JPH04243258A - Pair of blades and photosensitive material processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To exhibit the squeezing function (a function to scrape off the liquid stuck on the photosensitive material surface) and the sealing function (a function to cut off the circulation of a liquid) sufficiently and successively for a long period of time and to keep the conveying property of the photosensitive material in good condition. CONSTITUTION:In each of the passages 71-74 of the processing tank 2 in which a processing space being formed by connecting plural processing rooms 6A-6E with the narrow width of passages 71-74 is formed, a pair of blades 15 is provided. The pair of blades 15 is symmetrically provided with a blades 15A composed of a hard material and a blade 15B composed of a soft material so as to closely contact the tip parts by themselves.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pair of blades installed in the conveyance path of a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter also simply referred to as a light-sensitive material or light-sensitive material), and a light-sensitive material processing apparatus having the same. .

0002

2. Description of the Related Art After exposure, silver halide photographic materials (hereinafter referred to as "photosensitive materials") are subjected to processing depending on their type. For example, color photosensitive materials are sequentially subjected to development, bleaching, fixing (or bleach-fixing), water washing, and stabilization.

[0003] Such processing usually uses a photosensitive material processing device such as an automatic processor, and a developer, bleach, and fixer (or bleach-fixing solution) placed in each of a plurality of processing tanks included in this device. ), by sequentially immersing the photosensitive material in washing water and stabilizing solution.

[0004] In recent years, the development of small-scale processing systems using small developing machines called minilabs has progressed, and film development and printing can now be done not only in photo labs equipped with large developing machines but also at photo shops. ing.

[0005] In such a small-scale processing system, processing can be performed simply and quickly, the amount of replenishment and drainage of processing liquid can be further reduced, and processing efficiency is high.
The challenges are to obtain excellent photographic properties and to reduce the size of the device.

However, at present, it is not easy to meet both of these issues.

For example, with regard to water washing processing, if a multi-stage cascade water washing method is adopted, the water washing performance will be improved and good photographic properties will be obtained, but the amount of water to be refilled and drained will be large, and the equipment will also be large. Become. Conversely, if the amount of replenishment and drainage of washing water is reduced, the washing time must be increased in order to obtain good washing performance.

In order to solve such problems, the applicant of the present application has disclosed a photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank in which a processing chamber space is formed by connecting a plurality of processing chambers through narrow passages. (Japanese Patent Application No. 01-025132), and further discloses a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which each passage is provided with a pair of flexible blades for blocking the flow of processing liquid. No. 02-155667).

According to these photosensitive material processing apparatuses, the processing efficiency of photosensitive materials is improved by maintaining a good liquid composition gradient (concentration gradient) of the processing liquid in each processing chamber.
It is possible to reduce the amount of replenishment of the processing liquid and shorten the processing time.

By the way, the above-mentioned patent application No. 02-155667
The photosensitive material processing apparatus described in the above issue has a function of wiping off the liquid that adheres to the surface of the photosensitive material when it passes through (hereinafter referred to as the squeeze function) and a function that blocks the flow of the processing liquid (hereinafter referred to as the sealing function). In addition, it is required that the sliding resistance between the photosensitive material and the blade be made as small as possible to maintain good transportability of the photosensitive material. However, the photosensitive material processing apparatus described above has not yet achieved performance that satisfies all of these requirements.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a pair of blades and a photosensitive material processing apparatus that have good transportability for photosensitive materials and can fully demonstrate the squeezing and sealing functions of the blades. It is in.

0012

[Means for Solving the Problems] Such objects are achieved by the present invention as described in (1) to (6) below.

(1) A pair of blades are installed in the middle of the conveyance path of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material so that their tips are in contact with each other, and the hardness of the contact area between one blade and the other blade is A pair of blades characterized by different characteristics.

(2) The blade pair according to (1) above, wherein the one blade and the other blade are arranged symmetrically with respect to the transportation path of the silver halide photographic material.

(3) The contact portion of the one blade and the contact portion of the other blade comply with JIS K6.
The blade pair according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the difference in rubber hardness as defined in No. 301 is 20 degrees or more.

