JPH02176656A - Automatic developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stabilize processing quality by irradiating a film which is conveyed in processing liquid with an ultrasonic wave from below after preheating processing and varying the preheating temperature of the film corresponding to the conveying speed of the film. CONSTITUTION:A feed roller 26 at the entrance side of a processing tank 20 is a heat roller and the film 12 is heated up to proper temperature when pressed and sent by this roller 26. A vibrator 10 generates the ultrasonic wave of constant frequency with constant energy and this ultrasonic wave strikes the film 12 slantingly to heat the film 12 selectively by using its high polymer material as a heat insulator. A speed detecting means 62 detects the rotating speed of the feed roller 26 and the conveying speed V of the film 12 detected by the speed detecting means 62 is inputted to a controller 60 to vary the preheating temperature according to the conveying speed V. Consequently, proper processing is stably performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an automatic developing device that continuously sends photographed film to developing, fixing, and washing steps and performs developing processing.

(Technical Background of the Invention) Conventionally, roller conveyance systems, loop conveyance systems, and horizontal conveyance systems are known as methods for continuously developing films. The roller conveyance method uses a large number of rollers to convey the liquid through a vertically deep processing liquid tank, but has the problem that the processing liquid tank is deep and the apparatus becomes large. The loop transport method transports the film by passing it between rollers placed above and below the processing liquid tank, but it has the same problems as the roller transport method. In addition, in the horizontal transport method, development is performed by spraying a processing liquid onto the film that is transported horizontally, but in order to perform high-speed processing, the distance that the processing liquid and film come into contact with, that is, the horizontal path, becomes longer. ,
There was a problem that the device became larger.

On the other hand, when the film is transported through each processing tank, the transport speed of the film may change due to changes in resistance within the film path. When the transport speed fluctuates in this manner, the developed density of the film fluctuates, resulting in a problem that the finished quality of the processing becomes non-uniform.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and is an automatic developing system that is suitable for high-speed processing and miniaturization, and is capable of stabilizing processing quality even when there are fluctuations in film transport speed. The purpose is to provide equipment.

(Structure of the Invention) According to the present invention, the object is to provide an automatic developing device that sequentially sends photographed film to each step of developing, fixing, and washing with water, and processes the photographed film continuously, in which at least one processing step is performed.
Ultrasonic generation means for irradiating ultrasonic waves from below toward the film being transported in the processing liquid; speed detection means for detecting the transport speed of the film; and heating the film entering the processing liquid prior to processing. This is achieved by an automatic developing apparatus characterized in that it is equipped with a preheating means and is configured to change the preheating temperature of the film in accordance with the film transport speed.

That is, the present invention is based on the premise that the processing speed is increased by ultrasonic waves, and when the transport speed of the film changes, the preheating temperature is changed in response to this change in speed.

(Example) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a developing process, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a processing liquid pack, Fig. 2A is a perspective view of its external appearance, Figs. 2B and 20. are diagrams showing the internal state before and after use, and Figure 3 is III in Figure 1.
-III) Jl sectional view.

In FIG. 1, 20 is a developing tank, and this processing tank 2
0 includes a film guide section 22 having an arc-shaped bottom when viewed from the side, and an excitation section 24 that opens obliquely to intersect the film guide section 22 in the film running direction (rightward direction). A pair of feed rollers 26 are provided at the left end of the film guide section 22 for transporting the film 12 on which a latent micro image is formed into the processing tank 20, and a pair of feed rollers 28 for transporting the film 12 are provided at the right end. ing.

The feed roller 26 on the carry-in side is constituted by a heat roller incorporating, for example, an electric heater 26A made of a ceramic element with a large heat capacity, and the roller 26 itself can be heated to a predetermined temperature.

A liquid level regulating lid 30 is made of, for example, neoprene rubber or polyurethane rubber and has an arcuate cross section, and is attached to the lid plate 34 via a heat insulating material 32. There is a distance of 3 to 4 m between the liquid level regulating lid 30 and the bottom of the film guide 20.
A gap of about m is formed, and the film 12 is guided by a guide groove 31 (FIG. 3) so as to run through this gap. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the processing tank 20 is formed with grooves 31 into which the left and right edges of the film 12 are inserted.
The film 12 is guided and transported by this groove 31. Here, the film 12 is managed so that its emulsion side 12A faces upward.

