JPH03235943A - Photosensitive material processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain images having good photographic performance without generating desilvering defects, recoloring defects, etc., by determining the surface area of the surface of a processing liquid having bleachability, which surface comes into contact with the atm. air at the time of processing, in such a manner that this surface area is larger than the surface area at the time of non- processing. CONSTITUTION:A liquid level changing means 4 maintains the liquid level of a bleach-fix bath 100 at the liquid level L1 of such a position where a stationary cap 11 is half submerged in the liquid at the of non-processing of a photosensitive material S. The means maintains the liquid level at the liquid level L2 of such a position where the stationary cap 11 is immersed in the bleach-fix bath 100 at the time of processing. The surface area which comes into contact with the atm. air of the bleach-fix bath 100 at the time of processing is, therefore, larger than the surface area at the time of non-processing. Air is more easily introduced into the bleach-fix bath 100 at the time of processing by changing the liquid level in such a manner, by which the oxidizing power of the bleaching agent is restored. The generation of the recoloring defect and desilvering defect is prevented in this way.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a silver halide color photosensitive material with a processing solution having bleaching ability.

<Conventional technology> Silver halide color photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive material).

) is processed through steps such as color development, desilvering, water washing, and stabilization after exposure. A color developing solution is used for color development, a bleach solution, a bleach-fix solution, and a fixing solution are used for desilvering treatment, tap water or ion exchange water is used for washing, and a stabilizing solution is used for stabilization treatment. The temperature of each processing solution is usually adjusted to 30 to 40°C, and the photosensitive material is immersed in these processing solutions to be processed.

A processing device such as an automatic processor is usually used for such processing, and the photosensitive material is processed by being sequentially transported between processing tanks filled with the above-mentioned processing solution.

By the way, the desilvering process includes a method in which the bleaching step and the fixing step are performed in the same bath, a method in which the bleaching step and the fixing step are performed in separate baths, and a method in which the bleaching step and the bleach-fixing step are performed in separate baths.

Among these, a method in which the bleaching step and the fixing step are performed in the same bath has the advantage that the number of processing steps can be reduced.

The bleach-fix solution used in this bleach-fix step contains a bleaching component and a fixing component.

The bleaching agent contained as a bleaching component is an oxidizing agent, and specific examples include ferric complexes such as aminopolycarboxylic acid, aminopolyphosphonic acid, or their salts. Diiron complex salts are widely used, and other compounds with high oxidizing power include 1.3
-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid ferric complex salts, and the like.

Depending on the action of the bleaching agent, a reaction occurs in which silver produced in the color development step is oxidized, and the bleaching agent, which is an oxidizing agent, is reduced accordingly.

Therefore, the bleaching edge (oxidizing power) of the bleaching component of the bleach-fix solution decreases as the photosensitive material is processed.

This decrease in oxidizing power is particularly significant when a large amount of photosensitive material is processed.

As a method to restore the oxidizing power of this bleach, for example,
Various aeration devices have been proposed to increase the oxidation-reduction potential of the liquid by introducing air into the liquid. Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-29139, etc.).

However, if the bleach-fixing solution is aerated with air using an aeration device such as the one described above, even though the oxidizing power of the bleaching agent can be restored, the fixing agent and preservative will be oxidized and decomposed. This tends to result in the formation of sulfides, which reduces the fixing power and, in some cases, deteriorates the processing performance as a bleach-fix solution.

Further, in the method using an aeration device, there is a problem that the bleach-fix solution scatters due to foaming, contaminating the surrounding area, and contaminating the processing solution in the front tank, such as the color developing solution, and even deteriorating it.

On the other hand, the fixing agent contained in the bleach-fix solution as a fixing component becomes susceptible to air oxidation along with the preservative over time when the photosensitive material is unprocessed, and as a result, sulfides are generated and contaminate the surface of the photosensitive material. The problem arises that desilvering failure occurs.

The problem of a decrease in oxidizing power due to the above-mentioned treatment and the disadvantages caused by employing the method of aeration also occur in bleaching solutions.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> An object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus that can easily maintain the processing performance of a processing solution that has bleaching ability.

Means for Solving the Problems> The above object is achieved by the present invention having the following configuration (1).

(1) In a photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank filled with a processing solution having bleaching ability for processing a silver halide color photosensitive material after exposure and color development processing, the processing tank has the processing having the bleaching ability. A means for changing the liquid level of the liquid is provided, and the liquid level of the processing liquid having bleaching ability is changed by this means, and the surface area of the liquid surface in contact with the atmosphere of the processing liquid having bleaching ability during processing is increased. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized by being configured such that the surface area is larger than that when unprocessed.

<Function> In the present invention, a processing tank filled with a bleach-fix solution is configured such that the level of the bleach-fix solution in the tank can be changed.

By changing this liquid level, the surface area of the bleach-fixing liquid that comes into contact with the atmosphere is changed.

More specifically, the liquid level can be changed by, for example, placing an expandable or extensible body inside the processing tank to change the internal volume of the processing tank, or by making the inner wall of the processing tank itself movable to change its internal volume. This may be done by changing the .

