JPH03172842A - Method for processing photosensitive material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the workability of an integral type automatic developing machine by exposing the respective images of plural developed films on long- sized photographic paper and developing the images in prescribed order, then cutting the paper by each image and distributing and collecting the paper by each film. CONSTITUTION:A film carrier 1 is constituted to pass a leader connected with the plural films A, B in parallel. The films A, B are exposed on long-sized photographic paper in prescribed order in an exposing section 40. The paper is developed and fixed in a developing tank 51, bleach-fixing tank 52 and washing tank 3 of a processing section 50 and is dried in a drying section 60; thereafter, the paper is cut by each image by a cutter 70. The cut photographic paper 100 is collected by each film A, B in a collecting section 80. Thus, the calibration and exposing of the films in the state of mounting the films to the leader are possible and the workability of the integral type automatic developing machine is improved and the machine is miniaturized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a method of processing a photosensitive material to obtain a print image from a photographed film.

<Prior art> Silver halide photosensitive materials (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive materials) are photosensitive materials for photography, such as color negative film and color reversal film, and photosensitive materials for printing, such as color paper and color reversal paper. paper).

Traditionally, these photosensitive materials were processed only in large-scale photo labs, but in recent years, with the development of small-scale processing systems using small automatic processing machines called minilabs,
It has also begun to be processed at stores such as photo shops.

This small-scale processing system develops color negative film brought by customers, exposes color paper from the color negative film, and develops it to obtain printed images in a short time at the store. This can be done with

The minilab used in this system consists of a film processor that develops color negative film, and a printer processor that exposes color paper from color negative film and develops it. The film processor and printer processor are independent devices.

In a film processor, for example, two color negative films of 135 size are attached to a plate-shaped leader in parallel, and the leader is guided to pull the film and sequentially pass through each processing tank and drying section for processing.

On the other hand, in a printer processor, the negative film developed in the film processor is removed from the reader, and a device called a negative carrier (film carrier) installed in the exposure section performs inspection while feeding the negative film frame by frame. For films that have passed the test, the images are exposed onto color paper (photographic paper) and developed.

By the way, such minilabs are often installed in small shops, so it is important that the installation area and required work space are small, and it would be convenient if the film processor and printer processor could be operated all at once. In response to these demands, an automatic developing machine (hereinafter referred to as an integrated automatic developing machine) has been developed that combines these into an integrated type (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 15741/1983, U.S. Patent No. 41).
85912 etc.).

Furthermore, research is being conducted to automate each process in such an integrated processor.

However, with the current technology for small-scale processing systems, it is difficult to develop an integrated processor, especially when trying to automate it.
The following disorders exist.

In other words, when feeding developed negative film to a negative carrier, it is assumed that each negative film is inspected and exposed. Removal work is required.

In this case, the negative film is attached to the leader by joining the rear end of the leader and the leading edge of the negative film, and connecting them by pasting adhesive tape on both the front and back sides. To remove,
It is necessary to perform operations such as peeling off the double-sided adhesive tape, which must be done manually and is extremely difficult to automate. Moreover, there is also the problem that this work takes time and effort.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and its purpose is to provide a method for processing photosensitive materials that is advantageous in automating an integrated processor. Our goal is to provide the following.

Means for Solving the Problems Conventionally, each image of one film was printed successively on a long piece of photographic paper in that order.

However, since film development is performed with two films connected in parallel to a reader, the inventor believes that if it is possible to print images from each film in that state, an integrated automatic processor This is considered to be advantageous for automation.

In this case, for example, the images of one film and the images of the other film are printed alternately on one long photographic paper, but as a result, the images of both films are mixed and printed on one long photographic paper. Therefore, it is necessary to distribute them for each film.

The present invention has been made in view of these points.

That is, the present invention exposes each image of a plurality of developed films onto a long photographic paper in a predetermined order and develops the images, thereby producing a long print in which images of each film are mixed. This method of processing a photosensitive material is characterized in that paper is cut into individual images, and the cut photographic paper is distributed and accumulated for each film.

Preferably, the photosensitive material processing method is such that the exposure of the photographic paper is carried out using a film carrier capable of passing a plurality of films connected in parallel to a plate-shaped leader.

<Example> Hereinafter, the method for processing a photosensitive material of the present invention will be explained in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

The photosensitive material processing method of the present invention is carried out, for example, using the above-mentioned integrated automatic processor. A film carrier is installed in the exposure section of this integrated automatic processor. first,
This film carrier will be explained.

