JP2007178540A - Photographic processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographic processor whose cost is reducible by simplifying a conveyance part by decreasing the number of conveying components, such as a conveying roller conveying a photosensitive material, of a second conveyance part of a drying device having a first conveyance part conveying the photosensitive material where a normal print is formed and the second conveyance part conveying the photosensitive material where a test print is formed. <P>SOLUTION: A photographic printing system is equipped with a drying unit 60 and a density measuring unit 80. The drying unit 60 has a conveyance switching guide 63 which changes conveyance paths for printing paper P, the first conveyance part 64, and the second conveyance part 65. The second conveyance part 65 is arranged below the first conveyance part 65, and receives the printing paper P where the test print TP for setup is formed from the conveyance switching guide 63 and conveys it nearly perpendicularly downward. The density measuring unit 80 receives the printing paper P from the second conveyance part 65 and measures the density of the test print TP for setup. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographic processing apparatus for performing processing such as exposure, development, and drying on a photosensitive material.

In general, in a photographic processing apparatus that performs a printing process on a photosensitive material based on image data, for example, a plurality of strips having different densities are printed (hereinafter referred to as test prints) by measuring the density of the photosensitive material. Set up the equipment.
In such a photographic processing apparatus, a first conveyance unit that conveys a photosensitive material on which a normal print is formed as a conveyance unit that conveys the photosensitive material in the drying apparatus, and a photosensitive material on which a test print is formed are conveyed. And a second transport unit. Thus, by providing two conveyance parts, the photosensitive material on which the normal print is formed and the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed can be carried out to separate carry-out ports. In some cases, a density measurement unit is provided in the vicinity of the carry-out port of the second conveyance unit that conveys the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed, and the density measurement is performed.

For example, in Patent Document 1, in a drying apparatus, a photosensitive material on which a test print is formed is transported by a second transport unit, and the photosensitive material is transferred to a density measuring unit disposed downstream via a transport speed switching mechanism. A photographic processing apparatus that can be conveyed is disclosed. Thereby, the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed can be transported from the second transport unit to the density measuring unit to perform density measurement.
JP-A-8-81106 (published March 26, 1996)

However, the conventional photographic processing apparatus has the following problems.
That is, in the drying apparatus disclosed in the above publication, the first conveyance unit that carries out the photosensitive material on which the normal print is formed in the substantially horizontal direction and the second conveyance that carries out the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed in the upward direction. And a transport speed switching mechanism for switching the transport speed of the photosensitive material in order to deliver the photosensitive material from the second transport section to the density measuring section. As described above, the drying apparatus having the two conveyance units and the conveyance speed switching mechanism requires conveyance parts such as a large number of conveyance rollers, which increases the number of parts and increases costs. Become.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a second transport unit of a drying apparatus having a first transport unit that transports a photosensitive material on which a normal print is formed and a second transport unit that transports a photosensitive material on which a test print is formed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a photographic processing apparatus capable of simplifying the conveying section and reducing the cost by reducing conveying parts such as conveying rollers for conveying the photosensitive material.

  A photographic processing apparatus according to a first invention is a photographic processing apparatus for processing a photosensitive material, and includes a drying device and a density measuring unit. The drying apparatus includes a transfer switching unit, a first transfer unit, and a second transfer unit. The conveyance switching unit switches the conveyance path of the photosensitive material. The first transport unit receives and transports the photosensitive material on which the normal print is formed from the transport switching unit. The second transport unit is disposed below the first transport unit, receives the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed from the transport switching unit, and transports the photosensitive material substantially vertically downward. The density measuring unit receives the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed from the second transport unit, and measures the density of the test print.

  Here, in the drying apparatus provided in the photographic processing apparatus, the first conveying unit that conveys the photosensitive material on which the normal print is formed, and the photosensitive material that is disposed below the first conveying unit and on which the test print is formed are substantially omitted. A second transport unit that transports vertically downward. The density measuring unit receives the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed from the second transport unit, and measures the density of the test print.

