JPH0554934B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention uses an internal latent image type silver halide photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter abbreviated as positive-working light-sensitive material), and after imagewise exposure,
This invention relates to an optical fogging device that directly produces a positive image through a development process that involves full-surface exposure with controlled light.

[Prior Art] There are two methods for directly obtaining a positive image using a positive sensitive material: a chemical fog method and a light fog method. The former involves developing while imparting development fog nuclei to silver halide using a chemical fogging agent.
Improvements are being made to overcome the harsh reaction conditions.
There have been proposed methods in which a chemical fogging agent is incorporated into a light-sensitive material and the fogging agent is eluted under highly alkaline conditions, or in which it is of a non-elution type. However, the reality is that there is no material that satisfies both fogging properties and non-elution properties.

The optical fogging method does not require harsh reaction conditions like the chemical fogging method described above, and is practical.
It has the advantage of being able to set the pH of the developing solution relatively low, making it easy to maintain and manage the developing solution, and that there is less corrosion of the material of the processing equipment. It is difficult to control this because it has a decisive influence on the sensitivity, gradation density, etc. of a positive image.

The one based on the optical fogging method was the Special Publication 1973-
Patent Publication No. 12709, JP-A-56-51734, JP-A No. 56-
No. 137350, No. 57-129438 published patent publication, Jitsukaisho
Those described in Utility Model Publication No. 56-130935, Utility Model Publication No. 56-145049, specification and drawings of Utility Model Application No. 57-182041, and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 187051-1987 filed by the present applicant have been proposed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the optical fogging device described in the above-mentioned publications, etc., the entire device is incorporated into an automatic processor, etc., so it is difficult to determine the optimum amount of light corresponding to the spectral sensitivity of the photosensitive material. To make fine adjustments, it is necessary to remove the exposure tube and replace the filter, which is cumbersome.

Furthermore, sufficient moisture-proof measures are required to prevent moisture from evaporating from the liquid inside the automatic processor, and light-shielding measures are also required to prevent unnecessary irradiation of light, which increases the size of the entire apparatus.

The present invention has been created in view of the above, and the first object of the invention is to provide a compact and easy-to-handle optical fogging device, and the second object of the invention is to provide a light The third object of the present invention is to provide an optical fogging device that prevents corrosion of electrical contacts and metal parts and reduces the risk of electric leakage by making the parts disposed outside the automatic developing machine.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an optical fogging device that allows the amount of light for optical fog to be easily adjusted.A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an optical fogging device that allows the light source to be changed freely and to easily adjust the spectral energy distribution. The object of the present invention is to provide an optical fogging device that can perform the following operations.

Furthermore, other objects and attendant objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive studies and have arrived at the present invention.

That is, the optical fogging apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus comprising a light source, an energy distribution correction unit, a light guide section, and a light emitting section, in which the light source and the energy distribution correction unit are arranged outside a color developing tank, The light is guided through the light guiding part to the light emitting part having the following configuration, which is placed in the liquid of the color developing tank, and performs photofog exposure on the image-exposed internal latent image type direct positive silver halide photographic light-sensitive material. What is claimed is: 1. An optical fogging device characterized by having a configuration that performs the following operations.

(Configuration of the light-emitting section) The light-emitting section has a structure in which the surrounding area except for the light-emitting surface facing the internal latent image type direct positive silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is covered in a light-shielding state, and the surface opposite to the light-emitting surface is provided with unevenness. Department.

[Structure of the Invention] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing a developing machine to which the optical fogging device of the present invention is applied, with FIG. 1 being a side view and FIG. 2 being a front view. In the figure,
Reference numeral 1 is a positive type photosensitive material, which is conveyed by a conveying means such as a belt or roll into a color developing tank 2, a bleach-fixing tank 3,
It is transported through the first washing tank 4 and the second washing tank 5, where it undergoes processing such as development, and when the processing is completed, it is transferred to a drying unit (not shown). Of the second exposure device consisting of a light source A, an energy distribution correction unit B, a light guide section C, a light emitting section D, etc., the light source A and the energy distribution correction unit B are arranged outside the color developing tank 2, and the light guide section C The light is guided to the light emitting part D arranged in the liquid of the color developing tank 2 through the color developing tank 2.
A second exposure is performed on the positive photosensitive material 1 being conveyed inside.

