JP2511303B2 - Automatic developing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial application field) The present invention is to continuously develop, fix,
The present invention relates to an automatic developing device that performs a developing process by sending to each process of washing.

(Technical Background of the Invention) Conventionally, a roller transport system, a loop transport system, and a horizontal transport system have been known for performing continuous development processing of a film. In the roller transport system, a large number of rollers are used to transport the inside of a processing liquid tank that is deep up and down. However, there is a problem that the processing liquid tank is deep and the apparatus becomes large. The loop transfer method is a method in which a film is stretched between rollers arranged above and below the processing liquid tank and transferred, but it has the same problem as the roller transfer method. In the horizontal transport method, the processing liquid is sprayed onto the film that is transported horizontally to perform development.However, in order to perform high-speed processing, the distance in which the processing liquid contacts the film, that is, the path in the horizontal direction becomes longer. However, there has been a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

On the other hand, a developing method has been proposed in which, when the film is immersed in a developing solution, ultrasonic waves are simultaneously applied to the film so that unnecessary photosensitizers can be rapidly removed from the film during development (JP-A-57-2036). issue). However, in this method, an ultrasonic vibrator is immersed in a developing solution to vibrate the entire developing solution and the film, and the liquid surface of the developing solution is in contact with the atmosphere. It is generally known that the developer is accelerated in its fatigue when it contacts the atmosphere, and this fatigue is further accelerated when the liquid is vibrated by ultrasonic waves. Therefore, according to this conventional method, the degree of fatigue of the developing solution is significantly increased. Therefore, there is a problem that the frequency of exchanging the developer increases and the consumption thereof increases.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic developing apparatus which is suitable for high-speed processing and downsizing, is capable of stable processing, and has at least a low degree of fatigue of a development processing solution, which can be replaced less frequently and consumption.

(Construction of the Invention) According to the present invention, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic developing apparatus for sequentially transferring a photographed roll film to each step of development, fixing and washing to continuously develop the film, and at least one of the steps including development. The processing step is a processing tank in which a film guide part having a substantially arc-shaped bottom when viewed from the film width direction and a vibrating part in which a part of the film guide part is deepened downward are formed and which contains a processing liquid, A lower surface is formed in a substantially arcuate cross section convex downward so as to face the bottom of the film guide portion at a constant interval, and the lower surface is made of a polymer material and is immersed in the processing liquid from above, A guide groove for guiding the film in the processing liquid so that the emulsion surface thereof faces upward while being close to the liquid level control lid, and the liquid level control lid provided on the bottom of the vibrating section from below the film through the film. On the underside of And an ultrasonic wave generating means for emitting an ultrasonic wave with a directivity toward the automatic developing device.

That is, the present invention is based on the premise that the processing speed is increased by ultrasonic waves, and the processing liquid near the film is kept warm by the liquid level control lid which is held close to the upper surface of the film to further promote the processing, while the liquid level control is performed. The lid prevents the surface of the processing liquid from coming into contact with the atmosphere, and prevents fatigue of the processing liquid, especially the developing liquid. Further, the ultrasonic wave generating means used here emits ultrasonic waves directed toward the lower surface of the liquid level control lid so that the processing liquid is not unnecessarily excited. Furthermore, if a fixed gap is formed between the liquid level control lid and the film guide, and the film is guided close to the liquid level control lid here, the processing liquid on the upper surface of the film becomes small and it becomes easier to heat. The emulsion surface of the film faces upward, that is, the liquid surface regulating lid side so that the treatment with this heated treatment liquid can be performed.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a developing process, FIG. 2 is a view showing a processing liquid pack, FIG. 2A is an external perspective view thereof, and FIGS. 2B and 2C. Is a diagram showing an internal state before and after its use, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a developing tank.
Has a film guide portion 22 having an arcuate bottom in a side view, and a vibrating portion 24 opening obliquely in the film running direction (rightward direction) so as to cross the film guide portion 22. A pair of feed rollers 26 for carrying in the film 12 on which a latent image of a micro image is formed are provided at the left end of the film guide portion 22, and a pair of feed rollers 28 for carrying out the film 12 are provided at the right end.

A liquid level control lid 30 is made of, for example, neoprene rubber or polyurethane rubber and has an arc-shaped cross section.
It is attached to the lid plate 34 via 32. This liquid level control lid
A gap of about 3 to 4 mm is formed between the film 30 and the bottom surface of the film guide 22, and the film 12 is guided by the guide groove 31 (FIG. 3) so as to travel through this gap. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a groove 31 into which the left and right edges of the film 12 are inserted is formed in the processing tank 20, and the film 12 is guided and transferred by the groove 31. Here, the film 12 is controlled so that its emulsion surface 12A faces upward.