Here, “substantially vertically downward” does not mean strictly conveying vertically downward, but means that it is only necessary to include a vertically downward component in the direction vector in the conveying direction.
Usually, in a photographic processing apparatus equipped with such a drying apparatus, setup is performed by measuring the density of a photosensitive material on which a test print is formed. At this time, there is a type in which density measurement is performed by installing a density measurement unit in the vicinity of a carry-out port from which a photosensitive material dried by a drying apparatus is carried out. As a drying apparatus, there is a drying apparatus that performs a drying process while continuously conveying a photosensitive material. On the other hand, in the density measuring unit, in order to measure the density of the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed, the photosensitive material is conveyed while repeating step feeding, that is, conveying and stopping, for example. That is, the conveying method is different between the drying device and the concentration measuring unit. For this reason, when the photosensitive material is transferred from the drying device to the density measuring unit, for example, it is necessary to release the photosensitive material from the restraint of the feeding portion of the drying device and cut the edge from the conveying speed of the photosensitive material in the drying device. . In this case, the drying apparatus includes a conveyance unit that conveys the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed, a conveyance unit that conveys the photosensitive material on which the normal print is formed, and an edge cutting mechanism, that is, a conveyance speed switching mechanism. I need. However, providing the transfer speed switching mechanism has a problem in terms of cost.

  Therefore, in the photographic processing apparatus of the present invention, in the drying device, the photosensitive material on which the normal print is formed and the photosensitive material disposed on the lower side of the first conveyance unit and the test print are formed. And a second transport unit that transports substantially vertically downward. The density measuring unit receives the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed from the second transport unit, and performs density measurement. That is, the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed is transported to the density measurement unit via the second transport unit. In the drying apparatus, the photosensitive material is conveyed by continuous feeding. In the density measuring unit located downstream of the second transport unit, the photosensitive material is transported by a transport method different from the continuous transport, for example, step feed. The density measurement unit and the drying device differ in the conveyance conditions of the photosensitive material. Therefore, the second transport unit feeds the rear end of the photosensitive material from the continuous transport system, and cuts the edge between the density measuring unit and the drying device.

In addition, the second transport unit transports the photosensitive material from the top to the bottom, and the direction in which the gravity acts and the transport direction coincide with each other, so the photosensitive material is transported to the downstream density without transporting the photosensitive material using the transport roller. It can be smoothly transported from top to bottom with respect to the measurement unit.
Thereby, in the 2nd conveyance part which conveys the photosensitive material in which the test print was formed, a photosensitive material can be conveyed along a predetermined conveyance path | route with fewer conveyance parts than before.

As a result, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced in the second transport unit.
Further, the second transport unit transports the photosensitive material as much as the length of the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed. For example, the drying device can be downsized compared to the case where the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed is transported in the horizontal direction from the normal discharge port located at the top, that is, the discharge port of the first transport unit, to the density measurement unit. can do.

  Here, the length of the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed is equal to the distance necessary to carry the photosensitive material to the density measuring unit without difficulty, that is, the length in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed. Is approximately the same distance.

A photographic processing apparatus according to a second invention is the photographic processing apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the second transport section includes a guide section for transporting the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed in a predetermined direction. Contains.
Here, in the drying apparatus provided in the photographic processing apparatus, the second transport unit includes a guide unit for transporting the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed in a predetermined direction.
As a result, the photosensitive material can be appropriately bent on the guide portion when the leading end portion of the photosensitive material comes into contact with the density measuring portion, for example, as compared with a case where the photosensitive material is conveyed by a conveying roller. That is, in order to absorb the difference in conveying conditions between the drying device and the density measuring unit, the photosensitive material is sent out from the drying device while being bent on the guide unit.

Therefore, in the second transport unit that transports the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed, the photosensitive material transported substantially vertically downward from the transport switching unit can be transported in a predetermined direction by the guide unit.
As a result, since the number of transport rollers in the second transport unit can be reduced as compared with the prior art, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

A photographic processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the photographic processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the guide portion has a heat insulating material on a surface opposite to the conveying surface for conveying the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed. Is provided.
Here, in the drying device provided in the photographic processing apparatus, a heat insulating material is provided in the guide portion included in the second transport unit.

Thereby, when drying a photosensitive material, it can prevent that a 2nd conveyance part is heated with a drying wind. Therefore, there is no possibility that the photosensitive material is excessively dried when the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed is conveyed while being guided.
As a result, it is possible to prevent over-drying of the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed, so that the photographic processing apparatus can be set up accurately.

According to the photographic processing apparatus relating to the first invention, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced in the second transport section.
According to the photo processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of transport rollers in the second transport unit.
According to the photographic processing apparatus of the third invention, the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed can be prevented from being excessively dried, so that the photographic processing apparatus can be set up accurately.

A photo print system (photo processing apparatus) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[Configuration of Photo Print System 1]
A photo print system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a so-called digital minilab photo print system as shown in FIG.