(4) The contact portion of the one blade and the contact portion of the other blade have a bending modulus of elasticity of 2.
．． The blade pair according to (1) or (2) above, which is 5 times or more.

(5) The above method (where the blade with the soft contact portion is placed on the emulsion side of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material)
The blade pair according to any one of 1) to (4).

(6) A photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material by immersing it in a processing solution, in which a processing space is formed by connecting a plurality of processing chambers with narrow passages. A photosensitive material processing apparatus comprising a tank, and a pair of blades according to any one of (1) to (5) above is installed in each of the passages.

[0019]

[Operation] The present inventor further studied the photosensitive material processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application No. 02-155667 and found the following.

That is, both blades in the photosensitive material processing apparatus described above are made of the same material. Therefore,
The following problems arise.

[0021] When the constituent material of both blades is relatively hard, there is little deformation of the blade tips, that is, the contact portions of both blades, so the area of the contact portions is small and the sealing function is degraded. In this case, if the contact pressure between both blades is increased to improve the sealing function, the sliding resistance when the photosensitive material passes increases, which worsens the conveyance of the photosensitive material and also prevents scratches on the emulsion surface. A problem arises.

On the other hand, if the constituent material of both blades is relatively soft, a sufficient sealing function can be obtained initially without increasing the contact pressure between both blades, but deformation occurs over time. In particular, so-called waviness occurs in the width direction of the photosensitive material, resulting in a decline in the squeezing function and sealing function. In addition, since the bending elastic modulus of the tip of the blade is low, the tip of the blade easily swings and deforms when photosensitive material with strong curling passes through it, resulting in poor stability of the photosensitive material conveyance path and reduced sealing function. .

Therefore, in the present invention, the hardness of the contact portion of one blade and the contact portion of the other blade in a pair of blades is made different. As a result, when the two blades are brought into contact, the soft contact area is regulated by the hard contact area, preventing deformation, especially waving and rocking, and ensuring sufficient squeezing and sealing functions. Demonstrated.

Furthermore, since such squeezing and sealing functions can be obtained without increasing the contact surface pressure of the blade, the conveyance of the photosensitive material is also good, especially when the blade has a soft contact area. When placed on the emulsion side of the light-sensitive material, no scratches will occur on the emulsion surface.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a blade pair and a photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention will be explained in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a configuration in which the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a water washing processing apparatus. As shown in the figure, the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 of the present invention has a vertically long processing tank 2 having a predetermined volume. A rack 3 is removably loaded into the processing tank 2.

This rack 3 has a pair of side plates 31, 31, and members 4, 5 each having a block-shaped portion of a desired shape (hereinafter referred to as block body) are installed between these side plates. . In the illustrated example, the block body 5 is inserted into the block body 4.

These blocks 4 and 5 are made of, for example, plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyphenylene oxide (PPO), ABS resin, phenol resin, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, ceramics such as alumina, stainless steel, titanium, Hastelloy, etc. It is made of hard materials such as various metals. In particular, it is preferably made of plastic such as polypropylene, PPO, ABS resin, etc. because it has excellent moldability, is lightweight, and has sufficient strength.

Further, although the block bodies 4 and 5 are solid members in the illustrated example, they may be constructed as hollow members (manufactured by blow molding, for example).

[0030] With such block bodies 4 and 5,
Five processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6E, which are spaces for washing the photosensitive material S, are formed.

[0031] In each of these processing chambers 6A to 6E, washing water W is provided.
is fulfilled.

In the illustrated configuration, the volume per processing chamber may be approximately 20 to 3000 ml.

[0033] Furthermore, the processing chambers 6A and 6B which are vertically adjacent to each other,
Between 6B and 6C, 6C and 6D, and 6D and 6E,
Narrow passages 71, 72, 73 and 74 are formed to connect both processing chambers.

A processing space for the photosensitive material S is formed by the passages 71 to 74 and the processing chambers 6A to 6E.

[0035] Furthermore, in the upper part of the processing chambers 6A and 6E,
Similar passages 75 and 76 are formed for carrying in and carrying out the photosensitive material S, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the width (effective slit width) Y of each passage 71 to 76 is 5 to 80 times the thickness of the photosensitive material S.
It is preferable to set it to about 0.5 to 10 mm, which is about double that. With such a width, the photosensitive material S can be transported without any trouble.

