JP2863045B2 - Photosensitive material processing apparatus and processing method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus which improves the processing capability of the processing solution by supplying electricity to at least one type of processing solution in a photosensitive material developing apparatus and enables rapid processing. And a processing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Wet processing of a photographic light-sensitive material, for example, a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material, comprises processing steps such as color development, bleach-fixing, washing with water, and stabilization. Of these, bleach-fixing involves bleaching and fixing. And a washing step is inserted between each step as necessary. A color developer and a bleach-fixer are used for these color development and bleach-fixing, respectively.However, as the photosensitive material is processed, a developing agent in the color developer is oxidized and consumed. Alternatively, silver ions and halogen ions accumulate in the fixing solution due to the fixing action, and the bleaching agent and halogen are consumed and decreased in the bleaching solution, so that their processing ability is reduced. Therefore, a replenisher having a composition close to the composition of the processing liquid and containing necessary components is supplied to each processing liquid, and the processing capacity of the processing liquid is maintained so as not to decrease.

However, if a replenishing solution is supplied to each solution to such an extent that its processing capacity does not decrease, an overflow solution almost in the amount of the supplied solution is discharged, and this solution becomes a waste solution. Wastewater is typically dumped deep into the sea, minimizing pollution of the global environment. However, in recent years, the idea of protecting the global environment has increased, and the dumping of photographic processing wastewater into the ocean has been reconsidered. An alternative to ocean dumping is to incinerate the photographic wastewater, but the resulting carbon dioxide gas results in another pollution of the global environment.

Further, at the minilab level, it is difficult to treat the waste liquid integrally with the automatic developing machine, and furthermore, the cost of collecting the waste liquid increases rapidly due to traffic congestion, etc., and the cost of treating the waste liquid is high, and it becomes practically difficult to collect the waste liquid. It is becoming difficult to process at the minilab level.

[0005] In view of the above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 3-209471, 3-273237 and 3-273237 have developed technologies for regenerating the processing solution in the main body of the automatic developing machine of the minilab and reducing the waste solution.
There is a method for supplying a photographic processing solution described in JP-A-293661. According to the technology using these energization methods, a cathode is provided in the color developing tank, and electricity is supplied to cause a reduction action on the cathode surface,
When the oxidized color developing agent is reduced to some extent and returns to the original color developing agent, and the halogen is removed through the anion exchange membrane, and when a cathode is provided in the fixing tank and electricity is supplied,
Silver is reduced and precipitated on the cathode, and the halogen moves to the anode through the anion exchange membrane and is removed.Furthermore, the bleach is provided by providing an anode in the bleaching tank and supplying an electric current according to the processing of the photosensitive material. It is oxidized and regenerated on the anode surface. In the case of bleaching, if a halogen is added to the electrolyte solution or the electrolyte solution used for the energization treatment of development and fixing is used, the rehalogenating agent is supplied through the anion exchange membrane, and the bleaching solution replenishes the rehalogenating agent. Eliminates the need.

As described above, it is known that the amount of replenishment to each processing tank can be reduced and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced by regenerating the processing liquid by the above-described energization processing.

On the other hand, in a specific application field, it is required to rapidly develop a photosensitive material after photographing. For example, it is desired that a news photograph, a photograph at a construction site, a photograph of a result of a sports competition and the like, and a photograph at a sightseeing spot be promptly processed immediately after photographing so that the photographed result can be visually recognized in a short time.

[0008]

First, in order to shorten the processing time, it is necessary to activate each processing capacity. Above all, processing in a photographic photosensitive material, particularly processing in a color negative, occupies most of the total processing time in the developing tank. Therefore, in the case of rapid processing, reduction of the developing time is most effective.

Here, it is known that the developing speed is most greatly affected by the temperature of the processing solution, but is influenced by the concentration of bromine ions contained in the developing solution. The speed is reduced, and the sensitivity of the obtained image is reduced. In this case, if the bromine ion concentration is simply reduced, fogging suppressed by bromine ions occurs, which is not preferable. As a rapid processing in consideration of this point, for example, there is a method in which the concentration of bromine ions is not reduced, the developing solution is adjusted to a high temperature, and the developing activity is increased to enable rapid processing.

