JPH10186610A - Developing processor and developing processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing processor capable of obtaining multidstability, irrespective of a small processing amount, and also, capable of minimizing the amount of discharged processing liquid. SOLUTION: The processing liquid is separately stored in a small-capacity processing tank 300 and small-capacity stock tanks 400 to 408, then, a film F inserted in the processing tank 300 is processed while replacing the processing liquid in the processing tank 300. Besides, replacing liquid is supplied to the stock tanks 400 to 408. The processing tank 300 and the stock tanks 400 to 408 are made small in capacity, then the ratio of the replenishing liquid amount to the processing liquid amount (mother liquid) is increased, then, the stability is obtained, irrespective of the small processing amount.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing apparatus and a developing method for a photographic material, and more particularly to a developing apparatus and a developing method for a photographic material suitable for a small processing amount.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent processing of color photographic light-sensitive materials,
The leading role is shifting from centralized processing in large-scale laboratories to in-store processing called a minilab, and the processing mode is shifting to distributed small-volume processing. In addition, a minilab-scale processing equipment can be installed not only in photo shops but also in various stores, and can also be installed in stores of other industries, such as bookstores, gas stations, cleaning shops, supermarkets, and convenience stores. I will be able to be. Of course, such a development processing device placed in a store preferably has a small installation area, and furthermore, even with a small processing amount, it is increasingly necessary to operate stably without maintenance.

[0003] The processing method used in the conventional minilab is a replenishment system in which a replenisher is replenished to each processing tank in accordance with the processing amount of the photosensitive material. Lab). Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the processing system does not consider the small processing amount. When the processing amount is low, various performances are destroyed due to the deterioration of the processing solution.

[0004] The main factors contributing to the deterioration of the processing solution are 1) the processing amount per unit time (processing light sensitive material area) 2) the replenishing amount per unit area of the photosensitive material 3) the processing tank capacity 4) the processing tank capacity Opening ratio (factor for increasing the oxidation rate) 5) Treatment prescription.

The aperture ratio here is expressed by the following equation. Aperture ratio (cm ^-1 ) = liquid surface area (cm ² ) / liquid volume (c
m ³ ) By the way, as for 2), there is not much difference between the centralized lab and the mini lab. Increasing 2) increases the cost and the amount of waste liquid, and is a factor to be reduced as much as possible.

[0006] Regarding 4), a small processing tank such as a minilab is basically shallower than a deep processing tank of a large machine of a large laboratory. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain an advantage in comparison with a large-scale processing apparatus.

[0007] If 5) is a general-purpose common technology,
The stability of the processing liquid depends on the relationship between the processing amount 1) and the processing tank capacity 3).

[0008] By the way, the processing volume of the large lab per day,
At least 1,000 color negative films may be used, whereas mini-labs with a small processing amount may be reduced to about one thousandth of large labs.

[0009] Of course, the development processing apparatus is also miniaturized, but in the existing mini-lab system, the tank capacity of 3) is at most about one hundredth of that of a large lab machine. Therefore, under such usage conditions, the processing solution in the minilab system has a residence time (time lapse time) that is about 10 times longer than that in the large lab, and various problems due to the aging of the solution occur. Become. That is, since the processing amount of the minilab is about one thousandth of the processing amount of the large lab, the supply amount of the replenisher according to the unit processing amount of the photosensitive material is almost the same. If the processing amount of the processing solution is small, the rate of replacement of the processing solution in the processing tank when the replenishing solution is supplied (in other words, the rate at which the deteriorated processing solution replaces the replenishing solution) decreases, and the There is a problem that the processing liquid is rapidly deteriorated.

[0010] In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 7-109 discloses a developing apparatus system for improving the stability of liquid.
503, 7-74895, JP-A-2-125255,
As described in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-199452, a technique has been proposed in which the processing tank is designed in a slit shape to reduce the tank capacity. According to this method, the tank capacity is reduced, but it is limited to at most a fraction, and the aperture ratio in 4) is increased (deteriorated). Although the volume is reduced, the required portion of the opening such as the passage of the photosensitive material is not reduced (because there is a limit), and as a result, a satisfactory improvement in liquid stability cannot be obtained as a result.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 4-123047 and 6-121437 disclose a processing system for solving the stability over time of the liquid.
A single-use type processing system using a small processing container has been proposed, as described in JP-A No. 7-56281. In such a processing method, a new processing chemical is supplied every time the photosensitive material is processed, so that the concept of the stability over time of the processing solution is not necessary. Only this point is a system suitable for a small processing amount. is there. However, when a new solution is supplied and discarded for each treatment, the amount of solution used will increase compared to the conventional replenishment method, even though it is a small processing container. This is not a desirable processing method in terms of cost and environment.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems. A developing method which can obtain a stable performance even with a small amount of processing and requires less processing liquid to be discarded. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus and a developing method.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the photosensitive material in the processing tank is processed by replacing a plurality of types of processing liquids in a single processing tank having a small volume in a predetermined order. A development processing apparatus, comprising: a plurality of small-volume stock tanks for storing the plurality of types of processing liquids; temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the processing liquids stored in the stock tanks; And a replenisher supply means for supplying a liquid.

Next, the operation of the developing apparatus according to the first aspect will be described. First, the small-volume single processing tank used in the present invention is a portion corresponding to a processing tank portion for a photosensitive material, and the small volume means that the volume of the processing tank portion is sufficiently small, preferably 10 ml. About 500 ml, more preferably about 20 ml to 300 ml. The volume of the processing tank here means the volume of the liquid only in the tank where the photosensitive material is processed, and does not include the amount of liquid in a piping system for transporting and circulating the liquid.

A single processing tank means that there is only one processing tank when processing a photosensitive material, and means a processing system in which a processing solution is supplied to the processing tank and replaced at any time. In order to increase the processing capacity per unit time, a specification in which a plurality of such single processing tanks are prepared and a plurality of photosensitive materials can be processed at the same time is also considered in the present invention.

A specific example of the small-volume, single-tank processing tank (processing tank) used in the present invention is disclosed in JP-A-4-2307.
45, a gap type processing tank described in FIGS.
6281 of FIG. 2 or the sheath-shaped processing tank of FIGS. 9, 15 and 16 of Japanese Patent Application No. 8-108272. In particular, the case of a gap-type or sheath-like processing tank is preferred in the present invention.

The light-sensitive material entrance and exit having a small opening area has a minimum opening area required for the entrance and exit of the photosensitive material, and specifically, preferably has a slit shape. Thereby, the contact area between the processing liquid in the processing tank and the air can be reduced, and the deterioration of the processing liquid can be reduced. A sealing means for closing the entrance and exit of the photosensitive material and sealing the inside of the tank may be provided.

The processing tank of the present invention is connected to a plurality of small-volume stock tanks through processing liquid exchange means (consisting of piping, pumps, solenoid valves, etc.). This processing liquid replacement means supplies the relevant processing liquid from the stock tank to the processing tank during processing, and when the required processing time is completed,
Used to return the processing liquid from the processing tank to the stock tank. The processing tank may be circulated only in the processing tank by providing a closed circuit, or may be circulated together with the stock tank and the processing tank.

The capacity of the small-volume stock tank is preferably as small as possible, but a larger capacity is required than that of the treatment tank, and is preferably about 100 ml to 2000 ml, more preferably about 200 ml to 1000 ml.

The small-volume stock tank of the present invention has a temperature control function to keep the processing liquid at a target temperature at all times. That is, it has a heater, a temperature sensor (thermistor), a circulation function, etc., and has a target temperature within ± 5 ° C, preferably within a target temperature ± 3 ° C, and more preferably within a target temperature ± 1 ° C. Temperature controlled. In addition, various commercial products can be used for the heater.

The heater used in the present invention is a stainless steel heater in which a nichrome wire is embedded with an insulator, a ceramic heater using heat generated by ceramic, a planar heater using heat generated by carbon fiber, a cast heater (a volume heater). , A method of casting a heater and a pipe through which a temperature-regulated liquid passes together to heat the liquid, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-80479
And No. 5-204117), but are not limited thereto.

Further, a replenisher is supplied to the stock tank of the present invention in accordance with the processing amount of the photosensitive material. The amount of replenishment varies depending on the type of processing solution and the type of processing photosensitive material.
m ² per 20 milliliters to 2,000 milliliters,
Preferably, it is about 40 milliliters to 1500 milliliters. The replenishment timing is preferably such that the processing amount of the photosensitive material is integrated, and a fixed amount of replenisher is supplied when the amount reaches the reference amount. In this case, the unit liquid amount of each replenishment is the amount of the replenisher in the stock tank. It is preferable that the replenisher is replenished in an amount not exceeding 1/10 of the amount. If it exceeds 1/10, the composition change of the liquid in the stock tank becomes large, which may affect photographic characteristics.

