JPH09230559A - Photosensitive material processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the damage and the developing irregularity of a photosensitive material from occurring because it is brought into contact with a cover by passing it through the passing hole of the cover without bringing it into contact with the cover even when the aperture area of the passing hole is small and to suppress processing solution to be brought into contact with the atmosphere through the passing hole to the utmost by reducing the aperture area of the passing hole. SOLUTION: A film is carried to the upper part from the side part of a developing tank 10, bent downward by a guide roller 26 and carried downward by a guide roller pair 28. Then, it is passed through the passing hole 66 of the cover 64 and it enters developing solution. Besides, it is passed through a first in-liquid roller pair 30 and the other in-liquid roller pairs 32 and 34 succeeding from the roller pair 30, immersed in the developing solution and carried. The cover 64 is fixed to a developing rack 18 supporting the roller pairs 30, 32 and 34 and maintained so as to be brought into contact with the developer solution. The passing posture of the film is always fixed at the hole 66 and the film is passed through the hole 66 while being kept in an identical plane surface. As the result, the passing position of the film is stabilized.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a photosensitive material by immersing it in a processing solution in a processing tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a light-sensitive material processing apparatus, for example, an automatic developing machine for developing a photographic light-sensitive material such as a X-ray light-sensitive material, a film as a light-sensitive material is a developing solution or a fixing material. It is treated with each of the treatment liquid and the washing water. The developing solution, the fixing solution, and the washing water are stored in the processing tanks such as the developing tank, the fixing tank, and the washing tank.
The fixing bath and the washing bath are sequentially immersed in the treatment liquid in each of the disposed baths and transported.

As shown in FIG. 2, as for the developing tank 112, conventionally, a film (the transport path 100 of the film is shown by a chain line) is substantially horizontal (between the rollers forming the insertion roller pair 102). It is inserted in the direction of arrow IN) and is guided downward by the guide portion 104 facing the exit side of the insertion roller pair 102 so as to enter the processing liquid. Three pairs of submerged roller pairs 106, 108, 110 are arranged in the treatment liquid, and the film guided downward in the treatment liquid is the first, second, and third submerged roller pairs. The processing solution is conveyed in a U-shape through 106, 108 and 110 in order.

By the way, the developer is deteriorated by being oxidized by oxygen in the air, and the amount of the developer is reduced by evaporation.

Therefore, in the developing tank 112, a cover lid 114 is arranged on the surface of the developer (the height position of the liquid surface is indicated by HL). As the cover lid 114, the processing solution is replenished to maintain the height of the liquid surface to keep the contact with the developing solution at all times, and the air layer between the developing solution surface is eliminated to bring the developing solution into contact with the atmosphere. Floating on the surface of the developer or a fixed lid that is designed to cut off
A floating lid is used that moves up and down according to the displacement of the liquid surface and keeps contact with the developing solution at all times to interrupt the contact between the developing solution and the atmosphere.

The cover lid 114 has through holes 116, 1 for introducing the film from the outside of the developing solution into the developing solution and for allowing the film to be discharged from the developing solution to the outside of the developing solution.
18 are formed. It is preferable that the passage holes 116 and 118 have an opening area as small as possible so as to interrupt the contact between the liquid surface of the developing solution and the atmosphere.

