JP2739357B2 - Automatic developing machine for silver halide photographic materials - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automatic developing machine used for developing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a photographic light-sensitive material or a light-sensitive material). More particularly, the present invention relates to an automatic developing machine which is small in size, capable of rapid processing, has no processing unevenness, and is suitable for performing stable processing for a long period of time.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention]

Automatic developing machines that automatically process ordinary photographic light-sensitive materials (photographic film, photographic paper, etc.) include those used in large central processing facilities (hereinafter referred to as large laboratories), Generally, relatively small machines (hereinafter referred to as mini-labs) that are installed and used in a large-scale store are used. What to process, X
Processes for processing line films or small ones containing so-called hand developed elements are known.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for photos taken even as quickly as one second, and minilabs have become increasingly popular.

In order to develop a photograph quickly so that it can be seen as a print, it is important to shorten the finishing time of the automatic developing machine and to have an automatic developing machine which can develop the photograph on the spot.

In recent years, with the spread of so-called mini-labs, DPE service points that enable rapid processing such as one-hour finishing have emerged. However, the fact that about 75% of the total processing volume is still handled by large laboratories It is easier to go to a nearby photo shop than go far to the one hour finishing shop,
It represents the needs of general users.

Therefore, the emergence of a compact automatic processor that satisfies the need to immediately take a photograph has been awaited.

Various technologies have already been disclosed to meet such needs.

For example, in a relatively small automatic developing machine, as an application example of the immersion processing method, a processing liquid is stored in a processing tank formed in a slit shape, and a photographic photosensitive material is transported in the slit processing tank. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-131138 discloses a technique for performing treatment while contacting the treatment liquid with the treatment liquid.

This publication states that the so-called “opening area of the processing liquid upper surface area S / processing tank volume V” ratio is small, so that the processing liquid deterioration is small. However, in the invention described in this publication, the opening is formed in a so-called slit shape along the cross section of the photosensitive material, so that a surprisingly long processing tank (increase V) is required to reduce the opening area S. However, there is a disadvantage that the size of the automatic developing machine is not reduced. In order to reduce the size (reduce V), the opening area S of the insertion opening of the photosensitive material must be extremely reduced, which causes another problem, such as precipitation of a crystal or generation of a flaw. There is also a disadvantage that it easily occurs. Further, it has been found that there is a disadvantage that unevenness of processing such as unevenness of development processing occurs when the processing tank is formed in a slit shape. In particular, it has been found that when processing a long and thin photosensitive material such as a color film, there is a fatal defect that the processing performance of the photosensitive material immediately after the start of the processing of the photosensitive material is completely different from that immediately before the end thereof. Also, when processing using the same processing solution as a large automatic developing machine, when using a slit-like processing tank, it is also understood that it takes a long processing time to obtain the same processing performance as the large automatic developing machine, It was also found to be unsuitable for rapid processing.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-259661 has developed a technique in which the speed of transporting the photosensitive material in the slit processing tank is faster than the flow rate of the processing solution, and the flow direction of the processing solution and the photosensitive material transport direction are reversed. I have. In this technique, a newly-introduced processing solution comes into contact with the opposing photosensitive material at the processing tank outlet.
Since the moving directions of the processing liquid and the photosensitive material are opposite to each other, the liquid level in the narrow slit processing tank becomes unstable and overflows in many cases, and it is difficult to maintain the liquid level. Further, it was found that when the leading end of the photosensitive material enters the slit processing tank, resistance occurs in the transport direction, so that the photosensitive material cannot be transported well, and troubles such as jamming occur.
In particular, it has been found that there is a serious disadvantage that it is difficult to reliably transport a film base called a thin film having a thickness of 150 μm or less or a color paper having a thickness of 200 μm or less.

U.S. Pat.No. 3,273,485 discloses a technique relating to a developing machine in which a tank is provided under an elongated so-called slit-shaped processing tank when a processing liquid is not used for a long time, and the tank is housed in this tank. I have.

However, this technique has a drawback that the processing liquid attached to the slit-shaped processing tank is solidified to generate crystals. Also,
Since the processing tank is slit-shaped, development unevenness, desilvering unevenness, similar to the technique described in JP-A-63-131138,
It has the drawbacks that it causes unevenness in washing and is unsuitable for rapid processing, and is eventually unsuitable for development processing.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-178965 discloses a photosensitive material having a shallow developing tank, an increasing tank filled with a developing solution shut off from the outside air, and circulating means for circulating between the developing tank and the photosensitive material. A processing device is disclosed. However, in this apparatus, a shallow developing tank is used, and the opening area of the upper part of the processing tank must be increased, which causes a problem of deterioration of the processing liquid. For this reason, a floating lid etc. for oxidation prevention is provided, but it is not completely sealed and a thin film is formed by the processing liquid every time the float shakes,
On the contrary, it may be easily oxidized, and there is a drawback that the deterioration of the processing solution particularly during the processing in a small amount is remarkably deteriorated.

Even if the size of the automatic developing machine is reduced and the size of each processing tank is reduced, the photographic performance is adversely affected. There are many factors that affect photographic performance. However, in a technology having a small size or a substantially hermetically sealed structure, the effect of stirring the processing solution in the processing tank and the accuracy of temperature control are particularly problematic.

On the other hand, when the miniaturization of the automatic developing machine is achieved, the amount of the processing solution becomes more and more important in terms of stability in developing photographs and various deteriorations such as oxidative deterioration of the processing solution and concentration due to evaporation.

