JPH05281692A - Photosensitive material processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a photosensitive material processing device capable of easily and accurately judging the performance of processing liquid for developing a photosensitive material. CONSTITUTION:This device incorporates the undeveloped photosensitive material 21 in which content Dmax-LD capable of judging the processing performance of the processing liquid by performing developing is previously exposed, an is provided with a magazine 11 which cools and houses the material 21 to prevent dew condensation. Then, it is provided with an exposing means which houses an unexposed photosensitive material instead of the undeveloped photosensitive material and exposes the content Dmax-LD capable of judging the processing performance in the unexposed photosensitive material.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for developing a light-sensitive material such as an exposed photographic film by immersing it in a processing solution. The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus configured so that it can be discriminated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A photosensitive material processing apparatus for developing an exposed photographic photosensitive material such as a photographic film or printing paper is constructed so that the photosensitive material is sequentially dipped in various processing solutions to perform the developing processing. There is. Performance of various processing liquids is deteriorated due to consumption of processing liquid components as the photosensitive material is processed, and performance is deteriorated due to oxidation due to contact with air. Therefore, the replenishment liquid containing a large amount of the consumed components is appropriately replenished to restore the performance of the treatment liquid. Further, the performance of the processing liquid is deteriorated due to unexpected contamination (contamination) of the different processing liquid in a certain processing liquid. However, such performance deterioration due to the mixing of the different processing liquid is simply supplemented with the replenisher. It is often impossible to recover just by doing so, and it is necessary to replace the entire processing liquid (mother liquid) in the deteriorated tank with new liquid.

Regarding the deterioration of the processing solution due to the processing of the photosensitive material, by recognizing the processing amount of the photosensitive material, and regarding the deterioration of the performance over time, the running time, the unprocessed temperature control time, etc. are measured to some extent. Can be grasped. However, since it is not known when deterioration of the processing solution performance due to contamination will occur, it is necessary to inspect the processing solution regularly. As a specific method for inspecting the processing liquid, for example, there is a method of using a control strip that has been exposed in advance to determine the content such that the maximum density, the minimum density, and the contrast can be judged by the development processing. For example, after developing the control strip, by observing the color development state of the maximum density portion and the minimum density portion and the reproduction state of the contrast, it is possible to determine which processing liquid has deteriorated the performance and to what extent.

[0004]

As described above, the control strip is a material for judging the processing performance, and therefore must have high reliability. However, the latent image formed on the control strip, in other words, the content for determining the maximum density, the minimum density, etc., has a high temperature-humidity dependency, and if this is stored at room temperature and normal humidity, especially at high temperature and high humidity, The image changes, and even if it is developed, an accurate reference image cannot be reproduced, and the performance of each processing liquid cannot be accurately determined. Therefore, the control strip needs to be stored under low temperature and low humidity.

Therefore, conventionally, the control strip is stored at a low temperature in a freezer, and if necessary, in other words, when the processing performance of the processing liquid is judged, the control strip is taken out from the freezer and mounted on a processing device each time. I had been developing it since then. Here, the cooled control strip is placed at room temperature at the moment when it is taken out from the freezer or the refrigerator. When the control strip is taken out from the freezer at room temperature, the control strip is cold and water drops adhere to the surface.
If the development processing is performed as it is using this, an accurate reference image cannot be reproduced due to the influence of water droplets adhering to the surface. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the control strip from the packaging material after allowing the entire packaging material of the control strip to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or more, and the performance of the treatment liquid cannot be determined easily and quickly.

Moreover, this method requires a freezer or a refrigerator, and in particular, in order to efficiently perform the above work, a dedicated freezer or refrigerator must be installed near the processing apparatus. Further, when judging the processing performance, it is very inconvenient to attach and remove the control strip each time. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus configured to easily and accurately judge the performance of a processing solution for processing a photosensitive material.

[0007]

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following items (1) to (5). (1) In a light-sensitive material processing apparatus that conveys an exposed photographic light-sensitive material, immerses it in a processing solution, and develops it, an image having a content capable of determining the processing performance of the processing solution by developing is not exposed in advance. 1. A photosensitive material processing apparatus, characterized in that it contains a developing photosensitive material so as to be conveyed to a developing processing section, and has means for selectively switching the photosensitive material to be developed.

