JP2005208204A - Development processor for silver halide photographic sensitive material and evaporation correction method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a development processor for stably supplying good silver salt photographic images by smoothly and reliably replenishing a processing tub with a proper amount of water against moisture evaporation from a processing liquid in the processing tub. <P>SOLUTION: The developer processor detects a member held in the state of being immersed in the processing liquid in the processing tub and moved in the processing tub by the fluctuation in the specific gravity of the processing liquid, and replenishes the processing tub with water on the basis of the result of the detection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a development processing technique for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, and more particularly to a technique for correcting moisture evaporation from a processing solution in a processing tank.

  A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material typified by a color photograph forms an image via a processing solution such as a color developer. Processing of color silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials in the city has become very common at general camera stores and DPE agency stores due to the spread of minilab machines. It is now possible to provide a print photo that is the final product with a sufficient degree.

  And for convenience of minilab systems, recently minilab machines have been installed in supermarkets and convenience stores. In such a store, a device that can be operated as an operator even by a person who lacks expertise in photographic technology has been introduced so that a print service can be provided without waiting for the customer for a long time. In this way, the minilab system has established a rapid print service business.

  On the other hand, from the viewpoint of environmental conservation, including the tightening of regulations on disposal of photographic processing agent waste liquid to the ocean, and from the viewpoint of improving the maintenance performance of minilab machines, reduction of processing waste liquid from processing equipment has been studied. As one of means for achieving this, low replenishment of a photographic replenisher has been promoted.

  By the way, minilab machines installed in the city are always ready for development processing by always adjusting the temperature of the processing tank in order to meet the customer's need to provide print photographs in a short time from the request. This state promotes the concentration of the processing solution by water evaporation and is not preferable for maintaining stable development processing performance. In particular, when the processing amount of the photographic light-sensitive material decreases, the problem increases because the processing solution is concentrated and deteriorated as much as the replenishment opportunity of the processing solution decreases.

  Usually, an operator who manages the development processing apparatus prevents the concentration of the processing liquid by appropriately adding water corresponding to the evaporated amount. However, operators such as part-timers who have little expertise in photographic technology rarely perform such evaporation correction work frequently, and develop processing with concentrated processing liquid without performing evaporation correction, resulting in degraded image quality There was concern about the problem of providing printed photos to customers.

  In addition, the reduction in replenishment amount due to the above-mentioned low replenishment speeds up the progress of concentration of the processing solution under such circumstances, and development processing performance that can stably obtain a predetermined image quality. It has become increasingly difficult to maintain.

  Therefore, a technique for preventing the concentration of the processing solution by automatically replenishing the developing processing device with water for evaporation has been studied. As such an evaporation correction technique, the processing liquid evaporation amount at the temperature and relative humidity under any environment where the processing apparatus is assumed to be installed is calculated in advance, and the value is stored in the development processing apparatus, and installed. After that, the temperature and relative humidity are detected, and both the data are collated to determine the amount of water to be supplied (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and a hydrometer stored in a holder in the treatment tank is provided. A technique of supplying water based on the measurement result (for example, see Patent Document 2) has been proposed.

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a trouble that it is necessary to set the evaporation amount with respect to the temperature and humidity fluctuation of the assumed installation environment one by one, and the actual condition based on the assumed condition. Since the supply amount was determined, the proper amount of water was not always replenished.

  Further, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the liquid level of the treatment tank is too low due to evaporation, and the hydrometer does not sufficiently immerse in the liquid, so that correct measurement cannot be performed, or treatment that occurs near the liquid level. There was a problem that liquid component deposits adhered between the hydrometer and the hydrometer holder, and correct measurement could not be performed.

As described above, there has not been established a technique capable of performing the evaporation correction smoothly and appropriately with respect to the water evaporation of the treatment liquid.
JP-A-5-181250 (see paragraphs 0011 to 0014) JP-A-5-257254 (see paragraph 0022, etc.)

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and by allowing an appropriate amount of water to be smoothly replenished into the treatment tank against the occurrence of moisture evaporation from the treatment liquid in the treatment tank, An object of the present invention is to provide a development processing apparatus for a silver halide photographic material capable of stably obtaining a good quality photograph even when the processing amount of the silver halide photographic material is small, and a method for correcting evaporation into the processing tank. It is what.

