JP2005122160A - Photoprocessing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photoprocessing apparatus capable of efficiently processing a color photographic sensitive material. <P>SOLUTION: The photoprocessing apparatus 10 comprises a film processing section 16 in which a color photographic film 12 is processed with processing solutions each at a prescribed temperature; an imagewise exposure section 22 in which printing paper is exposed according to the image of the processed color photographic film 12; and a printing paper processing section 24 in which the exposed printing paper is processed with processing solutions each at a prescribed temperature. The apparatus 10 includes filters between a plurality of processing tanks 28, etc., and sub-tanks 60, etc.; pipes 66, etc., which communicate or connect with each other; temperature sensors 88A, etc., attached to the sub-tanks 60, etc.; circulating pumps 72, etc., located in halfway parts of the pipes 66, etc.; first heaters 78, 80 located in halfway parts of the pipes 66, 68; a second heater 100 located in such a way as to bundle halfway parts of the pipes 70A-70J in the plurality of processing tanks 28, etc., except the developing solution tanks 26, 48; and cooling fans 82, 84, 106 located near the first heaters 78, 80 and the second heater 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographic processing apparatus in which a film processing unit for developing photographic film and a photographic paper processing unit for developing image-exposed photographic paper are incorporated.

  Film processing equipment for developing, fixing, washing and drying processed photographic film, and developing, fixing, washing and drying after printing and exposing images recorded on photographic film after development processing to photographic paper There is a photographic processing apparatus integrated with a printing processing apparatus that finishes as a photographic print (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In such a photographic processing apparatus, it is possible to continuously perform a process from developing a photographed photographic film to exposing the image recorded on the photographic film to the photographic paper and developing the image-exposed photographic paper. Photographic prints can be obtained from exposed photographic film with a single device.

  By the way, in the above photographic processing apparatus, a processing tank for developing, fixing, washing and the like for processing photographic film and a processing tank for developing, fixing, washing and the like for processing photographic paper are provided separately as well as a drying section. ing.

The processing liquid in these processing tanks is maintained at a predetermined temperature of 38 ° C. or lower in order to quickly process photographic film or photographic paper in an optimum state. The processing liquid and the processing liquid of the photographic paper processing apparatus are maintained so that the photographic film and the photographic paper can be processed in optimum states by separate temperature control means and circulation means, respectively.
JP-A-5-289186

  However, in the conventional photographic processing apparatus that integrally performs from the development processing of the negative film to the printing exposure on the photographic paper and the development processing of the photographic paper, the film processing apparatus and the printing processing apparatus are simply integrated. Various considerations have not been made, such as simplifying the temperature maintaining means of a typical processing solution, reducing the number of parts, setting temperatures of individual processing solutions, and rapid processing of color photographic light-sensitive materials.

  For this reason, such a photographic processing apparatus is relatively large in size, limited in installation space, has a high running cost, and efficiently performs photographic film development processing to photographic paper image exposure and photographic paper processing. It wasn't something that could be done.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a photographic processing apparatus capable of efficiently processing a color photographic light-sensitive material in consideration of the above facts.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the photographic processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, an exposed color photographic film is maintained at a predetermined temperature in each of a plurality of processing tanks including a developer tank. A film processing unit for developing with a processing solution stored in the image, an image exposing unit for exposing color photographic paper according to an image of the developed color photographic film, and the color photographic paper subjected to image exposure, A photographic paper processing apparatus for developing with a processing liquid that is maintained and stored at a predetermined temperature in each of a plurality of processing tanks including a developing liquid tank, the film processing unit and The photographic paper processing section includes a sub tank provided adjacent to each of a plurality of processing tanks including the developer tank, and a filter that partitions the processing liquid between the processing tank and the sub tank. A pipe connecting the processing tank and the sub tank, a temperature sensor provided in the sub tank, a circulation pump provided in the middle of the pipe, and a pipe in the developer tank. A first heater, a second heater provided so as to bundle a middle portion of piping in the plurality of processing tanks excluding the developer tank, and provided in the vicinity of the first heater and the second heater. And a cooling fan.

  According to invention of Claim 1, the process liquid in a process tank can be circulated and stirred. Further, when the processing liquid flows into the processing tank from the sub tank, the suspended matter in the processing liquid can be filtered out by the filter. Furthermore, the processing liquid in each processing tank can be maintained at a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the color photographic light-sensitive material can be processed efficiently.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the photographic processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein a flow meter is provided in a middle portion of the piping in the developer tank of the film processing section.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is no excess or deficiency in the circulation amount of the developer in the developer tank of the film processing section. Accordingly, there is no problem that development unevenness occurs in the negative film.

  Further, the photographic processing apparatus according to claim 3 develops the exposed color photographic film with a processing solution stored at a predetermined temperature in each of a plurality of processing baths including the developing bath. A film processing unit, an image exposure unit that exposes color photographic paper in accordance with the image of the color photographic film that has been subjected to development processing, and a plurality of processing tanks that include the developer tank, A photographic paper processing unit for developing with a processing liquid maintained at a predetermined temperature and storing the photographic paper processing unit, wherein the film processing unit and the photographic paper processing unit include the developer tank A sub-tank provided adjacent to each of a plurality of processing tanks, a filter that partitions a processing liquid between the processing tank and the sub-tank, and the processing tank and the sub-tank. A pipe to be connected, a temperature sensor provided in the sub-tank, a circulation pump provided in the middle of the pipe, a first heater provided in the middle of the pipe in the developer tank of the film processing unit, and A flowmeter, a second heater provided so as to bundle the middle parts of the pipes in the plurality of processing tanks excluding the developer tank of the film processing unit, and the middle of the pipes in the developer tank of the photographic paper processing unit And a cooling fan provided in the vicinity of the first heater and the second heater.

  According to invention of Claim 3, the process liquid in a processing tank can be circulated and stirred. Further, when the processing liquid flows into the processing tank from the sub tank, the suspended matter in the processing liquid can be filtered out by the filter. Furthermore, a heat source for heating the treatment liquid in each treatment tank can be omitted, and the treatment liquid in each treatment tank can be maintained at a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of parts, and the color photographic light-sensitive material can be processed efficiently. In addition, there is no excess or deficiency in the circulation amount of the developer in the developer tank of the film processing unit. Accordingly, there is no problem that development unevenness occurs in the negative film.

  The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 4 is the photographic processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second heater has a thermal conductivity in the middle of the pipe. It is characterized by a cast-in heater that is tightly connected to a high metal material together with a heat source.

  According to invention of Claim 4, the heat of a heater can be efficiently transmitted to the process liquid which flows through each piping. In addition, it is possible to conduct heat between the processing liquids, and it becomes extremely easy to maintain a plurality of processing liquids in a certain temperature range. Therefore, each of the plurality of treatment liquids can be efficiently heated and maintained at a substantially constant temperature.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a photographic processing apparatus capable of efficiently processing a color photographic light-sensitive material.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. In the photographic processing apparatus according to the present invention, after developing a color photographic film, an image recorded on the color photographic light-sensitive material is printed on color photographic paper, and further, this color photographic paper is further developed. -P-integrated photographic processing apparatus.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a photographic processing apparatus 10 applied to this embodiment. In this photographic processing apparatus 10, a photographed color photographic film (for example, a negative film, hereinafter referred to as “negative film 12”) is drawn out from the cartridge 14 and is wound around a magazine 18 to be developed in a film processing section 16 and a magazine 18. The color photographic paper (hereinafter referred to as “photographic paper 20”) accommodated in the image is pulled out and exposed in accordance with the image recorded on the developed negative film 12, and the photographic paper after the image exposure is completed. Is provided with a photographic paper processing section 24 for developing the toner, and is integrally accommodated in a casing (not shown). In FIG. 1, the film processing unit 16 and the photographic paper processing unit 24 are shown apart from each other in order to explain the internal configuration of the photo processing apparatus 10.

  The film processing unit 16 includes a developing tank 26 that stores a developing solution, a bleaching tank 28 that stores a bleaching solution, a first fixing tank 30 that stores a fixing solution, a second fixing tank 32, and a rinsing that stores rinsing water. A tank 34, a first stable bathtub 36 and a second stable bathtub 38 for storing a stable bath liquid in each tank are continuously arranged, and a drying chamber 42 and a reservoir section 44 are provided on the downstream side of the second stable bathtub 38. Yes.

