JP2005227342A - Photographic processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographic processing apparatus in which a cooling structure for controller requiring cooling brings about high light shieldability and efficient coolability. <P>SOLUTION: The photographic processing apparatus is arranged with control boxes 50 and 60 arranged within the internal space created by a housing having at least front walls 41 and 42 and a rear wall 47. The control boxes have front apertures 55a and 65a and rear apertures 53a and 63a, and the controller is housed therein. The front apertures are communicatively connected in a light shielding state with outdoor air circulation holes 41a formed at the front walls and the rear apertures are communicatively connected in a light shielding state with outdoor air circulation holes 47a formed at the rear wall. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is a photograph for processing a photographic material comprising a control device arranged in an internal space created by a housing having at least a front wall and a rear wall, and an operation device operating based on a control signal from the control device. The present invention relates to cooling of a processing apparatus, particularly its control equipment.

  A fan provided in a second housing in a photographic processing apparatus comprising a first housing having an exposure section for printing a photographed image on a photographic photosensitive material, and a second housing having a developing section for developing the photographic photosensitive material and a drying section. The outside air sucked in by the first housing is further sucked by a ventilation fan provided in the first housing to cool the exposure part built in the first housing, so that the inside of the first housing is maintained while maintaining the light shielding property of the first housing. A structure for cooling with outside air is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this structure, the first housing with a built-in exposure unit that requires a high light shielding property is not provided with a fan that communicates with the outside, and outside air is taken in through the first housing, so that the light shielding property can be satisfied. The outside air taken in through the second housing containing the drying unit is warmed in the second housing, so that it does not have sufficient cooling capacity, and there is a problem that the control device of the exposure unit is not sufficiently cooled. .

  In order to avoid heating of the outside air by the drying section, a fan is provided in the air chamber provided inside the housing so as to surround the outside air intake port, and the outside air is sent to the compartment inside the housing, and arranged in each compartment. There is also known a photographic processing apparatus having a structure for cooling a heat generating device (for example, see Patent Document 2). In this structure, the outside air taken into the housing is sent directly to each room that requires cooling air without being heated, but the cooling air is blown into the compartment by a fan provided in the air chamber. As a result, the cooling air is dispersed and the ratio of the cooling air directly hitting the heat generating device is small, and the cooling efficiency is still insufficient.

  Furthermore, the airflow forming means of the cooling mechanism in the photo processing apparatus includes a substantially airtight negative pressure forming housing that accommodates the entire exposure table and the digital print head, and an outside air intake formed through the negative pressure forming housing. A flexible tube composed of an opening and an exhaust port and extending to the digital print head communicates with the outside air intake port via a duct, and an exhaust port of a centrifugal fan that sucks air from the exposure table exhausts via the duct. One that is mouth-connected is known (for example, see Patent Document 3). In this cooling mechanism, the exposed portion is covered with a negative pressure forming housing, the outside air intake port and the location to be cooled are connected by a duct and a flexible tube, and the location to be cooled and the exhaust port are provided with a fan. The cooling effect is enhanced by connecting with a duct. The cooling duct piping will bend in order to avoid interference with other equipment, and there is a high part cost and assembly cost associated with such duct piping, and the flow resistance of the outside air flowing through the duct piping is also large. Therefore, there arises a problem of creating a cause of noise and vibration.

JP 2002-90892 A (paragraph number 0011-0013, FIG. 4) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-83675 (paragraph numbers 0027-0031, FIG. 3) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-350988 (paragraph number 0039, FIG. 9)

  In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a photographic processing apparatus having a high light-shielding property and an efficient cooling property with a cooling structure for a control device that requires cooling.

  To achieve the above object, a photographic material comprising a control device disposed in an internal space created by a housing having at least a front wall and a rear wall, and an operation device that operates based on a control signal from the control device. In the photographic processing apparatus for processing the image processing apparatus, in the present invention, a control box having a front opening and a rear opening and accommodating the control device is attached to the housing, and the front opening is formed in the front wall. The rear opening is communicated with the outside air circulation hole in a light-shielded state, and the rear opening communicates with the outside air circulation hole formed in the rear wall in a light-shielded state.

  In this configuration, the control box that houses the control device is formed as a duct with a fan that connects the outside air circulation holes on the front wall and the rear wall of the housing, so that fresh fresh air that has entered through the control device passes through the control device again to the outside. Therefore, high cooling efficiency can be expected. Moreover, since a control box for mounting control equipment such as a control board is also used as a cooling duct, it is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost. In addition, the cooling air flow will not swirl inside the apparatus and scatter dust, and it will not adhere to photographic materials or equipment and cause adverse effects. Moreover, when the photographic material is a light-sensitive material, the control box is generally made of sheet metal (light-shielding material), so that light from outside air circulation holes that may come in somewhat even if a filter or the like is placed. The light-shielding problem can be easily solved by simply performing a light-shielding process only on the attachment portion with the housing.