(2) In a light-sensitive material processing apparatus in which an exposed photographic light-sensitive material is immersed in a processing solution for development processing, an image having a content capable of judging the processing performance of the processing solution by development processing is not previously exposed. A built-in developing photosensitive material, temperature and humidity adjusting means for adjusting the temperature and humidity in the storing means of the undeveloped photosensitive material, and the processing performance judgment of the processing liquid by the undeveloped photosensitive material. A photosensitive material processing apparatus, comprising: a control means for controlling temperature and humidity adjusting means to prevent dew condensation on the undeveloped photosensitive material.

(3) In a photosensitive material processing apparatus for carrying an exposed photographic light-sensitive material, immersing it in a processing solution, and developing it, an unexposed light-sensitive material is built into the developing processing section so that it can be carried, and An apparatus for processing a photosensitive material, comprising: an exposing unit that exposes an image that causes a predetermined density difference after the developing process for the exposed photosensitive material; and a unit that selectively switches the photosensitive material to be developed.

(4) In a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which an exposed photographic photosensitive material is immersed in a processing solution for development processing, an unexposed photosensitive material is incorporated and the unexposed photosensitive material is treated with the processing solution. An apparatus for processing a photosensitive material, comprising: an exposing means for exposing an image of which the performance can be judged; and a means for selectively switching a photosensitive material to be developed.

(5) In a light-sensitive material processing apparatus in which an exposed photographic light-sensitive material is immersed in a processing solution for development processing, an undeveloped light-sensitive material for processing performance judgment is built in, and at a time preset by a timer, A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that the undeveloped photosensitive material is automatically supplied to a processing unit for development processing, and processing performance is automatically judged.

[0012]

According to the above-mentioned photosensitive material processing apparatus, the undeveloped photosensitive material, which is exposed with the image of the content of which the processing performance of the processing liquid can be judged, is built in. Therefore, the undeveloped photosensitive material is mounted every time the processing performance is judged. Therefore, the processing performance can be easily determined. Here, the contents by which the processing performance of the processing liquid can be determined and the undeveloped photosensitive material exposed by the contents will be described. As an undeveloped light-sensitive material which has been exposed to light so that the processing performance of the processing liquid can be judged, there is a photographic film 1 in which the densities D _max , D _min , HD and LD are formed for each frame by exposure as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the deterioration of the performance of the processing liquid appears as changes in gradation, sensitivity and fog. When the processing time variation of the color developing solution, which is an example of the processing solution, is shown, the gradation obtained by the density difference between HD and LD (HD-LD) changes as shown in FIG. The sensitivity obtained is shown in Fig. 1.
It changes as shown in 0 (b). Further, the fog obtained by the density D _min changes as shown in FIG. Also, regarding the processing temperature fluctuation of the color developing solution,
The gradation obtained by the density difference between HD and LD (HD-LD) fluctuates as shown in FIG.
It fluctuates as shown in 1 (b). The fog obtained by the density D _min changes as shown in FIG.

As is clear from the above data, the change in gradation is most noticeable with respect to the change in processing time and processing temperature. Further, the inventor of the present application also conducted experiments on stirring of the color developing solution, pH fluctuation, and further concentration fluctuation, and confirmed that the gradation change was most remarkable in all cases. According to such an experimental result, when the processing performance of the processing liquid is determined, the processing performance regarding gradation may be determined, and the processing liquid may be supplemented or replaced. Therefore, as a content capable of determining the processing performance, at least a density difference capable of determining the gradation is formed by exposing a photosensitive material, for example, a photographic film for photography by exposure, and the photosensitive material is immersed in a processing solution for development processing.
The processing performance of the processing liquid was judged by knowing the difference in gradation.

