JPH05119456A - Blade assembly and photosensitive material processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the transportability of a photosensitive material and to lower the generation rate of jamming. CONSTITUTION:The blade assembly 15 has block-shaped supporting members 16a, 16b and a narrow passage 20 in which the photosensitive material S passes is provided therebetween. Blades 17a, 17b are screwed respectively to blade supporting parts 161 of the supporting members 16a, 16b and the front ends 19 thereof come into tight contact with each other to shield the passage 20. A pair of rollers 23 as transporting members to regulate the movement of the photosensitive material S in its thickness direction are installed in the upper parts of the blades 17a, 17b. The distance L and pass resistance Fr are so adjusted as to satisfy equation 50<=Fr<1400.E.W/L<2> when the pass resistance when the photosensitive material S passes between the front ends 19 of the blades is designated as Fr[g], the distance between the contact point of the photosensitive material S with the rollers 23 and the contact point of the front ends 19 with each other as L[mm], the width of the photosensitive material S as W[mm], and the Young's modulus of the photosensitive material as E[X10<5>g/mm<2>].

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a blade assembly which has a passage through which a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material passes, and which shields this passage with a blade, and a light-sensitive material processing apparatus having the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material after exposure (hereinafter, simply referred to as a light-sensitive material or a light-sensitive material) is processed according to its type. For example, a color light-sensitive material is sequentially developed, bleached, fixed (or bleach-fixed), washed with water and stabilized.

For such processing, a photosensitive material processing apparatus such as an automatic developing machine is usually used, and a developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution (or a bleach-fixing solution) contained in each of a plurality of processing tanks provided in the apparatus. ), Immersing the light-sensitive material in the washing water and the stabilizing solution in sequence.

In recent years, development of a small-scale processing system using a small developing machine called a minilab has progressed, and film development and printing have come to be carried out not only at a developing station equipped with a large-sized developing machine but also at a photo shop or the like. ing.

In such a small-scale processing system, the processing can be performed easily and quickly, the replenishment amount and the drainage amount of the processing liquid can be further reduced, and the processing efficiency is high.
It has been a subject to obtain excellent photographic properties and to downsize the device.

However, at present, it is not easy to satisfy both of these problems. For example, regarding the rinsing process, if a multi-stage cascade rinsing method is adopted, the rinsing property is improved and good photographic properties are obtained, but the amount of rinsing water replenishment and drainage is large, and the apparatus becomes large. On the contrary, if the replenishment amount and the drainage amount of the washing water are reduced, the washing time must be lengthened in order to obtain good washing performance.

In order to solve such a problem, the applicant of the present application discloses a photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank having a processing chamber space formed by connecting a plurality of processing chambers with a narrow passage. (Japanese Patent Application No. 01-025132). According to this photosensitive material processing apparatus, by maintaining a favorable liquid composition gradient (concentration gradient) of the processing liquid in each processing chamber,
The processing efficiency of the photosensitive material is improved, and the replenishment amount of the processing liquid and the processing time can be shortened.

Further, the applicant of the present application discloses a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which a flexible blade for blocking the flow of the processing liquid is provided in each passage of the photosensitive material processing apparatus (patent application). No. 02-155667). In this photosensitive material processing device, a function of wiping off the liquid adhering to the surface of the photosensitive material when passing through it (hereinafter referred to as a squeeze function) and a function of interrupting the flow of the processing liquid (hereinafter referred to as a sealing function)
Is exhibited, the processing efficiency of the photosensitive material is further improved, and the replenishment amount of the processing liquid and the processing time can be further shortened.

By the way, the Japanese Patent Application No. 02-155667 mentioned above.
In the photosensitive material processing apparatus described in No. 1, in order to sufficiently exert the squeeze function and the sealing function, it is necessary to increase the contact surface pressure of the blade to some extent, and therefore, when the photosensitive material passes between the blades. Friction resistance (passing resistance) occurs. The photosensitive material is nipped and conveyed by a pair of rotating rollers, but the photosensitive material sent out from the rollers in front of the blades receives a compressive force in the photosensitive material conveyance direction due to the passage resistance when passing between the blades. , Buckle.

