JPH0731392B2 - Drying equipment for photo film processor - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial application] The present invention relates to a drying device for use in a photographic film processor, and more particularly to a drying device for controlling the temperature of drying air by feeding back.

[Prior Art] In a drying device used for a photographic film processor, particularly an automatic developing machine, when a power source of the automatic developing machine is turned on, a fan and a heater arranged in a duct for guiding outside air to a drying chamber are also provided. When turned on, hot air is supplied to the drying chamber to heat the drying chamber.

In this case, regardless of the temperature and humidity of the outside air, the outside air taken in from the outside air intake is heated by the heater to lower the relative humidity and raise the temperature of the film to be dried with warm air to evaporate the water content. As a result, hot air containing water is discharged to the outside of the machine.

By the way, when the film is dried by using such an apparatus, the unit of the film is removed in order to remove the moisture adhering to the front and back surfaces of the film regardless of the processing amount of the film per unit time as described above. When the amount of treatment per unit time is large, the humidity becomes high and the environment in the drying chamber deteriorates with time, resulting in insufficient drying and adhesion between the films, and uneven drying. Therefore, there is a problem in that a heater and a fan corresponding to the maximum processing of the film per unit time are required, and the apparatus itself is large and the cost is high.

In order to solve this problem, a method has been proposed in which the temperature inside the drying chamber or the temperature or the temperature / humidity of the outside air around the processor is periodically measured to control the temperature inside the drying chamber.

That is, since the environment inside the drying chamber is affected by the temperature and humidity of the supplied outside air, even if the drying temperature is the same, if the outside environment is high temperature and high humidity, the drying treatment capacity will decrease. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the temperature in the drying chamber according to the external environment.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the case of performing such control, a plurality of temperature sensors such as a sensor for detecting the temperature of the outside air and a sensor for detecting the temperature of the drying chamber are required (the outside air temperature may be adjusted as necessary). Including the sensor that detects the humidity of the), the number of parts was large, leading to cost up.

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention is capable of measuring the temperature of the outside air and the temperature of the hot air supplied into the drying chamber with a single temperature detection sensor to reduce the number of parts, and a drying apparatus for a photographic film processor. The purpose is to obtain.

[Means for Solving Problems] A drying device for a photographic film processor according to the present invention sets a drying air temperature in a drying unit according to an outside air temperature, and controls the outside air supplied to the drying unit by a blowing unit. A drying device for a photographic film processing machine, which heats a photographic film by heating with a heater in the middle of a supply path and controls the heater while comparing the detected temperature of the heated warm air with a set temperature of the dry air. A temperature detection sensor is arranged on the downstream side of the heater in the outside air supply path, and the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor when the heater is not operated is the outside air temperature,
It is characterized by further comprising control means for controlling the heater by using a temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor when the air blowing means and the heater are operated as a detected temperature of warm air.

Further, in the drying device for a photographic film processor according to the present invention, when the amount of the photographic film processed by the photographic film processor per unit time exceeds a predetermined amount, it is possible to correct the drying air set temperature. It has a feature.

[Operation] In the drying apparatus for a photographic film processing machine of the present invention, a heater and a temperature detection sensor are provided in the middle of the supply path for supplying the outside air to the drying section, and when the heater is not operating, the temperature detection means removes the temperature Detect the temperature. The dry air set temperature is set based on the detected temperature.

Further, when the heater is operated to supply the outside air as dry air to the drying unit, the temperature detection sensor is provided on the downstream side of the heater, and thus the temperature of the warm air can be detected by the temperature detection sensor. The control means controls the heater based on the detected temperature of the hot air.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the temperature of the outside air and the temperature of the dry air are detected by the same temperature detection sensor, the number of parts for controlling the heater can be reduced.

Further, in the drying device for a photographic film processor of the present invention, when the processing amount of the photographic film processed by the photographic film processor exceeds a predetermined amount, the drying air set temperature is corrected to adjust the temperature of the drying air. To prevent a relative increase in humidity in the drying section and prevent the photographic film from becoming undried.