On the other hand, if the light-sensitive material is stored in a cooled state and the dew condensation on the surface is not prevented, the difference in gradation cannot be accurately expressed during the development process. Then, the invention which performs the following actions was made. That is, since the temperature / humidity adjusting means for storing the undeveloped photosensitive material exposed with the image of the content of which the processing performance of the processing liquid can be judged in the cooling state and the control means for preventing dew condensation are provided in the photosensitive material processing apparatus, The determination can be made extremely stably and accurately. Moreover, it was found that the performance of the photosensitive material does not change even if the humidity is kept low, even if the temperature is not lowered like in a freezer.
As long as the temperature can be lowered to the refrigerator level, the deterioration of the photosensitive material can be prevented, and a practical level device can be easily manufactured.

Further, since the unexposed light-sensitive material is built in the light-sensitive material processing apparatus and the image exposing means for producing a predetermined density difference in the light-sensitive material is provided, the light-sensitive material which has been previously exposed is not processed. It is possible to judge the processing performance of the liquid. That is, the unexposed photosensitive material by the exposure means,
For example, if the concentrations of HD and LD are formed, the exposure and the processing performance of the processing liquid can be judged in one step in the processing apparatus, which is very convenient. Further, since the unexposed photosensitive material is incorporated in the photosensitive material processing apparatus, and the photosensitive material is provided with an exposing means for exposing a content capable of judging the processing performance, for example, an image that develops the density shown in FIG. It is possible to expose in the processing apparatus an image having contents such that not only gradation but also sensitivity and fogging can be judged.

The operation of judging the processing performance using the above-mentioned photosensitive material may be started by an operator manually operating a specific switch, and the processing is periodically performed at a predetermined time while measuring the date and time by a timer. The performance judgment operation may be automatically started. For example, the processing device is controlled by a calendar timer so that the power is turned on every morning, and when the temperature of the processing liquid rises to the set value and enters the standby state,
It is controlled so as to automatically start the processing operation of the processing performance determination. Further, the processing performance judgment operation is temporarily ended by developing the photosensitive material having a latent image of a predetermined pattern, but the image density of the developed photosensitive material is read, and the deterioration of the processing performance is automatically judged from the read density. can do. For this purpose, the processing device preferably comprises a concentration measuring device. For example, in the case of a photographic film developing device for photography, a density measuring device may be provided in the film transport path after drying, and the developing device for photographic film for photography is integrated with a printing device for printing paper. With the configuration, the density measuring device normally provided in the printing device may be used.

Further, it is preferable to display or execute the action necessary for correcting the processing performance after determining the deterioration of the processing performance by the above-mentioned density measurement. In this case, when determining the processing performance, the normal concentration value or the measured concentration value of the previous day is stored, and the deviation amount from the normal value and the tendency of change are determined by comparing these with the measured value. , Determine the required action. For example, if the processing performance is lowered so that it can be recovered by adjusting the replenishment amount of the processing liquid, the replenishment amount is adjusted according to the judgment result of the processing performance.
With a configuration that automatically corrects for deterioration in processing performance, the operator only needs to periodically replace the photosensitive material for processing performance judgment, unless there is a serious failure, and work for performance management can be performed. No longer needed. In this case, if the undeveloped light-sensitive material is made sufficiently long, maintenance by a service person only once every several weeks to several months will suffice.

During this period, the photosensitive material for judging the processing performance is stored in a cooled state according to the present invention, so that the latent image is prevented from receding and the characteristics of the photosensitive material are not changed. Therefore, it is preferable that the photosensitive material cooling means is controlled to always operate even when the operation of the processing device is stopped. In addition, when a manual correction action is required, the display unit of the processing device displays the fact and procedure. In addition, a communication line is connected to the processing device, and the result of the above processing performance judgment and abnormal contents (particularly, performance degradation that is difficult for general operators to recover) are automatically communicated to the processing device service center by communication. By sending the information, the service person can be contacted quickly and the repair work can be performed efficiently. Furthermore, the downtime of the device can be minimized.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
An embodiment will be described. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the photosensitive material processing device, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a magazine for cooling and storing the control strip, and FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a control device for controlling the cooling operation. In the description of this embodiment, the overall structure of the photosensitive material processing apparatus will be described first, and then the magazine for cooling and storing will be described.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus 100 is constructed so as to pull out the photographed color photographic film 1 from the cartridge 2 and develop it. In other words, the magazine is mounted near the loading position of the cartridge 2, in other words, the loading position. 11 is provided. The configuration and operation of the magazine 11 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. The drawn-out film 1 is supplied to a developing tank or the like which will be described later by a guide portion and a conveying roller, but in the present embodiment, illustration and description of the guide portion and the like are omitted.