However, the rapid processing for adjusting the temperature of the processing solution to a high temperature requires a temperature adjusting mechanism in the processing apparatus. Therefore, if the apparatus does not have a temperature adjustment, it is necessary to newly install a temperature adjusting apparatus. Get higher. On the other hand, if the liquid temperature is high, evaporation of water in the processing liquid and oxidation deterioration of the processing liquid due to oxygen in the air occur, and the processing becomes unstable. Furthermore, when the processing apparatus as a whole is enlarged and the working space is reduced, furthermore, when a processing apparatus which has a temperature adjustment for keeping the developing solution at a high temperature but cannot perform fine adjustment is used, the image quality of an obtained image is deteriorated. And other problems.

In addition, when the temperature is set to a high temperature, the evaporation of the developing solution is increased, and power is required to maintain the high temperature. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to
An object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus and a processing method capable of stably obtaining an image without the need for temperature adjustment to raise the temperature of a developing solution for rapid processing.

[0012]

The above objects of the present invention have been attained by the following (1) to (3). (1) A current supply means is provided in the developing tank, and during the development processing, the bromine ion concentration is adjusted to 4.2 × 10 ⁻³ mol / L or less by the current supply means, and the bromine ion content is 90 mol% or more;
When the iodine ion content is 0.2 mol% or more and the coated silver amount is 2
A method for processing a light-sensitive material, comprising processing a light-sensitive silver halide light-sensitive material having a weight of from about 7 g / m ² to 7 g / m ² . (2) In a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which a developing processing tank is a cascade of two or more tanks, a current supply means and a liquid temperature detecting means are provided in any one of the developing processing tanks, and the liquid temperature detecting means is provided. A photosensitive material processing apparatus for controlling the amount of current supplied by said current supplying means to process the photosensitive material such that the bromine ion concentration is set with respect to the temperature of the developer detected by the method. (3) A photosensitive material transport length adjusting means, a temperature detecting means for measuring the temperature of the developing solution, and an energizing means for appropriately adjusting the energizing amount are respectively provided in the developing tank, and bromine set for the measured temperature is provided. A photosensitive material processing apparatus, wherein an amount of electricity supplied by the electricity supply means is controlled so as to obtain an ion concentration, and a development processing time is set by the transport length adjustment means to process the photosensitive material.

[0013]

That is, according to the present invention, by adjusting the bromine ion concentration to be lower than the conventional one by means of a current supply means, rapid processing can be performed without raising the temperature of the developer. That is, according to the present invention, the concentration is remarkably lowered by removing the bromine ions in the developer by energizing, and the developing activity is increased. As a result, rapid processing can be performed even at a low temperature.

Conventionally, an energizing means is provided in a processing apparatus for reducing the amount of replenishment and the amount of waste liquid from the viewpoint of environmental protection, and regenerates the processing liquid by energizing to reduce the amount of replenishment, thereby reducing the amount of waste liquid. It is. However, conventionally, the energizing means has not been used for rapid processing. On the other hand, the present invention removes the bromine ions in the developing solution by using a current supply means conventionally used for low replenishment processing and the like, thereby adjusting the concentration to a low-temperature and rapidly processable concentration. Is to be processed.

That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to set the bromine ion concentration to be extremely lower than before by applying a current without adjusting the temperature of the developing solution to a high temperature for rapid processing as in the prior art. It can be considered that the bromine ion concentration can be kept low by constantly regenerating, and the treatment can be performed quickly at low temperature. Also,
Originally, bromine ions are used to prevent fogging. However, since the liquid temperature is lowered and rapid processing is performed, it is possible to obtain a good image in which no fogging is observed even when the bromine ion concentration is low.

In the present invention, since the processing time depends on the temperature of the processing solution and the concentration of bromine ions, for example, when the temperature is considered to be an average room temperature of 25 ° C., the bromine ion concentration is 4.2 × 10 ⁻³ mol. Per liter or less, preferably 3.
5 × 10 ⁻³ mol / liter or less, more preferably 2.
It is 1 × 10 ⁻³ mol / liter or less. If the bromine ion content exceeds 4.2 × 10 ⁻³ mol / liter, it is not good from the viewpoint of speed.

When the required level of quickness is determined, the liquid temperature is detected and the halogen concentration level is set to 4.2 × 10 ^-3 by energization.
The processing time can be shortened by setting the amount to less than mol / liter. When the solution temperature is low but it is desired to perform processing immediately, the solution temperature is detected and set at the room temperature level, and the halogen concentration level is 4.2 × 10 ⁻³ mol / L or less, more preferably 2.1 × 10 ⁻³ by energization. By setting the molar ratio to not more than mol / liter, the processing can be performed immediately when processing is desired without prolonging the processing time.