Further, to process a silver halide photographic material,
It must be done in the dark. However, when the size is reduced, the processing solution supply port, the photosensitive material discharge port, and the like come close to the processing tank, and it is difficult to maintain the light shielding property in the processing tank.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an automatic developing machine for photographic light-sensitive materials which can reduce the ratio of the processing solution volume to the opening area of the upper part of the processing tank even if the size is reduced. The second object of the present invention is that the liquid level in the processing tank can be maintained without developing unevenness even if the size is reduced, and there is no trouble caused by the conveyance of the photosensitive material such as a jam ring. A third object of the present invention is to provide an automatic developing machine for photographic light-sensitive materials capable of obtaining processing performance, and it is possible to increase the storage stability of a processing solution even if the size is reduced. A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an automatic developing machine for a photosensitive material, which can maintain stable processing performance by a small amount processing without causing conveyance failure, generation of scratches and uneven development. Automatic developing machine for photographic photosensitive materials Lies in subjecting, fifth invention
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic developing machine for photographic light-sensitive materials capable of obtaining a sufficient light-shielding performance even with a reduction in size.

[Means and actions for solving the problem]

The object of the present invention is to provide (1) a processing section for immersing a silver halide photographic material, a liquid tank section filled with a processing liquid so as not to substantially come into contact with air, the processing section and the liquid A pump for circulating the processing liquid between the processing unit and the tank, and a structure for substantially blocking the opening of the processing unit from air, and the air of the total processing liquid in the processing unit and the liquid tank unit Contact interface / treatment liquid volume ratio is 7cm ² /
An automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, characterized in that: (2) a processing section for immersing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material; and a processing liquid filled so as not to substantially come into contact with air. And a pump for circulating the liquid so that the flow of the processing liquid between the processing part and the liquid tank part is in the same direction as the photosensitive material transport direction in at least a part of the processing part. The structure has a structure for substantially blocking the opening of the processing section from air, and the total air contact interface / processing liquid volume of the processing liquid of the processing section and the liquid tank section is 7 cm ² / or less. (3) An automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, wherein (3) a pump for generating a flow of a processing solution flowing on the surface of the light-sensitive material at a speed higher than a conveying speed of the light-sensitive material. Automatic silver halide photographic light-sensitive material described (4) a processing section for immersing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, a liquid tank section filled with a processing liquid so as not to substantially come into contact with air, and between the processing section and the liquid tank section. A pump that circulates the processing liquid, and a structure that substantially shuts off the opening of the processing unit from air, and that the processing unit is provided with a unit that substantially seals the photosensitive material when it is not processed. An automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, (5) a processing part for immersing the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, and a liquid tank part filled with a processing liquid so as not to substantially come into contact with air. A pump for circulating the processing liquid between the processing section and the liquid tank section, and a structure for substantially blocking the opening of the processing section from air, and the tank of the liquid tank section is free. Automatic for silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, characterized in that its volume can be changed Developing machine.

In the present invention, the liquid tank portion means a portion that does not perform processing of the photosensitive material, and that contains the same processing solution as the processing portion, and in which the photosensitive material is not immersed, and is provided with some sort means. , A part distinguished from the processing unit. This liquid tank part is provided mainly for increasing the liquid capacity,
A space provided only for filtration, such as a so-called filter case provided in a conventional automatic developing machine, has a different purpose. In addition, the liquid tank section only needs to have at least a capacity capable of achieving the main purpose.

When the photosensitive material is processed, the processing solution adheres to the photosensitive material, or a small amount of the solution is discharged from the developing machine of the present invention to the outside. Therefore, the processing section or the liquid tank section is decompressed, and air may enter the developing machine, which may adversely affect the oxidation of the processing liquid and the driving performance of the pump. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the tank of the liquid tank section is made of, for example, a soft organic polymer material or the like, and has a structure that can freely change its volume (content) (the present invention according to claim 5). ). Further, the location where the air enters can be determined in advance to a location where there is no problem in the liquid tank section, the processing section, or the liquid tank section and the processing section.

Further, the liquid tank section may also serve another purpose, for example, storing the liquid in the processing section when not in use.

The partitioning means may be provided, for example, by providing a partition plate between the processing unit and the partitioning unit, or may be a separate tank.

Further, in the present invention, any known processing unit can be used, but it is preferable that the processing unit is devised so as to reduce the opening area.

For example, it is preferable that the opening is formed in a slit shape and that an opening is provided with a floating lid other than the photosensitive material passage. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the photosensitive material is not being processed, a sealing lid for completely shutting off the contact between the liquid and the air is provided, and when the photosensitive material is not processed, it is substantially sealed.

Furthermore, the ratio between the processing unit volume and the liquid tank unit volume may be any value, but it is preferable that the liquid tank unit be as large as the equipment space allows, preferably 2.0 times or more the processing unit volume, and 5 times or more. Is more preferable. Particularly preferably, it is 10 times or more. The upper limit is considered to be about 500 times in view of the size of a normal developing machine, but is not particularly limited.

Further, since the processing liquid in the liquid tank does not substantially come into contact with air, the processing liquid and the liquid tank can be reduced in size even with a small slit-shaped developing tank while keeping the size small. Can be reduced.
In addition, the preservability of the treatment liquid is improved, and stable performance can be obtained even when the treatment liquid stays for a long time.

In the present invention, that the processing liquid in the processing section and the liquid tank section does not substantially come into contact with air means that a means for preventing contact with air is provided at the interface of the processing liquid to shut off the air. Specifically, means such as a floating lid, a sealed plug, and filling with an inert gas such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen can be used. In the case of a floating lid, it is preferable that the air is substantially shut off even if a gap is provided between the lid and the wall surface. As means for sealing the conveying path of the photosensitive material, those described in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-156139, FIGS. 1-25 and FIGS. 36-40 can be used. According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the ratio of the air contact interface of the treatment liquid to the treatment liquid in this portion is 7 cm ² /
Or less, preferably 5 cm ² / or less, particularly preferably ² cm ² /
cm ² / cm2 or less. In the case of a hermetic stopper in which the processing liquid is sealed, when air remains in the hermetic plug, the volume of the air portion is preferably within 10% of the total volume of the processing section and the liquid tank section, more preferably 5%. It is within.
It is most preferable to have a hermetically closed lid for completely shutting off the contact between the liquid surface and the air except during the processing. In this case, the air contact interface of the processing liquid / the processing liquid volume ratio becomes zero.