  The inventor has focused on the fact that the specific gravity of the treatment liquid increases due to the evaporation of moisture from the treatment liquid. Then, as a result of investigating a method of detecting an increase in specific gravity of the treatment liquid and replenishing water into the treatment tank based on the detection information, the present invention has been found. That is, the present invention is achieved by any of the configurations described below.

  [1] In a silver halide photographic material development processing apparatus that performs development processing using a processing solution in a processing tank, a member that moves in the processing tank due to a change in specific gravity of the processing solution, and detection that detects the member And a water supply means for supplying water to the processing tank, and the member moving in the processing tank is always immersed in the processing solution. Development processing equipment.

  [2] The silver halide photographic light-sensitive material according to [1], further comprising control means for controlling replenishment of water from the water supply means to the processing tank based on information from the detection means. Development processing equipment.

  [3] The silver halide photographic light-sensitive material development processing apparatus according to [1], further comprising an alarm generation unit that operates based on information from the detection unit.

  The configuration according to the above [1] to [3] is a member that moves in the processing liquid when the specific gravity of the processing liquid increases with the evaporation of water from the processing liquid and the specific gravity of the processing liquid exceeds a certain value. Is developed in a state of being immersed in the liquid, and is related to a development processing apparatus provided with a detecting means for detecting the member, and this configuration makes it possible to smoothly replenish water evaporated from the processing liquid. ing. In the present invention, the “state always immersed in the treatment liquid” means that the member is installed so as not to be lifted out of the liquid.

  In the development processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the specific gravity of the processing liquid increases and exceeds the specified range, the above-mentioned member receives buoyancy from the processing liquid and moves in the processing liquid. The detecting means detects the member by a method such as detecting a position where the member has moved, or directly detecting an action of buoyancy generated on the member. Based on the detection information from the detection means, an amount of water corresponding to the amount evaporated is supplied into the treatment tank. Furthermore, when the processing tank is replenished with water and the specific gravity of the processing liquid returns to within a predetermined range, the buoyancy acting on the member is eliminated, so that the member returns to a predetermined position. And the replenishment of the water to a processing tank is complete | finished when a detection means detects that the member returned to the predetermined position.

  In the present invention, water is replenished to the treatment tank based on information from the detection means. For example, by providing a control means as described later, water replenishment corresponding to the evaporation amount is automatically performed. And an alarm generating device such as a buzzer or a lamp provided in the development processing device, the alarm generating device is operated based on information from the detection means, and the operator recognizes the alarm and manually supplies water.

  In this way, by providing a member that moves in the processing liquid and a detecting means for detecting the member, the performance of the processing liquid can be maintained at a constant level at all times. It has become possible to stably maintain the development processing performance of the photographic material.

  In particular, when these configurations are provided in the color developer tank, if the specific gravity of the member is set to the upper limit of the standard value of the specific gravity of the color developing solution, moisture is replenished when the specific gravity of the processing solution reaches the upper limit of the standard. Therefore, the color development process can be performed in a state always within the standard range. As a result, it is possible to prevent the color development processing solution from being concentrated or deteriorated due to water evaporation, and the color development processing under a predetermined condition can be performed at any time, and a silver salt photograph with good image quality can be stably supplied to the user. Make it possible to do.

  In addition, when these structures are provided in a stabilizing solution tank which is a final processing tank, the amount of water evaporation is the largest in the development processing apparatus, and the solution of the stabilizing process solution that requires the cleaning function of the photosensitive material is required. It becomes possible to maintain stable performance at all times. As a result, it is possible to smoothly wash out unnecessary processing solution components adhering to the surface of the photosensitive material, which is performed in the stabilization process, and to maintain the weather resistance of the obtained photographic surface at a predetermined level. Therefore, it is possible to stably provide the user with a processing technique capable of giving a long-term stable image storage performance to the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material.

  Further, in the development processing apparatus according to the present invention, water is supplied for the amount of evaporation based on the variation in specific gravity of the processing liquid in the processing tank, so that dilution or concentration of the processing liquid is likely to occur due to excessive or insufficient evaporation correction water amount. It has been confirmed that the replenishment type development processing apparatus has particularly favorable effects.