  The negative film 12 drawn out from the cartridge 14 is transferred to a developing tank 26, a bleaching tank 28, a first fixing tank 30, a second fixing tank 32, a water washing tank 34, a first stable bathtub 36, and a second stable bathtub by a conveying means (not shown). 38 is sequentially conveyed to be processed with a developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, washing water and a stabilizing bath solution. In the drying chamber 42, the negative film 12 that has been subjected to the processing liquid processing is dried by blowing dry air generated by a heater and a drying fan (not shown), and sent to the reservoir unit 44.

  On the other hand, in the image exposure unit 22, the negative film 12 that has undergone development processing is drawn from the reservoir unit 44, and the photographic paper 20 is pulled out from the magazine 18, so that the images recorded on the negative film 12 are sequentially exposed to the photographic paper 20. To do.

  The image exposure unit 22 has a slit exposure for exposing an image recorded on the negative film 12 to the photographic paper 20 while conveying the negative film 12 and the photographic paper 20 at a predetermined speed, and a negative film. After the image recorded in the image 12 is read by the image reading means, various exposure methods such as scanning and exposing the read image to the photographic paper 20 with a laser beam or the like can be used. The photographic paper 20 subjected to the image exposure in this manner is sent to a reservoir unit 46 provided between the image exposure unit 22 and the photographic paper processing unit 24.

  The photographic paper processing unit 24 includes a developing tank 48 that stores a developing solution for developing the photographic paper 20, a bleach-fixing tank 50 that stores a bleach-fixing solution, a first rinsing tank 52 that stores a rinsing liquid, and a second rinsing tank 52, respectively. A rinse tank 54 and a third rinse tank 54 are provided, and a drying chamber 58 is provided on the downstream side of the third rinse tank 56 in the photographic paper transport direction.

  The photographic paper 20 fed to the reservoir unit 46 and subjected to image exposure is drawn into the photographic paper processing unit 24 by a conveying means (not shown), and further, a developing tank 48, a bleach-fixing tank 50, a first rinse tank 52, and a second rinse. The tank 54 and the third rinsing tank 56 are sequentially conveyed to be processed with a developing solution, a bleach-fixing solution, and a rinsing solution.

  The photographic paper 20 that has been subjected to the treatment liquid treatment is conveyed through the drying chamber 58 and dried by blowing dry air generated by a heater and a drying fan (not shown). The photographic paper 20 that has been dried is cut for each image frame and discharged as a photographic print.

  By the way, the processing liquids stored in the processing tanks of the film processing unit 16 and the photographic paper processing unit 24 are circulated by the circulation unit and uniformly stirred, and are heated by the heating unit and maintained in a predetermined temperature range. It has come to be.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic piping diagram relating to circulation and heating of the processing liquid in each processing tank of the photographic processing apparatus 10. In the photographic processing apparatus 10, subtanks 60 and 62 are provided adjacent to the developing tank 26 of the film processing unit 16 and the developing tank 48 of the photographic paper processing unit 24, and the bleaching tank 28 and the first tank of the film processing unit 16 are provided. The fixing tank 30, the second fixing tank 32, the water washing tank 34, the first stabilizing bath 36, the second stabilizing bath 38, the bleach-fixing bath 50 of the photographic paper processing unit 24, the first rinsing bath 52, the second rinsing bath 54, the first Sub tanks 64 </ b> A to 64 </ b> J are provided adjacent to each of the three rinse tanks 56 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “processing tanks”).

  Between each processing tank and the adjacent sub tanks 60, 62, 64A to 64J, a processing liquid is partitioned by a filter (not shown). Moreover, one end of piping 66, 68, 70A-70J is opening in the bottom part of each processing tank, and the other ends of these piping 66, 68, 70A-70J are subtanks 60, 62, 64A-, respectively. Opened at the top of 64J.

  Circulation pumps 72, 74, and 76A to 76J are provided at intermediate portions of these pipes 66, 68, and 70A to 70J, respectively, and each processing is performed by the operation of the circulation pumps 72, 74, and 76A to 76J. The processing liquid sucked from the tank is returned to the sub tanks 60, 62, 64A to 64J, and the processing liquid is circulated and the processing liquid in the processing tank is stirred. Further, when the processing liquid flows into the respective processing tanks from the sub tanks 60, 62, 64A to 64J, it passes through a filter (not shown), and suspended matter in the processing liquid is filtered out.

  Cartridge heaters 78 and 80 are provided downstream of the circulation pumps 72 and 74 in the pipe 66 provided in the developing tank 26 of the film processing unit 16 and the pipe 68 provided in the developing tank 48 of the photographic paper processing unit 24, respectively. Cooling fans 82 and 84 are provided in the vicinity of the cartridge heaters 78 and 80.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the circulation pumps 72 and 74, the cartridge heaters 78 and 80, and the cooling fans 82 and 84 are connected to the control unit 86. The control unit 86 is connected to temperature sensors 88A and 88B provided in the sub tanks 60 and 62.

  The control unit 86 operates the circulation pumps 72 and 74 and the cartridge heaters 78 and 80 to heat the respective developing solutions while circulating them, and operates the cooling fans 82 and 84 as necessary to develop the respective developing solutions. The liquid is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

  A flow meter 90 is provided in the pipe 66 provided in the developing tank 26 of the film processing unit 16. The flow meter 90 is connected to the control unit 86, and the operation of the circulation pump 72 is controlled so that the amount of the developer in the developing tank 26 circulated per unit time by the circulation pump 72 is constant. ing. Thereby, in the developing tank 26 of the film processing unit 16, uneven development of the negative film 12 due to excessive or insufficient circulation amount of the developer is prevented.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, intermediate pipes 70 </ b> A to 70 </ b> J of the bleaching tank 28 to the second stabilization bath 38 of the film processing unit 16 and the bleach-fixing tank 50 to the third rinse tank 56 of the photographic paper processing unit 24. The parts are connected by a metal block 104 having high thermal conductivity of the cast-in heater 100.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the metal block 104 of the cast-in heater 100 is formed in a substantially prismatic shape, and the heater 102 is disposed at the center. In addition, the pipes 70A to 70J penetrate through the metal block 104 so as to be substantially equidistant from the heater 102 and equidistant from each other, and the metal block 104 integrates a part of the pipes 70A to 70J. And so on.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the circulation pumps 76 </ b> A to 76 </ b> J and the cast-in heater 100 are connected to the control unit 86. The control unit 86 is connected to temperature sensors 92A to 92J provided in the sub tanks 64A to 64J.

  In the control unit 86, the circulation pumps 76A to 76J are operated, and the heating heater 102 of the casting heater 100 is energized to heat the processing liquid passing through the pipes 70A to 70J. The control unit 86 is connected with a cooling fan 106 for cooling the cast-in heater 100. When the temperature of any of the processing liquids rises above a predetermined temperature, the cooling fan 106 is operated, The cooling of the processing liquid is promoted.

  That is, in this control unit 86, the temperature of the processing liquid in the processing tank is detected by the temperature sensors 92A to 92J, and the temperature of any one of the plurality of processing liquids heated by the casting heater 100 is within the above set range. When it exceeds, the heater 102 is stopped and the cooling fan 106 is operated as necessary.

  At this time, if any of the processing liquids does not exceed the set temperature even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the operation of the cooling fan 106 is stopped and all the processing liquids are brought into a predetermined temperature range by heat exchange between the processing liquids. At the same time, the processing liquid is heated by the heater 102 so that none of the processing liquids exceeds the set temperature.

  In addition, an overheat protection device such as a thermostat (not shown) is provided inside the cartridge heaters 78 and 80 and the cast-in heater 100 so as to cut off the power when abnormal overheating occurs. As described above, the processing solution including the developing solution is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

  That is, in such a photographic processing apparatus, a processing solution containing a developing solution for processing a color photographic light-sensitive material is generally maintained at a predetermined temperature of 38 ° C. or lower, but the temperature of the developing solution is a predetermined temperature of 40 ° C. or higher. And the processing solution excluding the developer is maintained at a predetermined temperature of 38 ° C. or more and 50 ° C. or less, and the temperature difference between the processing solutions is within 2 ° C. . As a result, not only color photographic film but also color photographic paper can be processed stably and quickly.

