JPH03269429A - Processing device for photosensitive material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the mixing of the processing liquid of a fore tank into an after tank by providing a connecting member having a slit-shaped arc gap for guiding a photosensitive material in the upper part of a partition wall between the adjacent processing tanks. CONSTITUTION:The connecting member 70 having the inverted U shaped arc gap 76 is provided between the developing tank 4 and bleach-fixing tank 6 and between the tank 6 and washing tank of this device. Both end openings of the gap 76 are disposed to face liquid surfaces and a supporting member 74 of the member 70 is fitted and liquid-tightly fixed to the upper part of the partition wall 72. The gap 76 is formed to a slit shape which allows the insertion of web-shaped color paper 12 and is formed to a curved shape in such a manner that the paper 12 does not come into tight contact with the gap. The intrusion of the processing liquid into the after tank by the oscillating of the tank or the bouncing up of the liquid drops is prevented and the aerial transporting time is shortened, by which the processing is uniformized according to this constitution.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to photosensitive material processing in which a photosensitive material after exposure is immersed in a processing solution to perform processing such as development, bleaching, fixing, bleach-fixing, and stabilization. Regarding equipment.

[Prior Art] Generally, after exposure, a silver halide photographic material (hereinafter referred to as a "photosensitive material") is a color photosensitive material that undergoes development,
The process of bleach-fixing (bleaching and fixing), washing, and drying is performed, and for black and white photosensitive materials, the process of developing, fixing, washing, and drying is performed to form an image on the photosensitive material. It has become.

For example, in the case of photosensitive materials, processing machines used to process photosensitive materials include a developing tank for storing a developing solution, a bleach-fixing tank for storing a bleach-fixing solution, and a washing tank for storing washing water. The subsequent photosensitive materials are sequentially conveyed through these processing tanks, immersed in each processing solution, and subjected to each processing. By arranging each processing liquid adjacent to each other according to the processing step, transportation and processing of the photosensitive material is facilitated, and
The processing machine can be made smaller.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

During the processing of photosensitive materials, especially when the photosensitive materials are carried into the processing solution or taken out from the processing solution, droplets are splashed up from the water surface of the processing solution due to the force of the introduction or removal, and droplets are splashed into the adjacent processing tank. Droplets may reach the tank and mix with other processing liquids in adjacent processing tanks.

Further, when the processing machine is moved with the processing liquid contained in the processing tank, the processing liquid shakes in a wavy manner, and the splashed droplets mix into other processing liquids in adjacent tanks.

As described above, when processing liquids having different components are mixed, there is a problem that the original function of the processing liquid is degraded. In particular, if a bleaching solution component or a bleach-fixing solution component is mixed into the developer, the developer deteriorates, making it impossible to perform good development, and there is a problem in that the photographic properties of the processed light-sensitive material are significantly reduced.

In addition to the above-mentioned problem, when carrying out image forming processing by transporting a photosensitive material between multiple processing tanks, the processing time is generally the time during which it is immersed in the processing solution, but in reality,
Even while the photosensitive material is being conveyed between processing tanks, that is, in the air, the image forming process continues due to the processing liquid adhering to the photosensitive material. This processing in the air proceeds according to the amount of processing liquid that adheres to the photosensitive material, but since the processing liquid does not adhere uniformly to the photosensitive material, uniform processing is not performed.

However, since it is unavoidable to transport the photosensitive material in the air, it is desired to shorten the air transport time as much as possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus that can shorten the mixing of processing liquids in adjacent processing tanks and the time for transporting the photosensitive material in the air.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] The above object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus that performs image forming processing by sequentially immersing a photosensitive material in different processing solutions in a plurality of processing tanks arranged in series. A communication member having a slit-shaped arcuate gap for guiding the photosensitive material from the front tank to the rear tank is provided on the upper part of the partition wall between adjacent processing tanks in a liquid-tight manner with respect to the partition wall, and the openings at both ends of the communication member are connected to each processing tank. It is distantly connected by a photosensitive material processing device located opposite the liquid surface.