  [4] The development processing apparatus includes a plurality of processing tanks, and the members are provided in individual processing tanks and set based on the specific gravity of the processing liquid stored in the processing tanks. The development processing apparatus for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein:

  The configuration described in the above [4] is, for example, in each processing tank of a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material developing processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing tanks such as a color developing tank, a bleach-fixing tank, and a stabilizing tank. By providing a member having a specific gravity set according to the type of each processing liquid, it becomes possible to supply water by evaporation correction evenly to each processing tank in the development processing apparatus. As a result, the processing function of each processing tank is constantly maintained, so that it is possible to more stably supply a photograph having a good image quality to the user.

Moreover, this inventor discovered that the structure as described in [5] and [6] below also expresses the effect of this invention. That is,
[5] An evaporation correction method for replenishing water corresponding to the amount of evaporation from the treatment liquid stored in the treatment tank, which is constantly immersed in the treatment liquid, and is caused by fluctuations in the specific gravity of the treatment liquid. An evaporation correction method for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material developing processing apparatus, comprising: detecting a member moving in a processing tank; and supplying water to the processing tank based on the result of detecting the member.

  [6] The silver halide photographic material developing process according to [5], wherein the start and stop of water supply to the processing tank is automatically performed based on the result of detecting the member. Evaporation correction method for equipment.

  The development processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a member capable of moving in the processing liquid based on a variation in specific gravity of the processing liquid stored in the processing tank, and a detecting unit that detects the member. When the specific gravity of the treatment liquid in the treatment tank exceeds a certain value due to moisture evaporation, the above-described member immersed in the treatment liquid moves to the upper side of the treatment tank. At this time, the detection member detects the position of the moved member or the buoyancy acting on the member, and supplies water corresponding to the amount of evaporation to the treatment tank based on the information detected by the detection member. It is. As a result, since the specific gravity within the standard range is always maintained for the processing liquid in the processing tank, it is possible to avoid the concentration or deterioration of the processing liquid due to moisture evaporation and maintain the performance of the processing liquid at a predetermined level. Thus, it has become possible to carry out development processing stably with the development performance of the above.

  In particular, according to the present invention, the effect of the present invention is sufficiently manifested in a low replenishment type development processing apparatus in which it is very difficult to dilute and maintain a concentrated processing solution to a normal concentration by supplying a replenishing solution during development processing. I was sure that.

  In addition, when the color development processing tank is provided with the configuration according to the present invention, the specific gravity of the color developing solution is increased above the standard by setting the specific gravity of the member to the upper limit of the reference specific gravity value of the color developing solution. Therefore, the color development processing within the standard range is always performed stably. As a result, it is possible to maintain a color development processing step capable of stably forming a beautiful color image, and it is possible to stably supply a photograph having a good image quality to the user.

  In addition, when the above-mentioned member is provided in a stabilization liquid tank that is a final processing tank, the stabilization process prevents the stabilization liquid from being concentrated and deteriorated, which is said to have the largest amount of water evaporation in the processing tank. It became possible to maintain the liquid processing performance stably. As a result, it has become possible to smoothly remove and wash out unnecessary processing solution components remaining on the surface of the light-sensitive material, which are performed in the stabilization processing step. The obtained photograph can be imparted with a predetermined level of weather resistance, and a photograph that exhibits stable image storage performance over a long period of time can be provided to the user.

  In addition, since the present invention is such that the member moving in the treatment tank is always immersed in the treatment liquid due to fluctuations in the specific gravity of the treatment liquid, it is like using a conventional hydrometer that detects specific gravity on the treatment liquid surface. In addition, it is now possible to detect fluctuations in specific gravity without being affected by the tar deposited from the developer. As a result, the variation in specific gravity can be quickly detected, and water can be replenished with high precision so that the performance of the treatment liquid can be maintained more reliably.

  Further, in the present invention, information such as the evaporation amount corresponding to the assumed installation environment is not preset and stored in the development processing apparatus. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide such a storage element for recording information and complicated electronic circuit components in the development processing apparatus, so that the development processing apparatus can be made compact, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Realized.

  The present invention provides a processing liquid tank with a member, and when the member has obtained buoyancy in the liquid, the action of the buoyancy is used to detect the processing liquid concentration state due to water evaporation, and the processing tank is based on the detection information. The present invention relates to a processing technique for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in which water supply is performed to correct evaporation.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a photosensitive material processing apparatus used in a processing method of a silver halide color photographic photosensitive material, which is one of the typical embodiments of a development processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  A photosensitive material processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an automatic developing machine) 1 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a roller transport type automatic developing machine that transports a silver halide color photographic photosensitive material by a roller. The automatic developing machine 1 includes a color developing tank 2, a bleach-fixing tank 3, and a stabilizing tank-1 (4 in the figure) that store a color developing solution, a bleach-fixing solution, and a stabilizing solution, respectively, in a main body casing (not shown). ), -2 (5 in the figure), and -3 (6 in the figure) are arranged in this order from the left in the figure.