A vibrator 10 with a diameter of 25 mm is attached to the bottom of the vibrating section 24, and the perpendicular to the vibrator 10, that is, the central axis X, which is the direction of maximum directivity, intersects the film 12 obliquely with respect to the film running direction. The film 12 is set to enter the near-field sound field of the vibrator 10 at the central axis X, and is preferably within a range of, for example, 10 to 50 mm. Here, the near-field sound field refers to a range closer to the vibrator 10 than the farthest position from the vibrator 10 among the positions where the sound pressure transmitted through the processing liquid is periodically maximum. By conveying the film 12 obliquely to the central axis X within this range,
It becomes possible to perform uniform processing without the film 12 being affected by uneven sound pressure.

The processing liquid is supplied to the processing tank 20 so that the liquid level is always constant. That is, the processing liquid is sent from the processing liquid tank 36 to the constant liquid level tank 40 by the pump 38.
The liquid level is maintained at a constant level within 0, and from there, the metering pump 42 sends the processing liquid into the film guide section 22 upstream of the vibrating section 24. The processing liquid passes over the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 of the downstream end side of the film guide section 22, that is, the lower feed roller 28, flows into the loading chamber 44, and enters the processing liquid pack 46 from there.

This processing liquid pack 46 is made of waterproof paper in a box shape, and the above-mentioned processing liquid tank 36 made of a flexible plastic container is housed on the negative side of the new processing liquid pack 46 before use. A water-absorbing polymer 48 is housed on the side (second
Figure B). A processing liquid tank 36 is provided on the upper surface of the processing liquid pack 46.
and a treatment liquid outlet 46 communicating with the water-absorbing polymer 48, respectively.
a and a waste liquid cap 46b are opened, and after these are sealed with a thin film material, the upper surfaces thereof can be opened and closed with adhesive seal lids 46c and 46d. The processing liquid pack 46 is placed on a vertically movable tray 49 with the seal lids 46c and 46d open (FIG. 1), and is pushed upward by the tray 49 and loaded.

At this time, the processing liquid inflow pipe 38a of the pump 38 and the processing liquid discharge pipe 44a leading to the loading chamber 44 break the thin film blocking the processing liquid outlet 48a and the waste liquid port 48b, and open the processing liquid tank 36 and the water absorbing polymer 48, respectively. It communicates with.

Therefore, when the processing liquid in the tank 36 decreases, the tank volume 36
Instead of decreasing, the water-absorbing polymer 46 gels and expands as shown at 48A in FIG. 2c. When the processing liquid in the tank 36 runs out and the pack 46 is replaced, the tray 49 is lowered and the pipe 38a is connected to the pack 46.
, 44a should be removed. Since the waste liquid is gelatinized, there is no risk of the liquid spilling, but the seal lids 46c, 46
It will be more reliable if the processing liquid outlet 46a and the waste liquid outlet 46b are closed at d. As a result, handling of the processing liquid becomes very easy.

The height of the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 that accommodates the feed roller 28 determines the height of the processing liquid level in the processing tank 20, for example, based on the arcuate bottom of the film guide section 22. It is desirable to set it to about 7 mm. Note that 50 is a valve for discharging the processing liquid in the vibrating section 24 to the tank 46.

Therefore, a fixed amount of processing liquid is pumped into the processing tank 2 by the metering pump 42.
0, and the liquid level is kept constant by the partition wall of the loading chamber 44. The film 12 is fed at a constant speed by rollers 26 and 28, and is passed through the film guide section 22 of the processing tank 20.
Inside, it moves downward in a convex arc. Since the feed roller 26 on the entry 0 side of the processing tank 20 is a heat roller, the film 12 is heated to an appropriate temperature when it is fed between the rollers 26. The transducer IO generates ultrasound at a constant frequency (for example, 1.7 MH) and -constant energy, and this ultrasound impinges on the film 10 obliquely. Therefore, the film 10 can move within the ultrasound irradiation area including the central axis X over a distance greater than the periodic interval of the strength of the ultrasound, and is not affected by the periodic strength of the ultrasound.