Inert gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen include carbon dioxide, He,
A gas having a low oxidation reactivity such as a so-called inert gas such as Ne, Xe, and Ra and a nitrogen gas. Inert gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen may be used alone or in combination of two or more, but the proportion of these inert gases is preferably at least 90%,
It is more preferably at least 95%, particularly preferably at least 98%.

Further, by achieving the miniaturization by the above method and reducing the area of the opening, the processing solution of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is substantially sealed in a portion in contact with air when the light-sensitive material is not used. Can be easily provided.
In addition, by covering the upper opening of the processing section when the photosensitive material is not processed, the processing liquid is prevented from evaporating, preventing precipitation, preventing deterioration, and further reducing the generation of precipitates generated at the processing liquid gas-liquid interface, This is preferable because it can eliminate the occurrence of defective transport defects and uneven development during processing of the photosensitive material.

In the present invention as set forth in claim 4, having a means for substantially sealing means having a means for providing a lid on the interface of the processing liquid in the processing unit and preventing the processing liquid from coming into contact with air. I do. At least, when the cover is difficult to cover as in the case of the transporting gear portion of the rack, the cover is excluded except for that portion.
Preferably, the entire surface of the processing section is covered, and the cover is automatically closed except when the photosensitive material passes,
More preferably, even during processing, the processing liquid is prevented from coming into contact with air except for the portion through which the photosensitive material passes, and when processing is stopped, the contact with air is completely cut off.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the processing time can be further reduced by making the flow of the processing liquid in the processing section at least partly the same as the conveying direction of the photosensitive material.

Further, by causing the flow rate of the processing solution in the processing section to be faster than the transport speed of the photosensitive material by a pump, a sufficient effect of stirring the processing solution on the surface of the photosensitive material and an effect of replacing the processing solution with a new solution are provided. Can be obtained. For example, by flowing the photosensitive material at a speed of 1.5 times or more of the photosensitive material transport speed, preferably at a speed of 1.5 times or more, more preferably at a speed of 2.0 times or more, the photosensitive material in the processing tank always flows from the liquid tank portion. The contact with the new solution eliminates problems such as uneven development.

The flow of the processing liquid in the processing section is at least partially the same as the transport direction of the photosensitive material, for example, in the slit-shaped processing section, the flow of the processing liquid in the same direction as the transport direction of the processing of the photosensitive material. Means that at least a part of the immersion part in the processing solution of the photosensitive material,
For example, when performing processing by immersing a rack in a box-shaped processing unit, a processing liquid is introduced from the entrance of the photosensitive material and the processing liquid is drained from the bottom of the processing unit, or a processing liquid is supplied from the bottom of the processing unit and exposed to light. The case where the processing liquid is drained from the material outlet is also included.

Further, a baffle may be provided in the rack, a liquid may be introduced from the entrance of the photosensitive material, and a liquid may be discharged from the exit of the photosensitive material, so that a flow may be generated through the baffle, such as the photosensitive entrance → the baffle → the exit.

When the processing step of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material includes the steps of color development, bleach-fixing, and stabilization, and the processing step of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material includes the steps of color development, bleaching, fixing, and stabilization. In this case, it is preferable to apply the present invention in which the processing section has a substantially closed structure, since an effect of preventing light leakage to the color development step which requires the most light-shielding property in the processing step is obtained.

In the present invention, the effects described above can be obtained by using the processing section and the liquid tank section in at least one of the processing steps. Preferably, it is used in a color developing tank, more preferably in all processing steps.

Further, when the automatic developing machine is downsized, the light shielding property in the processing section of the automatic developing machine is significantly inferior to that of a normal automatic developing machine because the processing solution exchange portion is close to the processing section.
This is due to the fact that the general user does not firmly close the treatment liquid exchange portion and the like, and the light-shielding property is significantly impaired due to backlash due to aging. Therefore, by providing a liquid tank section that communicates directly with the processing section, and attaching a processing liquid exchange section and a processing liquid discharge port to it, a path through which light passes from the liquid tank section to the processing section is provided, and the light shielding property is extremely high. The effect of becoming is also obtained.

The arrangement of the processing units may be arranged side by side as in a conventional automatic developing machine, but if the processing tanks are stacked and arranged in order from the top, such as color development-bleaching-fixing-stable, the installation area can be reduced. preferable. Further, any arrangement can be adopted such that only the bleach-fix is up and down.

Further, the liquid tank section and the processing section may be arranged in any relationship such as up and down, left and right. If there is a concern that the liquid does not leak from the lid, it may be at the same liquid level as the processing unit, or may be arranged vertically if the installation area is small, with the liquid tank part down When the processing unit supply port is arranged on the liquid tank unit, it is conceivable that when the liquid is spilled, the electric components are hardly subjected to water and the number of failures is reduced. Further, the processing liquid exchange port, the discharge port, and the replenishing port may be provided in any of the liquid tank section and the processing section, but may be provided in the liquid tank section in consideration of simplification of the processing section and light leakage described above.

The silver halide photographic light-sensitive material used in the present invention includes black-and-white (X-ray, squirrel, black-and-white paper, black-and-white film, etc.) and color (color negative film, color negative paper, color reversal film, Any photosensitive material such as a color reversal paper) may be used. Especially B (blue), G (green), R
When a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material, in which the development characteristics of the three layers (red) are problematic, is applied to the automatic developing machine of the present invention, the effect becomes remarkable. This is for black and white photos,
The gradation is determined by one silver image, and the problem of photographic performance is relatively unlikely to occur, but in the case of color, the balance of the three layers of B (blue), G (green), and R (red) is a problem. is there.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described using examples,
Embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this.

1 and 2 are schematic sectional views showing one embodiment of the present invention.