In the present invention, during the development processing means before the development processing, during the development processing, or during the processing. Further, in the present invention, the bromine ion content is 90 mol% or more, the iodide ion content is 0.2 mol% or more,
Further, it is preferable to use a silver halide photographic material for photography having an applied silver amount of ² to 7 g / m ² , more preferably a bromine ion content of 93 to 98 mol% and an iodine ion content of 2
A silver halide light-sensitive material for photography of 7 mol% is preferred.

In the present invention, it is preferable that an energizing unit is provided in any one of the developing tanks in a cascade of two or more tanks, and the energizing amount is controlled with respect to the detected temperature of the developing solution. In addition, since the development processing is performed by controlling the amount of electricity depending on the temperature of the developer, rapid processing at a low temperature can be performed more efficiently. The cascade means that the processing liquid is replenished from the rear side with respect to the processing direction of the photosensitive material, and the processing liquid overflows from the overflow hole provided at the rear side to the front side.

When a current supply means is provided in a cascade of developing tanks of two or more tanks, the first bath is preferred. In the forefront bath, bromine ions are most likely to accumulate. When energized, the concentration of bromine ions can be adjusted properly, and the cascade of two or more tanks increases the development efficiency and improves the image quality. Can be obtained quickly. Still further, in the present invention, in order to adjust the bromine ion concentration set in accordance with the temperature of the developer measured by the temperature detecting means provided in the processing apparatus, the amount of electric current is controlled by using the electric current applying means. However, it is preferable that the development processing time is set by the conveyance length adjustment means. Since the development processing time can be set by the conveyance length adjustment means, the development processing time can be easily adjusted. Normally, the automatic development processing apparatus adjusts the temperature when processing is desired. That is, since the waiting time is long when it is desired to perform the processing immediately, it is meaningless even if the processing time is short.
However, according to the present invention, the halogen concentration level can be lowered by energization even at room temperature level, and the processing time is slightly longer than that at 38 ° C.
In addition, since there is no waiting time for temperature control, total processing can be performed quickly.

In the present invention, there is an energizing device for performing the energizing process that is simple enough to be attached to the processing device that has been used so far. Therefore, the cost can be easily reduced and the processing can be easily and quickly performed. In particular,
An energization device is provided, which is provided with a set of a cylindrical anion exchange membrane and an electrode and can be set in a circulating system of a processing machine.

Further, the energizing means is preferably provided in the developing tank, but may be provided in all the processing tanks. In the present invention, when a developing tank having a cascade of two tanks is used, an image having good image quality, sharpness, and coloring can be obtained by providing an energizing means in the post-bath.

In the present invention, the temperature of the developing solution is constantly measured, and the setting of the energizing level and the setting of the processing time are automatically performed from the temperature in accordance with an advance notice signal to be processed. Further, in the present invention, the control of the amount of energization by the energizing means is determined in advance by referring to a table built in the personal computer. In the present invention, the bromine ion concentration set with respect to the temperature is basically selected depending on the processing temperature. However, when the normal processing temperature is around 38 ° C., the bromine ion concentration becomes 4.2. ×
It may be set to 10 ^-3 mol / l or less or around this, and preferably set to 2.1 × 10 ^-3 mol / l or less around 20 to 30 ° C. Conversely, -1 in the northern region
If it is 0 ° C. to 10 ° C., the bromine ion concentration may be set to almost zero level.

In the present invention, the processing time is set by appropriately adjusting the transport length adjusting means if the apparatus has a transport length adjusting means, and the processing time is set if the transport length adjusting means is not provided. It may be changed above and below the liquid level. In the present invention, the temperature of the developer, the development processing time, the amount of electricity,
Since the rapid processing is performed without adjusting the liquid temperature as the order of setting the bromine ion concentration, the liquid temperature detection, the setting of the bromine ion concentration, the amount of electricity, and the processing time are performed in this order.

In the present invention, the development processing time is preferably within 150 seconds, more preferably within 120 seconds. The temperature for rapid processing at low temperature is 3
The temperature is preferably 3 ° C or lower, more preferably 15 ° C to 30 ° C. In this case, the preferable processing time is 150 to 300.
Seconds.

The energization treatment that can be used in the present invention is as follows.
A method described in JP-A-3-273237 is mentioned.
The processing liquid that can be used in the present invention is described in
No. 33845, pp. 9-13. Examples of the photosensitive material that can be used in the present invention include those described in JP-A-3-33845, pages 13 to 26.

