JP2001255638A - Supplying device for development processing liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely supply a development processing liquid of the necessary for a development processing tank. SOLUTION: A system for replenishing the development processing tank with the development processing liquid is provided with a pump P having a diaphragm 14 activated back and forth by supply of the intermittent electric power to an electromagnetic solenoid S and is provided with a controller for setting the duty ratio of the intermittent electric power at a value at which the diaphragm 14 is surely activated to an operating end and adjusting the supply rate of the development processing liquid by changing the period of the intermittent electric power.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a developing solution supply apparatus comprising a pump provided in a path for supplying a developing solution to a developing tank and control means for controlling the pump. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-331595 discloses a technique similar to the developing solution supply apparatus constructed as described above. In this conventional example, a pump for feeding the developing solution is used. A diaphragm in the pump chamber,
A vibrator for vibrating the diaphragm is provided, and the supply amount of the developing solution can be adjusted by controlling the frequency and amplitude of the diaphragm.

[0003]

In a processing apparatus used for developing a photosensitive material, the amount of a developing solution supplied to a plurality of developing tanks in a unit time is different. Although pumps with different capacities are required for the developing tank, using pumps with different capacities is not preferable in that the number of types of parts increases, and furthermore, the time and labor for assembling the processing apparatus are considered. In this case, there is room for improvement in that a different pump is set for each of the developing tanks, which leads to inconvenience of erroneous operation and assembly.

[0004] In order to solve such inconveniences, it is conceivable to use a pump shown in a conventional example. In other words, the amount of the developing solution to be replenished in a unit time by adjusting the frequency and amplitude of the diaphragm corresponding to each developing tank while using the pump having the same structure is required for the developing tank. That is, the capacity is adjusted. However, in a conventional pump, an AC voltage is applied, the diaphragm is vibrated at the same cycle to supply the developing solution, and the amplitude of the diaphragm is adjusted by adjusting the applied voltage, so that the developing solution is adjusted. In order to adjust the supply amount of the developing solution, it is necessary to adjust the period of the AC voltage and the applied voltage in order to adjust the supply amount of the developing solution.
When this pump is used, an inverter circuit or the like capable of adjusting the frequency and the supply voltage is required, and there is room for improvement in complicating the electric circuit. Considering a pump that applies an AC voltage to a vibrator as in a conventional pump, when the AC voltage gradually rises from zero potential, the force acting on the diaphragm is small, and after the AC voltage reaches the maximum voltage. As a result, even when an AC voltage having a relatively low frequency is applied, when the applied voltage is low, the force acting on the diaphragm does not increase so much.
There is room for improvement because the applied voltage needs to be set relatively high in order to reliably operate the diaphragm.

An object of the present invention is to rationally configure a developing solution supply apparatus capable of reliably supplying a required amount of a developing solution to a developing tank.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a developing solution comprising a pump for supplying a developing solution to a developing tank and control means for controlling the pump. In the supply device, the pump is provided with a chamber through which a developing solution is sucked and discharged through a check valve, a diaphragm capable of changing the volume of the chamber, and a diaphragm orthogonal to the diaphragm surface when power is supplied. And a drive mechanism for operating the diaphragm on at least one side in the direction, and wherein the control means is configured to supply the drive mechanism with an intermittent electric power.
The reciprocating operation is a basic operation cycle, and the time interval between the basic operation cycles is changed and adjusted. The operation and effect are as follows.

A second feature of the present invention (claim 2) is that, in claim 1, the drive mechanism operates the electromagnetic solenoid to operate the diaphragm to one operation end, and the spring to restore the diaphragm to the operation end in the opposite direction. And the control means is set so as to be able to freely output intermittent power for supplying sufficient power to operate the diaphragm to the operating end, and its operation and effect are as follows. It is on the street.

According to a third feature of the present invention, the contact piece for setting the working end of the diaphragm when the electromagnetic solenoid is driven and the spring when the electromagnetic solenoid is not driven. A contact piece for setting an operating end on the restoration side of the diaphragm by the urging force is provided in a system that operates integrally with the diaphragm, and the operation and effect are as follows.

A fourth feature (claim 4) of the present invention is that in claim 1, the driving mechanism operates the diaphragm from one end to the other end to maintain the position when supplying power, and When the power is supplied, the diaphragm is returned from the other end to one end, and the position is maintained by using a bistable self-holding type electromagnetic solenoid, and the control means is capable of outputting intermittent power to the electromagnetic solenoid freely. The operation and effects are as follows.

[Action]

According to the first feature, when the developing solution is supplied to the developing tank, intermittent power is supplied to the driving mechanism, so that the volume of the chamber is changed by the operation of the diaphragm. The operation of discharging the developing solution sucked into the developing device is repeatedly performed, and as a result, the developing solution is supplied to the developing tank. When the time interval between the basic operation cycles of the intermittent power is set short, the amount of the developing solution supplied can be increased, and when the time interval between the basic operation cycles of the intermittent power is set long, the supply The amount of the developing solution to be supplied can be reduced, and the amount of the developing solution to be supplied per unit time to the developing tank can be arbitrarily set.