Furthermore, in the illustrated configuration, the passages 71 to 7
The length of 4 is 10-200mm, preferably 20-60m
It is best to set it to about m.

A pair of blades 15 of the present invention is installed in each of the passages 71 to 74, as shown. This will be explained in detail later. In addition, in the illustrated example, each passage 71
Although one pair of blades 15 is installed in each of the passages 74 to 74, a plurality of pairs of blades 15 may be installed in one passage. In this case, better squeeze and seal functions can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 1, processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6
One pair of conveyance rollers 8 is installed near the center of each of D and 6E, and three pairs of conveyance rollers 8 are installed in the processing chamber 6C. Furthermore, a pair of conveyance rollers 8 are installed above the passage 75 and above the passage 76, respectively.

Each of these conveying rollers 8 is supported by the side plates 31, 31 at its rotating shaft, and both roller pairs are driven and rotated by a drive system (not shown), and the photosensitive material S is held between the rollers. The photosensitive material S is then conveyed.

Examples of the materials constituting each conveyance roller 8 include various rubbers such as neoprene and EPT rubber, elastomers such as Sunplane, Thermolan, and Hytrel, hard vinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, ABS resin, PPO, nylon, and polyacetal. (POM), phenolic resin, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyether sulfone (PES), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), various resins such as Teflon, ceramics such as alumina, metals with corrosion resistance such as stainless steel, titanium, Hastelloy, etc. or a combination of these.

A guide 9 for guiding the photosensitive material S is installed between the conveyance roller 8 and the passages 71 to 76 in the processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6D, and 6E. The guides 9 are composed of a pair of plate-like members, and are placed facing each other with an interval that allows the photosensitive material S to pass therethrough.

[0043] Also, between the conveyance rollers 8 of the processing chamber 6C,
A reversing guide 10 is installed, which is curved in an arc shape and changes the direction of the photosensitive material S along this curved portion.

Furthermore, curved plate-shaped guides 11 are installed between the passages 75 and 76 and the transport roller 8 above them.

These guides 9 to 11 are made of, for example, molded plastic or metal plates. Further, it is preferable that the guides 9 and 10 installed in the liquid have substantially uniform openings (not shown) that pass through the guides. This enables the circulation of the washing water W and promotes the circulation of the liquid within the processing chamber, thereby improving the washing efficiency.

The guides 9 to 11, the conveying roller 8, and its drive system constitute a photosensitive material conveying means.

It should be noted that the guides 9 to 11 may be provided partially along the conveyance route, or may not be provided, as long as they do not impede the conveyance of the photosensitive material S.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 is provided with means for supplying (replenishing) and discharging washing water. That is, the processing tank 2 is provided with a liquid supply pipe 12 that penetrates its side wall and communicates with the processing chamber 6E, and a liquid drain pipe 13 that communicates with the processing chamber 6A.

The liquid supply pipe 12 is for supplying (replenishing) the washing water W, and the liquid drain pipe 13 is for discharging the washing water W that has become exhausted after processing due to overflow or the like.

In such a photosensitive material processing apparatus 1, the washing water W in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E is kept at an appropriate temperature (for example, 25
A heater (not shown) is installed to heat the sample to 50°C.

Although an ordinary sheathed heater or ceramic heater may be used as this heater, it is preferable to use a planar heating element.

Examples of the sheet heating element include a panel heater with a built-in heater, an oil circulation panel heater, a sheet heating element containing various conductive fillers, and a heater element coated with an insulating material. Among these, those containing a conductive filler and those in which the heater element is coated with an insulating material (such as an organic material, ceramics, or a mixed material thereof) are particularly preferable.

[0053] Examples of the conductive filler include organic conductive fillers such as carbon-based materials such as carbon black, graphite, and carbon fibers, metal powders such as iron, aluminum, titanium, nickel, and tungsten, and carbon dioxide. Examples include inorganic conductive fillers such as metal oxide powders such as titanium, iron oxide, zinc oxide, and magnesium oxide.