When such deformation due to buckling occurs, the photosensitive material becomes more difficult to pass between the blades, and the photosensitive material is bent and jamming occurs.

If the photosensitive material is bent and deformed before jamming, it may cause jamming when passing between rollers and blades thereafter.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a blade assembly and a photosensitive material processing apparatus capable of improving the transportability of the photosensitive material and reducing the occurrence rate of jamming accidents.

[0013]

The above objects are achieved by the present invention described in (1) to (4) below.

(1) A narrow passage through which a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material passes is formed, and a supporting member having a blade supporting portion and a blade supporting portion are installed on the blade supporting portion, and their tip portions are in contact with each other. A pair of blades that shield the passage, and a conveying member that is installed on the entrance side of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material of the passage and that conveys or assists the conveyance of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, The conveying member contacts one or both surfaces of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material to regulate movement of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in the thickness direction, and the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material passes between the blades. The passing resistance at the time is Fr [g],
The distance between the contact point of the transport member with the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material and the contact point between the blade tips is L [mm], the width of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is W [mm], and the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material A blade assembly characterized by satisfying the following formula when Young's modulus of the material is E [× 10 ⁵ g / mm ² ]. 50 ≦ Fr <1400 · E · W / L ²

(2) The blade assembly according to (1), wherein the L is 30 mm or less.

(3) The blade assembly according to (1) or (2), wherein the conveying member is a roller or a guide.

(4) A light-sensitive material processing apparatus which has a processing tank having a plurality of processing chambers and sequentially dipped silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials in the processing solutions contained in the respective processing chambers. The blade assembly according to any one of (1) to (3) is installed between processing chambers adjacent to each other in the passage direction of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, and the processing chamber is provided by a passage of the blade assembly. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that they are connected to each other.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A blade assembly and a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing a structural example 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 in the processing tank 2.

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

These block bodies 4 and 5 are made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), ABS resin, polyphenylene oxide (PP).
O), polyurethane resin, polyamide, polyacetal (POM), phenol resin, various resins such as fluororesin,
Carbon, various glasses, ceramics such as alumina, silica, apatite, stainless steel, Inconel, titanium,
It is made of a relatively hard material such as a titanium alloy or a metal having corrosion resistance such as Hastelloy. In particular, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, PPO, A from the viewpoint of excellent moldability, light weight, and sufficient strength.
It is preferably composed of plastics such as BS resin.

Although the blocks 4 and 5 are solid members in the illustrated example, they may be hollow members (for example, manufactured by blow molding).

A blade assembly 15 of the present invention, which will be described later, is inserted into the predetermined positions of the blocks 4 and 5 as described above. That is, the blade assembly 15 is adjacent to the photosensitive material S in the conveying direction, that is, in the vertical direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as "adjacent") processing chambers 6A and 6B, 6B and 6C and 6C.
It is installed between C and 6D and between 6D and 6E, respectively.

The blade assembly 15 is preferably installed in the rack 3 in a removable manner. Thus, for example, when cleaning or replacing the blades 17a and 17b, the blade assembly 15 can be easily attached and detached to perform this. In this case, the blade assembly 15
The blade assembly 15 is attached and detached by sliding the blade assembly 15 in the lateral direction in FIG. 1 while the rack 3 is pulled up above the processing tank 2.

The block bodies 4 and 5 and the blade assembly 15 as described above form five processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6E which are spaces for washing the photosensitive material S with water. The adjacent processing chambers are connected to each other by a narrow passage 20 formed in the blade assembly 15.

A processing space for the photosensitive material S is formed by the processing chambers 6A to 6E and the passage 20 as described above, and the processing space is filled with washing water Q.

In the structure shown in the figure, the volume of one processing chamber is preferably about 20 to 3000 ml.

Further, in the upper parts of the processing chambers 6A and 6E,
Passage 2 for loading and unloading photosensitive material S, respectively
Passages 71 and 72 similar to 0 are formed.

Each passage 20 has a pair of blades 17a,
17b is installed. This will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 1, processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6
A pair of transport rollers 8 are installed near the central portions of D and 6E, respectively, and three pairs of transport rollers 8 are installed in the processing chamber 6C. Further, a pair of conveying rollers 8 are installed above the passage 71 and above the passage 72, respectively.