However, there are the following problems. That is, looking at the through holes 116 for introducing the film from outside the developer into the developer, the film is
02 and the first submerged roller pair 106 are guided while changing the conveying direction, so that the passing posture of the film in the passing hole 116 requires a large passing space and the passing position of the film lacks stability. For example, it is conceivable that the sheet-shaped film has different trajectories at the front and rear ends of the film and other portions. If the opening area is made too small (narrowed), the film is expected to come into contact with the cover lid 114 at the rim of the passage hole 116, which causes uneven development and scratches. Therefore, the passage hole 116
There is a limit to reducing the opening area of the.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention allows the photosensitive material to pass through without contacting the cover lid even if the opening area of the passage hole of the cover lid is small, thereby causing scratches and uneven development due to contact with the cover lid. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus capable of preventing the occurrence of the above-mentioned phenomenon, reducing the opening area of the passage hole, and suppressing the contact of the processing liquid with the atmosphere through the passage hole as much as possible.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light-sensitive material processing apparatus having a cover lid which is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of a processing solution and reduces contact between the processing solution and the atmosphere. In the photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing the photosensitive material by immersing the photosensitive material in the processing liquid in the processing tank, a guide roller pair disposed above the cover lid and nipping and transporting the photosensitive material downward, and the guide roller pair. Disposed below the cover lid for receiving and sandwiching the photosensitive material from the guide roller pair through a communication hole provided in the cover lid so as to allow passage of the photosensitive material sandwiched and conveyed by An in-liquid roller pair, and the guide roller pair and the in-liquid roller pair are arranged such that a conveyance path of a photosensitive material sandwiched by these roller pairs is on the same plane passing through the communication hole. Characterized by To.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the submerged roller pair is supported by the processing rack so as to be located in the processing liquid in the processing tank. It is characterized in that the pair of guide rollers is supported by a rack provided separately from the processing rack and provided with a guide for guiding the photosensitive material outside the processing liquid.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the cover lid is fixed to a processing rack that supports the submerged roller pair. .

According to the above construction, the photosensitive material is conveyed toward the lower submersible roller pair by the guide roller pair arranged above the cover lid, and enters the processing liquid through the passage hole of the cover lid. The photosensitive material that has entered the processing liquid is sandwiched between the submerged roller pairs, and is immersed in the processing liquid by a plurality of submerged roller pairs including the other submerged roller pairs and conveyed. As a result, the photosensitive material is processed.

The cover lid reduces the chance of the treatment liquid coming into contact with the atmosphere by contacting almost the entire surface of the treatment liquid, and the deterioration caused by the treatment liquid being oxidized by oxygen in the air,
It reduces the decrease in liquid volume caused by evaporation. As the cover lid, a floating lid that moves up and down according to the displacement of the liquid surface to maintain contact with the developing solution can be used. Further, as described in claim 3, a process supporting a submerged roller pair is possible. A fixed lid fixed to the portion corresponding to the liquid surface of the rack is also possible. In the case of a fixed lid, instead of moving the cover lid up and down according to the displacement of the processing liquid surface, the processing liquid is appropriately replenished so as to maintain the liquid surface of the processing liquid, so that the contact between the covering lid and the developing liquid is made. Keep

The photosensitive material is conveyed without changing the conveying direction while being conveyed by the guide roller pair and passing through the passage hole of the cover lid and received by the submerged roller pair. Since the photosensitive material is in a flat state and is conveyed along this surface (the film does not deviate in the direction orthogonal to this surface), the photosensitive material passage position is stabilized and the width of the passage hole is stabilized. May be small enough to allow blurring in the thickness direction of the photosensitive material.

Therefore, even if the opening area of the passage hole of the cover lid is reduced, the photosensitive material can be passed without coming into contact with the cover lid, and the development unevenness due to the contact with the cover lid is prevented. can do. Further, it is possible to reduce the opening area of the passage hole and suppress contact between the treatment liquid and the atmosphere through the passage hole as much as possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the submerged roller pair is supported by the processing rack, and the guide roller is supported by a rack separate from the processing rack. It is possible to easily remove the rack separately when mounting the rack to the processing tank or when the processing liquid is scattered and the rollers of the guide roller pair are soiled while the processing device is operating. .

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic developing machine for developing a photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter referred to as a film), such as a light-sensitive material for X-ray, is used as a light-sensitive material processing device. Each treatment tank of the washing tank 14 is provided. The developing tank 10, the fixing tank 12, and the washing tank 14 are provided in this order in the automatic developing machine, and the processing solutions of the developing solution, the fixing solution, and the washing water are stored in the respective processing tanks. A film as a photosensitive material (the conveying path 16 of the photosensitive material is shown by a chain line) is passed through a developing tank 10, a fixing tank 12, and a water washing tank 12 in this order to pass each processing solution, thereby performing a developing treatment, a fixing treatment and a water washing treatment. To be done. After that, the film is dried through a drying unit (not shown), and after drying, the film is discharged to the outside of the apparatus.

Specifically, in the developing tank 10, a developing rack 18 and an insertion rack 22 are arranged.