Ultrasonic waves do not heat the entire processing solution, and the film I
It has the effect of selectively heating polymeric substances such as O as a sound absorbing material. As shown in FIG. 3, since the amount of processing liquid on the upper surface of the film 12 is significantly smaller than the amount of liquid below the film 12, the processing liquid on the upper surface of the film 12 is quickly heated. Film 1 is placed on the side of this heated processing solution.
Since the second emulsion side 12A is located, the processing of the film 12 is very rapid. Further, since the film 12 is preheated by the feed roller 26, the processing speed in the processing liquid increases, and the processing by ultrasonic irradiation is accelerated.

In FIG. 1, 60 is a preheating temperature control device, and 62 is a speed detection means for detecting the conveyance speed.

The speed detecting means 62 is formed of a rotary encoder or the like that detects the rotational speed of the feed roller 26.

The conveying speed (2) of the film 12 detected by the speed detecting means 62 is input to the management device 60, and a preheating temperature corresponding to this conveying speed (2) is determined.

This management device 60 controls the heater 26 by means of a heater circuit 64.
The temperature of A is controlled to a predetermined temperature. In other words, if the transport speed changes during the processing process due to a change in the resistance of the film transport path, the developing density will change with the change in speed, so the management device 60 may, for example, gradually lower the preheating temperature as the transport speed decreases. However, as the speed increases, the preheating temperature is controlled to be increased to maintain a constant development density.

In this embodiment, since the liquid level regulating lid 30 is located close to the upper surface of the film 12, the liquid level regulating lid 30 keeps the film 10 and the processing liquid on its upper surface warm and enables uniform processing. further accelerate processing. Here is the liquid level regulation lid 3
If the lid 30 is made of a polymer material such as the polyurethane rubber or neoprene rubber, the lid 30 itself can be heated due to its sound absorption effect. Therefore, the heating of the film 10 is further accelerated, and the processing is accelerated. Note that neorene rubber has excellent heat resistance and is particularly preferred. At this time, if the upper surface of the liquid level regulating lid 30 is held on the lid plate 34 via the heat insulating material 32 as in this embodiment, the heat retention effect of the liquid level regulating lid 30 will be even better and the processing will be further promoted. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform good processing without unevenness in a short time.

In this embodiment, since the central axis X of the vibrator 10 intersects with the running direction of the film 12, the ultrasonic waves promote the movement of the processing liquid in the film running direction, and there is always almost no new processing in the processing tank. Processing can continue using liquids.

Although one vibrator 10 is used in this embodiment, a plurality of vibrators 10 may be used in the present invention. 4th A, 4B
The figures are a perspective view of an embodiment using two circular vibrators 10, and a sectional view of this embodiment viewed from the film transport direction. In this embodiment, each vibrator 10.10 was arranged so that the central axes X and x of the vibrator 10.10 were centered near the film 12.

Figures 5A and 5B are a perspective view of an embodiment using three rectangular vibrators 210, and a sectional view of this embodiment viewed from the film transport direction. Here, the ultrasonic wave emission direction (center axis X) of each vibrator 210 converges toward the vicinity of the film 12. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B, the surface of the processing liquid is raised by ultrasonic vibration. The liquid level processing lid 130, 230 suppresses this protuberance, prevents unstable flow of the processing liquid, and makes the flow uniform. Note that 132°232 is a heat insulating material.

In these embodiments, a liquid level regulating lid 3 is provided above the film 12.
Although 0 is provided, it goes without saying that the present invention also includes those that do not have this.

In this embodiment, the liquid level in the processing tank 20 is kept constant at the height of the partition wall of the loading chamber 44, but the liquid level may also be controlled using other liquid level sensors and drain valves. good. Note that the treatment liquid oxidizes and deteriorates over a long period of time, so when the treatment liquid deteriorates, the pulp 50 is opened while operating the pumps 38 and 42, and the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid tank 36 is sent to the water-absorbing polymer 48. It may be gelled and disposed of.

Although the above embodiments apply the present invention to development processing, it may be applied to other processing.

FIG. 6 is an overall view of an automatic developing apparatus using the developing processing apparatus shown in FIG. In this figure, A, B, and C indicate the developing, fixing, and washing devices, respectively. These are processing devices that are almost the same as those in FIG. 1, and each uses a developing solution, a fixing solution, and a washing solution as processing solutions. . Further, the preheating management device that changes the preheating temperature according to the processing amount is preferably provided in the developing device A, which has the greatest influence on the developed density, but it is of course possible to provide it in the other devices B and C as well.

