JP3176725B2 - Automatic developing machine for silver halide photographic materials - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, and more particularly, to a simple refining operation and an evaporation correcting operation, which have conventionally been performed manually. The present invention relates to an automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, which can reduce the size and labor, can be reduced in size without a replenisher tank, and can easily reuse an overflow solution.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Photosensitive materials are developed, desilvered, washed,
It is processed by processing steps such as stabilization, black and white developing solution or color developing solution for developing processing, bleaching solution / fixing solution / bleaching / fixing solution for desilvering processing, tap water or ion exchange water for washing, stabilizing processing Are used respectively. Usually, in an automatic developing machine, each processing solution is stored in a separate processing tank, and 30
The photosensitive material is prepared by adjusting the temperature to about 40 ° C., and the photosensitive material is immersed in the processing solution in each processing tank while being conveyed.

In such an automatic developing machine, a replenisher prepared in a replenisher tank is supplied to the processing tank in a timely manner in order to keep the activity of the processing liquid in the processing tank constant. I have. There are a type in which the replenisher tank is arranged near the automatic processor and a type in which the replenisher tank is built in the automatic processor.

A replenisher prepared in a replenisher tank is prepared by dissolving and diluting a treating agent supplied in the form of a powder or a concentrate with a certain amount of water.

[0005] The processing agent is composed of various components (hereinafter referred to as "parts or parts") so as to exhibit good performance in photographic processing, and if these parts are in contact with each other, they will take a long time. In some cases, the function as a photographic processing agent is impaired due to the reaction and deterioration of the photographic processing agent. In particular, many of the processing agents are liable to react with each other by a redox reaction. They are divided into kits, and these are mixed at a fixed amount at the time of use.

[0006] The kit-made parts are individually sealed in an inner container such as a bottle or a bag, and these are put together in a bag or a box and sold as a unit.

[0007] Adjustment of the replenisher requires a very complicated manual operation and requires skill, and a failure in the adjustment immediately affects photographic processing performance. In particular, a mistake in developing a negative film is a serious responsibility. Becomes However, with the spread of so-called minilabs in recent years, unskilled people have to operate automatic developing machines, and simplification of quality control of processing solutions, including adjustment of replenishers, is required. ing.

[0008] Also, due to the problem of the installation space, the demand for miniaturization of the automatic developing machine has become stronger and stronger. From this viewpoint, it is necessary to review the problem of the existence of the replenisher tank and the stock of the processing agent kit for replenishment. ing.

On the other hand, from the standpoint of environmental protection and resource saving, when looking at the photographic processing industry, large and small plastic containers for supplying a processing agent (powder / concentrated liquid) are particularly problematic. In other words, while photographic plastic containers are inexpensive, convenient for storage and transportation, and have excellent chemical resistance, empty containers can be landfilled, discarded, or incinerated as industrial waste. Containers have little biodegradability, are accumulated, and when incinerated, there is a problem that a large amount of carbon dioxide gas is generated, which contributes to global warming and the like. In addition, as a problem for the user, a large number of plastic containers are piled up in a narrow work space, and the space is further narrowed.

Further, in order to stabilize the finished quality of the photosensitive material processed by the automatic developing machine, it is desired to stabilize the processing solution performance. The most important items in keeping the performance of the processing solution stable are the management of the replenishment rate and the prevention of the concentration of the processing solution due to the evaporation.

For the management of the replenishment rate, it is necessary to periodically check the replenishment amount. However, in recent minilabs, the periodic check is performed by the manufacturer who sold the automatic developing machine, and once a month. The actual situation is that it is carried out at the time of patrol. Therefore, even if the replenishment rate is out of order, it is left until the patrol check. In addition, regarding minimization of the concentration of the processing liquid due to evaporation, in the minilab, evaporation correction is performed by adding hot water to the amount of liquid that has evaporated and decreased in liquid level since the previous day's stop at the completion of temperature control every morning. Although it is sufficient to properly carry out the evaporation correction regularly every day, if the occasional forgetting or a change in the person occurs, the rules cannot be followed and this is a factor that causes a fluctuation in the processing solution concentration.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been completed in view of the above, and accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to firstly automate a replenisher preparation operation and an evaporation correction operation which have been conventionally performed manually. In order to simplify and save labor.
The second is to reduce the size by eliminating the replenisher tank, the third is to provide a low-pollution technology that does not substantially use a plastic container, and the fourth is to regenerate and use the overflow liquid. Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing discharge of waste liquid from an automatic processor.