Further, for example, a tank as a reservoir may be attached, and the liquid may be moved between the reservoir and the processing tank to change the amount of liquid in the processing tank to change the liquid level.

On the other hand, in order to change the liquid surface area, a shielding member such as a fixed lid or a block body, which will be described later, is installed in the processing tank, and the liquid level rises above this shielding member, or the liquid level rises above the shielding member. It is preferable that it depends on whether it is shielded by.

In this way, when the sensitive material is treated, the surface area is increased, and when it is untreated, the surface area is decreased.

As a result, when processing the photosensitive material, the bleach-fix solution comes into greater contact with the atmosphere, and processing the photosensitive material promotes reoxidation of the bleaching agent in a reduced state, thereby restoring the oxidizing power of the bleaching component.

At this time, the fixing component also comes into contact with the atmosphere, but oxidative decomposition of the fixing agent and preservative hardly occurs.

On the other hand, when the sensitive material is unprocessed, contact between the bleach-fix solution and the atmosphere is reduced, and oxidative decomposition of the fixing components is prevented.

Therefore, in the present invention, the processing performance of the bleach-fix solution can be maintained, and images with good photographic performance can be obtained without occurrence of desilvering failures, decolorization failures, etc.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the treatment tank configured as described above is filled with a bleaching solution, and the surface area of the bleaching solution is changed in the same way between treated and untreated states, so the contact between the bleaching solution and the atmosphere during treatment is increased. By processing the photosensitive material, the reoxidation of the bleaching agent in a reduced state is promoted, and the oxidizing power of the bleaching component is restored.

An image with good photographic performance can be obtained due to the stiffness, and this effect is particularly exhibited when a large amount of photosensitive material is processed.

Note that Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-276134 discloses a method of lowering the level of a processing liquid having bleaching ability in a processing tank and jetting the liquid into the air within the tank.

Although this method has commonality with the present invention in that it changes the liquid level in the tank, in this method, when ejecting the liquid, it is necessary to lower the liquid level to a level that cannot be treated. This can only be done during pause, when processing is completely stopped.

Furthermore, no attention is paid to the prevention of oxidation of fixing components when untreated.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the liquid level is changed within a range that allows processing, and as described above, the present invention allows the liquid level to be changed between the atmosphere and the bleach-fixing solution or bleaching solution during processing. The idea is to increase the contact area and restore the oxidizing power of the bleaching ingredients.

Therefore, the present invention is clearly different from the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned publication in its structure.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an example of the configuration of a photosensitive material processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the apparatus) of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the apparatus 1 includes a processing tank 10A having a processing space and a space capable of accommodating an expansion body 20, which will be described later.
The processing tank 10A is filled with a bleach-fixing solution 100 as a processing solution having bleaching ability for processing a silver halide color photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to as "photosensitive material") S after exposure and color development processing.

Above the processing tank 10A, there is a fixed lid 11 fixed to the tank.
A slit-shaped carry-in opening 11a and a slit-shaped carry-out opening 11b through which the photosensitive material S enters and exits the processing tank 10A are formed near the left and right ends in the figure.

The sizes of both openings 11a and 11b may be appropriately selected depending on the type, size (width, thickness), and properties such as flexibility of the photosensitive material S to be processed.

Above the carry-in opening 11a and the carry-out opening 11b, there is a crossover roller 12 that guides the photosensitive material S conveyed from a previous step such as color development to the carry-in opening 11a.
and a crossover roller 13 for guiding the processed photosensitive material S carried out from the carrying-out opening 11b to subsequent steps such as washing with water are installed.

Further, in the processing tank 10A, the photosensitive material S is placed in the processing tank 10A.
An in-tank conveying means 14 for conveying at a constant conveying speed is installed along a conveying path (in-tank conveying path) 14a within the tank.

The tank transport means 14 includes a series of transport rollers 15a to 15f disposed along the tank transport path 14a, and a reversing guide 16 for reversing the traveling direction of the photosensitive material S near the bottom of the tank. and has.

In this case, the crossover roller 12.13 and each of the transport rollers 15a to 15f in the tank are configured as a roller pair, for example, a combination of unit rollers whose cylindrical surfaces are coated with an elastic material such as rubber, and the reversing guide 16 is For example, photosensitive material S
The device 1 is composed of an arc-shaped curved plate having a radius of curvature that does not cause mechanical or physical harm to the bleach-fix solution 1, which is filled in the processing tank lOA.
It has means 4 for changing the liquid level of 00.

This liquid level changing means 4 maintains the liquid level of the bleach-fixing liquid 100 at a liquid level Ll at a position such that the fixed lid 11 is half submerged in the liquid when the photosensitive material S is not processed. , a liquid level L at a position where the fixed lid 11 is immersed in the bleach-fix solution 100 during processing.
2.

The liquid level changing means 4 has an expandable body 20 that can be expanded and contracted so as to cover the fluid inlet/outlet 17 formed in the center of the bottom wall 10a of the processing tank 10A.