On the insertion rack 22, a pair of insertion rollers 24 and a pair of guide rollers 28 are supported, and an arc-shaped guide portion 26 is provided.
Are formed. The insertion roller pair 24, the guide portion 26, and the guide roller pair 28 are located outside the developer when the insertion rack 22 is arranged in the developing tank 10. Insertion roller pair 24
Conveys the film from the left side outside the developing tank 10 to the upper part of the developing tank 10 substantially horizontally in the direction of arrow IN. The guide portion 26 is disposed at a position facing the exit side of the insertion roller pair 24, and conveys the film conveyed by the insertion roller pair 24 in a substantially horizontal direction so as to turn downward along an arc-shaped conveyance path. Change direction. Guide roller pair 24
Is located below the guide portion 26, receives the film which is turned by the guide portion 26 and is fed further downward.

The developing rack 18 supports three pairs of submerged roller pairs 30, 32, and 34 in the liquid. The submerged roller pair 30, 32, 34 is located below the guide roller pair 28 and receives the film conveyed by the guide roller pair 24 to guide the film further downward.
0 and the second roller pair 3 located at the center of the bottom of the developing tank 10.
2 and a third roller pair 34 located on the opposite side of the first submerged roller pair 30 via the second roller pair 32. The developing rack 18 also has arcuate guide surfaces between the first submerged roller pair 30 and the second roller pair 32 and between the second roller pair 32 and the third roller pair 34, respectively. A guide portion 36 to be held is formed. The film which is transported by the guide roller pair 28 and enters the developing solution is
Through the submerged roller pair 30, the second submerged roller pair 32, and the third submerged roller pair 34 in this order, the conveying direction is changed by the guide portion 36, and the sheet is immersed in the developing solution and conveyed in a U-shape. To be done.

The surface of the first submerged roller pair 30 including the common tangent line of the two opposing rollers and the guide roller pair 28.
In this embodiment, the guide roller pair 28 and the first submerged roller pair 30 are arranged substantially horizontally so that the surface including the common tangent line of the two opposing rollers is the same surface. .

The discharge roller pair 38 is supported by the upper rack portion 20 of the developing rack 18 and is located above the third submerged roller pair 34.

A fixing rack 40 and a water washing rack 42 are arranged in the fixing tank 12 and the water washing tank 14, respectively.
Similar to the developing rack 18 of the developing tank 10, three pairs of submersible rollers 30, 32, 34 and two guide portions 36 are provided. The upper rack portion 44 of the fixing rack 40 of the fixing tank 12 includes an insertion roller pair 48 located above the first submerged roller pair 30 of the fixing rack 40 and a third submerged roller pair 34 of the fixing rack 40. And a pair of discharge rollers 50 located above. Like the upper rack portion 44 of the fixing tank 12, the upper rack portion 46 of the water washing rack 42 of the water washing tank 14 supports the insertion roller pair 48 located above the first submerged roller pair 30 of the water washing rack 42. To be done.

Further, an inter-tank rack 52 is bridged between the upper rack portion 20 of the developing rack 18 of the developing tank 10 and the upper rack portion 44 of the fixing rack 40 of the fixing tank 12, and the fixing of the fixing tank 12 is performed. Upper rack portion 44 of rack 40
An inter-tank rack 54 is hung between the upper rack portion 46 of the water washing rack 42 of the water washing tank 14. Guide sections 56 are formed on the inter-tank racks 52 and 54, respectively. An arcuate guide surface is formed in the guide portion 56 of the inter-tank rack 52 from the outlet side of the discharge roller pair 38 of the developing tank 10 to the inlet side of the insertion roller pair 48 of the fixing tank 14.
The film is inverted from the developing roller pair 38 to the inserting roller pair 48 in an inverted U-shape, and the developing tank 10 to the fixing tank 12 are reversed.
You will be guided to. Similarly to the guide portion 56 of the inter-tank rack 52, the guide portion 56 of the inter-tank rack 54 extends from the outlet side of the discharge roller pair 50 of the fixing tank 12 to the inlet side of the insertion roller pair 48 of the washing tank 14. An arc-shaped guide surface is formed, and the film is inverted from the discharge roller pair 50 toward the insertion roller pair 48 into an inverted U-shape to fix the fixing tank 1.
2 is guided to the washing tank 14.