Inside the housing 101, from left to right, a developing tank 105, a bleaching tank 106, a fixing tank 107,
Three washing tanks 108 and a drying unit 109 are installed in order. In each tank from the developing tank 105 to the washing tank 108, as shown in a part of the developing tank 105, the transport roller 1
Although 11 is provided, the illustration is omitted. The pulled-out film 1 is immersed in a developing solution while being conveyed by a conveying roller 111 and a reversing roller 112 provided in the developing tank 105. The film 1 immersed in the developer is
It is conveyed to the bleaching tank 106 by a conveying roller and a reversing roller 112 (not shown), immersed in the bleaching tank 106, subjected to a bleaching process, and then conveyed to the fixing tank 107. Then, the film 1 immersed in the fixing solution is conveyed to the washing tank 108, and the film 1 immersed in the three washing tanks 108 and washed is conveyed to the drying section 109.

The film 1 is immersed in each processing solution in each tank, but the transport path of the film 1 is formed in a slit shape, and the transport roller 111 and the reversing roller 112 transport the film 1 in the slit. Drying section 109
Is configured to blow hot air into the transport path of the film 1 as indicated by an arrow. The film 1 dried by the hot air is discharged from the automatic developing device 100 or is not shown. Supplied to the printing device. In this way, the ordinary exposed film 1 pulled out from the cartridge 2 is conveyed in each processing tank below the developing tank 105 and sequentially immersed in each processing solution to be subjected to the development processing. During this period, the treatment performance of each treatment liquid is deteriorated due to aging and use, and the treatment performance is deteriorated due to contamination.

Therefore, the control strip is used to judge the treatment performance of the treatment liquid. In the present embodiment, in order to make the judgment of the treatment performance accurately and easily,
A magazine 11 for storing the control strip while cooling was provided in the processing device 100. When the processing performance is determined, the film drawn from the magazine 11 is transferred to each processing tank below the developing tank 105 instead of the film 1 drawn from the cartridge 2 and developed.

The magazine 11 is roughly divided into a storage section 12 for storing the control strip 21 so that the control strip 21 can be pulled out, and a cooling section 13 for cooling the inside of the storage section 12. A photosensitive material such as a photographic film is applied to the control strip 21, and each frame is shown in FIG.
The densities D _max , D _min , HD, and LD as shown in are continuously exposed. The densities D _{max to} LD are latent images formed to have gradation by exposure. Then, when the performance of the processing liquid is judged, the control strip 21 is pulled out, the length corresponding to one set of the concentrations D _{max to} LD is cut, and the processing liquid is conveyed toward the developing tank 105 described with reference to FIG. To do.

The cooling unit 13 comprises an outside air introducing unit 14, a thermoelectric cooling device 15, and a heat radiating unit 16. The outside air introducing unit 14 is provided with an intake fan 17, and the heat radiating unit 16 is provided with a heat radiating fan 18. There is. Further, at a position directly below the thermoelectric cooling device 15, a discharge unit 19 that discharges water droplets condensed on the surface of the thermoelectric cooling device 15 is provided. Further, a Peltier element is applied to the thermoelectric cooling device 15, and the temperature control thereof will be described later with reference to FIG.

The operation of the magazine 11 will be described. The thermoelectric cooling device 15 absorbs heat on the side of the outside air introducing section 14 by energization and radiates it to the side of the heat radiating section 16. Therefore, the intake fan 1
The outside air sucked by the drive of 7 is cooled while passing by the side of the thermoelectric cooling device 15 and is sent to the storage unit 12. As a result, the temperature inside the storage unit 12 decreases, and the water in the outside air is cooled and condensed by the device 15 and removed to the outside of the system. As a result, the storage portion 12 is kept at a low temperature, the control strip 21 is stored in a cooled state, and quality deterioration such as latent image change is prevented. The remaining low-humidity and low-temperature outside air passes through the gap between the conveying drive roller and the cutter 36 and escapes, so that the control strip 21 does not condense. On the other hand, if the heat absorbed by the thermoelectric cooling device 15 is retained on the heat radiating portion 16 side, the cooling effect decreases. Therefore, in this embodiment, the heat dissipation fan 18 is driven to dissipate heat to the outside of the processing apparatus 100, so that cooling is efficiently performed.