The processing machine to which the present invention can be applied is Phot.
Sci. Eng. 5, 48-54 (1961) can be applied to all types of processing machines, among which drum processing machines, roller automatic machines, cine automatic machines, leader belt systems Automatic machines, roller conveying automatic machines, even automatic machines with small opening ratios, slit automatic machines with small opening ratios and small tank liquid volumes, sealed automatic machines with extremely small opening ratios, and many more It can be effectively applied to an automatic processing machine having a room treatment tank. In each of the above-mentioned processors, a multi-chamber processing tank for drum processing is described in Photographic Industry December Issue (1974) p. 45, a multi-chamber processing tank of a roller automatic processing machine is described in Photographic Industry February Issue (1975) p. 71,
The multi-chamber processing tank of the cine-type automatic processing machine is the March issue of Photographic Industry (197
5) p. 70, a multi-chamber processing tank of a cine-type automatic processing machine is described in "Kogyo Kogyo April Issue (1975)" p. No. 40, a multi-chamber processing tank of the leader belt type processing is described in May, 1975, p. 36
In addition, the multi-chamber processing tank of the roller transport automatic processing machine is described in J. Kogaku Kogyo (1975) p. 41.

From the viewpoint of a processing machine that could not be considered from the conventional processing machines, the interface area (S) between the processing liquid and air and the opening ratio (degree) (K = S / V) with respect to the processing liquid volume (V) are considered. can give. From these viewpoints, JP-A-53-57835;
JP-A-61-153645; 61-250648; 62-92954; 62-273534;
82651; 63-182652; 63-1826
53; Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 63-178830;
33; JP-A-1-166040;
1-266542; 1-302252; 1-31
0351; 1-310352; 1-319038;
There are applications for each of the above-mentioned items.

In the automatic processing machine having a small liquid volume (V) of the processing machine, the liquid exchange rate is relatively increased, and the opening rate (K) is small and the tank liquid volume (V) is small during the idle processing. Is preferred. From these viewpoints, JP-A-63-13113
8; 63-216050; 63-148944; 63-148945; 63-235940; 61-
77851; 64-44938; 64-2685
5; JP-A-1-140148; 1-1114847; 1-129253; 1-154155; 1-163.
743;

JP-A-2-84642; JP-A-2-6974
4; 2-68548; 3-33850. Further, examples of the interaction between the processing machine component and the liquid include a viewpoint of rust as a component suitability, a viewpoint of elution of a photographic deterioration component, a viewpoint of physical deterioration of the component, and the like. Regarding these viewpoints, see JP-A-2-186.
342 and 2-186344. As another aspect of another processing machine, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 1-267648, 2-67554 and 2-125.
255; 2-130548; 2-186340; 2-205846; 2-205847; 2-230
145; 2-2460065; 2-242249; 2-267549; 2-269335; 2-280
149; 2-310557, and the like.

Among these, the processing systems which are particularly effective when applied are remarkable effects, such as an automatic machine having a belt conveying mechanism, a roller conveying automatic machine having a roller, a slit type automatic machine, a closed type automatic machine, and many others. An automatic processing machine having a chamber treatment tank is exemplified. In some cases, a groove conveying type automatic machine (US Pat.
186,927, JP-A-56-159645;
67933; same as 53-40245; same as 53-5982
9; 55-138641, 58-28839) is also effective.

The following light-sensitive materials and processing agents can be used in the present invention. First, the photosensitive material will be described. The silver halide light-sensitive materials that can be used in the present invention are classified into amateur, industrial, medical, and scientific processing by application, such as black-and-white development, color development, and normal negative-type processing. A positive method using chemical reversal, a positive method using an emulsion with a reversal mechanism, and a positive method using diffusion transfer can be used.

The support may be any of a transparent support, an opaque and a translucent support, and the thickness of the support is 30 to 500 μm.
Level ones can be used. Emulsions include various halogen species and combinations of halogen species, ie, one-component, two-component, and three-component emulsions, emulsions in which the distribution of halogen within grains during grain formation is changed, and grains laminated. Any of those having the following grain structure, those having a changed core / shell ratio, emulsions with added conversion, and conjugated emulsions can be used.

Further, as the form of the particles, hexahedral, octahedral,
A tetrahedral structure, a mixture thereof, a twin, a plate, and a sphere can be used. As the flat plate, those having various aspect ratios, mixtures thereof, and mixtures with other particles can be used. Further, the particle sizes may be uniform or may have a distribution. For example, less than 0.1 μm, 0.1-0.4 μm, 0.4-1 μm
m, 1 μm or more, or a combination thereof.

