JPH0267556A - Method for processing silver halide photosensitive material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obviate the deterioration of the components in a processing liquid and to prevent the generation of uneven development by executing processing in a slit- shaped processing path and supplying the processing liquid dividedly in the processing path along the progressing direction of the silver halide photosensitive material in the processing path. CONSTITUTION:The processing of the silver halide photosensitive material S by the processing including developing, desilvering, washing and/or stabilizing stages is executed in the slit-shaped processing path 15 at the time of the above-mentioned processing. Further, the processing liquid is supplied dividedly in the processing path along the progressing direction of the silver halide photosensitive material S in the processing path 15. The slit-shaped processing path 15 signifies that the section of the passage in a processing tank adapted to allow the passage of the photosensitive material S has a so-called slit shape of a small thickness with respect to the transverse width the transverse direction of the photosensitive material when the above-mentioned passage is cut perpendicular to the progressing direction of the photosensitive material S. The deterioration of the components in the processing liquid by air oxidation and the absorption of carbon dioxide is prevented in this way and the generation of the uneven development by the supply of a replenishing liquid is prevented.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to so-called slit development, in which silver halide photosensitive materials such as black and white films, black and white papers, color films, and color papers are processed in a slit-shaped processing path. This relates to a processing method.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, silver halide photosensitive materials are developed by passing them through rectangular parallelepiped processing tanks one after another containing processing solutions such as a developer, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, and a stabilizing solution.

At this time, in order to obtain an even and uniform finishing performance, the photosensitive material is processed by immersing it in a large amount of processing solution, but if a large amount of processing solution is stored in the processing tank, the halogen When the amount of silver photosensitive material is small, the components in the processing solution may deteriorate due to air oxidation or carbon dioxide absorption, or the pH of the processing solution may decrease, which causes fluctuations in the performance of the photosensitive material after processing. It had become. However, at present, no effective means for solving this problem has been found yet.

On the other hand, a slit development processing method is known in which processing is performed using a slit-shaped processing tank, which reduces the contact of the processing solution with air as much as possible and performs processing with the minimum necessary amount of solution. However, even in the slit development processing method, the components consumed by the processing of the photosensitive material are replenished, but especially in the case of slit development processing, the amount of processing solution in the processing tank is small, so the overall concentration of the processing solution may fluctuate. This has the disadvantage that the activity of the processing solution in the vicinity of the supply of the replenisher increases, and the unevenness of the concentration of the processing solution within the processing tank becomes even higher, resulting in large unevenness in development.

In particular, in slit development processing, the above problem is serious because, unlike in the case of a normal rectangular parallelepiped processing tank, the inside of the processing solution cannot be uniformly stirred by means such as a circulation pump.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for processing silver halide photosensitive materials using slit development processing, in which components in the processing solution do not deteriorate due to air oxidation or carbon dioxide absorption, and uneven development does not occur even when a replenisher is supplied. The purpose is to provide

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention provides that, when performing slit development processing, the above-mentioned problems can be efficiently solved by dividing and supplying a processing liquid into the slit-shaped processing path along the direction in which the silver halide photosensitive material travels. This was done based on the knowledge of

That is, in processing a silver halide photosensitive material by a processing method including development, desilvering, water washing, and/or stabilization steps, the present invention performs the above processing in a slit-shaped processing path, and removes halogen in the processing path. Provided is a method for processing a silver halide photosensitive material, characterized in that a processing solution is dividedly supplied into the processing path along the traveling direction of the silver halide photosensitive material.

The slit-shaped processing path used in the development process of the present invention is defined as the width of the cross section (in the width direction of the photosensitive material) when the path in the processing tank through which the photosensitive material passes is cut at right angles to the traveling direction of the photosensitive material. This means that it has a so-called slit shape with a thinner thickness than the other one. Note that the cross section of the slit shape may be rectangular or oval.

The shape of a processing tank having such a slit processing path is defined as follows.

