JPH0756281A - Development processing system and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a development processing system capable of surely processing photographic sensitive materials under adequate processing conditions. CONSTITUTION:This development processing device 1 is constituted to make development processing of the silver halide photographic sensitive material F for photographing by bringing this photosensitive material F and a processing liquid into contact with each other in a single processing tank of a small volume. The processing device has a reading means 7 for reading the photographing information carried on information storage media 5a, 5b formed on the photosensitive material F itself or photosensitive material package 3 and a processing liquid control section 13, a pump 21 and a flow passage selector valve 23 as processing liquid supplying means for successively filling the respective processing liquids classified and housed by each liquid kind in processing tanks by properly referencing the information stored in the memories 15, 17 in accordance with the read information. Thereby, it is possible to properly and surely process photographic sensitive materials without professional knowledge.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing system and apparatus for developing an image by developing a photographic light-sensitive material by bringing it into contact with a processing solution.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material for photographing (hereinafter referred to as a light-sensitive material) is processed after exposure by processes such as color development, desilvering, washing with water and stabilization. In order to obtain stable processing performance, the composition of the processing solution must be kept within a certain range at all times, and in order to obtain excellent performance, the photosensitive material should be evenly and uniformly distributed in a sufficient amount of processing solution. Need to be immersed in.

Therefore, in the commercial processing of light-sensitive materials, an automatic developing machine having a large-capacity processing tank in which a large amount of processing liquid is stored is used as in a color developing station to process a certain amount of color light-sensitive materials. Each time, the replenisher for correcting the fatigue of the treatment liquid is automatically replenished so that the composition of the stored treatment liquid is always within a certain range. Such a continuous replenishing system gives very good results when a large amount of color photographic light-sensitive material is processed in a certain amount every day.

[0004]

In the recent processing of color photographic light-sensitive materials, the centralized processing in a large-scale developing laboratory is being shifted to a dispersed small-quantity processing by a minilab. If it is a minilab scale developing device, it can be installed in any store, not limited to a photo store, and it will also be installed in a 24-hour store such as a convenience store.
Of course, it is preferable that such a processing device placed in a store has a small installation area, and a small processing device is desired.

Further, in a store such as a convenience store where it is necessary to keep the processing device on standby for 24 hours, a super-quiet processing state in which the processing frequency of the photosensitive material is extremely low may occur. A continuous replenishment system designed to keep the composition of the processing solution within a certain range by automatically replenishing it with a replenisher that corrects the fatigue of the processing solution every time a certain amount of light-sensitive material is processed. Very good results are obtained when the light-sensitive material is processed in an amount within a certain range every day. However, in the ultra-quiet treatment state, if the treatment liquid is filled in the treatment tank, the fluctuation of the treatment liquid performance becomes large, and a replenishment system suitable for ultra-quiet treatment, for example, ultra-leakage is detected to evaporate water. If a vaporization correction method for correcting the above and a new replenisher correction method for predicting the trajectory of air oxidation deterioration and correcting the same are not adopted, good processing cannot be performed.

Therefore, in a state where super-quiet processing is possible, a proper but complicated replenishment system as described above is adopted, or a processing solution with varying performance is discarded and the processing solution is replaced with a fresh one. Measures are taken with a fresh treatment liquid. However, when the processing tank has a large capacity, there is a problem that a large amount of waste liquid is generated when the processing liquid is discarded. At this time, it is conceivable to reduce the processing liquid to a small amount to increase the liquid exchange rate in the past. Minilabs with a small amount of liquid have been introduced for small-volume labs. However, there is a need for a smaller level, that is, a level that can be used even at convenience stores.

Further, in a processing apparatus installed in a store, it is necessary to make the installation area as small as possible and improve the usage efficiency to obtain a certain sales or more in a small area. As a result,
It is preferable to be able to handle various kinds of photosensitive materials, for example, color negative film, color reversal film,
It is preferable that the black-and-white negative film can be subjected to any treatment in order to improve the installation area efficiency. In a printing apparatus provided in parallel with or integrated with a developing processing apparatus, a positive image can be formed on a negative color paper regardless of whether the original image is a color negative or a black and white negative. If the original image is a color reversal film, it may be processed using a positive color paper.

However, the conventional processing apparatus can process only a single type of photosensitive material and cannot meet the above requirements. An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a development processing system and apparatus which can obtain stable performance and can reduce the amount of processing liquid to be discarded when processing various kinds of photosensitive materials.

[0009]

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following constitution. (1) Various processing conditions stored in the storage means in the processing device according to the information read from the information stored in the information storage medium provided integrally with the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material itself or the light-sensitive material package. Select the appropriate processing conditions for the processing of the photosensitive material from among the above, and sequentially supply each processing solution of a series of processing steps into a single processing tank with a small volume containing the photosensitive material according to the selected processing conditions. Development system that processes photosensitive materials.

(2) The amount of silver coated on the photosensitive material is 2 g /
The development processing system as described in (1) above, wherein the development processing system is m ² or less and the photosensitive material is processed.

(3) The above-mentioned (1) or (2), wherein the silver halide crystals in the emulsion coated on the light-sensitive material have an aspect ratio of 5 or more, and the light-sensitive material is processed. Development processing system.

(4) The development processing system as described in any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the photosensitive material contains an oilless coupler to process the photosensitive material.

(5) A development processing apparatus for developing a photosensitive silver halide photographic light-sensitive material for photography by contacting a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material for photography with a processing solution in a single-processing tank having a small volume, wherein the light-sensitive material itself Alternatively, the reading means for reading the photographing information carried on the information storage medium provided in the photosensitive material package, and the processing liquid supply for sequentially filling the processing tanks with the respective processing liquids sorted and stored according to the read information. A development processing apparatus comprising:

[0014]

With a small-capacity, single-tank treatment tank that is filled with a small amount of treatment liquid, it is easy to fill and discharge the treatment liquid and further to heat the treatment tank, and the structure therefor does not become complicated. Therefore, the processing bath is not always filled with the processing liquid, and the processing bath can be easily filled with the processing liquid prior to the processing of the photosensitive material. Further, the processing liquid can be easily discharged in a short time. Therefore, the photosensitive material is appropriately processed by supplying and discharging the processing liquid in the order according to the series of processing steps required for the photosensitive material.

Moreover, since the processing is carried out on the basis of the processing conditions stored in the information storage medium, the operator does not need any specialized knowledge to carry out this processing, and even an amateur can make proper processing on the photosensitive material without error. It can be carried out. Also,
Even with the same photosensitive material, different processing can be performed by changing the processing conditions depending on the shooting conditions. For example, if the exposure is insufficient, it is possible to automatically perform a sensitizing process such as extending the developing time based on the photographing information. In response to such a request, the processing information is changed by correcting the information of the storage medium provided in the photographic film, or another information (information based on customer needs information) is added to the storage medium of the photographic film. The processing information may be changed by inputting information from a card that the user has. In this way, simply changing the processing information stored in the storage medium or adding other information,
After that, it can be accurately processed according to a series of steps as described above.

For example, when it is desired to change the processing time or the processing temperature for each light-sensitive material, or to perform the sensitizing process or the desensitizing process, these pieces of information are carried by a storage medium provided in the photographic film and input, If necessary, by simply inputting the information carried in a separate information inputting means (for example, a card), the photosensitive material can be processed without error. Furthermore, since the processing liquid is supplied only to the processing tank during processing, the deterioration of the processing liquid is small, and even if the processing liquid deteriorates, it can be easily replaced with a new liquid, the amount of liquid to be discarded is small, and the super quiet processing period However, stable processing performance can be obtained.

The information storage medium provided in the light-sensitive material itself or in the package is not limited in storage system, and may be physical storage, magnetic storage, or the like. As a physical storage medium,
There are bar codes, hole punches, and the like, and magnetic storage media include magnetic tapes and the like. When the information storage medium is provided on the photosensitive material itself, it is preferably provided outside the image area. In order to provide an information storage medium in the image area of the photosensitive material, it is preferable to provide a transparent magnetic layer and record information on this transparent magnetic layer. When the information storage medium is provided in the photosensitive material package, the surface of the package is preferable.

The information that can be carried by the light-sensitive material itself or the information storage medium provided in the package includes the type of light-sensitive material (black and white, color negative, color reversal, etc.), shooting conditions (number of shots, over / under exposure, backlight, etc.). , Treatment process, time of each process, treatment liquid temperature in each process, correction information (sensitization, desensitization, etc.)
Etc. Photographing information stored in the photosensitive material itself or in the information storage medium provided in the package is, for example, the type, sensitivity, and the number of photographic images of the photosensitive material, and the processing conditions, processing conditions of the developing processor and the printer are set appropriately. It is for doing. The information storage medium provided in the light-sensitive material itself or in the packaging body stores information such as type and sensitivity for identifying at least the light-sensitive material among these. In some cases, the information storage medium provided in the light-sensitive material itself or in the package may also store the processing prescription and processing steps of the light-sensitive material in the processing device.