  The automatic processor shown in FIG. 1 is mainly used for development processing of color photographic paper, but is given as an example of a typical automatic processor, and does not limit the present invention. Examples of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material that can be processed by applying the present invention include color negative film, color photographic paper, color reversal film, direct positive photographic paper, X-ray film, printing film, and monochrome negative film. And silver salt sensitive materials such as monochrome photographic paper.

  In the color developing tank 2, a transport roller 51 for transporting the photosensitive material S along a predetermined path in the tank is disposed. Further, the same conveying rollers 52 and 53 to 55 are also arranged in the bleach-fixing tank 3 and the stabilizing tanks -1 to -3 (4 to 6), respectively.

  Further, a crossover roller 56 is installed between each of the treatment tanks 2 to 6 and a squeeze portion 7 described later. These crossover rollers 56 squeeze out the processing liquid adhering to the surface of the photosensitive material when the photosensitive material S is sandwiched therebetween, and suppress the processing liquid from being brought into the next tank.

  Further, guides (not shown) for guiding the photosensitive material S to the next roller are provided between the rollers such as near the bottom of each processing tank 2 to 6 and on both sides of the crossover roller 56.

  In addition, it is preferable that the conveyance rollers 51 to 55 and the guide are loaded in a state assembled in a rack for each processing tank.

  The photosensitive material S introduced into the main body casing is sequentially conveyed through the color developing tank 2, the bleach-fixing tank 3, and the stabilizing tanks 4 to 6 by the rollers 51 to 55, and is immersed in each processing solution therebetween. Color development, bleach-fixing, and stabilization are performed.

  A squeeze portion 7 is provided on the upper right side of the stability-3 tank 6 in FIG. In the squeeze portion 7, a plurality of pairs of squeeze rollers 71 are installed along the conveyance path of the photosensitive material S, and the squeeze roller 71 sandwiches and conveys the photosensitive material S after the stabilization process so that the photosensitive material S is separated from the photosensitive material S. Remove moisture.

  A dryer 8 is provided below the squeeze portion 7 in FIG. The dryer 8 includes a casing 81 and hot air supply means 83 for supplying hot air for drying into the casing 81, and a transport roller 82 is provided along the transport path of the photosensitive material S inside the casing 81. Installed.

  The hot air supply means 83 includes a blower fan and a heater, and the hot air heated to a temperature of preferably about 35 to 100 ° C., more preferably about 40 to 80 ° C. through a duct communicating with the casing 81 is provided in the casing 81. Supply in. In the casing 81, the photosensitive material S that has passed through the squeeze portion 7 is transported by the transport roller 82, and is dried in contact with the supplied hot air.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic processor 1 according to the present invention has an evaporation correction unit having the following configuration. That is, a member (hereinafter also referred to as a moving member or member) 10 having a float portion 11 that moves in the treatment tank when moisture evaporates from the treatment liquid introduced into each treatment tank and the specific gravity of the treatment liquid increases. Detection means 20 for detecting the movement of the float unit 11 in the moving member 10, control means 25 for controlling water supply to the treatment tank based on information from the detection means, and a pump 30 constituting water supply means for supplying water to the treatment tank And a water supply tank 40 and a water absorption pipe 41. Hereinafter, the evaporation correction means according to the present invention will be described in detail.

  In the present invention, the detection means 20 detects the movement of the moving member 10 in the treatment tank, thereby detecting whether or not the specific gravity of the treatment liquid is higher than a predetermined value, and based on the detection result. The treatment tank is replenished with moisture to maintain the treatment liquid in a predetermined state.

  The moving member 10 that moves in the processing liquid based on the variation in the specific gravity of the processing liquid is characterized in that the entire member is always immersed in the processing liquid. In this way, since the specific gravity fluctuation of the processing liquid is detected in a state where the entire moving member 10 is always immersed in the processing liquid, the moving member 10 has an influence from outside the liquid, such as a temperature difference and a pressure difference, and precipitation of liquid components. It is possible to detect the specific gravity variation with high accuracy without being affected by adhesion of objects.