The emulsion may contain a binder other than gelatin. For example, it is preferable that a natural polymer, a synthetic polymer, or a mixture thereof is dispersed in various particle sizes.
The distribution may be changed for each stratum. These silver halide grains may adsorb various sensitizing dyes, desensitizing dyes, stabilizers, chemical sensitizers, and physical sensitizers, and may coexist during the preparation. Further, the emulsion mixture may contain various dyes, surfactants, hardeners, oils and the like. A discoloration inhibitor, a color mixture inhibitor, a nucleating agent, a matting agent, a sliding agent, a mordant, a color tone agent, a development aid, and a developer may be contained directly or in oil.

Various metals may be added during the grain formation process, or may be added directly to the emulsion. Suitable metals include gold, platinum, rubidium, palladium, iron, cobalt, nickel, iridium, rhodium, silver and the like, but may be used in combination with various chelating agents. In the case of a color light-sensitive material, various couplers may be further contained.

Examples thereof include pivaloyl / benzoyl Y couplers, pyrazolone / pyrazoloazole M couplers, and phenol / naphthol C couplers. Further, various DIR couplers, colored couplers, polymer couplers, and couplers having various leaving groups can be used as the functional coupler.

In the case of a combination of the above-mentioned emulsion and various additives, or in the case of a color photographic material, various couplers can be further combined to form a photographic material layer. The function may be divided into two or three layers even with a black-and-white photosensitive material. In the case of a color photosensitive material, the layers are divided so as to feel light of three colors, and in some cases, four to five parts. Is also good.

Finally, in addition to the emulsion layer, an undercoat layer, an intermediate layer, a protective layer, a peeling layer, a separation layer, a neutralizing layer, a filter layer, a vapor deposition layer, a reflective layer, a light-shielding layer and the like may be provided. Further, a photosensitive material provided with a back layer for the purpose of curl correction, static prevention, magnetic recording and the like can be used as the back of the support. As a total value of these, the sensitivity is ISO 0.1 to IS
O 2000 and a gradation of 0.1 to 10 can be used.

The processing agents that can be used in the present invention will be described. As the treating agent that can be used in the present invention, any agent can be used, such as a treating agent prepared when a premixed treating agent is used. Processing liquid types include black and white, color developer, bleach,
Fixing solutions, bleach-fixing solutions, stabilizing solutions, other stopping solutions, neutralizing solutions, hardening solutions, intensifying solutions, reducers, supersensitizing solutions, toning solutions and the like can be used.

As these treatment solutions, those containing various compounds can be used according to the purpose. For example, in a developer, a black-and-white developing agent, a color developing agent, a development aid, an antifoggant, a surface development inhibitor, a development accelerator, a chelating agent, a buffer, a preservative, a precipitation inhibitor, an anti-sludge agent, and a tar prevention agent Agents and the like can be added. DIR-releasing active substances as special examples,
Dye developing agents, color precursor agents, desensitizers, anti-firing agents, external couplers, competitive couplers, and the like can also be added.

In addition to these, an alkali agent and an acid agent for adjusting the pH, and various activators for changing the surface tension can be added. These examples may be added in addition to the developer. In addition to these, a fluorescent whitening agent, an image stabilizer, a draining agent, a fungicide, a bactericide, and the like can be added to the final solution. The processing order performed by applying these processing agents to the photosensitive material may be a prescribed order, or may be changed in some cases.

[0043]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited only to this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 includes a developing tank D, a bleaching tank B, a fixing tank F, washing tanks W1 to W2, and a stabilizing tank St. The photosensitive material S is transported through the processing tanks in this order. In the developing tank D, an energization processing device 2 is installed. Replenishers b1 to b5 are added to the respective processing tanks, and overflows a1 to a6 are discharged from the processing tanks.

The energization treatment apparatus 2 is divided into two chambers by an anion exchange membrane A, and a cathode 10 is installed in one chamber and an anode 11 is installed in the other chamber. The energization processing device 2 accommodates the developer introduced from the developing tank D to the cathode side 3 through the circulation pipe f, while the anode side 4 accommodates the electrolyte solution and performs energization treatment. Here, silver ions precipitate from the developer stored in the cathode side 3 of the energization processing device 2 to the cathode by energization, and bromine ions move to the anode through the anion exchange membrane A and are removed from the developer. . By the energization in this way, the oxidized developing agent is reduced to some extent and returns to the original color developing agent, the developer is regenerated, and the solution on the cathode side after the energization is returned again to the developing tank through the circulation pipe f. In addition, the bromine ion concentration in the developing solution can be significantly reduced by increasing the power supply time (power supply amount) in the power supply processing device.