That is, according to this embodiment, the control strip 21 is housed in the processing apparatus 100 and cooled so as to maintain a predetermined quality. Also,
When the thermoelectric cooling device 15 is activated to cool the air,
The saturated water vapor content of the air is reduced to remove moisture. As a result, the cooled and dehumidified air is blown into the storage portion 12, and the control strip 21 is stored and stored in a cooled and dry atmosphere. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of quality due to the temperature of the control strip 21 and the adverse effect on the processing determination due to dew condensation.

Since dew condensation occurs on the surface of the thermoelectric cooling device 15 as the air is cooled, a discharge part 19 for discharging the condensed moisture is provided just below the thermoelectric cooling device 15 so that the moisture can be appropriately discharged. did. Therefore, the control strip 21 is cooled to a desired temperature and stored at a low humidity, and no dew condensation occurs on the surface of the control strip 21. As a result, the judgment of the processing liquid performance by the control strip 21 is performed very well.

Next, the control device will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 31 is the housing 10 of the processing apparatus 100.
It is provided in No. 1 and is composed of operation keys, a display, and the like. The control circuit 32 is composed of a CPU and comprehensively controls the entire processing apparatus 100. In this embodiment, an operation of determining processing performance will be described. The memory circuit 33 stores control data for developing the film 1 and data such as the timing for determining the processing performance of the processing liquid. When the temperature of the storage unit 12 is set by the control unit 31, a control signal is supplied from the control circuit 32 to the drive circuit that drives the thermoelectric cooling device 15, and the storage unit 12 is cooled. The temperature inside the storage unit 12 is detected by the temperature sensor 22, and the detection signal is supplied to the control unit 32. Then, after the temperature and humidity inside the storage unit 12 have dropped to the set temperature and humidity, the temperature is stabilized by, for example, time proportional control.

The control circuit 32 drives the intake fan 17 and the heat radiation fan 18 when the temperature control is started, and the storage unit 12
The inside is cooled, in other words, the control strip 21 is cooled efficiently. By the way, when the temperature of the thermoelectric cooling device 15 is controlled to about −15 ° C.,
The temperature inside the storage portion 12 drops to about -5 ° C, and the temperature sensor 22 and the control circuit 32 keep the temperature within a predetermined error. In this state, the humidity in the storage section 12 was a value substantially close to 0% RH. When the processing performance of the processing liquid is not judged by the control strip 21, the control circuit 32 drives the film transporting means 34 to transport the film 1 shown in FIG. In this case, the control strip transport means 35 that controls the transport of the control strip 21 is controlled to stop operating.

On the other hand, when the processing of the processing liquid is judged, a control signal is supplied to the control circuit 32 by the operation of the control section 31 to stop the operation of the film transport means 34, and
The control strip transport means 35 is driven. As a result, instead of the film 1, the control strip 21
Is pulled out from the storage portion 12, and a cutter 36 is pulled out after pulling out a predetermined length, that is, the concentration D _{max to} LD in this embodiment.
Drive to disconnect. The pulling-out of the control strip 21 and the cutting of the predetermined length by the cutter 36 are performed based on the data stored in the memory circuit 33.
The cut control strip 21 is used for the developing tank 10.
It is sequentially conveyed to each processing tank of 5 or less, and development processing is performed. In the present embodiment, it is possible to know the gradation, sensitivity and fog by the developed control strip 21, and it is possible to judge the processing performance of the processing liquid based on these.