  As described above, the present invention is a technique that focuses on the variation in the specific gravity of the processing liquid. The techniques that focus on the specific gravity of the processing liquid are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above. The specific gravity was measured through the surface. Thus, what measured specific gravity through the liquid level was difficult to perform smooth specific gravity measurement under the influence from the outside of the liquid and the influence of precipitates such as tar generated near the liquid level. In particular, when the development processing amount as noted in the present invention is small or the automatic developing machine corresponding to the low replenishment has an harsh processing solution environment, the influence of tar deposition cannot be ignored. For example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, tar is likely to adhere to a unit equipped with a hydrometer, and accurate specific gravity measurement cannot be performed due to the tar adhesion.

  In addition, fluctuations in the liquid level position of the treatment liquid due to evaporation also hindered accurate specific gravity detection. For example, the one disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem that the liquid level may be lower than the installation position of the hydrometer due to the progress of evaporation, and in such a case, the specific gravity cannot be measured.

  In the present invention, since the entire member is immersed in the processing liquid, it is possible to accurately detect a change in the specific gravity of the processing liquid without being affected by tar adhering to the member or by a decrease in the liquid level. Is possible.

  A member that moves in the treatment tank due to a variation in the specific gravity of the treatment liquid used in the present invention will be described. The moving member 10 used in the present invention moves in the processing tank due to buoyancy generated in the member due to the specific gravity variation of the processing liquid. The variation in specific gravity of the processing liquid occurs when the water in the processing liquid evaporates and the processing liquid concentrates. In particular, in a minilab system that provides quick service to the user, the processing liquid in the processing tank is always heated, and the amount of water evaporation increases as the standby time increases. In the present invention, when the specific gravity of the processing liquid increases, buoyancy acts on the member 10 as described above, and the buoyancy allows the member 10 to move in the processing liquid.

  As described above, the moving member 10 used in the present invention informs whether or not the specific gravity of the processing liquid is within an appropriate range by moving in the processing liquid by the action of buoyancy generated by the specific gravity fluctuation of the processing liquid. Thus, it functions as a tool for managing the state of the processing liquid. And in this invention, the movement in the process liquid of the movement member 10 is detected, water is replenished to a process tank based on the detection information, a process liquid is diluted, and the specific gravity of a process liquid is made into an appropriate range. In this way, the state of the processing liquid is maintained at a constant state. Therefore, as disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, a complicated arithmetic circuit for reading the specific gravity as a numerical value is not required, contributing to downsizing and cost reduction of the development processing apparatus and further simplification of operation. Is.

  The evaporation correction technique performed in the present invention will be further described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the evaporation correction means 9 according to the present invention for the treatment tank used in the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 2 (3 to 6) passes through the processing tank 2 (3 to 6), the auxiliary tank 21, the filtration filter 23, and the circulation pipe 22 as shown by arrows. Circulated. Moreover, the evaporation correction means 9 is arrange | positioned in the state in which the moving member 10 was immersed in the liquid in the auxiliary tank 21 provided in the processing tank 2 (3-6). The moving member 10 is connected to detecting means 20 for detecting the position of the moving member 10 and the buoyancy acting on the float portion 11 of the member 10, and detects the moving member 10. And based on the information from the detection means 20, water is supplied to the processing tank 2 from the water supply tank 40 through the operation of the pump 30.

  The moving member 10 is configured so that the entire member is immersed in the processing liquid, and the float unit 11 that actually moves due to the variation in the specific gravity of the processing liquid does not float out of the processing liquid. In this manner, the moving member 10 is designed so that the float 11 moves in the liquid when the processing liquid is concentrated and the specific gravity increases and becomes a value higher than a predetermined value. Moreover, the moving member 10 is fixed to the bottom part of the processing tank 2, and the float part 11 is always in the state immersed in the processing liquid. FIG. 2 shows that the moving member 10 is arranged in the auxiliary tank 21, but the place where the moving member 10 is arranged is a place where the entire float unit 11 can be maintained in a treatment solution at all times in the treatment tank. If it is, it will not specifically limit.