As a specific example of the planar heating element, those described in Japanese Patent Application No. 02-223768 can be used.

[0055] Such a sheet heating element has good thermal efficiency,
Moreover, because of its shape, it does not take up much installation space, contributing to miniaturization of the device.

The installation position of the heater is not particularly limited; for example, in any of the processing chambers 6A to 6E, on the inner surface of the processing tank 2, on the surface or inside of the blocks 4 and 5, or in each processing chamber 6A. It can be installed in the middle of the flushing water circulation system (not shown) or the flushing water replenishment system installed in ~6E. In particular, if the planar heating element is used, there is a wide selection range of installation positions, which is advantageous in terms of design.

Further, in the present invention, any of the processing chambers 6A to 6
A temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the washing water W is installed in E, the temperature of the washing water W is detected by this temperature sensor, and based on this detected value, a control means (such as a microcomputer) (not shown) to turn on the heater.
, it can also be turned off or the amount of heat generated can be controlled.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view showing an example of the configuration of the blade pair 15. As shown in FIG. This figure shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the passage 71 of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of blades 15 is installed in the passage 71. As shown in FIG. This blade pair 15
consists of a pair of blades 15A and 15B arranged symmetrically with respect to the conveyance path of the photosensitive material S as a boundary.

Each of the blades 15A and 15B is composed of a base 16 that supports the blade, and a thin tip 17 whose thickness gradually decreases from the base 16 toward the tip. Inner side (contact part 18
) are in close contact with each other.

These blades 15A and 15B are
At the base 16, the block body 5
and 4, respectively.

In the illustrated example, the tip portions (thin wall portions) 17 of both blades 15A and 15B have a shape in which the thickness gradually decreases toward the tip, but the thickness is approximately constant. It can also be from.

In the present invention, blades 15A and 15B
(at least the hardness of the contact portion 18). In the illustrated configuration example, the blade 15A is hard and the blade 15B is soft. In this way, blades 15A and 15B
By making the hardness different, there are the following advantages.

1) Contact portion 1 of hard blade 15A
Since the contact portion 18 of the soft blade 15B fits in with the
The adhesion between the contact parts 18 is improved, and deformation, especially waving, of the contact parts 18 of the soft blade 15B is prevented.
Improves sealing function.

2) Contact portion 1 of hard blade 15A
8 is not easily deformed, so that swinging of the photosensitive material S during transportation is prevented, that is, the transportation path is stabilized, transportation performance is improved, and the squeezing function is also enhanced.

3) Blades 15A and 15B have excellent durability. That is, blades 15A and 15B
Since there is little deformation or wear, the sealing function and squeezing function described above can be obtained continuously for a long period of time, and the blades are not frequently replaced, making maintenance of the device easy.

4) Contact portion 1 of hard blade 15A
8 regulates the conveyance path of the photosensitive material S (positions the center), so the blade pair 15 can be easily positioned during installation and assembly.

5) Since a sufficient sealing function can be obtained without increasing the contact surface pressure of the contact portion 18, the emulsion surface SE of the photosensitive material S is prevented from being scratched, and in particular, the contact portion 18 of the soft blade 15B is prevented from being scratched. If the emulsion surface SE of the photosensitive material S slides, the emulsion surface SE will not be scratched at all.

Hereinafter, such blades 15A and 1
The physical properties of 5B will be explained.

Rubber hardness of blade 15A (JIS K
6301) and the rubber hardness of the blade 15 is 2.
It is preferably 0 degrees or more, particularly 30 degrees or more. With such a difference in rubber hardness, the above advantages 1) to 5) can be obtained.

Further, the bending elastic modulus of the blade 15A is 2.5 times or more that of the blade 15B, particularly 2.8.
It is preferable that it is twice or more. With such a bending modulus, the advantages 1) to 5) above can be obtained.

As another indicator, it is preferable that the difference between the Shore hardness D of the blade 15A and the Shore hardness D of the blade 15B is 10 or more, particularly 15 or more. With such a difference in Shore hardness D, the above advantages 1) to 5) can be obtained.