The timing for determining the processing performance of the processing liquid does not depend on the input from the control section 31, and the data stored in the memory circuit 33 and the date and time after the development processing of the predetermined number of films 1 are performed. It can also be automatically performed by referring to the measurable calendar timer 122. For example,
The memory circuit 33 stores a regular start date and time, time, and the like, and the timer 122 measures the date and time so that the processing performance is periodically determined at the same time every morning, and the processing performance is regularly performed every several days. It can operate to determine performance. Further, when it is found that contamination has occurred, the transport of the film 1 can be stopped and the control strip 21 can be transported. After developing the control strip 21, the operator can visually judge the processing performance based on the development, but it is preferable to automatically judge the processing performance and correct the deterioration of the processing performance.

For example, if a densitometer 120 is provided after the drying process so that the image density of the control strip 21 can be read as shown in FIG. 1, the processing performance can be automatically judged. The photosensitive material processing apparatus 1
If 00 is integrated with a printing device for printing on photographic paper, the densitometer provided in the printing device can be used as it is. In order to automatically judge the processing performance, it is necessary to store reference data (density value or the like) in the memory 33. Therefore, the normal value of the density is stored in the memory 33, and it is possible to judge the deterioration state of the processing performance from the difference between the measured value and the normal value. In addition, the concentration measured every day or every few days is stored in the memory 33, and by comparing the value with the latest measured value, the tendency of performance change and the like can be judged from the difference (deviation amount). You can For example, it is possible to determine whether color development is becoming insufficient, fog is increasing, or sensitivity is decreasing.

Further, it is preferable that the correction operation corresponding to the determined deterioration of the processing performance is continuously performed automatically. For example, if there is a performance degradation that can be resolved by correction (increase / decrease) of the processing liquid replenishment amount, processing temperature, transport speed, etc., these set values are corrected and the means related to these elements are reset. It may be operated based on the value. By performing the automatic correction operation for such deterioration in processing performance, the operator is freed from low-level maintenance. Further, in the case of a correction operation that is difficult to automatically perform, it is preferable to display the content of the correction operation on the display unit of the apparatus so as to prompt the operator to perform the operation. In particular, if a work that can only be done manually, such as exchanging the processing liquid (mother liquor) in the processing tank, is essential, the operator can display a message to that effect and issue a warning sound, and Make it easier to recognize abnormalities.

Further, if there is a performance deterioration or abnormality that can only be solved by a service engineer or other expert, the fact is displayed on the display unit, but a communication line is connected to the processing unit. It is preferable to provide a wireless transmission device so as to be able to directly transmit a drop in power consumption or abnormality to a service center. This saves the operator the trouble of contacting the service center, and at the service center, it is possible to quickly and surely recognize what kind of abnormality occurs in which device in which area. Therefore, dispatch of a service person can be arranged promptly, and the abnormal state of the processing apparatus or the continuous stop state of the apparatus due to the abnormality can be minimized.

In the embodiment described above, the control strip 21 is formed by exposing the latent image shown in FIG. 9 so that the gradation, sensitivity and fog can be known. It is not limited to the above.
That is, in the performance of the film 1 and the control strip 21, if the temperature, time, and agitation of the processing liquid, which are the development factors of the processing apparatus 100, are constant, the gradation and the sensitivity have a correlation. Therefore, even if the light source changes, the gradation can be measured if the characteristic curve of the light amount vs. sensitivity is a straight line portion as shown in FIG. 4, and the deviation of the photographic property can be managed by the gradation. Then, paying attention to the fact that the processing performance of the processing liquid appears remarkably in terms of gradation, the control strip 21 is shown in FIG.
Alternatively, a latent image as shown in FIG. 6 may be formed.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, three types of density D (0,
The latent image C is exposed by the transmitted light of the density D = 0 portion, and the latent image B is exposed by the transmitted light of the density D = 1 portion. Then, the latent image A is exposed by the transmitted light of the portion having the density D = 2. Then, if the density difference ΔD of each image after the development processing is obtained, it becomes the gradation. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the density difference is set to three levels, so ΔD = CB−BA = BA = (C−
A) / 2 can be calculated. Further, the example shown in FIG. 6 is exposed by the light transmitted through the wedge having two types of density D (0,1), and the latent image C is exposed by the transmitted light of the density D = 0 portion. The latent image B is exposed by the transmitted light of the portion having the density D = 1. In this case, since the density difference is two steps, an error may occur as compared with the case of three steps, but the gradation can be known in the same manner as described above, and the processing performance of the processing liquid can be determined by the gradation. You can judge.