When replenished, it is desirable to provide an overflow port in the stock tank for discharging the liquid in the stock tank of a corresponding volume. That is, in the stock tank, it is desirable that the liquid level is maintained at a constant height. Further, if necessary, water for evaporation correction may be supplied to the stock tank.

Here, in the development processing apparatus of the present invention, the processing solution for actually processing the photosensitive material is stored separately in a processing tank and a stock tank, and the processing tank and the stock tank have small volumes. Therefore, it is possible to increase the ratio of the replenisher amount to the processing solution amount (mother liquor), and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the processing solution over time. Therefore, in the developing apparatus of the present invention, stable performance can be obtained even with a small processing amount.

Although the development processing apparatus of the present invention can be used for processing various photosensitive materials, it is particularly preferable to use it for processing photographic photosensitive materials. Specifically, it is a process for a color negative film, a color reversal film, and a black and white film.

Various processing solutions are used in the developing apparatus of the present invention. The color developing tank solution and the color developing replenisher used for developing the color negative film are alkaline aqueous solutions containing an aromatic primary amine color developing agent as a main component. Aminophenol compounds are also useful as the color developing agent, but p-phenylenediamine compounds are preferably used.
-4-amino-N, N diethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino
-N-ethyl-N-β-hydroxyethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-ethyl-N-β-methanesulfonamidoethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-ethyl-β-
Methoxyethylaniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-methyl-N- (3-hydroxypropyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-
Methyl-N-ethyl-N- (3-hydroxypropyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-ethyl-N- (2-hydroxypropyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-ethyl-N-ethyl- N- (3
-Hydroxypropyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-
N-propyl-N- (3-hydroxypropyl) aniline, 4-
Amino-3-propyl-N-methyl-N- (3-hydroxypropyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-methyl-N- (4-hydroxybutyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-methyl- N-ethyl-N- (4-hydroxybutyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-
Methyl-N-propyl-N- (4-hydroxybutyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-ethyl-N-ethyl-N- (3-hydroxy-2
-Methylpropyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N, N
-Bis (4-hydroxybutyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-
Methyl-N, N-bis (5-hydroxypentyl) aniline,
4-amino-3-methyl-N- (5-hydroxypentyl) -N- (4-
Hydroxybutyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-methoxy-N
-Ethyl-N- (4-hydroxybutyl) aniline, 4-amino-
3-ethoxy-N, N-bis (5-hydroxypentyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-propyl-N- (4-hydroxybutyl) aniline, and their sulfates, hydrochlorides or p-toluenesulfonates And the like. Among these, in particular, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-ethyl-N-β-hydroxyethylaniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N-ethyl-N- (3-
Hydroxypropyl) aniline, 4-amino-3-methyl-N
-Ethyl-N- (4-hydroxybutyl) aniline and their hydrochlorides, p-toluenesulfonates or sulfates are preferred. These compounds can be used in combination of two or more depending on the purpose.

The amount of the aromatic primary amine developing agent used is preferably from 0.0002 mol to 0.2 mol, more preferably from 0.001 mol to 1 mol, per liter of the color developer.
0.1 mol.

The color developing solution (color developing solution) includes a pH buffer such as an alkali metal carbonate, borate or phosphate 5-sulfosalicylate, a chloride salt, a bromide salt, an iodide salt, and the like. It generally contains a development inhibitor or an antifoggant such as a benzimidazole, a benzothiazole or a mercapto compound. If necessary, besides hydroxylamine and diethylhydroxylamine, the compound represented by the general formula (I) of JP-A-3-144446 can be used.
Various preservatives such as hydroxylamines, sulfites, hydrazines such as N, N-biscarboxymethylhydrazine, phenylsemicarbazides, triethanolamine, and catecholsulfonic acids, and organics such as ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol represented by Solvents, development accelerators such as benzyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, quaternary ammonium salts, amines, dye-forming couplers, competitive couplers, auxiliary developing agents such as 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone, viscosity-imparting agents, aminopolycarboxylic acids acid,
Aminopolyphosphonic acid, alkylphosphonic acid, various chelating agents represented by phosphonocarboxylic acid, for example, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid, hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid, 1- Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid, nitrilo-N, N, N-trimethylenephosphonic acid, ethylenediamine-N, N, N, N-tetramethylenephosphonic acid, ethylenediamine-di (o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) and the like And various compounding materials typified by salts thereof.

Among the above, as the preservative, unsubstituted hydroxylamine and substituted hydroxylamine are most preferred. Among them, diethylhydroxylamine, monomethylhydroxylamine or alkyl substituted with a water-soluble group such as sulfo group, carboxy group or hydroxyl group is preferred. Those having a group as a substituent are preferred. The most preferred example is
N, N-bis (2-sulfoethyl) hydroxylamine and its alkali metal salts.

As the chelating agent, a compound having biodegradability is preferable. An example of this is disclosed in JP-A-63-1.
No. 46998, No. 63-199295, No. 63-26
Nos. 7750 and 63-267751, JP-A-2-22
Nos. 9146 and 3-186841, German Patent No. 3,7
Chelating agents described in JP 39,610, EP 468,325 and the like can be mentioned.

The processing solution in the replenishment tank for the color developing solution is preferably shielded with a liquid agent such as a high-boiling organic solvent to reduce the contact area with air. Liquid paraffin is most preferred as the liquid shielding agent.

The processing temperature with the color developing solution is 20 to 55 °
C, preferably 30-55 ° C. Processing time is 30
Seconds to 4 minutes, preferably 45 seconds to 3 minutes 20 seconds. Most preferably, it is in the range of 60 seconds to 120 seconds.

In this processing method, the photosensitive material is desilvered after color development. In the desilvering step, it is desirable that both photosensitive materials be processed with a common tank solution and a common replenisher. However, the replenishment amount can be set differently for each photosensitive material. Hereinafter, the desilvering step will be described in detail.

The desilvering step generally includes a bleaching step, a bleach-fixing step, and a fixing step, and includes various steps. Specific steps are shown below, but are not limited thereto.

(Step 1) Bleaching and Fixing (Step 2) Bleaching and Bleaching and Fixing (Step 3) Bleaching and Bleaching and Fixing (Step 4) Fixing and Bleaching and Fixing (Step 5) Bleaching and Fixing If necessary, the solution may be divided into two or more baths, or may be replenished by a cascade method.

As the bleaching agent used in the processing solution having the bleaching ability, aminopolycarboxylic acid iron (III) complex, persulfate, bromate, hydrogen peroxide, erythrocyte, etc. are used. A polycarboxylic acid (III) complex can be most preferably used.

The ferric complex used in this treatment method is
It may be added and dissolved as a pre-complexed iron complex salt, or a complex-forming compound and a ferric salt (eg, ferric sulfate, ferric chloride, ferric bromide, iron nitrate (III ) And iron (III) ammonium sulfate) to form a complex salt in a solution having bleaching ability.

The complex-forming compound may be slightly excessive in an amount required for complex formation with ferric ion, and when it is added in excess, it is usually in the range of 0.01 to 10%. preferable.

The compound forming the ferric complex salt in the solution having bleaching ability is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (E
DTA), 1,3-propanediaminetetraacetic acid (1,3-
PDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, 1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid, iminodiacetic acid, methyliminodiacetic acid, N- (2-acetamido) iminodiacetic acid,
Nitrilotriacetic acid, N- (2-carboxyethyl) iminodiacetic acid, N- (2-carboxymethyl) iminodipropionic acid, β-alanine diacetate, α-methyl-nitrilotriacetic acid, 1,4-diaminobutanetetraacetic acid , Glycol ether diamine tetraacetic acid, N- (2-carboxyphenyl)
Iminodiacetic acid, ethylenediamine-N- (2-carboxyphenyl) -N, N ′, N′-triacetic acid, ethylenediamine-N, N′-disuccinic acid, 1,3-diaminopropane-N, N′-disuccinic acid, Ethylenediamine-N,
N′-Dimalonic acid, 1,3-diaminopropane-N,
Examples include N′-dimalonic acid, but are not particularly limited thereto.

The concentration of the ferric complex salt in the processing solution having a bleaching ability is suitably in the range of 0.005 to 1.0 mol / l, preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.50 mol / l. , More preferably 0.02 to 0.3
The range is 0 mol / liter.