  Moreover, by setting the temperature difference between the processing solutions excluding the developing solution to be within 2 ° C., it is possible to prevent the processing liquids other than the developing solution from affecting each other and becoming unstable. That is, by setting the temperature difference within 2 ° C., it is possible to prevent the temperatures of the respective treatment liquids from affecting each other even when the treatment tanks storing these different treatment liquids are arranged adjacent to each other. Accordingly, the treatment tank can be arranged in a compact manner, and thereby the apparatus can be reduced in size. This also makes it possible to process color photographic light-sensitive materials (including both color photographic film and color photographic paper) with stable quality.

  Also, by using a single cast-in heater 100 and reducing the number of heat sources, it is possible to reduce the number of parts for controlling the cooling fan and the operation of the heater and fan. It becomes. That is, in order to develop each color photographic film and color photographic paper, a number of processing solutions such as a bleaching solution, a fixing solution (or a bleach-fixing solution), washing water, and a stable bath solution can be used even if the developing solution is removed. If it is necessary and each processing solution is heated by a heater provided individually, the power consumption of the apparatus increases.

  However, a processing solution other than the developing solution for developing each of the color photographic film and the color photographic paper is heated by a single casting heater 100, and the temperature difference between the processing solutions excluding the developing solution is set to 2 ° C. or less. Thus, it becomes possible to efficiently control the temperature of a large number of processing liquids with a simple structure, and it is possible to more efficiently achieve downsizing of the apparatus, reduction of running cost, and the like.

  That is, since a plurality of processing liquids can be heated and maintained by the single cast heater 100, the number of heaters and the number of parts for controlling the operation of the heater can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified. An increase in the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be suppressed, and the power consumption of the apparatus can be suppressed to reduce the running cost. The temperature difference between the developing solution for developing color photographic film and the developing solution for developing color photographic paper is preferably within 2 ° C, more preferably within 1.5 ° C. is there. Each temperature range is preferably regulated within ± 0.5 ° C.

  Incidentally, in this control unit 86, the temperature of the developing solution in the film processing unit 16 and the developing solution in the photographic paper processing unit 24 is maintained at 42 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C., and the film processing is performed by the casting heater 100. The temperature of the processing liquid in the processing tank after the bleaching tank 28 of the section 16 and the processing liquid in the processing tank after the bleach-fixing tank 50 of the photographic paper processing section 24 are maintained in the range of 38 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C. Like to do.

  Further, in this photographic processing apparatus 10, the developing solution 26, the bleaching solution 28, the washing water and the stable bath solution are respectively supplied to the developing tank 26, the bleaching tank 28, The second fixing tank 32, the washing tank 34 and the second stabilization bath 38 are replenished, and the first fixing tank 30 is supplied with the fixing solution which has become surplus by replenishing the second fixing tank 32 with the replenisher, A so-called counter-current system is employed in which the first stabilizing bath 36 is replenished by flowing in the stabilizing bath liquid surplus in the second stabilizing bath 38. Further, excess processing liquid in the developing tank 26, the bleaching tank 28, the first fixing tank 30, the water washing tank 34, and the first stabilization bath 36 is discharged through an overflow pipe (not shown).

  The photographic paper processing unit 24 employs a countercurrent replenishment method as with the film processing unit 16, and according to the processing amount of the photographic paper 20, the developing tank 48, the bleach-fixing tank 50, and the third rinsing tank 56. A replenisher is replenished to each of the second rinse tank 54 and the first rinse tank 52 so that the excess rinse liquid in the third rinse tank 56 and the second rinse tank 54 flows into the developing tank 48, The excess processing liquid in the bleach-fixing tank 50 and the first rinsing tank 52 is discharged through an overflow pipe (not shown). Further, the film processing unit 16 and the photographic paper processing unit 24 perform the replenishment according to the passage of time in addition to the replenishment according to the processing amounts of the negative film 12 and the photographic paper 20.

  Here, a processing solution such as a developing solution preferable for processing a color photographic light-sensitive material will be described. That is, a developer capable of stably processing a color photographic light-sensitive material at a temperature of 40 ° C. or higher, and a color photographic light-sensitive material that has been processed with a developer at a temperature of 38 ° C. or higher and 50 ° C. or lower. A treatment liquid that can be processed and finished with high quality will be described.

  The developer (color developer) preferred by the application of the present invention contains a known aromatic primary amine color developing agent. Preferable examples are p-phenylenediamine derivatives, and representative examples include N, N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine, 2-amino-5-diethylaminotoluene, 2-amino-5- (N-ethyl-N--). Laurylamino) toluene, 3-methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (β-hydroxyethyl) amino] aniline, 3-methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (δ-hydroxybutyl) amino] aniline 2-methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (β-hydroxyethyl) amino) aniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-ethyl-N- [β- (methanesulfonamido) ethyl] -aniline N- (2-amino-5-diethylaminophenylethyl) methanesulfonamide, N, N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine, 4-amino-3-methyl-N Examples include ethyl-N-methoxytylaniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-ethyl-N-β-ethoxyethylaniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-ethyl-N-β-butoxyethylaniline, and the like. be able to.

  Particularly preferably 4-amino-3-methyl-N-ethyl-N- [β- (methanesulfonamido) ethyl] -aniline, 2-methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (β-hydroxyethyl) amino Aniline or 2-methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (δ-hydroxybutyl) amino] aniline. Further, among the above compounds, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-ethyl-N- [β- (methanesulfonamido) ethyl] -aniline and 3-methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (β-hydroxy The use of the present invention is particularly preferred under the use of (ethyl) amino] aniline.

  These p-phenylenediamine derivatives may be any salt of sulfate, hydrochloride, sulfite, and p-toluenesulfonate. The amount of the aromatic primary amine color developing agent used is required to be about 0.15 mol (mol / liter) or more per liter of developer, preferably 0.17 to 0.50 mol. / Liter. Further, the amount of the developing replenisher used is preferably a concentration of about 0.17 mol to 0.60 mol, more preferably about 0.2 mol to 0.8 mol per liter of the replenisher.

  In order to further improve the durability of each material, it is preferable to use a developer that does not substantially contain benzyl alcohol. Here, “substantially free” means that the benzyl alcohol concentration is preferably 2 ml / liter or less, more preferably 0.5 ml / liter or less, and most preferably no benzyl alcohol is contained. The developer can contain hydroxylamine and sulfite ions, but preferably contains an organic preservative.

  Here, the organic preservative refers to all organic compounds that reduce the deterioration rate of the aromatic primary amine color developing agent by addition. That is, the organic preservative is an organic compound having a function of preventing oxidation of the color developing agent by air or the like, among which hydroxylamine derivatives (excluding hydroxylamine), hydroxamic acids, hydrazines, hydrazides, Phenols, α-hydroxy ketones, α-amino ketones, saccharides, monoamines, diamines, polyamines, quaternary ammonium salts, nitroxy radicals, alcohols, oximes, diamide compounds, condensed amines Are effective organic preservatives.

  In particular, alkanolamines such as triethanolamine, dialkylhydraxylamines such as N, N-diethylhydroxylamine and N, N-di (sulfoether) hydroxylamine, and N, N-bis (carboxymethyl) hydrazine Addition of an aromatic polyhydroxy compound such as a hydrazine derivative (excluding hydrazine) or catechol-3,5-disulfonate is preferred.

  An optional antifoggant can be added to the developer as necessary. As the antifoggant, alkali metal halides such as sodium chloride, potassium bromide and potassium iodide and organic antifoggants can be used. Examples of the organic antifoggant include benzotriazole, 6-nitrobenzimidazole, 5-nitrisoisodazole, 5-methylbenzotriazole, 5-nitrobenzotriazole, 5-chloro-benzotriazole, 2-thiazolyl-benzimidazole, 2 -Representative examples include nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds such as thiazolylmethyl-benzimidazole, indazole, hydroxyazaindolizine, and adenine.

  Further, the developing solution preferably exhibits a developing effect more remarkably by using it in the photographic processing apparatus of the present invention at a pH of 10.0 or higher. More preferably, the pH is in the range of 10.20 to 11.00. The developer may contain other known developer component compounds.