Examples of the constituent material of the blade 15A include hard polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene (especially high-density or medium-density PE), polypropylene, polycarbonate, ABS resin, polyamide, polyester such as PET and PBT, and polytetrafluorocarbon. Resins such as ethylene (Teflon) and Zylon, relatively hard rubbers listed below, metals such as stainless steel, titanium, and Hastelloy, various glasses, ceramics such as alumina, and silica, or two or more of these as desired. Examples include combinations of.

Such materials usually have a rubber hardness of 90
Above, bending elastic modulus (thickness of tip part 17 1.0 to 1.5 m
m) is 2000 kg/cm2 or more, and the Shore hardness D is 35 or more.

The constituent materials of the blade 15B include, for example, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, butyl rubber, fluororubber, butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, urethane rubber, polyethylene rubber, etc. Various rubbers such as sulfurized rubber, acrylic rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, silicone resin, soft polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene (especially medium density or low density PE), polypropylene, fluororesin, ionomer resin, Thermolan, Sunplane, Milastomer, Hytrel, etc. Examples include soft resins such as elastomers.

Among these, materials with excellent durability are preferred, and in this respect, urethane rubber, fluororesin, natural rubber, butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, polypropylene, or the various elastomers mentioned above are preferred.

Such materials usually have a rubber hardness of 30
Above, bending elastic modulus (thickness of tip part 17 1.0 to 1.5 m
m) is 100 to 2000 kg/cm2, and Shore hardness D is 35 or less.

When the photosensitive material S does not pass, both blades 1
The contact portions 18 of 5A and 15B are in close contact with each other, substantially blocking the flow of the washing water W. Furthermore, when the photosensitive material S passes through, the contact portions 18 of the blades 15A and 15B, which were in close contact with each other, are pushed apart by the tip of the photosensitive material S.
The photosensitive material S passes between the contact portions 18 . At this time,
The liquid adhering to the surface of the photosensitive material S is wiped off by sliding with the contact portion 18, and is prevented from being brought into the next processing chamber.

Even when the photosensitive material S slides on the contact portion 18 of the blade, there is almost no adverse effect such as scratching on the emulsion surface SE. However, if this cannot be ignored or if the sliding resistance is to be further reduced, is blade 15A and 1
It is also possible to perform a surface treatment such as smoothing the surface of the contact portion 5B or coating it with a lubricant such as fluororesin or Teflon.

[0080] Regardless of the presence or absence of such surface treatment,
The friction coefficient of the surface of the contact portion 18 is approximately 0.1 to 1.0,
In particular, it is preferably about 0.1 to 0.3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the installation angle of the blades 15A and 15B (angle with the photosensitive material S) is 1 on average.
It is preferably about 0 to 70 degrees, particularly about 20 to 45 degrees on average.

Further, the length L of the contact portion 18 of both blades 15A and 15B (the conveyance direction of the photosensitive material S) is 2 to 2
It is preferably about 0 mm, particularly about 3 to 10 mm.

[0083] Also, the contact surface pressure of the contact portion 18 of both blades 15A and 15B is 0.001 to 0.1 kg/cm.
It is preferable to set it to about 2 kg/cm2, particularly about 0.005 to 0.02 kg/cm2.

[0084] By setting the length of the contact portion 18 and the contact surface pressure as described above, even better squeezing function and sealing function can be obtained.

[0085] Furthermore, a magnetic material (such as a rubber magnet) is blended into the tips 17 of the blades 15A and 15B, and adjustments are made to increase the contact pressure by magnetically attracting the contact parts. You can also do it.

[0086] In the above, the constituent materials of the entire blade are hard and soft, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least the contact portion 1 of both blades is
8 may be of different hardness. Therefore, for example, materials having different hardnesses as described above may be used (for example, coated) only on the contact portions 18 of both blades.

Note that, in the present invention, the pair of blades may be arranged asymmetrically, unlike what is shown in the drawings. In particular, the shape of the hard blade is not limited to the shape of the blade 15A shown in the figure, but may be a shape without a thin part, for example, a simple rod-like shape.

Although an example of the configuration of the blade pair has been described above based on FIG. 2, the present invention is not limited to this.

Next, the usage and operation of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 will be explained based on FIG.