This expandable body 20 expands when a gas such as air or a liquid such as water or oil (hereinafter referred to as working fluid 200) is injected into the inside, and when the working fluid 200 is discharged from inside the expandable body 20. It has a variable volume structure that can be contracted.

To give an example of its structure, the extension body 20 shown in FIG.
For example, the earthen wall is configured as a rigid flat plate 21, and a portion of the peripheral wall surrounding the peripheral edge of this flat plate 21 is configured as, for example, a bellows body 22 having an appropriate number of folds. The upper end 22a and lower end 22b of
The lower surface of the flat plate 21 and the bottom wall 10a of the processing tank 10A are connected in an air-tight or liquid-tight manner.

In this case, both the flat plate 21 and the bellows body 22: (1) are chemically stable against contact with the bleach-fix solution 100, and in particular do not elute into the processing solution and adversely affect its processability; It is made of a material that satisfies the following conditions: (1) It is impermeable to gas and liquid; (2) It has flexibility or elasticity in the case of the bellows body 22.

Specific constituent materials of the bellows body 22 include polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, various synthetic rubbers, natural rubber, etc., or laminates thereof.

Note that the expansion body 20 is preferably arranged so that the flat plate 21 at the upper end thereof does not come into contact with the reversal guide 16 when the expansion body 20 is expanded to the maximum.

One end of a flow path pipe 31 of a working fluid supply/discharge means 30 for inflating and deflating the expansion body 20 is connected to the fluid inlet/outlet 17 .

This working fluid supply/discharge means 30 is configured to supply and discharge the working fluid 20 to be used.
Although the configuration differs depending on the number of working fluids 200 and 0, in order to simplify the explanation, a configuration example in which the working fluid 200 is air will be described below.

The working fluid (air) supply/discharge means 30 includes, for example, a channel pipe 31 made of a synthetic resin pipe material of an appropriate diameter;
1, an electric air pump (or blower) 33 disposed in the middle of the flow pipe 31 near the air intake 32, and an air pump 33 communicating with the air pump 33. a flow path switching means 34 consisting of, for example, a three-way switching cock (valve) disposed as shown in FIG. A drive circuit 36 that drives the air pump 33 and the three-way switching cock 34 in a certain relationship, and a control circuit that operates the drive circuit 36 based on an output from a selection operation circuit 45 on the liquid level detection means 40 side, which will be described later. It consists of 37 pieces.

Further, processing signals of the photosensitive material S are inputted to the control circuit means 37.

On the other hand, the liquid level detection means 40, for example,
A liquid level sensor 4 attached near the liquid level on the inner surface of the side wall 10b of
1.42, and a selection operation circuit 45 (the liquid level can be selectively set by manual or automatic operation) connected to these liquid level sensors.

In this case, the liquid level sensor 41 detects the liquid level L1, and the liquid level sensor 42 detects the liquid level L2.

Then, the selection operation circuit 45 selects which detection signal from the liquid level sensor 41 or 42 is to be output to the control circuit means 37 of the air supply and discharge means 30, and based on this selection condition, 30 control circuit means 37 can be operated.

5 6 The operation of the apparatus having the above configuration will be explained below.

When processing the photosensitive material S, the level of the bleach-fixing solution 100 is raised from Ll to L2 based on the processing signal of the photosensitive material S input to the control circuit means 37. Specifically, the following steps are performed. It will be something like this.

When the selection operation circuit 45 selects the liquid level sensor 42 and outputs this selection signal to the control circuit means 37, the control circuit means 3
7 outputs a command signal to the drive circuit 36, thereby rotating the three-way switching cock 34, and switching the three-way switching cock 34 to a position where it communicates with the air pump 33 in the direction of the flow pipe 31.

At the same time, the air pump 33 operates, air 200 is sucked from the air intake port 32, the flow meter 35, and the fluid inlet/outlet 1.
7 to the expansion body 20.

Therefore, the bellows body 22 of the expansion body 20 expands upward, increasing the height of the flat plate 21 by H, the volume of the expansion body 20 increases, and the liquid level rises, reaching L2.

At this time, the liquid level sensor 42 detects this state and feeds back the detection signal to the selection operation circuit 45.

The control circuit means 37, which has received this detection signal from the selection operation circuit 45, outputs a command signal to the drive circuit 36, and at this point, the three-way switching cock 34 shuts off the air blowing passage to the expansion body 20. At the same time, the operation of the air pump 33 is stopped.

As a result, the liquid level of the bleach-fix solution 100 in the processing tank 10A is set and maintained at the liquid level L2.

This liquid level is L! The setting is such that, for example, before the photosensitive material S is conveyed to the bleach-fix solution 100, the leading edge of the photosensitive material is
It is sufficient to perform this operation until the position 5a is reached.

After the photosensitive material S is removed from the bleach-fix solution 100, this liquid level L may be maintained until, for example, the rear end of the photosensitive material reaches the position of the removal roller 15f.