Figures 1 and 2 respectively show a film carrier (
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a negative carrier.

The film carrier 1 has a base 2, and a groove 3 is formed in the base 2, which constitutes a passage path through which a leader 17 and two films A and B pass.

The leader 17 is made of, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene,
It is a plate-shaped member made of polyester or the like, and rectangular holes 18 are formed near the center in the width direction at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the leader. This hole 18 is for inserting a protrusion 82 of an endless belt 81, which will be described later.

Two developed films A and B are connected in parallel to the rear end of the leader 17.

The rear end of the leader 17 and the tips of the films A and B are connected by pasting them together with an adhesive tape 19. In this case, the adhesive tape is preferably attached to both sides of the film A%B.

Examples of such films A and B include color negative films, color reversal films, color positive films, and black and white negative films.

Note that in the following description, a letter such as a is used for a reference numeral relating to film A, and a letter such as b is used for a reference numeral relating to film B.

Two exposure windows 4a and 4b are formed in the groove 3 near the center of the base 2, as shown in FIG. 1, passing through the base.

This exposure window 4a14b is for passing the light from the light source 41 installed above the film carrier 1 in the drawing, and projecting the light onto the photographic paper 100 below the film carrier 1 in the drawing.

Furthermore, masks 5a and 5b having openings for regulating the exposure areas of the screens of films A and B are rotatably installed on the sides of each of the exposure windows 4a and 4b, respectively.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the masks 5a and 5b are open, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the masks 5a and 5b are closed. mask 5a
and when 5b is in the closed state, masks 5a and 5b
The opening of the exposure window 4a and the exposure window 4b overlap each other.

Furthermore, when the masks 5a and 5b are in the open state (separated state), the reader 17 can pass through them.

The opening/closing operations of these masks 5a and 5b are performed by mask opening/closing motors 6a and 6 installed on the base 2, respectively.
This is done by a mechanism such as b. These motors 6a, 6,
As b, for example, a servo motor, a pulse motor, a synchronous motor, a stepping motor, a solenoid mechanism, etc. are used.

Note that the masks 5a and 5b may be opened and closed independently or in conjunction with each other.

Further, solenoids 7a and 7b are installed next to the motors 6a and 6b, respectively. The solenoids 7a and 7b are for the masks 5a and 5b to press and fix the films A and B to the exposure windows 4a and 4b with the films A and B inserted therein.

Although not shown in the drawings, in order to securely press and fix such films, an elastic material such as rubber, sponge, or urethane foam is pasted on the back surfaces of the masks 5a and 5b, or a spring is used. It is preferable to provide a pressure bonding plate or the like which is biased by a pressure force or the like.

Such opening/closing and crimping of the masks 5a, 5b may be performed manually by operating the lever 13.

A leader feeding means 8 is installed in the groove 3 of the base 2 to convey the leader 17 along the passage path. A groove 31 for passing the endless belt is formed in the widthwise center of the groove 3, and an endless belt 81 passes through the groove 31.

On the outer periphery of the endless belt 81, protrusions 82 are formed along the belt's longitudinal direction at equal intervals to the holes 18 of the leader 17.

This protrusion 82 protrudes from the bottom surface of the holder 17, is inserted into the hole 18 of the leader 17, and conveys the leader 17 in the direction shown by the arrow X in FIG. 2 as the endless belt 81 circulates.

Rollers 83 are installed at the entrance and exit sides of the groove (passing route) 3, and an endless belt 81 is wound between the rollers 83.

Further, the rotating shaft of one roller 83 (in the illustration, the roller on the exit side of the passage path) is connected to a motor 84 via a predetermined speed change gear (not shown), etc., and the rotation of this motor 84 causes the endless belt 81 to rotate. rotates in a predetermined direction.

In addition, the masks 5a and 5b each have a film A.
Film transport means 9a and 9b for transporting the film and film B along the passage route are installed.

To describe the film feeding means 9a in a typical manner, the film feeding means 9a is composed of sprockets 91 and 92 installed at both ends of the mask 5a, and a motor 93a that rotates the sprocket 91 on the film entrance side. .

In this case, a pair of sprockets 91 are installed so as to correspond to the perforations on both sides of the film A, and a sprocket 92 is installed so as to correspond to the perforations on the center side of the groove 3.

Note that the sprocket 92 may be one that rotates freely or one that rotates in conjunction with the sprocket 91. In the latter case, for example, the sprockets 91 and 92 may be connected with an endless belt or the like (not shown). Bye.