When starting the processing of the photosensitive material S, the washing water W is supplied from the liquid supply pipe 12, and the processing spaces, that is, the processing chambers 6A to 6E and the passages 71 to 74 are filled with the washing water W.

At this time, as described above, since the blade pair 15 blocks the flow of the washing water W when the photosensitive material S is not passing through, a sheet-like material is used to replace the photosensitive material S when the washing water W is supplied. It is preferable to convey the washing water W to smoothly supply the washing water W. Further, each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E may be provided with a liquid supply port (not shown) and filled with the washing water W.

Further, with the processing space filled with the washing water W, a heater (not shown) is operated to control the temperature of the washing water W.

In this state, when the photosensitive material S is carried into the passage 75 through the guide 11, at the same time, the liquid supply pipe 12
Replenishment of the washing water W starts from .

The reason why the replenishment of the washing water W is started at the same time as the processing of the photosensitive material S is started is because the blade pair 15 has a sealing function. By making the seal member 1
This is because a gap is formed between the holes 8 and 8, and the washing water W flows through this gap.

When the processing chamber 6E is replenished with the washing water W, approximately the same amount of washing water W as the replenishment amount flows from the processing chamber 6E to the processing chamber 6.
D, 6C, 6B, and 6A flow in this order and are discharged from the drain pipe 13 by overflow.

On the other hand, the photosensitive material S is transported to the processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E in this order, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. In this case, the photosensitive material S is transported in the processing chamber 6E so that its emulsion surface SE faces outward.

Therefore, the flow direction of the washing water W is opposite to the direction in which the photosensitive material S is transported (counterflow). This also improves the water washing efficiency.

When the processing is completed and the photosensitive material S is carried out of the passage 76 above the processing chamber 6E, the replenishment of the washing water W is stopped at the same time.

In such a case, each of the processing chambers 6A to 6 may be damaged due to chemicals adhering to the photosensitive material S brought in from the pre-bath.
The degree of contamination of the washing water W in E is determined by the squeezing function of blade pair 15, which greatly reduces the amount of water carried from the previous processing chamber to the subsequent processing chamber.
5 has an excellent liquid barrier property, and furthermore, the washing water W is supplied by the counterflow as described above, so it is the largest in the processing chamber 6A,
D and 6E gradually become smaller. Then, the concentration gradient (liquid composition gradient) in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E
is maintained extremely well.

[0100] Therefore, the washing efficiency is significantly improved, and as a result, excellent photographic properties can be obtained, and the processing time can be shortened and the amount of replenishment of the washing water W and the amount of drained liquid can be reduced.

The amount of replenishment may be approximately the amount of circulation determined by the gap created when the photosensitive material S passes through the pair of blades 15.

[0102] Such replenishment amount mainly depends on the number of processing chambers (number of passages), the material of the blades 15A and 15B, physical properties (rubber hardness, shore hardness, flexural modulus, etc.), dimensions, contact surface pressure, It depends on various conditions such as the number of installations, the width and thickness of the photosensitive material S, the conveyance speed, etc. In the configuration of FIG. 1, if color paper (thickness 0.24 mm) is processed as an example, the result will be as shown in Table 1 below.

[0103]

[Table 1]

The amount of replenishment exemplified in Table 1 is about 20 to 70% of the conventional amount, and even with such a small amount of replenishment, no staining occurs due to poor washing or the like.

[0105] In the present invention, as a result of being able to improve the water washing efficiency, the volume of each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E can be reduced, contributing to miniaturization of the apparatus 1.

Further, when the photosensitive material S is not passing through (not being processed), the blade pair 15 substantially blocks the flow of the washing water W between adjacent processing chambers, so that the mixing of the washing water W is not possible. This hardly occurs, and the concentration gradient in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E is maintained as it is. As a result, even when processing is stopped for a long period of time and then restarted, the concentration gradient of the washing water W in each of the processing chambers is maintained well, so that efficient washing processing can be carried out immediately. Can be done.

[0107] The timing of replenishment and the amount of replenishment described above may be controlled using known control methods and means.