On the other hand, when the photosensitive material is unprocessed, that is, the photosensitive material S
The time during which the processed signal is not input to the control circuit means 37 is 3
When the time is 0 minutes or more, check the level of the bleach-fix solution 100,
The operation of lowering the mustard to the bottom is carried out, specifically as follows.

When the selection operation circuit 45 selects the target liquid level sensor 41 and outputs this selection signal to the control circuit means 37, the three-way switching cock 34 is rotated by the control circuit means 37. 31 and discharge valve opening 34
It is switched to a position where it communicates in the direction of 5.

Therefore, the air 200 inside the expansion body 20 is removed from the processing tank 10A.
Pressured by the pressure of the bleach-fix solution 100 inside the drain valve opening 34 through the fluid inlet/outlet 17 and flow meter 35.
5 and is discharged to the outside.

When the internal air 200 starts to be discharged, the air pressure inside the expandable body 20 decreases, and the bellows body 22 contracts accordingly, the height H of the flat plate 21 of the expandable body 20 decreases, and the volume of the expandable body 20 decreases. The liquid level drops and reaches Ll.

At this time, the liquid level sensor 41 detects this state and feeds back the signal to the selection operation circuit 45.

The control circuit means 37 that received this detection signal from the selection operation circuit 45 outputs a command signal to the drive circuit 36, and at this point, the three-way switching cock 34 is activated so that the air outflow path from the expansion body 20 is blocked. This position prevents the expansion body 2° from decreasing in volume after this point.

As a result, the liquid level of the bleach-fix solution 100 in the processing tank 10A is set and maintained at the liquid level L1.

In addition, in the above, when lowering the liquid level, the air pump 33 is placed in a non-operating state.

The liquid level L1 is the processing signal of the photosensitive material S. 0 Just keep it until you receive it.

As described above, the bleach-fix solution 100 is filled in the processing tank 10A so that the liquid level is high when the photosensitive material S is processed, and the liquid level is low when the photosensitive material S is not processed.

Therefore, the surface area (S,) of the bleach-fix solution 100 in contact with the atmosphere during processing becomes larger than when unprocessed. In this case, if the surface area when untreated is 82, S, /S is 3/1 or more, preferably 5/1 to 200
/1.

By changing the liquid level in this way, air is easily introduced into the bleach-fix solution during processing, thereby restoring the oxidizing power of the bleach.

That is, the bleaching agent, which has been reduced to a reduced state by processing the photosensitive material, is oxidized in the air to restore its oxidized state.

This prevents the occurrence of defective color recovery and defective desilvering.

In this case, there is a concern about air oxidation of the fixing agent and preservative, which are fixing components, but this does not affect photographic properties.

Furthermore, unlike the method using air aeration, there is no problem caused by the liquid scattering.

On the other hand, when untreated, the contact of the bleach-fix solution with air can be reduced, and oxidative decomposition of the fixing components can be prevented.

As a result, sulfides are generated and contaminate the surface of the sensitive material.
It is possible to prevent desilvering failure from occurring.

Furthermore, the rise in the liquid level results in a shorter crossover time and improved processing efficiency.

In such a case, in order to realize the effects of the present invention even more effectively, when the amount of treated liquid in the treatment tank during treatment and when not treated is vl and ■2, respectively, S, /Vl = It is preferable to set it as 0.05-5 Si/Vi =0.001-0.3.

In addition, in the present invention, the liquid level detection means 40
Instead of providing the flow meter 35, the amount of air injected into (or discharged from) the expansion body 20 may be fed back to the control circuit means 37 to adjust the liquid level as desired. The configuration may be such that the operating time of the air pump 33 is controlled by timer control.

Furthermore, the fixed lid is not limited to that shown in FIG.
The structure shown in FIG. 2 may also be used.

The fixed lid 18 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the side wall 10b of the processing tank 10A.
From the area in contact with and the center of the fixed lid 18, carry-in opening 1
1a and toward the discharge opening flb, each has an inclined shape.

Therefore, in this case, the liquid level changes from L2 to Ll.
When changing downwards, the liquid drainage at the top of the lid improves.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention may be as shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration diagram thereof.

As shown in the figure, in the apparatus 2, a block-shaped member (hereinafter referred to as a block body) 51B installed between a pair of side plates of the rack is inserted into the processing tank 51A together with the rack.

Incidentally, in FIG. 3, illustrations of racks, conveyance means, etc. are omitted.

Further, a partition member 52 having an opening is installed approximately in the middle between the bottom wall 51a of the processing tank 51A and the bottom of the block body 51B.

In the opposing gaps between the side wall 51b of the processing tank 51A and the side surface of the block body 51B, and between the partition member 52 and the bottom surface of the block body 51B, there is a processing path 510A having a slit-like cross section and a generally U-shape for bleach-fixing the photosensitive material S. is formed.

In this case, the slit in the processing path 510A is 0.3 to 50 mm, preferably 0.6 mm, in order to ensure the conveyance of the photosensitive material.
~10mm is fine).