In the present invention, for example, when the photo film processor is once stopped and then restarted, the environment around the photo film processor may change too much if the stop time is a short stop within a predetermined time. Since it is not available, it is preferable not to set a new drying air set temperature but to control by operating the air blowing means and the heater based on the already set drying air setting temperature. If the stop time is within the predetermined time, preheating Therefore, the drying section reaches a temperature at which it can be dried in a short time.

If the photo film processor has been stopped for more than the specified time, the temperature inside the drying section has cooled, so the temperature detection sensor again detects the temperature of the outside air, and a new value is detected based on this detection result. It is preferable to set the drying air set temperature to control the heater. In this case, since the supply path is also cooled, the temperature of the outside air that is not affected by the heater can be detected by the temperature detection sensor.

Further, when the processing amount of the photographic film per unit time becomes small, the drying air set temperature may be corrected to be low.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of an automatic developing machine 10 to which the present invention is applied.

The film 14 inserted into the inside of the automatic developing machine 10 from the carry-in port 12 is guided by the guide roller 16 to reach the drying chamber 24 through the developing tank 18, the fixing tank 20 and the washing tank 22. A plurality of guide rollers are provided in the developing tank 18, fixing tank 20 and washing tank 22.
A rack 28 constituted by 26 is accommodated, and a film 14
The rack 28 is adapted to be immersed from the liquid surface of each tank to the bottom, inverted, and guided again to the liquid surface.

Further, guide rollers 30 are provided between the developing tank 18 and the fixing tank 20 and between the fixing tank 20 and the water washing tank 22, respectively, and the film 14 is sequentially guided to the adjacent tanks and the water washing tank. twenty two
A plurality of roller pairs 32 are also arranged between the drying chamber 24 and the drying chamber 24 to guide the film 14 to the drying chamber 24. The roller pair 32 has a function of squeezing a part of the water attached to the film 14.

In the drying chamber 24, a plurality of transport rollers 34 are arranged which are evenly arranged in the vertical direction in FIG. is doing. A guide plate 36 is arranged in the lower part of the drying chamber 24, and the film 14 is turned to the right side wall of the developing device frame 10A in FIG. 1, and is attached to the outside of the frame 10A by the driving force of the driving roller 38. It is designed to be accommodated in the inbox 40.

A motor 42 is attached to the drive roller 38 via a belt 44, and the drive force of the motor 42 rotates the drive roller 38. Each roller arranged in the automatic developing machine 10 is connected to the drive roller 38 by a chain or a belt (not shown) so that they can be simultaneously rotated.

An intake duct 46 and an exhaust duct 48 are attached to a part of the partition wall 24A of the drying chamber 24 and communicate with the outside of the automatic developing machine 10. A heater 50 and a fan 52 are arranged inside the intake duct 46, and after the outside air introduced into the intake duct 46 by the fan 52 is heated by the heater 50, this warm air is dried in the drying chamber 24.
Is to be supplied to. From the exhaust duct 48, the wet air after drying the film 14 and the transport rollers 34 by the warm air is discharged to the outside of the automatic developing machine 10. The automatic developing machine 10 is provided with a start switch (both not shown) in addition to the main power switch, and the motor 42, the heater 50, and the fan 52 can be operated by turning on the start switch.

Here, a temperature detection sensor 54 is provided downstream of the heater 50 in the intake duct 46. A film detector 60 is attached near the carry-in port 12. In the present embodiment, a photoelectric sensor is used as the film detector 60, and the optical axis of the light beam from the light projecting side to the light receiving side is arranged on the film transport path. As a result, the photoelectric sensor is turned on / off according to the conveyance of the film. The outputs of the temperature detection sensor 54 and the film detector 60 are input to the control device 62.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 62 includes a CPU 64, a RAM 66, and a RO.
The temperature detection sensor 54 includes an M68, an input port 70, and an output port 72, a microcomputer 74, an A / D converter 76, an analog gate 78, and a driver 80. A / D
Connected to converter 76, the output of A / D converter 76 is input port 7
Connected to 0. The film detector 60 is connected to the input side of the input port 70 of the microcomputer 74.

The motor 42, heater 50, fan 52 and indicator 51 are drivers
They are connected to the output side of 80, and are each driven by a control signal from the output port 72.