V/L≦20, particularly preferably V/L≦10. Here, ■ is the volume (cut) of the processing liquid accommodated in the processing path, and L is the center path of the photosensitive material from the liquid level on the artificial side of the photosensitive material in the processing tank to the liquid level on the outlet side ) is the length (cm).

Therefore, the slit processing path is characterized by a small amount of liquid accommodated relative to the length of the path. In other words, since the amount of liquid is small, the liquid in the processing path (processing tank) can be replaced quickly by replenishing the processing liquid, and when it is reduced, the residence time of the liquid in the processing tank is shortened, thereby avoiding fatigue of the processing liquid over time. Can be done. However, for practical purposes, the lower limit of V/L is preferably 0.1, particularly preferably 0.5.

In the processing path, specifically, V is 10,000 to 100c.
ffl is preferred, particularly preferably 5000 to 200c
af, most preferably 1000-300cI11. Further, L is preferably 300 to 10 cm, particularly preferably 200 to 20 cm, and most preferably 100 to 30 cm.
It is.

When processing is performed using a slit processing path, the liquid volume V (cm
It is preferable to use a processing tank in which the liquid area 5 (cut) (hereinafter referred to as opening area) in contact with air is small compared to the above. Specifically, it is preferable that V and S have the following relationship.

S/V≦0.05, particularly preferably S/V≦0.01. In other words, S/
The smaller V is, the less likely it is to be oxidized by air, and the less evaporation of the liquid, the more the liquid can be stored stably for a long period of time.

However, practically, the lower limit is preferably 0.0005, particularly preferably 0.001.

In the above regulations, the thickness of the slit-like treatment path is 1 to 5.
0 mm is preferable, and 3 to 30 mm is particularly preferable.

Also, the withdrawal speed of the photosensitive material in the slit processing path is 10 cm.
/min to 300cm/min is preferable, and in particular 20 to 200cIII/min to obtain even and uniform finishing performance.
range of minutes is preferred, most preferably 20-120 cm
/minute.

When processing is performed in the above slit processing path, changes in the processing solution in the processing tank occur, specifically, oxidation of the developing agent and preservative, decrease in pH due to absorption of carbon dioxide in the air, and concentration due to evaporation of water. , various decompositions of treated liquid components due to long-term residence in the tank,
This has the great advantage of eliminating factors of variation in conventional processing, such as mutual unfavorable reactions. Therefore, even in slow processing where the amount of photosensitive material to be processed is small, it is possible to perform processing in which the finishing performance of the photosensitive material, such as gradation, fog, and sensitivity, is less likely to fluctuate. Furthermore, it is easy to make the processing apparatus more compact, and since the opening area is small, the complexity of using a conventional floating lid can be avoided.

In the present invention, the slit-shaped processing path includes one in which at least a portion of the portion other than the roller for conveying the photosensitive material is slit-shaped, and the length of the slit-shaped processing path between the conveyance roller and the roller is 50m or more, preferably 1
It is better to have a diameter of 0 cm or more.

Note that a flexible member (such as nylon or polyester) can be provided on the inner wall of the slit-shaped processing path so as to protrude inward.

In the present invention, when performing slit development, it is further preferable to use a processing tank in which the ratio of the liquid surface area to the liquid volume is small, and in this processing tank, the cross-sectional area of the processing liquid path is approximately the same as the surface area of the liquid surface part. This is preferred, and so-called thin layer development is preferred.

Furthermore, the liquid flow path in the main part of the developing tank and the conveyance path of the photosensitive material are almost parallel, and in the main part, the liquid flow path in the main part of the developing tank is perpendicular to the emulsion layer and the support layer of the photosensitive material (thickness direction).
The length is within 200 times the thickness of the photosensitive material, and more preferably 2 to 20 times the thickness of the photosensitive material.
Preferably, the processing liquid path is 100 times larger, particularly 5 to 50 times larger. In this case, the gap between the processing tank and the photosensitive material in the thickness direction is 0.3 to 30 mm, preferably 0.5 to 10 mm.
+++ m, particularly preferably 0.5 to 3 m.