  Of course, if a fan is provided in the control box, a forced cooling air flow by the fan can be created, and the cooling effect is remarkably improved.

  In particular, if the control box is formed as a straight duct, the flow of the cooling air becomes the smoothest and the cooling effect is further enhanced.

  In addition, the fan provided in the control box as the cooling duct is disposed near the rear opening area, that is, near the rear wall. Generally, the photo processing apparatus is installed so that the rear wall faces the wall surface of the building. If this is not the case, it can be an effective solution to the noise problem caused by the fan if at least the operator always works on the front wall side. .

Since it is necessary to provide an open / close door on the front side of the housing for access to the inside, the front wall provided with an outside air circulation hole communicating with the front opening of the control box as a cooling duct is also configured as an open / close door. Is more likely. For this reason, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front wall surface is configured as an opening / closing door, the control box is provided with an engaged frame around the front opening and the opening / closing door. Has an engagement frame around the outside air circulation hole, and when the open / close door is closed, a light shielding communication between the opening and the outside air circulation hole is created by the engaged frame and the engagement frame. When the front wall and the control box cannot be fixed in this way, light leakage from the gap becomes a problem. Therefore, when the door is closed by the engaged frame and the engagement frame, the frame is engaged and the light shielding state is prevented. So that it can be created. One of the engagement frame or the engagement frame is formed as a projection frame made of a cushion member so that the space between the engagement frame and the engagement frame is securely sealed when the door is closed. It is preferable that the engaging frame or the other of the engaging frames is formed as a protruding frame that sandwiches the protruding frame from both sides. This is because the space between the engaged frame and the engaging frame can be reliably sealed using the elasticity of the cushion member.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments using the drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of a photographic printer processor as an example of a photographic processing apparatus according to the present invention. The photographic printer processor includes a print station 1 that performs exposure processing and development processing on photographic paper P. Developed photographic film (hereinafter simply referred to as film) Ma, digital camera memory card Mb, and other captured image processed from image input media to generate / transfer print data used in print station 1 And an operation station 2. This photographic printer processor is also called a digital minilab.

  At the upper position of the desk-like console of the operation station 2, a film scanner 21 for obtaining image data representing the photographed frame image from the film Ma is arranged, and as a photographed image recording medium Mb to be mounted on a digital camera or the like. A media reader unit 22 that acquires image data representing a shot frame image from various semiconductor memories and CD-Rs that are used is incorporated in a general-purpose personal computer that functions as the controller 20 of the photographic printing apparatus. The general-purpose personal computer is also connected with a monitor 23 for displaying various information, and a keyboard 24 and a mouse 25 as operation input devices used as an operation input unit used for various settings and adjustments.

  As can be understood from FIG. 2, in the print station 1, a basic housing 4 is formed by attaching a panel assembly 40 composed of various panels to the frame 3 forming the entire skeleton. In the print station 1, the exposure area 1A, the development area 1B, and the drying area 1C are arranged side by side. As is apparent from FIG. 2, the front wall side of the panel assembly 40 that accommodates the exposure area 1A is configured as a first opening / closing door 41 and a second opening / closing door 42, and the front surface of the panel assembly 40 that accommodates the development area 1B. A third opening / closing door 43 and a fourth opening / closing door 44 are also provided on the wall side. Further, the upper part of the exposure area 1A is covered with a first cover 45, and the upper part of the developing area 1B is covered with a second cover 46. A rear wall panel 47 functioning as a rear wall surface is provided on the rear wall side of the panel assembly 40.

  Inside the print station 1, the photographic paper P drawn from the two photographic paper magazines 11 arranged at the top and bottom is cut into a print size by the sheet cutter 12 and on the back side of the photographic paper P thus cut. Print processing information such as color correction information and frame number is printed by the back print unit 13, and the photographed image is exposed on the surface of the photographic paper P by the light beam from the exposure engine 14 at the exposure position 14a. The photographic printing paper P is sent to a processing tank unit 15 having a plurality of development processing tanks for development processing. The photographic paper P, that is, the photographic prints P, sent to the sorter 17 from the transverse feed conveyor 16 at the upper part of the apparatus through the drying process in the drying area 1C, is collected in a plurality of trays of the sorter 17 in a state of being sorted in units of orders. (See FIG. 1).