The photo print system 1 includes an operation unit 20 and a print unit 50.
The operation unit 20 takes in image data from a medium M such as a memory card in which digital image data photographed by a developed photographic film F or a digital camera is stored, and creates print data. Send.
The print unit 50 performs exposure processing and development processing on the photographic paper P (see FIG. 2) based on the print data received from the operation unit 20, and prints a photo print image or a setup test print TP (see FIG. 5). ).

[Configuration of Operation Unit 20]
As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 20 includes a monitor 21, a keyboard 22, a mouse 23, a computer unit 30, a media reader 31, and a film scanner 40.
The computer unit 30 is connected to the monitor 21, the keyboard 22, and the mouse 23, and controls operations of each unit included in the film scanner 40 and the print unit 50, image processing, and image data input / output.

The monitor 21 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for various controls and an image to be processed.
The media reader 31 is mounted on the computer unit 30 that functions as a controller of the photographic print system 1 and transfers digital data of an image taken by a digital camera or the like from a medium such as a memory card, various semiconductor memories, or a CD-R. take in.

The film scanner 40 captures an image corresponding to the photographed frame developed on the photographic film F as digital image data.
[Configuration of Print Unit 50]
As shown in FIG. 1, the print unit 50 forms a photographic print image by performing exposure processing and development processing on the photographic paper P while conveying the photographic paper P based on the print data received from the operation unit 20. To do.

As shown in FIG. 2, the print unit 50 includes two photographic paper magazines 51, a sheet cutter 52, a back print unit 53, a print exposure unit 54, a pressure contact conveyance roller pair 57, and a chucker type conveyance unit. 58, a processing tank unit 55, a drying unit (drying device) 60, a conveyor 56, a sorter (not shown), and a concentration measuring unit 80.
The two photographic paper magazines 51 accommodate one roll of photographic paper P inside the printing unit 50, and a necessary amount of photographic paper P is drawn out by the pressure-conveying roller pair 57.

The sheet cutter 52 is disposed on the downstream side of the plurality of press-contact conveyance roller pairs 57 that draw out the photographic paper P from the photographic paper magazine 51, and cuts the photographic paper P drawn out from the photographic paper magazine 51 into a desired size.
The back print unit 53 is disposed on the downstream side of the sheet cutter 52, and prints print processing information such as color correction information and a frame number on the back side of the photographic paper P cut to a desired size such as a print size. .

The print exposure unit 54 is disposed adjacent to the chucker type conveyance unit 58 on the downstream side of the back print unit 53, and prints on the surface of the photographic paper P cut to the print size or the test print size. The photographed image is exposed.
The processing tank unit 55 is disposed adjacent to a plurality of pressure-conveying roller pairs 57 on the downstream side of the print exposure unit 54, and stores a color developing tank 55a for storing a color developing processing liquid and a bleach-fixing processing liquid. A bleaching / fixing tank 55b and a stable processing tank 55c for storing a stable processing solution are provided. Then, the exposed photographic paper P is conveyed through these processing tanks 55a to 55c in this order, so that a desired photographic print image and a setup test print image are formed on the surface of the photographic paper P. Is done.

The drying unit 60 is disposed on the downstream side of the processing tank unit 55 and is provided for drying the photographic paper P that has been subjected to the development processing. The drying unit 60 will be described in detail later.
The conveyor 56 is exposed at the upper part of the printing unit 50, and conveys the photographic paper P on which the photographic print image is formed on the surface and discharged after the drying process in the direction of the sorter.
The sorter is arranged in a state where a plurality of trays are arranged in the vertical direction on the front side of the printing unit 50, and distributes the printed photographic paper P conveyed by the conveyor 56 to each tray, for example, in order units.

  The pair of pressure-conveying and conveying rollers 57 and the chucker-type conveying unit 58 draw out the roll-shaped photographic paper P accommodated in the photographic paper magazine 51 and print the photographic paper P that has been cut into a print size or the like. Are conveyed at a conveyance speed corresponding to various processes performed on the photographic paper P. The pressure-conveying roller pair 57 is configured by combining two rollers, and conveys the photographic paper P to the downstream side by rotating the photographic paper P in pressure contact with a gap between the two rollers. The chucker-type conveyance unit 58 conveys the downstream side (front end side) of the photographic paper P cut to a print size or the like by pinching from both sides in the conveyance direction.