[0108] The blade pair of the present invention is not limited to being installed in a processing tank configured as shown in Fig. 1. For example, the configuration of the processing tank in which the blade pair is installed has a narrow continuous processing path (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 02-230144).
Alternatively, the present invention can also be applied to conventionally known single box-type treatment tanks, multistage cascade water washing systems, and the like.

[0109] The above description has given an example in which the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a water washing processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this, and similar functions and effects can be obtained even when applied to stabilization processing. It can also be applied to other processes such as development, bleaching, bleach-fixing, fixing, adjustment, reversal, and stopping.

It should be noted that the processing having the function of washing out unnecessary substances in the photosensitive material S (for example, stabilization, fixing, adjustment, reversal, etc.) may be configured in the same manner as the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 described above.

[0111] In addition, in a processing solution containing a compound that reacts with silver halide, etc. in the photosensitive material S, such as a developing solution, a bleach solution, a bleach-fix solution, and a fixing solution, the flow of the processing solution is different from the above-mentioned washing water. , it is preferable for the processing efficiency to be set in the same direction as the transport direction of the photosensitive material S (parallel flow). As for the processing liquid having a fixing function, counterflow may be used since it also has the effect of washing out unnecessary substances in the photosensitive material S, as described above.

[0112] Even when using various processing devices other than water washing, the squeezing function and sealing function by the blade pair 15 can be obtained in the same way as in the water washing processing, and in all cases, processing efficiency is improved, photographic properties are improved, It is possible to shorten processing time, reduce the amount of replenishment, and downsize the device.

[0113] Washing water, stabilizing solution, black and white developer, color developer, bleaching solution, fixing solution, bleach-fixing solution used in the present invention,
Various processing solutions such as stop solution, adjustment solution, and reversal solution may be any known ones. For details of these processing solutions, please refer to "Fundamentals of Photographic Engineering" edited by the Photographic Society of Japan, published by Corona Publishing (
(1978) P299 "Chapter 4 Development Process" etc. can be referred to.

In the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention, the type of photosensitive material S to be processed is not particularly limited, and may be either a color photosensitive material or a black and white photosensitive material. For example, color negative film, color reversal film, color positive film, color photographic paper, color reversal photographic paper, photographic material for plate making, X-ray photographic material, black and white negative film,
Examples include black and white photographic paper and microphotosensitive materials.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention is applicable to various photosensitive material processing apparatuses such as automatic developing machines, wet copying machines, printer processors, video printer processors, coin machines for producing photographic prints, and color paper processing machines for plate inspection. It can be applied to

[0116] Although the present invention has been described above by illustrating configuration examples, the present invention is not limited to these.

[0117]

[Examples] Specific examples of the present invention will be described below.

[0118] The color printer processor PP-400B manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. was modified, and a multi-chamber washing tank with the structure shown in Figure 1 was installed in place of the three washing tanks, and the sheet processor type was replaced with a roll-type washing tank. Changed to processor type (changed printer software).

[0119] In this case, the volume of each processing chamber 6A to 6E is
The average volume is 400 ml, and the width of each passage 71 to 74 is 0.5 ml.
~5 mm.

Using such a photosensitive material processing apparatus, a photosensitive material similar to Sample P4 of Example 4 described in JP-A-63-70857 was processed. Note that the conveyance speed of the photosensitive material was 76.8 cm/min.

[0121] The formulation of the treatment liquid used for each treatment is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6
The same procedure as Example 3 described in JP 3-70857 was carried out.

The washing water was replenished into the processing chamber 6E synchronously with each processing of the photosensitive material S, and the replenishment amount was 30 ml/min.

The conditions for the blade pairs installed in each of the passages 71 to 74 are as follows. Blade shape: As shown in Figure 2 Blade length (in the width direction of the photosensitive material): 170 mm Blade material: As shown in Table 2 below Blade installation angle: Average 45° Tip thickness: Average 2 mm Contact length: 5 mm Contact surface Pressure: 0.01kg/cm2

[0124]

[Table 2]

Under these conditions, the above photosensitive material (
Five sheets (width 127 mm x 7.9 m) were processed per day for 7 days, and the amount of liquid leaked from the pair of blades, water washability (photographic properties), transportability, and durability of the photosensitive material were investigated. Ta. The results are shown in Table 3 below. Note that these evaluation methods are as follows.