Further, in the washing tank 14, a discharge rack 58 is arranged downstream of the upper rack portion 46 of the washing rack 42. The discharge rack 58 supports the discharge roller pair 60, and a guide portion 62 having an arcuate guide surface extending between the third submerged roller pair 34 of the water washing rack 42 and the discharge roller pair 60. Has been formed. Submersible roller pair 3
The film conveyed upward by 4 is turned in the horizontal direction by the guide surface of the guide portion 62, and is discharged out of the washing tank 14 by the discharge roller pair 60.

Here, below the upper rack portion 20 of the developing rack 18 of the developing tank 10, a developer surface (the height position of the liquid surface is shown by HL) is included in the thickness of the developer rack 18. The cover lid 64 is fixed so as to cover the liquid surface. That is, it is preferable to absorb the upper and lower portions of the liquid surface in the thickness of the cover 64 so that the state of contact with the cover lid 64 is maintained even if the surface of the developing liquid moves up and down due to evaporation or replenishment. A passage hole 66 is formed in the cover lid 64 in a slit shape. The passage hole 66 is located between the guide roller pair 28 and the first submerged roller pair 30, and the film is conveyed from outside the developer into the developer through the passage hole 66.

It should be noted that the cover lid 64 is located between the third submerged roller pair 34 and the discharge roller pair 38, and has a slit-shaped passage which allows the film to be conveyed from the developing solution to the outside of the developing solution. A hole 72 is formed.

The discharge roller pair 38 is arranged so that the facing direction of the two facing rollers is not horizontal and the rollers on the fixing tank 12 side are inclined so that the rollers are at a low position. A trough-shaped groove that clears the roller is formed in the cover lid 64 below the lower roller, and a communication hole 70 that communicates with the bottom of the groove and the developer in the developing tank 10 is formed. Since the liquid surface of the developer formed and in the developer tank 10 also appears in this groove, the roller is in contact with the developer.

Cover lids are fixed to the lower portion of the upper rack portion 44 of the fixing rack 40 of the fixing tank 12 and the lower portion of the upper rack portion 46 of the water washing rack 42 of the water washing tank 14, and these lids are also used to process the film. Passage holes are formed to allow passage from the outside of the liquid into the processing liquid and from the inside of the processing liquid to the outside of the processing liquid.

According to the above construction, the film is the developing tank 10.
Is conveyed from the side to the upper part of the sheet, and the guide portion 26 can change the conveying direction downward. The film guided downward is conveyed downward by the guide roller pair 28 and enters the developing solution through the passage hole 66 of the cover lid 64. The film that has entered the developer passes through the first submerged roller pair 30, the second submerged roller pair 32, and the third submerged roller pair 34, and is immersed in the developer and conveyed. . The film is developed while being transported in the developer. The film immersed in the developer and conveyed by the submerged roller pairs 30, 32, and 34 is discharged to the outside of the developing tank 10 by the discharging roller pair 38 and transferred to the fixing tank 12. In the fixing tank 12, the submerged roller pair 30, 32, 34
Is transported by being immersed in the fixing solution by the discharge roller 50 and transferred from the fixing tank to the washing tank. It is discharged from 14.

The cover 64 of the developing tank 10 covers the surface of the developing solution and keeps it in contact therewith to reduce the contact of the developing solution with the atmosphere, and the developing solution is oxidized by oxygen in the air. The deterioration that occurs and the decrease in the amount of liquid that occurs due to evaporation are reduced. The cover lid 64 may be a floating lid that moves up and down according to the displacement of the liquid surface to maintain contact with the developer, but the position of the passage hole fluctuates above and below the liquid surface to allow the film to pass. Occasionally, contact with the floating lid may cause uneven development. Therefore, like the cover lid 64 of the present embodiment, it is preferable to fix the cover lid 64 to the lower portion of the upper rack portion 20 of the developing rack 40 that supports the discharge roller pair 38. In the case of the fixed lid, the height of the liquid surface is maintained by replenishing the developing solution and the contact between the cover lid 64 and the developing solution is maintained.