The density measuring unit 80 is disposed on the downstream side of the drying unit 60 and measures the density of each band of the setup test print TP. The concentration measuring unit 80 will be described in detail later.
(Drying part 60)
The drying unit 60 includes a device for blowing warm air such as a blower (not shown), and is a drying device that performs a drying process while conveying the developed photographic paper P in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drying unit 60 includes a pressure-contact conveyance roller pair 61, a turn roller pair 62, a conveyance switching guide (conveyance switching unit) 63, a first conveyance unit 64, and a second conveyance unit. A conveyance unit 65 and a shutter 66 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure-conveying and conveying roller pair 61 is configured by combining a driving roller 61 a and a contact roller 61 b, and a plurality of pressure-conveying roller pairs 61 are arranged along the conveying path immediately downstream of the processing tank unit 55. The pressure-conveying roller pair 61 conveys the printing paper P to the downstream side vertically upward by rotating the driving roller 61a with the printing paper P sandwiched between the two rollers.

  The turn roller pair 62 is arranged on the downstream side of the pressure-contact conveyance roller pair 61 along the conveyance path, and conveys the photographic printing paper P conveyed upward from the upstream side downward. It is a group of rollers for changing the direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the turn roller pair 62 includes a driving roller 62a and a plurality of driven rollers 62b. Then, the turn roller pair 62 rotates the drive roller 62a with the photographic paper P interposed therebetween. At this time, the photographic printing paper P is conveyed toward the lower downstream side while being in contact with the circumferential portion of the drive roller 62a.

The conveyance switching guide 63 is disposed immediately downstream of the pair of turn rollers 62. If the photographic paper P conveyed from the upstream is a normal print, the conveyance switching guide 63 becomes a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. Is switched to the transport path a, and if it is a test print TP for setup, the printing paper P is switched to the transport path b at the position indicated by the broken line in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first transport unit 64 is disposed downstream of the transport switching guide 63 and along the transport path a, and is a normal print guided to the transport path a by the transport switching guide 63. It is a conveyance part which carries out to the conveyor 56. FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the 1st conveyance part has the roller 64a, the clamping roller pair 64b, and the carry-out hole 64c shown in FIG.

The roller 64a is a roller that is disposed immediately downstream of the conveyance switching guide 63 and above the conveyance path a, and drives the nipping roller pair 64b.
The pair of nipping rollers 64b is arranged along the conveyance path a on the downstream side of the roller 64a, and the photographic paper P is conveyed downstream by sandwiching the photographic paper P in the gap and rotating the roller 64a.

The carry-out hole 64c is located in the conveyance path a on the downstream side of the nipping roller pair 64b. The photographic paper P passes through the carry-out hole 64c and is carried out to the conveyor 56.
The second transport unit 65 is disposed below the first transport unit 64 and along the transport path b on the downstream side of the transport switching guide 63. The second transport unit 65 is a transport unit that transports the photographic paper P guided to the transport path b by the transport switching guide 63 to the downstream side in a substantially vertical downward direction. As illustrated in FIG. Part) 65a, urethane foam (heat insulating material) 65b, and a carry-out hole 65c shown in FIG.

  The conveyance guide 65 a is arranged along the conveyance path b on the immediately downstream side of the conveyance switching guide 63. The conveyance guide 65a contacts the photographic paper P conveyed from the upstream conveyance switching guide 63, and conveys the photographic paper P substantially vertically downward along the conveyance guide 65a. Furthermore, the conveyance guide 65a changes the conveyance direction so that the carrying-out direction of the photographic paper P becomes a substantially horizontal direction, and conveys it downstream. Thus, by using the conveyance guide 65a, the second conveyance unit 65 can reduce the number of conveyance parts such as the conveyance roller, and thus can reduce the cost.

  The urethane foam 65b is provided so as to cover the opposite side of the conveyance surface of the conveyance guide 65a, that is, the back surface side. Thereby, it can prevent that the conveyance guide 65a is heated with the warm air in the drying part 60. FIG. Therefore, when the photographic paper P is transported through the transport guide 65a, the transport surface of the transport guide 65a is heated so that the setup test print TP is not excessively dried.

Accordingly, the photo print system can be automatically set up accurately using the test print TP for setup. The automatic setup of the photo print system will be described in detail later.
The carry-out hole 65c is arranged on the conveyance path b on the immediately downstream side of the conveyance guide 65a, and carries the photographic paper P conveyed from the upstream to the density measuring unit 80.

  The shutter 66 is for preventing warm air filled in the drying unit 60 from being mixed into the concentration measuring unit 80. For example, the shutter 66 is pushed away by a strain of the photographic paper P being conveyed and opened. It is a mechanism. When the photographic paper P passes through the shutter 66, the shutter 66 again seals the drying unit 60 so that warm air filling the drying unit 60 does not flow into the concentration measurement unit 80.