  In order to maintain the pH, it is preferable to use various buffering agents. Examples of the buffer include carbonate, phosphate, borate, tetraborate, hydroxybenzoate, glycyl salt, N, N-dimethylglycine salt, leucine salt, norleucine salt, guanine salt, 3,4 -Dihydroxyphenylalanine salt, alanine salt, aminobutyrate, 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol salt, valine salt, proline salt, trishydroxyaminomethane salt, lysine salt, etc. can be used, especially The use of carbonates and phosphates is preferred. The amount of the buffer added to the developer is preferably 0.1 mol / liter or more, and particularly preferably from 0.1 mol / liter to 0.4 mol / liter.

  In addition, various chelating agents can be used in the developer as an anti-precipitation agent for calcium and magnesium or for improving stability. For example, nitrilotriacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, N, N, N-trimethylenephosphonic acid, ethylenediamine-N, N, N ′, N′-tetramethylenephosphonic acid, transsiloxanediaminetetraacetic acid, 1 , 2-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid, glycol ether diamine tetraacetic acid, ethylenediamine orthohydroxyphenylacetic acid, 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid, 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid, N, N′- Examples thereof include bis (2-hydroxybenzyl) ethylenediamine-N, N′-diacetic acid and hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid. Two or more of these chelating agents may be used in combination as necessary. The addition amount of these chelating agents may be an amount sufficient to sequester metal ions in the developer. For example, it is about 0.1 to 10 g per liter.

  Further, an optional development accelerator can be added to the developer as necessary. As development accelerators, JP-B-37-16088, JP-A-37-5987, JP-A-38-7826, JP-A-44-12380, JP-A-45-9019, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,247, etc. Thioether compounds, p-phenylenediamine compounds represented in JP-A-52-49829 and JP-A-50-15554, JP-A-50-137726, JP-B-44-30074, Quaternary ammonium salts represented in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications 56-156826 and 52-43429, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,494,903, 3,128,182, 4,230,796 No. 3,253,919, Japanese Patent Publication No. 41-11431, US Pat. Nos. 2,482,546, 2,596,926, and 3,582,346, etc. No. 37-16088, No. 42-25201, U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,183, JP-B No. 41-11431, No. 42-23883 and U.S. Pat. A polyalkylene oxide represented by No. 532, 501, etc., 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidones, imidazoles, etc. can be added as needed.

Further, the developer preferably contains a fluorescent brightening agent. As the fluorescent brightening agent, 4,4′-diamine-2,2′-disulfhostene-based compounds are preferable. The addition amount is 0 to 5 g / liter, preferably 0.1 to 4 g / liter. The replenishment amount of the developer is 20 to 1000 ml, preferably 30 to 300 ml, per 1 m ² of the photosensitive material.

  The development time with such a developing solution is not particularly specified, but it is preferably used for rapid processing, and particularly the development time is 10 seconds to 2 minutes, preferably about 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds.

  Further, a bleaching step-fixing step or a bleach-fixing step is provided after the development step, and various bleaching agents can be used in the bleaching solution and the bleach-fixing solution used in these steps. For example, hydrogen peroxide, persulfate, red blood salt, dichromate, iron chloride salt, aminopolycarboxylic acid ferric salt and the like. A particularly preferred bleaching agent is aminopolycarboxylic acid ferric salt.

  Particularly preferred aminopolycarboxylic acids include EDTA, 1,3-PDTA, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, 1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid, iminodiacetic acid, methyliminodiacetic acid, N- (2-acetamido) iminodiacetic acid, Nitrilotriacetic acid, N- (2-carboxyethyl) iminodiacetic acid, N- (2-carboxymethyl) iminodipropionic acid, β-alanine di, ethylenediamine-N, N′-disuccinic acid, 1,3-propylenediamine- N, N′-disuccinic acid and the like can be mentioned, but are not particularly limited thereto.

  The concentration of the ferric complex salt in the bleach-fixing solution is suitably in the range of 0.005 to 2.0 mol / liter, preferably in the range of 0.01 to 1.00 mol / liter, more preferably 0. The range is from 0.02 to 0.50 mol / liter. Further, the concentration of the ferric complex salt in the replenisher is preferably 0.005 to 2 mol / liter, more preferably 0.01 to 1.5 mol / liter.

  Various compounds can be used as a bleaching accelerator in the bleaching solution, the bleach-fixing solution and / or the solution in the preceding tank. For example, as described in US Pat. No. 3,893,858, German Patent 1,290,812, JP-A-53-95630, Research Disclosure No. 17129 (July 1978) Compounds having a mercapto group or a disulfide bond, and thiourea compounds described in JP-B Nos. 45-8506, 52-20832 and 53-32735, and US Pat. No. 3,706,561 A compound or a halogen compound such as iodine or bromine ion is preferable in terms of excellent bleaching power.

  In addition, for the bleaching solution or the bleach-fixing solution, bromide (for example, potassium bromide, sodium bromide, ammonium bromide) or chloride (for example, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, inexpensive ammonium chloride) or iodide (for example, iodine) A rehalogenating agent such as ammonium halide). If necessary, one or more inorganic substances having pH buffering function such as borax, sodium metaborate, acetic acid, sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, phosphorous acid, phosphoric acid, sodium phosphate, citric acid, sodium citrate, tartaric acid Acids, organic acids, and alkali metal or ammonium salts thereof, or corrosion inhibitors such as ammonium nitrate and guanidine can be added.

  In addition, the bleaching solution and the bleach-fixing solution may contain various fluorescent whitening agents, antifoaming agents or surfactants, and organic solvents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone and methanol. The fixing agent used in the bleach-fixing solution or the fixing solution is a known fixing agent, that is, a thiosulfate such as sodium thiosulfate or ammonium thiosulfate; a thiocyanate such as sodium thiocyanate or ammonium thiocyanate; ethylene bisthioglycolic acid Water-soluble silver halide solubilizers such as thioether compounds such as 3,6-dithia-1,8-octanediol and thioureas, which can be used alone or in combination of two or more. . A special bleach-fixing solution comprising a combination of a fixing agent described in JP-A-55-155354 and a large amount of a halide such as potassium iodide can also be used. The use of a salt is preferred. The amount of the fixing agent per liter is preferably from 0.3 to 2 mol, more preferably from 0.5 to 1.0 mol.

  Bleach fixers and fixers use preservatives such as sulfites (eg, sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite, ammonium sulfite), bisulfites (eg, ammonium bisulfite, sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite), metabisulfites. It is preferable to contain a sulfite ion releasing compound such as (for example, potassium metabisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, ammonium metabisulfite). These compounds are preferably contained in an amount of about 0.002 to 0.05 mol / liter, more preferably 0.04 to 0.40 mol / liter in terms of sulfite ion.

  Addition of sulfite is common as a preservative for bleach-fixing solutions and fixing solutions. In addition, ascorbic acid, carbonyl bisulfite adducts, carbonyl compounds, etc. may be added, and benzenesulfin. Acids are also effective. Further, a buffering agent, a fluorescent brightening agent, a chelating agent, an antifoaming agent, an antifungal agent and the like may be added to the bleach-fixing solution and the fixing solution as necessary. In the bleaching solution and the bleach-fixing solution, a preferable pH range is 3 to 10, and 4 to 9 is more preferable.

  After the desilvering process in the fixing or bleach-fixing process, the washing process and / or the stabilization process are performed. In the washing process and / or the stabilizing process, those containing the above-mentioned nitrogen dioxide are used. Most preferably, the preferable addition amount is 1 to 100 ppm, and most preferably about 2 to 50 ppm.

The amount of replenishment in the washing and stabilizing process can be arbitrarily selected, and is about 50 ml to 5 liters per 1 m ^{2 of} the photosensitive material. In order to obtain the effects of the present invention more remarkably, the amount brought in from the previous tank Low replenishment of about 1.0 to 20 times, and more preferably about 2 to 10 times. Here, if the amount brought in from the front tank is generally about 50 ml per 1 m ² of the photosensitive material, the actual replenishment amount is about 50 ml to 1000 ml.

Also, the water washing or stabilization bath, thiosulfate and is contained more than 1 × 10 ^-4 mol / l, preferably 1 × 10 ^-3 to 0.5 mol / liter, more preferably 5 × 10 ^{- 3 to} 0.1 mol / liter. These thiosulfates may be added directly, or may be included in the fixing solution or the bleach-fixing solution in the previous tank and brought into the photosensitive material.