A vibrator 10 having a diameter of 25 mm is attached to the bottom of the vibrating part 24,
The perpendicular line of the vibrator 10, that is, the central axis X which is the direction of maximum directivity, crosses the film 12 obliquely in the film running direction. The film 12 is set so as to enter the near-field of the transducer 10 on the central axis X, for example, 10
It is desirable to set it within the range of up to 50 mm. Here, the short-range sound field refers to a range closer to the oscillator 10 than a position farthest from the oscillator 10 among the positions where the sound pressure propagating in the treatment liquid is periodically maximized. By transporting the film 12 obliquely with respect to the central axis X within this range, the film 12 can be uniformly processed without being affected by the uneven sound pressure.

The processing liquid is supplied to the processing tank 20 so that the processing liquid always has a constant level. That is, the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid tank 36 to the pump 38.
Is sent to the constant liquid surface tank 40, and is maintained at a constant liquid surface height in this tank 40, and from here, the metering pump 42 sends the processing liquid into the film guide portion 22 on the upstream side of the vibrating portion 24. The processing liquid flows over the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 of the downstream side of the film guide section 22, that is, the lower side of the feed roller 28, flows into the loading chamber 44, and enters the processing liquid pack 46 therefrom.

The processing solution pack 46 is made of waterproof paper in a box shape, and the processing solution tank 36 made of a flexible plastic container is housed on one side of the new processing solution pack 46 before use.
A water-absorbing polymer 48 is contained on the other side (Fig. 2B).
On the upper surface of the treatment liquid pack 46, a treatment liquid outlet 46a and a waste liquid inlet 46b which respectively communicate with the treatment liquid tank 36 and the water absorbing polymer 48 are opened, and after these are sealed with a thin film material,
Further, the upper surface thereof can be opened and closed with adhesive seal lids 46c and 46d. The processing liquid pack 46 includes these seal lids 46.
It is placed on a vertically movable tray 49 (FIG. 1) with c and 46d open, and is pushed upward by this tray 49 to be loaded. At this time, the processing liquid inflow pipe of the pump 38
The processing liquid discharge pipe 44a communicating with 38a and the loading chamber 44 breaks a thin film blocking the processing liquid outlet 48a and the waste liquid inlet 48b,
The treatment liquid tank 36 and the water-absorbing polymer 48 communicate with each other.

Therefore, when the treatment liquid in the tank 36 decreases, the tank volume 36 decreases, but the water-absorbing polymer 48 gels and the second c
It expands as indicated by 48A in the figure. When the processing liquid in the tank 36 runs out and the pack 46 is replaced, the tray
You can lower 49 and let the pipes 38a, 44a exit the pack 46. Although the waste liquid is gelled, there is no danger of the liquid spilling, but the processing liquid outlet 46a and the waste liquid inlet 4 are provided by the seal lids 46c and 46d.
Blocking 6b is even more secure. As a result, handling of the processing liquid becomes very simple.

The height of the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 accommodating the feed roller 28 determines the height of the processing liquid surface in the processing tank 20, and, for example, based on the arc-shaped bottom of the film guide portion 22. It is desirable to set it to about 7 mm. Reference numeral 50 denotes a valve for discharging the processing liquid in the vibration unit 24 to the tank 46.

Therefore, a fixed amount of the processing liquid is
And the liquid level is kept constant by the partition wall of the loading chamber 44. The film 12 is fed at a constant speed by the rollers 26 and 28, and moves downward in the film guide portion 22 of the processing tank 20 while drawing a convex arc. Vibrator 10 to generate ultrasonic waves in and at a certain energy constant frequency (e.g. 1.7MH _Z), the ultrasonic waves impinge obliquely on the film 12. For this reason, the film 10 can move within the ultrasonic irradiation area including the central axis X by a distance larger than the periodic interval of the ultrasonic waves, and is not affected by the periodic ultrasonic waves.

Ultrasonic waves do not heat the entire processing solution,
It has the function of selectively heating polymer substances such as 12 as a sound absorbing material. As shown in FIG. 3, the amount of the processing liquid on the upper surface of the film 12 is significantly smaller than the amount of the processing liquid below the film 12, so that the processing liquid on the upper surface of the film 12 is quickly heated. Since the emulsion surface 12A of the film 12 is located on the side of the heated processing liquid, the processing of the film 12 is performed very quickly.