The temperature of the developing solution is detected by the temperature detecting device 5, and the bromine ion concentration in the developing tank is detected by the bromine ion concentration detecting device 6. In the present invention, the bromine ion concentration set with respect to the temperature of the developer is adjusted by energization. The temperature of the processing solution is measured in advance before processing or the like, and the developing time is set based on the solution temperature and the bromine ion concentration.
By keeping the bromine ion concentration fairly low, rapid processing can be performed at a low temperature, and a high-quality image with good sensitivity and no fog can be obtained.

In the energization treatment apparatus, anode 11: carbon plate [thickness 1 mm, 10 (cm) × 30 (cm)] clay sheet manufactured by Kureha Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Cathode 10: stainless steel plate [SUS316 thickness 1 mm, 10 (Cm) x 30 (c
m)] Nippon Metal Industry Co., Ltd. NTK316, anion exchange membrane A: AM-3, 10 (cm) × 30 (c) manufactured by Tokuyama Soda
m) and the electrolyte solution was supplemented with 3 ml of 3% Na ₂ CO ₃ per 135 × 24 Exp.

When the developing tank D is a two-tank cascade, it is preferable to connect an energizing device to the first tank in terms of speed. If an energizing device is connected to the second tank, the processing time becomes slightly longer, but an image with good sharpness can be obtained. In the case where the developing tank D is a three-tank cascade, it is preferable in principle to connect the power supply to the first tank, and in this case also, the speed can be increased. When provided in the second tank, a slightly faster and higher image quality can be obtained.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the developing tank. The developing tank D2 shown in FIG. 2 can change the length of the photosensitive material transported in the developing solution. The movable roller units 24A, 24B, and 24C provided in the developing tank D2 include a main roller 40 that is driven and rotated at a central portion, a reversing guide 41 located below the main roller 40, and two opposite sides of the main roller 40. It is composed of a pair of guide rollers 42 and 43 located respectively.

The reversing guide 41 is a member having an arcuate curved portion, such as a curved plate, for changing the traveling direction of the photosensitive material by guiding the photosensitive material S along the curved portion. . Fixed roller unit 25
Is a main roller 50 installed at the lower portion of the developing tank D2 and driven and rotated at the center, a reversing guide 51 located below the main roller 50, and a pair of guide rollers located on both sides of the main roller 50, respectively. 52 and 53.

The relay roller unit 26 comprises a central main roller 60 and guide rollers 61 located on both sides of the main roller 60 for holding the photosensitive material S between the main roller 60 and the main roller 60. The guide roller 61 is a freely rotating roller, and the main roller 60 may be a freely rotating roller or a drivingly rotating roller. The photosensitive material S is transported in the direction of the arrow in the developing tank D2 by the main roller of each unit being driven and rotated clockwise in the drawing.

Prior to the conveyance of the photosensitive material S, the guide rollers 42, 43 in any one of the movable roller units 24A, 24B, 24C are set to the reverse position, or all the movable roller units 24A, 24A,
The guide rollers 42 and 43 of 24B and 24C are set as passing positions. Thereby, the photosensitive material S descending in the developing tank D2.
Is reversed in the movable roller unit or the fixed roller unit 25 with the guide rollers 42 and 43 in the reversed position and rises.

That is, the movable roller units 24A, 24
By selecting which of B, 24C or the fixed roller unit 25 to invert the photosensitive material S, the transport path length of the photosensitive material S in the developing tank D2 can be changed stepwise. Thereby, the development time can be changed at any time. In the present invention, the developing tank D2
Is circulated by a circulation pipe and a pump. In the case where the energization processing is performed in the developing tank D2, the energization processing apparatus includes a cylindrical energization tank 21 with a filter in the circulation portion.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the energization processing tank of FIG. The cylindrical current-carrying tank 21 with a filter has a cylindrical shape whose outer wall is formed of a housing 38, and has a cathode 32 on the inside and an anode 34 on the outside with the anion exchange membrane 30 interposed therebetween.
When the processing liquid in the developing tank D2 is circulated to the filter-equipped cylindrical electric tank 21 by the circulation pipe, the liquid is supplied to adjust the liquid component appropriately. The processing liquid adjusted in the energizing processing tank is again introduced into the developing tank D2 through the circulation pipe.