3 4 In addition, the length of the entire processing path 510A depends on the set time of processing or the conveyance speed, but is between 50 and 20,000 am,
Preferably it is 200 to 6000 mm.

As shown, the processing tank 51A is filled with the bleach-fix solution 100, and as a result, the processing path 510A is also filled with the bleach-fix solution 100.

Furthermore, a storage chamber 510B is provided approximately in the middle of the block body 51B to store the bleach-fixing solution 100 overflowing onto the upper surface of the block body 51B, as will be described later.

One end of the drain pipe 54 is connected to the storage chamber 510B as a drain port, and the other end of the drain pipe 54 is connected to the pump 5.
Connected to 3.

A liquid supply pipe 55 is installed in the pump 53 for supplying the bleach-fixing liquid 100 into the processing tank 51A.

Further, a liquid storage tank 56 is installed in the middle of the drain pipe 54.

The pump 53 constitutes a liquid level changing means of the present invention that changes the liquid level by controlling its operation.

That is, when the photosensitive material S is not being processed, its operation is stopped to maintain the liquid level L3, and when the photosensitive material S is being processed, its operation is maintained at the liquid level L4.

Therefore, in the above configuration, the operation of the pump 53 is started based on the processing signal of the photosensitive material S, and before the photosensitive material S is carried into the bleach-fix solution 100, the liquid level rises from 1 to 4. The state will be as follows.

The bleach-fix solution 100 initially introduced into the processing tank 51A by the pump 53 may be stored in the reservoir tank 56.

The bleach-fix solution 100 is introduced into the processing tank 51A through the supply pipe 55 by the operation of the pump 53, and continues to be ejected from the opening of the partition member 52.

This liquid jetting is preferably performed in the first half of the processing path 510A, thereby improving processing efficiency.

Further, when the pump 53 is operated, the bleach-fixing liquid 100 flows into the storage chamber 510B, and the liquid level L4 is maintained.

Then, the bleach-fix solution 100 that has flowed into the storage chamber 510B is introduced into the processing tank 15A again via the liquid supply pipe 55 by the pump 53 via the liquid drain pipe 54 and the liquid storage tank 56.

The above operations are repeated when the photosensitive material S is processed.

In this case, the bleach-fix solution 10 flowing into the storage chamber 510B
0 indicates that the oxidizing power has been recovered since it was exposed to air.

On the other hand, when the processing signal of the photosensitive material S is not received for 30 minutes or more as described above, the operation of the pump 53 is stopped.
The liquid level drops from L4 to L3.

The liquid level may be controlled by installing a control circuit means similar to the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

The same effect as in FIG. 1 can be obtained with the device shown in FIG. 3 as well.

Furthermore, since this device has a processing path with a slit-like cross section, it is difficult to use a liquid oxidation method using air aeration, so the present invention is particularly effective.

Furthermore, when conventional tank-type equipment processes a large amount of photosensitive material, poor restoration of color and poor desilvering due to a decrease in the oxidizing power of the bleaching ingredients become a problem, but with the equipment shown in Figure 3, these problems are completely eliminated. (Does not occur.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the shape of the block body 51B is not limited to this, and may be, for example, the shape shown in FIG. 4.

The block body 51C shown in FIG. 4 does not have a flat upper surface, but has an inclined surface from a position approximately in the middle between the storage chamber 510B and the processing channels on the side walls of the processing tank on both sides of the block body 51C. There is.

In such a shape, the liquid level will vary from L4 to 7. 8 When descending to L3, liquid drainage is improved.

Further, the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention may be as shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration diagram thereof.

As shown in the figure, the device 3 is common to the device in FIG. 3 in that it has a processing path with a slit-like cross section, and the basic configuration is the same, so processing members that have the same function have the same number. is attached.

In the apparatus 3, the width between the side walls 51b of the processing tank 51A (between the inner walls) is the same as the rack width, and the processing path 510A is formed in the facing gap between the side wall 51a and the partition member 52 and the block body 63. There is.

In addition, in order to maintain the liquid level at L4 by increasing it from L3 to L4 during processing, a processing tank 51A is installed as shown in the figure.
has a side wall 61b higher than the side wall 51b of this one,
Moreover, it is installed in a fixed state in a storage tank 61A whose volume is larger than that of the processing tank 51A.

Therefore, the liquid overflowing while maintaining the liquid level L4 is introduced into the processing tank 51A through the drain pipe 54 as in the case of FIG. 3.

Other operations are basically the same as in FIG.

Further, a liquid storage tank may be installed as in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 5, the liquid spout of the pump 53 is located in the first half of the processing path 510A compared to that shown in FIG.
Processing efficiency will improve.

The effects obtained by changing the liquid level are the same as those in FIG. 3.

Note that the device of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example;
It may be of various types.

Further, in the illustrated example, a bleach-fixing solution is used as a processing solution having bleaching ability, but a bleaching solution may also be used.

However, in the present invention, it is preferable to use a bleach-fix solution.