In such a film feeding means 9a, when the mask 5a is closed, each sprocket 91 and 92 is bitten by the corresponding perforation of the film A, and the motor 9
By driving sprocket 3a and rotating sprocket 91, film A is conveyed in the direction of arrow X.

Further, instead of the sprocket, a structure may be adopted in which a pair of rollers such as rubber rollers for nipping the film are installed above and below the film.

The film feeding means 9b for feeding the film B also has the same structure as the film feeding means 9a.

Such film feeding means 9a and 9b may operate independently of each other or may operate in conjunction (synchronization).

In addition, in the present invention, the film feeding means is the mask 5a, 5
The configuration is not limited to the one installed on the base 2, and may be installed on the base 2 side.

A vine block 10 is installed near the entrance of the path of the base 2, and is movable in the vertical direction in the figure (in the direction indicated by arrow Z) with respect to the base 2. This block 10 is moved by a motor 12 attached to the side of the base 2.
This is done by moving the column 11 of 0 up and down.

As this motor 12, for example, a servo motor, a pulse motor, a synchronous motor, a stepping motor, a solenoid mechanism, etc. are used.

Note that the leader 17 can pass there only when the block 10 is rising (separated from the base 2), and the films A and B can pass therein either in the rising or falling state.

Inside the block 10, various detectors as described below are installed as necessary. Therefore, the installed part of the block is called a detection part.

(2) Leader Detector This detector detects the presence or absence of the part 17 when the block 10 is raised.

For example, this reader detector detects that the leading end or trailing end of the reader 17 has passed through the detection section. leader 1
7 actuate the leader feeding means 8 based on the detection of the tip;
Furthermore, the block 10 can be lowered based on the detection of the rear end of the leader 17.

As the reader detector, an optical sensor, a microswitch, etc. can be used.

■Film information detector This detector reads symbol information such as barcodes attached to the film when the block 10 is lowered, and detects information such as the type of film, sensitivity, manufacturer frame number, etc. carried by the barcode. It is. Based on the film information obtained by this detector, the amount of exposure light is determined, the color filter is selected, etc., and exposure can be performed under more appropriate exposure conditions.

Film information detectors include barcode readers, OC
R, mark sensor, etc. can be used.

(2) Frame detector This detector detects the position of the film screen when the block IO is lowered.

The position of the film screen detected here is stored in a memory (not shown) and fed back to the feed amount of the films A and B by the film feed means 9a and 9b.

As the frame detector, an optical sensor (photodiode, CCD sensor, MOS sensor), etc. can be used.

It should be noted that each of the above-mentioned detectors (■ to ■) is not limited to being built into the block 10, but may be installed at other positions, such as at the bottom of the groove 3, near the masks 5a, 5b, or the windows 4a, 4b, etc. Good too.

The block 10 also includes detectors other than those described above, for example,
A detector, film scanner, etc. for performing the assay may be built-in.

The dimensions of the base 2 are not particularly limited, but as shown in FIG. When L2 is the distance from the exit end of the reader 17, both Ll and L2 are the shorter of the distances from the rear end of the reader 17 to the first screen (non-photographed area) of film A or B. It is preferable that the distance be shorter than the distance.

On the lower surface side of the base 2, there is a base moving means 2 for moving the base 2 in a direction perpendicular to the passage route 3 (direction indicated by arrow Y in the figure).
0 is set. The base moving means 20 includes a rail 21 extending in the Y direction, a motor 22 fixed to one end of the rail 21, and a speed change gear (not shown) connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 22. The screw-shaped screw shaft 23 is connected to the screw shaft 23 and the base 2 is engaged with the screw shaft 23.
and a slider 24 fixed to the side.

The base 2 is placed on a rail 21, and when the motor 22 is rotated (in the forward or reverse direction), the slider 24 moves as the screw shaft 23 rotates, and the base 2 moves in the Y direction. (advance and retreat).

By moving the base 2 in this way, it is possible to select which of the films A and B will be exposed.

That is, the optical path 44 of the light from one light source 41 fixedly installed above the film carrier 1 in the figure is controlled by the mask 5a.
Then, the base 2 is moved so that it coincides with either the exposure window 4a, the mask 5b, or the exposure window 4b.

In addition, a stopper (not shown) is provided on the rail 21 etc.
It is preferable to perform alignment when the base 2 is moved.