The photosensitive material F in FIG.
Are transported into the treatment layer 2 by the entrance transport roller groups 3a, 3b, 3c. Further, a suitable sealing means is provided at the inlet of the processing layer 2 so that the processing liquid in the processing layer 2 is not discharged out of the processing tank by the sealing means. The processing liquid is circulated in the processing tank 2 by the pump 4 in the same direction as the transport direction of the photosensitive material 2F so that the flow rate of the processing liquid is faster than the transport speed of the photosensitive material F.

As the pump 4, a gear pump, a roots pump, a diaphragm pump, a magnet pump, an impeller pump, a piston pump, or the like can be used.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the liquid tank section is constituted by a pump 4, a pump inlet pipe 5, and a pump outlet pipe 6. When the amount of the processing liquid is not sufficient, as shown in FIG. A tank-shaped circulation treatment liquid tank 7 provided with a supply port 8 can be added.

The circulation processing liquid tank 21 can be provided on the pump inlet side as shown in FIG. 2, or can be provided on the pump outlet side.
Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pump inlet,
A filter unit may be provided in the middle of the outlet pipe to remove insoluble impurities in the processing solution. Further, a heater 9 is provided in the circulation processing liquid tank 7 shown in FIG. 2 to control the temperature of the processing liquid in the processing tank 2.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a sealing spacer, 11 denotes a photosensitive material supply unit, 12 denotes a guide roller, and 13 denotes a storage unit.

In the photographic development process, the temperature control of the processing solution is an extremely important condition. In addition to the procedure shown in FIG. 2, a temperature control is performed from the wall surface of the processing tank 2 or a heat source is installed on the inner surface of the processing tank 2. Then, the temperature can be adjusted.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7-A, 7-B, 8, and 9 show schematic cross-sectional views of an essential part showing an example of the relationship between the processing section and the liquid tank section. Does not limit the invention.

FIG. 3 best illustrates the invention. The processing liquid in the processing section is completely shut off from the air by the transport rollers 43 and 44. The processing liquid in the processing tank 28 is circulated by the circulation pump 31 in the same direction as the conveying direction of the photosensitive material F, and stirs the processing liquid. By setting the flow rate of the processing liquid higher than the transport speed of the photosensitive material F, a sufficient stirring effect and a new processing liquid can be brought into contact with the photosensitive material. Processing tank 28
The concentration of the processing liquid circulating in the replenisher tank 29 may be made uniform and the temperature thereof may be adjusted. Further, for example, a filter may be provided in the pump circulation line to remove dust and the like from the processing liquid.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the processing liquid is extracted from the processing tank 28 in the lower part of the processing tank. FIG. 5 shows that the curvature radius R ₁ of the reversal part of the treatment tank 28 needs to be a certain size.
This shows an example in which a liquid tank section including a replenisher tank 29 is provided in the processing section. In FIG. 5, the processing liquid suction port 30 in the liquid tank section is used.
The liquid is further sucked by the circulation pump 31, and the processing liquid is supplied to the processing unit from the supply port 32 to the processing unit, and returned to the liquid tank unit from the discharge port 33. The processing liquid in the liquid tank section is supplied from the supply port 34, and the discharge port
Emitted from 35. The photosensitive material F is supplied as indicated by arrows. The flow of the processing liquid is the same as the conveying direction of the photosensitive material.

The example shown in FIG. 6 shows a case where the installation position of the circulation pump 31 is changed in the example shown in FIG.

The examples shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B show a case where a liquid tank portion is arranged below the processing tank 28 and the lower part of the processing tank 28 has a structure also serving as an upper lid of the replenisher tank 29. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the circulating treatment liquid supply port 32 of FIG. 4 is further provided near the outlet of the treatment tank 28, and FIG. 8 shows a case where the treatment section in FIG. The example in which the discharge port is provided below the processing tank 28 is shown.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which the photosensitive material conveying rollers 43 and 44 constitute a part of the wall surface of the processing tank. Photosensitive material F
Is. It is supplied into the processing tank 46 by the transfer inlet roller 43, and is directed to the transfer outlet roller 44 while its transfer state is regulated by guides 45a and 45b in the processing tank.

The processing liquid in the processing tank 46 is circulated by the circulation pump 49 so that the processing liquid flows in the processing section and the liquid tank section in the same direction as the photosensitive material transport direction.

In the guides 45a and 45b of the processing tank, as shown in FIG. 17-a, an appropriate amount of through-hole can be provided so that the processing liquid is directed in the photosensitive material conveying direction. In order to smoothly transport the photosensitive material in the processing tank, the surface thereof may be provided with a textured or fibrous material as shown in FIGS. 17-b and 17-c. As shown in FIG. 10, the processing tank 46 is connected to the front and rear processing tanks by a cleaning unit 48. In the cleaning section 48, a processing liquid which has leaked slightly or a water for cleaning the surface of the roller collects.
Discharge using. The cleaning section 48 is also substantially in a sealed state, and the processing liquid is prevented from being deteriorated due to air oxidation and evaporation, thereby preventing the roller 43 from being contaminated. Circulation treatment liquid tank 40
Has a replenisher supply port 41, whose volume can be freely changed depending on the volume of the processing solution. Further, a heat source (such as a heater) is provided in the circulating treatment liquid tank 40 so that the temperature of the treatment tank 46 can be controlled.

Embodiments of the present invention in which the rollers constitute the wall surface of the processing tank include those shown in FIGS. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, but the present invention is not limited to these. Fifteenth
FIG. 16 shows an embodiment in which a pump such as a submersible pump is incorporated in a processing tank. FIG. 16 shows an embodiment in which a guide in the processing tank also serves as an outer wall of the processing tank 46.