[0013]

An automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material according to the present invention comprises a storage tank for storing at least an overflow solution from a processing tank of an automatic developing machine, and a solid processing agent in the storage tank. And a pump capable of providing a single function of a liquid circulation function of the storage tank and a processing liquid supply function to the automatic developing machine processing tank, and a solid processing agent is supplied into the storage tank. And a supply pipe for supplying the processing solution regenerated to the substantial processing tank section of the automatic developing machine, and further comprising a valve closing the valve when the storage tank liquid is circulated using the pump. It is characterized by being arranged in.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a means for replenishing water or hot water for a processing solution and / or an overflow solution in a substantial processing tank portion of the automatic developing machine is provided, and the solid processing agent is in the form of a tablet. It is to be.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, the term "substantial processing tank portion" includes a circulating line or a circulating system for circulating the processing liquid in the processing tank, in addition to the processing tank. For example, there are tanks for a color developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, a bleach-fixing solution, a super stabilizer solution, a stabilizing solution, a filtration filter tank for each of the tanks, a temperature control tank, and the like.

The automatic developing machine of the present invention has a storage tank for receiving the overflow liquid discharged from the processing tank.
The storage tank is provided in a portion other than the processing tank of the automatic developing machine.

The solid processing agent is supplied to the storage tank. In addition, it is preferable that water or warm water (hereinafter, referred to as solution replenishing water or replenishing water) is simultaneously replenished with the supply of the solid processing agent.

In the automatic developing machine of the present invention, the area of the processed photosensitive material is integrated by a detecting device attached to the photosensitive material insertion opening of the automatic developing machine. It is configured to supply a predetermined amount to the storage tank individually.

In the present invention, the replenishing water, which is water or hot water, is replenished not only in an amount necessary for dissolving a predetermined amount of the supplied solid processing agent, but also during the operation or stoppage of the automatic developing machine. It is preferable to add the amount of water to be added. Further, the supply of the replenishing water is preferably performed at the same site where the solid processing agent is supplied, but may be directly supplied to a substantial processing tank.

Conventionally, in order to replenish a replenisher dissolved in a large amount of water for each unit of the photographic material to be processed, a replenisher tank and a replenisher pump must be provided for each processing solution. Although a replenishment tank and a replenishment pump were installed and the space had to be secured, according to the present invention, only a small solid processing agent supply part and a replenishment water replenishment mechanism were required, which was advantageous for downsizing. It is.

A replenishing system may be separately provided for each of the solid processing agent replenishing units, but a replenishing system may be provided with a solenoid valve or the like so that a required amount of replenishing water is replenished. Alternatively, it is possible to reduce the amount of replenishment by the thickness of the replenishing pipe for replenishing water, thereby making it possible to use one replenishing pump. In a preferred embodiment, the replenishment water supply source is branched from the washing water supply port of the automatic developing machine to provide an independent storage section, but the final washing tank of the automatic developing machine also serves as a water or hot water storage tank. It is also possible.

In the present invention, the replenishing water for evaporation correction which evaporates during operation and stop of the automatic developing machine is supplied by providing a liquid level detecting sensor in a substantial processing tank of the automatic developing machine to supply the evaporated water amount. Is preferred. That is, a sensor capable of detecting the liquid surface of each processing tank, for example, a float switch, an electrode switch, or the like, detects the level of the evaporated liquid, outputs a signal to start replenishment of the replenishment water, and outputs a signal to a predetermined liquid level. It is preferable that the replenishing water is supplied until the replenishment.

Next, the solid processing agent used in the present invention will be described. The solid processing agent is a generic term for those which are in a solid form, and include not only tablets, granules, powders and other simple substances, but also microcapsules in which the above simple substances are wrapped in an alkali-soluble film, water-soluble films. Also included are those in which the packaged treatment agent is packaged with the aforementioned microcapsules or water-soluble film.

In order to solidify the processing agent, a concentrated liquid, a fine powder or a granular photographic processing agent and a water-soluble binder are kneaded and molded, or the water-soluble binder is sprayed on the surface of the temporarily formed processing agent. Or any other means, such as forming a coating layer by applying the same method (Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2-135887 and 2-20316).
No. 5, 2-203166, 2-203167,
2-203168 and 2-300409.

The method for producing the tablet processing agent is described, for example, in JP-A-51-61837, JP-A-54-155038, and JP-A-52-55038.
No.-88025 and British Patent No. 1213808, and can be produced by a general method. Further, granulating agents are described in, for example, JP-A Nos. 2-109042 and 2-109.
It can be produced by a general method described in the specification of JP-A Nos. 043, 3-39735 and 3-39939. Furthermore, powder processing agents are described, for example, in JP-A-54-13333.
No. 2, British Patent Nos. 725,892 and 729,862, and German Patent No. 3,733,861.