In the above embodiment, the control strip 21 on which the latent image is formed is stored in the magazine 11. However, the latent image may be exposed if necessary after storing the unexposed photosensitive material. Good. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the exposing means 41 is provided on the drawer side of the housing portion 12, and a latent image is formed by the exposing means 41 on the leading end of the unexposed film drawn from the housing portion 12 to form a control strip. ..

The exposure means 41 includes a light source 42 and a condenser lens 4.
3. Exposure plate (filter, mask, etc.) 44 for forming a latent image
Etc. The exposure plate 44 is composed of, for example, a glass plate, and has a member that exposes an image having a content such that the sensitivity, gradation, and fogging can be determined as described with reference to FIG. 9, or the gradation as shown in FIGS. A member for exposing a known image is attached so as to be movable along the transport direction of the control strip 21. Therefore,
When the processing performance of the processing liquid is judged, the unexposed film serving as the control strip 21 is pulled out, and is temporarily stopped at a position where one frame is exposed to the exposure means 41. Then, after the light source 42 is turned on to perform exposure for one frame, the unexposed film and the exposure plate 44 are transported for one frame.

By repeating this exposure operation, the density shown in FIG. 9 and the density shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are exposed to form an unexposed film on the control strip 21. That is,
By providing the exposure means 41 in the processing apparatus 100,
It is possible to perform exposure of a latent image of which the processing performance can be judged on the film stored in the unexposed state and an image which causes a gradation, that is, a predetermined density difference. According to this configuration,
It is not necessary to always prepare the control strip 21 that has been exposed in advance, and the processing performance of the processing liquid can be judged by using a normal photographic film.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the storage section 12 is cooled, but cooling means may be provided in the transport path of the pulled-out control strip 21, and further cooling means may be provided individually. Instead of this, an air passage for sending the cooled air from the vicinity of the thermoelectric cooling device 15 may be provided. Although the above-described embodiment is a development processing device for a color photographic film for photography, the present invention can be applied to a development processing device for photographic paper, black-and-white photography film, X-ray film and the like. When the processing performance is judged based on the change in gradation, the processing performance may return to the original value by a simple correction. For example, when the gradation becomes hard, the replenishment amount of the developing replenisher is reduced or the developing temperature is lowered. In addition, if the gradation does not recover even after performing such a correction, there is a possibility of defective desilvering. Therefore, increase the desilvering temperature or increase the amount of replenisher for the desilvering solution. Correction to enhance

In addition, the density measuring section is provided after the drying section of the processor, or in a processor in which the photosensitive material processing section for photography and the printer processor are integrated, the density measuring section of the printer processor is used to control the strip 2.
The density of 1 may be measured, and the gradation difference may be examined by the difference in the printing time in the printer, and the result of the gradation difference may be fed back to the replenishment control of the processing liquid and the liquid temperature control. Such correction may be performed manually by an operator, or may be automatically performed as described above.

[0044]

Example A running test was carried out for two months by using the photographic color photographic film SHG400 (manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.) at a rate of 1 film per day using an automatic developing device FP-230B manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. The results are shown in Fig. 8. FIG. 8 is a graph showing variations in ΔD (HD-LD) due to running processing. In the graph, the characteristic X is a comparative example, and the characteristics Y and Z are examples of the present invention. As is clear from this graph, it was found that when the processing liquid was replenished based only on the processing amount, the processing performance exceeded the permissible range shown by the dotted line as indicated by the characteristic X. On the other hand, when the gradation is measured using the control strip according to the present invention and the replenishment amount of the replenisher is also reduced due to the fluctuation of the gradation, the gradation is within the allowable range as indicated by the characteristic Y. To enter the,
It was found that the tonality falls within the allowable range even when the temperature of the processing liquid is lowered due to the variation in the tonality. That is, the development processing can be performed while appropriately maintaining the processing performance of the processing liquid by measuring the gradation and replenishing the processing replenishing liquid and adjusting the temperature.

