JPH09160205A - Photosensitive material processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain the infiltration of processing solution and the damage with respect to a photosensitive material and to prevent the deterioration of photographic quality while keeping carrying performance by means of a submersible roller by providing the specified submersible roller inside a processing solution tank and arranging it so that axle-to-axle distance between the roller and a roller opposed to the submersible roller smaller than the sum of the radii of both rollers. SOLUTION: The photosensitive material 1 is interposed between a large roller 2 and a rubber roller 3, or between the roller 2 and a rubber roller 4, and is carried inside the developing solution tank. The hardness of the rollers 3 and 4 is 40 ±5 deg.. The rollers 2 and 3 are arranged to have the axle-to-axle distance which is smaller than the sum of the radii of the rollers 2 and 3. Thus, the rollers cope with flexibility by which the material 1 is hardly damaged and sure carrying performance. As to the rollers 3 and 4; the hardness of <35 deg. might cause swelling in the case the rollers are inside the processing solution, the hardness of >45 deg. might cause the damage of the material 1 and the infiltration of the processing solution with ease.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention mainly relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus for printing paper, and more particularly to a submerged roller for conveying a photosensitive material such as printing paper in a processing liquid tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A photosensitive material processing apparatus has a mechanism in which development processing and finishing are completed when a photosensitive material sequentially passes through an exposure section, each processing solution tank, a drying section, etc. by a conveying apparatus.
The transport device forms a transport path with transport members such as rollers, transport belts, and guides, and places the photographic photosensitive material on the rollers or the transport belt, or by sandwiching it with a pair of rollers or the transport belt and rollers, etc. It is conveyed by the rotation of.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus conveys a sheet-shaped photosensitive material cut into each frame, and corresponds to fine adjustment for each frame by, for example, exposure and development processing, a processing unit such as a film or a customer. Some long-sized photosensitive materials that have been cut are conveyed as they are, and then cut into individual frames after the liquid processing is completed.
It is provided with a conveying device adapted to the form of the photosensitive material to be conveyed.

The transport device must transport the photosensitive material on the transport path in a reliable and proper time, and care must be taken not to damage the photosensitive material contacting the transport member. In the case of conveying a long sheet, it is sufficient to install rollers with a conveying force, a conveyor belt, etc. at the time of forming the conveying path and supplement the gap with a guide, but cut the photosensitive material into each frame. However, the ones that are conveyed in sheets are
When forming the conveying path, many rollers and conveying belts having a conveying force are inevitably required, and damage to the photosensitive material becomes a problem.

In particular, in the processing liquid tank, in consideration of chemical resistance and transport stability, a mode of nipping and transporting with a pair of rollers is adopted. However, the photosensitive material immersed in the processing liquid is adopted. When is repeatedly conveyed while being sandwiched by a pair of rollers, the treatment liquid infiltrates. The processing liquid infiltrates mainly from the tip of the photosensitive material, both side edges, punch holes for detecting cut marks, and the like.

The cut surface of the light-sensitive material may be soaked with the processing liquid during the transportation through the processing liquid, causing peeling and blistering. If there are many cut surfaces, such as cutting each frame and handling it as a sheet, peeling and blistering are more likely to occur, which is a cause of impairing the quality of photographs. When the processing liquid soaks into the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive material, it adversely affects the color-forming components, causing discoloration and poor color reproducibility, which lowers image quality and commercial value.

In order to suppress the infiltration of the treatment liquid, the pitch of the rollers may be increased or the clamping force of the pair of rollers may be weakened. However, in order to maintain accurate and stable transportability of the photosensitive material, it is preferable to make the pitch of the rollers small and the clamping force of the pair of rollers strong, so that the processing liquid can be maintained while maintaining accurate and stable transportability. In order to suppress the infiltration of the, various measures have been conventionally made.

For example, generally, a smooth and flexible material is used for the rollers and the like of the conveying device, and when the material is pressed and held, an appropriate nip pressure is set according to the material. To set the nip pressure, use a roller that is wider than the photosensitive material to be conveyed so that the surface pressure is evenly distributed, or the pressure spring pressure of the pair of rollers is weakened, or For example, a minute gap is provided. Further, a small-diameter portion is provided at a punch hole for detecting a cut mark of the photosensitive material and a portion abutting both side edges of the photosensitive material to reduce the surface pressure of a portion where the processing liquid easily infiltrates.

In addition, there is another method in which the photographic quality is maintained by leaving a surplus in the leading portion of the photosensitive material which is apt to be infiltrated with the processing liquid, and cutting and discarding after processing.