  Here, when the printing paper P is transported from the turn roller pair 62 to the first transport unit 64, the transport angle is inclined downward by an angle α with respect to the horizontal direction. On the other hand, when the photographic printing paper P is transported from the turn roller pair 62 to the second transport unit 65, the transport angle is inclined downward by an angle α + β (substantially vertically downward) with respect to the horizontal direction. That is, in the first conveyance unit 64 that conveys the photographic printing paper P on which the normal print is formed, the angle change in the conveyance direction from the turn roller pair 62 to the conveyance switching guide 63 is smaller than the second conveyance unit 65 by the angle β. Are arranged as follows. In this embodiment, the angle α is 10 ° and the angle β is 70 °.

  Thereby, in the transport path a, the contact area and contact time between the transported normal print and the turn roller pair 62 are less than those of the transport path b, so that the surface of the transported normal print is less likely to be damaged. it can. The setup test print TP is transported using the transport path b because there are few problems even if the surface is damaged. As a result, the surface of the photographic paper P on which the normal print is formed while the photographic paper P on which the normal print is formed by the separate conveyance paths and the photographic paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed is conveyed. Can be transported using a transport path a that is less likely to be damaged.

(Concentration measuring unit 80)
The density measuring unit 80 measures the density of each belt while feeding the printing paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed frame-by-frame, that is, repeatedly carrying and stopping. As shown in FIG. 3, the concentration measuring unit 80 includes a housing 81, a concentration meter 82, and a conveyance roller pair 83.

The casing 81 is provided to keep the temperature and brightness in the concentration measuring unit 80 in a constant state, and is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin member.
The densitometer 82 measures the density of each band of the setup test print TP, and transmits the measurement result to the computer unit 30.
The conveyance roller pair 83 feeds the photographic paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed so that the densitometer 82 can measure the density of each band of the setup test print TP. Transport while repeating.

  Here, the photographic paper P is sent out from the turn roller pair 62 along the transport path b, and is transported downstream by the second transport unit 65. Then, with the rear end portion of the upstream photographic paper P still being sandwiched by the turn roller pair 62, the downstream end of the photographic paper P is in contact with and sandwiched by the transport roller pair 83. Then, the photographic paper P is sandwiched between the conveyance roller pair 83 in order from the downstream end, and conveyed downstream by frame feeding. At this time, the relative transport speed of the transport roller pair 83 is slower than that of the turn roller pair 62. Further, while the turn roller pair 62 is a continuous feed, the transport roller pair 83 transports the photographic paper P by a frame feed. In this way, the conveyance roller pair 83 has a lower relative conveyance speed than the turn roller pair 62, so that the printing paper P is not pulled at both ends by the turn roller pair 62 and the conveyance roller pair 83. Further, the photographic paper P is appropriately bent on the conveyance guide 65a so that the difference in the conveyance method between the turn roller pair 62 and the conveyance roller pair 83, that is, the difference in the feeding length of the photographic paper P caused by the difference in conveyance conditions. To absorb. In this way, the photographic paper P is transported from the top to the bottom in the second transport unit 65 and is transported smoothly to the density measurement unit 80.

As a result, the second transport unit 65 can transport the photographic paper P substantially vertically downward, that is, in a direction that coincides with the direction in which the gravity acts, so that printing can be performed along the transport path b with fewer transport parts than before. The paper P can be conveyed.
In this way, the second transport unit 65 transports the photographic printing paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed by a predetermined distance substantially vertically downward and transports it to the density measurement unit 80. Thereby, for example, the horizontal transport distance is shorter than when the photographic printing paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed is transported by the same distance in the horizontal direction. Can do. Therefore, the drying unit 60 can be reduced in size.

Here, the predetermined distance is a distance necessary to convey the photosensitive material to the density measuring unit without difficulty, that is, a condition for conveying the turn roller pair 62 (continuous feeding) and the conveying roller pair 83 (frame feeding). This distance is necessary to absorb the difference in feed length caused by the difference.
<Automatic setup with photo print system 1>
The photographic print system 1 measures the density of each band in the setup test print TP printed for setup every day when the operation starts, with a densitometer 82 mounted on the density measuring unit 80. Then, the computer unit 30 performs a setup for adjusting the output state of the print exposure unit 54 based on the measurement result of the densitometer 82.