That is, since the connecting member has a slit-like arcuate gap and the openings at both ends are located opposite the respective processing liquid levels, the processing liquid will not flow into the connecting member and reach the adjacent tank due to shaking of the processing tank. The splashed processing droplets do not pass through the communication member and reach the adjacent tank. In addition, since the communication member is provided in a liquid-tight manner with respect to the partition wall between adjacent processing tanks,
The splashed processing droplets do not pass below the communication member and reach the adjacent tank. Further, it is preferable that the uppermost end of the communication member is located at a height higher than the reach of the splashed droplets from the processing tank, so that the splashed droplets do not pass over the communication member and reach the adjacent tank.

Therefore, functional deterioration and deterioration due to mixing of processing liquids can be prevented for a long period of time, so that good photosensitive material processing can be performed and images of constant quality can be formed on the photosensitive material.

Furthermore, as long as mixing of the processing liquids can be prevented, the communication member can be brought close to the processing liquid surface, so that the aerial movement path of the photosensitive material is shortened, and the aerial processing time of the photosensitive material is shortened.

Further, by simply providing the above-mentioned simply constructed communication member, mixing of the processing liquids can be prevented and the time for transporting the photosensitive material in the air can be shortened, so that the processing apparatus can be manufactured at low cost.

The processing liquid in the present invention is a processing liquid for image formation, such as a developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, a bleach-fixing solution, a cleaning solution,
There are stabilizing liquids, etc.

The type of photosensitive material used in the present invention may be a negative photosensitive material, a positive photosensitive material, or a direct positive photosensitive material, such as silver salt photographic film, silver salt photographic paper,
There are X-ray films, etc.

[Embodiment]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a silver halide photographic color paper processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. This processing apparatus develops, bleach-fixes, washes, and then dries web-like color paper that has been exposed to light based on a positive original to form an image on the color paper.

In the following description, upstream and downstream refer to upstream and downstream, respectively, with respect to the photosensitive material transport direction.

The processing device main body 2 includes a developing tank 4, a bleach-fixing tank 6, and a washing tank 8.
, and a drying section 10 are successively provided, and the exposed color paper (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive material) 12 is dried in the drying section 10 after development, bleach-fixing, and washing with water, and is carried out from the main body 2.

Below the developer tank 4 and the bleach-fix tank 6, tanks 20 and 22 are provided for replenishing the developer tank 4 and the bleach-fix tank 6 with a developer replenisher and a bleach-fix replenisher, respectively. The replenisher in the tank 20.22 is appropriately replenished into the developer tank 4 and the bleach-fix tank 6 by a pump 24.26 and a pipe 28.30.

Two washing tanks 8 are arranged, and overflow water from the rear tank is supplied to the front tank. Further, below the washing tank 8, a tank 38 is provided for replenishing the latter tank with washing water.

The replenisher in the tank 38 is replenished into the last stage tank by a pump 40 and piping 42.

The developer tank 4, the bleach-fix tank 6, and the washing tank 8 are provided with a pair of transport rollers 32 for sandwiching and transporting the photosensitive material 12 immersed in the developer, bleach-fix solution, and washing water.

Also, between the developer tank 4 and the bleach-fix tank 6, and between the bleach-fix tank 6
A communication member 70, which will be described later, is provided between the developing tank 4 and the washing tank 8, and guides the photosensitive material 12 discharged from the developing tank 4 and the bleach-fixing tank 6 to the bleach-fixing tank 6 and the washing tank 8, respectively, in the air. do.

A heating roller 50 in contact with the support of the photosensitive material 12 and a water-absorbing roller 52 in contact with the emulsion surface are arranged near the photosensitive material entrance of the drying section 10.

Further, downstream of the water-absorbing roller 52 and the heating roller 50, a conveyance roller 5456 for conveying the photosensitive material 12 is provided. Further, the drying section 10 is provided with a duct 58 for supplying hot air to the emulsion surface of the photosensitive material 12 from between adjacent rollers.

FIG. 2 shows the main parts of the present invention, the developing tank 4 and the bleach-fixing p!
! 60 is an enlarged view of the communication member 70 provided between the two. In addition,
A communication member 70 provided between the bleach-fix tank 6 and the washing tank 8 also has the same structure.