In the present invention, it is not necessary to provide such a base moving means 20. For example, the base may be fixed, as long as two light sources are provided or the light source is movable and can be selectively set to either of the exposure windows 4a and 4b in the optical path. in this case,
The photographic paper on which the film image is printed is configured to move in accordance with the set position of the optical path.

Power is supplied to various driving sources, light sources, memory control means, etc. of the film carrier 1 through a cord 14 made up of bundled lead wires connected to these and a connector 15 at the tip thereof.

In the illustrated example, two films are connected to one reader 17, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can process three or more films connected in parallel to one reader. It may also be a film carrier. In this case, a configuration is adopted in which a number of exposure windows, masks, etc. corresponding to the number of films are installed.

Furthermore, the film carrier of the present invention may be of any type as long as it can pass through a reader that can connect a plurality of films in parallel; It does not prevent it from passing while connected. In this case, all or part of the motor 6b, 93b1 solenoid 7b, and the base moving means 20 relating to the film B can be made inoperative as necessary.

Furthermore, the plurality of films connected to the reader 17 are of different sizes (for example, 135 film and 11 film).
0 film). In this case, each mask may be made detachable and may be replaced with a mask appropriate for the film size before processing.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an integrated automatic processing machine for carrying out the method of processing photosensitive materials of the present invention. Note that only the main parts are shown in the figure for easy understanding. Further, X, Y, and Z in the figure each indicate directions orthogonal to each other.

As shown in Fig. 3, the integrated processor has films A and B.
A processing section that performs development processing and a drying section that dries it (
(none of these are shown) and the image of each film on a photographic paper 10.
an exposure section 40 that exposes the photographic paper 100 to zero, a processing section 50 that develops the photographic paper 100 after exposure, a drying section 60 that dries the photographic paper 100 after processing, and a cutting device 70 that cuts the photographic paper 100 after drying. , a stacking section 80 that distributes and stacks the cut photographic paper 100° into each film A%B, and a control means 90 that controls the operation of the stacking section 80.

The above-described film carrier 1 is installed in the exposure section 40, and a light source 41 is installed above it in the figure. Further, below the film carrier 1 in the figure, a lens 42 for forming an image of the film onto photographic paper, and a shutter 43 for blocking and opening an optical path 44 are installed.

Each optical component of the exposure section 40 forms an optical path 44 in the Z direction in the figure.

A long (continuous band-shaped) photographic paper 1oo is held in a rolled state, and is unwound from this roll 101 and supplied. In this case, the roll 101 is preferably housed in a magazine (not shown) that has light-blocking properties.

Note that the photographic paper 100 includes color paper, color reversal paper, black and white paper, and the like.

In the processing section 5σ, a developing tank 51, a bleaching/fixing tank 52, and a washing tank 53 are arranged in parallel in the Y direction in the figure.

The developing tank 51, the bleaching/fixing tank 52, and the washing tank 53 include
Developer solution, bleach/fix solution, and washing water are each filled to a predetermined level.

Each of these processing tanks 51 to 53 is preferably provided with a piping system (not shown) for temperature control, circulation, replenishment, and drainage of the processing liquid.

Further, in each of the processing tanks 51 to 53, a conveyance means (not shown) for the photographic paper 100, which is composed of a conveyance roller, a guide, etc., is preferably assembled into a rack.

Note that between the part of the exposure section 40 that projects light onto the photographic paper lOO and the developing tank 51, there is provided a mechanism for adjusting the difference between the conveyance speed of the photographic paper 100 in the exposure section 40 and the conveyance speed in the processing section 50. A photographic paper glue reservoir (not shown) is provided. A similar film reservoir (not shown) is also provided between the drying section for films A and B and the negative carrier 1.

A drying section 60 is provided next to the washing tank 53.

This drying section 60 includes a drying chamber 6 through which the photographic paper 100 passes.
1, and a hot air supply source 62 that supplies hot air to this drying chamber 61.
Inside the drying chamber 61, there is installed conveyance means (not shown) for the photographic paper 100, which is composed of rollers, guides, and the like.

The hot air supply source 62 has a built-in heater and a blower fan (not shown), and the hot air supply source 62 has a built-in heater and a blower fan (not shown).
It is designed to supply hot air at 00℃.

Moreover, between each of the processing tanks 51 to 53, the washing tank 53, and the drying chamber 61, cross-over roller means (not shown) each comprising a cross-over roller, a guide, etc. are installed.