In the present invention, a developing solution, a bleaching solution,
It is filled with a bleach-fix solution, a fixing solution, washing water, a stabilizing solution, etc., and the exposed silver halide photosensitive material is passed through them for development processing. Incidentally, examples of the developer include a black and white developer and a color developer (including a reversal color developer). Specifically, the slit developing method of the present invention includes the following steps.

(1) Development - Bleach fixing - Washing - Drying (2) Development - Bleach fixing - Stabilization - Drying (3) Development - Bleach fixing - Washing - Drying (4) Development - Bleach fixing - Stabilization - Drying (5) ) Development - Bleach, fixed, washed, stabilized, dried (6) Development - Bleach-fixed, washed, stabilized, dried (7) Black and white development - Washed, reversed - Color development - Washed, bleached, fixed, washed, stabilized Water washing can be provided between development and bleaching in the above processing steps. Furthermore, steps such as stopping, adjusting, and neutralizing can be provided as appropriate.

Incidentally, in the case of a black-and-white photographic material, the bleaching step and the stabilizing step can be omitted in the above (3) to (5).

The present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned slit developing method is characterized in that the processing liquid is dividedly supplied into the slit processing path along the traveling direction of the silver halide photosensitive material within the processing path. Here, at least one of the above-mentioned processing liquids can be mentioned as the processing liquid to be supplied in parts, but all the processing liquids can also be supplied in parts. Furthermore, divided supply means, for example, when supplying a developer, the developer is supplied to at least two locations along the traveling direction of the silver halide photosensitive material within the slit processing path containing the developer, preferably two to two locations. This means that it is divided into 5 portions and supplied.

In the present invention, when the developer is supplied in parts, a supply port is provided at a position where the photosensitive material enters the developer in the developer tank, and 30 to 70%, preferably 40%, of the total developer replenishment amount is supplied from the supply port. It is preferable to supply up to 60% of the amount, and divide the remainder according to the number of supply ports, and supply it from the supply port provided downstream of the position where the photosensitive material enters the developer. Specifically, in the slit developing tank shown in FIG. 2, the position F1 where the photosensitive material enters the developer is
30 to 70% of the total developer replenishment amount from the supply port F1 provided in
is replenished, and the remaining replenishment amount is equally divided and supplied into the slit tank from the supply ports F2, F3, and F4. this house,
It is preferable that the amount of replenishment from the supply port F1 is larger than the amount of replenishment from other supply ports.
It is preferable to replenish the amount from 1.5 to 4 times the amount from other supply ports. In FIG. 2, S indicates a silver halide photosensitive material.

On the other hand, bleach solution, bleach-fix solution, fixing solution, washing water, stabilizing solution, etc. differ from the order in which the developer is supplied.
30 to 70%, preferably 40 to 60%, of the replenishment amount of the processing solution is supplied from a supply port provided in a countercurrent direction to the conveyance direction of the photosensitive material, that is, at a position where the photosensitive material exits from the processing solution, and the remaining amount is It is preferable that the photosensitive material be divided into parts according to the number of supply ports and supplied from the supply ports provided upstream of the position where the photosensitive material comes out. That is, in the slit processing tank shown in FIG. 2, 30 to 70% of the total amount of processing solution is replenished from the supply port F5 provided at the position F5 where the photosensitive material comes out from the processing solution, and F4, F3 and F2
The remaining replenishment amount is equally divided and fed into the slit tank from the supply port.

Therefore, in a developing tank, a developer outlet is provided on the exit side of the photosensitive material, and in a bleaching tank, a bleaching solution outlet is provided on the side of the photosensitive material.

Note that the amount of replenishment of each processing liquid is arbitrary, but in the case of a photosensitive material with a width of 82.5 mm, the replenishment amount is 3 to 30 ml per 1 m of photosensitive material.
Preferably it is 5 to 2 (ltt'), and when processing is performed with this replenishment amount, low replenishment and excellent finishing performance can be obtained.