In the case of a submerged roller which is used by being immersed in a conventional processing liquid tank, it not only conveys the photosensitive material but also plays a role of controlling the development processing time. A roller having a hardness of about 60 ° is used, with a focus on chemical resistance, having an appropriate flexibility, and having a hardness such that the treatment liquid does not penetrate and the roller does not swell.

[0011]

As described above, in the conventional photosensitive material processing apparatus, various measures are taken so that the processing liquid does not infiltrate the photosensitive material and is not damaged.
However, if the leading portion of the photosensitive material has an excess and is cut and discarded later, the discarded portion may be collected,
Since an extra photosensitive material is required, processing efficiency is poor, and waste is large, there is a cost problem. Photographic materials and development services are offered at a fairly low price these days,
Cost reduction is important.

When a roller having a width wider than that of the conveyed photosensitive material is used to evenly disperse the surface pressure, a waste space is required for the processing liquid tank and the apparatus, so that the photosensitive material processing apparatus is downsized. May go backwards.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus is required to be downsized and have an improved processing capability. A photosensitive material processing apparatus having a high processing capacity inevitably has a long processing path, and the number of rollers for conveying the photosensitive material increases. Further, in order to reduce the size of the photosensitive material processing apparatus while maintaining the processing capacity, it is necessary to frequently change the conveying direction to meander to obtain the length of the processing path, and to integrate with other units. Therefore, the number of rollers is further increased.

In either case, the contact between the photosensitive material and the rollers and guides increases, but especially the number of rollers is large,
The photosensitive material is deformed by utilizing the rigidity of the photosensitive material to change the conveying direction, so that the cut surface and the periphery of the cut mark detecting punch hole are easily damaged. By using rollers with small diameter parts on both ends of the photosensitive material and punch holes for detecting cut marks, not only the sensitive parts of the photosensitive material are taken into consideration, but also permeation and damage of the processing liquid in the entire photosensitive material are prevented. A device to prevent it is necessary.

An object of the present invention is to prevent deterioration of photographic quality by suppressing infiltration and damage of the processing liquid to the photosensitive material while maintaining the transportability by the submerged roller in the photosensitive material processing apparatus.

[0016]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a submersible roller provided in a processing liquid tank of a photosensitive material processing apparatus has a hardness of 40 ± 5 ° and a pair of liquids facing each other. The center distance between the middle rollers is set smaller than the sum of both radii.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An example of an in-liquid roller provided in a processing liquid tank of a photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a submerged roller provided in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. Photosensitive material 1
Is sandwiched between the large roller 2 and the rubber roller 3, or is sandwiched between the large roller 2 and the rubber roller 4, and is conveyed in the treatment liquid tank. In one example, the hardness of the rubber roller 3 and the rubber roller 4 is 40 ± 5 °.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of an example of the submerged roller provided in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. Large roller 2
The rubber roller 3 and the rubber roller 3 are arranged with an axial distance smaller than the sum of the radii of the large roller 2 and the rubber roller 3, and the hardness of the rubber roller 3 is 40 ± 5 °. When nipped by the rollers 3 and conveyed,
The rubber roller 3 is elastically deformed at the portion in contact with the photosensitive material 1 to form a wide nip portion as shown in the figure. The hardness of the rubber roller 3 is set so that the elastic deformation is in a proportional range in which the elastic deformation is gentle even in the state where the nip portion as shown in the figure is formed. 3 receives the uniform surface pressure from the side of 3 and is clamped.

In the conventional photosensitive material processing apparatus, the hardness of the submerged roller for conveying the photosensitive material is set to about 60 ° in consideration of the accurate conveying property and the processability of the roller itself. The submersible roller provided in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention has a reduced hardness and is arranged such that the axial distance of the submerged roller is smaller than the sum of the two, so that the photosensitive material is not easily damaged, and reliable transportability is ensured. It corresponds to. If the hardness of the submerged roller is less than 35 °, swelling may occur in the processing liquid, and there is a problem in processability and transportability. On the other hand, if it exceeds 45 °, the photosensitive material may be damaged and the processing liquid may be damaged. Is more likely to occur, so 40 ± 5 ° is desirable.

Since the emulsion layer and the back coat of the light-sensitive material undergo liquid absorption expansion and softening as they progress through the processing liquid tank, they maintain accurate transportability even with such hardness,
In addition, the infiltration of the processing liquid is suppressed as much as possible at the tip of the photosensitive material, both side edges, and around the cut mark detecting punch hole.

[0021]

EXAMPLES Examples of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a submerged rack in an embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. The light-sensitive material processing apparatus of this embodiment is provided with eight processing solution tanks, and as shown in the figure, is composed of two color developing tanks, two bleach-fixing tanks, and four stabilizing tanks. The submerged rack of this embodiment is provided with four types of submersible rollers A to D as shown in the figure.