  The moving member 10 will be described in more detail. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the moving member 10 used in the present invention. In the moving member 10 shown in FIG. 3, when the specific gravity of the float is changed by setting the specific gravity of the float unit 11 to a value corresponding to the upper limit of the appropriate specific gravity of the treatment liquid charged into each treatment tank. It moves in the processing solution. The moving member 10 is a member such as a guide portion 12 that holds the float portion 11, a stopper 13 that sets an upper limit and a lower limit position at which the float portion 11 can move, and a reed switch 14 that transmits information to the detection means 20. Consists of. In the moving member 10, for example, by embedding a magnet in the float portion 11 or providing an electrical contact on a member constituting the moving member 10, the detection by the detection means 20 can be performed more accurately. In addition, the moving member 10 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the member which moves in the processing tank by the specific gravity fluctuation | variation of the processing liquid which concerns on this invention is not limited to this.

  Further, as described above, the automatic developing machine is provided with a plurality of processing tanks, and processing liquids such as a color developing solution, a bleach-fixing solution, and a stabilizing solution are stored in each processing tank. When the moving member 10 is provided in each processing tank, it is preferable to set the specific gravity of the moving member 10 to a specific gravity corresponding to the upper limit of the appropriate specific gravity range of the processing liquid stored in each processing tank. It is possible to produce the moving member 10 corresponding to the appropriate specific gravity range of each processing liquid by selecting the material of the float part 11 or controlling the amount of fillers including air into the float. .

  The detecting means 20 directly detects the position of the float portion 11 constituting the moving member 10 and the buoyancy applied to the float portion 11 through physical, electrical, or magnetic action. In the present invention, the detection means 20 is particularly limited as long as it can directly detect the position of the float part 11 constituting the moving member 10 in the processing tank 2 or the buoyancy acting on the float part 11. It is not a thing. Specific methods for detecting the float unit 11 include, for example, an optical unit that performs detection by irradiating light such as a laser, and an electrical unit that detects the position of the float unit 11 by providing a sensor on the moving member 10. Magnetic means for embedding a magnet in the moving member 10 to actuate the reed switch 14 by the action of magnetic force, or physical for detecting movement of the moving member 10 due to buoyancy by connecting the moving member 10 and the detecting means 20 with a chain or a crank. Means etc. are mentioned. Further, the detection may be performed by a composite means combining these means. In this way, the detecting means 20 detects the presence or absence of movement of the float unit 11 constituting the moving member 10.

  In FIG. 2, the information from the detection means 20 is controlled via the control means 25 to control the operation of the pump 30, and the processing tank 2 is automatically replenished with water for evaporation. The invention is not limited to the type in which water is automatically supplied to the treatment tank 2 as shown in FIG. 2. For example, an alarm generating device is arranged instead of the control means 25 to detect the moving member 10. The alarm generation device is operated based on the result, and the operator manually supplies water into the treatment tank 2 by detecting the alarm. Examples of the alarm generating device include those that send an alarm to the operator with a sound like a buzzer and those that send an alarm with a light like a lamp, and are particularly limited as long as they can reliably transmit information to the operator. It is not a thing.

  The mechanism of evaporation correction by movement of the float unit 11 constituting the moving member 10 in the processing liquid will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, the guide portion 12 and the stopper portion 13 constituting the moving member 10 are fixed, and the float portion 11 is in a state where it can move due to the specific gravity variation of the processing liquid.

  First, FIG. 4 shows a state in which it is not necessary to replenish the treatment liquid with water. The specific gravity of the processing liquid is within a specified range, and the float unit 11 is at the lower limit position of the guide unit 12.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows a state immediately before the concentration of the treatment liquid proceeds and the specific gravity of the treatment liquid increases to supply water into the treatment tank. In FIG. 5, the treatment liquid in the treatment tank 2 has a lower liquid level than that in FIG. Then, the specific gravity of the processing liquid exceeds the specified range, and the float unit 11 moves to the upper limit position as shown in the figure by increasing the specific gravity of the processing liquid. Then, the detection means 20 detects the movement of the float unit 11 and generates a detection signal. The detection signal is transmitted from the detection means 20 to the control means 25 or the alarm generating device, and an instruction is given to replenish the treatment tank 2 with water, and water supply to the treatment tank 2 from the water supply tank 40 (not shown) via the pump 30 is started. Is done.