If the above-mentioned divided supply is carried out particularly in a developing treatment tank, excellent finishing performance without uneven development can be obtained.

Although the development processing method of the present invention is based on the above configuration, the apparatus used in the present invention may be equipped with a temperature regulator, a roller, a replenishment port, an overflow port, etc., which are included in a normal automatic developing machine. Further, the photosensitive material can be moved within the processing path by any conveyance method such as roller conveyance, leader belt m conveyance, cine strip type, or rotating drum type.

Next, the processing liquid used in the processing method of the present invention will be explained.

Development Treatment In the present invention, a color developer or a black and white developer is used as the developer.

Among these, the color developing solution is preferably an alkaline aqueous solution containing an aromatic primary amine color developing agent as a main component. Although aminophenol compounds are also useful as the color developing agent, p-)unilenediamine compounds are preferably used, and a representative example thereof is 3-methyl-4-amino-N.

N-diethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-
Ethyl-N-β-hydroxyethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-ethyl-N-β-methanesulfonamidoethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-
Mention may be made of ethyl-N-β-methoxyethylaniline and its sulfates, hydrochlorides or p-)luenesulfonates.

Two or more of these compounds can be used in combination depending on the purpose.

The color developer may contain pH buffering agents such as alkali metal carbonates, borates or phosphates, bromide salts, iodide salts,
Development inhibitors or antifoggants such as benzimidazoles, benzothiazoles or mercapto compounds are generally included. In addition, as necessary, hydroxylamine, diethylhydroxylamine, sulfites, hydrazines, phenyl semicarbazides, triethanolamine, catechol sulfonic acids, triethylenediamine (1,4-diazabicyclo[2°2.2]octane), etc. various preservatives such as ethylene glycol, organic solvents such as diethylene glycol, benzyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, quaternary ammonium salts,
Development accelerators such as amines, dye-forming couplers, fogging agents such as competing couplers sodium boron hydride, auxiliary developing agents such as l-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone, tackifiers, aminopolycarboxylic acids, aminopolyphosphones. Various chelating agents such as acids, alkylphosphonic acids, and phosphonocarboxylic acids, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid, hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid, 1-hydroxyethylidene- 1
,1 diphosphonic acid, nitrilo-N, N, N-)rimethylenephosphonic acid, ethylenediamine-N, N, N'
Representative examples include N'-tetramethylenephosphonic acid, ethylene diamine di(0-hydroxyphenylacetic acid), and salts thereof.

Further, when performing reversal processing, black and white development is usually performed and then color development is performed. This black and white developer contains known black and white developing agents such as dihydroxybenzenes such as hydroquinone, 3-pyrazolidones such as 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone, or aminophenols such as N-methyl-p-aminophenol. Alternatively, they can be used in combination.

The pH of these color developing solutions and black and white developing solutions is generally 9 to 12.

Bleaching and/or fixing treatment (desilvering treatment) After color development, a bleaching treatment is usually performed. The bleaching process may be carried out simultaneously with the fixing process (bleach-fixing process) or separately. Furthermore, in order to speed up the processing, a processing method may be used in which bleaching is followed by bleach-fixing. Furthermore, processing in two consecutive bleach-fixing baths, or carrying out a fixing process after a bleach-fixing process can be carried out as desired depending on the purpose.

As a bleaching agent, for example, iron (■), Kobal) (III
), chromium (VI), compounds of polyvalent metals such as 'R(II), peracids, quinones, nitro compounds, etc. are used.

Typical bleaching agents include ferricyanide; organic complex salts of dichromate (iron (III) or cobal) (1111), such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid, methyliminodiacetic acid, 1,3- Aminopolycarboxylic acids such as diaminopropanetetraacetic acid and glycol ether diaminetetraacetic acid, or complex salts such as citric acid, tartaric acid, and malic acid; persulfates; bromates; permanganates; nitrobenzenes and the like can be used. Among these, aminopolycarboxylic acid iron(III) complex salts and persulfates, including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid iron(III) complex salts, are preferable from the viewpoint of rapid processing and prevention of environmental pollution. Furthermore, aminopolycarboxylic acid iron(III) complexes are particularly useful in both bleach and bleach-fix solutions. The pH of bleaching solutions or bleach-fixing solutions using these aminopolycarboxylic acid iron (I) complex salts is usually 5.5 to 8, but in order to speed up the processing, the pH can be lowered. .