Next, four types of submersible rollers A to D will be described. FIG. 4 is an external view of the submerged roller A in the embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. As the submerged roller A, a large polypropylene roller is used, and has a shape in which the diameter of the portion in contact with the collection value printed on the back surface of the photographic photosensitive material is small.

FIG. 5 is an external view of the submerged roller B in the embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. As the submerged roller B, a roller made of silicon is used. The hardness is 40 ± 5 °, and the shape is in contact with the entire surface of the photographic light-sensitive material. The submerged roller B is used only in the color developing tank. The photographic light-sensitive material in the color developing tank may have such a shape because the elapsed time in the processing liquid is short and swelling does not occur.

FIG. 6 is an external view of the submerged roller C in the embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. A roller made of silicon is also used as the submerged roller C. It has a hardness of 40 ± 5 ° and has a shape in which the diameter of the portions contacting both ends of the photographic light-sensitive material is reduced. Submerged roller C
Is used in the bleach-fixing bath and stabilizing bath. Since the infiltration of the processing liquid begins, the combination of the submersible roller A and submersible roller C, which have a small diameter at the portion contacting the collection value printing of the photographic photosensitive material, allows the leading edge, both side edges and punch holes of the photographic photosensitive material. It can prevent the surrounding damage.

FIG. 7 is an external view of the submerged roller D in the embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. A roller made of silicon is also used as the submerged roller D. The hardness is 40 ± 5 °, and like the submerged roller C, the diameter of the portion contacting both side ends of the photographic light-sensitive material is small. The submerged roller D is different from the submerged roller C in that
It is used under the bleach-fixing tank and stabilizing tank. Since the infiltration of the processing solution starts and the photographic photosensitive material is subjected to a heavy load on the turn, a roller with a small diameter is provided to reduce the surface pressure. The combination of the submerged roller A and the submerged roller D, which have a small diameter in the portion contacting the collection value printing of the photographic light-sensitive material, can prevent damage to the front end, both side ends of the photographic light-sensitive material, and the periphery of the punch hole.

Submersible roller A and submersible roller C,
Alternatively, as in the submersible roller A and submersible roller D, a submersible roller C having a hardness of 40 ± 5 ° and a small diameter.
The submerged roller D is combined with the submerged roller A made of polypropylene and having a large diameter. Submerged roller A
Since a roller having a large diameter as described above easily disperses the surface pressure, even if it is made of a resin such as polypropylene, the surface pressure is sufficiently reduced.

In the combination of small-diameter rollers provided at the top of the rack, the left side of the processing liquid tank is a feed roller, and the right side of the processing liquid tank is a squeeze roller. In this embodiment, the hardness of the submersible rollers provided in the processing liquid tank is set to 40 ± 5 °, and the axial distance between the pair of rollers is appropriately narrowed to maintain the transportability. Since the infiltration of No. occurs not only in the liquid but also in the squeeze roller and the feed roller in the periphery, it is desirable to widely carry out not only in the treatment liquid tank.

[0028]

As described above, the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention uses the submersible rollers having a hardness of 40 ± 5 ° in the processing liquid tank and sets the distance between the axes of the submersible rollers facing each other to both radiuses. Since it is arranged smaller than the sum, flexibility that does not damage the photosensitive material and reliable transportability can be obtained, and the photosensitive material can be clamped with an appropriate surface pressure and accurately and stably transported in the processing liquid. it can.

The submerged roller provided in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention controls the surface pressure on the entire surface of the photosensitive material, so that the processing liquid at the leading edge portion or both side edges of the photosensitive material, or the punch hole for cut mark detection, is exposed. Although it is intended to prevent the infiltration and maintain the photographic quality, the punch hole for cut mark detection, the both side edges, the tip portion, and the part that comes into contact with the portion where the infiltration of the processing liquid is likely to occur have a small diameter as before, or If it is used in combination with such a roller, or is appropriately used in combination in the treatment liquid tank, the prevention of infiltration of the treatment liquid can be expected more reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a submerged roller provided in a photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an example of a submerged roller provided in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a submerged rack in an embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an external view of a submerged roller A in an embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external view of a submerged roller B in an embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an external view of a submerged roller C in an embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a submerged roller D in an embodiment of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Photosensitive material 2 Large roller 3 Rubber roller 4 Rubber roller

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A photosensitive material processing device for carrying out development processing by carrying a photosensitive material sandwiched by a pair of rollers, and comprising a submersible roller having a rubber hardness of 40 ± 5 ° in a processing solution tank, A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that an axial distance between a middle roller and an opposite roller is arranged smaller than a sum of radii of both rollers.