<Amount of liquid leakage> After draining the washing water in the multi-room washing tank, it was replaced with ion-exchanged water, and 40 g/l of EDTAFeNH4.2H2O was added as an additive in the processing chamber 6A.
After adding the additive and leaving it for 5 hours, the amount of the additive in the adjacent processing chamber 6B was analyzed (the amount of iron was analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy). From this analysis value, the amount of liquid leaked from the blade pair per hour was calculated.

<Water washability> Unexposed Fuji G color film type GF8703 manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. was sequentially treated with processing solutions CP-20P1 and CN-16N3 manufactured by the same company at 38°C for 2 minutes and 38°C for 1 minute, respectively. Then, after washing with water for 3 minutes, it was dried. This photosensitive material was passed through a multi-chamber water washing tank, and while still wet, the temperature was 60°C.
It was stored for 3 days in an environment with a humidity of 80% RH.

The transmission density (density of the green sensitive layer) DGL of the white background of the photographic material after storage was measured, and the value was evaluated as follows. ◎ ... DGL<0.06 ○ ... 0.06≦DGL<0.10△ ...
0.10≦DGL<0.15×...0.15≦D
GL

<Transportability> In processing a total of 35 sheets of the above-mentioned photosensitive material (5 sheets per day x 7 days), the state of passage thereof was examined and evaluated as follows. ○…All 35 sheets passed △…
All 35 sheets passed, but some slipped...
There is one or more items that did not pass.

<Durability> After processing a total of 3,500 sheets of the above photosensitive material, each blade was removed and examined for deterioration and deformation, and evaluated as follows. ○ … No deterioration or deformation △ … Slight deformation and wear × … Waving occurs at the blade contact area

[0131]

[Table 3]

As shown in Table 3, No. 2, 3, 4,
In both inventions No. 5 and No. 8, the amount of liquid leaking from the blade pair is extremely small, the water washability (photographic properties) of the photosensitive material is good, and the transportability and durability are also excellent.

[0133]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the squeezing function and sealing function of the pair of blades are fully exhibited, and the durability of the blade is also excellent, resulting in good processability and photographic properties. can be obtained continuously.

[0134] Therefore, it is possible to shorten the processing time, reduce the amount of replenishment of processing liquid and the amount of drained liquid, and downsize the apparatus.

[0135] In particular, when a soft blade is placed on the emulsion side of the photosensitive material, while maintaining the above effects,
It is possible to prevent scratches on the emulsion surface.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing a configuration example of a photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing a configuration example of a blade pair of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Photosensitive material processing equipment 2
Processing tank 3 Rack 31 Side plates 4, 5 Block bodies 6A to 6E Processing chambers 71 to 76 Passage 8 Conveyance roller 9
Guide 10 Reversing guide 11 Guide 12 Liquid supply pipe 13 Liquid drain pipe 15 Blade pair 15A Blade (hard) 15B
Blade (soft) 16
Base portion 17 Tip portion 18 Contact portion S Photosensitive material SE Emulsion surface W Washing water

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A pair of blades installed in the conveyance path of a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material so that their tips are in contact with each other, wherein the hardness of the contact portion between one blade and the other blade is A pair of blades that feature different features. 2. The blade pair according to claim 1, wherein the one blade and the other blade are arranged symmetrically with respect to a transport path of the silver halide photographic material. 3. The contact portion of the one blade and the contact portion of the other blade are determined according to JIS K63.
3. The blade pair according to claim 1, wherein the difference in rubber hardness defined by 01 is 20 degrees or more. 4. The contact portion of the one blade and the contact portion of the other blade have a bending modulus of elasticity of 2.
The blade pair according to claim 1 or 2, which is 5 times or more. Claim 5: Claim 1, wherein the blade having a soft contact portion is installed on the emulsion surface side of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material.
4. The blade pair according to any one of . 6. A photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material by immersing it in a processing solution, the processing tank having a processing space formed by connecting a plurality of processing chambers with narrow passages. A photosensitive material processing apparatus comprising: a blade pair according to any one of claims 1 to 5 installed in each of said passages.