Further, in another information storage medium in the processing device,
Even if the processing prescriptions and processing steps of various light-sensitive materials are stored as a look-up table and the information storage medium provided in the light-sensitive material itself or the packaging body is made to store the information of the contents designating the options of the look-up table. Good. The look-up table may be of card input type.

The small-volume processing tank in the present invention means a processing solution filled in the processing section in an amount of 2 ml to 200 ml, preferably 3 ml to 160 ml. As a small-volume processing tank, the processing section consists of a narrow width slit-shaped photosensitive material conveying path (for slit processing), or photosensitive materials are stacked in a spiral or laminated form with a small gap to make it compact. There is a configuration of a container for loading (for gap developing processing).

Suitable treatment tanks for the present invention include, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 63-131138 and 63-259662.
JP-A-63-148184, JP-A-64
No. 26855, No. 2-103042,
The slit processing tank of the narrow width processing part described in JP-A-2-125255 and JP-A-2-130548 can be mentioned. When the processing tank is a narrow conveyance path having a slit-shaped cross section and a long conveyance path, the amount of the processing liquid filled therein is extremely small. Since this type of slit processing tank requires a small amount of processing liquid, it is easy to supply and discharge the processing liquid to and from the processing tank as in the present invention, and there is no adverse effect on the processing of the photosensitive material. Furthermore, even if a part of the pre-solution is left in the slit processing tank, if the post-solution is replenished so as to push out the pre-solution (replenishment so that the solution flows in the same direction as the photosensitive material is advancing), the effect of the pre-solution Can be reduced. Other suitable treatment tanks include JP-A-4-37845 and 4-37850.
No. 4-44040, No. 4-156536, No. 4-2
The gap developing methods described in JP-A Nos. 30745 and 4-294347 can be mentioned. In this method, since the photosensitive material is developed with the processing liquid existing in the gap of 0.1 mm to 1 mm formed between the photosensitive materials, the processing liquid can be reduced and the processing tank is suitable for this method. .

As the processing liquid supply means, processing liquid tanks are separately stored for each photosensitive material, a pump for supplying the processing liquid from each tank to the processing tank, piping, a flow path switching valve for switching the flow path to the processing tank, and A control device for controlling these operations,
Etc. The processing liquid is the type of photosensitive material (eg, color negative film, color reversal film, black and white film).
The ingredients are determined for each, and it is necessary to separate and store these. However, depending on the type of processing solution, it can be used commonly for all photosensitive materials. For example, a fixing solution and washing water can be used for processing all photosensitive materials.

The treatment liquid needs to have a predetermined temperature in the treatment tank, but the temperature of the treatment liquid may be adjusted in any of the treatment tank and the treatment tank. When performing temperature control in the treatment tank,
A heating means is provided in the treatment tank so that the treatment liquid in the treatment tank can be heated. However, when the processing liquid storage part such as the slit processing tank is extremely narrow, it is difficult to provide a heating means in the processing tank because the structure becomes complicated. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a heating means in addition to the treatment tank. When the heating means is provided in addition to the processing tank, it can be provided in the storage tank or the pipe. The simplest structure is a structure in which a heating means is provided inside or outside the storage tank and the temperature of the treatment liquid is adjusted in the storage tank.

The silver halide photographic light-sensitive material processed in the present invention is preferably one having a small coating amount of silver. Specifically, the coated silver amount is 0.5 g / m ² or more and 3 g /
m ² or less is preferable, and more preferably 1 g / m ² or more and 2
g / m ² or less. This is because if the amount of coated silver is small,
This is because a processing solution such as a developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, and washing water may be reduced, so that a good processing can be performed even in the slit processing tank and the gap developing method as described above. In addition, the minimum amount of developer required for color development is naturally determined, and the amount of developer cannot be made less than that, but fixing solution and washing water can be treated with a smaller amount than the developer. Can be done.

The emulsion of the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material processed according to the present invention contains at least one tabular silver halide grain having an aspect ratio of 5 or more. Here, tabular silver halide grains are a general term for silver halide grains having one twin plane or two or more parallel twin planes. The twin plane is (11
1) This is the (111) plane when the ions at all lattice points on both sides of the plane have a mirror image relationship. When viewed from above, the tabular grains have a triangular shape, a hexagonal shape, or a rounded circular shape.The triangular shape is a triangular shape, the hexagonal shape is a hexagonal shape, and a circular shape. Have circular outer surfaces parallel to each other.

In the photographic light-sensitive material, the average aspect ratio of tabular grains is such that the grain thickness is less than 0.5 μm,
For tabular grains having a grain diameter of 0.3 μm or more, a value (aspect ratio) obtained by dividing the grain diameter by the thickness is calculated, and each projected area is added in order from the grain with the largest aspect ratio to obtain the total projection. When the area reaches a certain ratio (for example, 50%), it is obtained as the average value of the aspect ratios of the particles so far. The thickness of the particles is measured by evaporating the metal from the oblique direction of the particles together with the latex for reference, measuring the shadow length on an electron micrograph, and calculating by referring to the shadow length of the latex. You can easily.

The particle diameter of the photographic light-sensitive material is
It is the diameter of a circle with an area equal to the projected area of the parallel exterior surfaces of the particles. The projected area of the particles can be obtained by measuring the area on an electron micrograph and correcting the photographing magnification.
The tabular grains preferably have a diameter of 0.3 to 5.0 μm. The thickness of the tabular grains is 0.05 to
It is preferably 0.5 μm.

The proportion of tabular grains of the photographic light-sensitive material in the emulsion is preferably 50%, particularly preferably 80% or more of the projected area of all silver halide grains in the emulsion. Further, the average aspect ratio of tabular grains occupying these constant areas is preferably 5 or more and less than 20. Further, more preferable results may be obtained by using monodisperse tabular grains. The structure and manufacturing method of monodisperse tabular grains are described in, for example, JP-A No. 63-151618. Briefly describing the shape, 70% or more of the total projected area of silver halide grains is the minimum. The ratio of the side having the maximum length to the length of the side having the length is 2
It is a hexagon and is occupied by tabular silver halide having two parallel outer surfaces as outer surfaces, and the coefficient of variation of the grain size distribution of the hexagonal tabular silver halide grains [projection thereof] The value obtained by dividing the variation (standard difference) in particle size represented by the circle-equivalent diameter of the area by the average particle size] has a monodispersity of 20% or less.

Further, the tabular grains of the photographic light-sensitive material preferably have dislocations. The dislocations of tabular grains are described, for example, in J. F. Hamilton, Photo. Sci. E
ng. , 11, 57, (1967) and T, Shioza
wa, J. Soc. Photo. Sci. Japan. Three
5, 213, (1972), it can be observed by a direct method using a transmission electron microscope at a low temperature. That is, the silver halide grains taken out carefully so as not to apply pressure enough to cause dislocation to the grains from the emulsion are placed on the mesh for electron microscope observation, and the sample is taken to prevent damage (printout etc.) due to electron beam. In the cooled state, observation is performed by the transmission method. In this case, the thicker the particles, the more difficult it is for the electron beam to pass therethrough.
The particles having a thickness of 5 μ can be observed more clearly by using an electron microscope of 200 kv or more). From the photograph of the grain obtained by such a method, the position of dislocation in each grain when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the principal plane can be determined.

The dislocation positions of the tabular grains of the photographic light-sensitive material occur in the major axis direction of the tabular grains from the distance x% of the length from the center to the side to the side.
The value of is preferably 10 ≦ x <100, more preferably 30 ≦ x <98, and further preferably 50 ≦ x <
95. At this time, the shape formed by connecting the positions where the dislocations start is similar to the particle shape, but it may be distorted rather than the perfect shape. The direction of the dislocation line is approximately from the center to the side, but it often meanders.

Regarding the number of dislocations of the tabular grains of the photographic light-sensitive material, 50% (the number) of grains containing 10 or more dislocations.
It is preferable that these exist. It is more preferable that 80% (number) or more of particles containing 10 or more dislocations exist, and particularly preferably 80% (number) or more of particles containing 20 or more dislocations.