According to the second feature, intermittent power for supplying sufficient power to operate the diaphragm to the operating end is supplied to the electromagnetic solenoid, so that the diaphragm operates to the operating end at the timing of supplying the intermittent power. When the intermittent power is cut off, the power is restored to the operating end in the opposite direction by the biasing force of the spring. That is, the ON state and the OF
The developing solution can be supplied with a simple control of repeating the F state, and the developing solution can be supplied with high precision by stabilizing the supply amount of the developing solution in one basic operation cycle. .

According to the third feature, the position of the working end of the diaphragm when the electromagnetic solenoid is driven and the working end on the restoration side of the diaphragm when the electromagnetic solenoid is not driven are determined by the contact piece. The supply amount of the developing solution by one reciprocating operation is further stabilized.

According to the fourth feature, by supplying intermittent power to the electromagnetic solenoid, the bistable self-holding type electromagnetic solenoid operates the diaphragm to both ends of the operation range to maintain the position. Is repeated, so that not only the supply amount of the developing solution is stabilized, but also when the power supply is stopped, the diaphragm is held at the working end, so that the developing solution can be supplied with high accuracy from the start of operation, and According to this feature, it is not necessary to employ a structure in which a spring for neutral return is provided at the position of the diaphragm, and simplification is possible.

[Effects of the Invention] Therefore, a developing solution supply apparatus capable of reliably supplying a required amount of developing solution to a developing tank can be rationally prepared without requiring a complicated electric circuit. It was composed. In addition, the developing solution can be supplied in a highly accurate and directly proportional amount with a simple structure, and a structure capable of improving the accuracy of the supply amount of the developing solution can be obtained relatively easily. In particular, in the present invention, since the supply amount of the developing solution per unit time can be set only by adjusting the output cycle of the intermittent power to the driving mechanism of the pump corresponding to the developing tank, the pumps having different capacities for each developing solution The design and assembling of the development processing apparatus becomes easy without the need for a magnetic head, and the precision of the supply amount of the development processing liquid is improved by using a bistable self-holding type electromagnetic solenoid.
The structure is also simplified.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, a developing tank 1, a sub-tank 2 integrally formed therewith, and a sub-tank 2
A circulation system for circulating the development processing solution through the filter 3 and the circulation pump 4 to the development processing tank 1;
And a recovery system for collecting the developing solution overflowing from the replenishing tank 6 for storing a developing solution such as a color developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, and a stabilizing solution. P, and a replenishment system for developing solution supplied to the sub-tank 2 via the pipe 8 (supply) and a replenishment pump P for supplying water from the replenishment tank 6 for storing water.
And a replenishing system for replenishing (supplying) to the sub-tank via the pipeline 8 to constitute a developing device used for developing a photosensitive material such as a photographic film or a silver halide photographic paper. Although only one development processing tank 1 is shown in the drawing, the development processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of development processing tanks 1 for performing each of color development, bleaching, fixing, and stable processing, as shown in FIG. Based on the detection results from the liquid level sensors 9 provided in the plurality of developing tanks 1 and information on the processing amount and processing time of the photosensitive material, the supply pump P is driven to develop the respective developing tanks 1. A control device 10 is provided as control means for replenishing the processing liquid and water. The supply device of the present invention is constituted by the supply pump P of the supply system and the control device 10. In the above description, the replenishing system for replenishing the developing solution to the developing tank 1 and the replenishing system for replenishing water are formed independently, but this water is to be treated as the developing solution. Therefore, hereinafter, the developing solution stored in the replenishment tank 6 will be described as a general term including water.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), a replenishing pump P is
And a diaphragm 14 made of a flexible film such as rubber or flexible resin so that the volume of the chamber 13 can be changed, and the diaphragm 14 is operated up to one working end in a direction perpendicular to the diaphragm surface. An electromagnetic solenoid S, a spring 15 for restoring the diaphragm 14 to the opposite working end, an inlet 16 for sucking the developing solution into the chamber 13, and an outlet 17 for discharging the developing solution from the chamber, respectively. The check valves 18 and 18 are provided. An electromagnetic solenoid S is connected to the diaphragm 14 and has a plunger 19 having an iron core 19A.
And a coil 20 for applying a magnetic force to the iron core 19A. The electromagnetic solenoid S and the spring 15 constitute a drive mechanism. In addition, the supply pump P allows the end portion 19B (an example of a contact piece) of the plunger 19 to penetrate the diaphragm 14 and appropriately set the penetration length so that when the electromagnetic solenoid S is not driven, FIG. As shown in (a), the end portion 19B is brought into contact with the inner surface of the case 12, and conversely, when the electromagnetic solenoid S is driven, it is formed on the spring side of the diaphragm 14, as shown in (b) in the figure. The configuration is such that the contact piece 19C (an example of a contact piece) is brought into contact with the protruding portion 12A of the case 12 to determine the attitude of the diaphragm 14 in each state, and thus the attitude of the diaphragm 14 is determined. This increases the accuracy of the supply amount of the developing solution.