[0054]

【Example】

<Embodiment 1> The following photosensitive materials, processing steps, and processing solutions are used. (Photosensitive material) Color negative photosensitive material for photography of Example 5 described in JP-A-2-250052 (Processing step) Processing step of Example 5 described in JP-A-2-250052 (Processing solution) Solution of Example 5 described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 250052

(Process A: Comparative Example) JP-A-2-25005
The same processing as the processing 5A of Example 5 described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2 was performed.

(Process B: The present invention) Except for the following conditions, a process similar to process 5A of Example 5 described in JP-A-2-250052 was performed. As shown in FIG. 1, an energizing processing tank was provided in a color developing tank of a cine-type automatic developing machine, and a developing process was performed by energizing.

The energizing conditions are as follows. The energizing was carried out in advance at 2.7 (V) × 0.5 (A) for 180 minutes with respect to the color developing tank D and the running liquid (tank liquid amount: 10 liters) shown in FIG. The bromine ion concentration in the tank solution was adjusted from 1.18 × 10 ⁻² mol / l to 1.93 × 10 ⁻³ mol / l. Further, the processing was performed by changing the transport path of the color developing tank so that the developing time was 1 minute and 50 seconds.

However, 3 ml of the following solution was replenished. (Replenisher) Na ₂ SO ₃ 9.7g KOH 5.3g added hydroxylamine sulfate 9.0 g FCO-04 ^* 9.7 g 1 liter of water * Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. color negative color developer processing process A: Comparative example Processing B: Color development of the present invention ^** 3 minutes 15 seconds 1 minute 50 seconds Bleaching 30 seconds 30 seconds Fixing 1 minute 1 minute Washing (1) 20 seconds 20 seconds Washing (2) 20 seconds 20 seconds Stable 20 seconds 20 seconds Total 5 minutes 45 seconds 4 minutes 20 seconds ** The liquid temperature of color development is 37.8 ° C.

As described above, according to the present invention, the developing tank is energized to lower the bromine ion concentration in the solution to a significantly lower level than in the prior art, and the developing time is set at the same processing solution temperature as in the comparative example (processing A). Although the processing was performed with a reduction of 25% from the processing A), the sensitivity of the obtained photosensitive material was almost the same as that of the comparative example (processing A). Furthermore, 3 × per 135 × 24 Exp photosensitive material
When a running process was performed by supplying electricity for 3 seconds, stable photographic performance was obtained.

That is, from the above results, in the process B, by lowering the bromine ion concentration, a good image can be obtained similarly even if the development processing time is shortened at the same liquid temperature as the process A. It can be seen that a good image can be obtained in a short time even if the temperature of the processing solution B is set lower than that of the processing A. That is, low-temperature and rapid processing can be performed.

<Embodiment 2> (Process C) In the process B of the embodiment 1, FIG.
As shown in (1), a conveyance length adjusting means was provided, and further, the bromine ion concentration was the same as that in the processing B of Example 1, and the processing was performed under the processing conditions of the processing liquid temperature and the developing time shown below.

Solution temperature Developing time 38 ° C. 1 minute 50 seconds 33 ° C. 3 minutes 30 seconds 26 ° C. 6 minutes 30 seconds As described above, the solution temperature of the processing solution is further changed at the same bromine ion concentration as in process B, as described above. When the temperature of the solution was lowered after the heat treatment, it was necessary to exceed the development processing time to some extent. However, under the conditions of 38 ° C. for the process B and 33 ° C. for the process C, the similar sensitivity was almost lost. It was found that it could be obtained with the same development time.

A photosensitive material having the same processing performance as that of the processing B of Example 1 was obtained. Also, the provision of the transport length adjusting means facilitates setting of the transport time.

(Process D) Further, 3
Energized for 0 minutes, and the bromine ion concentration in the developing tank was 2.52.
The processing was performed at a ^{rate of} × 10 ^-4 mol / liter, and the time was further shortened as compared with the processing C as described below. Solution temperature Developing time 38 ° C 1 minute 35 seconds 33 ° C 3 minutes 05 seconds 26 ° C 4 minutes 20 seconds In process D, the bromine ion concentration was lower than in process C.
As a result of performing the processing at the same liquid temperature as in the processing C while further shortening the development time as compared with the processing C, a photosensitive material having the same sensitivity as the processing C in the example 1 was obtained. From this, it was found that the processing time can be further reduced by setting the bromine ion concentration low.