  A photographic paper transport mechanism 18 is laid to transport the photographic paper P at a transport speed in accordance with various processes for the photographic paper P described above. The photographic paper transport mechanism 18 includes an exposure transport unit 18a disposed at the exposure position 14 in the photographic paper transport direction, a vertical transport type chucker transport unit 18b disposed before and after the exposure position 14a, and a horizontal transport type chucker transport unit 18c. Is composed of a plurality of nipping and conveying roller pairs. The processing tank unit 15 includes a color developing tank 15a for storing a color developing processing liquid, a bleach-fixing tank 15b for storing a bleach-fixing processing liquid, and a stabilizing tank 15c for storing a stable processing liquid.

  The exposure engine 14 irradiates the photographic paper P with light beams of the three primary colors R (red), G (green), and B (blue) while sending the photographic paper P based on the print data sent from the operation station 1A. At the time of exposure, the photographic printing paper P is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction, and exposure is performed in a line along the main scanning direction in synchronization with the conveyance speed. As the exposure engine, a laser beam method, a fluorescent beam method, a liquid crystal shutter method, a DMD method, or the like can be used according to the exposure specification. Here, the laser beam method is used. In any case, since the line exposure method is adopted, the print size is determined by the width of the photographic paper P and the feed length in the sub-scanning direction.

  Instead of the so-called silver salt photographic printing method in which an image is formed by irradiating a photographic paper P with a light beam, for example, an inkjet printing method or a thermal transfer sheet in which an image is formed by ejecting ink onto a film or paper. It is also possible to adopt various photographic printing methods such as the thermal transfer method used, in which case the development area 1B and the drying area 1C are unnecessary.

  In any case, the exposure area 1A is provided with a control device for electronically controlling operating materials such as photographic material to be a photographic print, in this embodiment various transport devices for transporting the photographic paper P. Among devices, an electronic circuit board having electronic elements sensitive to temperature needs to be air-cooled. For this purpose, as schematically shown in FIG. 2, a first control box 50 arranged on the right side of the exposure area 1A and a second control box 60 arranged on the left side of the exposure area 1A are prepared. Control devices such as electronic circuit boards for controlling operation devices that are close to each other are housed and attached.

  As apparent from the exploded perspective view of FIG. 3, the first control box 50 is basically made of a sheet metal in the same manner as to seal the body member 51 made of a sheet metal having a U-shaped cross section and the open side surface of the body member 51. Cover member 52. A square cylindrical duct body is formed by attaching the cover member 52 to the main body member 51, and its rear end surface is preferably sealed by a rear plate 53 that is bent from the main body member 51. A portion 53a is provided, and the fan 54 is attached to the opening 53a. On the other hand, the front end surface thereof is preferably sealed by a front plate 55 bent from the cover member 52, and the front plate 55 is also provided with a large square front opening 55a. A frame 56 is formed by vertically laying a thin plate around the filter. A filter 57 is fitted into the frame, and the filter 57 is pressed by a filter retainer 58. The electronic circuit board EB is attached to the inner surface side of the main body member 51 and is cooled by the air flowing through the first control box 50 functioning as this duct. Although not shown, the first control box 50 is also provided with holes and connectors for wiring for connecting the operating equipment and power supply to the electronic circuit board.

  The second control box 60 has substantially the same structure as that of the first control box 50. However, as is apparent from the exploded perspective view of FIG. 4, the sheet metal main body member 61 having a substantially L-shaped cross section and the main body member 61 are provided. And a sheet metal cover member 62 that forms a rectangular cylindrical duct body. The rear end side of the main body member 61 is preferably sealed by a rear plate 63 bent from the main body member 61. The rear plate 63 is provided with a rear opening 63a, and the rear opening 63a has a fan 64. Is attached. The front end side of the cover member 62 is preferably sealed by a front plate 65 bent from the cover member 62. The front plate 65 is also provided with a front opening 65a, and a thin plate is provided around the front opening 65a. A frame body 66 is formed by laying vertically, a filter 67 is fitted into the frame body, and the filter 67 is pressed by a filter retainer 68. An electronic circuit board EB is also mounted in the second box 60, and holes and connectors for wiring are also provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the assembled first control box 50 is fixed to the rear wall panel 47 and the frame 3 such that the opening 53 a overlaps the outside air circulation hole 47 a provided in the rear wall panel 47. However, at that time, it is preferable to improve the light-shielding property by interposing a rubber packing or the like at a place where the rear wall panel 47 and the rear plate 53 of the first control box 50 are attached. Similarly, the assembled second control box 60 is fixed to the rear wall panel 47 and the frame 3 such that the rear opening 63a overlaps the outside air circulation hole 47a provided in the rear wall panel 47. A rubber packing or the like is preferably interposed between the 47 and the rear plate 63 of the second control box 60 in order to improve the light shielding property. As a result, the first control box 50 and the second control box 60 respectively create linear light shielding ducts whose both ends communicate with the outside air circulation holes 41a, 47a and 42a, 47a provided in the front wall and the rear wall. It will be. Of course, the duct shape is not limited to a linear shape, and various geometric shapes including a cross-sectional shape thereof may be adopted.