A method for producing the tabular grains of the photographic light-sensitive material will be described. The tabular grains of the photographic light-sensitive material are described in "Theory and Practice of Photography" by Cleeve (Cleve, Photogra.
phy Theory and Practice (1
930)), p. 13; Gatov, Photographer.
Science and Engineering (Gutuf
f, Photographic Science an
d Engineering), Volume 14, 248-2
57, (1970); U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,22.
No. 6, No. 4,414, 310, No. 4,433, 048
No. 4,439,520 and British Patent No. 2,11.
It can be prepared by improving the method described in No. 2,157.

Any of silver bromide, silver iodobromide, silver iodochlorobromide and silver chlorobromide may be used in the tabular silver halide emulsion used in the photographic light-sensitive material. Preferred is silver iodobromide or silver iodochlorobromide containing 30 mol% or less of silver halide. The silver halide emulsion of the photographic light-sensitive material may have a structure with respect to the halogen composition in the grains. Dislocations of tabular grains of the photographic light-sensitive material are introduced by providing a high iodine phase inside the grains.

The high iodine phase is a silver halide solid solution containing iodine. In this case, silver iodide, silver iodobromide and silver chloroiodobromide are preferable, but silver iodide or It is preferably silver iodobromide, and particularly preferably silver iodide. The amount of silver halide forming the high iodine phase is 30 mol% or more, and more preferably 10 mol% or less, based on the total amount of silver in the total amount of silver in terms of silver amount. The phase to be grown outside the high iodine phase must be lower than the iodine content of the high iodine phase, and the preferable iodine content is 0.
˜12 mol%, more preferably 0 to 6 mol%, most preferably 0 to 3 mol%.

When the aspect ratio is the ratio D / H of the approximate diameter D of the plane of the tabular grains to the thickness (height) H of the tabular grains of the silver halide crystals in the silver halide emulsion, Is preferably large. The large aspect ratio means that the thickness of the silver halide crystal is thin and plate-like. If the silver halide crystal has a large aspect ratio, the area of the silver halide crystal that is in contact with the processing liquid at one time is large, so that the development can be processed quickly, and the fixing and the water washing can be speeded up. Therefore, if the processing time is kept constant, the amount of liquid to be processed can be reduced, and particularly the amount of the fixing liquid can be reduced. Therefore, good processing can be performed with a small amount of fixer, so that good processing can be performed even in the slit processing tank as described above, and good processing can also be performed in gap development. Further, if the aspect ratio is large and the area in contact with the fixing liquid at one time is large, the fixing speed becomes high. The aspect ratio is 3 or more, preferably 5 or more. The upper limit of the aspect ratio is considered to be within 20 though it is limited depending on the emulsion production method.

When the silver halide emulsion contains an oilless coupler, the emulsion film can be made thinner. For example, the thickness of the emulsion film can be set to 20 μm or less, further 10 to 17 μm. Therefore, since the amount of the processing liquid absorbed and taken out by the photosensitive material is small, the amount of the replenishing liquid may be small, and it is suitable for the processing such as the slit processing tank having the small processing liquid amount. Such a slit-shaped processing tank that uses a small amount of the processing liquid can easily supply and discharge the processing liquid, and is suitable for the present invention. Further, the amount of waste liquid discharged from the processing device is small, and the waste liquid can be easily treated.

Further, the present invention does not require the slit treatment tank as described above, but it is superposed in a small volume container as described in JP-A-4-230745 in a spiral shape or a laminated shape with a minute gap. It is also suitable for a gap development processing apparatus having a structure in which the photosensitive material described above is loaded and processing solutions according to a series of processing steps are sequentially supplied into the container to process the photosensitive material.

In the present invention, the light-sensitive material containing an oilless coupler is not a conventional method of dissolving a coupler in oil and dispersing it in gelatin, but a method of dispersing the coupler itself in gelatin. Refers to a light-sensitive material produced by a method of incorporating in a light-sensitive layer. In order to disperse the coupler as it is in gelatin, a special group may or may not be introduced into the coupler. For example, as a group for introducing the special group, a usual ballast group and the like can be mentioned. The couplers actually used and the method for producing the coated light-sensitive material are described in detail in JP-A-1-106050. In the present invention, when using a light-sensitive material of an oilless coupler, it is preferable that the amount of oil is small or absent. More specifically, the oil content is preferably 300 mg / m ² or less, more preferably 30 gm.
/ M ² or less, particularly preferably 0 mg / m ² .

The light-sensitive materials and processing agents that can be used in the present invention are as follows. First, the photosensitive material will be described. The silver halide light-sensitive materials that can be used in the present invention include amateur, industrial, medical, and scientific processing methods such as black and white development, color development, ordinary negative-type processing methods, and positive / negative reversal processing methods. A method, a positive method by chemical inversion, a positive method in which an emulsion has an inversion mechanism, a positive method by diffusion transfer or the like can be used.

The support may be a transparent support, an opaque support or a semitransparent support, and the support has a thickness of 30 to 500 μm.
Level ones can be used. Emulsions include various halogen species and combinations of halogen species, that is, one-component, two-component, and three-component emulsions, those in which the distribution of halogen is changed in the grain formation process, and grains are laminated. Any of the above-mentioned grain structures, those having different core / shell ratios, emulsions with conversion, and junction type emulsions can be used.

Further, the morphology of the particles includes hexahedron, octahedron,
A tetrahedral structure, a mixture thereof, a twin crystal, a flat plate, or a spherical one can be used. As the tabular one, those having various aspect ratios, a mixture thereof or a mixture with other particles can be used. Further, the particle size may be uniform or may have a distribution. For example, less than 0.1 μm, 0.1 to 0.4 μm, 0.4 to 1 μm
m, 1 μm or more and the like, or a single combination.

The emulsion may contain a binder other than gelatin. For example, it is preferable that a natural polymer, a synthetic polymer, or these are dispersed and mixed in various particle sizes.
Also, the allocation may be changed for each layer. These silver halide grains may adsorb various sensitizing dyes, desensitizing dyes, stabilizers, chemical sensitizers, and physical sensitizers, or may coexist during preparation. Further, the emulsion mixture may contain various dyes, surfactants, hardeners, oils and the like. An anti-fading agent, an anti-color mixing agent, a nucleating agent, a matting agent, a slip agent, a mordant, a toning agent, a development aid, and a developer may be contained directly or in oil.

Various metals may be added during the grain formation process, or may be added directly to the emulsion. Suitable metals are gold, platinum, rubidium, palladium, iron, cobalt, nickel, iridium, rhodium, silver and the like, but they may be mixed with various chelating agents and used. The color light-sensitive material may further contain various couplers. Examples thereof include pivaloyl-type / benzoyl-type yellow couplers, pyrazolone-type / pyrazoloazole-type magenta couplers, and phenol-naphthol-type cyan couplers. Further, various DIR couplers, colored couplers, polymer couplers, and couplers having various leaving groups can be used as the functional coupler.

The light-sensitive material layer can be formed by combining the above-mentioned emulsion and various additives, and in the case of a color light-sensitive material, further combining various couplers. Even if it is a black-and-white light-sensitive material, the functions may be divided into two layers or three layers. In the case of a color light-sensitive material, three layers may be used, and in some cases, the layers may be assembled so that the light is divided into 4 to 5 colors. Good. Finally, in addition to the emulsion layer, an undercoat layer, an intermediate layer, a protective layer, a peeling layer, a separating layer, a neutralizing layer, a filter layer, a vapor deposition layer, a reflecting layer, a light shielding layer and the like may be provided. Further, a light-sensitive material provided with a back layer for the purpose of curl correction, antistatic magnetic recording, etc. can be used for the back of the support. As a total value of these, sensitivity of ISO 0.1 to ISO 2000 and gradation of 0.1 to 10 can be used.

Next, the treating agent which can be used in the present invention will be explained. As the treatment agent usable in the present invention, any treatment agent such as a treatment agent prepared when a premixed treatment agent is used can be used. Processing liquid types include black and white, color developing solutions, bleaching solutions, fixing solutions, bleach-fixing solutions, stabilizing solutions, other stopping solutions,
A neutralizing solution, a hardening solution, an intensifying solution, a reducing solution, a supersensitizing solution, a toning solution, etc. can be used. As these treatment liquids, those containing various compounds can be used depending on the purpose. For example, in developing solutions, black and white developing agents, color developing agents, development aids, antifoggants, surface development inhibitors, development accelerators, chelating agents, buffers, preservatives, precipitation inhibitors, antisludge agents, tar prevention agents Agents can be added. As a special example, DIR releasing agent, dye developing agent, color precursor agent, desensitizer,
A ferro-burn inhibitor, external coupler, competitive coupler, etc. can also be added.