[0045]

As described above, the development processing apparatus according to the present invention has a built-in undeveloped light-sensitive material pre-exposed with an image whose content allows the processing performance of the processing solution to be judged by development processing. Since the undeveloped photosensitive material is appropriately developed to judge the processing performance of the processing liquid, it is not necessary to mount the undeveloped photosensitive material to judge the processing performance of the processing liquid, and the processing performance can be judged easily and quickly. It can be performed. Further, since the temperature and humidity adjusting means for storing the undeveloped photosensitive material in a cooling and dew condensation prevention state and its control means are provided so as to prevent alteration of the undeveloped photosensitive material,
The processing performance of the processing liquid can be determined easily and accurately.

Further, an unexposed photosensitive material is incorporated in place of the undeveloped photosensitive material, and an image having a content capable of judging the performance of the processing liquid and an image having a density difference for judging gradation are formed in the unexposed photosensitive material. Since the exposure means for controlling the processing performance is incorporated, it is not necessary to prepare an unexposed light-sensitive material for determining the processing performance, and various effects such as an increase in the degree of freedom in determining the processing performance of the processing liquid can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a photosensitive material processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a magazine that stores unexposed photosensitive material in a cooled state.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of control means.

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram of light amount and density for explaining processing performance determination based on gradation.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a photosensitive material for explaining a density difference.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a photosensitive material for explaining a density difference.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of an exposure unit.

FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram of a change in gradation over time for explaining determination of processing performance.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a photosensitive material for determining a density difference.

10A, 10B, and 10C are characteristic diagrams showing changes in gradation, sensitivity, and fog with respect to changes in processing time, respectively.

11A, 11B, and 11C are characteristic diagrams showing changes in gradation, sensitivity, and fog with respect to changes in processing temperature, respectively.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Film 2 Patrone 11 Magazine 12 Storage Section 13 Cooling Section 15 Thermoelectric Cooling Device 21 Control Strip 22 Temperature Sensor 31 Control Section 32 Control Circuit 33 Memory Circuit 100 Automatic Developing Device 105 Developing Tank 106 Bleaching Tank 107 Fixing Tank 108 Washing Tank 109 Drying Section 112 Conveyor roller

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A photosensitive material processing apparatus that conveys an exposed photographic light-sensitive material, immerses it in a processing solution, and develops it so that an image having a content for which the processing performance of the processing solution can be judged by developing is exposed in advance. A photosensitive material processing apparatus, characterized in that the undeveloped photosensitive material is incorporated in a developing processing section so as to be capable of being conveyed, and means for selectively switching the photosensitive material to be developed is provided. 2. An undeveloped image in which an image having a content for which the processing performance of the processing solution can be judged by developing is pre-exposed in a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which an exposed photographic light-sensitive material is immersed in a processing solution for development processing. With a built-in photosensitive material,
In the storage means for the undeveloped photosensitive material, temperature and humidity adjusting means for adjusting the temperature and humidity in the storage means, and for controlling the temperature and humidity adjusting means before judging the processing performance of the processing liquid by the undeveloped photosensitive material. A photosensitive material processing apparatus comprising: a control unit for preventing dew condensation on the undeveloped photosensitive material. 3. A photosensitive material processing apparatus for carrying an exposed photographic light-sensitive material, immersing it in a processing solution for development processing, and incorporating an unexposed light-sensitive material into a developing processing section so that it can be carried. 2. A photosensitive material processing apparatus, comprising: an exposure unit that exposes an image that causes a predetermined density difference after the development processing of the photosensitive material of 1. and a unit that selectively switches the photosensitive material to be developed. 4. A photosensitive material processing apparatus for immersing an exposed photographic photosensitive material in a processing solution for development processing, wherein an unexposed photosensitive material is built in, and the processing performance of the processing solution for the unexposed photosensitive material. And a means for selectively switching a photosensitive material to be developed, and a photosensitive material processing apparatus. 5. A photosensitive material processing apparatus for immersing an exposed photographic photosensitive material in a processing solution for development processing, incorporating an undeveloped photosensitive material for processing performance judgment, and automatically at a preset time by a timer. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that the undeveloped photosensitive material is supplied to a processing section for development processing and the processing performance is automatically judged.