  Moreover, the effect can be obtained more remarkably when the average residence time of the tank liquid in the water washing or stabilization bath is 1 week to 2 months. The average residence time means a period during which the tank liquid is averaged over time. The average residence time corresponds to the number of days required to replenish the tank with the same amount of liquid. The amount of liquid in the tank referred to here means the total tank capacity when there are a plurality of tanks for washing with water and stabilizing baths. From the viewpoint of comprehensive photographic property deterioration, it is not preferable that the average residence time is too long. For example, when it exceeds 2 months, it may be difficult to maintain the characteristics.

  In addition, in water washing and / or stabilization baths containing chlorine dioxide, the average residence time is most prominent between 1 week and 2 months, particularly in order to obtain the effect of delaying the formation of precipitates due to sulfidation of the liquid. Effects can be obtained. More preferably, it is 10 days to 1 month.

  Replenishment may be performed continuously or intermittently. The liquid used in the water washing and / or stabilization process can also be used in the previous process. As an example of this, the amount of waste liquid can be reduced by reducing the amount of washing water or overflow of the washing liquid by flowing it into the bleach-fixing tank or fixing tank of the previous tank and replenishing the bleach-fixing tank with the concentrated liquid. be able to.

  The amount of washing water in the washing step or the amount of stable bath solution in the stabilization step depends on the characteristics of the photosensitive material (color film or photographic paper) (for example, depending on the material used such as coupler), application, liquid temperature, number of tanks (stages), Various ranges can be set according to various conditions such as a replenishment method such as counter flow and forward flow. Usually, the number of stages in the multistage countercurrent system is preferably 2 to 6, and particularly preferably 2 to 4.

  As the washing water or the stable bath solution, the method using water reduced in calcium and magnesium described in JP-A-62-288838 can be used very effectively for preventing bacterial growth. Further, in the washing water, a surfactant as a draining agent and a chelating agent represented by EDTA as a hard water softener can be used.

  It can also follow the above washing process, or can also process directly with a stable bath liquid, without passing through a washing process. A compound having an image stabilizing function is added to the stabilizing bath solution. For example, an aldehyde compound represented by formalin, an aldehyde-releasing compound, specifically, hexamethylenetetramine, N-methylolpyrazole, etc. No. 318644, N-methylolazoles, N, N′-bis (1.2,4-triazol-1-yl) piperazine, etc. Azolylmethylamines described in JP-A-4-313753 Can do. Moreover, the buffer agent and ammonium compound for adjusting to film | membrane pH suitable for dye stabilization are mentioned.

  In addition, various bactericides and fungicides can be used in combination as necessary to prevent bacterial growth in the solution and to impart antifungal properties to the processed photosensitive material. Further, a surfactant, a fluorescent brightening agent, and a hardener can be added. When stabilization is performed directly without going through a water washing step, all known methods described in JP-A-57-8543, 58-14834 and 60-220345 can be used. In addition, it is also a preferable aspect to use chelating agents such as 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid and ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonic acid, and magnesium and bismuth compounds.

  The preferred pH of the water washing step or stabilization step is 4 to 10, more preferably 5 to 8. The processing time can be arbitrarily set, but a shorter one is more preferable for rapid processing. The treatment time is preferably 15 seconds to 1 minute 45 seconds, more preferably 15 seconds to 1 minute.

  The composition in the treatment liquid can be supplied in the form of various treatment agents. The treatment agent may be supplied as a concentrated liquid having a single or plural parts, or may be supplied as a powder. Moreover, you may supply in a use liquid state and the combination of a concentrate, a powder agent, and a use liquid may be sufficient.

  Various combinations of processing steps in such a photographic processing apparatus that processes a color photographic light-sensitive material with a preferable processing solution can be applied. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, an example of the structure of a general processing process includes a film processing unit 16 including a development process 120, a bleaching process 122, a fixing process 124, a water washing process 126, and a stabilizing bath process 128. The photographic paper processing unit 24 includes a developing process 130, a bleach-fixing process 132, and a rinsing process (water washing process 134). Each processing process can be divided into a single processing tank or a plurality of processing tanks.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (B), the water washing step 126 of the film processing unit 16 may be shared in place of the rinsing step of the photographic paper processing unit 24. As shown in FIG. 6 (C), the water washing step 126 is omitted, and the developing process 120, the bleaching process 122, the fixing process 124, and the stabilizing bath process 128 are configured as a photographic paper processing unit 24A having a film processing unit 16A and a stabilizing bath process 128 shared with the film processing unit 16A. May be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6D, as the photographic paper processing unit 24B configured by the developing step 130-the bleaching step 136-the fixing step 124-the water washing step 126, the fixing step 124 and the water washing step 126 are replaced with the film processing unit 16. 6 (E) and FIG. 6 (F), the film processing section 16B constituted by the developing step 120-the bleach-fixing step 138-the stabilizing bath step 128, and the development, as shown in FIGS. The printing paper processing unit 24C configured by the process 130-the bleach-fixing process 132-the stabilizing bath process 128 may be used in common with the stabilizing bath process 128 (see FIG. 6E). The paper processing unit 24C may be supplied with a bleach-fixing step 138 and a stabilizing bath step 128 (see FIG. 6F).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (G), the film processing unit 16C is constituted by the development step 120-the bleach-fixing step 138-the water washing step 126-the stabilizing bath step 128, and the film processing unit 16C and the water washing step 126 are shared. The configuration may be the photographic paper processing unit 24, and is not limited thereto, and any combination of processing steps capable of appropriately performing color photographic film processing and color photographic paper processing may be used.

  Next, a color photographic film among photographic photosensitive materials that can be applied to the photographic processing apparatus 10 of the present invention will be described. Although the photographic processing apparatus 10 of the present invention can be applied to any color photographic film, a silver halide emulsion, other materials (additives, etc.), a photographic constituent layer (layer arrangement, etc.), and this photosensitive material are used. The treatment methods and treatment additives applied for the treatment are described in the patent publications shown in Tables 1 to 5, particularly in European Patent EP, 355,660A2 (Japanese Patent Application No. 1-107011). It is more preferable to use what is.

  Among photographic light-sensitive materials, preferred color photographic films for application of the present invention include various halogens such as silver iodobromide, silver iodochloride, silver iodochlorobromide, silver chlorobromide, silver bromide and silver chloride. Composition emulsions can be used. In particular, it is preferable to have at least one emulsion layer containing silver halide grains comprising 90 mol% or more of silver chloride. More preferably 95-99.9 mol% or more, more preferably 98-99.9 mol% or more of an emulsion composed of silver chloride, and the entire layer is a salt odor consisting of 98-99.9 mol% or more of silver chloride. A silver halide emulsion is particularly preferred.

Moreover, there is no restriction | limiting in particular as application | coating silver amount, Although applying to the photographic film of about 0.2-15 g / m < ² > is preferable, Especially about 0.4-0.5 g / m < ² > is preferable. Further, when the photographic film is a color film, it can contain various couplers, and details are as described in Table 2.

  Further, as a cyan coupler, in addition to the diphenylimidazole cyan coupler described in JP-A-2-33144, a 3-hydroxypyridine cyan coupler described in European Patent EP 0,333,185A2 (among other specific examples). Of the coupler (42) enumerated as above in which a chlorine leaving group is added to give two equivalents, couplers (6) and (9) are particularly preferred) and JP-A 64-32260. The use of cyclic active methylene-based cyan couplers (in particular, coupler examples 3, 8, and 34 listed as specific examples are particularly preferred) is also preferred.

  Further, for photographic film, for the purpose of improving the sharpness of an image and the like, a hydrophilic colloid layer is formed on a hydrophilic colloid layer, and a decolorizable dye (especially an oxonol series) by the treatment described on pages 27 to 76 of European Patent EP0,337,490A2. Dye) is added so that the optical reflection density at 680 nm of the photographic film is 0.70 or more, or surface treatment is carried out with 2- to 4-valent alcohols (for example, trimethylolethane) in the water-resistant resin layer of the support. It is preferable to contain 12% by weight or more (more preferably 14% by weight or more) of the titanium oxide.

  In addition, it is preferable to use a color image preservability improving compound as described in European Patent EP 0,277,589A2 together with a coupler for the color film. The combined use with a pyrazoloazole coupler is particularly preferable. That is, the compound (F) which chemically bonds with the aromatic amine developing agent remaining after the color development processing to form a chemically inert and substantially colorless compound and / or the color development processing remains. It is possible to use the compound (G) which is chemically bonded to an oxidized form of an aromatic amine color developing agent to form a chemically inert and substantially colorless compound, either simultaneously or singly, for example after processing. The color developing agent remaining in the film during storage or its oxidized form is preferred for preventing the occurrence of stains due to the formation of color dyes by the reaction of couplers and other side effects.