In addition to these, an alkali agent for adjusting the pH, an acid agent, various activators for changing the surface tension and the like can be added. These examples may be added in addition to the developer. In addition to these, a fluorescent whitening agent, an image stabilizer, a draining agent, an antifungal agent, an antibacterial agent and the like can be added to the final solution. The processing order of applying these processing agents to the light-sensitive material may be a prescribed order or may be changed depending on the case. Examples of the processing liquid that can be used in the present invention include those described in JP-A-3-33845, pages 9 to 13. The light-sensitive material that can be used in the present invention is disclosed in JP-A-3-33845, Nos. 13 to 26.
Examples include those described on the page.

[0047]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a film development processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Examples of the photographic light-sensitive material for silver halide photography processed by the development processing apparatus 1 include a color negative film NF, a color reversal film HF, and a black-and-white film BF, and the case of performing these processings will be described below. In addition,
In the following description, all of these films will be simply referred to as film F when collectively referred to. This development processing apparatus 1
The film F to be processed in 1 is provided with the information storage medium 5 on the film itself or on the cartridge 3 which is a package. The information storage medium 5 is, for example, a magnetic tape or a bar code,
Information can also be stored in the film F by hole punching.

When the magnetic tape 5a is provided on the film F, for example, as shown in the figure, the magnetic tape 5a is placed outside the image area.
a is attached to the magnetic tape 5a, and shooting information such as film type and sensitivity is previously stored on the magnetic tape 5a, or shooting information is recorded at the time of shooting. If the information storage medium 5 is a bar code, the bar code is similarly printed outside the image area of the film F in advance or the bar code is exposed at the time of photographing.

When a magnetic tape is provided on the cartridge 3, when the cartridge 3 is loaded into the developing processing apparatus 1, it is a position where information can be easily read by the reader 7 provided in the processing apparatus 1, for example, the cartridge 3 Provided on the peripheral surface of. The same applies to the case where the barcode 5b is provided on the cartridge 3, for example, the barcode 5b is provided on the peripheral surface as illustrated. The barcode 5b is provided by printing or attaching a barcode label.

The photographing information stored in the information storage medium 5 is
This is information for performing an appropriate development process on the film F, the type of the film itself, the sensitivity, the set sensitivity at the time of shooting, the prescription of the processing liquid corresponding to the type of the film F, the processing step, the processing time, the processing. For example, the liquid temperature. Note that the prescription of the processing liquid, the processing step, the processing time, the processing liquid temperature, etc. are different information storage media (memory 15, 17 described later) in the development processing apparatus 1.
You may be prepared for. In the case of this example, the film F or the cartridge 3 carries the type information of the film as the photographing information, and the information storage medium 5 stores the type information of any one of the color negative film NF, the color reversal film HF, and the black and white film BF. Remembered

The entire operation of the film development processing apparatus 1 is controlled by the control device 9 based on the photographing information read from the information storage medium 5 by the reading device 7. The processing apparatus 1 includes a transfer control unit 11, a processing liquid control unit 13, and memories 15 and 17 for setting each processing condition.

On the other hand, the type condition memory 15 stores the processing prescription and process set according to the type of the film F. In this example, the prescription and process for the color negative film NF and the color reversal film HF are stored. The prescription and process, the prescription and process for the black and white film BF are stored. The color negative film NF is formulated and treated by, for example, color developing CD, bleaching BLN, fixing FX, type of each treating solution of washing W, temperature of each treating solution, contact sequence with each treating solution (the order of listing). The contact time (processing time) and the like are stored. The prescription and processing steps for the color reversal film HF include, for example, the type of each processing solution of the first color developing CD1, the bleaching BLR, the second color developing CD2, the fixing FX, and the washing W, the temperature of each processing solution, each processing solution. The contact order (the order of listing), the contact time (processing time), and the like are stored. The prescription and processing steps for the black-and-white film BF include the types of processing liquids such as black-and-white development D, fixing FX, and washing W,
Temperature of each processing solution, order of contact with each processing solution (in the order listed above)
The contact time (processing time) and the like are stored.

These contents of the type condition memory 15 are automatically associated with the contents of the information storage medium 5 read by the reading device 7. The other correction condition memory 17 stores a correction condition for correction according to a request from an operator or a customer. This correction condition may be input from the photosensitive material itself, the packaging body of the photosensitive material, or another ROM card.
The automatic processor itself may have a correction condition input button. In the case of this example, the correction condition memory 17 stores the high image quality condition,
It stores conditions for rapid processing, conditions for horse race photography, conditions for construction photography, conditions for sensitization, and conditions for desensitization. Each correction condition will be described.

First, the high image quality condition is a standard specification of the development processing apparatus, and each condition is set in the development processing apparatus so as to obtain high image quality, and the normal processing is performed under this condition. The processing conditions for high image quality will be described below.
It is called standard condition, and the temperature and time at this time are called standard temperature and standard time, respectively.

The conditions for rapid processing are for shortening the processing time, and when rapid processing is required, the processing time can be shortened by raising the temperature of the processing liquid by a predetermined temperature. Therefore, as the conditions for rapid processing, a processing temperature higher than the standard temperature and a processing time shorter than the standard time are set.

The horse racing photograph conditions are conditions for ultra-rapid processing of photographs used for judging the order of arrival at a racetrack. In a photograph used for determining the order of arrival at a racetrack, desilvering and washing with water may be insufficient because only the information necessary for the determination such as color classification and contour need be obtained. In this case, development processing may be performed at an extremely high temperature such as 50 ° C., and the desilvering solution and washing solution may be processed for a short time such that the film is passed through. Therefore,
As conditions for horse racing photography, a processing temperature extremely higher than the standard temperature and a processing time extremely shorter than the standard time, especially a desilvering processing time and a washing time are set.

The conditions for construction photographs are processing conditions for recording photographs at construction sites. Since it is necessary to be able to identify the characters in the construction photo, a hard image quality is required. In order to obtain a hard image quality, the processing liquid temperature is raised without changing the processing time, or the processing time is lengthened without changing the processing temperature. Therefore, a set of a processing temperature and a standard time higher than the standard temperature or a set of a processing time and a standard time longer than the standard temperature is set as the condition for the construction photograph.

The sensitizing conditions are for sensitizing and developing the film. For example, if a film having a sensitivity of 100 is photographed under the condition of a sensitivity of 200, if the film is processed under the standard condition as it is, the development will be insufficient. Therefore, the sensitized development process is required. Therefore, a processing time longer than the standard time is set as the sensitization condition.

The desensitizing conditions are for performing desensitizing development processing of the film. For example, if a film having a sensitivity of 100 is photographed under the condition of a sensitivity of 50, if the film is processed under the standard condition as it is, overdevelopment occurs, and therefore desensitization development processing is necessary. Therefore, a processing time shorter than the standard time is set as the desensitization condition.

These contents of the correction condition memory may be automatically associated with the contents in the information storage medium 5 read by the reading device 7, and the operator may make his / her own judgment or request the customer. On the basis of this, it may be inputted and selected by a condition setting means (not shown).

Next, control of processing will be described. The control device 9 reads the above-mentioned processing conditions stored in the memories 15 and 17 based on the imaging information from the reading device 7, and controls the operations of the transport control unit 11 and the processing liquid control unit 13 according to the read conditions. To do. The transport controller 11 controls a transport unit such as the transport roller 19. Treatment liquid control unit 13
Controls the operations of the pump 21, the flow path switching valve 23, the treatment liquid heating heater 25, the treatment liquid temperature sensor 27, and the like, which are necessary for the supply and discharge of the treatment liquid and the temperature control. For the treatment liquid, for example, a color negative prescription, a color reversal prescription, and a black and white prescription are prepared corresponding to the type of the film F, and each treatment liquid is separately filled in the tank 29.
It is selected by the operation of the pump 21 and the switching valve 23 and supplied to the processing tank.

In the case of this example, as a processing solution for the color negative film NF, CN16FA and CN1 manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
A treatment liquid having a formulation such as 6X can be used. Further, as the processing solution for the color reversal film HF, a processing solution based on a prescription such as CR56P manufactured by Fuji Photo Film can be used. Further, as the treatment liquid for the black-and-white film BF, a treatment liquid based on the prescription such as Pandol and Mindor manufactured by Fuji Photo Film can be used.