  The front opening 55a of the front plate 55 of the first control box 50 communicates with the outside air circulation hole 41a provided in the first opening / closing door 41 as a front wall when the first opening / closing door 41 is closed, and the second control box. The front opening 65a of the 60 front plate 65 communicates with the outside air circulation hole 42a provided in the second opening / closing door 42 as a front wall when the first opening / closing door 41 is closed (see FIG. 1). In order to create a light-shielded communication between the front openings 55a and 65a and the outside air circulation holes 41a and 42a, an engagement structure as shown in FIG. 6 is formed in the area of the outside air circulation holes 41a and 42a. However, since the engagement structure in the outside air circulation hole 41a and the engagement structure in the outside air circulation hole 42a are substantially the same, here, the engagement structure in the outside air circulation hole 41a, that is, the outside air circulation hole 41a and the front opening 55a. Only the light shielding engagement structure will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, on the inner surface of the first opening / closing door 41, a window frame 71 for creating a slit hole is fitted into the outside air circulation hole 41a, and the first projection-shaped first around the opening 41a. An engaging frame 72 and a second protruding frame 73 having a protruding shape located on the outer side of the first engaging frame 72 are provided. The dimensions of the engaging frame 72 are the filters of the first control unit inside the first engaging frame 72. It is determined that the frame body 56 of the first control unit 50 is engaged with the groove portion positioned between the first engagement frame 72 and the second engagement frame while the presser 58 is fitted. The first engagement frame 72 is preferably made of a cushion material, and the front of the first control box 50 is closed when the first opening / closing door 41 is closed together with the frame body 56 of the first control unit 50 and the filter retainer 58. The front opening 55 a of the plate 55 and the outside air circulation hole 41 a of the first opening / closing door 41 are hermetically communicated. That is, in this embodiment, the frame body 56 and the filter retainer 58 of the first control unit 50 function as a projection frame that sandwiches the first engagement frame 72 as a projection frame having high elasticity such as a cushion material. . Of course, this high elasticity projection frame may be provided on the control box 50 side, and a projection frame sandwiching the high elasticity projection frame may be provided on the first opening / closing door 41.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a photographic printer processor as a photographic processing apparatus according to the present invention. Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the print station of the photo printer processor Exploded perspective view showing the first control box Exploded perspective view showing the second control box The perspective view which shows the 1st, 2nd control box installed in the housing The perspective view which shows the light-shielding connection structure of the 1st control box formed in the 1st door Sectional drawing which shows the light-shielding connection structure of the 1st control box formed in the 1st door

Explanation of symbols

1: Print station 3: Frame 4: Housing 40: Panel assembly 41: First door (front wall)
41a: Outside air circulation hole 42: Second open / close door (front wall)
42a: outside air circulation hole 47: rear wall 47a: outside air circulation hole 50: first control box 54: fan 53a: rear opening 55a: front opening 60: second control box 64: fan 63a: rear opening 65a: front Aperture

Claims (6)

In a photographic processing apparatus for processing photographic material, comprising: a control device arranged in an internal space created by a housing having at least a front wall and a rear wall; and an operation device operating based on a control signal from the control device ,
A control box having a front opening and a rear opening and accommodating the control device is attached to the housing, and the front opening communicates with an outside air circulation hole formed in the front wall in a light-shielded state and the rear. A photographic processing apparatus characterized in that an opening communicates with an outside air circulation hole formed in the rear wall in a light-shielded state. The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fan is provided in the control box. The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fan is disposed in the rear opening region. The front wall is configured as an opening / closing door, the control box has an engaged frame around the front opening, and the opening / closing door has an engaging frame around the outside air circulation hole. 4. The light-blocking communication between the opening and the outside air circulation hole is created by the engaged frame and the engagement frame when the opening / closing door is closed. Photo processing equipment. One of the engaging frame or the engaged frame is formed as a protruding frame made of a cushion member, and the other of the engaged frame or the engaging frame is formed as a protruding frame that sandwiches the protruding frame from both sides. The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control box is formed as a straight duct.

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