JPH1130846A - Photosensitive material processing device and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photosensitive material processing device which can stably obtain sufficient processing characteristic such as desilverizing property even in the case of processing photosensitive material under various kinds of environment, improve irregular processing, improve the stain of an unexposed part occurring in the case of preserving the material under a high humidity condition, perform stable processing over a long term though extremely rapid processing is performed, and is economical because the quantity of processing solution to be used is extremely small and suitable for global atmosphere because the quantity of waste solution is small. SOLUTION: This device is at least provided with a processing part having fixing performance and a stabilizing processing part continuous to the processing part. The stabilizing processing part has structure where plural pairs of rollers 10 are disposed so as to come in contact with silver halide photosensitive material P in an up-and-down direction, which is provided with a means for supplying stabilizing processing solution to the upper roller part 100 of the roller 10 and/or the material P coming in contact with the upper roller part 100, and where the supplied stabilizing processing solution is successively supplied from the upper roller part 100 to the lower roller part 100. The processing part having the fixing performance is a processing solution tank or a processing solution coating means.

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 and a photosensitive material processing method for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a light-sensitive material or a light-sensitive material for simplicity). Is quick,
The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus and a photosensitive material processing method capable of obtaining stable desilvering characteristics, having a small amount of stain, and having a small amount of waste liquid and suitable for the global environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is usually developed by an automatic developing machine (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a self-developing machine for the sake of simplicity). In these automatic processors, reduction of processing liquid and washing water,
From the viewpoint of water saving, one type of processing step is divided into a plurality of processing tanks and arranged in series, and a processing solution or washing water is supplied or replenished to the final tank in the conveying direction of the photosensitive material, so that the photosensitive material is A multi-stage counter-current system has been known which has been made to flow into a pre-stage vessel in a direction opposite to the conveying direction and is discharged from a forefront tank in a processing step, and has been put to practical use. As a result, it has become possible to greatly reduce the amount of processing solution and washing water used for developing the photosensitive material.

However, in this method, it is necessary to provide a plurality of processing tanks and to arrange them in series, so that there is a problem that the size of the automatic developing machine is increased. With the recent progress of minilabs, the need for miniaturization of automatic developing machines has been increasing. To solve this problem, for example, a roller having a processing liquid holding function as described in JP-A-9-68787. There has been disclosed a method of processing a photosensitive material by disposing a plurality of sheets in a vertical direction (hereinafter also referred to as a multi-roller process for simplicity). However, when this method is used, when the fixing solution or the bleach-fixing solution is processed by a multi-roller, and the subsequent stabilization step and the washing step are also performed by this method, a high sensitivity having a large iodine content in the emulsion layer is obtained. It has been found that when processing a photosensitive material, processing unevenness is likely to occur due to poor desilvering depending on conditions.

[0004] In particular, this problem becomes more remarkable when rapid processing is performed or when development processing in which the processing amount is small and the processing amount varies from day to day is performed for a long period of time. It became clear that the level could not be ignored.

In view of the above, the inventors of the present invention have conducted various studies, and the processing step having a fixing ability is performed by processing in a processing liquid tank or processing by coating, and subsequently the stabilizing processing step is performed by multi-roller processing. We found that we could solve the problem. Furthermore, by performing this method,
It has been found that there is also an effect of reducing stains in unexposed portions, which are likely to occur when processed rapidly, and which occur when stored under high humidity.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is, firstly, that even when processed in various environments, sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering properties can be stably obtained, and processing unevenness occurs. Secondly, the generation of stains in the unexposed area which occurs when stored under high humidity is improved, and thirdly, while extremely rapid processing is possible, it is stable over a long period of time. Fourth, it is an object of the present invention to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus and a photosensitive material processing method which are economical because the amount of the processing liquid used is extremely small, and which is economical because the amount of waste liquid is small, and is suitable for the global environment. Other objects of the present invention are:
It will be evident in the following description.

[0007]

The above object of the present invention is attained by the following constitutions.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing section having at least a fixing ability and a subsequent stable processing section, wherein the stable processing section has a plurality of pairs of rollers in a vertical direction. Means for supplying a stable processing solution to the upper roller portion of the roller and / or the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in contact with the upper roller portion; A photosensitive material processing apparatus having a structure in which liquid is sequentially supplied from an upper roller section to a lower roller section, wherein the processing section having the fixing ability is a processing liquid tank or a processing liquid application unit. ].