The communication member 70 has an inverted U-shaped arcuate gap 76, and openings at both ends of the gap 76 are located opposite the developer level 4a and the bleach-fixer level 6a.

The lower part of the communication member 70 is provided with a support part 74 that fits into the upper part of the partition wall 72 between the developer [4 and the bleach-fix tank 6, for example, and the communication member 70 is fixed to the partition wall 72 in a liquid-tight manner. There is.

The gap in the communication member 70 is formed in the shape of a slit through which the photosensitive material 12 can be inserted, and the inner surface forming the gap is
In order to prevent the swollen photosensitive material 12 from coming into close contact with the inner surface, the inner surface of the connecting member 70 is formed into a non-flat curved surface, for example, into a wave shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner surface of the connecting member 70 may have a corrugated cross section along the photosensitive material transport direction, and as shown in FIG. 4, the cross section along the width direction of the photosensitive material 12 may be a waveform. Further, the inner surface of the communication member 70 is not limited to a wave shape, but may be formed into an uneven shape by providing ribs, protrusions, etc., so that the photosensitive material 1
2 may be configured to make point contact or line contact with the communication member 70.

The communication member 70 is made of metal (SUS305, 316, 317, high manganese steel,
It is preferable to mold the molded material using a plastic resin (vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, nylon, etc.) having corrosion resistance and treatment liquid resistance (high molybdenum steel, etc.). Furthermore, it is preferable that at least the inner surface of the communication member 70 be coated with Teflon, silicone, etc. to provide clear water properties.

After the photosensitive material 12 is conveyed out of the developing solution by the pair of conveying rollers 32, it moves within the communication member 70 and is carried into the bleach-fixing solution. Here, when the leading end or the trailing end of the photosensitive material 12 is carried out from the developer liquid level 4a, the developer droplets may jump up due to the momentum of the carrying out. The splashed developer droplets adhere to the connecting member 70, but do not pass through the gap 76 of the connecting member 70 and reach the inside of the bleach-fix tank 6. Further, the height hl of the top of the connecting member 70 is set so that the developer droplets do not exceed the upper part of the connecting member 70 and reach the inside of the bleach-fix tank 6. Furthermore, since the connecting member 70 is fixed liquid-tightly to the partition wall 74, developer droplets do not reach the inside of the bleach-fix tank 6 from below the connecting member 70.

On the other hand, when the front end or the rear end of the photosensitive material 12 is carried under the bleach-fixing liquid surface 6a, the bleach-fixing liquid droplets may jump up due to the force of the carrying. However, similar to the development, droplets,
Bleach-fix droplets never reach the developer tank 4. If the bleach-fix solution gets mixed into the developer solution, the developer's functionality will be severely degraded and it will be difficult to maintain a constant processing quality, but according to the above authority, the bleach-fix solution will not get mixed into the developer solution. , the function of the developer can be maintained well.

Since developer droplets and bleach-fix droplets do not reach the adjacent tank through the gap in the communication member 70, the height h of the openings at both ends of the communication member 70 from the developer liquid level 4a and the bleach-fix liquid level 6a is
2 can be made as low as possible.

Furthermore, if the openings at both ends of the communication member 70 are below the developer solution level and the bleach-fix solution level 6a, the connection member 70 may be
The processing liquid may flow into the tank 0 and further into the adjacent tank, but the openings at both ends of the communication member 70 are at a height h from the processing liquid level.
2, processing liquid hardly flows into the communication member 70. Furthermore, even if the processing liquid flows into the communication member 70, since the gap in the communication member 70 is slit-shaped, the processing liquid that has flowed in will not reach the adjacent tank.

The outer shape of the communication member 70 is not limited to that shown in the drawings, but may be any shape having an arcuate slit gap.

As shown in FIG. 5, by providing a liquid supply hole 78 at the top of the communication member 70 that communicates with the cavity 76, the following liquid can be supplied into the communication member 70 from this liquid supply hole 78. I can do it. In FIG. 5, the same symbols as in FIG. 2 indicate the same things.