A bleach accelerator may be used in the bleaching solution, bleach-fixing solution, and their prebaths, if necessary.

Useful bleach accelerators include those specifically described in U.S. Pat.
No. 893.858, West German Patent No. 1.290.812,
Compounds having a mercapto group or disulfide bond described in JP-A No. 53-95630, Research Disclosure No. 17.129 (July 1978); Thiazolidine derivatives described in JP-A-50-140129; United States Thiourea derivatives described in Japanese Patent No. 3.706.561; iodide salts described in JP-A-58-16235; polyoxyethylene compounds described in West German Patent No. 2.748.430; Examples include polyamine compounds described in No.-8836; bromide ions, and the like. Among these, compounds having a mercapto group or a disulfide group are preferable because they have a large promoting effect, and in particular, compounds having a mercapto group or a disulfide group are preferred.
Preferred are the compounds described in No. 93.858, West German Patent No. 1.290.812, and JP-A-53-95630. Also preferred are the compounds described in US Pat. No. 4,552,834. These bleach accelerators may be added to the photosensitive material. These bleach accelerators are particularly effective when bleach-fixing color light-sensitive materials for photography.

Examples of fixing agents include thiosulfates, thiocyanates, thioether compounds, thioureas, and large amounts of iodide salts, but thiosulfates are commonly used, with ammonium thiosulfate being the most widely used. Can be used for As the preservative for the bleach-fix solution, sulfites, bisulfites, or carbonyl bisulfite adducts are preferred.

Water Washing and/or Stabilization Process After the above desilvering process, a water washing and/or stabilization process is generally performed. The amount of water used in the washing process depends on the characteristics of the photosensitive material (for example, depending on the materials used such as couplers), the application, the temperature of the washing water, the number of washing tanks (number of throws), the replenishment method such as countercurrent or forward flow, and various other conditions. can be set over a wide range.

Among these, the relationship between the number of washing tanks and the amount of water in the multistage countercurrent method is described in the Journal of the 5ociet.
y of Motion Picture and Te
1evision Engineers Volume 64,
P, 248-253 (May 1955 issue).

According to the multi-stage countercurrent method described in the above-mentioned literature, the amount of water used for washing can be significantly reduced, but due to the increase in the residence time of water in the tank, bacteria will breed, and the generated suspended matter will adhere to the photosensitive material. The problem arises. In the processing of the color photosensitive material of the present invention, as a solution to such problems,
The method for reducing calcium ions and magnesium ions described in JP-A-62-288838 can be used very effectively. In addition, chlorinated disinfectants such as isothiazolone compounds, cyabendazole, chlorinated sodium isocyanurate, etc. described in JP-A No. 578,542, and other benzene) IJ Azole, etc., "Chemistry of antibacterial and antifungal agents" by Hiroshi Horiguchi. It is also possible to use disinfectants described in ``Microbial Sterilization, Disinfection, and Anti-Mold Techniques'', a complete collection of sanitary techniques, and ``Encyclopedia of Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Mold Agents'' published by the Japan Society for Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Mold Prevention.

The pH of the washing water used is 4-9, preferably 5.
-8. Washing water temperature and washing time also depend on the characteristics of the photosensitive material.
Although various settings can be made depending on the purpose, generally the temperature is 15-45°C for 20 seconds-10 minutes, preferably 25-40°C for 30 seconds-5
A range of minutes is selected.

Furthermore, the photosensitive material of the present invention can also be directly processed with a stabilizing solution instead of washing with water. In such stabilization treatment, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 57-8543 and 58-14
834 and 60-220345 can be used.