In addition, the preservability of the solid processing agent used in the present invention is very stable without deterioration and discoloration of the processing ability and the like due to an oxidation-reduction reaction during storage as seen in a conventional liquid kit. In particular, when solidified, coating with a water-soluble binder exerts an effect that the properties of the material of the treatment agent do not change for a very long time.

[0027] The treating agent packaged or bound or coated with the water-soluble film or binder may be subjected to atmospheric humidity, such as high humidity, rain and fog, and water splash during storage, transportation and handling. Alternatively, it is preferable that the package is packaged with a moisture-proof packaging material in order to prevent sudden contact with water by wet hands.

In the present invention, preferred solid processing agents are tablets, granules and powders, and particularly preferred are tablets.

[0029]

Next, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an automatic developing machine for a color negative film to which the present invention is applied.
In FIG. 1, 1 is a color developing tank, 2 is a bleaching tank, 3 is a fixing tank, 4 is a washing tank, 5 is a stabilizing tank, and 6 is a drying unit.

Now, the photosensitive material P is supplied from the insertion port to the color developing tank 1.
Is carried in, the area of the photosensitive material is detected by the area detection sensor 7, and when it is detected that the carry-in amount has reached a predetermined value, the supply device 8 of the solid processing agent supply means and the replenishment water supply means are supplied. The device 10 and the solenoid valve 12 operate in response to a signal from the control unit 11, and the solid processing agent and the replenishing water for liquid preparation are supplied to the storage tank 16. Then, the solid processing agent and the replenishing water are mixed, and after dissolution, necessary amounts are replenished to the respective processing tanks 1, 2, 3, and 5 via the supply pump 17 as a replenishing solution.

When the replenisher is replenished, the liquid level in each processing tank rises, and the processing liquid in each processing tank that overflows is accumulated in the storage tank 16 via the overflow pipe 25. When the overflow liquid is excessively accumulated, a device other than the necessary amount is introduced into a waste liquid collecting tank (not shown).

When the temperature of the automatic developing machine is controlled for several hours, the processing liquid in each of the processing tanks 1 to 5 evaporates. 1
In response to the signal of 1, the replenishing water for the evaporation correction is supplied until the replenishing device 10 and the electromagnetic valve 12 of the replenishing water supply means are operated and the upper limit detecting mechanism of the liquid level detecting sensor 9 operates. It is preferable that the temperature of the washing hot water 14, which is the replenishing water supplied by the replenishing water replenishing pipe 15, be adjusted for both the replenishing water for adjusting the liquid and the replenishing water for evaporating. Reference numeral 18 denotes a water or hot water storage tank.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an embodiment in which a liquid overflowed from a processing tank is regenerated by using a tableted solid processing agent and returned to the processing tank.

When the control section 11 shown in FIG. 1 operates in response to a signal from a photosensitive material area detection sensor (not shown) and the stepping motor 81 of the supply device 8 of the solid processing agent supply means operates, the driving pinion 83 rotates. The push-out plunger 82 for supplying the solid processing agent directly connected to the rack via the rack is raised by one step, that is, the thickness P of the solid processing agent 27, and only one solid processing agent 27 is pushed up to the supply position. Set to the standby state. Next, the solid processing agent 27 that has been pushed out by the pushing member 85 that moves to the left according to the rotation of the stepping motor 84 and is waiting at the uppermost portion is charged into the overflow liquid storage tank 16. When the loading is completed, the stepping motor 84 rotates in the reverse direction, and
Is returned to the original position, and waits until the next command signal is issued. In some cases, the command signal instructs replenishment of a plurality of solid processing agents. At that time, the above operation is repeated a predetermined number of times.

At the same time as the solid processing agent is supplied, the supply pump 17 operates as a circulation pump to dissolve the solid processing agent. At this time, the solenoid valve 19 is open and the solenoid valve 20 is closed. The processing liquid is previously stored in the overflow liquid storage tank 16 from the processing tank 1A via the overflow pipe 25.

When the photosensitive material area detecting sensor 7 (see FIG. 1) outputs a signal, the water or hot water replenishing device 10 is operated to replenish water or hot water from the water or hot water storage tank 18. . The replenishing amount of water or hot water is set so that the overflow solution, the solid processing agent, and the replenishing water are mixed to have a predetermined replenishing solution concentration.