  In addition, an antifungal agent as described in JP-A-63-271247 is added to the photographic film in order to prevent various wrinkles and bacteria that propagate in the hydrophilic colloid layer and degrade the image. preferable. Further, the dry film thickness excluding the support of the photographic film (color film) is preferably 25 μm or less, and an effective processing effect can be remarkably obtained in the photographic processing apparatus 10 of the present invention.

  The film thickness of the support is more preferably 5 μm to 20 μm, and particularly preferably 6 μm to 17 μm. These reductions in film thickness can be achieved by reducing the amount of gelatin, the amount of silver, the amount of oil, the amount of coupler, etc., but it is most preferable to achieve this by reducing the amount of gelatin. Here, the film thickness can be measured by an ordinary method after the sample is left at 25 ° C., 60 RH% for 2 weeks.

  In the photographic film, the film swelling degree of the photographic layer is preferably 1.5 to 4.0 from the viewpoint of improvement of stain and image storage stability. In particular, a further effect can be obtained at 1.5 to 3.0. The degree of swelling means a value obtained by dividing the film thickness of the photographic layer after the photographic film is immersed in distilled water at 33 ° C. for 2 minutes by the film thickness of the dried photographic layer.

  The photographic layer is a laminated hydrophilic colloid group layer containing at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and having a water-permeable relationship with this layer. The back layer provided on the side opposite to the photosensitive layer is not included. The photographic layer is usually formed of a plurality of layers involved in photographic image formation, and includes an intermediate layer, a filter layer, an antihalation layer, a protective layer and the like in addition to the silver halide emulsion layer.

  Any method may be used to adjust the degree of swelling as described above. For example, the amount and type of gelatin used in the photographic film, the amount and type of hardener, or the drying conditions and aging after coating of the photographic layer. It can be adjusted by changing the conditions.

  It is advantageous to use gelatin for the photographic layer, but other hydrophilic colloids can also be used, such as gelatin derivatives, graft polymers of gelatin and other polymers, proteins such as albumin and casein, hydroxyethyl cellulose , Cellulose derivatives such as carboxymethylcellulose and cellulose sulfates, sugar derivatives such as sodium alginate and starch derivatives; polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol partial acetal, poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyacrylamide, A variety of synthetic hydrophilic polymer materials such as single or copolymers such as polyvinylimidazole and polyvinylpyrazole can be used.

  As gelatin, lime-processed gelatin, acid-processed gelatin, gelatin hydrolyzate, and gelatin oxygen-decomposed product can be used. Examples of gelatin derivatives include gelatin, various compounds such as acid halides, acid anhydrides, isocyanates, bromoacetic acid, alkane sultones, vinyl sulfonamides, maleimide compounds, polyalkylene oxides, epoxy compounds, and the like. What is obtained by reacting is used.

  Gelatin / graft polymers are those obtained by grafting a vinyl monomer mono- or copolymer such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, their esters, amide derivatives, acrylonitrile, styrene, etc. to gelatin. Can be used. In particular, a polymer having a certain degree of compatibility with gelatin, for example, a graft polymer with a polymer such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylamide, methacrylamide, and hydroxyalkyl methacrylate is preferable.

  Examples of these are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,763,625, 2,831,767, and 2,956,884. Representative synthetic hydrophilic polymer substances include, for example, West German Patent Application (OLS) 2,312,708, US Pat. Nos. 3,620,751, 3,879,205, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 43-7561. It is described in.

  Examples of the hardener include chromium salts (such as chromium alum and chromium acetate), aldehydes (such as formaldehyde, glyoxal, and glutaraldehyde), N-methylol compounds (such as dimethylol urea and methylol dimethyl hydantoin), and dioxane derivatives (2). , 3-dihydroxydioxane, etc.), active vinyl compounds (1,3,5-triacryloyl-hexahydro-s-triazine, bis (vinylsulfonyl) methyl ether, N, N′-methylenebis- [β- (vinylsulfonyl) propion Amide], active halogen compounds (2,4-dichloro-6-hydroxy-s-triazine, etc.), mucohalic acids (mucochloric acid, mucophenoxycyclolic acid, etc.), isoxazoles, dialdehyde starch, 2-chloro -6-Hide Etc. Kishitoriajiniru gelatin can be used alone or in combination. Particularly preferred hardeners are aldehydes, active vinyl compounds and active halogen compounds.

  Further, as a support used for a color photographic film, a white polyester support or a support provided with a layer containing a white pigment on a support having a silver halide emulsion layer may be used for a display. Good. In order to further improve the sharpness, it is preferable to apply an antihalation layer on the silver halide emulsion layer coating side or the back surface of the support. In particular, the transmission density of the support is preferably set in the range of 0.35 to 0.8 so that the display can be viewed with either reflected light or transmitted light.

The photographic film may be exposed with visible light, or may be exposed with infrared light. The exposure method may be low illuminance exposure or high illuminance short time exposure. In the latter case, the laser scanning exposure method in which the exposure time per pixel is shorter than 10 ⁻⁴ seconds is preferable. In exposure, it is preferable to use a hand stop filter described in US Pat. No. 4,880,726, which can remove light color mixture and remarkably improve color reproducibility.

  Next, the processing steps of this embodiment applied to the photographic processing apparatus 10 and the composition of the processing liquid are shown. First, the processing steps, processing time, processing liquid temperature, processing liquid replenishment amount, and processing tank capacity (tank capacity) of the film processing unit 16 are set as follows. In addition, the replenishment amount indicates 1.1 m (corresponding to 24 Ex1) of the negative film 12 having a width of 35 mm.

Processing process Processing time Processing temperature Replenishment amount Tank capacity Current image 1 minute 30 seconds 42 ° C 23ml 17 liters White 40 seconds 38 ° C 5ml 5 liters First fixing 40 seconds 38 ° C-5 liters Second fixing 40 seconds 38 ° C 16 ml 5 liters Washed with water 20 seconds 38 ° C 34 ml 3 liters First stable bath 20 seconds 38 ° C -3 liters Second stable bath 20 seconds 38 ° C 20 ml 3 liters (drying 1 minute 60 ° C)

  The stabilizing bath liquid is a counter-current system from the second stabilizing bath 38 to the first stabilizing bath 36, and the replenishment to the first fixing bath 30 is made by notching the upper portion of the bleaching bath 28 and the upper portion of the second fixing bath 32. The overflow liquid generated by supplying the replenisher to the bleaching tank 28 and the second fixing tank 32 flows into the first fixing tank 30. In addition, the crossover time from the processing liquid in the upstream processing tank to the processing liquid in the downstream processing tank is 6 seconds, and this time is equal to the processing time of the previous process. Is included. Each replenisher was replenished with the same liquid as the tank solution.

  Next, the composition of each processing solution is shown. Note that these treatment liquids basically use treatment liquids preferable for application.

* Developer (color developer)
Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid 2.0g
1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid 2.0 g
Sodium sulfite 3.9g
Potassium carbonate 37.5g
Potassium bromide 1.4g
Potassium iodide 1.3mg
Hydroxylamine sulfate 2.4g
2-Methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (β-hydroxyethyl) amino] aniline sulfate 6.0 g
Add water to 1.0 liter pH (prepared with potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid) 10.05

* Bleaching solution 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid ferric ammonium ammonium salt 130g
Ammonium bromide 80g
15g ammonium nitrate
Hydroxyacetic acid 25g
Acetic acid 40g
1.0 liter pH with water (prepared with aqueous ammonia) 4.4

* Fixing solution Ammonium sulfite 19g
Ammonium thiosulfate aqueous solution (700 g / liter) 280 ml
Imidazole 15g
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 15g
Add water to 1.0 liter pH (prepared with aqueous ammonia and acetic acid) 4.4
The fixing solution is stored in the second fixing tank 32, and the first fixing tank 30 is a mixed solution (pH 7.0) obtained by mixing the bleaching solution and the fixing solution in a ratio of 15 to 85 (volume ratio) as a bleach-fixing solution. ).