As a result, the photographic paper 100 exposed in the exposure section 40 is first conveyed in the developing tank 51 in a zero-shaped path, during which it is immersed in a developer to be developed, and then advances in the Y direction, where it is bleached in the same manner. - Bleaching, fixing and washing are performed in the fixing tank 52 and washing tank 53 in sequence, and further drying is performed in the drying section 50. Photographic paper 10 coming out of the drying section 50
0 further advances in the Y direction and is cut by a cutting device 70 image by image.

The cutting device (cutter) 70 is composed of a blade 71, a cam 72 that contacts the back of the blade 71, and a motor 73 that rotates the cam 72. When the motor 73 is activated to rotate the cam 72, , the eccentric cam 72 presses the blade 71, and the blade 71 rotates about the fulcrum 74 to cut the photographic paper 100 at a predetermined position. As a result, the photographic paper is divided into individual images.

A stacking section (sorter) 80 is provided below the cutting device 70 for distributing and stacking the cut photographic paper 100'' into films A and B.

This accumulation section 80 includes a pair of rollers 801 and 802,
Endless belt 80 wrapped between the rollers of this
3 are installed, and a plurality of partition plates 84 are erected on the upper side of the endless belt 803.

Further, the rotating shaft of one roller 801 is connected to a motor 86 via a transmission 85.

This motor 86 can be rotated in either forward or reverse directions by a rotation direction control means to be described later.

When the motor 86 is rotated, the rollers 801 and 802 rotate, and the endless belt 803 rotates in circulation. Along with this, the partition plate 84 moves in the X direction in the figure.

Between the adjacent partition plates 84 is a storage space of 100 degrees of photographic paper, and a slide 88 is installed above the endless belt 803 to guide the cut photographic paper of 100 degrees to these storage spaces. There is. Note that the leftmost storage space and the next storage space in FIG. 3 are storage spaces 87a and 87b, respectively.

The driving of the motor 86 of the stacking unit (sorter) 80 is controlled by a bullet control means 90 composed of a microcomputer or the like. This control means 90 is connected to the motor 22 for moving the base 2 of the film carrier 1 and the shutter 43 of the exposure section 40 through lines 95 and 96, respectively, for input, and is connected to the motor 86 for output. A power source 9 having a built-in rotation direction control means for controlling the rotation direction.
8 and a line 97. This power source 98 and motor 86 are connected by a line 99.

In the illustrated configuration example, the rotational direction control means may be one in which the rotational direction is switched each time the motor 86 is driven once.

The present invention can be applied to automatic processors such as printer processors, but is particularly applicable to integrated automatic processors that combine a film processor and a printer processor, which have been developed in recent years (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 15741/1983, U.S. Pat. Patent No.
, 4185912, etc.). Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to an automatic developing service machine (Japanese Patent Application No. 01-209129) using an integrated automatic developing machine.

As a preferred example of this integrated processor, the applicant of the present application proposed in a patent application filed on November 13, 1989, a conveyance line of a film (photosensitive material) processing section and a photographic paper (photosensitive material for printing). This disclosure discloses a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which a conveyance line of a processing section (photosensitive material) is arranged so as to be perpendicular to a conveyance line of a processing section in an exposure section.

That is, the invention of this patent application has a first processing section that processes photographic photosensitive materials, and a second processing section that processes photosensitive materials for printing.
A photosensitive material processing apparatus combined with a processing section, wherein the direction of the conveyance line of the photosensitive material for photographing in the first processing section and the direction of the conveyance line of the photosensitive material for printing in the second processing section are different. The photosensitive material processing apparatus is characterized in that the transport lines are arranged to form an angle of about 90'', and these transport lines intersect at the exposure area of the photosensitive material for printing.

When the film carrier 1 is installed in the exposure section of this photosensitive material processing apparatus, the developed film A%B connected to the reader 17 is passed through the film carrier 1 as it is, and the photographic paper 100 is exposed. This is extremely advantageous in automating such a series of operations.

Hereinafter, the method for processing a photosensitive material of the present invention will be explained based on the operation of the above-mentioned integrated processor.

1) As shown in FIG. 1, when the block 10 of the film carrier 1 is raised and the masks 5a and 5b are open, the tip of the leader 17, to which the films A and B are connected at the rear end, is in the groove 3. Enter the entrance.

2) When the tip of the leader 17 enters the entrance of the groove 3, a sensor built in the block 10 detects this,
Based on this, the operation of the motor 84 is started, and the endless belt 81 is rotated cyclically. As a result, reader 1
The protrusion 82 of the endless belt 81 engages with the hole 18 of the leader 17, and the leader 17 is conveyed in the X direction within the groove 3.

