JP2001154334A - Method and device for controlling drying ability - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the drying time of a photosensitive material by providing a system capable of rapidly and drastically increasing or decreasing the drying ability. SOLUTION: In the method for controlling the drying ability of a photographic processing device for having a drying section for drying the photosensitive material by blowing hot air thereto after the photosensitive material is processed with a liquid chemical, the quantity of the hot air to be blown to the photosensitive material to be dried is increased or decreased, by which the drying ability is increased or decreased.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling a drying function of a photosensitive material provided in a photographic processing apparatus, and more particularly to a method for controlling an increase or decrease of a drying processing capability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Photosensitive materials such as films and photographic paper require a drying treatment after a development treatment with a chemical solution. However, since there are many types of photosensitive materials, it is necessary to increase or decrease the drying processing capacity. For example, in a photographic processing apparatus configured to print an image on photographic paper, develop using a chemical solution, and then perform a drying process, if the type of photographic paper to be handled, for example, the size is changed, the drying process is performed. The ability also needs to be changed. In particular, in a photographic processing apparatus having a transport mechanism using rollers, it is possible to frequently change the size of photographic paper. Conventionally, the drying processing capacity is generally increased or decreased by changing the set temperature of the drying chamber.

[0003]

Therefore, for example, when processing a large-size photographic paper after processing a small-size photographic paper, the area of the photographic paper to be dried is reduced. In order to grow, the temperature of the drying room must be raised rapidly. Conversely, when processing small-size photographic paper after processing large-size photographic paper, the temperature of the drying chamber must be rapidly lowered. However, in any case, it takes some time for the temperature of the drying chamber to reach the predetermined temperature as a whole. In addition, since the drying properties differ depending on the type of photographic paper, for example, the difference in the maker, etc., the conventional method of responding by increasing or decreasing the drying temperature requires fine temperature control, or the temperature reaches the target temperature. There is a problem that a time lag occurs until. Such a problem of the drying process is the same not only for the photographic paper but also for the photographic film. That is, the type of photographic film,
For example, size (135 film, 240 film, 2B
The same problem as in the case of photographic paper occurs when the drying temperature is changed depending on the film or the 110 film.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes a method capable of rapidly increasing or decreasing the drying processing capacity in a short time, and has been made to reduce the time required for the drying processing of a photosensitive material.

[0005]

According to claim 1 of the present invention,
After processing a photosensitive material with a chemical solution, in a drying processing capacity control method in a photographic processing apparatus having a drying processing unit that blows the photosensitive material with hot air to perform a drying process, the amount of hot air blown to the photosensitive material to be dried is increased or decreased. By,
The drying capacity was increased or decreased. In claim 2,
The increase / decrease in the amount of hot air is controlled under an air flow condition preset according to the type of the photosensitive material to be dried. The type of photosensitive material affects the drying time, such as the size (including area) of the photosensitive material, the manufacturer of the photosensitive material, the brand (product name) of the photosensitive material, and the quality of the surface of the photosensitive material. Information. According to the third aspect, the preset air volume condition is changed according to the type of the photosensitive material to be dried. According to the fourth aspect, the preset air volume condition is selected from a plurality of patterns of operating conditions according to the type of photosensitive material to be dried.

In the present invention, the air volume is increased immediately after the photosensitive material to be dried is changed, and then reduced. In the sixth aspect, changing the transport speed of the photosensitive material in accordance with the change of the photosensitive material to be dried in the drying chamber is also used. In claim 7, the control of the heat value of the drying heat source and the control of the air flow are controlled in association with each other. In the drying processing capacity control device according to the present invention, in the drying processing control device of the photographic processing device including a fan that blows warm air into the drying chamber and a motor that drives the fan to rotate, a preset setting is made for each photosensitive material to be dried. Storage means for storing the set airflow conditions, output means for reading and outputting the corresponding airflow conditions from the storage means when the photosensitive material to be dried is changed, and a motor based on the output airflow conditions. Means for controlling the number of revolutions of the motor.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a drying processing capacity control method according to the present invention will be described below by taking a photographic processing apparatus as an example.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an entire image printing apparatus as an example of a photographic processing apparatus, 2 is a paper magazine for supplying photographic paper as a photosensitive material, and 3 is an image processing apparatus for processing digital image data obtained. An image processing section for creating image information to be printed and exposing the photographic paper as a photosensitive material by an exposure head (not shown), a developing processing section for developing the exposed photographic paper, and a developing processing section 5 for developing the exposed photographic paper. And a drying section for drying the photographic paper. Reference numeral 61 denotes a printing condition calculation unit that calculates appropriate printing conditions based on the acquired digital image data and photographic paper to be printed, and 62 denotes an image printing apparatus 1 based on the printing conditions calculated by the printing condition calculation unit 61. Is a main control unit for controlling the entirety of the printing paper, 63 is a drying air flow condition calculating unit for calculating and determining an appropriate air flow according to the type of photographic paper indicated in the printing conditions, and 64 is a drying air flow condition calculating unit for each type of photographic paper to be dried Is a setting condition storage unit in which a preset air volume condition is stored.