Light Source A As the light source A, any light source having an energy distribution capable of covering the entire color sensitivity range of the positive photosensitive material, such as a tungsten lamp, a halogen lamp, a fluorescent lamp, etc., can be used.

Furthermore, as the light source A in the present invention, in addition to the above, it is also possible to use a cathode ray tube, a light emitting diode, an electroluminescence, etc., and the number or type of the light source [lamp] may be singular or plural. It doesn't matter if it is.

Note that when using a light emitting diode or cathode ray tube that emits blue light, green light, and red light, it is possible to use it without using an energy distribution correction filter by electrically controlling the amount of light emitted by each.

Energy distribution correction unit B An ND unit for adjusting the light source intensity in the light emitting means D in accordance with the sensitivity and color sensitivity characteristics of the positive photosensitive material in order to form the best positive image on the positive photosensitive material.
[Neutral Density] A filter, a neutral density filter using a white diffuser plate, etc., and a color correction filter for cyan, magenta, yellow, etc. to adjust the spectral energy distribution, or a dichroic filter using a metal vapor-deposited film, etc. are arranged as a unit. do.
Further, in this unit, it is desirable to simultaneously arrange an optical mixer of an integrating sphere type or a mirror type.

Light guiding part C Guides the light adjusted by the energy distribution correction unit B to the light emitting part D, which will be described later, and is placed in the liquid of the color developing tank 2. Its material, shape, and structure can be designed in various ways. It is. That is, in addition to glass, synthetic resin materials with good light transmittance such as polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylic, nylon, and vinyl chloride can be used as the material. In addition, various shapes can be used for these, such as bundles of ultra-fine fibers, rod-shaped ones, hollow ones, etc. In particular, rod-shaped ones and hollow ones have a shape that is similar to the outer circumferential surface or By mirror-finishing the inner circumferential surface or making the refractive index of light different between the inner and outer interfaces, it is possible to efficiently transport light by so-called internal total reflection. Note that differentiating the refractive index of light at the inner and outer boundary surfaces can also be achieved by using a structure in which the outer surface of the light transporting material is covered with a material having a high refractive index.

The above materials are selected depending on the installation conditions in the developing machine and various other factors, but in general, materials that are not bendable are considered in consideration of miniaturization, ease of handling, etc. A bundle of thin tubular or rod-shaped materials is desirable.

Incidentally, since the material of the light guiding part used in the present invention is not one for conveying images, there is no need for a highly precise material such as an image fiber used in optical communications, gastrocameras, etc., and therefore, an inexpensive material can be used.

Light-emitting section D A section that emits the light conveyed through the light-guiding section C to the outside, and is incorporated into the exposure section of the developing machine. The light emitting section is shielded from light to prevent light from leaking around it except for the light emitting surface, and the portion that comes into contact with the processing liquid is made of a chemically resistant material such as glass. It is desirable to arrange a diffuser plate on the light emitting surface so that light irradiation becomes more uniform, and to cover the front surface with smooth glass. The shape of the light-emitting surface is designed in various ways depending on the size of the positive-type photosensitive material to be exposed or the type of transport mechanism. In other words, if the positive-type photosensitive material to be exposed is a long paper, cut into pieces the size of a bill or ID card, etc., or if the material is exposed while it is running or if it is temporarily stopped. The shape of the light emitting surface is selected depending on conditions such as whether it will be exposed. If the device is exposed to light while traveling, the light-emitting surface may be expanded so as to cover the front surface in the width direction of the positive-type photosensitive material. In this case, how to set the size in the running direction is calculated from the appropriate exposure amount in relation to the intensity of light and the running speed.