The film is guided between the insertion roller pair 24 and the guide roller pair 28 so as to change the transport direction,
The horizontally arranged guide roller pair 28 that conveys the film downward is inserted into the passage hole 66 of the cover lid 64, passes through the passage hole 66, and is horizontally arranged.
Receives it and pulls it into the developer. As a result, the passing posture of the film in the passing hole 66 is always constant, and the film is kept in the same plane while the passing hole 66 is kept.
Pass through. Further, the passing position of the film becomes stable. Therefore, the width of the passage hole 66 can be reduced.

As a result, even if the opening area of the passage hole 66 of the cover lid 64 is small, the film can be passed without coming into contact with the cover lid 64, and uneven development due to the contact can be prevented. The opening area of the hole 66 can be reduced to suppress contact of the developing solution with the atmosphere through the passage hole 66 as much as possible. When the film discharged from the developing tank 10 passes through the passage hole 72 of the cover lid 64, the cover lid 64
Even if it comes into contact with the
4 and the discharge roller pair 38 are not parallel to each other.

The roller diameter of the first submerged roller pair 30 is larger than that of the guide roller pair 28. For example, the roller peripheral speed is increased by the number of teeth of the transmission gear to make it the same speed, but the following configuration may be adopted. That is, the former is set to have a higher peripheral speed between the first submerged roller pair 30 and the guide roller pair 28, and the film is tensioned between the guide roller pair 28 and the first submerged roller pair 30. . As a result, the film is conveyed straight through the passage hole 66 without sagging, and the film passes through the passage hole 6
The film passing attitude in 6 is further optimized, and the film passing position is further stabilized.

Further, since the submerged roller pairs 30, 32 and 34 are supported by the developing rack 18, and the guide roller pair 28 is supported by the insertion rack 22 which is separate from the developing rack 18, the developing rack 18, Since the liquid splash when setting the insertion rack 22 and the contamination of the rollers of the guide roller pair 28 can be cleaned by removing the insertion rack 22, the work is facilitated.

It goes without saying that the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to an automatic developing machine for developing a photographic photosensitive material such as an X-ray photosensitive material.

[0038]

As described above, in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention, even if the opening area of the passage hole of the cover lid is small, the photosensitive material is allowed to pass without coming into contact with the cover lid,
It is possible to prevent the occurrence of scratches and development unevenness due to the contact with the cover lid, reduce the opening area of the passage hole, and suppress the contact of the processing liquid with the atmosphere through the passage hole as much as possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a conventional photosensitive material processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Processing Tank 16 Conveying Path for Film (Photosensitive Material) 18 Development Rack (Processing Rack) 20 Upper Rack Part of Development Rack in Development Tank 22 Insertion Rack 24 Insertion Roller Pair 26 Guide Part (Guide) 28 Guide Roller Pair 30 First Submerged roller pair (submerged roller pair) 32 Second submerged roller pair (other submerged roller pair (submerged roller pair)) 34 Third submerged roller pair (other submerged roller pair (submerged in liquid) Roller pair)) 64 Cover lid 66 Passage hole

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --- Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenro Yamamoto 1250 Takematsu, Minamiashigara City, Kanagawa Prefecture Fuji Kikai Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cover lid is provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the processing liquid to reduce contact between the processing liquid and the atmosphere.
In a photosensitive material processing device for processing a photosensitive material by immersing it in a processing liquid in a processing tank, a pair of guide rollers arranged above the cover lid for nipping and conveying the photosensitive material downward, and a pair of guide rollers for nipping the photosensitive material. In a liquid disposed below the cover lid for receiving and sandwiching the photosensitive material from the guide roller pair through a communication hole provided in the cover lid so as to allow the conveyed photosensitive material to pass therethrough. A pair of rollers, wherein the guide roller pair and the submerged roller pair are arranged such that a conveyance path of the photosensitive material sandwiched by these roller pairs is on the same plane passing through the communication hole. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized by the above. 2. A pair of submerged rollers are supported by a processing rack so as to be positioned in the processing liquid in a processing tank, and the pair of guide rollers are separate from the processing rack to remove the photosensitive material outside the processing liquid. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive material processing apparatus is supported by a rack provided with a guide for guiding. 3. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover lid is fixed to a processing rack that supports the submerged roller pair.