Example of combination of read information and processing
Is shown below. Here the combination color negative A CD + BLN + FX + W color negative B CD + BLR + FX + W + SB color negative C CD + BLR + FX color reversal A CD1 + W + RV + CD2 + CON + BLR + FX + W + SB color reversal B CD + W + RV + CD2 + BLN + FX + W color reversal C CD + RV + CD2 + BLR + FX + W color reversal D CD + RV + CD2 + BLR + FX-white film D + FX + W of the photosensitive material liquid, CD1 is the first black and white developer for color reversal RV is the reversal bath for color reversal CON is the adjusting bath for color reversal SB is the stabilizing bath for color reversal

A, B, C and D in color negative and color reversal are identification codes of the photographer's needs carried as information on the film or package. As an example, A means standard processing, B means rapid processing, and C and D mean super rapid processing. The rapid processing is, for example, processing for accelerating the development time and desilvering time to accelerate the processing. With ultra-rapid processing, for example, since the print is finally stored, it is only necessary to obtain a print for the photographic light-sensitive material.For example, the photographic light-sensitive material is not washed with water, and the processed photographic light-sensitive material is not stored. Discard (do not return to customer). For example, this is an example of a photograph of a bicycle race or a horse race. At this time,
No washing or stabilizing treatment, depending on the case, the standard 1
Wash with water for a time of / 10 and carry out a process such as not performing stabilization treatment.

In addition, as a developing process for correcting the exposure error, in the case of the color negative film NF, the developing time is shortened when the overexposure is 4 steps, and the developing time is lengthened when the underexposure is 2 steps.
Also, since the color reversal has a narrower tolerance of exposure error, the amount of increase / decrease in the development time is, for example, ± 15 seconds or ± 30 seconds.
Seconds and short. Also, for panoramic shooting and normal shooting,
The supply amount of each processing liquid is changed. For example, when the normal processing of the color negative is set to 1, for the panoramic film, the color negative A processing step is set to 1/2 for CD, 1/2 for BLN, 1 for FX, and 1 for W. Examples of usable chemicals include those manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., which are CN-16, CN-16Q, CN-16QH, C.
Chemical groups such as N-16FA, CN16X, CR-56P, superprodol, and minidol can be used, but are not limited thereto.

As shown in the flow path structure of the processing liquid in FIG. 2, the processing tank 31 provided in the processing apparatus 1 is provided with a processing liquid filling section consisting of a narrow film passage, and the processing liquid filling section is provided with a film. In the state of containing the, the treatment liquid is supplied to the filling section,
Moreover, the processing liquid is discharged from the filling section.
A cross section of the treatment liquid filling portion is formed to have a long slit. The film F is transported by the transport controller 11 controlling the rotation of the transport roller 19. Then, the film F is conveyed to the inside of the processing section and is brought into contact with each processing liquid in a stopped state to be processed. The processing liquid necessary for processing the film F is filled in each processing liquid tank 29, and each tank 29 and the processing tank 31 are connected by a pipe 33. Pump 21
The operation of the flow path switching valve 23 and the flow path switching valve 23 are controlled by the control device 9 so as to cooperate with each other to supply an appropriate processing liquid to the processing tank 31, fill the processing tank 31 with the processing liquid, and discharge after processing. . Although the structure of the processing tank is simplified in FIG. 2, a processing tank in which the processing liquid is supplied to the slit opening on the side where the photosensitive material enters and the discharging opening is provided on the slit opening on the side where the photosensitive material exits is preferable. . In such a configuration, by supplying the treatment liquid of the next process to the treatment liquid filling section, the treatment liquid of the previous process is discharged and the treatment liquid is replaced. The supply and discharge of the processing liquid may be performed at the bottom of the processing liquid filling section.

The formulation for the color negative film NF comprises a color developing solution CD, a bleaching solution BLN, a fixing solution FX and washing water W, and the color negative film NF is processed by contacting with the respective processing solutions in this order. Since the fixing liquid FX and the washing water W are the same regardless of the type of the film F, they are commonly used for processing all the films F. Development processor 1
When the film F is attached to the sheet and the information is read by the reading device 7 and it is detected that the film F is the color negative film NF, the control device 9 causes the type condition memory 17 to prescribe and process the color negative film NF. Read the condition of. Then, according to the read information, the operation of the heater 25 is controlled so that each processing liquid reaches a predetermined temperature. When each processing solution reaches a predetermined temperature, the operation of the pump 21 and the switching valve 23 is controlled to develop the developing solution CD, the bleaching solution BLN,
The fixer FX and the washing water W are supplied in this order to the processing tank 31,
The treatment liquids and the color negative film NF are brought into contact with each other for a predetermined time.

Each processing solution used in the processing is collected in the original tank 29 after the processing is finished and is reused as long as it is usable as long as the photographic performance is not deteriorated. It should be noted that while supplying different treatment liquids, rinsing water is once supplied to the treatment tank 31,
It is preferable to wash the inside of 1 because contamination and deterioration of the treatment liquid can be prevented.

The color negative film NF is subjected to color development processing by being in contact with each processing solution at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time in the slit-shaped processing tank 31, and is dried when the processing with all the processing solutions is completed. The color negative film NF may be dried by another drying device outside the processing tank, or may be dried by supplying warm air into the processing tank 31. A flowchart of the processing method described above is shown in FIG.

The formulation for color reversal film HF is
The first color developing solution CD1, the bleaching solution BL, the second color developing solution CD2, the fixing solution FX, and the washing water W are formed, and the color reversal film HF is processed in contact with each processing solution in this order. The processing of the color reversal film HF is different from that of the color negative film NF only in the prescription and the processing steps, and the control of the processing liquid is the same as that of the color negative film NF, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

The black-and-white film formulation comprises a developing solution D, a fixing solution FX, and washing water W, and the black-and-white film BF is processed by contacting with the respective processing solutions in this order. The treatment liquid control for the treatment of the black-and-white film BF is the same as that described above, and therefore its explanation is omitted.

The printer 35 prints the image of the film F on the color paper (color printing paper) CP and develops it, and the processed color paper CP (print) is given to the customer 39. Not only the image of the color negative film NF but also the image of the black and white negative film BF can be printed on the color paper CP. Therefore, one type of color paper CP can be used for a color image and a black and white image. Since the image of the color negative film NF and the image of the black and white film BF can be printed on the same color paper CP, the versatility of the printer 35 is enhanced. The black-and-white film BF after the development processing may be used for printing in the printer 35, but may be wrapped and returned to the customer without being supplied to the printer 35.

When the printer 35 is loaded with the direct positive color paper CP for the color reversal film HF, the color reversal film H after the development processing is performed.
F is supplied to the printer 35 and can be used for printing. However, when the printer 35 is not directly loaded with the positive color paper CP, the color reversal film HF after the development processing is packaged and returned to the customer.

As described above, the printing process is normally performed in the printer 35 in conjunction with the development process of the film F in the film development processing apparatus 1. Therefore, in the development processing device 1, it is preferable that the photographing information read by the reading device 7 is further supplied to the exposure unit 37 of the printer 35 and used for the printing process. Exposure unit 37 of printer 35
The type of the film F and the like are preferable as the photographing information supplied to the camera. When the type of the film F after the development processing is supplied to the printer 35, the function of the exposure unit 37 can be adjusted according to the type information so that the exposure condition is appropriate for the type of the film F.

Next, another control will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, a barcode is provided on the film itself or the package as a storage means and used. When a bar code is used, the information that can be carried by one bar code is limited and limited, and the bar code carries only the index code (negative A, negative B, etc.). Then, detailed processing information used in the actual processing (for example, the prescription of the processing liquid corresponding to the film, the processing step,
Information such as the temperature of each processing liquid, and further correction information such as sensitization processing information and desensitization processing information) are stored in an LUT (look-up table) 54 provided as a sub storage unit in the control device 48. is there. The bar code carries index information (for example, photosensitive material type) in the information group stored in detail in the LUT 54, and the index information read by the reader is supplied to the control means. When the index information is supplied to the control means, the control means refers to the LUT 54 to select and set a processing condition suitable for the index information, and controls the operation of the temperature adjusting means, the liquid feeding means and the like according to the condition.

This process control can be applied to the slit developing process described above, but can also be applied to the gap developing process described below. The supply and discharge operations of the processing liquid will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the gap developing processing unit, and FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the processing unit 112. The processing unit 112 includes a container 114 and a container mounting table 116.
And a liquid reservoir 118. Container 114 and liquid reservoir 11
8 is in communication with the processing liquid in a flowable manner. Further, the processing liquid is supplied to and discharged from the mounting table 116 to the container 114 and the liquid reservoir 118. Further, the liquid reservoir 118 communicates with a high pressure chamber and a low pressure chamber (not shown) by switching the air passage switching valve 134, so that air can be fed into or sucked from the inside.