According to the first aspect of the present invention, sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering property can be stably obtained even when processing is performed in various environments, and the occurrence of processing unevenness is improved. In addition, the generation of stains in the unexposed areas that occurs when stored under high humidity has been improved, and even though extremely rapid processing is possible, stable processing over a long period of time is possible. It is economical because the amount of liquid is small, and also suitable for the global environment because the amount of waste liquid is small.

The processing section having a fixing ability is a processing liquid tank or a processing liquid coating means, and can carry out a photographic processing reaction such as a fixing reaction or a bleach-fixing reaction with a small amount of processing liquid, which is economical. In addition, it has a high update rate and is suitable for processing stability.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising means for supplying a part or all of the processed stable liquid in the stabilizing section to a processing section having a fixing ability.
The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the above. ].

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of the stable processing solution to the utmost limit. Therefore, the processed stable processing solution is in a state very close to the liquid component of the pre-process, and is sufficiently reduced. Can be used as a pre-process liquid. By supplying this processed stable processing solution to a processing step having a fixing ability, the processing solution having a fixing ability can be reduced, and the utilization efficiency can be maximized,
The amount of waste liquid can be reduced to the limit, which is preferable from the viewpoint of protection of the global environment, and the running cost can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus, wherein the processing section having the fixing ability is a processing liquid tank.
Or a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 2. ].

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the photosensitive material is immersed in the processing solution tank and processed, and the photographic processing reaction such as a fixing reaction or a bleach-fixing reaction is performed in the tank. A tank in which the material is immersed, the capacity of the processing tank is small, and a narrow path is formed is economical, and the renewal rate is high and the processing stability is suitable.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the processing passage in the processing liquid tank is set to 100 times the thickness of the photosensitive material to be processed.
4. A photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number is not more than twice. ].

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the processing passage of the processing liquid tank is one of the thickness of the photosensitive material to be processed.
It is less than 00 times, the capacity of the processing tank is small, the renewal rate is high and the processing stability is suitable.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the roller has a processing liquid holding function. ].

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the roller has the function of holding the processing liquid, it is possible to reduce the amount of the processing liquid. It can be sufficiently used as a pre-process liquid.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the processing section having the fixing ability is a fixing section or a bleach-fixing section. . ].

According to the invention of claim 6, a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material (color paper) containing a substantial silver chloride emulsion layer containing at least 80 mol% of silver chloride or at least silver iodide Silver bromoiodide photographic light-sensitive material (color negative film) containing a silver iodobromide emulsion layer containing 5 mol% or more can be rapidly and stably processed without unevenness.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the stabilizing treatment liquid supplied to the upper roller section is sequentially supplied from the upper roller section to the lower roller section by natural fall. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1. ].

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of the stable processing solution to the utmost limit. Therefore, the processed stable processing solution is in a state very close to the liquid component of the pre-process, and is sufficiently reduced. It can be used as a pre-process liquid, and by supplying it to the pre-process liquid, the processing capacity can be increased and the amount of waste liquid can be reduced.

[0023] The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that "a heating means for heating the stabilizing solution is provided."
The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 7. 』
It is.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, by supplying a pre-heated liquid before supplying the stable processing liquid to the upper roller portion, the processing efficiency of the stable processing step can be increased. At the same time, the occurrence of processing unevenness is improved.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the roller is made of a porous material. ].

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the roller can sufficiently absorb and hold the supplied stable processing liquid, and can sufficiently exhibit the processing capability.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the photosensitive material has a structure for being conveyed from a lower roller to an upper roller. . ].

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the processing efficiency is improved, the reflected cyan density of the unexposed portion is reduced, and the transporting direction is higher than the lower direction.

The invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that the supply amount of the stable processing solution is in the range of 10 to 300 ml per 1 m ^{2 of the} photosensitive material. Photosensitive material processing equipment. ].

According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering property can be stably obtained, and the occurrence of processing unevenness is improved.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the processing time of the stabilizing step is in a range of 3 to 60 seconds. apparatus. ].

According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering property can be stably obtained in a short processing time, and the occurrence of processing unevenness is improved.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the photosensitive apparatus according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein a processed stable storage tank is provided below the lower roller part in the stabilization step. Material processing equipment. ].