3) When the reader detector detects the passage of the rear end of the reader 17, the motor 12 is actuated based on this, and the block 1
0 goes down. This allows detection by the film information detector and frame detector built into the block 10.

4) Information detected by the film information detector is used to determine and modify exposure conditions in the exposure section 40.

Films A and B detected by frame detector
The screen position of is stored in memory.

5) When the rear end of the leader 17 reaches the outlet of the groove 3, the motor 84 stops, and the circular rotation of the endless belt 31 stops.

Note that the timing of stopping the motor 84 is determined, for example, by controlling the rotation amount or operating time of the motor 84.

6) Before and after the motor 84 stops, the motors 6a and 6b operate, and the masks 5a and 5b close. Further, the motors 93a and 93b of both masks are operated, and the sprockets 91 (and 92) are rotated.

As a result, sprockets 91 and 92 engage with the perforations of films A and B, and films A and B are conveyed in the X direction.

Further, for example, if the length of the non-photographed part of film A or B is short (less than L2), the rear end of the leader 17 is still in the groove 3.
The film screen reaches the mask 5a or 5b while the film is still inside (while the motor 84 is rotating). In this case,
Since it is necessary to give priority to matching the film screen with the mask, the motors 6a and 6b operate even while the motor 84 is rotating, and the motors 93a and 93b rotate in synchronization with the rotation of the motor 84. .

7) Film A in film feeding means 9a, 9b
, B are determined based on the position of the film screen stored in the memory. That is, the first detected screen of both films A and B (in the illustrated example,
The feed amount is such that the first screen of film A stops at the position of the mask and exposure window (mask 5a and exposure window 4a) of that film row.

8) With the first screen of film A aligned with the opening of mask 5a, rotate motor 22 in a predetermined direction to remove base 2.
is moved in the Y direction, and the optical path 44 from the light source 41 is moved to the mask 5.
The position of the base 2 can also be set as the initial setting position.

9) Activate the solenoid 7a to press and fix the film A with the mask 5a, and perform the verification.

Verification is performed with the naked eye or using an automatic verification device that applies image processing technology.

10) If it is determined that printing is to be performed, the shutter 43 is opened to perform exposure, and the image on the screen is printed onto the photographic paper 100 located below the film carrier 1.

Note that the exposure conditions at this time are determined or modified as appropriate based on the film information and the information obtained in the verification.

11) If it is determined by the certification that printing will not be performed, the shutter 43 will not open and the photographic paper 100 will not be exposed to light.

12) After the photographic paper has been exposed to light, the roll 101
The photographic paper is unwound from the exposure section 40, and one image of the photographic paper is fed out in preparation for exposure of the next image.

Note that the feeding of the photographic paper 100 in this exposure section 40 is as follows:
It is preferable to perform this in response to (interlocking with) the opening and closing of the shutter 43.

13) After the exposure to the photographic paper is completed, or if it is determined that printing is not to be performed by inspection, in the film carrier 1, the solenoid 7a presses the film A,
The fixation is released and both motors 93 are operated again to feed films A and B until the first screen of film B coincides with the opening of mask 5b.

14) Rotate the motor 22 in the opposite direction to move the base 2 in the Y direction, and align the optical path 44 from the light source 41 with the mask 5b.
Match the aperture of the

Activate the solenoid 7b to remove the film B using the mask 5b.
suppress, fix, test, and expose as necessary.
Print that screen onto photographic paper, moving it to the unexposed area.

15) Release the pressing and fixing of film B by solenoid 7b, operate both motors 93 again, and release film A.
Films A and B are fed until the next screen matches the opening of the mask 5a, and then steps 9) to 14) are repeated.

As a result, the images on films A and B are alternately examined and exposed onto photographic paper 100. In Figure 3, images from 1st to nth on film A and images from 1st to n-1 on film B are printed on photographic paper.
B, A,,B,,A,,B3,A4,B4A,,B
, · A, I B, , An are printed in this order.

16) Note that after the rear end of the longer film among films A%B passes through the mask 5a or 5b, the motor 12 is activated to raise the block 10,
The masks 5a and 5b are operated by the motors 6a and 6b.
is opened to allow the next reader to enter.

17) On the other hand, the exposed photographic paper 100 passes through a reservoir (not shown) and then is transferred to a developing tank 5 in the processing section 50.
1. The image is sequentially conveyed at a predetermined speed through the bleaching/fixing tank 52 and the washing tank 53, and is subjected to development, bleaching/fixing, and washing.