The container 114 is composed of a lid 114a and a main body 114b and preferably has a light-shielding property, and can be attached to and detached from the mounting table 116 and the liquid reservoir 118. Since the container 114 has a light-shielding property, the film F can be loaded into the container 114 only in a dark room or under a safety lamp, and the subsequent processing can be performed in a bright room. The mounting table 116 detachably holds the container 114, and has a processing liquid supply port 122 that can communicate with the liquid supply port 120 of the container 114. The processing liquid selected by switching the liquid path switching valve moves the mounting table 116 to the mounting table 116. It is adapted to be supplied into the container 114 through it. According to the structure for processing the film F in such a container 114, at least the container 114
The film F can be processed with a sufficient amount of liquid to fill the inside, and the film F can be processed with an extremely small amount of the processing liquid as compared with the conventional tank development.

In order to supply the processing liquid into the container 114, the liquid reservoir 118 and the low pressure chamber are communicated with each other to bring the interiors of the liquid reservoir 118 and the container 114 into a low pressure state. Container 11
4 and the liquid reservoir 118 are supplied with a predetermined amount of processing liquid, the liquid path switching valve is once closed, and then the high pressure chamber and the liquid reservoir 11 are closed.
8 to establish a high pressure in the liquid reservoir 118 and the container 114, so that the processing liquid in the container 114 is attached to the mounting table 11
It is discharged through 6. By repeating such operations and supplying various processing liquids to the container 114, the film F
Is processed.

In the container 114, as shown in FIG. 6, two films F are wound and accommodated in two stages. Each film F is co-wound with a spacer interposed therebetween so as to overlap with each other with a minute gap. The spacer has almost the same shape as the film F, and a large number of protrusions are formed on both ends in the width direction by embossing. By contacting the film F on which the protrusions are superposed, a minute gap is formed between the films F, and the film F is processed by the processing liquid flowing through the gap.

Each processing solution used for processing is contained in a separate tank, and the liquid path between the processing apparatus and the tank is connected when performing film processing. The treatment liquid is not limited to one kind of film, and it is preferable to prepare various kinds of films so that various kinds of films can be processed. The tank containing each processing liquid may be housed in the case integrally with the processing apparatus. A heater for adjusting the temperature of the processing liquid and a temperature adjusting unit are integrally provided in the tank for the processing liquid.
When processing with each processing liquid, the processing liquid is stored in the container 114.
The temperature of the treatment liquid is raised to the set temperature before being supplied to
The heated processing liquid is supplied to the container 114 for processing.

The processing section 112 is provided with sensors SW1 to SW6 for detecting the level of the processing liquid at various places, and the control means detects the water level by the sensors SW1 to SW6 and switches the air passage switching valve 134 and the liquid passage. The valves are switched to control the supply and reciprocating movement of the processing liquid. The processing unit 112 is provided with the first sensor SW1 to the sixth sensor SW6 in order from the top, but not all the first sensor SW1 to the sixth sensor SW6 are always required. Note that FIG. 6 shows only the position where the sensor is provided, and the sensor itself is not shown. An electrode type, an optical fiber type, an ultrasonic type, a float type or the like can be used as the sensor.

The first sensor SW1 is provided above the liquid reservoir 118 for the purpose of detecting the upper limit level of the processing liquid in the liquid reservoir 118. The second sensor SW2 is provided substantially at the center of the liquid reservoir 118 in the vertical direction. Third sensor SW
3 is provided at the bottom of the liquid reservoir 118 for the purpose of detecting the upper limit level of the processing liquid in the container 114. By performing the liquid feeding control so that the liquid level is positioned between the first sensor SW1 and the third sensor SW3, the state in which the processing liquid is always filled in the container 114 can be maintained.

The fourth sensor SW4 is provided at a position lower than the upper end of the container 114 by approximately 1/4 of the container length.
The fifth sensor SW5 is provided substantially at the center of the container 114 in the vertical direction, and detects the upper limit level of the processing liquid when the film F is stored in the lower stage. Sixth
The sensor SW6 is provided for the purpose of detecting the lower limit level of the processing liquid, and is provided near the liquid delivery port of the mounting table 116.

7 and 8 are flowcharts of the processing operation. 7B is a modification example of the flow of FIG. 7A, and the modification example will be described later. The flow of the process will be described with reference to FIG. 7A. First, the reading means reads the process information (S4), and the process condition is set based on the information (S6). The processing conditions include the order of supplying the processing liquid,
The processing liquid temperature, the processing time, and the like. After all the processing conditions have been set, the liquid path is switched so that the developing solution is supplied (S8), and the developing solution is sucked into the container 114 for development processing (S10). When the developing process is completed, the liquid path is switched so that the bleaching liquid is supplied next (S12), and the container 114
The bleaching solution is sucked into the bleaching solution for bleaching treatment (S14). When the bleaching process is completed, the liquid path is switched in the same manner (S1
6, S20) fixing process (S18), washing process (S22)
The film F is washed with water and dried (S2
4).

The developing process will be described with reference to FIG. When the developing process is started (S30), the low pressure chamber and the liquid reservoir 118 are communicated with each other to suck the developing liquid (S32), and when the developing liquid surface reaches the first sensor SW1 (S34), the suction is stopped. (S36). The suction is stopped when the developing solution reaches the upper limit level, but the movement of the solution is stopped for a fixed time here (S38). This is because if the developer is constantly moved back and forth during development, the developer moves monotonously and the developer stays behind the spacer protrusions, resulting in insufficient liquid exchange and uneven development. is there. For this reason,
By stopping the driving of the developing solution for a certain period of time (about 2 seconds to 20 seconds), the developing solution also wraps around the protrusions while the driving is stopped, so that the above uneven development is eliminated.

After the driving of the developing solution is stopped for a certain period of time, the solution storing section 118 and the high pressure chamber are communicated with each other to supply compressed air into the solution storing section 118 and discharge the developing solution (S40). When the surface of the developing solution falls below the third sensor SW3 (S42), the driving of the developing solution is stopped again for a certain time (S44), and uneven development is similarly prevented. Next, the above operation is repeated until the development processing time reaches the set time, and the developing solution is reciprocally driven so that the developing solution surface moves between the first sensor SW1 and the third sensor SW3 (S32 to S48). ).

When the set development processing time has elapsed (S4
8) Then, compressed air is supplied into the liquid reservoir 118 and the container 114 to completely discharge the developing solution (S50), and the developing process is completed (S52). It should be noted that, when the set time such as during the sucking or discharging of the developing solution is reached, the processing is terminated at that point and no extra processing is performed. This is the same for the other steps. The bleaching process, the fixing process, and the water washing process in the next step are also performed in the same manner, and the description thereof will be omitted. When all the processing steps with the processing liquid are completed, the film F is dried and the processing is completed. In order to dry the film F, heated air is supplied into the container 114 so that the container 114 can be dried.
It may be dried in the container 114 and the film F may be removed from the container 114.
It may be taken out and dried using a dryer or the like.
Although the supply control of the treatment liquid is a standard treatment method,
The above control may be changed as follows.

For example, when the temperature is lower than the processing temperature and the developer whose temperature has been raised to the set value is supplied to the container 114, the heat of the developer is taken by the container 114, and the temperature of the developer is lowered. The development processing as set may not be possible. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7B, it is preferable to preheat the container 114 by supplying washing water that has been heated before supplying the developer to the container 114 in steps S7a and S7b. If the temperature of the container 114 is raised before the actual development, the temperature of the developing solution when the developing solution is supplied does not drop, and the developing process can be performed as set. In addition, since no reaction occurs even if the washing water touches the film F, there is no adverse effect on the film F.

Next, the temperature control of the processing liquid will be described.
Although each processing liquid is heated to a set temperature before being supplied into the container 114, the temperature is not controlled during the film processing, and the temperature is lowered by natural heat dissipation. Therefore, it is preferable to set the treatment liquid temperature in advance in consideration of the temperature decrease due to heat radiation. At this time, the environmental temperature and the heat capacity of the film F are taken into consideration so that the total amount of heat given to the film F from the start to the end of the process becomes equal to the total amount of heat given to the film F when the film F is processed for a set time at a constant set temperature. Then, the initial temperature of the processing liquid is set.

For example, at the time of tank development, 2 minutes 3 at 43 ° C.
When using a developing solution set to be processed for 0 second, it is preferable to raise the temperature of the developing solution to about 50 ° C. and start the processing. Further, when the processing is carried out with a small amount of the developing solution as described above, the amount of halogen in the solution is small at the initial stage of the development, and the amount of halogen increases in the latter stage. In such a state, the processing can be performed in a shorter time than the method in which the development processing is performed with the halogen concentration kept substantially constant as in the conventional tank development.

[0091]

【Example】

Example 1 Photosensitive material: color negative film SH manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
G-400. Processing device: A structure in which the processing liquid is sequentially supplied to and discharged from the gap developing container shown in FIG. 8 of JP-A-4-230745. The amount of liquid used is 40 ml, and the liquid feeding mechanism of the processor has the configuration shown in FIG. 4 of the publication.