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the stable processing liquid has a multi-roller processing structure in which the stable processing liquid is sequentially supplied from the upper roller to the lower roller.
It can be easily collected by flowing down to the lower stable liquid storage tank.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for processing a silver halide photographic material, a stable processing step is performed after a processing step having at least a fixing ability. A stabilizing solution is supplied to the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in the upper roller portion and / or the upper roller portion of the roller. A method for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, characterized in that the liquid is supplied sequentially from an upper roller portion to a lower roller portion, and the processing step having a fixing ability is processing by a processing liquid tank or coating. ].

According to the present invention, sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering property can be stably obtained even when processed in various environments, and the occurrence of processing unevenness is improved. Also,
Improves the generation of stains in unexposed areas when stored under high humidity, enables extremely rapid processing, enables stable processing over a long period of time, and further reduces the amount of processing solution used. Is economical because there are few
Also, since the amount of waste liquid is small, it is suitable for the global environment.

The processing having a fixing ability is processing by a processing solution tank or a processing solution coating means. For example, a photographic processing reaction such as a fixing reaction or a bleach-fixing reaction can be carried out with a small amount of a processing solution. It has a high update rate and is suitable for processing stability.

The invention according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for preparing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material according to the fourteenth aspect, wherein a part or all of the stabilized liquid is supplied to a processing step having a fixing ability. Processing method. ].

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of the stable processing solution to the utmost limit. Therefore, the processed stable processing solution is in a state very close to the liquid component of the pre-process, and is sufficiently reduced. Can be used as a pre-process liquid. By supplying the processed stable processing solution to a processing step having a fixing ability, the processing solution having a fixing ability can be reduced,
The utilization efficiency can be increased to the utmost, and at the same time, the amount of waste liquid can be reduced to the utmost, which is preferable from the viewpoint of global environmental protection and further reduces the running cost.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

The processing step having fixing ability in the present invention means a processing step capable of fixing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, such as a fixing step, a bleach-fixing step, an acidic hardening step, and the like. The fixing step or the bleach-fixing step is preferably used.

[Processing Solution Tank] In the present invention, the term "processing solution tank" means a tank in which a processing solution for silver halide photographic processing is filled in a processing tank and a photosensitive material is immersed and processed. And a photographic processing reaction such as a bleach-fix reaction, in which the photosensitive material is immersed. From this viewpoint, a tank that does not substantially cause a processing reaction by merely dipping is not included in the processing tank of the present invention. In the processing liquid tank of the present invention, it is preferable that the capacity of the processing tank is small and a narrow path is formed, and it is preferable to provide forced stirring means called spray stirring or jet stirring. In particular, the thickness of the processing passage in the processing liquid tank is preferably 100 times or less the thickness of the photosensitive material to be processed, particularly preferably in the range of 2 to 70 times, and most preferably 5 to 50 times. Range.

[Coating means] In the present invention, the coating means means shower coating, spray coating, smear coating, electrostatic coating and the like. In the present invention, the light-sensitive material is directly applied without passing through the gas phase. The coating means which makes contact with the photosensitive material or indirectly coats the photosensitive material with a predetermined gap with respect to the photosensitive material exhibits the effects of the present invention more suitably.

The coating means in the present invention means a means for directly or indirectly applying a processing liquid to a photosensitive material, and a coater (or a roller), a direct dipping or the like can be used. Examples of the coater include an air doctor coater, a blade coater, a rod coater, a knife coater, a squeeze coater, an impregnated coater, a reverse roller coater, a transfer roll coater,
Curtain coater, double roller coater, slide hopper coater, kiss roll coater, bead coater, cast coater, spray coater, calendar coater, extrusion coater, and the like. In the present invention, from the viewpoint of the effect of the present invention, coating means more preferably used are a gravure coater, a squeeze coater, an impregnated coater, a bead coater, and a blade coater.

[Coating Amount] In the present invention, the coating amount of the processing solution having a fixing ability is 5 to 1 per m ² of the photosensitive material.
00 ml is preferable from the viewpoint of the effect of the present invention, but a more preferable coating amount is in the range of 10 to 60 ml, and particularly preferably in the range of 15 to 50 ml. When one processing liquid is composed of a plurality of constituent liquids, these application amounts are represented by a total value of the plurality of constituent liquids.

[Processing Time of Step Having Fixing Ability] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the time from the application of the processing solution having the fixing ability to the subsequent application of the processing solution having the fixing ability to the stable processing step is applied. Is controlled to be 2 to 20 seconds, and it is particularly preferable that the control is performed to be 3 to 15 seconds from the viewpoint of the effect of the present invention. In particular, a range of 5 to 12 seconds is particularly preferable.