18) Photographic paper 10 subjected to development processing in the processing section 50
0 is transported inside the drying chamber 61 of the drying section 6o. Warm air is supplied from a hot air supply source 62 to the drying chamber 61, and while the photographic paper 100 passes through the drying chamber 61, it comes into contact with the warm air and is dried.

19) The dried photographic paper 100 further advances in the Y direction and is cut and separated image by image by the cutting device 70.

20) The cut and separated photographic paper 100' passes through the slide 88 to a predetermined storage space 87a or 8 of the stacking section 80.
It is distributed and accumulated in 7b.

In the illustrated example, 100 degrees of photographic paper on which images of film A are printed are accumulated in the storage space 87a, and 100 degrees of photographic paper on which images of film B are printed are accumulated in the storage space 87b.

21) In FIG. 3, four sheets of photographic paper too' with print images A, to A4 are already accumulated in the storage space 87a, and three sheets of photographic paper 100' with print images B1 to B3 are already accumulated in the storage space 87b. have already been accumulated, and the lower end opening 89 of the slide 88 coincides with the storage space 87b.

22) In this state, the photographic paper 100 of print image B4
When ° enters the storage space 87b through the slide, the motor 8
6 rotates the roller 801 clockwise in the figure,
As the endless belt 803 circulates, the partition plate 84
moves to the X right direction in the figure, and the storage space 87a becomes the slide 8.
This position corresponds to the lower end opening 89 of 8.

Thereby, the photographic paper of the print image As to be cut and separated next can be introduced into the storage space 87a.

23) Furthermore, when cutting and separating the next print image B, the roller 801 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure,
The storage space 87b is again aligned with the lower end opening 89 of the slide 88.

24) In this way, when images of film A and images of film B are alternately printed on the photographic paper 100, the storage spaces 87a and 87b alternately move directly below the lower end opening 89, and the images of each print are alternately printed. The 100° paper is distributed and stacked for each film.

In addition, as mentioned above, in the film carrier l,
The position where the mask 5a and the optical path 44 match is the initial setting position of the base 2, and the storage space 87a is also set in the accumulation section 80.
The position where the opening 89 of the slide 88 coincides with the lower end opening 89 is set as the initial setting position.

25) In the above, an example has been described in which images of films A and B are printed alternately on the photographic paper 100, but in reality, images A and B are not necessarily printed alternately like this.

That is, if the screen sizes of films A and B are different (e.g. full-size and half-size), or if the sizes of films A and B are different (e.g. 135 film and 120 film), the screen becomes a mask. Inspection and exposure are performed in the order in which they arrive.

For example, if the screen of film A is full size and the screen of film B is half size, the full size screen is tested and exposed once, and then the half size screen is tested and exposed twice in a row. It will be done.

Furthermore, if one film is in an unexposed area, the base 2 is not moved and the images on the other film are successively examined and exposed. One film is
The same applies to the case where only development is performed without printing.

However, in this integrated automatic processing machine, regardless of the order in which films A and B are printed, it is necessary to distribute the obtained photographic paper 100° to films A and B in accordance with that order.

This work is preferably performed automatically, and in this configuration example, it is performed by the control means 90.

26) Information on whether the motor 22 for moving the base 2 of the film carrier 1 has been operated (motor operation information) is inputted to the control means 90 through the line 95, and information on whether the shutter 43 has been operated (opened/closed) or not is inputted. information (shutter operation information) is input to the control means 90 through a line 96.

These pieces of information are stored in a memory within the control means 90, and are arithmetic-processed when necessary to determine whether or not to drive the motor 86.

27) As shown in Table 1 below, the decision as to whether or not to drive the motor 86 is made based on a combination of motor operation information and shutter operation information.

Table 1 O: Operated ×: Not operated In other words, as in case No. 1, the motor 86 is driven only when both the motor 22 and the shutter 43 are operated, and the storage space located directly below the opening at the lower end of the sliding white is 8
Switches from 7a to 87b or from 87b to 87a.

The cause of case No. 2 is, for example, when a test is performed after moving the base 2 and it is determined that no exposure is to be performed (test fails).

Case No. 3 is caused by, for example, when one film becomes an unexposed area and the images on the other film are successively inspected and exposed, or when one film is only developed but not printed. An example of this is when multiple copies of the same image are printed in succession.