Experiment 101 A: Standard Processing Step and Formulation The processing steps are as follows. As the color developing solution, the bleaching solution, the bleach-fixing solution and the stabilizing solution, a commercially available color negative processing agent (CN-manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. 16QHII) was used. Processing time is 6 minutes and 48 seconds. Process Processing time Stop time between reciprocations Initial liquid temperature Color development 2 minutes 30 seconds 4 seconds 48 ° C Bleaching 46 seconds 0 seconds 48 ° C Bleaching fixing 2 minutes 30 seconds 0 seconds 48 ° C Washing 31 seconds 0 seconds 48 ° C Stability 31 seconds 0 seconds 48 ° C Transfer amount of treatment liquid is 60 mm ³ / sec

Experiment 102 B: Overexposure processing step and formulation The processing steps are as follows. As a color developing solution, a bleaching solution, a bleach-fixing solution and a stabilizing solution, a commercially available color negative processing agent (CN, manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.) was used. -16QHII) was used. Processing time is 5 minutes and 46 seconds. Process processing time Stop time between reciprocations Initial liquid temperature Washing with water 10 seconds 0 seconds 48 ° C Color development 2 minutes 20 seconds 4 seconds 48 ° C Washing with water 10 seconds 0 seconds 48 ° C Bleaching 36 seconds 0 seconds 48 ° C Bleaching fixing 2 minutes 00 seconds 0 Sec. 48 ° C water washing 10 sec. 0 sec. 48 ° C water washing 10 sec. 0 sec. 48 ° C stability 10 sec. 0 sec. 48 ° C. The transfer amount of treatment liquid is 60 mm ³ / sec.

Experiment 103 C: Rapid processing steps and formulation To a commercially available color negative developing solution CN-16QHII manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., 5 g of dihydroxymethyl-1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone was added at 2 g / liter. A solution containing 6 g / l of KOH is used, and the other processing solutions are CN, a commercially available processing agent for color negative, manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
-16QHII was used as is. The processing steps are as follows. By adding 5-dihydroxymethyl-1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone as a development aid and raising the pH with KOH, the development process can be carried out rapidly. Processing time is 3 minutes. Process Processing time Stop time between reciprocations Initial liquid temperature Color development 1 minute 30 seconds 4 seconds 55 ° C Bleach 30 seconds 0 seconds 55 ° C Bleach fixing 30 seconds 0 seconds 55 ° C Rinse 30 seconds 0 seconds 55 ° C 3 minutes in total

Film information carrying method As the information at the time of photographing on the film, any one of the following exposure conditions and quick request is magnetically recorded, and at the time of processing, this information is read to start the processing. Exposure conditions: underexposure (-2 steps), standard (neutral N), overexposure (+5 steps). Since a light-sensitive material generally has a narrow tolerance for underexposure and a broad tolerance for overexposure, the adverse effects of -2 step underexposure and the adverse effects of + 5step overexposure are about the same. . From this, as the underexposure condition, -2 steps are set,
As the overexposure condition, +5 steps are set. Quick Demand: Standard, Moderately Quick, Very Quick

Information input of exposure conditions is performed in the camera at the time of photographing. Since the magnetic recording medium is applied to the film itself, the exposure condition of the camera is -1 relative to the sensitivity of the film itself.
From the step to the +4 step, magnetic recording is performed as a standard of. Usually camera EE
Enter the standard conditions depending on the mechanism. However, when the shutter is released outside the above range, a shift occurs between the film sensitivity and the camera exposure (EE mechanism). as a result,
-If the underexposure is determined from the second step,
Underexposed and magnetically recorded. On the contrary, if it is determined that the exposure is overexposure from the +5 step, the overexposure is magnetically recorded. The rapid processing request is information that is input before taking out the film from the camera and before development, for example, information that the customer selects and inputs at a DP store (development shop). Such information is magnetically recorded, for example, on the tongue portion of the film. These pieces of information are automatically read by the developing processor and used for controlling the processing.

<Case W> The photosensitive material for photographing stores a standard as an exposure condition and a standard as a quick request.
The processing device reads this information and uses A as the processing step.
(Standard processing steps and formulation) were selected and processed.

<Case X> In the photosensitive material for photography, overexposure is stored as an exposure condition, and a standard is stored as a quick request. In the processor, this information was read, A (standard processing step and prescription) was selected as the processing step, and under this condition, the color development time was shortened by 25% as compared with the standard processing as the correction processing for overexposure.

<Case Y> In the photosensitive material for photographing, standard is stored as an exposure condition and ultra-quick is stored as a quick request. The processor read this information and selected C (rapid processing step and prescription) as the processing step for processing.

<Case Z> In the photographic light-sensitive material, underexposure (-2 aperture under) is stored as an exposure condition, and slightly quick is stored as a quick request. The processor reads this information, selects B (overexposure processing step and prescription) as the processing step, and under this condition, the color development time is set to 2 as compared with the standard processing as the correction processing for underexposure.
The treatment was extended by 5%.

As described above, the processor automatically reads Cases W, X, Y, and Z depending on the level of overexposure and deficiency of the film exposure and the quick request, and the processing solution is selected accordingly, and the developing process is changed ( Satisfactory results were obtained by changing the process and increasing / decreasing the color development time.

Example 2 Experiment 201 Light-sensitive material A: Third layer, fifth layer and seventh layer in Example 1 of JP-A-3-213853 as a color negative film for photographing having a coated silver amount of 2 g / m ² or less. , 9th layer, 11th
A sample 102 was prepared in which the layers, the 13th layer, and the 14th layer were not applied. The coated silver amount was 1.95 g / m ² . Processing apparatus: Using the slit type 1 tank processing tank shown in FIG. 1 of JP-A-2-204741 (processing liquid amount 30 ml),
The processing tank was modified to the system shown in Fig. 2 of the present application. Prescription and processing steps: CN-16Q (color negative rapid processing type processing agent manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.).

Experiment 202 Photosensitive material B: a third layer, a fourth layer, a seventh layer in Example 1 of JP-A-3-213853 as a color negative film for photographing having a coated silver amount of 3.57 g / m ² . Samples in which the eighth layer, the eleventh layer, the twelfth layer, and the fourteenth layer were not applied were prepared. The processing apparatus, processing prescription and processing steps are the same as 201.

A magnetic recording medium is previously coated on the above-mentioned two kinds of photosensitive materials A and B. The photosensitive material A has a case (P) where normal printing is performed, a case (Q) where development is performed only by developing a color negative film and to the extent that an object can be discriminated. Have been described. It is stated in the packaging box that the photosensitive material B can be used only in (Q). As for these processing information, necessary processing conditions are selected before the development is started, and the development processing is performed by adding the information of the film or the package if necessary. The processing information is magnetically recorded, for example, on the tongue portion of the photosensitive material, or on a magnetic card or an IC card. The recorded information is automatically read by the processor and used for controlling the process.

In Experiment 201, the light-sensitive material A was
Satisfactory results were obtained regardless of whether (P) or (Q) was selected as the information input. In Experiment 202, information was incorrectly entered for photosensitive material B before the start of development (P).
When I typed in and developed, I got only a dirty color print. Further, if the coating silver amount is 2 g / m ² or less as in the case of the light-sensitive material A of Experiment 201, the processing liquid can be small and it is easy to change the processing based on the above request information.

In addition to the above experiments, experiments 201 and 202
In place of the slit type one-tank tank, processing was performed using a commercial color negative processing agent CN-16Q (manufactured by Fuji Photo Film) using Fuji Photo Film's color negative automatic processor "Mini Lab Champion 23S FP-350". went. The processing steps are as follows.

Processing Process Abbreviation Time Temperature Total darkness Color development NQ1 3 minutes 15 seconds 38 ± 0.15 ° C. Total darkness bleaching NQ2 1 minute 00 seconds 35 to 41 ° C. Total darkness bleach fixing NQ3 3 minutes 15 seconds 35 to 41 ° C. White lamp superheater Rinse (1) NQS1 40 seconds 32-38 ° C white light Super rinse (2) NQS2 1 minute 00 seconds 32-38 ° C white light stability NQ4 40 seconds 35-41 ° C white light dry DRY 1 minute 15 seconds 45-65 ° C * 1 Each process time from color development to stabilization includes air time of 20 seconds or less. * 2 Rinse will be 2-tank cascade piping. * 3 The circulation in the color development and bleach-fixing process is a "jet method" in which the processing liquid is sprayed over the emulsion surface of the film. The replenishment amount is as follows. Color development bleaching, stable bleach-fixing, rinse 35mm film 41ml 18ml 27ml per 1m

The results are shown in the table below. In the table below, ◯ indicates that the treatment was good, and x indicates that the treatment was insufficient.