The liquid which has been mixed and becomes a regenerating liquid is supplied to the solenoid valve 20.
Opens to close the electromagnetic valve 19 and replenish the processing tank 1A. The controller 11 shown in FIG. 1 opens and closes the solenoid valve 20 in such a manner that the solenoid valve 20 opens and closes in proportion to the area of the photosensitive material to be processed.
Is controlled by

Although not shown in FIG. 2, when a replenisher is replenished from the overflow liquid storage tank to the processing tank, it is also possible to use a bellows pump or the like to separately pump a prescribed amount. The operation of the supply pump 17 is such that when the specified amount of replenisher is supplied, the electromagnetic valve 20 is closed, the electromagnetic valve 19 is opened, and the supply pump 17 is stopped.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a temperature control heater, 22 denotes a processing rack, 23 denotes a processing liquid circulation pump, and 24 denotes a filter unit.

FIG. 3 shows that the dissolution of the solid processing agent is performed in the overflow solution of the automatic developing machine, and the replenishment of water or hot water is directly performed.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an embodiment in which the processing is performed in a substantial processing tank, that is, a processing tank 1A of an automatic developing machine or a processing liquid filtration filter tank 24.

At the same time as the solid processing agent charged into the overflow liquid storage tank 16 is dissolved and replenished to the processing tank as a regenerating replenisher, the water or hot water replenishing device 10 is operated, and the water or hot water storage tank 18 is operated. , The water or hot water is directly replenished to the substantial treatment tank. The timing of replenishing the substantial processing tank with water or warm water is preferably the same as the replenishment of the regenerating replenisher, but even if there is a difference of several minutes before and after, the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 1A is not affected. If the ratio between the amount and the replenisher amount is 25: 1 or less, it is acceptable because it hardly affects the processing solution performance.

Further, the above-mentioned water or hot water replenishment mechanism includes:
It can be used particularly advantageously when replenishing water evaporated during operation or stoppage of the automatic developing machine. That is,
The liquid level is constantly measured by the liquid level detection sensor 9 of the processing liquid, and when the evaporation amount becomes a certain amount or more, a signal for replenishing water or hot water is issued from the control unit 11 shown in FIG. Water or hot water is supplied, so that the processing liquid can always be maintained at the normal liquid level. (Experimental example 1) The solid processing agent used in the present invention was prepared as a regenerating agent by the following method.

(1) Color developing and regenerating agent for color negative Procedure (1) 3.0 g of hydroxylamine sulfate is pulverized in an air jet pulverizer until the average particle diameter becomes 10 μm. This fine powder is placed in a commercially available fluidized bed spray granulator at room temperature for about 7 minutes,
After granulation by spraying with 0 ml of water, the granulate is dried for 8 minutes at an air temperature of 63 ° C. The granules are then dried in a vacuum at 40 ° C. for 90 minutes to remove almost completely the moisture of the granules.

Operation (2) CD-4 [4 amino-3methyl-N-ethyl-N-β-hydroxylethyl) aniline sulfate as a developing agent
0 g is pulverized in an air jet pulverizer and granulated in the same manner as in the operation (1). The spray amount of water is 0.2 ml, and after granulation, it is dried at 60 ° C. for 7 minutes. Then the granules are placed in a vacuum for 4
Dry at 0 ° C. for 90 minutes to remove water almost completely.

Operation (3) 2.5 g of sodium 1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonate, 1.75 g of sodium sulfite, 15.4 g of potassium carbonate, polyethylene glycol (molecular weight: 600
0) 0.75 g of sodium bromide and 0.35 g of sodium bromide are homogenized in a commercially available mixer, and then pulverized in an air jet pulverizer and granulated as in operation (1). The amount of water spray is 5.5
After granulation, the mixture is dried at 70 ° C. for 10 minutes. The granules are then dried at 40 ° C. for 90 minutes in a vacuum to remove water almost completely.

Operation (4) 1.75 g of sodium sulfite, diethylenetriamine 5
2.0 g of sodium acetate, 15.4 g of potassium carbonate and 1.1 g of polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 6000) are granulated in the same manner as in the operation (3). 5.75 ml of water spray
The drying temperature was 80 ° C. and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (5) The granulated product obtained in the above operations (1) to (4) is mixed with a mixer at a temperature of 25 ° C. in a room conditioned at a relative humidity of 50% or less by a mixer.
Mix evenly for minutes. Next, the mixture is solidified by a solid processing agent tableting machine modified from Tough Press Collect 1527HU manufactured by Kikusui Seisakusho. Upon solidification, 2.00 g of the mixture was charged into the solid processing tablet machine and molded. This operation was repeated to prepare 25 solid color developing and regenerating agents for a color film from the mixture.