The control device 10 includes a microprocessor, and a liquid level sensor 9 detects a decrease in the liquid level of the developing tank 1, or performs a developing process based on information such as a processing amount and a processing time of the photosensitive material. When performing processing for replenishing the developing solution and water to the tank 1, as shown in FIG. 4, the ON state is maintained for an ON time T1 which is one reciprocating operation cycle of the diaphragm 14 when viewed from the control side. OFF time T2 only OF
The intermittent power for maintaining the F state is output to the coil 20, and the time interval between the basic operation cycles is changed and adjusted by setting one reciprocating operation cycle of the diaphragm 14 as a basic operation cycle. That is, when the liquid level is significantly reduced, the supply time is increased by shortening the OFF time T2 without changing the ON time T1. In addition, the set time T1 is set to a time sufficient for operating the diaphragm 14 to the operating end with the power supplied to the coil 20 of the electromagnetic solenoid S, and only by controlling the number of intermittent power outputs (control by time). It is possible to control the replenishment amount of the developing solution.

With this construction, when supplying the developing solution to the developing tank 1, the diaphragm 14 is connected to the end 19B of the plunger 19 only by driving the replenishing pump P with the intermittent electric power as described above. As a result of operating in a manner in which the posture of contacting the inner surface of the case 12 and the posture in which the contact piece 19C contacts the protruding portion 12A of the case 12 are reliably switched, the developing solution can be supplied with high accuracy, and The required amount of the developing solution can be supplied only by changing the time interval for transmitting the intermittent power, so that it is not necessary to provide a special flow rate sensor. In this type of developing apparatus, the amount of developing solution to be supplied per unit time to the plurality of developing tanks 1 is different.
Even if a replenishing pump P having the same shape and the same structure is used, it is possible to cope only by changing the setting of the time interval of the intermittent electric power. The development processing apparatus can be easily assembled without sometimes causing inconvenience such as erroneous selection of parts.

[Other Embodiments] In addition to the above-described embodiment, the present invention may be configured with a pump having dedicated actuators for suction and discharge, for example. or,
In the present invention, as a driving mechanism, the diaphragm is actuated from one end to the other end to maintain the position when power is supplied, and the diaphragm is returned from the other end to one end during the next power supply. It is also possible to use a bistable self-holding electromagnetic solenoid that holds the diaphragm, and by using an electromagnetic solenoid of this structure, both diaphragms can be operated with a simple structure that does not use a spring etc. that directly applies a biasing force to the diaphragm The developing solution can be supplied with high accuracy by reliably operating to the end.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a supply pump showing a non-driving state and a driving state.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a replenishment system of a developing solution in a developing tank.

FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram of a control system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a duty ratio of intermittent power.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Development tank 10 Control means 13 Chamber 14 Diaphragm 15 Spring 19B, 19C Contact piece S Electromagnetic solenoid P Pump

Claims (4)

[Claims] An apparatus for supplying a developing solution comprising a pump for supplying a developing solution to a developing tank and control means for controlling the pump, wherein the pump is provided with a developing valve via a check valve. A chamber for inhaling and discharging the processing liquid,
A diaphragm capable of changing the volume of the chamber, and a drive mechanism for operating the diaphragm at least on one side in a direction perpendicular to the diaphragm surface when power is supplied, and the control unit includes an intermittent drive mechanism. A developing solution supply device configured to change and adjust a time interval between each basic operation cycle, with one reciprocating operation of the diaphragm generated by supplying electric power as a basic operation cycle. 2. The driving mechanism comprises: an electromagnetic solenoid for operating the diaphragm to one operating end; and a spring for restoring the diaphragm to an operating end in the opposite direction, and the control means operates the diaphragm. 2. The developing solution supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an intermittent electric power for supplying an electric power sufficient to operate to the end is set to be freely output. 3. A contact piece for setting an operating end of the diaphragm when the electromagnetic solenoid is driven, and a contact piece for setting an operating end on the restoration side of the diaphragm by the urging force of the spring when the electromagnetic solenoid is not driven. The developing solution supply device according to claim 2, wherein the system is provided with a system that operates integrally with the diaphragm. 4. The driving mechanism operates the diaphragm from one end to the other end to maintain the position during power supply, and moves the diaphragm from the other end to one end during the next power supply. 2. The developing solution supply device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured using a bistable self-holding type electromagnetic solenoid that returns to hold the position, and wherein the control unit is configured to output intermittent power to the electromagnetic solenoid.