Each of these conveying rollers 8 is rotatably supported by the side plates 31 and 31, and one or both of the roller pairs is driven and rotated by a drive system (not shown) so that the photosensitive material S is interposed between the rollers. The photosensitive material S is conveyed by sandwiching it.

A guide 9 for guiding the photosensitive material S is installed above or below the conveying roller 8 in the processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6D and 6E. This guide 9
It is composed of a pair of plate-shaped members, and is placed face-to-face with an interval through which the photosensitive material S can pass.

Further, between the transfer rollers 8 in the processing chamber 6C,
For example, the photosensitive material S is curved in an arc shape and along the curved portion.
A reversing guide 10 for reversing the direction is installed.

Further, curved plate-shaped guides 11 are installed between the passages 71 and 72 and the conveying roller 8 above them. With this guide 11,
The photosensitive material is turned about 90 degrees.

These guides 9 to 11 are made of, for example, molded plastic or metal plates. In addition, it is preferable that the guides 9 and 10 installed in the wash water Q have openings (not shown) penetrating the guides, and the openings are preferably arranged uniformly. By installing such an opening, the washing water Q can flow through the guide and the circulation of the liquid in the processing chamber is promoted.
The washing efficiency is improved.

The guides 9 to 11, the conveying roller 8 and its driving system, and a conveying member described later constitute a conveying means for the photosensitive material S.

The guides 9 to 11 may or may not be provided partially along the conveyance path as long as the conveyance of the photosensitive material S is not hindered.

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

The liquid supply pipe 12 is for supplying (replenishing) the rinse water Q, and the drain pipe 13 is for discharging the rinse water Q which has been exhausted after processing due to overflow or the like.

In such a photosensitive material processing apparatus 1, the washing water Q in the processing chambers 6A to 6E has an appropriate temperature (for example, 2).
A heater (not shown) for heating to 5 to 50 ° C. is installed.

As this heater, for example, an ordinary sheathed heater or a ceramics heater can be used, and a sheet heating element as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 02-223768 can also be used. Such a sheet heating element has high thermal efficiency, and because of its shape, it does not take up an installation space and contributes to downsizing of the device.

The position where the heater is installed is not particularly limited, and for example, any processing chamber of the processing chambers 6A to 6E, the inner surface of the processing tank 2, the surface of or inside the block bodies 4, 5, etc., each processing chamber. It can be installed in the circulation system (not shown) of the washing water or the replenishing system of the washing water installed in 6A to 6E. In particular, if the planar heating element is used, the installation position can be selected in a wide range, which is advantageous in design.

Further, in the present invention, any of the processing chambers 6A to 6A
A temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the washing water Q is installed in E, the temperature of the washing water Q is detected by this temperature sensor, and a control means (such as a microcomputer) based on the detected value ( (Not shown)
It is also possible to control N / OFF and the amount of heat generation.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional side view showing a structural example of the blade assembly of the present invention. This figure is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the lower part of the processing chamber 6A of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the blade assembly 15
Has a pair of block-shaped supporting members 16a and 16b, and a narrow passage 20 through which the photosensitive material S passes is formed between the supporting members 16a and 16b.

The width (effective slit width) Y of the passage 20 is about 5 to 100 times (about 0.5 to 10 mm), particularly about 10 to 40 times (about 1 to 4 mm) the thickness of the photosensitive material S. Preferably. With such a width, the photosensitive material S is transported without any trouble.

Further, in the illustrated structure, the length of the passage 20 is preferably about 10 to 200 mm, particularly about 10 to 30 mm.

As the constituent material of the support members 16a and 16b, the same materials as those of the blocks 4 and 5 can be used, and among them, particularly, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, PPO, ABS resin and the like can be used. Plastics are preferred.

The support members 16a and 16b may be integrally formed, or may be separate members fixedly, that is, connected at both end portions thereof so as to hold the width Y. ..

Photosensitive material S for supporting members 16a and 16b
Blades 17a and 17 to be described later, respectively.
A blade support portion 161 that supports and fixes b is formed. The blade support portion 161 includes the blade 17a,
It is formed by an inclined surface so that 17b can be supported in a preferable state.