FIGS. 18 and 19 show an embodiment of the present invention using a processing tank having no slit shape. The processing tank 53 for normal photographic photosensitive material processing has a rack 50 in which rollers for transporting the photosensitive material are arranged. Therefore, since this rack is present in the processing tank 53, the processing liquid surface is exposed to air, and the processing liquid is oxidized and degraded, and evaporative concentration occurs. Efforts have been made to reduce these problems by sealing the liquid surface with a floating lid or covering the liquid surface with an inert gas. Even in such a case, the present invention can exert its effect. In addition, FIG.
In FIG. 19, reference numeral 51 denotes a processing liquid circulation outlet, 52 denotes a processing liquid circulation supply port, 54 denotes a replenisher supply port, 55 denotes a replenishment tank, 56 denotes a circulation pump, and 57 denotes a discharge pipe.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment of a lid for sealing the processing liquid opening of the processing section having the slit-shaped processing tank. The method of sealing the opening of the processing liquid is roughly classified into the following four methods.
There are different ways. A sealed state is created using the transport roller itself. A sealed state is created by another sealing lid member. The processing tank itself creates a closed state, or the processing liquid is extracted from the processing tank. Seal the processing liquid level of the processing tank with an inert gas.

The seal shown in FIG. 20 is a means for sealing the processing liquid 65 in the processing tank 64 by rotating the cover plate 61 by 90 ° after the photosensitive material F comes out of the processing tank 64. Further, in this embodiment, the washing water is supplied from the washing water supply nozzle 66 onto the roller 60 to wash the portion on the cover plate 61, and the waste liquid is discharged from the waste liquid discharge nozzle 62 to the outside of the system. FIG. 21 shows a state where the cover plate of FIG. 20 is closed.

FIG. 22 shows an embodiment in which the roller 60 is in contact with a seal plate 67 formed on the wall surface of the processing tank to seal the processing section. Also in this embodiment, the outer surface of the roller 60 is preferably washed with washing water.

FIG. 23 shows a means for sealing the processing section by bringing the roller 60 into contact with the sealing plate 67 formed on the wall surface 69 of the processing tank as in the embodiment of FIG. The seal plate 67 can be made of a flexible material such as various rubber materials and soft organic materials. In FIG. 23, reference numeral 63 denotes a processing liquid level. FIG. 24 shows an embodiment in which a cover plate 70 is provided above the liquid level of the processing tank. FIG. 27 shows an example in which the rotation direction is reversed. In FIG. 27, reference numeral 74 denotes a cover plate.

FIG. 25 shows a means for sealing the processing section by turning the lid member to be sealed into a cylindrical rod member 72 and rotating the rod member 90 °.

FIG. 28 is an embodiment showing the columnar rod 72 in more detail. The interrupt 71 is cut so as to allow the photosensitive material to pass through that portion, and the width of the interrupt is preferably equal to or slightly smaller than the width of the processing tank 64.

FIG. 26 shows an embodiment in which a horizontally moving valve plate 75 is provided. The valve plate moves until it reaches the opposite wall, or until a recess is formed in the opposite wall to accommodate the valve plate as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 30, as in FIGS. 24 and 27, the cover plate 76 rotates 90 ° to seal the processing section.

FIG. 31 shows a method in which the sealing rod 77 is transported to the surface of the processing liquid and sealed. When the sealing is not performed, the sealing material 77 is moved to a position where there is no hindrance to the photosensitive material transport as shown.

In FIG. 32, the valve plate 78 that moves horizontally moves to the opposite wall of the processing tank 64 when sealing, and seals the processing section. At this time,
Means for isolating the valve plate 78 from the processing liquid 65 with an isolation film 79 such as a Teflon thin film or a rubber thin film which is soft and resistant to the processing liquid so that the valve plate 78 does not touch the processing liquid 65. Having.

FIG. 33 shows the lower member 81 and the lid member 80 as shown in FIG.
It is that the treatment tank conveying path is formed by a gap indicated by l ₁ and l _2.

By lowering the lid-side member 80 or raising the lower-side member 81, the lower-side member 81 and the lid-side member 80 come into contact with each other to seal the processing unit.

FIG. 29 shows an embodiment in which the sealing means seals or supplies an inert gas or a liquid above the liquid surface of the processing liquid to shut off the processing liquid from the air.

In the case of sealing, it is necessary to form a sealed space that partitions at least a part of the upper surface of the processing unit 28, but in the case of supply, the sealing of the space is gentle and the inert gas etc. is treated from the supply port. A flow path is formed so as to flow to the discharge port through the liquid surface.

In a mode in which a liquid is used instead of an inert gas, it is preferable to use a material which has a lower specific gravity than the processing solution, does not adhere to the photographic light-sensitive material, and does not adversely affect the processing solution.

Further, the above-described operation of enclosing or supplying the inert gas or liquid may be performed individually for each processing tank, or may be performed as a whole.

Further, although not shown, it is also preferable that at least the surface of the transport roller used on the outlet side of the processing section is coated with a hydrophobic material such as Teflon to perform a water-repellent treatment.

The coating of the roller surface with the hydrophobic material may be performed by applying the hydrophobic material to the roller surface, or by laminating a seal-like hydrophobic material. The specific method is not limited.

By performing the water repellent treatment on the roller surface, there is an advantage that the adhesion of the processing liquid is small, and therefore, it is not necessary to wash the roller every time the developing operation is started or ended for a long time.

In order to control the operation of the sealing means of the present invention described above, a sensor for detecting the end of the photographic photosensitive material in the transport path is provided, and the processing liquid oxidation preventing means is operated after a certain time from the end detection, Alternatively, the operation is performed by detecting the non-use for a certain time or more, and further, the operation is performed by a manual operation.

The use of the above-described sealing means can effectively prevent oxidation and deterioration of the processing liquid even when the processing liquid to be used is extremely small, and can be used in a future-type processing system. It is useful for those which realize a developing machine.

Example Next, an experimental example in which processing was performed using the apparatus schematically shown in FIG. 34 will be described.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 34, the processing section, that is, each processing tank 82
The openings at .about.85 are on the entrance and exit sides of the photosensitive material. The opening area of the opening is 35 mm × 5 mm = 1.75 cm ² in cross-sectional area of the slit-shaped processing section, but since the transport roller 43 is disposed at the processing liquid gas-liquid interface, the opening area is about 0.5 c.
m ² or less.