The concentration of the ferric complex salt in the replenisher of the processing solution having bleaching ability is preferably 0.005 to 2
Mol / l, more preferably 0.01 to 1.0 mol / l.

Various compounds can be used as a bleaching accelerator in a bath having bleaching ability or a prebath thereof. For example, a compound having a mercapto group or a disulfide bond described in U.S. Pat. And JP-B-45-8506, JP-A-52-20832, and 53-3
No. 2735, U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,561, and the like, thiourea compounds and halides such as iodine and bromine ions are preferred because of their excellent bleaching ability.

Other baths having bleaching ability include bromide (eg, potassium bromide, sodium bromide, ammonium bromide), chloride (eg, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, ammonium chloride), or iodide (eg, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, ammonium chloride). For example,
Rehalogenating agents such as ammonium iodide). Borax, sodium metaborate, acetic acid,
At least one inorganic acid or organic acid having a pH buffering capacity such as sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, phosphorous acid, phosphoric acid, sodium phosphate, citric acid, sodium citrate, tartaric acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, etc. And their alkali metal or ammonium salts, or
Corrosion inhibitors such as ammonium nitrate and guanidine can be added.

In addition, the bath having bleaching ability can contain various other types of fluorescent whitening agents, defoaming agents, surfactants, and organic solvents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone and methanol.

The fixing agent component in the bleach-fix solution or the fix solution is as follows:
The use of thiosulfates is preferred. Examples of the thiosulfate include sodium thiosulfate, potassium thiosulfate, and ammonium thiosulfate. Other known fixing agents, thiocyanates such as sodium thiocyanate and ammonium thiocyanate; ethylenebisthioglycolic acid,
Thioether compounds such as 3,6-dithia-1,8-octanediol, mesoionic compounds, and water-soluble silver halide dissolving agents such as thioureas can also be used. In the present invention, the use of thiosulfates, particularly ammonium thiosulfate, potassium thiosulfate and sodium thiosulfate is preferred. The total amount of the fixing agent per liter is preferably 0.3 to 3 mol, more preferably 0.5 to 2.0 mol.

It is desirable that the bleach-fixing solution and the fixing solution contain a sulfite (or bisulfite or metabisulfite) as a preservative.
Liter, more preferably 0.05 to 0.3 mol / liter.

The bleach-fixing solution or the fixing solution may be a sulfite (eg, sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite, ammonium sulfite) or a bisulfite (eg, ammonium bisulfite, sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite) as a preservative. In addition to containing a sulfite ion releasing compound such as metabisulfite (for example, potassium metabisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, ammonium metabisulfite),
Aldehydes (benzaldehyde, acetaldehyde, etc.), ketones (acetone, etc.), ascorbic acids, hydroxylamines, benzenesulfinic acids, alkylsulfinic acids, etc. can be added as necessary. Particularly, use of benzenesulfinic acid, p-methylbenzenesulfinic acid, p-aminobenzenesulfinic acid and the like is also preferable. The preferable addition amount is 0.005 mol to 0.1 mol.
It is about 3 mol / liter.

Further, a buffer, a fluorescent brightener, a chelating agent, an antifoaming agent, a fungicide, and the like may be added to the bleaching solution, the bleach-fixing solution, and the fixing solution, if necessary.

In the bleaching solution, the bleach-fixing solution and the fixing solution, the preferable pH range is from 4 to 8, and more preferably from 4.5 to 6.
5 is preferred.

The replenishment amount for the bleaching solution, bleach-fixing solution and fixing solution is 50 to 2000 ml per 1 m ² of the light-sensitive material. Further, washing water as a post-bath or overflow solution of a stabilizing bath may be replenished as necessary.

The processing temperature of the bleaching solution, bleach-fixing solution and fixing solution is from 20 to 50 ° C., preferably from 30 to 45 ° C. The processing time of each step is 10 seconds to 3 minutes, preferably 20 seconds.
Seconds to 2 minutes.

It is particularly preferred that a processing solution having a bleaching ability is subjected to aeration during processing, since the photographic performance is extremely stably maintained. Any means known in the art can be used for aeration, and air can be blown into a processing solution having bleaching ability, or air can be absorbed using an ejector.

Although the aeration may be carried out directly in the processing tank, it is preferable that the aeration is carried out in the stock tank because the developing apparatus of the present invention has a small tank capacity.

When blowing air, it is preferable to discharge air into the liquid through an air diffuser having fine pores. Such a diffuser is widely used for an aeration tank in activated sludge treatment. Regarding aeration, Z-121 issued by Eastman Kodak Company,
USING PROCESS C-41 3rd Edition (1982
Year), and the items described on pages BL-1 and BL-2 can be used. In the processing using the processing solution having the bleaching ability of the present invention, it is preferable that stirring is strengthened, and the processing is carried out as described in JP-A-3-33847, page 8, upper right column, line 6 to lower left. The contents described in the column and the second line can be used as they are.

In the developing apparatus of the present invention, when aeration is performed, it is preferable to use a circulation system, a stock tank, or the like.

The photographic material generally undergoes a washing and / or stabilizing step after desilvering. In the washing and / or stabilizing step, it is necessary to adjust the concentration of the residual thiosulfuric acid of the processed photographic material to 30 to 1500 micromol / m ² .

Specifically, it is desirable that the concentration of the thiosulfate in the final bath is adjusted to be about 0.001 to 0.04 mol / liter. That is, the above-mentioned concentration may be added to the final bath, or when a thiosulfate is used as a fixing component, the amount of replenishment in the subsequent washing and stabilization steps is reduced, and the final bath has the above-mentioned concentration. It is also a desirable embodiment to prepare such a solution.

The specific amount of replenishment varies depending on the concentration of thiosulfate in the fixing step, the number of baths in the washing step and the stabilizing step, etc.
Generally, the amount is about 100 to 1000 ml, preferably about 130 to 700 ml, per m ^{2 of} the photosensitive material.

The amount of water in the washing step is as follows:
The relationship between the number of washing tanks and the amount of water in the multi-stage
urnal of the Society of Motion Picture and Televis
ionEngineers Vol. 64, pp. 248-253 (May 1955)
Can be obtained by the method described in (1). According to the multi-stage countercurrent method described in the above-mentioned document, the amount of washing water can be greatly reduced.However, due to an increase in the residence time of water in the tank, bacteria are propagated, and the generated suspended matter adheres to the photosensitive material. Problem arises.

As a solution to such a problem in the processing of a color light-sensitive material, the method of reducing calcium ions and magnesium ions described in JP-A-62-288838 can be used very effectively. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
No. 8,542, isothiazolone compounds, thiabendazoles, chlorine-based disinfectants such as chlorinated sodium isocyanurate, and other benzotriazoles, etc. "Sterilization, Sterilization, and Antifungal Technology of Microorganisms" edited by the Sanitary Technology Association (1982), Industrial Technology Society, "Encyclopedia of Antifungal Agents" (ed. 1986)
Can be used.

The pH of the final bath in the processing of the photosensitive material is as follows:
It can be set to any value, preferably 3.5-8,
More preferably, it is 4-7. The pH is preferably set so as to reflect the film pH of the processed photosensitive material,
Various buffers may be used for that purpose. Specific examples include acetic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, maleic acid, and phthalic acid.

The temperature of the washing water and the washing time can be variously set depending on the characteristics of the light-sensitive material, the application, and the like.
A range of 20 seconds to 5 minutes at C, preferably 30 seconds to 3 minutes at 25 to 40 ° C is selected. Further, the light-sensitive material of the present invention can be processed directly with a stabilizing solution instead of the above-mentioned washing.
In such a stabilization process, JP-A-57-8543,
The known methods described in JP-A-58-14834 and JP-A-60-220345 can all be used. Compounds for stabilizing the dye image in the stabilizing solution, for example, formalin, benzaldehydes such as m-hydroxybenzaldehyde, formaldehyde bisulfite adduct, hexamethylenetetramine and its derivatives, hexahydrotriazine and its derivatives, dimethylol urea, N-methylol compounds such as N-methylol pyrazole, organic acids, pH buffers and the like are included. The preferable addition amount of these compounds is from 0.001 to 0.02 mol per liter of the stabilizing solution. However, the lower the concentration of free formaldehyde in the stabilizing solution, the less the formaldehyde gas is scattered. From these viewpoints, examples of the dye image stabilizer include N-methylolazoles described in JP-A-4-270344, such as m-hydroxybenzaldehyde, hexamethylenetetramine and N-methylolpyrazole, and N, N'-bis (1 , 2,
Azolylmethylamines described in JP-A-4-317553, such as 4-triazol-1-ylmethyl) piperazine, are preferred. In particular, 1,2,4 described in JP-A-4-359249 (corresponding to European Patent Publication No. 519190A2)
The combination of an azole such as -triazole and an azolylmethylamine such as 1,4-bis (1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl) piperazine and a derivative thereof has high image stability and a high formaldehyde vapor pressure. Is preferred. Also, if necessary, ammonium compounds such as ammonium chloride and ammonium sulfite,
Metal compounds such as Bi and Al, fluorescent brighteners, hardeners, alkanolamines described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,583, and preservatives that can be contained in the fixing solution or the bleach-fixing solution; For example, it is also preferable to include a sulfinic acid compound described in JP-A-1-231051.