The inclination angle of the blade supporting portion 161 (the angle formed by the direction in which the photosensitive material passes) defines the installation angle of the blades 17a and 17b, and is usually about 10 to 75 °, particularly 20 to 50 °. It is preferably about the same.

A pair of blades 17a and 17b are installed on both blade supporting portions 161. This blade 1
7a and 17b are composed of a base portion 18 and a thin-walled tip portion 19 whose thickness gradually decreases from the base portion 18 toward the tip, and the inner surfaces of both tip portions 19 contact (contact) with each other. Thus, it is supported and fixed by the base portion 18.

In the illustrated example, the blades 17a and 17b are fixed to the blade supporting portion 161 by tightening a screw 22 so that the inclined surface of the blade supporting portion 161 and the holding plate 21 press and clamp the base portion 18 of the blade. Done by.

The method of fixing the blades 17a and 17b to the blade supporting portion 161 is not limited to the screwing as shown in the drawing, but may be, for example, adhesion, fusion bonding, fitting, embedding, or integral molding (especially, when using different materials. It may be fixed by a method such as color extrusion molding).

In the illustrated example, the blades 17a, 1
The tip portion (thin portion) 19 of 7b has a shape such that the thickness thereof gradually decreases toward the tip, but the thickness may be substantially constant.

The constituent materials of the blades 17a and 17b are, for example, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, butyl rubber, fluororubber, butadiene rubber,
Various rubbers such as styrene butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, urethane rubber, polysulfide rubber, acrylic rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, silicone resin, soft polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene (especially medium density or low density P
E), polypropylene, fluororesins, ionomer resins, thermoresins, sunplanes, milastomers, soft resins such as elastomers such as Hytrel, and the like.

Of these, materials having excellent durability are preferable, and in this respect, urethane rubber, fluororesin, natural rubber, butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, polypropylene or the above various elastomers are preferable.

The rubber hardness of the blades 17a and 17b (JI
SK6301) is about 30 to 80 degrees, in particular,
It is preferably about 40 to 60 degrees.

The blades 17a and 17b having the above-described structure have the following effects. That is, when the photosensitive material S does not pass through, the tip portions 19 of the blades 17 a and 17 b come into close contact with each other, and substantially block the flow of the washing water Q in the passage 20. Further, when the photosensitive material S passes through, the photosensitive material S
The tip ends of the blades spread the tip portions 19 of the two blades that are in close contact with each other, and the photosensitive material S passes between them. At this time, the liquid adhering to the surface of the photosensitive material S is wiped off by sliding on the inner surface of the tip portion 19 and prevented from being carried into the next processing chamber.

A pair of rollers 23 are installed above the blades 17a and 17b in FIG. 2 as a transport member for transporting or assisting the transport of the photosensitive material S. The roller 23 is a freely rotating roller (idle roller), and the photosensitive material S passes between the rollers 23 while being in contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the rollers 23. When the photosensitive material S passes between the rollers 23, its movement in the thickness direction is restricted.

In the blade assembly 15 having such a structure, the passage resistance when the photosensitive material S passes between the tip portions 19 of the blades is Fr [g] and the photosensitive material S of the roller 23 is
The distance between the contact point with and the contact point between the blade tips 19 is L [mm], the width of the photosensitive material S is W [mm], and the Young's modulus of the photosensitive material S is E [× 10 ⁵ g / mm ² ]. At this time, the distance L and the passage resistance Fr are adjusted so as to satisfy the following equation. 50 ≦ Fr <1400 · E · W / L ²

As long as such a relationship is satisfied, the photosensitive material S is smoothly passed between the blades 17a and 17b,
The squeeze function and the sealing function of the blades 17a and 17b are sufficiently exhibited.

When the passage resistance Fr is 1400 · E · W / L ² or more, the photosensitive material S is deformed due to buckling, and jamming is likely to occur. Therefore, it is preferable that the distance L be as small as possible, that is, the distance L is 30 mm or less, and particularly 25 mm or less.