The transport speed is 1.0 cm / sec, the color developing tank 82 has a processing section capacity of 550 ml, the liquid tank section (auxiliary tank tank including the pipe section) has a capacity of 1.45, and the bleaching tank 83 and the fixing tank 84 have a processing section capacity. Is 150 ml, the capacity of the liquid tank section (including the pipe section) is 0.85, and the capacity of the stabilizing tank 85 is 280 ml of the processing section, and the capacity of the liquid tank section (including the pipe section) is 1.72.

Also, the flow direction of the treatment liquid and the flow velocity thereof were set to various specifications in each experiment. In particular, in the standard state of the present invention, which does not describe the flow direction and the flow velocity, the flow direction of the processing liquid is the same as the photosensitive material transport direction, and the flow rate of the processing liquid is 2.0 times the photosensitive transport speed. .

The specific configuration of the processing unit and the transport system, the composition of the processing solution, the setting of the processing temperature and time, and the like are not limited to those described below. There are various variations for the purpose and in relation to the composition of the processing solution and the like, and which one to select is not an absolute limiting factor as an automatic developing machine to which the present invention can be applied.

Examples of the composition of the processing solution, the configuration of the processing tank, the processing time and the processing temperature used in the automatic developing machine of the present invention are as follows.

(I) Composition example of processing solution Color developer (CD) 33 g of potassium carbonate 2.5 g of sodium hydrogencarbonate 5.0 g of potassium sulfite 5.0 g of sodium bromide 1.2 g of potassium iodide 2.5 g of hydroxylamine sulfate 2.5 g of sodium chloride 0.6 g of 4-amino- 3-Methyl-N-ethyl-N- (β-hydroxyethyl) aniline sulfate 4.8 g Sodium ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonate 3.0 g Potassium glacial oxide 1.2 g Add water to make 1 and use karimou hydroxide or 20% sulfuric acid. To adjust to pH 10.06.

Bleaching solution (BL) Ferric ammonium salt of 1,3-propylenediaminetetraacetic acid 0.3 mol Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate 10 g Ammonium bromide 150 g Glacial acetic acid 50 g Water was added to adjust the pH to 1 using ammonia water or glacial acetic acid. Adjust to 4.

Fixing solution (Fix) Ammonium thiosulfate 200g Ammonium thiocyanate 150g Anhydrous sodium bisulfite 12g Sodium metabisulfite 2.5g Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium 1.0g Sodium carbonate 10g Thiourea 10g Add water to make 1; pH
Adjust to 7.0. Stabilizing liquid (ST) Hexamethylenetetramine 2g 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one 0.05g The mixture is adjusted to pH 1 with water and adjusted to pH 7.5 using aqueous ammonia and 50% acetic acid.

(II) Configuration example of processing unit (tank) Color development (CD) Bleaching (BL) Fixing (Fix) Stable (ST) (III) Processing time and processing temperature example Time Temperature (° C) Color development (CD) 1'37 "× 2 38 ± 0.3 Bleaching (BL) 55” 38 ± 5 Fixing (Fix) 55 ”38 ± 5 Stable (ST) 1'37” Room temperature (Experiment 1—Experiment for preparing photosensitive material) In the above processing, the following color negative 48 on film
When processing was performed by giving a wedge-shaped exposure at 00 ° K and 5CMS, good results were obtained for all of them.

1. Super HR II 100 manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. 2. HG 200 3. HG 400 4. HR II 1600 5. Eastman Kodak Company product Kodacolor Gold 100 6. 〃 200 7. 〃 400 8. 〃 1600 9. 〃 Ector 25 〃 Press 400 〃 Press 1600 10. Konica Color GX II 100 manufactured by Konica Corporation 〃 Konica Color GX 200 12. 〃 Konica Color GX 400 13. 〃 Konica Color GX 3200 (Experiment 2) The ratio of the opening area of the color developing tank / the amount of the processing solution was changed, and other conditions relating to the processing tank were changed as shown in Table 1. Konica Color GX II-100,24EX after holding for 2 months at
The light-sensitive material was exposed to the light to give Dmax as a whole and processed to examine the degree of unevenness of development, the presence or absence of scratches, and the poor transport. The results are summarized in Table 2. The degree of development unevenness is determined by processing 5 photosensitive materials and calculating the Dm
The ax portion was measured for blue transmitted light density using PDA-65 manufactured by Konica Corporation, and the portion having the lowest Dmax and the portion having the highest Dmax were compared and examined. The upper and lower parts of Dmax are placed on a cloudy glass with a 15W fluorescent lamp below and a translucent table (commercially available).
The detection was performed visually.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 34, the experimental conditions were set as A to E shown in Table 1. Among these, as means for not performing processing section sealing shown in A to D, the processing liquid level of each part was lowered by about 100 mm and holes were formed in members above the processing liquid. The presence or absence of the liquid tank part depends on the presence or absence of the tank mounting pipe to the liquid tank part in FIG. In addition, whether or not the liquid tank section is sealed is determined by lids 90 to 93 of the auxiliary tanks 86 to 89 in FIG.
Depends on the installation.

Similar results were obtained with other color negatives. Although the development unevenness is not eliminated only by providing the liquid tank section, if the circulation pump is provided, the development solution is improved immediately after it is prepared, but if stored for a long period of time, the development unevenness, scratches, and transport failure occur. Under the condition of E, the occurrence of development unevenness, scratches, and poor conveyance is significantly reduced even after long-term storage. Opening area ratio is further 5cm ² /
, 2 cm ² /, the better.

(Experiment 3) An experiment was conducted in the same manner as in Experiment 2 using the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 to 9, but the results were the same.

(Experiment 4) When an experiment was performed in a BL and Fix tank other than color development in the same manner as in Experiment 2, favorable results were obtained when the BL and Fix tank had the constitution of the present invention. However, when the CD tank of Experiment 2 was compared with that of Experiment 2 of the present invention, as in Table 2, there was almost no development unevenness, but the occurrence of scratches and poor conveyance was slightly larger. On the other hand, when the residual silver was observed with an infrared scope (Noktovision), some black residual silver was recognized, and uneven desilvering of the residual silver was also slightly recognized.