Next, the optical fogging device of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 3 to 5. In addition, Figures 3 and 4
Only the light emitting part shown in the figure is a reference example outside the present invention,
The light emitting section used in the optical fogging device of the present invention is the fifth
This is shown in the figure.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 is a light source, and various sources may be used as described above.

20A and 20B are CC filters, 21 is an optical mixer, and 22 is a shutter, forming an energy distribution correction unit. The shutter 22 may be placed before or after the CC filter 20A. 30
is a light guide tube bundle forming a light guide section, and is connected to the energy distribution correction unit via a coupler 40; similarly, the light guide tube bundle 30 is connected to the coupler 4.
0 to the light emitting section 50. Light guide tube bundle 3
Although the length of 0 is arbitrary, it is necessary to adjust the light source intensity, spectral energy distribution, etc. in consideration of the loss accompanying light transport. In addition, the light guide bundle 30 and the coupler 41
If the connector is placed immersed in the processing liquid, it must be coated with a chemically resistant material and the connections must be sufficiently sealed to prevent ingress of the processing liquid.

In the light emitting unit 50 shown as a reference example in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, which is a side view of FIG. The outer periphery 51 is coated with a chemical-resistant material, and at the same time is shielded from light to prevent it from leaking outside. A diffuser plate 52 is disposed on the light emitting surface, a light guide tube 53 is uniformly spread out with respect to the diffuser plate 52, and the front surface of the light emitting surface is covered with a smooth glass plate 54. Note that the end portion of the light guide tube bundle 30 may be expanded directly to the diffuser plate 52 without using the coupler 41. The diffuser plate 52, the glass plate 54, etc. may have a combination structure of a plurality of sheets. Further, when a diffuser plate is combined with the couplers 40 and 41, the uniformity of light is further improved.

The light emitting section of the present invention shown in FIG.
A light-emitting section 50 is arranged through a coupler 41 and a diffuser plate 52, and the surrounding area is covered except for the light-emitting surface facing the positive-type photosensitive material 1, and unevenness is formed on the surface opposite to the light-emitting surface. By holding it, the light will be emitted in the direction of the arrow.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention has the above configuration, that is, the light source and the energy distribution correction unit are arranged outside the color developing tank, and the light is transmitted to the light emitting part arranged in the liquid of the color developing tank through the light guiding part. It has a structure in which the internal latent image type direct positive silver halide photographic light-sensitive material that has been image-exposed is subjected to fogging exposure by guiding the light to the internal latent image type, so that it can achieve the above-mentioned purposes, especially each component of the light source section and energy distribution correction unit. It is extremely easy to change or replace the
Furthermore, since the only device disposed within the liquid in the color developing tank is the light emitting section, the entire device can be downsized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a developing device to which the optical fogging device according to the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the developing device, FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the light emitting section of the optical fogging device of the present invention. In the figure, A is a light source, B is an energy distribution correction unit, C is a light guide part, D is a light emitting part, 1 is a photographic light-sensitive material, 2 is a color developing tank, 3 is a bleach-fixing tank,
4 is a first washing tank, 5 is a second washing tank, 10 is a light source,
20A and 20C are CC filters, 21 is an optical mixer,
22 is a shutter, 30 is a light guide tube bundle, 40 and 41 are couplers, 50 is a light emitting section, 51 is a covering member 52 is a diffuser plate, 53 is a light guide tube, and 54 is a glass plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device comprising a light source, an energy distribution correction unit, a light guide part, and a light emitting part, wherein the light source and the energy distribution correction unit are arranged outside a color developing tank, and the light guide part The light is guided to a light-emitting section having the following configuration arranged in the liquid of the color developing tank through the
1. A photofogging device characterized by having a configuration for performing photofogging exposure on an internal latent image type direct positive silver halide photographic light-sensitive material that has been imagewise exposed. (Configuration of the light-emitting section) The light-emitting section has a structure in which the surrounding area except for the light-emitting surface facing the internal latent image type direct positive silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is covered in a light-shielding state, and the surface opposite to the light-emitting surface is provided with unevenness. Department.