If the passage resistance Fr is less than 50 g, the contact surface pressure between the tips 19 of the blades 17a and 17b becomes low, and the squeeze function and the sealing function cannot be sufficiently obtained. In this case, the passage resistance Fr is 50 to 3
00g is preferable, and 75-150g is more preferable.

The contact surface pressure between the tip portions 19 of the blades 17a and 17b which gives such a passage resistance Fr depends on the constituent materials of the blades 17a and 17b and the properties of the inner surface of the tip portion 19, but is usually 0. About 0.001-0.1 kg / cm ² ,
Particularly, it is preferably about 0.005 to 0.02 kg / cm ² .

Although the Young's modulus E of the photosensitive material S depends on the type of the photosensitive material S, it is usually 1.0 to ⁵ × 10 ⁵ g / mm.
^{It is} about ² , especially about 1.1 to 4.0 × 10 ⁵ g / mm ² . The width W of the photosensitive material S is usually 20 to 300 mm.
It is about 89 to 259 mm, in particular.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional side view showing another structural example of the blade assembly of the present invention. The blade assembly 15 'shown in the figure is different from the blade assembly 15 shown in FIG.

The conveying member of the blade assembly 15 'is composed of a pair of guide plates 24 which are installed face-to-face with each other via the conveying path of the photosensitive material S. The distance between the two guide plates 24 gradually decreases along the conveying direction of the photosensitive material S, and in the vicinity of the tip 25, the distance between the two guide plates 24 is about the thickness of the photosensitive material S or the thickness of the photosensitive material S. It is slightly larger than that.

As a result, the photosensitive material S is transferred to both guide plates 24.
It passes between the guide plates 24 while being in contact with the inner surface of the tip portion 25 of the. When the photosensitive material S passes between the guide plates 24,
The movement in the thickness direction is restricted.

The guide plate 24 may have the same structure as the guides 9 and 10.

In the blade assembly 15 'having such a structure, the passing resistance when the photosensitive material S passes between the tip portions 19 of the blades is Fr [g] for the same reason as above.
], The distance between the contact point of the tip portion 25 of the guide plate 24 with the photosensitive material S and the contact point between the tip portions 19 of the blades is L [m
m], the width of the photosensitive material S is W [mm], and the Young's modulus of the photosensitive material S is E [× 10 ⁵ g / mm ² ], the distance L and the passage resistance Fr are adjusted so as to satisfy the following expressions. .. 50 ≦ Fr <1400 · E · W / L ²

In the present invention, the structure of the conveying member is not limited to the structure shown in FIGS.
For example, the transport member may be the transport roller 8 that rotates as shown in FIG. 1, and one side of the photosensitive material S,
Preferably, it may be a roller, a guide plate, or the like that contacts only the emulsion surface (photosensitive surface).

Next, the usage and operation of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the processing of the photosensitive material S is started, the washing water Q is supplied from the liquid supply pipe 12, and the processing space, that is, the processing chambers 6A to 6E and each passage 20 is filled with the washing water Q.

At this time, as described above, since the blades 17a and 17b block the flow of the washing water Q when the photosensitive material S is not passing, a sheet-like sheet which replaces the photosensitive material S in supplying the washing water Q is used. It is preferable that the washing water Q is smoothly supplied by transporting the item. In addition, each processing chamber 6A-
A liquid supply port (not shown) may be provided in each of 6E to fill the flush water Q.

Further, while the treatment space is filled with the rinsing water Q, a heater (not shown) is operated to control the temperature of the rinsing water Q.

In this state, when the photosensitive material S is carried into the passage 71 through the guide 11, at the same time, the liquid supply pipe 12
Then, replenishment of the washing water Q is started.

Thus, the replenishment of the washing water Q is started at the same time as the processing of the photosensitive material S is started by the blades 17a and 1a.
Since it has a sealing function of 7b,
This is because a gap of about the thickness of the photosensitive material S is formed on both sides of the tip end portion 19 in the width direction of the photosensitive material by entering the gap 7a and 17b, and the washing water Q flows through this gap.

When the washing water Q is replenished in the processing chamber 6E, an amount of the washing water Q which is almost the same as the replenishing amount is supplied from the processing chamber 6E to the passage 20.
Flow through the processing chambers 6D, 6C, 6B and 6A in this order, and are discharged from the drain pipe 13 by overflow.