(Experiment 5) The experiment was performed in the same manner as in Experiment 2, except that the storage period of the treatment tank was set to 4 months.

A lid shown in FIG. 26 was provided at the interface of the processing solution. Third result
It is shown in the table.

 An experiment was performed by changing the opening area of the opening.

From the above results, it was found that the provision of the lid is preferable because the occurrence of scratches and transport failure is reduced.

Similar results were obtained with color films other than Konica Color GX II 100.

(Experiment 6) In Experiment 5, the type of lid was changed from that shown in FIG.
Experiments were performed in place of those shown in FIG. 24, FIG. 25, and FIG. 27-FIG.
When the tests were performed with Nos. 21 and 22, similar results were obtained.

(Experiment 7) In experiments 5 and 6, bleaching, fixing, and stability other than color development were similarly performed, and the same results as described in experiment 4 were obtained.

(Experiment 8) In Experiment No. 12 of Experiment 2, Dmax-B was measured similarly by changing the flow of the liquid in the processing section. The results are shown in Table 4.

This tendency is the same even when the other photosensitive materials are used,
It is preferable that the flow in the processing section is the same as the photosensitive material transport direction because there is no trouble in transporting the photosensitive material such as a jam ring.
It is preferable that the amount of residual silver in bleaching and fixing is the same as the flow of the processing solution in the direction of transport of the photosensitive material.

(Experiment 9) In Experiment 5, Experiment 2 (No. 34)
(Fig.), The apparatus shown in Fig. 24 to Fig. 32 was installed at the entrance and exit of the processing unit, and an experiment was conducted to wash the rollers. The effect was almost the same as when the lid was provided at the interface of the processing liquid of the processing unit. However, development unevenness was slightly inferior after storage for 4 months.

(Experiment 10) Instead of the processing examples shown in the above (I) to (III), experiments were carried out using the following processing solutions as color developing, bleach-fixing and stabilizing solutions. The photosensitive materials used at this time were Konica Color QA Paper, Fuji Color Super A Paper, and Eastman Kodak 2001 Paper.

(I) Composition example of processing solution Color developing solution (CD) Water 800 ml Potassium chloride 2.0 g Diethylhydroxyamine 5.0 g Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid 3.0 g Kodak CD-3 6.0 g Potassium carbonate 25 g Triethanolamine 10 g Ethylenediaminetetrakismethylenephosphonic acid 0.5 g Hydrazinodiacetic acid 5.0 g Water was added to adjust to 1 and the pH was adjusted to 10.1 with KOH and sulfuric acid.

Bleach-fix solution (BF) Ammonium sulfite 14 g Ammonium thiosulfate 70 g Iron ammonium diaminetetraacetate dihydrate 50 g Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 2 g Add water to make 1 to make glacial acetic acid and ammonia water (25%)
Was adjusted to pH 5.5.

Stabilizing solution (ST) 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazoline-3-
ON 0.02 g 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one 0.02 g ethylene glycol 1.0 g 2-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3one 0.01 g 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (60
% Aqueous solution) 3.0 g BiCl ₃ (45% aqueous solution) 0.65 g MgSO ₄ 7H ₂ O 0.2 g 25% aqueous ammonia 2.5 g Water was added to adjust the pH to 1, and the pH was adjusted to 7.0 with aqueous ammonia and H ₂ SO ₄ .

(II) Processing unit configuration example Color development (CD) Bleaching and fixing (BF) Stable (ST) (III) Example of processing time and processing temperature Processing time Processing temperature Processing solution capacity Color development (CD) 45 "35 ° C 2 Bleaching and fixing (BF) 45 "35" 2 Stable (ST) 45 "35" 2 The experiment was performed in the same manner as in Experiment 2. At this time, the photosensitive material width 83
According to mm, the slit width 35 mm in FIG. 34 was set to 83 mm. Further, the length of the processing tank was changed to adjust the processing time.

As a result, similar to Table 2, the present invention obtained good results.

 However, the scratches and the transport failure were somewhat large.

When experiments were performed in the same manner as in Experiments 3 to 9, almost the same results were obtained. However, the bleach-fixing was the same as when bleaching and fixing were performed.

(Experiment 11) The same treatment as in Experiments 1 and 2 was performed using Konica Color GX II-100. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 34, the processing liquid level in each processing section was lowered by about 10 mm, and nitrogen gas was sealed in that portion at the ratio shown in Table 5. The flow direction of the processing solution is the same as the photosensitive material transport direction of the present invention, and the flow rate of the processing solution is 1.2 times the photosensitive material transport speed. In this state, it was stored at room temperature for 2 months, and the degree of deterioration of the processing solution is summarized in Table 5.

The meanings of the symbols in the table are indicated by the same indices as in Table 2.

From these results, it was found that to prevent the processing solution from deteriorating due to nitrogen gas, it is necessary to have a sealed amount of 90% or more, preferably 95% or more, and most preferably 98% or more. Also, it was confirmed that the amount of the gas to be filled shows the same tendency with other inert gases such as He, Ne, Xe, and Ra.

(Experiment 12) Experiment 2 using Konica Color GX II-100
The same processing as described above was performed. The auxiliary tank shown in FIG. 34 is a polyethylene tank whose volume can be freely changed. As a result, the auxiliary tank itself changes its volume in response to expansion and contraction of the processing solution due to temperature changes and volume changes of the processing solution due to a small amount of processing solution leakage, further improving the hermeticity of the processing section and the liquid tank section. did.

(Experiment 13) Using PET (polyethylene terephthalate film) bases and papers of various thicknesses, their transportability was tested in the treatment tank shown in FIG. As the processing solution, the color developing solution, bleaching solution, fixing solution and stabilizing solution shown in Examples were used, and the results were almost the same.
The results are summarized in Tables 6 and 7.