In this figure, 100 is a supply reel for photographed film that has not been developed, and 102 is a take-up reel that winds up the developed film. The undeveloped film 12 is guided to the developing device A while being sandwiched between a drive roller 104 and a contact roller 106. At this time, the leading edge and trailing edge of the film 12 are detected by the entrance sensor 108. Note that the rotation of the contact roller 104 is monitored by an encoder (not shown). The film 12 is transferred to the feed roller 26 of the processing device A.
It is preheated and developed by the apparatuses B and C.
After being fixed and washed with water, the image is taken up on a take-up reel 102. Note that the film 12 may also be preheated in the feed rollers 26 of devices B and C. At this time, an exit roller 110 rolls into contact with the film 12 coming out of the washing device C, and the rotation of this exit roller 110 is monitored by an encoder (not shown). In the vicinity of the exit port 110, an exit sensor 112 is configured to monitor the leading and trailing ends of the film 12.

This device operates as follows. First, the photographed film 12 is set on the reel 100 and the power switch (not shown) is turned on, so that the pump 38.42 is activated to maintain the processing liquid at a specified liquid level, and the roller 26.2
8 starts rotating.

Film 12 is transferred from reel 100 to rollers 104, 106
As the film 12 is sandwiched and fed, the leading edge of the film 12 is detected by an inlet sensor 108, and based on the output of this sensor 108, the vibrators 10 of each of the processing apparatuses A, B, and C are turned on and start vibrating. After the film 12 has been processed by each of the processing devices A, B, and C, it is wound onto the winding wheel 102. At this time, when the exit sensor 112 detects the end of the film 12, the transducer 1
0 is turned off and vibration stops.

In this device, film jams in devices A, B, and C are detected as follows. That is, entrance sensor 1
If the exit sensor 112 does not detect the leading edge of the film within a certain period of time after the sensor 08 detects that the leading edge of the film 12 has entered, it is determined that the film has jammed. Furthermore, since the feed amount of the film 12 can be determined by an encoder that detects the rotation of the contact roller 106 and the exit roller 110, if the roller 110 stops while the sensors 108 and 112 are on (while the film is passing), it is determined that there is a jam. . Note that if the sensor 112 detects the end of the film within a predetermined period of time after the sensor 108 detects the end of the film, it may be determined that the film is normal, thereby confirming that the development has been performed normally.

In the case of this embodiment, it goes without saying that the film transport speed (2) may be determined not from the feed roller 26 but from the speeds of the entrance roller 104 and the exit roller 110.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention provides at least one of the steps of development, fixing, and water washing.
When using ultrasonic waves to accelerate processing in two processing steps, a preheating means is provided to heat the film entering the processing solution prior to processing, and this preheating temperature is varied according to the film transport speed. be. In this way, since the processing is accelerated by ultrasonic waves, the film processing steps can be shortened, and therefore the processing tank can be downsized. Also 4
゜Since the preheating temperature is changed according to the transport speed, even if the film transport speed changes for some reason during processing, it is possible to keep the processing concentration constant, and it is possible to always perform appropriate and stable processing. becomes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a developing treatment tank which is an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the processing liquid pack, FIG. 2A is a perspective view of its appearance, FIGS. 2B and 20 are diagrams showing its internal state before and after use, and FIG. -I
It is a sectional view taken along line II. 4A and 4B and 5A and 5B are diagrams showing other examples of arrangement of vibrators and the like. FIG. 6 is an overall view of an automatic developing device using the developing device shown in FIG. 10.110.210... Vibrator, 12... Film, 20... Processing tank, 2'6... Feed roller as preheating means, 26A
... Heater, 60... Preheating temperature control device, 62... Conveying speed detection means, A... Developing device, B... Fixing device, C... Water washing device, ■... Conveying speed .

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an automatic developing device that sequentially sends photographed film to each step of developing, fixing, and washing with water, at least one processing step involves processing the film as it is transported through a processing solution. an ultrasonic generating means for irradiating ultrasonic waves from below toward the film; a speed detecting means for detecting the transport speed of the film; and a preheating means for heating the film entering the processing liquid prior to processing; An automatic developing device characterized in that the preheating temperature of the film is changed in accordance with the conveyance speed.