* Washing water Mixed-bed column packed with tap water and H-type strongly acidic cation exchange resin (Amberlite IR-120B manufactured by Rohm and Haas) and OH-type strongly basic anion exchange resin (Amberlite IR-400) The calcium and magnesium ion concentrations were adjusted to 3 mg / liter or less, followed by the addition of 20 mg / liter of sodium isocyanurate dichloride and 150 mg / liter of sodium sulfate. The pH of this solution is in the range of 6.5 to 7.5.

* Stable bath solution Sodium p-toluenesulfonate 0.03g
Polyoxyethylene-p-monononylphenyl ether (average polymerization degree 10)
0.2g
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt 0.05g
1,2,4-triazole 1.3g
1,4-bis (1,2,4-triazole-1-isomethyl) piperazine
0.75g
Add water 1.0 liter pH 8.5

  Moreover, the temperature of each process liquid in the process of the photographic paper 20, the process time in each process, and the composition of each process liquid are shown below.

Processing process Temperature Time Current image 42 ° C 25 seconds Bleaching fixing 38 ° C 25 seconds First rinse 38 ° C 20 seconds Second rinse 38 ° C 20 seconds Third rinse 38 ° C 20 seconds (drying 80 ° C 40 seconds) )
(As described above, the rinsing liquid is a three-tank countercurrent system from the third rinsing tank 56 to the first rinsing tank 52.)

* Developer water 800ml
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 3.0g
4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonic acid disodium salt
0.5g
Triethanolamine 12.0g
Potassium chloride 10.0g
Potassium bromide 0.03g
Potassium carbonate 27.0g
Fluorescent whitening agent (WHITEX 4 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical) 1.0 g
Sodium sulfite 0.1g
Disodium-N, N-bis (sulfonate ethyl) hydroxylamine
5.0g
0.1 g of sodium triisopropylnaphthalene (β) sulfonate
N-ethyl-N- (β-methanesulfonamidoethyl) -3-methyl-4-aminoaniline, 3/2 sulfuric acid, monohydrate 7.0 g
Add water to 1.0 liter pH (25 ° C / prepared with potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid) 10.20

* Bleach fixer 600ml water
Ammonium thiosulfate (750 g / liter) 93 ml
Ammonium sulfite 40g
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (III) ammonium 55g
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 5g
Nitric acid (67%) 30g
Add water to 1.0 liter pH (prepared at 25 ° C / acetic acid and aqueous ammonia) 5.8

* Rinse solution Chlorinated isocyanurate sodium 0.02g
Deionized water (conductivity 5μs / cm or less) 1000ml
pH 6.5
It is said.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the photographic processing apparatus 10 applied to the present embodiment, when a power switch (not shown) is turned on, an operation start-up process of the apparatus is started. In the control unit 86, the cartridge heaters 78 and 80 and the casting heater 100 are turned on. The circulation pumps 72, 74, and 76A to 76J are operated to heat all the processing liquids in the film processing unit 16 and the photographic paper processing unit 24 to predetermined temperatures, respectively.

  When each processing solution reaches a predetermined temperature, the cartridge heaters 78 and 80, the casting heater 100, and the cooling fans 82, 84, and 106 are controlled to be turned on and off, and each processing solution is set in a predetermined set temperature range (this embodiment). In the example, each developing solution is maintained at 42 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C., and each processing solution other than the developing solution is maintained at 38 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C.). After the processing liquids of the film processing unit 16 and the photographic paper processing unit 24 reach a predetermined temperature and the operation start-up process of the apparatus is completed, first, development processing of the negative film 12 is started.

  In the film processing section 16, the exposed negative film 12 is pulled out from the cartridge 14, sent to the developing tank 26, stored in the developing tank 26, and immersed in the developer maintained at a predetermined temperature. Further, in the film processing unit 16, the negative film 12 drawn out from the developing tank 26 is dipped in a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, washing water and a stabilizing bath solution, which are maintained at predetermined temperatures, respectively, and then dried in a drying chamber 42. After drying by blowing air, it is sent out to the reservoir 44.

  In the image exposure unit 22, the negative film 12 that has been developed and dried is drawn from the reservoir unit 44, and the photographic paper 20 is drawn from the magazine 18, and the image recorded on the negative film 12 is exposed to the photographic paper 20. Then, the photographic printing paper 20 is sent out to the reservoir 46.

  On the other hand, the photographic paper processing unit 24 draws in the photographic paper 20 that has been sent out to the reservoir unit 46 after image exposure, and is immersed in a developing solution, a bleach-fixing solution, and a rinsing solution that are heated to a predetermined temperature. After the bleach-fixing and rinsing, the photographic paper is dried in the drying chamber 58 and discharged. By cutting each predetermined image frame of the photographic paper 20 discharged from the drying chamber 58, a photographic print corresponding to the image exposed on the negative film 12 is obtained.

  In the photographic processing apparatus 10, the developing solution in the developing tank 26 for developing the negative film 12 and the developing solution in the developing tank 48 for developing the photographic paper 20 are respectively supplied to the cartridge heaters 78 and 80 and the cooling fans 82 and 84. Is maintained at a constant temperature (42 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C.), and each developer is replenished according to the processing amount of the negative film 12 and the photographic paper 20, so that the negative film 12 In addition, the printing paper 20 is processed so as to be in a constant and optimum processing state from the leading edge to the trailing edge. In particular, when the developer in the film processing unit 16 is circulated, the circulation amount of the developer is made constant by the flow meter 90, so that unevenness in the finish of the negative film 12 due to excessive or insufficient circulation amount does not occur.

  By the way, in the photographic processing apparatus 10, the bleaching solution, the fixing solution, the rinsing water, the stabilizing bath solution of the film processing unit 16, and the bleach-fixing solution and the rinsing solution of the photographic paper processing unit 24 are fixed by the casting heater 100 and the cooling fan 106. While maintaining the temperature (38 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C.), the negative film 12 and the photographic paper 20 immersed in the developer are processed with a constant quality. That is, the bleaching solution for immersing the negative film 12, the fixing solution, the washing water, the stabilizing bath solution, and the bleaching / fixing solution for immersing the photographic paper 20 and the rinsing solution are heated by a single casting heater 100. The temperature is adjusted.

  Conventionally, when heating the bleaching solution, fixing solution, washing water, stabilizing bath solution, and bleaching / fixing solution and rinsing solution of the photographic paper processing unit 24 in the film processing unit 16, at least one heater or Whereas a heater is used for each processing tank, the photographic processing apparatus 10 uses a single cast-in heater 100 to heat these six types of processing solutions.

  Thereby, the number of heaters can be significantly reduced. Further, without providing a heater for each of the pipes 70A to 70J for circulating the respective processing liquids, the pipes 70A to 70J are bundled and connected by the metal block 104 of the cast-in heater 100 as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to form an orderly circulation pipe inside the apparatus and simplify the inside of the apparatus.

  In addition, when processing tanks that store processing liquids of different temperatures are adjacent to each other, the temperature of each processing liquid affects each other, so accurate temperature control is not easy, and inevitably processing liquids with different temperatures are used. The processing tank to be stored needs to be separated so as not to affect the temperature, which hinders the downsizing of the apparatus when the film processing unit and the photographic paper processing unit are arranged integrally.

  On the other hand, in the photographic processing apparatus 10, the temperature of the developer in the film processing unit 16 and the temperature of the developer in the photographic paper processing unit 24 are set and maintained at approximately the same 42 ° C. A processing solution other than the developing solution and a processing solution other than the developing solution in the photographic paper processing unit 24 are set and maintained at 38 ° C.

  For this reason, even if the processing tank which stores a different processing liquid is arrange | positioned adjacently, the temperature of one processing liquid does not affect the temperature of the other processing liquid. Accordingly, the film processing unit 16 and the photographic paper processing unit 24 can be arranged close to each other, and it is not necessary to provide a gap between the film processing unit 16 and the photographic paper processing unit 24, thereby reducing the size of the entire apparatus. Is done.

  As a method of maintaining a plurality of processing liquids at a predetermined temperature using the cast heater 100, when any of the processing liquids falls below a predetermined temperature range, the heater 102 is turned on, and any of the processing liquids is predetermined. Is turned off when the upper limit of the temperature range is reached, and when any of the processing liquids exceeds a predetermined temperature range, the cooling fan 106 is turned on to cool the metal block 104. . For this reason, in the control unit 86, it is not necessary to individually adjust the temperature of the plurality of processing liquids, and the temperature control of the processing liquid in the apparatus is extremely simplified.