That is, by changing the power supply level setting from the processing C and the processing D, the processing time can be set and the processing can be performed as long as the liquid temperature is detected. In particular, the bromine ion concentration can be set low by applying an electric current to the liquid temperature of each of the developing tanks, and the set level of the bromine ion concentration can be changed depending on the amount of electric current. Color development processing was possible with a development time of.

Example 3 The developing tank D shown in FIG. 1 used in Example 1 was formed into a two-tank cascade, the first bath was the first developing tank D1, and the second bath was the second developing tank D2. First developing tank D
The volume of No. 1 was set to 6.7 liters, the volume of the second developing tank D2 was set to 3.3 liters, and the volume of the first developing tank D1 was set to be twice the volume of the second developing tank D2. The energization processing tank was provided in the first developing tank D1.

As in the case of the process B of the first embodiment, 2.7 V × 0.
Under the condition of 5A, when the current was supplied in advance with the power supply time set to 120 minutes, the bromine ion in the first developing tank D1 was 1.18 × 1
From 0 ^-2 mol / l to 1.93 x 10 ^-3 mol / l. The bromine ion in the second developing tank D2 is 1.18 ×
It was 10 ^-2 mol / l. At this time, the color development time was 87 minutes for the first developing tank and 43 seconds for the second developing tank, totaling 2 minutes and 10 seconds, and the processing could be performed 1 minute and 5 seconds earlier than the processing A of Example 1. However, the processing time was longer than the processing B of the first embodiment.

Further, as in the case of the process B of the first embodiment, 2.7 V
Under the condition of × 0.5 A, the energization time was 145 minutes (2 minutes 25
(Second), the bromine ion concentration is 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ mol / l in the first developing tank, 1.18 × 10 ⁻² mol / l in the second developing tank, and the color development time is It took 35 seconds in one developing tank and 70 seconds in the second developing tank for a total of 105 seconds (1 minute and 45 seconds).

As described above, by dividing the developing tank into the first developing tank and the second developing tank, the amount of electricity is reduced by about 20% and the processing time is reduced by about 20% as compared with the processing B of the first embodiment. 5
% Shorter. That is, by forming a two-tank cascade in which the developing tank is divided into a first developing tank and a second developing tank,
In order to obtain a similar good image, the amount of electricity was small and the processing time was short.

[0070]

According to the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus and a processing apparatus capable of performing rapid processing in which a bromine ion concentration can be appropriately adjusted by applying a current to a developing tank with respect to a liquid temperature, and a stable image can be obtained. A method can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a developing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a developing tank section of the developing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the current-carrying tank of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 D, D2 Developing tank B Bleaching tank F Fixing tank W1 to W2 Rinse tank 2, 21 Current tank 11 Positive electrode 10 Negative electrode f Circulation pipe b1 to b5 Replenisher a1 to a6 Overflow liquid 4 Anode tank 3 Cathode tank 24A, 24B, 24C Movable Roller unit 25 Fixed roller unit 26 Relay roller unit 30 Anion exchange membrane 32 Cathode 34 Anode 38 Housing

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A current supply means is provided in a developing tank, and a bromine ion concentration is adjusted to 4.2 × 10 ^-3 mol / l or less by said current supply means during development processing, and a bromine ion content is 90 mol% or more and iodine ion is supplied. A method for processing a light-sensitive material, comprising processing a silver halide light-sensitive material for photography having a content of 0.2 mol% or more and a coated silver amount of ² to 7 g / m2. 2. A photosensitive material processing apparatus comprising a cascade of two or more developing processing tanks, wherein one of the developing processing tanks is provided with a power supply means and a liquid temperature detecting means, respectively, A photosensitive material processing apparatus, wherein the photosensitive material is processed by controlling the amount of current supplied by the current supplying means so that the bromine ion concentration is set with respect to the temperature of the developer detected by the detecting means. 3. A developing device, comprising: a photosensitive material transport length adjusting means; a temperature detecting means for measuring a temperature of a developing solution; and an energizing means capable of appropriately adjusting an energizing amount, each of which is set for the measured temperature. A photosensitive material processing apparatus for controlling the amount of current supplied by said current supplying means so as to obtain a bromine ion concentration, and setting the development processing time by said transport length adjusting means to process the photosensitive material.