The washing water and / or the stabilizing solution may contain various surfactants in order to prevent unevenness of water droplets when the processed photosensitive material is dried. Among them, a nonionic surfactant is preferably used, and an alkylphenol ethylene oxide adduct is particularly preferable. Octyl, nonyl, dodecyl, and dinonylphenol are particularly preferred as the alkylphenol, and the number of moles of ethylene oxide added is particularly preferably 8 to 14. It is also preferable to use a silicon surfactant having a high defoaming effect.

It is preferable that the washing water and / or the stabilizing solution contain various chelating agents. Preferred chelating agents include aminopolycarboxylic acids such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid, N, N, N '.
-Trimethylene phosphonic acid, diethylene triamine-
Organic phosphonic acids such as N, N, N ', N'-tetramethylenephosphonic acid or EP 345,172A
The hydrolyzate of the maleic anhydride polymer described in No. 1 can be used.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a single-processing tank having a small volume, a plurality of small-volume stock tanks storing a plurality of types of processing liquids, and a processing liquid stored in the stock tank. Temperature control means for controlling the temperature, and a replenishing solution supply means for supplying a replenishing solution to the stock tank, which is used in a developing processing apparatus having the plurality of types of processing solutions exchanged in a predetermined order in the processing tank. A method for developing a photosensitive material for processing the photosensitive material in the processing tank, wherein a replenisher is replenished to the stock tank in accordance with a processing amount of the photosensitive material.

Next, the operation of the developing method according to the present invention will be described. A plurality of types of processing liquids are exchanged in a predetermined order in the processing tank in which the photosensitive material is inserted, and the photosensitive material in the processing tank is developed. The processing liquid stored in the stock tank is set to a predetermined temperature by the temperature control means. The stock tank is replenished with a replenisher in accordance with the processing amount of the photosensitive material. When the replenisher is replenished to the processing tank, the composition of the processing liquid in the processing tank changes greatly,
In some cases, photographic characteristics may be affected.

The processing solution for processing the photosensitive material is stored separately in a processing tank and a stock tank, and the processing tank and the stock tank have small volumes. Therefore, it is possible to increase the ratio of the replenisher amount to the processing solution amount (mother liquor), and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the processing solution over time.
Therefore, stable performance can be obtained even with a small processing amount.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the developing apparatus of the first aspect, the processing tank has a volume of 10 to 500 milliliters, and the stock tank has a volume of 100 to 2000 milliliters. And a capacity of the stock tank is larger than a capacity of the processing tank.

Next, the operation of the developing device according to the third aspect will be described. The volume of the processing tank is 10 ml to 50
By setting the capacity of the small-volume stock tank to 100 ml to 2000 ml with a capacity larger than that of the treatment tank, the proportion of the replenisher to the treatment liquid (mother liquor) is increased, and the deterioration of the treatment liquid with time is reduced. It will be possible to suppress it reliably. Therefore, stable performance can be reliably obtained even with a small processing amount.

Here, if the volume of the processing tank is less than 10 ml and the volume of the stock tank is less than 100 ml, the total amount of the processing solution becomes too small, and the change in the composition of the processing solution when the replenisher is replenished may be reduced. This is not preferable because the processing performance is greatly changed.

On the other hand, if the volume of the processing tank exceeds 500 milliliters and the capacity of the stock tank exceeds 2000 milliliters, as a result, the total amount of the processing solution becomes too large, and the amount of the replenisher relative to the amount of the processing solution (mother liquor) is increased. It is not preferable because the ratio becomes small and the treatment liquid easily deteriorates with time.

The volume of the processing tank is 15 ml.
300 ml is preferred, and 20 ml to 1
50 ml is more preferred.

On the other hand, the volume of the stock tank is preferably from 200 ml to 1500 ml, more preferably from 300 ml to 1000 ml.

If the volume of the stock tank is smaller than the volume of the processing tank, the processing liquid is used in the piping system on the way, so that the stock tank may become empty or the processing tank may be filled with the processing liquid. It may not be possible. In addition, since it is necessary to provide a heater, a temperature sensor, and the like in the stock tank, it is easy to secure a capacity of 100 milliliters or more in consideration of these considerations.

The difference between the capacity of the stock tank and the capacity of the processing tank is preferably 100 to 1000 ml, more preferably 150 to 500 ml.

If the difference between the capacity of the stock tank and the capacity of the processing tank is less than 100 milliliters, the stock tank is almost empty, and there is a possibility that the heater may be used for empty heating or air may be drawn into the pump. Absent.

On the other hand, if the difference between the capacity of the stock tank and the capacity of the processing tank exceeds 1000 ml, the total amount of the solution may be large, the residence time of the solution may be prolonged, and the stability of the solution may become a problem. Can occur.

It is preferable that the opening ratio of the stock tank be 0.03 (cm ^-1 ) or less.

The opening ratio of the stock tank is set to 0.03 (c
m ^-1 ) or less, deterioration of the processing liquid due to contact with air can be reduced. On the other hand, when the opening ratio of the stock tank exceeds 0.03 (cm ^-1 ), the processing liquid is greatly deteriorated due to contact with air, which is not preferable.

The opening ratio of the stock tank of the present invention is preferably as small as possible, more preferably 0.02.
(Cm ⁻¹ ) or less. To reduce the aperture ratio, provide a floating lid on the liquid surface, cover the surface with a liquid such as paraffin, or reduce the opening area in the shape of a stock tank (horizontal near the liquid surface). The cross-sectional area should be reduced.)

The aperture ratio is more preferably 0.01 (cm ^-1 ) or less, and it is most preferable that the liquid surface is completely covered with a liquid such as paraffin.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, for example, a photographic film photosensitive material such as a color negative film, a color reversal film, a black and white film or the like is developed.

[0083]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 1 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described in accordance with 3,19. (Cartridge and Film) First, the outline of the cartridge 14 and the film F used in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C and FIG. 2, the cartridge 14 includes covers 18A and 18A.
B formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by superimposing B
It has. The casing 20 has a projecting portion 22 projecting in a tangential direction, and a leading end of the projecting portion 22 has a slit-shaped insertion opening 2 extending along the axial direction of the casing 20.
8 are formed. This insertion opening 28 is usually provided in the door 3
0, which causes the casing 2
The inside of 0 is in a light shielding state. The spool shaft 16 in the casing 20 is rotatably supported by side walls 24 and 26 closing both ends of the casing 20 in the axial direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (B), 1 (C) and 2, the door shaft 32 is supported by the projection 22 between the side walls 24 and 26 so as to be rotatable. . The door shaft 32 rotates integrally with the door 30, and the door 30 rotates together with the door shaft 32 to open and close the insertion port 28. The front end exposed from the side walls 24 and 26 of the door shaft 32 has a door shaft 32
A key hole 34 for engaging a means for rotating the door (a door driver 158 described later) is formed.

The casing 20 is divided into covers 18A, 18B along a line connecting the support positions of the side walls 24, 26 for the door shaft 32, the support position of the spool shaft 16, and the end opposite to the protrusion 22. I have.

As shown in FIG. 1 (C), a notch hole 36 is formed at one end of the side wall 26 of the casing 20 on the side opposite to the protruding portion 22 by notches formed in the covers 18A and 18B. Formed on the cover 18B,
A display plate 38 that covers the notch hole 36 extends.
The display plate 38 is connected at the axial center side of the casing 20 with a narrow joint portion 38A, and at the outer peripheral side with a wide joint portion 38B.
Are joined by

When the film F that has been subjected to the development processing is stored in the cartridge 14, the display panel 38 cuts off the joint 38A side and pushes the display panel 38 into the notch hole 36 to be bent. . Thus, it is possible to determine from the outside of the casing 20 whether the film F in the cartridge 14 has been developed or has not been developed.