[Roller Section] In the present invention, the roller section means a roller body and a tray section below the roller.
The processing liquid supplied to the roller body accumulates in the tray section, and the processing liquid stored in the tray section is immersed in the roller body, thereby being supplied to the roller body. Further, the processing liquid stored in the tray portion flows downward from the supply hole, and is supplied to the roller body disposed below and collects in the lower tray portion.

[Roller Having Processing Liquid Holding Function] The roller having the processing liquid holding function in the present invention is preferably made of a woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, sintered body, porous material (eg, sponge, etc.) having chemical resistance. From the viewpoint that the emulsion surface of the light-sensitive material is hardly damaged, a soft material is preferable. Further, it is preferable that the roller surface is made of a material having water absorbency and water retention or is covered with these materials from the viewpoint of the effect of the present invention.

The material of the woven or non-woven fabric is preferably a polyolefin fiber, a polyester fiber, a polyacrylonitrile fiber, an aliphatic polyamide fiber, an aromatic polyamide fiber, a polyphenylene sulfide fiber, or the like.

The material of the porous material (for example, sponge, etc.)
Vinyl chloride, silicone rubber, polyurethane, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM), polyvinyl alcohol (P
VA), neoprene rubber, butyl rubber fiber, alkylbenzenesulfonic acid resin (ABS), and phenol resin are preferred. Rubicel (trade name), Clarino (trade name) and POR (pulverized urethane solidified in a state of maintaining a void with a binder) are also preferable porous materials.

A preferable material of the roller having the processing liquid holding function of the present invention is a porous material, and specific examples thereof are as described above. This makes it possible for the roller to absorb and hold the supplied stable processing solution sufficiently, and when it comes into contact with the photosensitive material, exhibits a multi-stage countercurrent function. It is possible to efficiently diffuse the stable liquid to the emulsion surface.

A stable processing liquid is supplied to the upper roller according to the present invention.
A fixed amount of liquid is sent from the stable liquid storage tank by a metering pump such as a tube pump or a ceramic pump, and a cylindrical nozzle having a single or multiple slits or a cylindrical nozzle having fine holes arranged in a row or in a staggered manner. It is preferably supplied from a nozzle to the upper roller section or the photosensitive material to be processed.

Further, the roller having a processing liquid holding function according to the present invention preferably has a function of conveying the photosensitive material while pressing the photosensitive material to some extent while rotating. This not only enables smooth transport,
The stable processing ability of the light-sensitive material is further improved, and a dye and a fixing agent component which are likely to remain in the light-sensitive material are washed out, and an effect of reducing the occurrence of stain in an unexposed portion is exhibited.

[Stabilizing solution component] For the stabilizing solution of the present invention, mere water can be used, and components usually used as a stabilizing solution can be used. For example, chelating agents (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 1-hydroxyethylidene- 1,1
-Diphosphonic acid, diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid, etc.), buffers (potassium carbonate, borate, acetate, etc.), fungicides (diaside 702 (trade name), orthophenylphenol, benzisothiazolin-3-one, etc.), Fluorescent whitening agents (triazinylstilbene compounds, etc.), antioxidants (sulfites, ascorbates, etc.), water-soluble metal salts (zinc salts, magnesium salts, etc.), formalin and formalin substitutes (EP504609 and EP519190) Azolylmethylamines described in JP-A-4-3629
For example, N-methylolazoles described in the specification of JP-A-43, surfactants (siloxane derivatives, alkylphenylalkylene oxide derivatives, etc.) can be used as appropriate.

[Liquid Component Having Fixing Ability] The processing steps having fixing ability of the present invention include thiosulfates (ammonium thiosulfate, sodium thiosulfate, potassium thiosulfate, etc.),
Thiocyanates (ammonium thiocyanate, potassium thiocyanate, sodium thiocyanate, etc.) and mesoionic compounds (JP-A-9-61977 [0038]
To [0043], (B-1 to B-50) and the like),
Methanethiosulfonate (ammonium methanethiosulfonate, potassium methanethiosulfonate, sodium methanethiosulfonate, etc.) and the like can be used.

[Components of Bleach-Fixing Step Solution] The bleach-fixing step solution of the present invention contains, in addition to the above-mentioned liquid components having fixing ability,
Bleaching agents and bleaching accelerators are included. Specific examples of the bleaching agent include ferric aminopolycarboxylic acid (ferric ammonium ethylenediaminetetraacetate, diethylenetriamine5).
Ferric ammonium acetate, nitrilotriacetic acid ammonium).