This is because the bleach-fix solution contains the same bleaching component and fixing component, and when it is treated, the oxidizing power of the bleaching component decreases, and when untreated, the fixing component deteriorates.
This is because the present invention effectively solves these problems by changing the liquid level and increasing the surface area during treatment compared to untreated surfaces.

Next, the bleach-fixing solution and the bleaching solution, which are processing solutions having bleaching ability that are filled in the processing tank of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention, will be explained.

The bleaching agent used in the bleach-fix solution or bleaching solution is a ferric ion complex or a complex of ferric ion and a chelating agent such as aminopolycarboxylic acid, aminopolyphosphonic acid or a salt thereof. Aminopolycarboxylic acid salts or aminopolyphosphonic acid salts are salts of aminopolycarboxylic acids or aminopolyphosphonic acids with alkali metals, ammonium, or water-soluble amines. Examples of alkali metals include sodium, potassium, and lithium, and examples of water-soluble amines include alkyl amines such as methylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, and butylamine, ring amines such as cyclohexylamine, and aryls such as aniline and m-toluidine. amines, and heterocyclic amines such as pyridine, morpholine, piperazine.

Typical examples of chelating agents such as aminopolycarboxylic acids, aminopolyphosphonic acids, or salts thereof include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid diammonium salt, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetra(
trimethylammonium) salt, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrapotassium salt, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid trisodium salt, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, diethylenetri12aminepentaacetic acid pentasodium salt, ethylenediamine-N-(β-oxyethyl)- N.

N'N' -triacetic acid, ethylenediamine-N-(
1
．． 2-Diaminopropanetetraacetic acid, 1,2-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid disodium salt, 1゜3-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid, 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid diammonium salt, nitrilotriacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid trisodium salt, cyclohexane Diaminetetraacetic acid, cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt, iminodiacetic acid, dihydroxyethylglycine, ethyl etherdiaminetetraacetic acid, glycol etherdiaminetetraacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetrapropionic acid, phenylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 1,3-diaminopropanol N,N,N',N'-tetramethylenephosphonic acid, ethylenediamine-N,N.

Examples include N',N'-tetramethylenephosphonic acid, 1.sup.3-propylenediamine-N,N,N'N.sup.-tetramethylenephosphonic acid, but of course the compounds are not limited to these exemplified compounds.

The iron ion complex salts may be used in the form of complex salts or as ferric salts, such as ferric sulfate, ferric silver chloride, ferric nitrate, ferric sulfate, ferric sulfate. A ferric ion complex salt may be formed in a solution using ammonium, ferric phosphate, etc. and a chelating agent such as aminopolycarboxylic acid or phosphonocarboxylic acid. When used in the form of a complex salt, one type of complex salt or two or more types of complex salts may be used. On the other hand, when forming a complex salt in a solution using a ferric salt and a chelating agent, one or more types of ferric salts may be used. In any case, the chelating agent may be used in excess of the amount needed to form the ferric ion complex. Among the iron complexes, aminopolycarboxylic acid iron complexes are preferred.

The amount added is usually 0.02 to 1 mol/liter, preferably 0.06 to 0.6 mol/liter.

Further, a bleach accelerator can be used in the bleach-fix solution or the bleaching solution, if necessary.

As specific examples of useful bleach accelerators, compounds having a mercapto group or a disulfide group are particularly preferred because they have a large accelerating effect, and are particularly preferred as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,8
No. 58, West German Patent No. 1.290.812, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1983
-95630 is preferred.

Other bleach-fix or bleach solutions contain bromides (e.g., potassium bromide, sodium bromide, ammonium bromide).
or chlorides (e.g. potassium chloride, sodium chloride,
(ammonium chloride) or iodide (eg ammonium iodide) rehalogenating agents. If necessary, boric acid, borax, sodium metaborate, acetic acid, sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, phosphorous acid, phosphoric acid, sodium phosphate, citric acid, sodium citrate,
One or more inorganic acids having p)I buffering capacity such as tartaric acid, organic acids and their alkali metal or ammonium salts, or corrosion inhibitors such as ammonium nitrate, guanidine, etc. can be added.

The fixing agents used in the bleach-fix solution are known fixing agents, namely thiosulfates such as sodium thiosulfate and ammonium thiosulfate: ethylene bisthioglycolic acid, 3.6-
These are water-soluble silver halide solubilizing agents such as thioether compounds such as cythio-1,8-octanediol and thioureas, and these can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Also, JP-A-51-155354
A special bleach-fixing solution consisting of a combination of the fixing agent described in the above issue and a large amount of a halide such as potassium iodide may also be used. In the present invention, preference is given to using thiosulfates, especially ammonium thiosulfates.
The amount of fixing agent per liter is preferably 0.3 to 562 mol.

The pH range of the bleach-fix solution is preferably 3 to 10, more preferably 5 to 9. If the pH is lower than this, desilvering performance is improved, but fatigue of the solution and leucoization of the cyan dye are promoted. On the other hand, if the pH is higher than this, desilvering is delayed and staining is likely to occur. In order to adjust the pH, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, bicarbonate, ammonia, caustic potash, caustic soda, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, etc. can be added as necessary.