In addition, display holes 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40D are formed at equal intervals around the spool shaft 16 in the side wall 26 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "display holes 40").
Say). These display holes 40 are used to display the state of the film F stored in the cartridge 14. For example, the round display hole 40A is
An unexposed, semicircular display hole 40B indicates that the exposure has been partially performed, an X-shaped display hole 40C has been exposed and has not been developed, and a rectangular display hole 40D has been developed. This makes it possible to determine which exposure state or processing state the film F contained in the cartridge 14 is in.

On the other hand, FIGS. 3A and 3B show the spool shaft 16 arranged in the casing 20. This spool shaft 16 has a winding portion 4 whose center portion in the axial direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3A) winds the film F.
2, on both sides of the winding portion 42, a flange portion 44
Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the flange 44
, A flexible flange 72 formed of a thin resin that can be elastically deformed is attached.

The casing 2 is provided on the spool shaft 16.
A small-diameter ring 48 is attached to the end of the side wall 26 on the side of the side wall 26. As also shown in FIG. 1 (C) and FIG. 3 (B),
The ring 48 is integrally provided with a white plate 50 protruding radially outward with a predetermined width. As shown in FIG. 1C, the white plate 50 overlaps with any of the display holes 40 depending on the rotational position around the spool shaft 16, and exposes a white portion in the overlapped display hole 40. The exposed position of the white plate 50 clearly indicates the processing state of the film F in the cartridge 14 described above.

As shown in FIG. 2, a gear portion 48A is formed on the ring 48. When the door 30 is closed, a spool lock 76 attached to the cover 18B meshes with the gear portion 48A. It does not rotate. On the other hand, when the door 30 is opened, the spool lock 76 separates from the gear portion 48A, and the spool shaft 16
Is designed to rotate smoothly.

As shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), the winding portion 42 of the spool shaft 16 has a cutout 52 formed along the axial direction. Is divided by the notch 52 into a wide winding portion main body 42B and a narrow width engaging portion 42A. Further, the engaging portion 42
A is formed with a pressing portion 54 which is divided at an intermediate portion in the axial direction, and whose leading end protrudes in a direction to narrow the opening width of the cutout portion 52 toward the winding portion main body 42B.

On the other hand, the holding section 5 is attached to the winding section main body 42B.
On the outer side along the axial direction of No. 4, a pair of protrusions 56 projecting in a direction to reduce the opening width of the notch 52 is formed. The projection 56 overlaps with the holding portion 54 when viewed along the axial direction of the spool shaft.

As shown in FIGS. 1B and 2, a label 78 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the casing 20. As shown in FIG. 1B, the label 78 includes a bar code 80 including various information such as a cartridge ID (identification number) for identifying the cartridge 14, a film type, and the number of shots (number of frames). Are printed in two steps on the cover 18B side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the trailing end FT of the film F is provided at the center in the width direction with a claw (not shown) of an attach plate used to lock the film F to the spool shaft 16. A long hole 58 is formed in the hole 58 for hooking the sheet.

Engaging holes 60 are formed on both sides of the elongated hole 58 in the width direction. The engagement hole 60 is provided in the film F
When the trailer-side end portion FT is inserted into the cutout portion 52 of the spool shaft 16, as shown in FIGS. At this time, the pressing portion 54 abuts between the engaging holes 60 of the film F, and serves to prevent the protrusion 56 from coming off, thereby engaging the trailer-side end FT of the film F with the spool shaft 16. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 3 (B), the tip 56A of the projection 56 has a shape projecting in the direction opposite to the direction in which the film F is pulled out (the direction of arrow R).
Is prevented from coming off.

The film F is wound around the spool shaft 16 and stored in the cartridge 14 with the trailer end FT engaged with the spool shaft 16 as described above.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C, the cartridge 14 has a key hole 62 formed in the end surface of the spool shaft 16 exposed from the side walls 24 and 26. When they are combined, the rotational force can be transmitted to the spool shaft 16.

Note that, as shown in FIG.
, Perforations 66 that clearly indicate the position of the image frame 64 are formed at one end in the width direction at predetermined intervals.
The perforations 66 are used for positioning the image frames 64 when performing image exposure and printing.

Also, on the end FT side of the final image frame 64, an around perforation 68 is formed on the side opposite to the perforation 66, and no image is recorded on the trailer side from this position. ,
Or, it clearly states that no image is recorded.

Further, a detached perforation 70 is formed in the film F at a position separated from the trailer end FT by a predetermined distance T. If the detached perforation 70 is detected, the detached perforation 70 on the trailer side of the film F is detected. The position of the end FT can be accurately determined. In addition, both ends in the width direction of the end FT on the trailer side of the film F are inclined to facilitate insertion of the spool shaft 16 into the notch 52.

Further, a transparent magnetic recording layer is provided on the film F, and regions at both ends in the width direction of the film F which do not cover the image frame 64 are used as magnetic tracks.

Here, on the side where the perforations 66 are formed, a magnetic track 80 for a developer is provided. A magnetic track 82 for a camera is provided on the side opposite to the side where the perforations 66 are formed.

Further, the perforation 66 of the image frame 64 on the side of the end FT and the end FR of the image frame 64 on the side of the end FR than the perforation 66 of the image frame 64 on the side of the end FT
On the side, a magnetic track 88 for recording a film ID for identifying the film F is provided. Further, a bar code 90 is provided on the opposite side of the magnetic tracks 88. The bar code 90 includes a film ID for identifying the film F, is formed as a latent image in advance at the stage of manufacturing the film F, and is visualized by developing. The barcode 90 of the film F corresponds to the barcode 80 of the cartridge 14 described above.

Further, the magnetic track 8 is provided on the film F.
The barcode 92 is recorded at the same position as the barcode 92. The barcode 92 indicates the frame number of the image frame 64, the manufacturer, the type of film, and the like. The barcode 92 is previously formed as a latent image at the stage of manufacturing the film F, and is visualized by developing. Things. (Development Processing Apparatus) As shown in FIG. 5, the development processing apparatus 100 for performing the development processing of the film F described above includes a box-shaped casing 102 for shielding the inside from light. An opening / closing lid 110 and a display device 11 are provided above the casing 102.
2. An operation panel 114 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a station 104 for loading the cartridge 14 is provided inside the casing 102.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the station 104 has a concave portion 116 in which the cartridge 14 is loaded,
A rotation lever 118 is provided for holding the cartridge 14 inserted in the recess 116. The rotation lever 118 is rotated by a motor 120.

In the station 104, the cartridge 14
Barcode scanner 12 that reads a barcode 80
1 is provided. This barcode scanner 121
The information of the barcode 80 read by is transmitted to the control device 122 described later.

The station 104 has the cartridge 1
Notch 124 for allowing film F to enter and exit from 4
Are formed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the station 104 has a door 30 (not shown in FIG. 7) of the cartridge 14.
Driver 126 for opening and closing the door and a spool driver 128 for rotating the spool shaft 16 (not shown in FIG. 7).
Is provided.

The door driver 126 and the spool driver 128 are rotated by a motor 132 and a motor 134, respectively, and a key (projection) is formed on a side surface of the shaft to engage with a key hole. The motor 132 and the motor 134 are mounted on a slide plate 138 movably supported along a pair of guide rails 136 mounted on the station 104. The slide plate 138 slides along the axial direction of the spool shaft 16.

The slide plate 138 has the station 10
4 movable iron core 140 of solenoid 140 attached to
A is connected, and normally, as shown in FIG. 7, the door driver 126 and the spool driver 128 are retracted to a position away from the recess 116 by a predetermined dimension.

When the solenoid 140 is energized,
The tip of the door driver 126 and the spool driver 128 protrudes from the opening 142 formed at the bottom of the concave portion 116 so that the movable core 140A protrudes, and the door driver 126 is inserted into the key hole 34 of the door shaft 32 and the spool driver 128
Engages with the key hole 62 of the spool shaft 16.

The solenoid 1 of the station 104
The motor 40, the motor 120, the motor 132, and the motor 134 are controlled by the control device 122.

As shown in FIG. 6, below the station 104, a roller 250 is disposed.
Rollers 252 are arranged below 0 at predetermined intervals.

A roller 254 is arranged on the side of the roller 252 in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. The roller 254 is rotatably supported by a bearing 257 connected to the distal end of the movable iron core 256A of the solenoid 256.
Is moved to the first position pressed against the roller 252 and the second position separated from the roller 252 by a predetermined distance.