  Further, FIG. 6 shows a state where water is supplied to the treatment tank 2. In FIG. 6, a detection signal is continuously transmitted from the detection unit 20, and the pump 30 is operated by this detection signal to supply water to the treatment tank 2. At this time, the water corresponding to the evaporated amount is replenished to the treatment tank 2, and the treatment liquid in the treatment tank 2 is diluted to return to the specific gravity within the specified range. Return to the position shown in FIG. And if the detection means 20 detects that the float part 11 returned to the lower limit position of the guide part 12, the water supply to the processing tank 2 will be stopped by the detection signal.

  Thus, in the present invention, the moving member that is constantly immersed in the treatment liquid in the treatment tank detects that the movement in the treatment tank is caused by fluctuations in the specific gravity of the treatment liquid, and based on the detection result, Supplying water to the treatment tank is started by detecting that water is replenished in the treatment tank, the treatment liquid is diluted, and the specific gravity returns to the specified range. I try to stop.

  In this way, the present invention detects that the moving member immersed in the processing liquid in the processing tank moves due to the variation in the specific gravity of the processing liquid, and supplies the water corresponding to the amount of evaporation based on the detection result. This is what we did. As a result, the processing liquid in the processing tank can always maintain a specific gravity within a specified range, and the concentration of the processing liquid due to evaporation and deterioration of the processing liquid can be avoided to maintain the processing liquid performance at a certain level. Thus, the development processing with the development performance can be carried out stably.

  In particular, it has been confirmed that the effect of the present invention is sufficiently exhibited in a low replenishment development processing apparatus in which it is very difficult to dilute and maintain a concentrated processing liquid to a normal concentration by supplying a replenishing liquid during development processing. It was.

  Further, when the color development processing tank is provided with the configuration according to the present invention, the color developing solution can be concentrated more than the standard by setting the specific gravity of the moving member to the upper limit of the standard specific gravity value of the color developing solution. As a result, the predetermined color development processing can be performed stably. As a result, it has become possible to maintain a color development process capable of stably forming beautiful color photographs and stably provide photographs having good image quality to users.

  In addition, when the moving member is provided in the stabilizing solution tank that is the final processing tank, the evaporation of moisture is the largest in the processing liquid, and the effect of the liquid deterioration greatly affects the storage stability of the photograph. The progress of concentration and deterioration was prevented, and the treatment performance of the stabilized treatment liquid was stably maintained. As a result, in the stabilization process, unnecessary processing solution components remaining on the surface of the light-sensitive material are sufficiently colorless, so that they are reliably washed out from the light-sensitive material, and a photo that exhibits stable weather resistance over a long period of time is exhibited. Can be provided to users stably.

It is a schematic diagram showing a typical configuration example of a development processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is the schematic of the evaporation correction | amendment means used by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the moving member used by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which does not need to perform the replenishment of the water to a processing tank. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state immediately before starting supply of water to a processing tank. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which is replenishing the water to a processing tank.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic processor 2 Color developing tank 3 Bleach fixing tank 4 Stabilizing tank-1
5 Stabilizer-2
6 Stabilizer-3
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 7 Squeeze part 8 Drying part 9 Evaporation correction means 10 Moving member 11 Float part 12 Guide part 13 Stopper part 20 Control means 25 Control means 30 Pump 40 Water supply tank 41 Water supply pipe S Photosensitive material

Claims (6)

In a development processing apparatus for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material that is developed with a processing solution in a processing tank,
A member that moves in the treatment tank due to a change in specific gravity of the treatment liquid;
Detecting means for detecting the member;
Water supply means for supplying water to the treatment tank,
A developing apparatus for a silver halide photographic material, wherein the member moving in the processing tank is always immersed in a processing solution. 2. The silver halide photographic light-sensitive material development processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling replenishment of water from the water supply means to the processing tank based on information from the detection means. . 2. The silver halide photographic material development processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm generating means that operates based on information from the detecting means. The development processing apparatus has a plurality of processing tanks,
The said member is set based on the specific gravity of the process liquid stored in this process tank while being provided in each process tank, The any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Development processing equipment for silver halide photographic materials. An evaporation correction method for replenishing water corresponding to the amount of evaporation from the processing liquid stored in the processing tank,
Detecting a member that is constantly immersed in the treatment liquid and that moves in the treatment tank due to a change in specific gravity of the treatment liquid,
An evaporation correction method for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material developing processing apparatus, wherein water is supplied to the processing tank based on a result of detecting the member. 6. The evaporation to a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material developing processor according to claim 5, wherein the start and stop of water supply to the processing tank is automatically performed based on the result of detecting the member. Correction method.

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