  Usually, the print quality output from the print unit 50 changes depending on the light emission state of the light source of the print exposure unit 54 and the state of each processing solution (processing solution temperature, oxidation state, degree of activation, etc.). For this reason, the density of each of the strips having different densities formed on the setup test print TP is measured by the densitometer 82, and adjustment of the output state of the print exposure unit 54 based on the measurement result, so-called setup is performed. Do. By performing such setup, photographic prints with high reproducibility can be performed regardless of the state of the print exposure unit 54. Note that, in general, setup refers to adjustment of a cause related to the print exposure unit 54 among the above-described causes that influence the print state.

  In the setup in the photo print system 1 of the present embodiment, when the setup mode is selected by the GUI displayed on the monitor 21, a series of setups is automatically performed. The set-up test print TP exposed and developed by the print exposure unit 54 is automatically measured for the density of each band by the densitometer 82 constituting the density measuring unit 80. Further, a density difference between the measurement result and a predetermined reference density is calculated, and the output state of the print exposure unit 54 is adjusted based on the density difference. The print exposure unit 54 can be adjusted by, for example, a method of rewriting the LUT of image data provided in an exposure control device (not shown) of a laser exposure engine (an example of the print exposure unit 54).

[Features of Photo Print System 1]
(1)
The photo print system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a drying unit 60 and a density measuring unit 80. As shown in FIG. 3, the drying unit 60 includes a conveyance switching guide 63 that changes the conveyance path of the photographic paper P, a first conveyance unit 64, and a second conveyance unit 65. The second transport unit 65 is disposed below the first transport unit 64, receives the printing paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed from the transport switching guide 63, and transports the printing paper P substantially vertically downward. Further, the density measuring unit 80 receives the printing paper P from the second transport unit 65 and measures the density of the setup test print TP.

  Usually, in such a photographic print system, the exposure unit is set up by measuring the density of the test print. At this time, there is a type in which density measurement is performed by installing a density measurement unit in the vicinity of the carry-out hole through which the photographic paper dried from the drying unit is carried out. In the drying unit, there is a drying unit that performs a drying process while continuously conveying photographic paper. On the other hand, in order to measure the density of the test print, the density measuring unit conveys the photographic paper by frame-feeding, that is, repeating conveyance and stopping. That is, the conveying method differs depending on the drying unit and the concentration measuring unit. For this reason, when delivering photographic paper from the drying unit to the density measuring unit, for example, it is necessary to provide a conveyance speed switching mechanism that releases the photographic paper from the restraint on the drying unit side, and to deliver the photographic paper to the density measuring unit without difficulty. There is. Some drying sections have two transport paths for transporting photographic paper, and the transport path can be changed depending on whether the photographic paper is a normal print or a test print for setup. . In such a conventional drying unit, it is necessary to provide a first transport unit that transports a normal print, a second transport unit that transports a test print for setup, and a transport speed switching mechanism. However, in the drying section, providing the two transport sections and the transport speed switching mechanism has a problem in terms of cost because it requires a large number of transport parts, for example, transport rollers.

  Therefore, in the photographic print system 1 of the present embodiment, when the photographic paper P is a normal print, the conveyance switching guide 63 switches the conveyance path and guides the photographic paper P to the first conveyance unit 64. The first transport unit 64 receives the normal print from the transport switching guide 63 and transports it. On the other hand, when the photographic paper P is the setup test print TP, the conveyance switching guide 63 switches the conveyance path to guide the photographic paper P to the second conveyance unit. The density measuring unit 80 receives the photographic paper P from the second transport unit 65 and measures the density of the setup test print TP. That is, the photographic paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed is conveyed to the density measuring unit 80 via the second conveying unit 65. At this time, the conveyance roller pair 83 has a lower relative conveyance speed than the turn roller pair 62, and the turn roller pair 62 is continuous feeding, whereas the conveyance roller pair 83 is frame-feeding, That is, the photographic paper P is conveyed by repeating conveyance and stop. Accordingly, when the photographic paper P is sandwiched between the turn roller pair 62 and the conveyance roller pair 83, the feed length of the photographic paper P of the downstream conveyance roller pair 83 is the upstream turn. This is less than the feed length of the roller pair 62. Therefore, the photographic paper P is not pulled by the turn roller pair 62 and the transport roller pair 83. In this way, the second transport unit 65 receives the photographic paper P from the transport switching guide 63, transports it substantially vertically downward, and smoothly transports it to the density measurement unit 80.