The fixed guide shaft 258 and the motor 2
The feed screw 262 rotated at 60 is arranged in the horizontal direction (the direction of the arrow L and the direction of the arrow R).

A pair of slide pieces 264 are slidably supported on the fixed guide shaft 258. A female screw (not shown) is formed on the slide piece 264,
A feed screw 262 is screwed into the female screw. Therefore, the slide piece 264 can be moved in the horizontal direction by rotating the feed screw 262 with the motor 260.

A roller holding block 266 is attached to the slide piece 264. In the roller holding block 266, a roller 268 and a roller 270 are horizontally arranged.

The roller 268 is rotated by the motor 272. On the other hand, the roller 270 is swingably supported by a substantially L-shaped arm 274, and by moving a movable iron core 276A of a solenoid 276 connected to the arm 274, the first position pressed against the roller 268 and the roller 268 to a second position separated by a predetermined distance.

A winding shaft 278 urged clockwise in FIG. 6 by a spring (not shown) is disposed on the roller L side in the direction of the arrow L in FIG.
78 is a band-shaped shielding member (synthetic resin film, cloth, etc.)
280 is wound in a roll shape. Shielding member 280
Is attached to the pin 282 of the roller holding block 266. When the roller holding block 266 moves in the direction of arrow R, the shielding member 280 is pulled out. When the roller holding block 266 moves in the direction of arrow L, the shielding member 2
80 is automatically wound on the winding shaft 278.

Below the rollers 252 and 254, a processing tank 300 having a sword sheath shape made of a synthetic resin or the like is arranged substantially vertically as shown in FIG. The volume of the processing tank 300 of the present embodiment is 5
0 ml.

The cross section of the inside of the processing tank 300 at right angles to the longitudinal direction is as shown in FIG. 19, and the inner wall surfaces facing each other are spaced from both sides in the width direction (portions facing both ends in the width direction of the film F). And is curved so that the interval between the central portions in the width direction (the portion facing the image frame 64 of the film F) is widened. As shown in FIG. 20, the center in the width direction may be wide and parallel.

For this reason, when the film F is inserted from the opening, both ends in the width direction of the film F are guided by the both sides in the width direction inside the processing tank 300, and the center portion in the width direction of the film F, that is, the image frame 64, is processed. Contact with the inner wall surface of the tank 300 is prevented.

As shown in FIG. 8, one of the upper side surfaces of the processing tank 300 has a pipe-shaped connecting portion 30 communicating with the inside of the tank.
4 is provided, and the other of the upper side surfaces is also provided with a pipe-shaped connecting portion 306 that is also in communication with the inside of the tank.

A pipe-shaped connecting portion 308 communicating with the inside of the tank is provided at one of the lower side surfaces of the processing tank 300, and a pipe-shaped connecting portion 310 communicating with the inside of the tank is provided at the lower end. Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 6, a part of the upper end of the processing tank 300 is cut out, and a sealing device 314 is provided at a position facing the notched portion 312.

The sealing device 314 includes a block 316 that is in close contact with the notch 312. Note that a thick packing 318 made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to a portion of the block 316 that is in close contact with the cutout portion 312.

The block 316 is connected to the rack 320 and has a pinion 322 that meshes with the rack 320.
Is rotated by the motor 324, so that the packing 31
At 8, the opening of the processing tank 300 is closed, whereby the inside of the tank can be sealed.

As shown in FIG. 8, a color developing solution stock tank 400 storing a color developing solution and a bleaching solution stock tank 40 storing a bleaching solution are provided in the developing apparatus 100.
2. Fixing solution stock tank 404 storing the fixing solution,
A washing liquid stock tank 406 storing a washing liquid and a stable liquid stock tank 408 storing a stabilizing liquid are provided. The capacity of each tank is 500 ml.

Here, the color developing solution is supplied to the processing tank 300 via the electromagnetic valve 410, the pump 412 which can be rotated forward and backward, and the connecting portion 310, and the bleaching liquid is supplied to the processing tank 300 via the electromagnetic valves 414, 410 and the pump 412. The fixing liquid is supplied to the solenoid valve 41.
6, 414, 410, the pump 412 and the connecting part 310 to the treatment tank 300, and the washing liquid is supplied to the electromagnetic valves 418, 41.
6, 414, 410, the pump 412 and the connecting part 310 to the processing tank 300, and the stable liquid is supplied to the electromagnetic valves 420, 41.
8, 416, 414, 410, the pump 412, and the connection section 310, the liquid is sent to the processing tank 300.

Note that the solenoid valve 420 is an on-off valve, and the solenoid valves 410, 414, 416, and 418 are three-way valves.

The color developer passed through the processing tank 300 is supplied to the color developer stock tank 40 via the electromagnetic valve 422.
0, the bleaching solution passed through the processing tank 300 is
The fixing solution passed through the processing tank 300 to the bleaching solution stock tank 402 via the 424 is subjected to electromagnetic valves 422, 424, and 42.
6 to the fixing solution stock tank 404 and the processing tank 30
The washing liquid that has passed through 0 is the solenoid valve 422, 424, 426,
The stable liquid that has passed through the processing tank 300 to the washing liquid stock tank 406 via 428 is supplied to the electromagnetic valves 422, 424, and 42.
6, 428, 430 via the stabilizing solution stock tank 40
Cycle to 8.

The solenoid valve 430 is an open / close valve, and the solenoid valves 422, 424, 426, and 428 are three-way valves.

When the processing is completed with one processing liquid, the pump 412 is reversed, the processing liquid in the processing tank 300 is returned to the original stock tank, and the processing tank 300 is emptied.
After that, the next processing liquid is sent into the processing tank 300.

Further, a color developing replenisher tank 43 containing a replenishing color developing solution is provided in the developing apparatus 100.
2. Bleach replenisher tank 43 containing replenisher bleach
4. Fixing replenisher tank 43 in which replenishing fixer is stored
6. A washing replenisher tank 43 in which a replenishing washing liquid is stored.
8 and a stable replenisher tank 4 storing a replenisher stabilizer
40 are provided.

The replenishing color developing solution is supplied to the color developing solution stock tank 400 via the pump 442, and the replenishing bleaching solution is supplied to the bleaching solution stock tank 402 via the pump 444.
The replenishing fixer is stabilized via the pump 446 into the fixer stock tank 404, the replenishing flushing solution via the pump 448 into the flushing stock tank 406, and the replenishing stabilizer via the pump 450. The liquid stock tank 408 is replenished.

A color developing solution stock tank 400, a bleaching solution stock tank 402, a fixing solution stock tank 404,
An overflow pipe 452 is connected to each of the washing liquid stock tank 406 and the stabilizing liquid stock tank 408, and the overflowed processing liquid is stored in a drain tank 454 via the overflow pipe 452.

The connecting section 304 and the connecting section 308 are connected by a pipe 456, and a processing liquid in the processing tank 300 is circulated by a pump 458 provided in the middle of the pipe and capable of rotating forward and backward. I have.

These color developing solution stock tanks 400,
Bleaching solution stock tank 402, fixing solution stock tank 4
04, the structures of the washing liquid stock tank 406 and the stable liquid stock tank 408 will be described. Since all these tanks have the same structure, the structure of the color developing solution stock tank 400 will be described in detail as a representative.

As shown in FIG. 9, the color developing solution stock tank 400 has a heater 46 for heating the color developing solution.
0, a temperature sensor 462 for measuring the temperature of the color developing solution, a pipe 464 for introducing a replenishing color developing solution from the color developing replenisher tank 432, and a connection portion 306 of the processing tank 300.
A pipe 466 leading to the hole is inserted.

[0145] The heater 460 and the temperature sensor 462 are connected to the control device 122, whereby the temperature of the processing liquid is controlled to a predetermined temperature.

A pipe 468 for feeding the color developing solution to the processing tank 300 through the pump 412 or for collecting the color developing solution in the processing tank 300 is connected to a lower portion of the color developing solution stock tank 400. I have.

An overflow pipe 452 is connected to the upper portion of the color developing solution stock tank 400.

The color developing solution stock tank 400 is provided with a pipe 470 and a pump 472 for circulating the stored color developing solution to make the composition and temperature uniform.

The color developing solution stock tank 400 has a constant horizontal cross-sectional shape in the vertical direction, and the stored color developing solution has a small contact area between the color developing solution and the outside air (an opening ratio of 0.03 ( cm ^-1 ) Floating lid 474 for
Is floating.

Here, as a method of reducing the contact area between the processing liquid and the outside air, the opening area near the liquid surface may be reduced as shown in FIG. As a method of heating the processing liquid, the circulation pipe 470 may be heated by the casting heater 476 to indirectly heat the processing liquid.