(2) Bleaching / regenerating treatment agent Operation (6) 110 g of ferric ammonium 1,3-propylenediaminetetraacetate, 2.5 g of 1,3-propylenediaminetetraacetic acid
g, polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 6000) 2.5
g is granulated as in operation (3). The spray amount of water is 27.
The drying temperature was 80 ° C. and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (7) 150 g of ammonium bromide, 12.0 of sodium nitrate
g, polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 6000) 5.5
g and 14.5 g of maleic acid are granulated in the same manner as in the operation (3). The spray amount of water was 25 ml, the drying temperature was 77 ° C., and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (8) The granules obtained by the operations (6) and (7) were mixed in the same manner as in the operation (5), and then solidified. The operation (5) was repeated except that the filling amount in the tableting machine was 5.94 g.
In the same manner as described above, 50 solid bleaching / reprocessing agents for color negative films were prepared. (3) Fixing / regenerating treatment agent Operation (9) Ammonium thiosulfate 220 g, sodium sulfite 20
g, polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 6000) 10
g, potassium thiocyanate 30.0 g, sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate 1.0 g, sodium bicarbonate 1.
0 g is granulated in the same manner as in the operation (3). Water spray amount is 1
The drying temperature was 77 ° C. and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (10) The granulated product obtained in the operation (9) was solidified in the same manner as the operation (5). 8. Filling amount of the solid processing agent tableting machine
Except that the amount was 96 g, the same procedure as in the operation (5) was carried out to prepare 25 solid fixing and regenerating agents for a color negative film.

(4) Stable regeneration treatment agent Operation (11) 3.0 g of metahydroxybenzaldehyde, 10.0 g of polyethylene glycol (molecular weight: 6000), 0.35 g of sodium hydrogen carbonate, and 0.5 g of potassium hydroxide are operated (3) Granulate as described above. About 20 minutes at room temperature
In a minute,

[0054]

Embedded image Granulation was further continued while spraying 0.6 g. Next, after drying at an air temperature of 65 ° C. for 10 minutes, the granules were dried at 40 ° C. for 90 minutes in a vacuum.

Operation (12) The granulated product obtained in the operation (11) was solidified in the same manner as in the operation (5). The filling amount of the solid processing agent tableting machine was 1.
Except that the amount was changed to 156 g, the procedure of operation (5) was repeated to prepare 12 solid regenerating agents for color negative films.

(5) Color development / reproduction processing agent for color paper Operation (13) Granulate 4.8 g of diethylhydroxylamine oxalate and 1.32 g of sodium hydrogencarbonate in the same manner as in operation (1). The spray amount of water is 0.25 ml, and the drying temperature is 70
At 70 ° C., the time was 70 minutes.

Operation (14) 9.30 g of CD-3 [1- (N-ethyl-N-methanesulfonamidoethyl) -3-methyl-p-phenylenediamine sesquisulfate monohydrate] as a developing agent was operated ( Granulate as in 2). The operation was performed in the same manner as in the operation (2) except that the spray amount of water was 0.22 ml, the drying temperature was 63 ° C., and the time was 8 minutes.

Operation (15) 0.144 g of sodium sulfite and 15.8 of potassium carbonate
g, polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 6000) 0, 7
5 g, sodium hydrogen carbonate 0.54 g, Tinopearl SF
2.5 g of P (manufactured by Ciba-Geigy) is granulated in the same manner as in the operation (3). The spray amount of water is 3.36 ml and the drying temperature is 73.
The operation was performed in the same manner as in the operation (3) except that the time was set at 10 ° C. for 10 minutes.

Operation (16) 10.8 g of potassium carbonate, 7.0 g of diethylhydroxylamine oxalate, 2.88 g of sodium diethylenetriaminepentaacetate, 0.54 g of sodium hydrogencarbonate,
Polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 6000) 0.75
g is granulated as in operation (3). The spray amount of water is 3.1
The procedure was the same as the procedure (3), except that 2 ml, the drying temperature was 73 ° C., and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (17) The granules obtained in the above operations (13) to (16) were mixed in the same manner as in the operation (5), and then mixed into a tableting machine for solid processing agents to solidify. The filling amount of the solid processing agent tableting machine was 4.536.
In the same manner as in the operation (5) except that g was used, twelve solid color developing and regenerating agents for color paper were prepared.

(6) Bleaching-fixing regenerating agent for color paper Operation (18) 120 g of ferric ammonium ethylenediaminetetraacetate
2.0 g of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and 0.75 g of sodium hydrogen carbonate are granulated in the same manner as in the operation (3). The spray amount of water was 7.9 ml, the drying temperature was 80 ° C., and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (19) Ammonium thiosulfate 167 g, sodium sulfite 22
g, 15 g of sodium metabisulfite, 20 g of ammonium bromide and 0.7 g of sodium hydrogencarbonate are granulated in the same manner as in the operation (3). The spray amount of water was 8.75 ml, the drying temperature was 77 ° C., and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (20) The granules obtained by the operations (18) and (19) were mixed in the same manner as in the operation (5), and then solidified. Solid processing agent Eighteen solid bleach-fix regenerating agents for color paper were prepared in the same manner as in the operation (5) except that the filling amount in the tableting machine was 18.76 g.

(7) Stable regeneration treatment agent for color paper Operation (21) 1,4-benzisothiazoline 3-one 0.04 g, 1-
Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid 0.65
g, 1.3 g of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, Tinopearl SF
2.60 g of P (manufactured by Ciba-Geigy), 3.26 g of ammonium sulfate, 1.3 g of zinc chloride, and 0.3 g of magnesium chloride.
6 g, orthophenylphenol 1.3 g, sodium sulfite 2.6 g, and sodium hydrogen carbonate 1.0 g are granulated in the same manner as in the operation (3). The operation was performed in the same manner as in the operation (3) except that the spray amount of water was 3.0 ml, the drying temperature was 65 ° C., and the time was 10 minutes.

Operation (22) The above granulated product was solidified in the same manner as in the operation (5). Solid regenerated processing agent Five solid stable regenerating agents for color paper were prepared in the same manner as in the operation (5) except that the filling amount in the tableting machine was changed to 2.93 g. (Experimental example 2) Next, a processing method of a photosensitive material using the automatic developing machine of the present invention will be described below. Konica Color Negative Film Processor CL-KP-50QA
The control function, the solid regeneration treatment agent supply function, the liquid level detection function, the hot water supply function, and the like shown in FIG. 3 were provided by modification, and the following experiment was performed.

Experiment 2-1 Confirmation of stability of processing solution The following table shows the standard processing conditions of the automatic developing machine.

[0067]

[Table 1] The stabilization tank is of a cascade type in which the overflow liquid is replenished to the third tank and the overflow liquid flows into the second tank and the first tank sequentially.

Preparation of the processing solution for the automatic developing machine was carried out by the following method. I. Color developing tank liquid (21.0 liter) 15 liters of warm water at 35 ° C. was placed in a color developing tank of an automatic developing machine, and 399 solid color developing and regenerating agents for color negative film prepared in Experimental Example 1 were added and dissolved. . The solid color developing and regenerating agent started to dissolve while slightly foaming out of the solid surface at the same time as the addition, and was dissolved almost completely in 10 minutes and 10 seconds to become transparent. Next, a starter having the following formulation separately solidified as a starter component was added to 2
One was charged and completely dissolved, and water was added up to the tank mark line to complete a tank liquid. Color negative color development starter Sodium bromide 1.2 g Sodium iodide 2.0 mg Sodium bicarbonate 1.5 g Potassium carbonate 2.4 g

B. Bleaching solution (5.0 liters) 3.0 liters of warm water at 35 ° C. was placed in a bleaching tank of an automatic developing machine, and 250 solid bleach regenerating agents for color negative films prepared in Experimental Example 1 were charged and dissolved. The solid bleach regenerating agent started to dissolve while slightly foaming out of the solid surface at the same time as the injection, and almost completely dissolved in 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Next, five starters of the following formulation, which had been separately solidified, were added as starter components, and after complete dissolution, water was added to the tank mark line to complete a tank liquid. Bleaching starter for color negatives Potassium bromide 20g Sodium bicarbonate 3g Potassium carbonate 7g

C. Fixing solution (4.5 liters in the first tank, 4.5 liters in the second tank) Hot water at 35 ° C was added to the first tank and the second tank of the automatic developing machine in 3.0 liters at a time, and prepared in Experimental Example 1. 133 pieces of the solid fixing regenerating agent for color negative film thus obtained were added and dissolved. The solid fixing and regenerating agent starts dissolving while slightly foaming out from the solid surface at the same time as the injection.
Almost completely dissolved in 30 minutes. Next, water was added up to the tank mark line to complete the tank liquid.

D. Stabilizing solution (3.2 liters for 1 to 3 tanks) A color negative prepared in Experimental Example 1 was charged with 3.0 liters of warm water at 35 ° C. each in the first, second, and third tanks of the automatic developing machine. 38 stable regenerating agents for films were added and dissolved at a time.

The solid stabilizing and regenerating agent began to dissolve while slightly foaming out of the solid surface at the same time as the injection, and was almost completely dissolved in 3 minutes and 25 seconds. Next, water was added up to the marked line to complete the tank liquid.

The overflow liquid storage tank was provided with 1 liter of the same composition as each of the processing liquids, and when 1 liter or more was collected, it overflowed from the storage tank side and introduced into the waste liquid recovery tank.

Next, during the temperature control of the automatic developing machine, each of the solid regenerating processing agents prepared in Experimental Example 1 was set out of polyethylene bags by 10 pieces in the solid regenerating processing agent replenishing device 8 shown in FIG.

This regenerating agent activates the photosensitive material area detecting sensor 7 to change the size of the 135 size 24
When this processing is performed, the liquids are charged one by one into the overflow liquid storage tank, and at the same time, the circulation pump 17 is operated to be dissolved. At the same time, the replenishing water supply device 10 and the solenoid valve 12 operate,
40 ml of replenishing water is supplied to the color developing tank 1 and the bleaching tank 2
10 ml in the fixing tank 3, 30 ml in the fixing tank 3, and 6
It was set to supply 0 ml. At the same time as the completion of the temperature control, the liquid level detection sensor 9 is activated via the control unit 11, and each processing liquid evaporates without processing the film. When the liquid level in each processing tank drops by 1 cm or more, replenishing water is used. Supply device 1
At 0, the solenoid valve 12 was actuated, and the replenishing water was set to be supplied until the liquid level in each processing tank returned to a predetermined level.

The Konica Color Super DD100 film photographed by the above-mentioned automatic developing machine was processed every 20 sheets every day, and the processing performance for one month was checked.

For comparison, a replenisher was prepared in a conventional replenisher tank, and a replenisher was replenished via each bellows pump.

The stability of the processing performance was determined by processing the control strip CNK-4 every Top and every 30 treatments, checking the photographic density, sampling the processing solution every 10 days, and processing the items shown in Table 3. The liquid composition was analyzed and evaluated.

Tables 2 and 3 show the results of the photographic density measurement and the analysis of the composition of the processing solution in Experiment 2-1. Also, by separating the solid regeneration processing agent replenishing section and the dissolving section from the substantial processing tank section of the automatic developing machine, one part of the processing agent becomes moist around the extruding member 85 and the solid regeneration processing agent input port. It was also confirmed that the powder was smoothly supplied without adhesion.

[0080]

[Table 2]

[0081]

[Table 3]

From the results shown in Tables 2 and 3, it can be understood that the processing of the present invention is more stable than the processing of the conventional method, because the photographic performance and the composition of the processing solution are small.

Experiment 2-2 Next, Konica Color Paper Type QA Processor C
A control function, a solid regeneration treatment agent supply function, a liquid level detection function, a hot water supply function, and the like were provided to L-PP718 in the same manner as in Experiment 2-1 by modification, and a 30-day running test was performed.

The following table shows the standard processing conditions of the automatic processor.

[0085]

[Table 4] The stabilization tank is of a cascade type in which the overflow liquid is replenished to the third tank and the overflow liquid flows into the second tank and the first tank sequentially.

The processing solution for the automatic developing machine was prepared by the following method.

B. Color developing tank liquid (23 liters) 18 liters of warm water at 35 ° C. were placed in an automatic developing machine color developing tank, and 198 solid color developing and regenerating agents for color paper prepared in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 were added and dissolved. . Next, 23 starters of the following formulation, which had been separately solidified, were added as starter components, and after complete dissolution, water was added to the tank mark line to complete a tank liquid. Color developing starter for color paper Potassium chloride 7.0 g Potassium bromide 14.4 mg Potassium hydrogen carbonate 4.8 g Potassium carbonate 2.1 g

B. Bleach-fixing solution (23 liters) 15 liters of warm water at 35 ° C. was placed in an automatic developing machine bleach-fixing tank, and 207 solid bleach-fixing regenerating agents for color paper prepared in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 were charged and dissolved.
Next, 23 starters of the following formulation, which had been separately solidified, were added as starter components, and after complete dissolution, water was added up to the tank mark line to complete a tank liquid. Bleaching and fixing starter for color paper Sodium bicarbonate 3g Potassium carbonate 12g

C. Stabilizer (15 liters for 1 to 3 tanks) Automatic developing machine Stabilizer tank 1st tank, 2nd tank, 3rd tank, 3 each
12 liters of warm water at 5 ° C. was added thereto, and 6 solid regenerating agents for color paper prepared in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 were used.
0 pieces were added and dissolved. Next, water was added up to the marked line to complete the tank liquid.

Next, during the temperature control of the automatic developing machine, the solid regenerating processing agents prepared in Experimental Example 1 were added to the solid regenerating processing agent replenishing device 8 for 10 times.
Each piece was taken out of the polyethylene bag and set. The reprocessing agent activates the photosensitive material area detection sensor 7, and when the color paper is processed by 1 m ² , one is supplied to the overflow liquid storage tank, and is dissolved by the operation of the circulation pump 17, and at the same time, the replenishing water replenishing device 10 And the electromagnetic valve 12 are operated, so that 80 ml of hot water is supplied to the color developing tank 1, 50 ml to the bleach-fixing tank 2, and 250 ml to the third tank of the stabilizing tank 5.
It was set to be supplied.

A Konica color paper type QA photographed in the above-mentioned automatic developing machine was set, and while printing, it was processed at a rate of 40 m ² every day, and the processing performance for one month was checked. For comparison, a replenisher was prepared in a conventional replenisher tank, and a replenisher was supplied via each bellows pump.

As in Experiment 2-1, the stability of the processing performance is T
control strip CP for each op and 40 m ² treatment
K-2 was processed and the photographic density was checked and 200
The treatment liquid was sampled every m ² treatment, and the composition of the treatment liquid was analyzed and evaluated for the items shown in Table 6.

Tables 5 and 6 show the results of the photographic density measurement and the analysis of the composition of the processing solution in Experiment 2-2.

[0094]

[Table 5]

[0095]

[Table 6]

From the results shown in Tables 5 and 6, it can be seen that the processing of the present invention is more stable than the processing of the conventional method, because the photographic performance and the composition of the processing solution are small.

[0097]

According to the present invention, the solid regenerating processing agent for maintaining the performance of the processing solution at a constant level is replenished to the overflow liquid storage tank, and the regenerated liquid is directly replenished to the processing tank part of the automatic developing machine. Since the replenisher stock tank can be removed from around the automatic processor or from within the automatic processor,
The automatic processor can be made more compact. In addition, problems such as precipitation and tarring relating to the storage stability of the replenisher are eliminated, and low replenishment can be performed without concern for the solubility of the developing agent in the automatic processor and the replenisher with a low throughput. .

Further, by solidifying the regenerating agent used in the present invention, an environmentally compatible replenishing agent which does not require the use of a plastic bottle can be provided. In addition, replenishment of replenishment water is performed by replenishment of replenishment water necessary for dissolving the solid regenerating agent and replenishment for evaporation correction required for replenishment of water evaporated during operation and stoppage of the automatic developing machine. By replenishing with water, the process of preparing the replenisher can be eliminated, the concentration of the processing solution can be prevented, the composition of the processing solution in the automatic developing machine can be kept stable, and stable photosensitivity can be achieved at all times. Material processing results are obtained. By detecting the area of the photosensitive material to be processed and replenishing the solid regenerating processing agent and the replenishing water for the preparation of the solution, and detecting the liquid level in the processing tank part and replenishing the replenishing water for the evaporation correction, the replenishing solution is obtained. The liquid preparation operation and the evaporation correction operation process can be made free and labor can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an automatic developing machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Color developing tank 2: Bleaching tank 3: Fixing tank 4: Rinse tank 6: Stabilizing tank 6: Drying unit 7: Photosensitive material area detection sensor 8: Solid processing agent supply device 9: Liquid level detection sensor 10: Replenishment Water replenishing device 11: Control unit 12: Solenoid valve 14: Rinse hot water 15: Replenishment water supply pipe 16: Overflow liquid storage tank 17: Supply pump 18: Hot water storage tank 19: Solenoid valve 20: Solenoid valve 21: Temperature control Heater 22: Processing rack 23: Processing liquid circulation pump 24: Filtration filter unit 25: Overflow pipe 81: Stepping motor 82: Plunger 83: Pinion 84: Stepping motor 85: Extrusion member

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage tank for storing at least an overflow liquid from a processing tank of an automatic developing machine, supply means for supplying a solid processing agent to the storage tank, a liquid circulation function of the storage tank, and a processing tank of the automatic developing machine. A pump capable of providing a single processing liquid supply function, and a processing liquid supplied with a solid processing agent supplied into the storage tank and supplied to a substantial processing tank section of the automatic developing machine. An automatic developing machine for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, comprising a supply means and a supply pipe, and further comprising a valve disposed in the supply pipe to close when the storage tank liquid is circulated using the pump. 2. A silver halide photograph according to claim 1, further comprising means for replenishing water or hot water for a processing liquid and / or an overflow liquid in a substantial processing tank portion of the automatic developing machine. Automatic developing machine for photosensitive materials. 3. The automatic developing machine according to claim 1, wherein said solid processing agent is in the form of a tablet.