[Stable Liquid Supply Amount] In the present invention,
Constant solution supply amount is 1m of photosensitive material^Two10-300ml per
In this case, the effects of the present invention are more remarkably exhibited. Above all,
20-150ml / m ^TwoIs more preferable, and especially 3
0-100ml / m^TwoIs preferably used.

[Stabilizing Step Time] In the present invention, the effect of the present invention is more remarkably exhibited when the stabilizing step time is 3 to 60 seconds. Above all, 5
~ 30 seconds is preferred.

[Stabilizing liquid heating means] As the stabilizing liquid heating means, ordinary conduction heating means, convection heating means, and radiant heating means can be used. For example, an electric heating heater, a ceramic heater, an infrared heater and the like can be used. . By supplying a pre-heated liquid before supplying the stable processing liquid to the upper roller section of the present invention using these heating means, it is possible to increase the processing efficiency of the stable processing step, which is preferable. The preferred temperature of the stabilizing liquid held by the heating means of the present invention is 25 to 60 ° C, and the more preferred temperature is 32 to 50 ° C.

[Supplying the Stabilized Solution Treated in the Stabilizing Step to the Processing Step Having Fixing Ability] In one embodiment of the present invention,
A part or the whole of the multi-roller-stabilized processing solution may be supplied to the processing process having the fixing ability, which is the immediately preceding process. This is because by performing multi-roller processing, it is possible to reduce the amount of stable processing liquid to the utmost limit, so that the processed stable processing liquid is in a state very close to the pre-processing liquid component, and is sufficiently used as the pre-processing liquid. Can be used.
By supplying this multi-roller-processed stable processing solution to a processing step having a fixing ability, the processing solution having a fixing ability can be reduced, and the utilization efficiency can be increased to the utmost. The amount can be reduced to the limit, which is preferable from the viewpoint of global environmental protection. Furthermore, the effect that the running cost can be reduced is also exhibited.

[Silver halide photographic light-sensitive material] As a preferable example of the light-sensitive material used in the present invention, a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material containing a substantial silver chloride emulsion layer containing at least 80 mol% of silver chloride ( Color paper) and a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material (color negative film) including a silver iodobromide emulsion layer containing at least 5 mol% of silver iodide. In particular, those using tabular grains having an aspect ratio of 3 or more as silver halide emulsions have rapid processing suitability, and the effects of the present invention can be satisfactorily exhibited.

[0062]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these examples.

Example 1 Example 1 is an automatic developing machine for processing paper. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper is subjected to a color developing step CD, a bleach-fixing step BF, and a stabilizing step ST.
Then, the developer is conveyed in the order of the drying step DR and is subjected to the development processing. In the color developing step CD and the bleach-fixing step BF, a color developing tank 1 and a bleach-fixing tank 2 are provided, which have a small processing solution capacity and form a narrow path. The paper is transported by transport rollers 3, 4 and the like, and a squeeze roller 5 is provided between the color developing processing tank 1 and the bleach-fix processing tank 2.
This prevents the color developing solution from being carried into the next process. The color development processing tank 1 and the bleach-fix processing tank 2 are supplied with the color development replenisher and the bleach-fix replenisher from the respective replenishment tanks 8 and 9 by driving the supply pumps 6 and 7.

In the stabilization processing step ST, a plurality of pairs of rollers 10 having a stabilizing processing liquid holding function are disposed so as to contact the photosensitive material in a vertical direction, and the upper roller of the rollers 10 and the photosensitive material are stably treated. A liquid supply means 12 for supplying a liquid is provided. The stabilizing step ST and the drying step DR are arranged at a higher position than the color developing step CD and the bleach-fixing step BF. In the stabilizing step ST, the paper from the bleach-fixing step BF is transported upward from below. The stable processing liquid supplied from the liquid supply means 12 has a multi-roller processing structure in which the stable processing liquid is sequentially supplied from the upper roller section to the lower roller section. The roller section 100 includes a pair of rollers 10 and a tray section 11 below the rollers 10. Consists of The stable processing liquid is collected in the lower stable liquid storage tank 20.