In the bleaching liquid stock tank 402,
In order to perform aeration as shown in FIG.
Air is released into the liquid through an air diffuser 478 having fine pores at the tip.

As shown in FIG. 12, a drying section 108 for drying the developed film F is provided in the direction of the arrow R of the processing tank 300.

As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG.
08 is provided with a drying box 500. An opening 502 into which the film F enters is formed on one side wall of the drying box 500.

A pair of upper and lower ducts 504 and 506 extending horizontally are provided inside the drying box 500.

A plurality of air outlets 508 are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction on the lower surface of the upper duct 504, and a plurality of air outlets 508 are formed on the upper surface of the lower duct 506 along the longitudinal direction. 510 are formed at predetermined intervals.

In the drying section 108, the drying box 50
0 is sucked by a fan 514 through a duct 512, and the sucked air is sucked by the pair of ducts 504 and 50.
6 is blown. In this embodiment,
Air is heated by a heater 516 provided in the middle of the duct 512, and hot air is blown vertically toward the film F from the air outlets 508 and 510. (Operation) Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

In the initial state of the apparatus, the rollers 268 and 270 of the roller holding block 266 are located below the station 104 and the roller 270 is
68. Also, the roller 254 is a roller 2
52, and the block 316 is disposed in the processing tank 300.
Is separated from the notch portion 312 of FIG.

First, the opening / closing lid 110 is opened, and the cartridge 14 containing the undeveloped film F is loaded into the station 1
04, and the lid 110 is closed.

When the start button of the operation panel 114 is turned on, the rotation lever 118 rotates and the cartridge 14 is held.

Next, the chucking device 130 operates,
The door driver 126 is connected to the key hole 34 of the door shaft 32.
Then, the spool driver 128 is engaged with the key hole 62 of the spool shaft 16.

Next, the door driver 126 is
, The spool driver 128 is rotated by the motor 134 and the film F is sent out from the insertion opening 28 of the cartridge 14.

At the same time as the film F is fed from the cartridge 14, the motor 272 is rotated. As a result, the rollers 268 and 270 rotate, and the film F is inserted into the processing tank 300 between the rollers 268 and 270 and between the rollers 252 and 254.

When the film F has been completely inserted into the processing tank 300, the block 316 presses the notch 312 to seal the inside of the tank.

Next, the development processing of the film F with the processing liquid will be described. When the processing tank 300 is sealed, the pump 412, the solenoid valves 410, 414, 416, 418, 42
0, 422, 424, 426, 428, and 430 are operated in a predetermined order by the control device 122, and the processing tank 300 is filled in the order of a color developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, a washing solution, and a stabilizing solution. The development process of F is performed.

Here, when processing the film F with one processing liquid, the pump 412 is operated to circulate the processing liquid in one direction between the stock tank and the processing tank 300.
Stop the pump 412 as appropriate to activate the pump 458,
The processing liquid in the processing tank 300 is circulated in the reverse direction. Thereby, the long film F can be stably processed in the longitudinal direction.

When the processing is completed with one processing liquid, the processing tank 300 and the pipe 45 are pumped by pumps 412 and 458.
The processing liquid in 6 is returned to the original stock tank via the connection portion 310, and the processing tank 300 and the pipe 456 are once emptied. Thereafter, the solenoid valve is switched and the pump 412
Is operated, and the next processing liquid is sent into the processing tank 300.

As described above, the film F is formed into a color developing solution,
When the bleaching solution, the fixing solution, the washing solution, and the stabilizing solution are sequentially processed, the block 316 of the sealing device 314 is separated from the cutout portion 312.

Next, the heater 516 is energized and the fan 514 is operated, and the air outlets 508 and 510 are turned on.
A hot air of a predetermined temperature is blown out of the apparatus.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
0 moves away from the roller 268 and the roller holding block 266
Move in the direction of arrow R, the film F is sequentially pulled out of the processing tank 300. Here, when the film F is withdrawn from the processing tank 300, the roller 252
Is pressed against the roller 254, and water droplets attached to the film F are squeezed.

The wet film F drawn from the processing tank 300 is exposed to warm air blown from the air outlets 508 and 510.

When the movement of the roller holding block 166 in the direction of arrow R is stopped and the film F in the drying box 500 is dried, the spool driver 128 is rotated, and the film F is gradually rewound into the cartridge 14. At this time, the film F drawn out of the processing tank 300 passes through the drying box 500, and the air outlet 508,
It is dried by the warm air blown out from 510.

When the leading end of the film F is pulled out of the processing tank 300, since hot air is applied from above and below the film F conveyed in a substantially U-shape, the films F may come into contact with each other. Since the shielding member 280 is interposed between the lower portion of the film F conveyed in the direction of the arrow R and the upper portion conveyed in the direction of the arrow L, contact between the films is avoided, and drying is performed stably. It can be carried out.

When the spool driver 128 is rotated and the film F is completely wound around the spool shaft 16 of the cartridge 14, the door 30 is closed, and the door driver 126 and the spool driver 128 are separated from the cartridge 14.

Thereafter, the rotating lever 118 rotates and retracts from the concave portion 116, and the cartridge 14 containing the developed film F can be taken out by opening the open / close lid 110.

Further, by reading the bar code 80 of the cartridge 14 with the bar code scanner 121 of the station 104, the control device 122 can grasp the processing amount (processing area) of the film, and the film F reaches the predetermined processing amount. When it reaches, the controller 122 operates the pumps 442, 4
44, 446, 448 and 450 are driven to replenish a predetermined amount of replenisher to the stock tank. The replenisher amount with respect to the processing amount is stored in the controller 122 in advance.

In the present embodiment, the processing amount of the film F is grasped from the barcode 80 of the cartridge 14. However, the optical sensor 253 is used to determine the processing amount of the film from the film feeding time (for example, the driving time of the roller 268). You can also understand.

Here, the developing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is described.
In the above, the processing tank 300 and the stock tank have small volumes. Therefore, it is possible to increase the ratio of the replenisher amount to the processing solution amount (mother liquor), and it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the processing solution over time. Therefore, the developing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can obtain stable performance even with a small processing amount.

Further, by making the opening ratio of each stock tank small (0.03 (cm ^-1 ) or less), deterioration of the processing liquid due to contact with air can be reduced. [Test Example] Using the developing apparatus described in the above embodiment, continuous processing of a photographic film was performed under different conditions. Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. as a comparative development processor
FP-362 for color negative film processing
B was used in the same processing solution. The processing conditions of FP-362B are as follows. (Processing process of Minilab FP-362B) Process Processing time Processing temperature Replenishment amount * Tank capacity Color development 3 minutes 5 seconds 38.0 ° C 20 ml 17 liters Bleaching 50 seconds 38.0 ° C 5 ml 5 liters Fixing (1) 50 seconds 38.0 ° C -5 liters Fixed (2) 50 seconds 38.0 ° C 8 ml 5 liters Rinse 30 seconds 38.0 ° C 17 ml 3.5 liters Stable (1) 20 seconds 38.0 ° C -3 liters Stable (2) 20 38.0 ° C 15 milliliters 3 liters Drying 1 minute 30 seconds 60 ° C * The replenishment amount is the value per 35 mm width of photosensitive material and 1.1 m length (24 Ex. 1 equivalent).

The stabilizing solution was of a countercurrent type from (2) to (1), and the overflow of the washing water was all introduced into the fixing (2). The fixing solution is also connected from (2) to (1) by a countercurrent pipe. The amount of the developer brought into the bleaching step, the amount of the bleaching liquid brought into the fixing step, and the amount of the fixing liquid brought into the washing step were 2.5 ml and 2.0 ml, respectively, per 1.1 mm width of 35 mm photosensitive material. , 2.0 ml. The crossover time is 6 seconds in each case, and this time is included in the processing time of the previous step.

