exchange block 30, a curved heater 32 is mounted. The surface heater 32 has a power supply unit 36 connected to a controller 34.
Is applied to heat the heat exchange block 30.

As described above, the outer peripheral wall 30 immersed in the water W
By making A thin, the heat capacity of the heat exchange block 30 can be reduced. For this reason, the temperature of the heat exchange block 30 rises quickly, and the temperature of the water W can be raised in a short time. Also, a surface heater 32 is mounted on the back side of the outer peripheral wall 30A,
By reducing the distance between 2 and water W, heat transfer efficiency is improved, and power consumption can be reduced.

Further, a drain pipe 38 is connected to the bottom surface 26 of the coating tank 26. The drain valve 38 has a solenoid valve 4
0 is arranged. The electromagnetic valve 40 is normally open (during standby of the developing device), and the coating tank 26
The water W inside is discharged to a drain tank 42 through a drain pipe 38. Therefore, no scale is generated in the application tank 26, and propagation of bacteria can be prevented. Thereby, the image quality of the film F to be subjected to the heat development can be guaranteed. The water squeezed by the squeeze roller 28 is also sent to the drainage tank 42 via a tray (not shown).

A replenishing tank 44 is disposed below the application tank 26. The replenishment tank 44 is filled with water, and a pump 46 and a filter 4
8 from the water supply pipe 50 provided with the water 8 to the application tank 26.
Is supplied.

The pump 46 is connected to the controller 34, and controls the discharge amount and the discharge timing. Further, a water level sensor 52 for detecting the water level of the application tank 26 and a temperature sensor 54 for detecting the temperature of the water W in the application tank 26 are connected to the controller 34. Based on the detection results from the temperature sensor 54 and the water level sensor 52,
The pump 46 is driven to maintain the set water level, and the voltage applied from the power supply unit 36 to the surface heater 32 is controlled to control the water W
Is adjusted to the set temperature (about 40 ° C.).

For this reason, it is not necessary to provide an overflow tank in the coating tank 26 to control the water level, and it is not necessary to control the temperature of water unnecessary for coating. As a result, the amount of water stored in the application tank 26 is reduced, so that the temperature of the water can be adjusted in a short time. In addition, by directly detecting the temperature of water, accurate temperature management can be performed.

The treatment liquid applied to the film includes:
A mixture of low-boiling solvents such as methanol, DMF, acetone, and diisobutyl ketone may be used, or a solution in which an image formation accelerator, an antifogging agent, and the like are allowed to flow out may be used.

On the other hand, the heating drum 62 and the squeeze roller 2
Between 8, the transport guide 118 is arranged on the emulsion side of the film F.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG.
18 includes a support block 120 in which the leg plate 122 rises from both ends of the base 124. On the leg plate 122,
A plurality of shaft holes 126 are formed in the transport direction of the film F, and a shaft portion of a roller 128 is rotatably attached to the shaft hole 126. The tangential surfaces of the plurality of rollers 128 serve as the transport path surface of the film F.

As described above, by guiding the emulsion surface of the film F with the roller 128, the contact area per unit area is reduced, and the contact with the emulsion surface can be avoided as much as possible. Nor. In addition, roller 12
The rotation of the film 8 can ensure the transportability of the film F.

Further, a stopper plate 130 is mounted on the leg plate 122. The stopper plate 130 has a long window 132 that exposes the outer peripheral portion of the roller 128. This long window 132
Rollers 128 enter the film F to guide the film F, and a portion corresponding to the frame of the long window 132 eliminates the gap between the rollers 128 to prevent the leading end of the film F from sneaking in.

Further, the engaging portion 13 is provided on the bottom surface of the base 124.
4 is formed, and the solenoid 1 is
36 plungers 138 are engaged. When the solenoid 136 is excited, the support block 120 rises and forms a transport path of the film F. When the solenoid 136 is not excited, the support block 120 descends and retreats from the transport path of the film F.

The timing at which the support block 120 is lowered is when the leading end of the film F is held by a first bonding roller 74 described later. By retracting the conveyance guide 118 in this manner, contact with the emulsion surface of the film F can be minimized.