The cause of case No. 4 is, for example, case No.
In case 3, there is a case where the test is failed.

28) When the control means 90 decides to drive the motor 86, a command signal to that effect is outputted and supplied to the power source 98 through the line 97. As a result, the power supply 98 is turned on, and the motor 8 is connected through the line 99.
6 is energized, and the motor 86 is driven.

In this case, the rotation direction control means built into the power supply 98 is set so that, for example, the direction of the current is reversed each time the motor 86 is driven, and the rotation direction of the motor 86 is switched.

Further, the amount of rotation of the motor 86 is set to such an amount that the amount of movement of the belt 803 can be obtained so that 100 degrees of photographic paper can be thrown into a predetermined storage space 87a187b, and is set, for example, by the energization time of the power source 98. This energization time is preferably set in advance in the control means 90.

29) Note that with the base 2 and the storage space 87a in the initial position, after the first print image A is cut and separated and the photographic paper 100' enters the storage space 87a, the motor is activated by the control means 9o. The drive control of 86 is started.

As a method for determining the start timing of drive control of the motor 86, for example, the operation of the cutting device 70 is detected, or a sensor is provided in the middle of the slide 88 to detect the passing of the photographic paper 100'. An example of this method is to input the information into the control means 90.

30) After all the photographic paper 100° has been distributed and accumulated in the predetermined storage space in this way, the motor 86 is continuously rotated clockwise to remove them from the direction, transfer 100゛ of photographic paper to A% of each film.
Each B can be taken out at once.

Although the photosensitive material processing method of the present invention has been described above based on the configuration example shown in each figure, the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, regarding the operation control of the sorter 80, the photographic paper 1
A mark (for example, a barcode) that identifies the film of the image is printed in the margin of 00, and this is detected by a predetermined detection means (for example, a barcode reader) to determine whether the photographic paper ioo' is A or B. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that recognizes the information and distributes it based on this recognition.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the method for processing photosensitive materials of the present invention, it is advantageous in automating the development of an integrated processor,
It is possible to fully utilize the advantages of an integrated processor, such as improved workability and miniaturization of the device.

In particular, when exposing photographic paper using a film carrier that allows multiple films to pass through a plate-shaped reader while connected in parallel, the film can be tested while still attached to the reader. , exposure can be performed, so it is possible to eliminate obstacles to automation caused by the work of removing the reader, and it is convenient because a plurality of films can be inspected and exposed in parallel.

Furthermore, the present invention can be easily incorporated into current minilabs, especially printer processors, and can be used in common.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views each showing an example of the structure of a film carrier used in the method of processing a photosensitive material of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an integrated automatic processing machine for carrying out the method of processing photosensitive materials of the present invention. Explanation of symbols 1...Film carrier 2...Base 3...Groove (passing path) 31...Groove 4a, 4b...Exposure window 5a, 5b...Mask 6a, 6b... Motors 7a, 7b...Solenoid 8...Leader feeding means 81...Endless belt 82...Protrusion 83...Rollers 9a, 9b...Film feeding means 91.92...Sprocket 93 a, 93 b--・-f knee';'10...
・Block 11... Support 12... Motor 13... Lever 14... Cord 15... Connector 17... Leader 18... Hole 19... Adhesive tape 20... Base movement Means 21...Rail 22...Motor 23...Screw shaft 24...Slider 40...Exposure section 41...Light source 42...Lens 43...Shutter 44...Optical path 50 ...Processing section 51...Developing tank 52...Bleaching/fixing tank 53...Washing tank 60...Drying section 61...Drying chamber 62...Hot air supply source 70...Cutting Device (cutter) 71...blade 72...cam 73...motor 74...fulcrum 80...accumulation unit (sorter) 801.802...roller 803...endless belt 84... Partition plate 85...Transmission 86...Motor 87a, 87b...Storage space 88...Slide 89...Lower end opening 90...Control means 95.96.97.99...Line 98 ...Power supply 100.100°...Photographic paper

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Each image of a plurality of developed films is exposed to light in a predetermined order on a long piece of photographic paper, and then developed, and the resulting long piece of photographic paper on which the images of each film are mixed is made into one piece of photographic paper. A method for processing a photosensitive material, which comprises cutting the photographic paper into individual images, and distributing and stacking the cut photographic paper into individual films. (2) The method of processing a photosensitive material according to claim 1, wherein the exposure of the photographic paper is carried out using a film carrier that can pass a plurality of films connected in parallel to a plate-shaped leader.