In the microcomputer 74, the CPU 64 calculates the number of films obtained by the film detector 60 for each predetermined time and stores it in the RAM 66. The drying air set temperature Td, which will be described later, is corrected in accordance with the number of processed films. In addition, the ROM 68 stores a map (see FIG. 4) indicating the relationship between the outside air temperature To and the drying air set temperature Td in the drying chamber 24, and when the temperature of the outside air is detected, the map is read according to the outside air temperature To. Drying set temperature Td in the drying chamber 24
Is to ask. Further, the ROM 68 stores a predetermined time which is compared with the time after the automatic developing machine 10 is stopped.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B).

First, in step 100, the flag F is reset and the process proceeds to step 102. In step 102, it is judged whether or not the activation switch is turned on, and if it is turned off, this is repeated. When the start switch is turned on, the flow proceeds to step 104 to activate the fan 52, and then the state of the flag F is judged at step 106. When the flag F is reset (F = 0), the process proceeds to step 108, and the temperature T is detected by the temperature detection sensor 54. In this case, since the heater 50 is not operating, the outside air supplied from the fan 52 is equal to the outside air temperature around the automatic developing machine 10, so in the next step 110, the value of this temperature T is substituted for the outside air temperature To, Go to step 114.

At step 114, the dry air set temperature Td is read based on the map shown in FIG. When the dry air set temperature Td is determined,
The process moves to step 116 and the heater 50 is operated. If the flag F is set (F = 1) in step 106, the process from step 108 to step 114 is not performed, and the process immediately goes to step 116 to operate the heater 50. The conditions under which the flag F is set will be described in the processing of steps 132 to 137 described later.

When the heater 50 is operated in step 116, the process proceeds to step 118, and the temperature detection sensor 54 detects the temperature T. Since the temperature detection sensor 54 is attached to the downstream side of the heater 50,
Since the temperature T detected here is equal to the temperature Tr of the hot air supplied to the drying chamber 24, this detected temperature T is substituted for the temperature Tr of the hot air in step 120. The temperature Tr of this warm air is sent to the drying chamber 24 via the intake duct 46.

In the next step 122, it is judged whether or not the temperature Tr of the drying air has reached a temperature at which the drying process can be performed. The temperature that can be dried is within a predetermined range before and after the drying air set temperature Td,
If this range is not reached, steps 118 and 120 are repeated. When the temperature T (Tr) detected by the temperature detection sensor 54 falls within the above range, the process moves from step 122 to step 124, and the indication that the insertion of the film 14 is OK is displayed on the display 51, and the inserted film is developed, fixed, After each process of washing with water is performed, it reaches the drying chamber 24, is dried, and is stored in the receiving box 40. Next, in step 126, the temperature control of the dry air is performed, which will be described in detail in the temperature control subroutine of FIG. 3 (B) described later.

Next, at step 128, it is judged if the start switch is off. While the start switch is on, steps 126 and 128 are repeated to continue the development or drying process and at the same time the temperature control. When the start switch is turned off in step 128, the process proceeds to step 130, and the operations of the fan 50 and the heater 52 are stopped. In step 132, it is judged whether or not the time after the fan 50 and the heater 52 are stopped has passed a predetermined time stored in advance in the ROM 68. If the predetermined time has not passed, the process proceeds to step 134 and the flag is set. After F is set, the process proceeds to step 137. If the predetermined time has elapsed after the stop, the flag F is reset and the step
Move to 137. In step 137, the startup switch is on,
That is, it is determined whether or not the system has been restarted, and if the determination is negative, the process returns to step 132. If the determination is affirmative, that is, if restarted, the process proceeds to step 104 and the fan 52 is operated. At step 106, the flag F is set if a predetermined time has not elapsed since the automatic developing machine 10 was stopped, so that the heater 50 is immediately activated (step 116) after the fan 52 is activated. This is because the environment around the automatic processor 10 does not change much when stopped for a short time, and
There is no need to set the dry air temperature Td from the map shown in the figure.
This is because if the drying air set temperature Td applied at the previous startup is applied as it is, the inside of the drying chamber 24 can be set to an optimum drying temperature. Since the inside of the drying chamber 24 is preheated at the time of restarting after being stopped for a short time, the drying process can be immediately performed.