Further, following the water washing treatment, a further stabilization treatment may be carried out, such as a stabilizing bath containing formalin and a surfactant, which is used as a final bath for color photosensitive materials for photography. .

Various chelating agents and antifungal agents can also be added to this stabilizing bath.

The overflow liquid resulting from the water washing and/or replenishment of the stabilizing liquid can also be reused in processes such as the desilvering process.

Photosensitive materials processed by the method of the present invention include color photosensitive materials as well as black and white photosensitive materials. For example, color paper
In addition to color reversal paper, color negative film for photography, color reversal film, negative or positive film for cinema, and direct positive color photosensitive materials, examples include X-ray film, photosensitive materials for printing, microfilm, and black and white film for photography. can.

Any known silver halide emulsion for light-sensitive materials can be used. Silver chlorobromide emulsion (silver chloride content of 90 mol % or more is preferred for rapid processing) is used for color printing photosensitive materials, and silver iodobromide emulsion (containing silver iodide) is used for color photosensitive materials for photography. The amount is preferably 2 to 15 mol%). In particular, in slit development, it is preferable to use a silver chloride photosensitive material because no bromide ions are released into the developer, and development unevenness due to non-uniform dispersion of bromide ions is less likely to occur. Moreover, since the developing speed is fast, the length of the slit processing path can be shortened, the processing apparatus can be easily made compact, and non-uniform distribution of the concentration of the processing liquid can be eliminated, which is preferable. In addition, 710 silver germide grains are spherical, cubic, octahedral, rhombic dodecahedral, tetradecahedral, etc., and tabular (preferably aspect ratio 5 to 20) are used for high-sensitivity photosensitive materials.
) is preferred. These particles may have a uniform phase or may have a multilayer structure. Further, the particles may be surface latent image type particles or internal latent image type particles.

The particle size distribution may be polydisperse or monodisperse (preferably standard deviation/average particle size≦15%), but the latter is preferred. These silver halide grains may be used alone or in combination depending on the purpose.

The above photographic emulsion is published in Research Disclosure (R
D) vol, 176 1temNn17643 (L■
, ■) (December 1978).

Furthermore, emulsions that have been subjected to physical ripening, chemical ripening, and spectral sensitization can usually be used. Additives used in such processes are listed in Research Disclosure Vol. 178, Nα17643 (December 1978) and Research Disclosure Vol.
It is described in Volume 87, Nα18716 (November 1979), and the relevant parts are summarized in the table below.

Furthermore, known photographic additives that can be used are also listed in the above two Research Disclosures, and the locations listed are shown in the table below.

Additive types 1 Chemical sensitizers 2 Sensitivity enhancers 4 Supersensitizers 5 Brighteners Antifoggants and stabilizers 7 Coupler 8 Organic solvents 9 Light absorbers, filter dyes UV absorbers Anti-stain agents Dye image stabilizers Hardener Binder Plasticizer, Lubricant Application Aid, Surface Active Agent RD17643 RD18716 Page 23 Page 648 Right column Same as above Same as above Same as above Same as above Same page 24 Same as above Same as above Page 24-25 Page 649 Right column Page 25 Page 25 Pages 25-26 Same as above Page 25 Right column Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 26-27 Same as above Same as above Page 649 Right column - Page 650 Left column Same as above Page 650 Left column - Right column Same as above Page 651 Left column Same as above Page 650 Right column Same as above There are various types of color photosensitive materials. Specific examples thereof are disclosed in the above-mentioned Research Disclosure (RD) patent No. 17643, ■-C-G.

As dye-forming couplers, couplers that provide the three subtractive primary colors (i.e., yellow, magenta, and cyan) in color development are important, and diffusion-resistant, 4-equivalent or 2-equivalent couplers are important.
As specific examples of equivalent couplers, in addition to the couplers described in the above-mentioned patents described in RD17643, ■-○ and section D, the following can be preferably used.

Typical examples of yellow couplers that can be used include known oxygen atom elimination type yellow couplers and nitrogen atom elimination type yellow couplers. α-pivaloylacetanilide couplers are excellent in the fastness of coloring dyes, particularly light fastness, while α-benzoylacetanilide couplers provide high color density.