[0109]

[Table 1]

As is clear from the above results, the light-sensitive material A having a coated silver amount of 2 g / m ² or less shows good results in the cases P and Q setting in both small liquid amount 1 tank processing and normal processing. Was obtained. That is, it was found that the photosensitive material B is not suitable for automatically reading the processing information and processing a small amount of one tank, but the photosensitive material A is suitable for this processing and good results are obtained.

Example 3 Experiment 301 Light-sensitive material A: Emulsion D was used instead of the third layer of Sample 102 (the ninth layer was emulsion E-1) which was the color negative film for photographing in Example 1 of JP-A-5-80452. It was Emulsion C, D, E-
1, E-2, F have aspect ratios of 6, 7,
Emulsions having an aspect ratio of 6 are used on the average. The processing apparatus, the processing steps and the processing prescription are the same as those in the second embodiment.

Experiment 302 Light-sensitive material B: In light-sensitive material A, the third layer was replaced with emulsion A, the fourth layer was replaced with emulsion A, the fifth layer was replaced with emulsion B, and the seventh layer was replaced with emulsion A. Eight layers were replaced with emulsion B, the ninth layer was replaced with emulsion B, the eleventh layer was replaced with emulsion A, and the twelfth layer was replaced with emulsion B. Emulsion A and emulsion B have aspect ratios of 1.
It was 1. Therefore, the aspect ratio of the emulsion is approximately 1.
It was 1. The second layer is emulsion G and the aspect ratio is 1.1, and the thirteenth layer is emulsion F and the aspect ratio is 3.0.

Using the above light-sensitive material, processing was carried out by the method of designating (P) and (Q) as in Example 2. Experiment 301
Then, when the information input (P) or (Q) was selected for the photosensitive material A before the development, development was satisfactory. In Experiment 302, when the information input was mistakenly input as (P) for the photosensitive material B before the development was started and the development was performed, only a dirty color print was obtained. In addition to the above experiment, in Experiments 301 and 302, instead of the slit type one tank tank, a color negative automatic developing machine manufactured by Fuji Photo Film "Mini Lab Champion 2
3S FP-350 "using a color negative treatment agent CN
The treatment was performed according to the formulation of -16Q (manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.). The results are shown in the table below.

[0114]

[Table 2]

As is clear from the above results, the light-sensitive material B having an aspect ratio of 1.1 can produce a color image without any problem in an ordinary automatic developing machine, but in the one-tank type automatic developing machine with a small amount of liquid, the image can be removed. Causes silver failure. However, when the light-sensitive material A having a silver halide crystal aspect ratio of 6 is processed by an automatic developing machine of a small liquid amount one tank type, a color image can be obtained without any problem. As described above, when the silver halide crystal is in the form of a flat plate, the processing solution is small and it is easy to change the processing based on the above request information. Good results can be obtained with various treatments.

Example 4 Experiment 401 Photosensitive material A: Sample 301 which is a color reversal photosensitive material for photographing in Example 3 of JP-A-1-106050. The light-sensitive material A contains much less oil or no oil as compared with general light-sensitive materials, as described below. Red sensitive layer oil amount 0.2 ml / m ² Green sensitive layer oil amount 0 ml / m ² Blue sensitive layer oil amount 0 ml / m ²

Experiment 402 Photosensitive material B: Sample 101 which is a color reversal photosensitive material for photographing in Example 1 of JP-A-2-854. The photosensitive material B has a general oil content as described below. Red sensitive layer oil amount 0.54 ml / m ² Green sensitive layer oil amount 0.33 ml / m ² Blue sensitive layer oil amount 0.51 ml / m ²

Processing Prescription and Processing Step The following processing steps are carried out using a solution prepared on the basis of the prescription of the first developing solution and the like described in Example 1 of JP-A-2-854. Processing time Time 1st development 6 minutes 38 ° C 1st water wash 45 seconds 38 ° C reversal 45 seconds 38 ° C color development 6 minutes 38 ° C bleach 2 minutes 38 ° C bleach-fixing 4 minutes 38 ° C 2nd water wash 1 minute 38 ° C 2nd water wash 1 minute 38 ° C Stable 1 minute 25 ° C The processing machine is the slit processing tank of the small liquid volume single tank type (the liquid volume is 30 ml) of Fig. 2 of the present application.

A magnetic recording medium is previously applied to the above-mentioned two types of photosensitive materials. In addition to the information captured by the camera, information about the intended use of the customer can be recorded in this magnetic portion. Similar to the second embodiment, this purpose-of-use information includes (P) a case of printing properly and (Q) a case of simply discriminating an object. Also, as quick processing request information,
There are a case where (X) a process after washing with water and a process for drying are all performed in a processing time of 1/3, and (Y) a case where standard processing is performed. Aside from the shooting information, the customer (P), (Q),
The information of (X) and (Y) was input, and the development was performed according to the information. The results are shown in the table below.

[0120]

[Table 3]

As can be seen from the above results, the photosensitive material A can deal with the required information more than the photosensitive material B. In the process of No. 401, since there was no oil in the photosensitive material A, a transparent color positive image was obtained even if the photosensitive material A was not completely dried. In addition, 401 was a beautiful color image when projected. In the processing of 402, since the photosensitive material B contained a large amount of oil, when the photosensitive material B was not completely dried and was slightly wet, an opaque and brown-colored uneven image was obtained. In addition, 402 had dirty unevenness and the color was cloudy.

That is, the photosensitive material B is unsuitable for automatically reading processing information and processing a small amount of one tank, but the photosensitive material A is suitable for this processing, and good results can be obtained. all right. Also, when incompletely dried, the photosensitive material A
Was usable, but the photosensitive material B was not usable,
It has been found that it is effective for the light-sensitive material A to automatically read the processing information and process a small amount of one tank.

[0123]

According to the present invention, the photographic information is carried on an information storage medium integrally provided on the photosensitive material itself or its package, and the photographic information is read by the reading means provided in the processor, and the read information is read. According to the above, since the photosensitive material is processed by sequentially supplying the appropriate processing liquid to the processing tank consisting of a single tank, the correspondence between the photosensitive material and the processing liquid is surely performed, and the processing of the photosensitive material is easily and surely performed. be able to. Therefore, the development processing apparatus of the present invention can surely process a wide variety of photosensitive materials without requiring specialized knowledge, the amount of waste liquid from the processing apparatus is small, and maintenance management is easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a development processing apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a processing liquid flow path to a processing tank.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a development processing method.

FIG. 4 is a block configuration diagram of a control device using a barcode.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a film processing unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a film processing unit.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of overall process control,
(A) is a flowchart of standard control, (b) is a flowchart of a modification.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of development processing control.

[Explanation of symbols]

 F film 1 film development processing device 3 cartridge 5 information recording medium 7 reading device 9 control device 11 transport control unit 13 processing liquid control unit 15 type condition memory 17 correction condition memory 19 transport roller 21 pump 23 flow path switching valve 25 heater 27 temperature Sensor 29 Processing liquid tank 31 Processing tank 33 Piping 35 Printer 37 Exposure unit 48 Control device 50 Storage means 54 LUT 112 Film processing unit 114 Container 116 Container mounting base 118 Liquid reservoir

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material itself or information stored in an information storage medium integrally provided in a light-sensitive material package is read, and various types of information stored in a storage means in a processing device are read according to the read information. From the processing conditions, select appropriate processing conditions for processing the photosensitive material, and in accordance with the selected processing conditions, the processing solutions of a series of processing steps are sequentially placed in a single processing tank with a small volume containing the photosensitive material. A development system that supplies and processes photosensitive materials. 2. The development processing system according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive material is a photosensitive material for photography, and the coated silver amount is 2 g / m ² or less, and the photosensitive material is processed. 3. The development processing system according to claim 1, wherein the silver halide crystal in the emulsion coated on the light-sensitive material has an aspect ratio of 5 or more, and the light-sensitive material is processed. 4. The development processing system according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive material contains an oilless coupler to process the photosensitive material. 5. A development processing apparatus for developing a photosensitive silver halide photographic light-sensitive material by bringing a processing solution into contact with a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material for photography in a single processing tank having a small volume, wherein the photosensitive material itself or A reading unit for reading the photographing information carried on the information storage medium provided in the photosensitive material package, and a processing liquid supply unit for sequentially filling the processing tanks with the processing liquids sorted and stored according to the read information. And a development processing device.