Reference numeral 65 denotes a monitor for displaying image information, and 66 denotes a keyboard for inputting and changing image processing conditions, air volume conditions, and the like.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a drying chamber provided in the drying section 5, reference numeral 11 denotes a conveying roller for conveying the photographic paper P in the drying chamber, reference numeral 12 denotes a motor for driving the conveying roller 11 to rotate, and reference numeral 13 denotes a rotation of the motor 12. A motor control unit for controlling the number of heaters, 14 a heater as a drying heat source for heating the air in the drying chamber, 15 a heater control unit for proportionally controlling the heater 14, and 16 drying the hot air heated by the heater 14. A fan for circulating in the room, 17 is a fan control unit for controlling the number of rotations of the fan 16, and 18 is a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the air in the drying room. The motor 12 is a variable speed motor, and the rotation speed is controlled based on a command from the motor control 13. The fan 16 includes a variable speed motor, and the air volume is controlled based on a command from the fan control unit 17. The fan 16 may be a fan having various types of motors as long as the number of rotations can be controlled from the outside. For example, a servo motor, a DC brushless motor, a stepping motor,... Further, as the type of the fan, various types of fans such as a sirocco fan, a cross flow fan, a turbo fan, and an axial flow fan can be adopted. In the above, the photographic processing device 1 includes a configuration corresponding to the drying processing capability control device in claim 8, the main control unit 62 corresponds to an output unit, the setting condition storage unit 64 corresponds to a storage unit, and the fan control unit. Reference numeral 17 denotes a configuration corresponding to the rotation speed control means. The rotation signal of the fan 16 detected by the rotation detection sensor 16 </ b> A is input to the fan control unit 17.

Next, as an example of the air volume condition for each type of photographic paper stored in the setting condition storage section 64, an example of the air volume condition for each size will be described. For example, the maximum rotation speed is 3500rpm
In the case of a fan, the air volume condition for drying 305 x 457 mm sized photographic paper is 3200 rpm + α, and the air volume condition for drying 89 x 127 mm sized photographic paper is 2800 rp.
An experiment or the like is performed in advance, such as m + α,. The value of α is a correction value determined for each different size. Not limited to the air volume condition in such a data table format, it may be expressed by a relational expression between size and air volume. Further, not only the air volume condition according to the size but also the air volume condition according to the type of photographic paper manufacturer, brand, surface quality and the like may be stored. Then, it is preferable to read the air volume condition according to the type of photographic paper to be processed and control the fan.

In the above configuration, when the print condition calculation section 61 transfers the fact that the size of the photographic paper is 89 × 127 mm to the main control section 62, the main control section 62 is stored in the setting condition storage section 64. The current air volume condition,
For example, the fan rotation speed suitable for 89 x 127 mm size is
It is determined that it is 2800 rpm + α, and is transferred to the dry air volume condition calculation unit 63. The dry air volume condition calculation unit 63 calculates and determines the correction value α, and transfers the rotation speed control data corresponding to 2800 rpm + α to the fan control unit 17 via the main control unit 4. The fan control unit 17 controls the number of rotations of the fan to achieve the specified number of rotations. In this way, by setting the rotation speed of the fan to an appropriate value, it is possible to obtain an appropriate drying processing capacity for a photographic paper having a small area.

Next, when data indicating that the size of the photographic paper has been switched to 305.times.457 mm is transferred from the print condition calculating section 61 to the main control section 62, the main control section 62 sets the setting condition storage section 64. Is read, and it is determined that the rotation speed of the fan suitable for the size of 305 × 457 mm is 3200 rpm + α, and is transferred to the dry air volume condition calculation unit 63. The dry air volume condition calculation unit 63 calculates and determines the correction value α, and transfers the rotation speed control data (corresponding to 3200 rpm + α) to the fan control unit 17 via the main control unit 62. The fan control unit 17 controls the fan so that the number of rotations becomes the designated number of revolutions. In this way, by increasing the number of revolutions of the fan, it is possible to obtain an appropriate drying treatment capacity for photographic paper having a large area. FIG. 2A shows an example of a change in the air volume corresponding to the above description.

It is preferable to control the temperature in conjunction with the control of the air volume. For example, when the size suddenly increases as shown in FIG. 2B, it is preferable to temporarily increase not only the air volume but also the calorific value of the heater. The temperature in the drying chamber detected by the temperature sensor 18 may be input to the heater control unit 15 in order to appropriately manage the temperature. At this time, immediately after the heating value of the heater has increased, the temperature of the entire drying chamber has not reached the desired temperature. Therefore, it is preferable to temporarily increase the air volume to promote the temperature stability. In this case, the correction value α determined by the dry air volume condition calculation unit 63 may be changed in conjunction with the passage of time, or the rotation speed control data may be time-controlled. Further, the air volume may be controlled in association with the proportional control of the heater. For example, control may be performed such that the air flow is increased when the difference from the set temperature is large, and the air flow is reduced when the difference is small.