On the other hand, the photosensitive material S is conveyed in the order of the processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6E as shown by the arrow in FIG. Therefore, the flow direction of the washing water Q is
This is the opposite direction (counterflow) to the conveyance direction of. This also improves the washing efficiency.

When the photosensitive material S moves through the passage 20 to the adjacent processing chamber, it passes between the blades 17a and 17b installed near the entrance side of the passage 20, but the passage resistance Fr of the blade and the distance Since L is set so as to satisfy the above expression, the photosensitive material S can be passed smoothly and satisfactorily.

When the processing is completed and the photosensitive material S is carried out from the passage 72 above the processing chamber 6E, the replenishment of the washing water Q is stopped at the same time.

In such a case, each of the processing chambers 6A to 6A due to the carry-in of the chemicals adhering to the photosensitive material S from the prebath, etc.
The degree of contamination of the washing water Q at E is determined by the blade 17a,
Due to the squeeze function of 17b, the carry-in from the previous processing chamber to the subsequent processing chamber is extremely reduced, and since the blades 17a and 17b have an excellent liquid blocking property, further, as described above, Wash water Q
Is supplied, the processing chamber 6A has the largest size, and the processing chambers 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E gradually decrease.
Then, such a concentration gradient (liquid composition gradient) in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E is maintained extremely well.

Therefore, the washing efficiency is remarkably improved, and as a result, excellent photographic properties (sensitivity, gradation, etc.) are obtained, and the processing time is shortened and the washing water Q replenishment amount and drainage amount are reduced. Can be planned.

The replenishment amount may be about the flow amount determined by the gap formed when the photosensitive material S passes through the blades 17a and 17b.

Such a replenishment amount mainly includes the number of processing chambers (the number of passages), the materials of the blades 17a and 17b, physical characteristics (rubber hardness, shore hardness, bending elastic 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, and the conveying speed. Taking the case of processing color paper (thickness 0.24 mm) in the configuration of FIG. 1 as an example,
The result is shown in Table 1 below.

[0087]

[Table 1]

The replenishment amount illustrated in Table 1 is about 20 to 70% of the replenishment amount as compared with the conventional case, and even with such a small replenishment amount, stains are not generated at all due to poor washing with water.

In the light-sensitive material processing apparatus 1 of the present invention, the washing efficiency can be improved, and as a result, the processing chambers 6A to 6E are
The volume and the like can be reduced, which contributes to downsizing of the device 1.

Further, when the photosensitive material S is not passed (at the time of non-processing), the flow of the wash water Q between the adjacent processing chambers is substantially blocked by the blades 17a and 17b, so that the wash water Q is mixed. 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 the treatment is suspended for a long period of time and then restarted, the washing water Q in each treatment chamber
Since the concentration gradient of is maintained well, an efficient washing treatment can be immediately performed.

The control of the replenishment timing and the replenishment amount in the above may be performed by using a known control method and means.

The blade assembly of the present invention is not limited to the case where it is installed in the processing tank having the structure shown in FIG. For example, the processing tank in which the blade assembly is installed has a narrow continuous processing path (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-23).
No. 0144), or can be applied to a conventionally known single box type treatment tank, multistage cascade water washing system, and the like.

In the above, an example in which the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a water washing processing apparatus has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the same action and effect can be obtained even when applied to stabilization processing. It can also be applied to other processes such as development, bleaching, bleach-fixing, fixing, adjusting, reversing and stopping.

Incidentally, the processing having the function of washing out unnecessary substances in the photosensitive material S (eg, stabilizing, fixing, adjusting, reversing, etc.) may be the same as that of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1.

Further, in the case of a processing solution containing a compound which reacts with silver halide in the light-sensitive material S such as a developing solution, a bleaching solution, a bleach-fixing solution, a fixing solution, the flow of the processing solution is different from that of the washing water. In order to improve the processing efficiency, it is preferable that the photosensitive material S is in the same direction (parallel flow) as the conveying direction. As for the processing liquid having a fixing function, a counter flow may be used because it has an effect of washing out unnecessary substances in the photosensitive material S as described above.