Further, the bleach-fix solution may contain various other optical brighteners, antifoaming agents, surfactants, and organic solvents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone and methanol.

Bleach-fix solutions contain preservatives such as sulfites (e.g., sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite, ammonium sulfite, etc.), bisulfites (e.g., sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, ammonium bisulfite, etc.), metabisulfites ( for example, sodium metabisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, ammonium metabisulfite, etc.). These compounds are preferably contained in an amount of about 0.02 to 0.50 mol/liter in terms of sulfite ion, more preferably 0.02 to 0.50 mol/liter, more preferably 0.
．． 04 to 0.40 mol/liter. As a preservative, sulfite is generally added, but other substances such as ascorbic acid, carbonyl bisulfite adducts, or carbonyl compounds may also be added.

The apparatus of the present invention can be used to process color photosensitive materials with a processing solution having bleaching ability. Examples of such color photosensitive materials include color positive film, color reversal film, color photographic paper, and color positive film. Examples include film, color reversal photographic paper, and in some cases, photosensitive materials for plate making, photosensitive materials for microscopic printing, and the like.

Further, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a wet type copying machine, an automatic developing machine,
It can be applied to various photosensitive material processing devices such as printer processors, video printer processors, coin machines for making photo prints, and color paper processing for plate inspection.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the present invention, the processing performance of a bleach-fix solution or a processing solution having bleaching ability can be maintained by a simple method, and images without occurrence of desilvering defects etc. can be obtained. .

The present inventor conducted various experiments in order to confirm the above effects.

An example is given below.

Experimental Example 1 Using the color paper described as Sample P-2 in Example 2 of JP-A-63-70857,
After imagewise exposure of this light-sensitive material, a modified Fuji Color Paper Processing Machine PP600 with a bleach-fixing tank equipped with the device shown in Figure 1 was used to replenish twice the capacity of the color developing tank in the following processing steps ( 2 rounds) and continuous processing (running test).

At this time, the amount of photosensitive material processed per -day was set at 0.03 m', and the liquid level was made to fall when it ran for 80 days and received no processing signal for the photosensitive material for 30 minutes.

Also, S, /S, = 20 S,/V,=0.033 Met.

Processing process Temperature Time Replenishment amount 9 Tank capacity Color development 38℃ 1 minute 40 seconds 290m
1 171 bleach fixing 35℃ 60 seconds
180mj 9j rinse ■ 33-35℃
20 seconds -4j rinse 0 33~35℃ 2
0 seconds -4t rinse■ 33-35℃ 20 seconds 364m1 4j drying 70-80℃
50 seconds*per 1 m'' of photosensitive material (3 tank countercurrent flow method from rinsing ■ to ■) The composition of each processing solution is as follows.

9 0 left side 2 MJL liquid water diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid nitrilotriacetic acid 1-hydroxyethylidene 1,1-diphosphonic acid benzyl alcohol diethylene glycol sulfite potassium bromide potassium carbonate N-ethyl-N-(β-methanesulfonamidoethyl )-3-Methyl-4-aminoaniline sulfate hydroxylamine sulfate optical brightener (WHITEX 4 manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical) Noei 2 and Hokkaido 1 solution 800ml 800mj 1.0g 2.0g 1.0g 2.0g 2 .0g 6m1 0m1 2.0g 0.5g 0g 2.0g 2ff12 10m! 2.5g 0g 5゜5g 2.0g 7.5g 2.5g 1.5g 2.0g Add water and adjust pH (25℃) 1000+5j 10.20 000ml 10.60 Supplementary” [Kenki 4
00m1 400mj Ammonium thiosulfate (70%) 80m! 9
5ml ammonium sulfite 24g 3
2g ethylenediaminetetraacetate iron(III) ammonium 30g 40g
Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate 5g Add 10g water 10100O1000mjp1
00℃) 6.50
6.00 ml ion-exchanged water (3 pp each of calcium and magnesium
m or less) Such processing is referred to as processing IA.

In addition, in the bleach-fixing tank of the processing machine used for processing IA,
A conventional type without a fixed lid was applied, and other treatments were carried out in the same manner.

This is referred to as processing IB.

In Process IA, prints with good photographic performance were obtained, whereas in Process IB, desilvering failure occurred and stains due to sulfides were observed on the surface, and good prints could not be obtained.

In treatment IB, it is thought that the deterioration of fixing components such as fixing agents and preservatives is particularly large when untreated.

Experimental Example 2 In Processing IA of Experimental Example 1, the bleach-fixing tank was changed to the one shown in FIG. 3, and the other processes were carried out in the same manner.

However, the bleach-fixing process time, replenishment amount, and tank capacity are
I did it as follows.

Time Refill amount Tank capacity 60 seconds 1
80mj 0.7I2 This is called processing 2A.

Process 2A produced prints with good photographic performance similar to Experimental Example IA.

In addition, St/S*=200 S, /V, = 0.57 S2/V, =0. 003 Met.