Examples of magenta couplers that can be used include hydrophobic 5-pyrazolone and pyrazoloazole couplers that have a ballast group. As the 5-pyrazolone coupler, a coupler in which the 3-position is substituted with an arylamino group or an acylamino group is preferable from the viewpoint of the hue and coloring density of the coloring dye.

Cyan couplers that can be used include hydrophobic, diffusion-resistant naphthol and phenolic couplers.
Preferably, a two-equivalent naphthol coupler of oxygen atom separation type is mentioned as a representative example. Also, couplers capable of forming cyan dyes that are stable against humidity and temperature are preferably used; typical examples thereof include U.S. Pat.
2.002, a phenolic cyan coupler having an alkyl group greater than or equal to an ethyl group at the meta-position of the phenol nucleus, a 2.5-diacyl amino substituted phenolic coupler having a phenylureido group at the 2-position and a 5- These include phenolic couplers having an acylamino group at the acylamino positions, and 5-amidenaphthol cyan couplers described in European Patent No. 161626A.

Granularity can be improved by using a coupler in which the coloring dye has an appropriate diffusibility. Such a coupler is
Specific examples of magenta couplers are described in US Pat. No. 4,366,237, and specific examples of yellow, magenta or cyan couplers are described in European Patent No. 96,570.

The dye-forming couplers and the special couplers described above may form dimers or more polymers. A typical example of a polymerized dye-forming coupler is U.S. Pat. No. 3.451.82.
It is written in No. 0, etc. Specific examples of polymerized magenta couplers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,282 and elsewhere.

Couplers that release photographically useful residues upon coupling are also preferably used in the present invention. The DIR coupler releasing the development inhibitor is the aforementioned RD17643,
The patent couplers listed in Sections .-F. are useful.

In the light-sensitive material processed in the present invention, a coupler that releases a nucleating agent or a development accelerator or a precursor thereof in an imagewise manner during development can be used. Specific examples of such compounds are given in British Patent No. 2,097.140;
．． No. 131.188.

In addition, DIR described in JP-A-60-185950 etc.
Redox compound releasing coupler, European Patent No. 17330
Couplers that release dyes that after separation can be used, such as those described in No. 2A, can be used.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for processing silver halide photosensitive materials using slit development, in which components in the processing solution do not deteriorate due to air oxidation or carbon dioxide absorption, and uneven development does not occur even when a replenisher is supplied. be done. Furthermore, the divided supply of the processing liquid makes the temperature distribution of the processing liquid in the processing tank uniform, so that the performance of the processed silver halide photosensitive material becomes even more uniform.

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

〔Example〕

Example 1 Slit type automatic developing machine shown in Fig. 1 (cross-sectional view)
The exposed silver halide photosensitive material was processed using the following method. Referring to FIG. 1, in the processing tank 2, a lid 8 with a comb-shaped upper lid 6 hanging therein was inserted into the processing housing 4 to form a narrow (slit-shaped) processing passage 15. The lid 8 has a handle 10
is provided. The upper lid 6 has a plurality of vinyl chloride upper lid members 12 each having a rectangular cross section arranged substantially vertically, and a feed reel 16 of silver halide photosensitive material (S) is arranged at the joint portion of the upper and lower ends of these upper lid members 12 .

Inside the processing housing 4, a tank wall material 14 that is combined with the upper lid material 12 to form a processing path 15 (width 3 mm) is arranged. Therefore, the upper lid material 12 and the tank wall material 14 form a continuous wave-shaped processing path 15, and photosensitive material feeding reels 16 are disposed at the upper and lower bends of the processing path 15, respectively.

In FIG. 1, three photosensitive material feeding reels 16 are provided at the top and four at the bottom.