Even in the case of various processing apparatuses other than such a water washing, the squeeze function and sealing function of the blades 17a and 17b can be obtained in the same manner as the water washing processing, and in any case, the processing efficiency is improved and the photographic property is improved. In addition, the processing time can be shortened, the replenishment amount can be reduced, and the device can be downsized.

Various processing solutions such as washing water, stabilizing solution, black-and-white developing solution, color developing solution, bleaching solution, fixing solution, bleach-fixing solution, stop solution, adjusting solution and reversing solution used in the light-sensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. May be any known one, and the details of these processing solutions are described in "Basics of Photographic Engineering" edited by The Photographic Society of Japan, published by Corona Publishing Co., Ltd. (1979) P299 "Chapter 4 Development Processing", etc. Can be referred to.

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

The light-sensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention is, for example, various light-sensitive material processing apparatuses such as an automatic developing machine, a wet copying machine, a printer processor, a video printer processor, a photographic print making coin machine, and a color paper processing machine for plate inspection. Can be applied to.

Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated configuration examples, the present invention is not limited to these.

[0101]

Experimental Example A specific experimental example of the present invention will be described below.

(Invention Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4) The photosensitive material processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 having the blade assembly having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 was prepared, and the apparatus shown in Table 2 below was used. 100 sheets of each of the light-sensitive materials (color papers) shown below were continuously washed with water, and the occurrence rate of jamming was examined.

The constituent material of the blade used was natural rubber, and the blade passage resistance Fr was appropriately changed by adjusting the contact surface pressure of the blade.

The blade passage resistance Fr and the Young's modulus E of the photosensitive material in Table 2 are values obtained by actual measurement.

[0105]

[Table 2]

As shown in Table 2, in each of Examples 1 to 4 of the present invention, the occurrence rate of jamming is extremely low as compared with Comparative Examples 1 to 4.

[0107]

As described above, according to the present invention, the photosensitive material can be smoothly passed between the blades, so that the transportability of the photosensitive material can be improved and the occurrence rate of the jamming accident can be reduced. it can.

Moreover, the squeeze function and the sealing function of the blade are sufficiently exerted, and good processability and photographic property can be continuously obtained, and the processing time can be shortened and the replenishment amount and drainage amount of the treatment liquid can be reduced. , And the device can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

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

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing another configuration example of the blade assembly of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photosensitive material processing apparatus 2 Processing tank 3 Rack 31 Side plate 4, 5 Block body 6A-6E Processing chamber 71, 72 Passage 8 Conveying roller 9 Guide 10 Inversion guide 11 Guide 12 Liquid supply pipe 13 Drainage pipe 15, 15 'Blade assembly Solid 16a, 16b Support member 161 Blade support 17a, 17b Blade 18 Base 19 Tip 20 Passage 21 Presser plate 22 Screw 23 Roller 24 Guide plate 25 Tip S S Photosensitive material Q Wash water

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A support member which forms a narrow passage through which a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material passes and which has a blade support portion, and which is installed in the blade support portion, and the tips of which are in contact with each other. A pair of blades that shield the passage, and a conveyance member that is installed on the entrance side of the passage for the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material and that conveys or assists the conveyance of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material. The member controls the movement in the thickness direction of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material by contacting with one side or both sides of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, and when the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material passes between the blades. Of Fr [g], the distance between the contact point of the transport member with the silver halide photographic material and the contact point between the blade tips is L [mm], and the silver halide photographic material W [mm] width of, when the Young's modulus of the silver halide photographic material as ^{E [× 10 5 g / mm} 2], blade assembly being characterized in that so as to satisfy the following formula. 50 ≦ Fr <1400 · E · W / L ² 2. The blade assembly according to claim 1, wherein the L is 30 mm or less. 3. The blade assembly according to claim 1, wherein the conveying member is a roller or a guide. 4. A light-sensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank having a plurality of processing chambers, wherein a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is sequentially dipped in a processing solution contained in each processing chamber for processing. The blade assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is installed between processing chambers adjacent to each other in the passage direction of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, and the processing chambers are connected by a passage of the blade assembly. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that