The composition of the processing liquid is shown below. (Color developing solution) Tank solution (g) Replenisher (g) Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid 2.0 2.0 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid 2.0 2.0 Sodium sulfite 3.9 5.3 Potassium carbonate 37.5 39.0 Potassium bromide 1.4 0.4 Potassium iodide 1.3 mg-disodium-N, N-bis (sulfonatoethyl) hydroxylamine 2.0 2.0 hydroxylamine sulfate 2.4 3.3 2-Methyl-4- [N-ethyl-N- (β-hydroxyethyl) amino] aniline sulfate 4.5 6.4 Add water 1.0 liter 1.0 liter pH (adjusted with potassium hydroxide and sulfuric acid) 10.05 10.18 (Bleaching solution) Tank solution (g) Replenisher (g) Ferric ammonium 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetate monohydrate Salt 118 180 Ammonium bromide 80 115 Ammonium nitrate 14 21 Succinic acid 40 60 Maleic acid 33 50 1.0 liter 1.0 l with water Torr pH [prepared with aqueous ammonia] 4.4 4.0 (Fixing solution) Tank solution (g) Replenisher (g) Ammonium methanesulfinate 10 30 Ammonium methanethiosulfonate 4 12 Aqueous ammonium thiosulfate (700 g / L) 280 mL 840 mL Imidazole 7 20 Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 15 45 Add water 1.0 liter 1.0 liter pH [prepared with ammonia water and acetic acid] 7.4 7.45 (Washing water) Tap water is replaced with H-type strongly acidic cation exchange resin (Amberlite IR- manufactured by Rohm and Haas Co.) 120B)
And water through a mixed-bed column filled with an OH-type strongly basic anion exchange resin (Amberlite IR-400) to treat the calcium and magnesium ion concentrations to 3 mg / L or less, followed by isocyanuric dichloride 20 mg / l of sodium acid and 150 mg / l of sodium sulfate were added. The pH of this solution was in the range of 6.5 to 7.5. (Stabilizing solution) Common to tank solution and replenisher (unit: g) Sodium p-toluenesulfinate 0.03 Polyoxyethylene-p-monononylphenyl ether
(Average degree of polymerization 10) 0.2 disodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 0.05 1,2,4-triazole 1.3 1,4-bis (1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl) piperazine 0.75 1,2-benzoisothiazoline-3 1.0 liter with addition of 0.10 water pH 8.5 The processing conditions used in the developing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention are as follows. (Processing step according to the embodiment of the present invention) Step Processing time Processing temperature Replenishment amount * Stock tank capacity Color development 3 minutes 5 seconds 38.0 ° C 20 ml 0.5 liter Bleaching 50 seconds 38.0 ° C 5 ml 0.5 liter Settling 50 seconds 38.0 ° C 8 ml 0.5 liter Washing water 30 seconds 38.0 ° C 17 ml 0.5 liter Stability 20 seconds 38.0 ° C 15 ml 0.5 liter Drying 1 minute 30 seconds 60 ° C , FP
The tank liquid formulation and replenishment formulation used for -362B were used.

In each of the above-mentioned developing apparatuses, a color negative film NE for APS manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. was used.
XIA-H (25 EXP) was imagewise exposed and processed under the following processing conditions.

Treatment A: 15 treatments per day, continued for 3 weeks. Treatment B: 3 treatments per day, lasting 3 weeks.

At the start and end of each of the processes A and B, the film exposed through a wedge-shaped wedge was processed, and the change in sensitivity and gradation (density change) from the start was determined. The results are as shown in Table 1 below.

[0184]

[Table 1]

In the current minilab machine FP-362B, when the processing amount is small (processing B), the developing performance of the film becomes low sensitivity and high contrast. On the other hand, the developing processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is a photograph processing apparatus. There was almost no change in the properties, and good results were obtained.

It is usually desired that the sensitivity and the gradation have a change from the start time within ± 0.04. [Second Embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the processing tank 600 of the present embodiment has an internal space having a circular cross section.

[0188] As shown in FIG.
A pipe-shaped connection portion 602 is integrally formed on the lower side surface, and a pipe-shaped connection portion 604 is integrally formed on the upper side surface.

The connection 602 is connected to the pump 412 (FIG. 8).
And the connecting portion 604 communicates with the solenoid valve 422 (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG.
On the side surface of 00, a slit-like film insertion port 606 formed slightly wider than the width of the film F is formed.

As shown in FIG. 15, a cylinder 608 is disposed on the side of the processing tank 600, and a film insertion port 606 is formed by a packing 610 made of an elastic material such as rubber attached to the tip of a cylinder rod 608A. Can be closed.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a winding shaft 618 that is rotated by a motor 620 is disposed at the axis of the processing tank 600, and the winding shaft 618 has an embossed film described later. One end of 612 is locked. The other end of the embossed film 612 is locked on a winding drum 624 rotated by a motor 622.

In this processing tank 600, the film F is accommodated in the tank while being wound with an embossed film 612 made of a synthetic resin or the like having a shape as shown in FIGS.

On both sides in the width direction of the embossed film 612, high protrusions 614 are formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction, and inside the inside, low protrusions 616 are formed along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 16, a region where the high protrusion 614 and the low protrusion 616 are not formed is provided on the side (the left side in FIG. 16) which is locked to the winding drum 624, and the region is a packing. When the inside of the tank is sealed at 610, it is located at the film insertion port 606.

In the present embodiment, the film F sent from the cartridge 14 is disposed between the high protrusions 614 as shown in FIG. It is wound on a take-up shaft 618 together with the embossed film 612.

Film F together with embossed film 612
When the film is wound on the winding shaft 618, the low protrusion 616 contacts the opposite side of the emulsion side of the film F, and a gap through which the processing liquid flows is formed on both sides of the film F as shown in FIG. You.

That is, in this embodiment, the processing liquid in the tank flows along the width direction of the film F.

Also in the processing tank 600 of this embodiment, the processing tank 600 is filled in the order of a color developing solution, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, a washing solution, and a stabilizing solution in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The development processing of the film F is performed.

Although the internal space of the processing tank 600 of this embodiment has a cylindrical shape, the capacity is almost the same as that of the processing tank 300. Therefore,
Also in the present embodiment, stable performance can be obtained even with a small amount of processing.

[0200]

As described above, the developing apparatus according to the first aspect has the above-mentioned configuration, and therefore has an excellent effect that stable developing performance can be obtained even with a small amount of processing. .

In the method for developing a photosensitive material according to claim 2, stable development performance can be obtained even with a small amount of processing.
It has an excellent effect.

Since the development processing apparatus according to the third aspect is configured as described above, it has an excellent effect that stable performance can be reliably obtained even with a small processing amount.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a left side view of a cartridge,
(B) is a front view of the cartridge, and (C) is a right side view of the cartridge.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cartridge.

3A is a front view of a spool shaft, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the spool shaft shown in FIG. 3A, taken along line 3 (B) -3 (B).

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a film.

FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of the developing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a film insertion mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a station.

FIG. 8 is a piping diagram of the developing device.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a stock tank.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a stock tank according to another embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a bleaching solution stock tank.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a drying box.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the drying box shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a processing tank of a developing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the axis of the processing tank shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of an embossed film.

FIG. 17 is a side view of an embossed film.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the entrained film and the embossed film.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a processing tank.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a processing tank according to another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Developing device 122 Controller (Temperature control means) 300 Processing tank 400 Color developing solution stock tank 402 Bleaching solution stock tank 404 Fixing solution stock tank 406 Washing solution stock tank 408 Stabilizing solution stock tank 432 Replenishing color development Liquid tank (replenisher supply means) 434 Bleach replenisher tank (replenisher supply means) 436 Fixing replenisher tank (replenisher supply means) 438 Rinse replenisher tank (replenisher supply means) 440 Stable replenisher tank (replenisher supply) Means) 442 Pump (replenisher supply means) 444 Pump (replenisher supply means) 446 Pump (replenisher supply means) 448 Pump (replenisher supply means) 450 Pump (replenisher supply means) 460 Heater (temperature control means) 462 Temperature sensor (temperature control 600 processing tank F film (film photosensitive material for photography)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A development processing apparatus for processing a photosensitive material in a processing tank by replacing a plurality of processing liquids in a single processing tank with a small volume in a predetermined order, wherein the plurality of processing liquids are A plurality of small-volume stock tanks, a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the processing solution stored in the stock tank, and a replenisher supply means for supplying a replenisher to the stock tank. A developing device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. A single processing tank having a small volume, a plurality of small-volume stock tanks storing a plurality of types of processing liquids, and a temperature control means for controlling a temperature of the processing liquid stored in the stock tank. And a replenisher supply means for supplying a replenisher to the stock tank. The photosensitive material in the processing tank is replaced by replacing the plurality of types of processing liquids in the processing tank in a predetermined order. Wherein the replenisher is replenished to the stock tank in accordance with the processing amount of the photosensitive material. 3. The processing tank has a volume of 10 milliliters or more.
2. The developing process according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the stock tank is 500 ml, the volume of each stock tank is 100 ml to 2000 ml, and the volume of the stock tank is larger than the volume of the processing tank. apparatus.