As described above, the film F guided by the transport guide 118 is sent to the heat development processing section 56, where the first processing sheet 58 and the second processing sheet 6 containing the chemicals are contained.
0 is sequentially superimposed, wound around a heating drum 62, and subjected to thermal development processing.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heating drum 62 has an aluminum ring 64 having a predetermined plate width.
A surface heater 66 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the ring body 64 and is directly heated. The power supply unit 6 of the surface heater 66
Reference numeral 8 protrudes in the radial direction of the ring body 64. And
Slip ring 72 arranged coaxially with ring body 64
Is electrically connected to In the slip ring 72,
A voltage is applied from a power supply unit 70 connected to the controller 34. Thus, the ring body 64 that rotates in accordance with the transport speed of the film F can be heated.

Further, since the ring body 64 is not hermetically sealed at both ends in the axial direction unlike the conventional heating drum, the heat capacity of the heating drum 62 can be reduced. Therefore, the time for raising the temperature of the ring body 64 can be shortened. Since the inner peripheral surface of the ring body 64 around which the film F is wound is directly heated by the surface heater 66, the heat transfer efficiency is good and the temperature can be raised to the set temperature in a short time.

On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the ring body 64 is rotatably supported at four points of a first bonding roller 74, a first peeling roller 78, a second bonding roller 76, and a second peeling roller 80. The first processing sheet 58 wound in a roll shape around the first supply reel 82 is wound around the first bonding roller 74. The first processing sheet 58 is a ring body 6
4, is wound around the first peeling roller 78, and then wound around the first take-up reel 84.

The second bonding roller 76 has the second
The second processing sheet 6 wound in a roll around the supply reel 86
0 is involved. The second processing sheet 60 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the ring body 64, wound around the second peeling roller 80, and then wound around a second winding reel 88.

In such a configuration, the ring body 64
Are a first laminating roller 74, a first peeling roller 78, a second laminating roller 76,
The first processing sheet 58 and the second processing sheet 60 are rotated at the same peripheral speed as the feed speed of the first processing sheet 58 and the second processing sheet 60 by the second peeling roller 80.

As a result, the film F is first bonded to the first processing sheet 58 by the first bonding roller 74, heated and pressed for a predetermined time while moving with the ring body 64, and then the second bonding is performed. The sheet is adhered to the second processing sheet 60 by the roller 76, heated and pressed for a predetermined time while moving together with the ring body 64, and peeled off from the second processing sheet 60 by the second peeling roller to visualize the latent image.

In this configuration, the ring body 64 is connected to the first
The laminating roller 74, the first peeling roller 78, the second laminating roller 76, and the second peeling roller 80 are rotatably supported at four points. However, when importance is attached to maintenance, the ring body 64 is supported at three points. A driving roller may be separately provided to rotate the ring body 64.

The film F peeled off from the heating drum 62 is sent to the image reading section 92 by the conveying roller 90. A light source 94 is disposed in the image reading unit 92,
Used as illumination during image reading.

Above the light source 94, a reading unit 96 provided with a lens and a CCD sensor is provided with the film F therebetween. Then, the image information of the film F is transmitted as digital image information to an image exposure unit of a printing unit (not shown). The film F from which the image was read
Is discharged outside through the discharge port 98 shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the squeeze section of the developing device according to the present embodiment will be described.

Even if the film F having a strongly curled tip or the film F having a large adhesive strength is wound around the phenol roller 28A, the film F can be mechanically peeled off by the claw 104A of the peeling claw 104. Nature can be secured.

After the leading end of the film F has passed,
By exciting the solenoid 110 to separate the claw 104A from the phenol roller 28A, unnecessary load is not applied to the squeeze roller 28. The mechanism for retracting the peeling claw 104 is not limited to the solenoid, and may be rotated by a cam or may be moved in parallel.

Further, by guiding the film F to the heating drum 64 by the transport guide 118 composed of the rollers 128, the contact area per unit area is reduced, and contact with the emulsion surface can be avoided as much as possible. Also,
After the leading end of the film F is nipped by the first bonding roller 74, the transport guide 118 is retracted, so that contact with the emulsion surface of the film F can be minimized.