In addition, the slit width of the processing path is 15 mm, and the processing path length is 30 mm.
It was 0 mm.

Experimental Example 3 Processing IB of Experimental Example 1 and Processing 2A of Experimental Example 2 were carried out in the same manner, except that the processing amount of the sensitive material was set to be a large-volume processing of 50 m2 per day, and the color developer was used for 10 rounds for one month. Processed.

Such processing is referred to as a process 3A corresponding to the process 2A, and a process 3B corresponding to the process IB.

In Process 3A, prints with good photographic performance are obtained, whereas in Process 3B, poor color recovery and poor desilvering occur.
A good print could not be obtained.

In Processing 3B, since the amount of liquid in the tank is large due to the processing of the sensitive material, the reductant of the bleach is evenly mixed, and even when the liquid overflows, the amount of the reductant remains in a large amount, and the oxidizing power is reduced. It is thought that defective color recovery and defective desilvering occurred because the recovery was not sufficient. On the other hand, in Processing 3A, the reduced form of the bleach produced during processing of the sensitive material is formed in a slit shape with a small amount of liquid, so the pressure of the replenisher effectively overflows it, and there is relatively little reduced form. It is thought that prints with good performance were obtained by being processed under such conditions.

Experimental Example 4 Processing 2A of Experimental Example 2 and Processing 3A of Experimental Example 3 were carried out in the same manner, except that the apparatus shown in FIG. 5 was applied to the bleach-fix tank.

However, the bleach-fixing process time, replenishment amount, and tank capacity are as follows: S,/52=50~100.3+/V+
=2-4, S2/V, =0.04.

Time Refill amount Tank capacity 60 seconds 1
80mj 39 Even in such processing, prints with good photographic performance were obtained under all conditions, as in Processes 2A and 3A.

The slit width of the processing path is 30 mm, and the processing path length is 42 mm.
It was 0 mm.

Experimental Example 5 In Processes 3A and 3B of Experimental Example 3, the processing steps were as follows, and the processing was carried out using a modified Fuji Color Paper Processing Machine PP600 equipped with a bleach tank and a bleach-fix tank.

At this time, a process using a bleaching tank having the same form as the bleach-fixing tank in Process 3A is called Process 5A, and a process using a tank with the same form as the bleach-fixing tank in Process 3B is called Process 5B.
In addition, in both Processes 5A and 5B, a tank having the same form as the bleach-fix tank in Process 3B was used as the fixing tank.

Color development 38℃ 1 minute 40 seconds 290+
d Bleach 35℃ 60 seconds 9
01Ilj fixation 35℃ 60 seconds 90n+j rinse ■ 33~35℃ 20
Second rinse 0 33-35℃ 20 seconds rinse■ 33-35℃ 20 seconds 364mj
Drying 70-80℃ 50 seconds *Photosensitive material 111! (3-tank countercurrent force type for rinsing ■ → ■) The processing solution used was the same as in Experimental Example 1 for the color developer and rinse solution, and the bleaching solution and fixing solution had the following compositions. was used.

Drift' L liquid] - and 斖 Supplement
Liquid ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid iron 30g 40g (
m) Ammonium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid di 5g Add 10g sodium water 500mj 500m
j11杞 久ヱ211时气氯氯氯氯氨铵氨铵 80ml 95ml(70%)Ammonium sulfite 24g Add 32g of water 500m! As a result, in Process 5A, prints with good photographic performance were obtained, but in Process 5B, defective desilvering occurred and good prints could not be obtained.

This is thought to be due to the same reason as in Experimental Example 3.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing a configuration example of a photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. 7 8 FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing another aspect of the fixed lid in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another example of the configuration of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing another aspect of the block body in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing still another configuration example of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. Explanation of symbols 1.2.3...Photosensitive material processing device 4...Liquid level changing means 10A, 51A...Processing tank 10a, 51a...Bottom wall 10b, 51b...Side wall 11.18 . . . Fixed lid 11a . 15e... Conveyance roller 5f... Carrying out roller 6... Reversing guide 7... Fluid inlet/outlet O... Expansion body 1... Flat plate 2... Bellows body 2a... Bellows body upper end 2b. ... Lower end of bellows body 00 ... Working fluid (air) O ... Air supply and discharge means 5 ... Flow meter 6 ... Drive circuit 7 ... Control circuit means 0 ... Liquid level detection means 1.42...Liquid level sensor 5...Selection operation circuit 3...Bomb 100...Bleach-fixing solution S...Photosensitive materials L1 to L4...Liquid level application Personal representative Personal representative Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank filled with a processing solution having bleaching ability for processing a silver halide color photosensitive material after exposure and color development processing, the processing tank has the processing having the bleaching ability. A means for changing the liquid level of the liquid is provided, and the liquid level of the processing liquid having bleaching ability is changed by this means, and the surface area of the liquid surface in contact with the atmosphere of the processing liquid having bleaching ability during processing is increased. A photosensitive material processing device characterized in that the device is configured to have a surface area larger than that when unprocessed.