In this embodiment, since the liquid level control lid 30 is located close to the upper surface of the film 12, the liquid level control lid 30 keeps the film 12 and the processing liquid on the upper surface warm and enables the uniform processing. Further accelerate processing. If the liquid level control lid 30 is made of a polymer material such as polyurethane rubber or neoprene rubber, the lid 30 itself can be heated by the sound absorbing function. Therefore, the heating of the film 12 is further promoted and the treatment is promoted. Neoprene rubber is particularly preferable because it has excellent heat resistance. At this time, if the upper surface of the liquid level control lid 30 is held by the lid plate 34 via the heat insulating material 32 as in this embodiment,
The heat retaining effect by the liquid level control lid 30 is further improved, and the processing is further promoted. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform good processing without processing unevenness in a short time.

Further, the liquid level control lid 30 covers the surface of the processing liquid in the processing tank 20 to prevent the surface of the processing liquid from directly contacting the atmosphere. In particular, it is well known that fatigue easily progresses in the developing solution due to contact with the atmosphere, and when this is vibrated with ultrasonic waves, the fatigue is further promoted. It is possible to prevent the progress of this fatigue by blocking the contact between the liquid surface and the atmosphere near the portion excited by the ultrasonic waves. Here, the ultrasonic transducer 10 has directivity, and since the direction of maximum directivity is directed to the lower surface of the liquid level control lid 30, it is not necessary to vibrate the entire processing liquid. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the frequency of exchanging the processing liquid and also reduce the consumption amount.

In this embodiment, since the central axis X of the vibrator 10 intersects in the running direction of the film 12, the ultrasonic wave promotes the movement of the processing liquid in the running direction of the film, and almost new processing is performed in the processing tank. The treatment can be continued using the liquid.

Although one vibrator 10 is used in this embodiment, a plurality of vibrators 10 may be used in the present invention. 2 in Figures 4A and 4B
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment in which a single circular shape uses the vibrator 10 and a cross-sectional view of this embodiment as seen from the film transfer direction. In this embodiment, the vibrators 10 and 10 are arranged so that the central axes X of the vibrators 10 and 10 are gathered near the film 12.

5A and 5B are a perspective view of an embodiment using three rectangular vibrators 210 and a cross-sectional view of this embodiment seen from the film transfer direction. Here, the ultrasonic wave emission direction (center axis X) of each transducer 210 is gathered toward the vicinity of the film 12. In the examples of FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B, the surface of the treatment liquid is raised by ultrasonic vibration. The liquid surface treatment lids 130 and 230 press the ridges to prevent an unstable flow of the treatment liquid and make the flow uniform. Note that 132 and 232 are heat insulating materials.

In these embodiments, the liquid level control lid 30 is provided above the film 12.
Although the present invention is provided, it goes without saying that the present invention also includes those without this.

Although the liquid level of the processing tank 20 is kept constant at the height of the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 in this embodiment, the liquid level may be controlled by using another liquid level sensor and a drain valve. Good. Since the treatment liquid oxidizes and deteriorates after a long period of time, when deterioration of the treatment liquid occurs, the valves 50 are opened while the pumps 38 and 42 are operated, and the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid tank 36 is sent to the water absorbing polymer 48. It may be gelled and discarded.

Although the present invention is applied to the developing process in the above-described embodiments, the present invention also includes those applied to other processes.

FIG. 6 is an overall view of an automatic developing apparatus in which the processing apparatus of FIG. 1 is applied not only to the developing step but also to the fixing step and the water washing step. In this figure, A, B, and C denote a developing, fixing, and rinsing apparatus, respectively, which are processing apparatuses similar to those shown in FIG. 1 except that a developing liquid, a fixing liquid, and a cleaning liquid are used as processing liquids. different.

In this figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a supply reel of a photographed film that has not been subjected to the development processing, and reference numeral 102 denotes a take-up reel that winds the developed film. Undeveloped film 12 is a drive roller
The toner is guided to the developing device A by being sandwiched between the contact roller 104 and the contact roller 106. At this time, the tip and the end of the film 12 are the entrance sensor
Detected by 108. The rotation of the contact roller 106 is monitored by an encoder (not shown). the film
12 is a take-up reel 10 that has been processed by each of the processing devices A, B and C.
Wound on 2. At this time, the film 12 coming out of the washing device C
The outlet roller 110 is brought into rolling contact with the motor, and the rotation of the outlet roller 110 is monitored by an encoder (not shown). In the vicinity of the exit roller 110, an exit sensor 112 is configured to monitor the leading edge and the trailing edge of the film 12.