Next, a conveyance guide according to another embodiment will be described.

The surface of the guide plate 140 shown in FIG.
A saw tooth 140A having an upward slope in the transport direction of the film F is formed, and a projection 142A formed by embossing is formed on the surface of the guide plate 142 shown in FIG.

As described above, even if the total area is large, by reducing the contact area per point, the emulsion surface of the film F does not stick and the emulsion surface is not damaged. Although FIG. 11 originally has very fine projections, the projections are assumed to be large for explanation.

The guide plates 144 shown in FIG. 12 are arranged at both ends of the support plate 146 in parallel along the transport path.
Guides other than the image area of the film F are provided. For this reason, there is no possibility of touching the emulsion surface, so that the passage property is guaranteed.

In the present embodiment, a normal 135 film (patrone type) has been described as an example. However, an intermediate cartridge or the like may be provided as a developing device capable of supporting an APS film capable of recording magnetic information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the squeeze roller is constituted by the independent foamed sponge roller and the phenol roller, but the material is not limited as long as there is a difference in hardness and the squeeze function can be exhibited.

[0069]

According to the present invention, the photosensitive material is conveyed excellently and the photosensitive material can be prevented from being damaged during transportation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a developing device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a developing device according to the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a heat exchange block of the developing device according to the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a heating drum of the developing device according to the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a squeeze portion of the developing device according to the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a squeeze portion of the developing device according to the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a squeezing roller squeezing mode.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a transport guide of the developing device according to the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a transport guide of the developing device according to the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a guide plate of a developing device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a guide plate of a developing device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a guide plate of a developing device according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 28 Squeeze roller 28A Phenol roller 28B Independent foaming sponge roller 28B 104 Peeling claw (peeling member) 110 Solenoid (guide member retreating means) 114 Invitation guide 118 Transport guide (guide member) 128 Roller 130 Stop plate 136 Solenoid (guide member retreating means) 140 Guide plate 140A Saw tooth 142 Guide plate 142A Projection 144 Guide plate

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A squeezing roller for applying a processing liquid to a photosensitive material on which an image has been exposed, the squeezing roller being disposed in the coating apparatus and squeezing excess processing liquid attached to the photosensitive material. A coating member provided with a peeling member for peeling the photosensitive material squeezed by the roller from the squeeze roller. 2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a peeling member retracting unit that retracts the peeling member from a squeeze roller after the leading end of the photosensitive material passes through the peeling member. 3. The squeeze roller comprises a pair of a high-hardness roller and a low-hardness roller, wherein the high-hardness roller is on the emulsion side of the photosensitive material, and the low-hardness roller is on the base material side of the photosensitive material. 3. The holding member, wherein the peeling member is disposed on the high-hardness roller side. 4.
3. The coating device according to claim 1. 4. The coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a guide for guiding the photosensitive material to a downstream conveying path is provided on the low hardness roller side. 5. The coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the high-hardness roller is a roller having a low contact angle. 6. The coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the low-hardness roller is an independent foaming sponge roller. 7. A developing device provided with an application device for applying a processing liquid to a photosensitive material on which an image has been exposed, wherein a guide member having a small contact area per unit area with the photosensitive material in a conveying path of the photosensitive material. A developing device, wherein: 8. The developing device according to claim 7, further comprising a guide member retreating unit that retreats the guide member from the conveyance path after the leading end of the photosensitive material passes through the guide member. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member includes a plurality of rollers arranged along a conveyance path and in linear contact with the photosensitive material, and a stopper plate disposed between the rollers to prevent the photosensitive material from sneaking in. The developing device according to claim 7, wherein the developing device is configured. 10. The guide member according to claim 7, wherein the guide member is a guide plate having a plurality of protrusions formed on a surface thereof.
Or the developing device according to claim 8. 11. The developing device according to claim 7, wherein the guide member is a guide plate having a serrated surface. 12. The developing device according to claim 7, wherein the guide member guides an area other than an image area of the photosensitive material.