The liquid supply hole 78 is preferably in the shape of a slit having a width approximately equal to the width of the gap 76, but may be holes dispersed along the width direction of the gap 76.

The liquids supplied from the liquid supply hole 78 include an evaporation replenisher for replenishing water evaporated from the developer and bleach-fix solution, a cleaning liquid for cleaning the inside of the connecting member 70, and a storage solution for the developer and bleach-fix solution. There are constant agents (eg NazSOs), etc.

The evaporation replenisher and preservative are supplied from the liquid supply hole 78 to the communication member 7.
It is supplied into the developing tank 4 and the bleach-fixing tank 6 through the inside of the tank 0. Further, since the cleaning liquid cleans the inner surface of the connecting member 70 while flowing down inside the connecting member 70, it is possible to prevent the inner surface of the connecting member 70 from becoming dirty, and the photosensitive material 12 can be prevented from becoming dirty. The cleaning solution after cleaning the communication member may be collected, but if the cleaning solution is water or the like that does not adversely affect the developing and bleach-fixing solutions, the cleaning solution may be dropped into the developing tank 4 and the bleach-fixing tank 6 as they are. .

Although not shown, floating lids may be provided on the developing tank 4 and the bleach-fixing tank 6 to reduce contact between the processing liquid and air and prevent evaporation and oxidation of the processing liquid.

Further, a cover may be provided to substantially seal the upper spaces of the developer tank 4 and the bleach-fix tank 6, respectively, to prevent mixing of evaporated substances from the processing liquid.

In this embodiment, the communication member 70 is provided between the developing tank 4 and the bleach-fixing tank N6 and between the bleach-fixing tank 6 and the washing tank 8, but the communication member 70 is installed in the adjacent tank. The type of treatment liquid is not limited to these.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, since the communication member provided between the processing tanks has a slit-like arcuate gap and the openings at both ends are located opposite to the respective processing liquid levels, the processing liquid flows into the communication member due to the shaking of the processing tank. In addition, the splashed processing droplets do not pass through the communication member and reach the adjacent tank. Further, since the communication member is provided liquid-tightly with respect to the partition wall between adjacent processing tanks, the splashed processing liquid droplets do not pass under the communication member and reach the adjacent tank.

Furthermore, since the uppermost end of the communication member is located above the height at which the splashed droplets from the processing tank reach, the splashed droplets do not pass over the communication member and reach the adjacent tank.

Therefore, functional deterioration and deterioration due to mixing of the four processing liquids can be prevented for a long period of time, so that good photosensitive material processing can be performed and images of constant quality can be formed on the photosensitive material.

Furthermore, as long as mixing of the processing liquids can be prevented, the communication member can be brought close to the processing liquid surface, so that the aerial movement path of the photosensitive material is shortened, and the aerial processing time of the photosensitive material is shortened.

Further, by simply providing the above-mentioned simply constructed communication member, mixing of the processing liquids can be prevented and the time for transporting the photosensitive material in the air can be shortened, so that the processing apparatus can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a photosensitive material processing apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a connecting member, FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a connecting member, and FIG. 4 is a connecting member. FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a modification of the connecting member, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a modification of the connecting member. Symbols in the figure: 2-・-Main body 4-Developing tank 6-・Bleach-fixing tank 8-Washing tank 1〇-Drying section 12-Photosensitive material 32-Transporting roller 50--Heating roller 52-Water-absorbing roller 54.56- Conveyance roller 58 - duct 7〇1 connection member 72 - bulkhead
74-Support part 6 Gap 8 Liquid supply hole 2nd figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a photosensitive material processing device that performs image forming processing by sequentially immersing a photosensitive material in different processing solutions in a plurality of processing tanks that are connected in series, a device is installed above the partition wall between adjacent processing tanks to transfer the photosensitive material from the front tank to the rear tank. A photosensitive material processing apparatus, wherein a connecting member having a guiding slit-shaped arc gap is provided liquid-tightly with respect to the partition wall, and openings at both ends of the connecting member are positioned opposite to each processing liquid level.