This device operates as follows. First, the photographed film 12 is set on the reel 100, and the power switch (not shown) is turned on, so that the pumps 38 and 42 operate to keep the processing liquid at the specified liquid level. Starts spinning. When the film 12 is fed from the reel 100 while being sandwiched between the rollers 104 and 106, the leading end of the film 12 is detected by the entrance sensor 108, and the vibration of each of the processing devices A, B, and C is detected based on the output of the sensor 108. The child 10 turns on and starts vibrating.
The film 12 is processed by each of the processing devices A, B, and C and then wound on the take-up reel 102. At this time, when the exit sensor 112 detects the end of the film 12, the vibrator 10 is turned off and the vibration is stopped.

In this apparatus, films (jams) in the apparatuses A, B, and C are detected as follows. Ie entrance sensor
If the exit sensor 112 does not detect the leading edge of the film within a certain time after the leading edge of the film 12 has been detected, it is determined that the jam has occurred. Also, since the feed amount of the film 12 can be determined by an encoder that detects the rotation of the contact roller 106 and the exit roller 110, the sensors 108, 112
If the roller 110 stops while is ON (during film passage), it is determined that a jam has occurred. It should be noted that if the sensor 112 detects the end of the film within a fixed time after the sensor 108 detects the end of the film, it may be determined as normal and it may be confirmed that the development is normally performed.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the present invention, in promoting processing by using ultrasonic waves in at least one processing step of developing, fixing and washing with water, ultrasonic waves are emitted from below toward the upper surface of the processing liquid. On the other hand, since the film is transferred so that the emulsion surface of the film faces upward, the amount of the processing liquid held between the film and the liquid level control lid is small, and this small amount of the processing liquid is sonicated. The heated liquid surface regulating lid and the film are rapidly heated, and the emulsion surface in contact with the heated processing liquid is rapidly processed. Therefore, the processing step of the film can be shortened, and hence the processing layer can be downsized.

Here, the surface of the treatment liquid, especially the liquid surface of the portion that is vibrated by ultrasonic waves, is covered with a liquid level control lid to prevent contact with the atmosphere. Since the ultrasonic wave generation means has directivity and directs the ultrasonic wave emission direction to the lower surface of the liquid level regulation lid, it is not necessary to vibrate the entire processing liquid. Therefore, particularly in the case of the developer, even if it is vibrated by ultrasonic waves, the fatigue is prevented, the frequency of exchanging the developer is reduced, and the consumption thereof is reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a development processing tank which is an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a view showing a treatment liquid pack, FIG. 2A is an external perspective view thereof, FIGS. 2B and 2C are views showing internal states before and after use, and FIG. 3 is III in FIG. It is a III-line sectional view. FIGS. 4A and 4B and FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing other arrangement examples of the vibrator and the like. FIG. 6 is an overall view of an automatic developing apparatus in which the processing apparatus of FIG. 1 is applied not only to the developing step but also to the fixing step and the water washing step. 10, 210 …… Transducer, 12 …… Film, 12A …… Emulsion side, 20 …… Processing tank, 22 …… Film guide section, 24 …… Vibration section, 30 …… Liquid level control lid, A …… Developing device, B ... Fixing device, C ... Washing device.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A roll film that has been photographed is developed, fixed,
In an automatic developing apparatus that sequentially sends each step of washing with water to continuously perform development, at least one processing step including development includes a film guide portion having a substantially arc-shaped bottom when viewed from the film width direction and the film guide portion. An oscillating portion is formed by deepening a part of the portion downward, and a processing tank for containing a processing liquid, and a downwardly convex cross-section having a substantially arcuate shape so that the lower surface faces the bottom of the film guide portion at a constant interval. And a liquid level control lid made of a polymer material whose lower surface is immersed in the processing solution from above, and the film is brought close to the liquid level control lid so that the emulsion surface of the film faces upward in the processing solution. A guide groove for guiding, and an ultrasonic wave generation unit that is provided on the bottom of the vibrating unit and emits ultrasonic waves with directivity from below the film to the lower surface of the liquid level control lid through the film. Self Dynamic developing device.