Thereby, in the 2nd conveyance part 65 which conveys the photographic paper P in which the test print TP for setup was formed, the photographic paper P can be conveyed along a predetermined conveyance path | route with fewer conveyance parts than before.
As a result, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced in the second transport unit 65.
(2)
In the photographic print system 1 of the present embodiment, in the drying unit 60, the second transport unit 65 has a transport guide 65a that transports the photographic paper P in a predetermined direction. And since the restraint becomes loose compared with the case where the printing paper P is conveyed with a conveyance roller, for example, it is conveyed in the state which is easy to bend. For this reason, when the leading end of the downstream side of the photographic paper P that is continuously conveyed from the upstream side is brought into contact with and sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 83, the rear end portion of the upstream photographic paper P is still at the conveying roller pair 83. The both ends of the photographic paper P are conveyed at different conveyance speeds. At this time, the difference in the conveyance conditions is absorbed by appropriately bending the photographic paper P on the conveyance guide 65a.

Thereby, in the 2nd conveyance part 65, the printing paper P can be conveyed to the up-down direction along the natural fall by gravity with the conveyance guide 65a.
As a result, since the number of transport rollers can be reduced in the second transport unit 65, the cost can be reduced.
(3)
In the photographic print system 1 of the present embodiment, in the second transport unit 65, the transport guide 65a is provided with a urethane foam 65b on the surface opposite to the transport surface for transporting the photographic paper P, that is, on the back surface side.

Thereby, it can prevent that the 2nd conveyance part 65 is heated by the heat | fever generate | occur | produced when drying the photographic paper P. FIG. Therefore, there is no possibility that the setup test print TP is excessively dried when the second transport unit 65 is transported.
As a result, it is possible to prevent over-drying of the setup test print TP, so that the photo print system 1 can be set up accurately.

(4)
In the photographic print system 1 of the present embodiment, a pair of turn rollers that change the conveyance direction of the photographic paper P in the drying unit 60 that performs the drying process while conveying the photographic paper P conveyed from the processing tank unit 55 in the vertical direction. 62 is further provided. The second transport unit 65 that receives the photographic printing paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed from the pair of turn rollers 62 is arranged so that the angle change in the transport direction is larger than that of the first transport unit 64. Here, the first transport unit 64 receives the normal print from the transport switching guide 63 and transports the print in the downward direction at an angle α with respect to the horizontal direction. In addition, the second transport unit 65 receives the photographic paper P guided by the transport switching guide 63 and transports the photographic paper P in an angle α + β downward direction (substantially vertically downward) with respect to the horizontal direction. That is, the first transport unit 64 is smaller in angle change in the transport direction in which the photographic printing paper P is transported than the second transport unit 65 by the angle β.

  Usually, in a drying unit that dries while conveying the photographic paper in the vertical direction, for example, a turn roller pair or the like is used to change the conveyance direction of the photographic paper conveyed from the bottom to the top. A turn part is provided. However, if the angle change in the conveyance direction for conveying the photographic paper in the turn part is large, the contact area of the photographic paper in contact with the turn part becomes large and the contact time becomes long, and the surface of the photographic paper may be damaged. .

Therefore, in the photographic print system 1 of the present embodiment, a print on which a normal print is formed using the first transport unit 64 in which the change in the transport direction in which the photographic paper P is transported is smaller than the second transport unit 65 by the angle β. The paper P is conveyed. Further, the second transport unit transports the photographic paper P on which the test print TP for setup with few problems is formed even if the surface of the photographic paper is damaged.
As a result, the photographic paper P on which the normal print is formed and the photographic paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed are conveyed on different conveyance paths, while the normal print is less likely to damage the surface. The part 64 can be used for conveyance.

(5)
[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of invention.
(A)
In the above embodiment, the turn roller pair 62 continuously conveys the photographic paper P, whereas the conveyance roller pair 83 conveys the photographic paper P by frame feeding, and the relative conveyance speed of the conveyance roller pair 83 is higher. An example that slows down was explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the conveyance roller pair 83 may convey the photographic paper P by continuous feeding whose relative conveyance speed is lower than that of the turn roller pair 62.
In this case, even when the density measurement unit 80 performs density measurement while transporting the photographic paper P by continuous feeding, the same effect as that of the photo print system 1 of the above embodiment can be obtained.
Further, for example, the photographic paper P may be conveyed downstream by the conveying roller pair 83 after the upstream rear end of the photographic paper P has completely passed through the turn roller pair 62.