Further, in order to increase or decrease the drying processing capacity, it may be used in combination with increasing or decreasing the transport speed of the photographic paper in the drying chamber. That is, as shown in FIG. 2C, the transport speed is reduced in the case of a large photographic paper, and the transport speed is increased in the case of a small photographic paper. Such control can be determined by the main processing unit 62 and the dry air volume condition calculation unit 63 according to the air volume conditions read from the setting condition storage unit 64. As described above, when not only the increase / decrease of the air volume but also at least one of the increase / decrease of the heat generation amount of the heater and the increase / decrease of the transport speed, the target drying processing ability can be obtained quickly. Each control unit controls the increase or decrease of the air volume, the increase or decrease of the calorific value of the heater, and the increase or decrease of the transport speed by controlling the output voltage or the pulse frequency.

Instead of the preset air volume condition, it is also possible to set a desired air volume (the number of rotations of the fan) by using the dedicated keyboard 67. When the air flow is increased or decreased by manual operation in this way, in order to provide a guide for the operation,
It is preferable to display the setting status of the air volume on a part of the monitor screen as shown in FIG. 3 (A) or (B). Alternatively, the air volume, the rotation speed, or the ratio to the maximum air volume may be displayed as a numerical value.

When the air volume condition is changed by manual operation, the average value of the setting change by manual operation several times in the past is stored for each type of photographic paper used.
At the next start-up, the preset air volume condition
You may make it start by replacing with the said average value.
Furthermore, the air volume condition according to the operation timing (separation of the season of the year or month) may be stored, and the optimal air volume condition may be read out by a built-in calendar function or manual operation.

Since the fan rotation signal is always input to the fan control unit 17, if the rotation of the fan is stopped due to a failure or the like, a stop alarm can be output. The present invention can be applied not only to photographic paper, but also to a drying processing unit in a photographic film developing apparatus. That is, the amount of air may be increased or decreased according to the type of photographic film, for example, the size (135 film, 240 film, 2B film, 110 film).

[0019]

According to the present invention, in order to increase or decrease the drying processing capacity required by the photosensitive material to be dried, the air flow of the fan in the drying chamber is controlled to increase or decrease. Appropriate drying treatment can be performed even if it changes. Further, since the drying processing capacity is increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the air flow, the desired drying processing ability can be obtained in a short time as compared with only the increase or decrease in the heat generation amount of the heater. Accordingly, a large drying treatment capacity can be obtained with energy saving.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a drying capacity control method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating how the air volume and the like change in the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display unit that displays a status of an air volume.

[Explanation of symbols]

P photographic paper, photosensitive material 1 image printing device, photographic processing device, drying processing capacity control device 4 development processing unit 5 drying processing unit 62 main control unit, output unit 64 setting condition storage unit, storage unit 10 drying room 11 transport roller 12 Motor 13 Motor control unit 14 Heater, heat source for drying 15 Heater control unit 16 Fan 17 Fan control unit, rotation speed control means 18 Temperature sensor 16A Rotation detection sensor

Claims (8)

[Claims] In a method for controlling a drying processing capacity in a photographic processing apparatus provided with a drying processing unit for drying a photosensitive material by spraying warm air on the photosensitive material after processing the photosensitive material with a chemical solution, the temperature to be blown on the photosensitive material to be dried is controlled. A drying capacity control method characterized by increasing or decreasing the amount of wind to increase or decrease the drying capacity. 2. The drying capacity control method according to claim 1, wherein the increase or decrease in the amount of hot air is controlled under an air flow condition preset according to the type of photosensitive material to be dried. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the preset air volume condition is changed according to the type of photosensitive material to be dried. 4. The drying process according to claim 2, wherein the preset air volume condition is changed to one selected from a plurality of patterns of operating conditions according to the type of photosensitive material to be dried. Capability control method. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the air flow is increased immediately after the photosensitive material to be dried is changed, and then reduced. 6. The drying method according to claim 1, further comprising: changing the transport speed of the photosensitive material in accordance with a change in the photosensitive material to be dried in the drying chamber. Processing capacity control method. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control of the amount of heat generated by the heat source for drying is controlled in association with the control of the air flow. 8. A drying processing control device in a photographic processing apparatus having a fan for blowing hot air into a drying chamber and a motor for driving the fan to rotate, the air volume condition preset for each photosensitive material to be dried is stored. Means for reading and outputting a corresponding air volume condition from the storage means when the photosensitive material to be dried is changed; and control for increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the motor based on the output air volume condition. A drying processing capacity control device, comprising: