JP3746397B2 - Liquid mixing method and photographic processing liquid storage device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of mixing two kinds of liquids having different specific gravities, and more particularly to a method capable of mixing with a simple apparatus that does not use a drive stirring means. Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for diluting and storing a photographic processing solution and a mixing method used in the apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
It is common practice to dilute the concentrated liquid and adjust it to the desired concentration. In this case, it is usual to dilute with a main solvent of the concentrated liquid, for example, water, an organic solvent or a mixture thereof. This dilution operation is usually performed using a tank equipped with a stirrer.
[0003]
On the other hand, photographic processing solutions are known and are used for development processing and fixing processing of photographic paper, plate-making materials, and the like. These processing solutions contain a large amount of preservatives such as developing agents, alkali agents, and sulfites. These processing liquids are concentrated to a high concentration in order to reduce storage and distribution costs, and the specific gravity thereof is 1.1 or even 1.2 or more. In the treatment, the concentrated treatment liquid is diluted with water at a predetermined ratio, for example, about 1.5 to 5 times. When diluting and mixing a concentrated processing solution having a high specific gravity with water, the larger the specific gravity difference, the more difficult it is to mix uniformly, and the closer the mixing ratio is to 1: 1, the more uniform mixing is required.
[0004]
Photo processing is usually performed by an automatic processor. As described above, the processing solution is introduced into the processing tank of the automatic processor after dilution. In general, the processing solution stored in the processing tank of the automatic developing machine is replenished in accordance with the processing amount of the photosensitive material in order to keep the amount of the solution constant and to keep the pH and composition concentration constant. The processing liquid to be replenished in the processing tank is called a replenishing liquid, stored in a replenishing device, and replenished to the processing tank of the automatic developing machine as necessary.
[0005]
The processing liquid storage apparatus of the present invention is intended for an apparatus for diluting a concentrated processing liquid and a replenishing apparatus. Each of these apparatuses has a storage tank for temporarily storing the processing liquid.
[0006]
As devices for replenishing the replenisher to the automatic developing machine, there are those described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Nos. 63-8746, 63-91661, and 8-220722. These replenishing devices dilute the concentrated processing solution in one tank to prepare a replenishing solution, and store the prepared replenishing solution and replenish the automatic processor. Conventional replenishing devices are generally mixed with a stirrer attached to a storage tank. For this reason, the apparatus became enlarged and complicated, and the maintainability was inferior.
[0007]
In recent years, the amount of replenishment has been reduced in order to reduce the amount of processing liquid waste. For example, the replenishment amount of the developer has exceeded 300 ml per 1 m ² of the photosensitive material, but recently, it has been carried out in an amount smaller than 200 ml. As the amount of replenishment is reduced, the concentration of the replenisher is also increased. Therefore, the dilution rate when the replenisher is prepared from the concentrated treatment liquid is smaller than the conventional one, and is close to 1: 1. That is, conventionally, the ratio of the concentration treatment liquid: dilution water was about 1: 3 to 1: 5, but has become about 1: 0.5 to 1: 2 due to the low replenishment amount, as described above. More uniform mixing has been demanded. In particular, the replenishing device must always be ready to replenish the automatic processor, and is required to be able to mix quickly and uniformly.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of injecting two types of liquids having different specific gravities and mixing them quickly and uniformly with a simple liquid storage device having no stirrer. Another object of the present invention is to provide a photographic processing solution storage device using the above mixing method.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object of the present invention has been achieved by the invention having the following constitution.
(1) A method of injecting and mixing two types of liquids having different specific gravities into a storage tank, wherein the discharge area is near the bottom of the storage tank and has a discharge area of 60% or less of the cross-sectional area of the liquid feed pipe The liquid mixing method is characterized in that the liquid having the lower specific gravity is injected at the same time through 50% of the total injection time of the liquid having the higher specific gravity through one liquid feeding pipe having the above.
(2) A photographic processing liquid storage device, a storage tank, and a processing liquid supply pipe having a discharge port whose discharge area is 60% or less of the cross-sectional area of the liquid supply pipe in the vicinity of the bottom of the storage tank; And a means for supplying dilution water to the treatment liquid feed pipe and a means for detecting the start of injection of the treatment liquid, and the dilution water supply means is activated in response to a signal from the detection means. A photographic processing solution storage device characterized by that.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The present invention can be applied to a case where two kinds of liquids having different specific gravities, for example, a photographic concentration treatment liquid and water are injected and stored in a storage tank. Usually, when two kinds of liquids are mixed in a storage tank, a stirrer is used. However, the present invention is characterized in that uniform mixing can be performed quickly and simply by injection without using a stirrer.
[0011]
The present invention is suitable when the specific gravity difference between the two types of liquid is 0.1 or more, and when the difference is 0.2 or more, a high effect is exhibited. The present invention is preferably applied to a relatively small storage tank having a storage tank capacity of 1 to 100 liters, more preferably about 2 to 20 liters, for mixing and storing two kinds of liquids. The present invention is more effective when the mixing ratio of (liquid with a higher specific gravity) :( liquid with a lower specific gravity) is in a volume ratio of 1: 0.5 to 1: 2.
[0012]
As described above, the photographic processing solution is an aqueous solution containing a large amount of a developing agent such as hydroquinone, an alkali agent such as sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide, and a preservative such as sulfite, and its specific gravity is 1.1. Usually exceeded. In particular, the concentration processing liquid supplied from the manufacturer exceeds 1.2. The concentrated processing solution is diluted with water to about 1.5 to 5 times and supplied as a working solution to a storage tank of a developing device or a replenishing device. Dilution storage is also performed by the replenishing device itself. In order to dilute and mix in the storage tank of the replenishing device, a stirrer is required, which leads to enlargement and complication of the replenishing device and deterioration of maintainability. One object of the present invention is to provide a replenishing device that is simple and compact, and can be realized by using the above mixing method.
[0013]
In the mixing method of the present invention, two types of liquids having different specific gravities are fed almost simultaneously through one liquid feed pipe having a discharge port near the bottom of the storage tank. Specifically, the liquid having the lower specific gravity is injected at the same time as 50% or more of the total injection time of the liquid having the higher specific gravity. Preferably, the co-injection time is 70% or more, more preferably 90% or more.
[0014]
In the present invention, a more preferable aspect is that the liquid having the higher specific gravity is simultaneously injected with the liquid having the higher specific gravity and the liquid having the higher specific gravity is preceded. The injection of the liquid having the lower specific gravity is completed at the same time or the liquid having the lower specific gravity is followed later. Particularly preferably, the injection of the liquid having the lower specific gravity is finished after the injection of the liquid having the higher specific gravity. This contributes to uniform mixing and cleaning of the liquid delivery tube. The liquid with the lower specific gravity has little effect on the uniform mixing even if it is injected alone later, but in order to increase the flow rate in the liquid feeding pipe and increase the discharge speed from the discharge port, the specific gravity It is necessary to limit the total injection time of the lower liquid to some extent. The optimal range is appropriately selected depending on the diameter of the liquid feeding tube, the injection amount, etc., but as a guideline, the time for injecting the liquid with the lower specific gravity from the end of the injection of the liquid with the higher specific gravity is 30% or less of the total injection time of the liquid with the lower specific gravity.
[0015]
In the present invention, it is important that the outlet of the liquid feeding pipe is provided near the bottom of the storage tank. The vicinity of the bottom is a standard up to a position when about 10% of the maximum storage amount of the storage tank is stored. The discharge port is preferably provided so that the direction of the liquid discharge flow is substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the storage tank. The discharge area of the discharge port is preferably 60% or less, more preferably 40% or less, of the cross-sectional area of the liquid feeding pipe. Thereby, the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the discharge port can be increased, and a higher stirring effect can be obtained.
[0016]
Next, a photographic processing solution replenishing apparatus using the above mixing method will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the replenishing device of the present invention. The replenishing device (1) receives the holding means (3) of the container (2) containing the processing liquid (concentrated liquid), the storage tank (4) for the processing liquid, and the processing liquid injected from the container (2). A funnel (5) constituting the processing liquid injection unit, a liquid feeding pipe (6) for feeding the processing liquid received by the funnel (5) to the storage tank (4), and the start of the injection of the processing liquid are detected. A microswitch (7) as means for cleaning, a washing water injection nozzle (8), a supply port (9) for supplying the processing liquid in the storage tank (4) to an automatic processor (not shown), It is basically composed of a dilution water supply means (10).
[0017]
The holding means (3) is provided with a hole so that the mouth (2a) of the container (2) can be inserted. The holding means (3) is held by a holding shaft (not shown) so that it can rotate in the direction of the arrow. The container containing the treatment liquid is previously unplugged and set in the holding means (3). When the container (2) is set in the holding means (3), the holding means (3) is rotated in the direction of the arrow X and tilted, and after the container (2) is set, the holding means (3) The holding means (3) is fixed with a stopper (not shown). At this point, the container (2) is inverted and the concentrated processing liquid in the container flows into the funnel (5).
[0018]
When the holding means (3) is rotated in the direction of the arrow Y and inverted, the tip of the container (2) pushes down the microswitch (7) and turns on. At substantially the same time as the switch is turned on, the concentrated processing liquid is injected and the dilution water supply means is activated. The diluting water supply means (10) includes a supply port (11), a solenoid valve (12), a flow meter (13), a sequencer (14), and an intermediate tank whose liquid level is controlled by a float valve (15) ( 16) and a pump (17).
[0019]
When the signal of the micro switch (7) is received by the sequencer (14), the solenoid valve (12) is opened by the program, the pump (17) is activated, and the dilution water is supplied from the supply port (11) to the funnel (5). ), And together with the processing liquid injected from the container (2), it passes through the liquid feeding pipe (6) and is discharged near the bottom of the storage tank (4). The supply amount of the dilution water is controlled by the flow meter (13) and the sequencer (14). When a predetermined amount is reached, the electromagnetic valve (12) is closed and the pump (17) is stopped. The intermediate tank (16) for the dilution water is connected to the water supply, and the liquid level is controlled by the float valve (15).
[0020]
The timing of supplying the dilution water is set at the same time when the microswitch (7) is turned on or after several seconds (about 1 to 5 seconds). In order to avoid an artificial malfunction of the microswitch (7) (the operator touches it by mistake), the dilution water supply means is not detected until it is detected that the on-state is not released for several seconds (about 1 to 5 seconds). It is preferably programmed to operate. In any case, the dilution water is set to be injected at the same time in 50% or more of the total injection time of the treatment liquid. More preferably, the injection end time of the dilution water is set to be several seconds to several tens of seconds later than the injection end time of the treatment liquid. Thereby, the funnel (5) and the liquid feeding pipe (6) can be cleaned.
[0021]
The dilution water injected from the supply port (11) hits the baffle plate (21), and the dilution water is distributed uniformly over the entire funnel (5).
[0022]
When the supply of the dilution water is completed, the solenoid valve (18) is then opened, the pump (17) is operated, and the cleaning water is injected from the cleaning water injection nozzle (8) to clean the inside of the container (2). . As the washing water, a part of the dilution water is used and controlled by the flow meter (13). The washing water enters the storage tank (4) through the funnel (5) and the liquid feeding pipe (6) after washing the inside of the container.
[0023]
The replenisher (22) diluted to a predetermined concentration with dilution water is stored in the storage tank (4) and supplied from the supply port (9) to the automatic processor. On the liquid surface of the replenishing liquid (22), floating balls (23) are floated without gaps in order to prevent air oxidation and evaporation.
[0024]
FIG. 2 is a front view of the liquid feeding pipe (6). The discharge port (6a) is provided on the lowermost side surface of the cylindrical pipe. A pipe having an inner diameter of about 20 to 50 mm is used as the liquid feeding pipe, and a discharge port is formed in an arc shape with a central angle of 60 to 120 degrees. The discharge area of the discharge port is preferably 60% or less, more preferably 40% or less of the cross-sectional area of the liquid feeding pipe. By using such a discharge port, it is discharged substantially parallel to the bottom of the storage tank (4) and with a certain flow velocity in one direction. Therefore, convection is caused in the storage tank (4) and uniform mixing is performed. Contribute to.
[0025]
The liquid delivery pipe having the discharge port shown in FIG. 2 is effective when the dilution rate is relatively small. For example, when the ratio of the treatment liquid: dilution water is in the range of about 1: 0.5 to 1: 2, it is effective for mixing in the storage tank.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, two kinds of liquids having different specific gravities can be uniformly mixed with a simple liquid storage device having no stirrer. By applying this mixing method to a photographic processing solution replenishing device, it is possible to realize a replenishing device which is not enlarged and complicated and has excellent maintainability.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a photographic processing solution replenishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of a liquid feeding pipe.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Replenishment apparatus 4 Storage tank 6 Liquid sending pipe 10 Dilution water supply means

Claims (2)

A method of injecting and mixing two types of liquids having different specific gravities into a storage tank, wherein the discharge tank has a discharge port in the vicinity of the bottom of the storage tank, the discharge area of which is 60% or less of the cross-sectional area of the liquid feed pipe A liquid mixing method characterized by injecting simultaneously with a liquid having a lower specific gravity through two liquid supply pipes at 50% or more of the total injection time of the liquid having a higher specific gravity. A storage device for a photographic processing liquid, a processing tank having a discharge port whose discharge area is 60% or less of a cross-sectional area of the pipe in the vicinity of the bottom of the storage tank, and dilution water And a means for detecting the start of the injection of the treatment liquid, and the dilution water supply means is activated in response to a signal from the detection means. A photographic processing liquid storage device.

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