Next, the temperature control subroutine of FIG. 3 (B) will be described.

First, in step 138, the temperature T is detected by the temperature detection sensor 4.
Is measured, and this temperature T is substituted into the temperature Tr of the dry air in step 140, and the process proceeds to step 142. Step 142
Then, the film detector 60 detects the number of processed films 14. Next, in step 144, it is determined whether or not the drying air set temperature Td needs to be corrected according to the number of processed films 14, and if correction is necessary, the process proceeds to step 146 to set the drying air set temperature. After adjusting the correction value C to Td, the process proceeds to step 148. Step 1 if no correction is needed
46 skips and moves to step 148. The correction value C depending on the number of processed sheets of the film 14 is judged by comparing the actual number of processed sheets per unit time with the estimated number of processed sheets per unit time according to the drying air set temperature Td. , Is a value determined based on this.

For example, when a large amount of the film 14 is processed per unit time, the correction value C is added to the dry air set temperature Td up to now and a new dry air set temperature Td is newly set.

In step 148, the dry air set temperature Td is compared with the actual dry air temperature Tr. If Td <Tr, the process proceeds to step 150 and the temperature Tr of the dry air is higher than the dry air set temperature Td. Therefore, the heater 50 is turned off, and the process returns to the main routine.

If the actual number of processed films 14 per unit time is larger than the estimated number of processed films 14 per unit time according to the set drying air temperature Td, the correction value C is calculated in step 146.
Is added, the temperature T measured by the temperature detection sensor 54
Since the (dry air temperature Tr) is lower than the dry air set temperature Td (Td> Tr), the process proceeds to step 152, the heater 50 is turned on, and then the process returns to the main routine.

That is, the drying air set temperature Td is increased to increase the drying air temperature Tr.
To raise the temperature in the drying chamber 24 by supplying to the drying chamber 24, the humidity in the drying chamber 24 is relatively suppressed by the moisture evaporated when a large amount of the film 14 is processed, It is possible to prevent 14 from becoming undried.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the same temperature detection sensor 54 can detect the temperature To of the outside air and the temperature Tr of the dry air,
It is not necessary to separately install a sensor for detecting the outside air temperature and a sensor for detecting the dry air temperature, and the number of parts can be reduced. As a result, the cost of the device can be reduced.

The film detected by the film detector 60 in this example.
Although the processing amount of 14 is represented by the number of processed films 14, the area of the film 14 may be used as the processing amount.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the drying apparatus for a photographic film processor according to the present invention measures the temperature of the outside air and the temperature of the warm air supplied to the drying unit by the same temperature detection sensor. It has an excellent effect that the number of parts can be reduced in controlling the temperature suitable for the drying process of the photographic film.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an automatic processor according to this embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a control block diagram, FIGS. 3A and 3B are control flowchart diagrams, and FIG. 4 is an environmental temperature-dry air set temperature characteristic diagram. 10 …… Automatic processor, 14 …… Film, 24 …… Drying room, 50
...... Heater, 52 …… Juan, 54 …… Dry air temperature detection sensor, 62 …… Control device, 74 …… Micro computer.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Nobuyuki Seto 1250 Takematsu, Minamiashigara City, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Kikai Kogyo Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-56-95239 (JP, A) JP-A-61-179439 (JP) , A) Actual development Sho 58-138939 (JP, U)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A dry air temperature in the drying section is set according to the outside air temperature, and the outside air supplied to the drying section by the air blowing means is heated by a heater in the middle of the supply path, and the detected temperature of the heated warm air. Is a drying device for a photographic film processor that controls the heater while performing a drying process on the photographic film while comparing the dry air set temperature with a temperature detection sensor disposed downstream of the heater in the outside air supply path. The temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor when the heater is not operating is the outside air temperature, and the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor when the air blowing unit and the heater are operating is the detected temperature of the hot air to control the heater. A drying device for a photographic film processing machine, which is provided with a control means for performing it. 2. The dry air set temperature is corrected when the amount of photographic film processed per unit time by the photographic film processor exceeds a predetermined amount. Drying device for the described photographic film processor.