  Further, in the casting heater 100, among the processing liquids flowing in the pipes 70 </ b> A to 70 </ b> J, the processing liquid having a temperature higher than that of the metal block 104 is lowered by the heat exchange with the metal block 104. The processing liquid having a low temperature is heated from the metal block 104 to increase the liquid temperature, and the processing liquid flowing through the metal block 104 and the pipes 70 </ b> A to 70 </ b> J having high heat conduction efficiency is substantially the same through the metal block 104. The processing liquids are adjusted to each other so that the temperature is reached.

  Thus, by simultaneously adjusting the temperature of the plurality of processing liquids using the cast heater 100, the temperature adjustment that has been conventionally performed for each processing liquid can be performed between the processing liquids. Temperature control can be simplified, and more efficient temperature control is possible.

  In the photographic processing apparatus 10, the temperature of the developer in the film processing unit 16 and the developer in the photographic paper processing unit 24 is set to 42 ° C., which is higher than the temperature of the conventional developer (38 ° C. or lower). Therefore, it is possible to promote the development of each of the negative film 12 and the photographic paper 20.

  In addition, since the processing liquid other than the developing solution is set to 38 ° C. which is higher than the conventional processing liquid, the processing of the negative film 12 and the photographic paper 20 in each processing liquid can be accelerated. For this reason, the photographic processing apparatus 10 can rapidly perform development processing using the processing solutions for the negative film 12 and the photographic paper 20.

  In this embodiment, the temperature of the developing solution in the film processing unit 16 and the developing solution in the photographic paper processing unit 24 are adjusted by the cartridge heaters 78 and 80, and the temperature of the processing solution other than the developing solution is adjusted by the casting heater 100. A large number of processing liquids are maintained at a predetermined temperature by three heat sources. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a pipe 68 provided in the developing tank 48 of the photographic paper processing unit 24 is connected to other processing liquid. The pipes 70 </ b> A to 70 </ b> J may be bundled together and connected to the casting heater 100, thereby further omitting a heat source for heating the processing liquid.

  In this case, when it is desired to change the set temperature of the developing solution in the developing tank 48 of the photographic paper processing unit 24 from the set temperature of another processing solution, the temperature is supplementarily adjusted to the pipe 68 between the casting heater 100 and the sub tank 62. It is sufficient to provide means for performing the above. For example, the temperature adjusting means may be provided with a large number of fins 110 on the pipe 68 and supply cooling air or warm air to the fins 110 by the fan 112 to adjust the temperature of the developer.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the developer in the film processing unit 16 and the developer in the photographic paper processing unit 24 may be heated by the same heater. (Not shown) can be used.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processing liquid other than the developer in the film processing section 16 and the photographic paper processing section 24 is heated at once by the casting heater 100. However, the pipes 70A to 70J are divided into a plurality of parts, respectively. May be connected by another cast-in heater, and this can also significantly reduce the number of heaters serving as heat sources.

  In this way, even when the number of heaters (casting heater and cartridge heater) is larger than that of the photographic processing apparatus 10, the total number of heaters can be reduced to 4 or less, preferably 3 or less. It is preferable to achieve the object of the present invention that suppresses the running cost of the apparatus and to show the effect remarkably.

  In this embodiment, the temperature of the developing solution is 42 ° C., and the temperature of the processing solution excluding the developing solution is 38 ° C. This is an example, and the temperature of the developing solution is 40 ° C. or higher. If the temperature of the treatment liquid excluding is 38 ° C. or higher and 50 ° C. or lower, the object of the present invention can be sufficiently achieved. Here, when the temperature of the developing solution is less than 40 ° C. and the temperature of the processing solution excluding the developing solution is less than 38 ° C., it is substantially the same as the conventional processing speed, and is insufficient for achieving the rapid processing of the present invention. It is.

  The cartridge heaters 78 and 80 used in the present embodiment may be cartridge heaters in which a heater is inserted into the circulation channel of the processing liquid, and a cast heater in which one pipe and a heater are cast in a metal block. Alternatively, various heating heaters having a general configuration such as a pipe heater in which a heater is closely attached to a pipe integrally provided with a metal block can be used.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the photographic processing apparatus applied to the present Example. It is a schematic piping system diagram which shows circulation of the process liquid of the photographic processing apparatus of a present Example. It is a schematic perspective view which shows an example of the heat source applied to the present Example. It is a schematic block diagram of the control part which performs temperature control of each process liquid of a photographic processing apparatus. It is a general | schematic piping system diagram which shows the applicable example of the circulation of the process liquid of a photographic processing apparatus. (A)-(G) is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the process process of the film processing part and photographic paper processing part which can each be applied as a photographic processing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Photo processing equipment 12 Negative film (color photographic film, color photographic light-sensitive material)
16 Film processing section 20 Printing paper (color printing paper, color photographic material)
22 Image Exposure Unit 24 Photographic Paper Processing Unit 26 Developer Tank (Developer Tank)
28 Bleaching tank (treatment tank)
30, 32 First and second fixing tanks (treatment tanks)
34 Water washing tank (treatment tank)
36, 38 1st and 2nd stable bath (treatment tank)
48 Developer tank (Developer tank)
50 Bleach fixing tank (processing tank)
52, 54, 56 First to third rinse tanks (treatment tanks)
60, 62, 64 Sub tank 66, 68, 70 Piping 72, 74, 76 Circulation pump 78, 80 Cartridge heater (first heater)
82, 84 Cooling fan 88, 92 Temperature sensor 90 Flow meter 100 Cast-in heater (second heater)
104 Metal block 106 Cooling fan 110 Fin (temperature adjusting means)
112 Fan (temperature adjustment means)

Claims (4)

A film processing unit that develops the exposed color photographic film with a processing solution that is maintained at a predetermined temperature in each of a plurality of processing baths including a developing bath, and the developed color photographic film. An image exposure unit that exposes color photographic paper according to the image of the image, and a process in which the image-exposed color photographic paper is maintained and stored at a predetermined temperature in each of a plurality of processing tanks including a developer tank. A photographic paper processing unit for developing with a liquid,
The film processing unit and the photographic paper processing unit are:
A sub tank provided adjacent to each of a plurality of processing tanks including the developer tank;
A filter that partitions between the treatment tank and the sub tank so that a treatment liquid can pass through;
Piping for connecting the treatment tank and the sub tank in communication;
A temperature sensor provided in the sub-tank;
A circulation pump provided in the middle of the pipe;
A first heater provided in the middle of the pipe in the developer tank;
A second heater provided so as to bundle the middle portions of the pipes in the plurality of processing tanks excluding the developer tank;
A cooling fan provided in the vicinity of the first heater and the second heater;
A photographic processing apparatus comprising:   The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a flow meter is provided in a middle portion of a pipe in the developer tank of the film processing unit. A film processing unit that develops the exposed color photographic film with a processing solution that is maintained at a predetermined temperature in each of a plurality of processing baths including a developing bath, and the developed color photographic film. An image exposure unit that exposes color photographic paper according to the image of the image, and a process in which the image-exposed color photographic paper is maintained and stored at a predetermined temperature in each of a plurality of processing tanks including a developer tank. A photographic paper processing unit for developing with a liquid,
The film processing unit and the photographic paper processing unit are:
A sub tank provided adjacent to each of a plurality of processing tanks including the developer tank;
A filter that partitions between the treatment tank and the sub tank so that a treatment liquid can pass through;
Piping for connecting the treatment tank and the sub tank in communication;
A temperature sensor provided in the sub-tank;
A circulation pump provided in the middle of the pipe;
A first heater and a flow meter provided in the middle of the pipe in the developer tank of the film processing unit;
A second heater provided so as to bundle the middle portions of the pipes in the plurality of processing tanks excluding the developer tank of the film processing section;
Temperature adjusting means provided in the middle of the piping in the developer tank of the photographic paper processing unit;
A cooling fan provided in the vicinity of the first heater and the second heater;
A photographic processing apparatus comprising:   4. The cast heater according to claim 1, wherein the second heater is a cast-in heater in which a middle portion of the pipe is tightly solidified and connected to a metal material having a high thermal conductivity together with a heat source. The photo processing apparatus according to 1.

Images