The processing path 15 is provided with a refill port 3.9.13 and an overflow port 5.7.11, and the processing liquid replenished from the refill port is discharged from the overflow port. The area from the replenishment port 3 to the overflow port 5 (D) contains a color developing solution, the area from the refill port 9 to the overflow lower (BF) contains a bleach-fixing solution, and the region from the refill port 13 to the overflow port 11. The part (W) up to is filled with washing water, and the color developer necessary for processing is replenished from the replenishment port 3, the bleach-fixer is replenished from the replenishment port 9, and the washing water is replenished from the replenishment port 13. . Each refill port is provided at a slightly higher position than each overflow port. A photosensitive material supply reel 17 and a take-out reel 18 are arranged at the upper left and upper right of the processing path 15, and the tips of the take-out reels are connected to a drying section 19. Further, in the upper right corner of the drying section 19, there is a photosensitive material take-out reel 21.
is placed. Further, hot water was placed in the developer housing 4 to keep the developer at a constant temperature. The photosensitive material S is supplied to the processing path 15 via the photosensitive material supply reel 17, is developed while being conveyed by a plurality of photosensitive material feed reels 16, and is taken out after drying via the photosensitive material take-out reel 18.

Next, the color paper described in Example 2 of JP-A-63-108339 was exposed and then processed using the slit development processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and the following processing solution.

Water sodium chloride triethanolamine 0rn1 g g 800g water 600mj! Potassium carbonate 6g 6g Sodium sulfite 0.1g 0.2g Add potassium bromide water and H 0.02g 1β 10,05 10,65 Sodium sulfite Add glacial acetic acid water and H (Washing water) Deionized water (Conductivity 3μs /am) Replenishment amount is 8.
For each meter of 25cm width, color developer 10mf bleach-fixer 10m1 washing water 30mj! The replenishment positions and the replenishment amount from each position were as follows.

In addition, the following replenishment was used as a comparative example.

In addition, the capacity of the tank and the shape of each tank are 120mm wide.
, thickness 0.3 mm, path length below the liquid surface (L) 200c
m, liquid volume it (V) is 720 cal, opening area (S) is 7.2 ci, V/L=3.6, S/
V=0.01. In addition, the conveyance speed is 340cm/
It was a minute.

The treatment time and temperature are as follows.

Note that the processing time is the time from contact with the liquid until contact with the liquid of the next step.

Further, under the above conditions, a photosensitive material with a width of 8.25 am was processed for 30 m using a printer at a standard image density using the replenishment method of the present invention, and then uniform exposure of IOCMS was applied at a color density of 2854K. Processed.

A comparative example was treated in the same manner.

Regarding the finished sample, the reflection density at the positions shown in FIG. 3 was measured using an X-Rite Model 310 Photographic Densitometer, and the coefficient of variation of the measured value was calculated. The results obtained are shown in Table 1.

As shown in Table 1, according to the present invention, variations in the concentrations of R, G, and B3 were extremely small, demonstrating that uniform processing was achieved.

Moreover, the average value of each concentration is as shown in Table 2, when the case of the present invention is set to 1.0.

Table 2 It is clear from Table 2 that development proceeds more efficiently in the present invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the photographic developing machine used in the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of each processing tank shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a reflection density measurement position for processed photosensitive materials. FIG. In the figure, 6... comb-shaped upper cover, 12... upper cover material, 15... slit-shaped processing path, 16... feed reel, 3.9 and 13... refill port, 5, '1fJ11...overflow hole, D...
...Color developing solution filling section, BF...Bleach fixing solution filling section, W...Washing water, 17...Photosensitive material supply reel, 18.21...Photosensitive material removal Reel, 19...
...Drying section, S...Photosensitive material, 30...Reflection density measurement position, L...Processing liquid cross-sectional level, F1-5...Processing liquid supply port .

Claims (1)

[Claims] When processing a silver halide photosensitive material using a processing method that includes development, desilvering, water washing, and/or stabilization steps, the above processing is performed in a slit-shaped processing path, and the silver halide photosensitive material advances in the processing path. 1. A method for processing a silver halide photosensitive material, characterized in that a processing solution is divided and supplied into the processing path along a direction.