Speed ratio = (flow rate of processing solution) / (sensitive material transport speed) The same direction of the speed ratio means that the flow direction of the processing solution and the transport direction of the photosensitive material are the same direction, and the flow is opposite to the opposite direction. Show.

As is clear from Tables 6 and 7, when the transport direction of the photosensitive material and the flow direction of the processing liquid are opposite to each other, transport problems such as jamming are liable to occur. It has been found that if the photosensitive material transport speed is faster than the processing solution flow rate, jamming may occur.

It has been found that this tendency increases the problem in transporting a film base having a thickness of 150 μm or less or a color paper having a thickness of 200 μm or less.

[Effects of the Invention] As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, even if the size is reduced, the ratio of the processing liquid volume to the opening area of the upper portion of the processing tank can be reduced, and the size can be reduced. Therefore, stable processing performance can be obtained without causing development unevenness and without any trouble in transporting the photosensitive material, and even if the size is reduced, rapid processing can be achieved. It is possible to provide an automatic developing machine for photographic light-sensitive materials that can maintain stable processing performance without causing conveyance failure, generation of scratches, and uneven development, and that can obtain sufficient light-shielding performance even with downsizing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 and 2 are schematic sectional views showing one embodiment of the present invention,
3 to 9 are cross-sectional views each showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 10 to 16 show one embodiment of the present invention in which a roller portion serves as a wall surface of a processing tank. 17-a, 17-b, 17
Fig. -C shows an embodiment of a photosensitive material guide installed in the processing tank. FIGS. 18 and 19 are cross-sectional views for explaining a processing liquid sealing means in a conventional rack system in the present invention.
20 to 33 show an embodiment in which the treatment tank is sealed. FIG. 34 is a processing flowchart for performing each test of the present invention. The reference numerals in each figure are as follows. F ... Photosensitive material 1 ... Automatic developing machine 2 ... Processing tank 3 ... Conveying roller group 4 ... Pump 5 ... Pump inlet pipe 6 ... Pump outlet pipe 7 ... Circulating processing liquid tank 8 ... Processing liquid Supply port 9 Heater 10 Sealing spacer 11 Photosensitive material supply section 12 Guide roller 13 Photosensitive material storage section 28 Processing tank 29 Replenisher tank 30 Circulating processing liquid suction port 31 Circulating pump 32 Circulating treatment liquid supply port 33 Overflow port 34 Replenishing liquid supply port 35 Discharge pipe 40 Circulating treatment liquid tank 41 Replenishing liquid supply port 42 Discharge pipe 43 … Conveyance roller 44… Conveyance roller 45… Guide 46 …… Treatment tank 47 …… Discharge pipe 48 …… Cleaning unit 49 …… Circulation pump 50 …… Conveyance rack 51 …… Treatment liquid circulation discharge port 52 …… Treatment Liquid circulation supply port 53 Processing tank 54 Replenisher supply port 55 Replenishment tank 56 Circulation pump 57 … Discharge tube 60… Transport roller 61… Cover plate 62… Washing water discharge nozzle 63… Treatment liquid level 64… Treatment tank 65… Treatment liquid 66… Washing water supply nozzle 67… Seal plate 69 Treatment tank wall surface 70 Lid plate 71 Interruption 72 Cylindrical valve 74 Lid plate 75 Valve plate 76 Lid plate 77 Sealing rod 78 Valve plate 79 Separator film 80 Lid-side member 81 Lower member 82 Color developing tank 83 Bleaching tank 84 Fixing tank 85 Stabilizing tank 86 Replenishing tank for coloring liquid 87 Replenishing bleaching liquid Tank 88: Fixer replenishment tank 89: Stabilizer replenisher tank 90: Coloring solution replenisher 91: Bleach replenisher 92: Fixer replenisher 93: Stabilizer replenisher

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (56) References JP-A-62-89052 (JP, A) JP-A-57-4045 (JP, A) JP-A-63-61248 (JP, A) JP-A-63-890 131138 (JP, A) Fully open 1987-41144 (JP, U) Fully open, 48-29851 (JP, U) Fully open, 63-65041 (JP, U) Fully open, 46-72433 (JP, U)

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processing section for immersing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, a liquid tank section filled with a processing liquid so as not to substantially contact with air, and a liquid tank section between the processing section and the liquid tank section. A pump for circulating the processing liquid in the processing section, and a structure for substantially blocking the opening of the processing section from air, and a total air contact interface / processing liquid of the processing liquid in the processing section and the liquid tank section 7c capacity ratio
an automatic developing machine for silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials, characterized in that the m ² / m ² or less. 2. A processing section for immersing a silver halide photographic material, a liquid tank filled with a processing liquid so as not to substantially contact with air, and between the processing section and the liquid tank. A pump for circulating the liquid so that the flow of the processing liquid is in the same direction as the conveying direction of the photosensitive material in at least a part of the processing section, and a structure for substantially blocking the opening of the processing section from air. An automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, characterized in that a total processing liquid volume of the processing liquid in the processing section and the liquid tank section is not more than 7 cm ² /. 3. An automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material according to claim 2, further comprising a pump for generating a flow of a processing solution flowing on the surface of said light-sensitive material at a speed higher than a conveying speed of said light-sensitive material. 4. A processing section for immersion processing of a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, a liquid tank section filled with a processing liquid so as not to substantially contact with air, and between the processing section and the liquid tank section. A pump that circulates the processing liquid, and a structure that substantially shuts off the opening of the processing unit from air, and that the processing unit is provided with a unit that substantially seals the photosensitive material when it is not processed. An automatic developing machine for silver halide photographic materials. 5. A processing section for immersion processing of a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, a liquid tank section filled with a processing liquid so as not to substantially contact with air, and between the processing section and the liquid tank section. A pump that circulates the processing liquid, and a structure that substantially shuts off the opening of the processing unit from air, and that the volume of the liquid tank unit can be freely changed. Automatic developing machine for silver halide photographic materials.