In this case, when the photographic paper P is conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 83, the upstream end of the upstream side of the photographic paper P is not restrained by the turn roller pair 62. Therefore, the conveyance speed of the conveyance roller pair 83 is set to the turn roller. It can be determined regardless of the conveyance speed of the pair 62.
(B)
In the above embodiment, as an example in which the second transport unit 65 transports the printing paper P on which the setup test print TP is formed substantially vertically downward, the angle α + β is 80 ° (inclined 80 ° downward with respect to the horizontal direction). The case where the photographic paper P is conveyed in the direction to be described has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

Here, “substantially vertically downward” does not mean strictly conveying vertically downward, but means that it is only necessary to include a vertically downward component in the direction vector in the conveying direction.
For example, if the direction in which the photographic paper P is conveyed from the second conveyance unit 65 is a direction in which the action of gravity can be used, that is, a direction in which the deflection of the photographic paper P is less and the conveyance components can be reduced than in the conventional case, However, the photographic paper P may be conveyed while being inclined downward within a range of 10 ° ≦ α + β ≦ 90 °. In this case, the conveyance angle of the second conveyance unit 65 can be adjusted according to the size of the driving roller 62a and the position of the carry-out hole 65c.

(C)
In the above embodiment, the conveyance guide 65a has been described with an example in which the urethane foam 65b is provided on the surface opposite to the conveyance surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the urethane foam 65b may be another foamed resin member, for example, another heat insulating material such as polystyrene foam or phenol foam. In this case, an optimal heat insulating material can be selected according to the atmospheric temperature in the drying unit 60.

(D)
In the above-described embodiment, when the photographic printing paper P on which the normal print is formed is conveyed from the turn roller pair 62 to the conveyance switching guide 63, the direction in which the first conveyance unit 64 inclines the normal print downward by the angle α with respect to the horizontal direction. As an example, the case where the angle α is 10 ° has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, if the angle does not damage the surface of the normal print, the angle α may be in the range of −90 ° ≦ α ≦ 80 ° depending on the convenience of the transport path. Here, the (−) negative sign of the angle α means an upward angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and a positive number means an angle downward with respect to the horizontal direction.
(E)
In the above embodiment, the turn roller pair 62 has been described with an example in which the plurality of drive rollers 62a and the driven rollers 62b are configured. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, a guide may be used instead of the driven roller 62b, and the drive roller may be used instead of the turn roller pair 62. In this case, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of driven rollers 62b.

  Since the photographic processing apparatus of the present invention has the effect of reducing transport parts and reducing costs, it has two transport paths for transporting photographic paper inside, and a drying apparatus in which the transport direction is the vertical direction; The present invention can be widely applied to a photographic processing apparatus including a density measuring unit.

1 is an external view of a photographic processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The side view of the photographic processing apparatus of FIG. The side surface enlarged view of the drying part and density | concentration measurement part which are contained in FIG. The side surface enlarged view of the drying part contained in FIG. The top view which shows the test print TP for setup.

Explanation of symbols

1 Photo printing system (photo processing equipment)
20 Operation unit 21 Monitor 22 Keyboard 23 Mouse 30 Computer unit 31 Media reader 40 Film scanner 50 Print unit 51 Printing paper magazine 52 Sheet cutter 53 Back print unit 54 Print exposure unit 55 Processing tank unit 55a Color developing tank 55b Bleach fixing tank 55c Stable Processing tank 56 Conveyor 57 Pressure contact roller pair 58 Chucker type transport unit 60 Drying unit (drying device)
61 pressure contact conveyance roller pair 61a driving roller 61b contact roller 62 turn roller pair 62a driving roller 62b driven roller 63 conveyance switching guide (conveyance switching unit)
64 1st conveyance part 64a Roller 64b Nipping roller pair 64c Unloading hole 65 2nd conveyance part 65a Conveyance guide (guide part)
65b Urethane foam (heat insulation)
65c Unloading hole 66 Shutter 80 Density measuring unit 81 Housing 82 Densitometer 83 Conveying roller pair P Photo paper F Photo film TP Test print for setup

Claims (3)

A photographic processing apparatus for processing a photosensitive material,
A transfer switching unit that switches a transfer path of the photosensitive material, a first transfer unit that receives and transfers the photosensitive material on which a normal print is formed from the transfer switching unit, and a lower portion than the first transfer unit. A second conveying unit that receives the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed from the conveyance switching unit and conveys the photosensitive material substantially vertically downward;
A density measuring unit that receives the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed from the second transport unit, and measures the density of the test print;
A photographic processing apparatus. The second transport unit includes a guide unit for transporting the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed in a predetermined direction.
The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 1. The guide portion is provided with a heat insulating material on a surface opposite to a conveyance surface that conveys the photosensitive material on which the test print is formed.
The photographic processing apparatus according to claim 2.