In FIG. 2, the stabilization process ST and the drying process D
R is arranged at the same position as the color developing step CD and the bleach-fixing step BF. In the stabilizing step ST, the paper from the bleach-fixing step BF is transported from above to below. Liquid supply means 1
2 supplies a stable processing liquid to the upper roller 10 as shown in (b) and (c). The method of supplying the stable processing liquid is a stable liquid storage tank by a fixed amount pump 13 such as a bellows pump, a tube pump, and a ceramic pump. 14 is a cylindrical nozzle 1 having a staggered pores 15a which is fed in a fixed amount from
5 is supplied to the vicinity of the paper in the upper roller portion. A heater 16 is provided below the stabilizing solution storage tank 14 to maintain the stabilizing solution at a predetermined processing temperature. Bleaching and fixing tank 2
A squeeze roller 17 is provided between the process and the stabilization process ST to prevent the bleach-fix solution from being carried into the next process.

In the drying step DR, drying nozzles 18 are arranged on both sides of the transport path, and drying air is blown onto both sides of the paper from the drying nozzles 18 to dry the paper. The squeeze roller 21 is provided between the stabilization process ST and the drying process DR.

The paper processing conditions of this automatic developing machine are as follows. Processing step Processing time Processing temperature Replenishment amount (supply amount) (per 1 m ² ) Color developing step (CD) 22 seconds 39.8 ° C. 80 ml Bleaching and fixing step (BF) 11 seconds 42.0 ° C. 60 ml Stabilizing step (ST) 22 30 to 40 ° C. 80 ml Drying process (DR) 22 seconds 40 to 80 ° C. The processing solutions (tank solution and replenisher) used in the color developing process and the bleach-fixing process are Konica CPK-2-28.
Processing was performed using a processing agent for processing.

The following stabilizing solutions were used. [Stabilizing liquid] Water 700 ml Orthophenylphenol 0.1 g Tinopearl MSP (manufactured by Ciba Geigy) 1.5 g Ammonium sulfite (40% solution) 5.0 ml 1-hydroxyethylidene-1.1-diphosphonic acid 3.0 g Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 2 0.0 g Zinc sulfate heptahydrate 0.3 g Adjust the pH to 7.8 with aqueous ammonia or sulfuric acid and adjust to 1 liter with water.

The photosensitive material used was Konica Color Paper Type QA-A6 manufactured by Konica Corporation. (Experiment 1-1) As shown in FIG. 1, a processing tank was used in the bleach-fixing step, and a multi-roller processing was used in the stabilizing step. (Experiment 1-2) The multi-roller processing of the stabilization processing step used in Experiment 1-1 was performed in the same form as the processing tank of the bleach-fixing step.
The processing time was changed to the same processing tank, and the others were tested in Experiment 1-1.
An experiment was performed in the same manner as described above. (Experiment 1-3)) The processing tank in the bleach-fixing step used in Experiment 1-1 was changed to a multi-roller processing having the same form as that of the stabilization step, and the processing time was the same. An experiment was performed.

The amount of residual silver in the exposed portions of the color paper after the processing was measured, and at the same time, the reflected cyan density in the unexposed portions was measured. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

[0072]

Thus, the processing tank is used in the bleach-fixing step,
It can be seen that when the multi-roller is used in the stabilization step, the desilvering property is good and the unexposed area cyan stain is small.

An experiment was conducted in the same manner as in Experiment 1-1 of Example 1 except that the multi-roller processing in the stabilization processing step used in Example 1 was changed to a two-step method as shown in FIG. The automatic developing machine of FIG. 3 has the same structure of the color developing step CD, the bleach-fixing step BF, and the drying step DR as in the automatic developing machine of FIG.

In the stabilization step ST, the paper is conveyed from above to below in the first multi-roller process, and the paper is conveyed from below in the second multi-roller process. A fixed amount of liquid is sent from the stable liquid storage tank 14 by the metering pump 13, and the upper roller 10
Then, a stable processing solution is supplied to the photosensitive material, and the stable processing solution is collected in a lower stable solution storage tank 25. The stable processing liquid collected in the stable liquid storage tank 25 is sent to the liquid supply means 12 of the preceding multi-roller processing via the pipe 27 by the driving of the feed pump 26. A stable processing liquid is supplied from the liquid supply means 12 to the upper roller 10 and the photosensitive material in the preceding stage, and the stable processing liquid is collected in a lower stable liquid storage tank 28.

The paper processing conditions of this automatic developing machine are as follows.

Processing step Processing time Processing temperature Replenishment amount (supply amount) (per 1 m ² ) Color development step (CD) 22 seconds 39.8 ° C. 80 ml Bleaching and fixing step (BF) 11 seconds 42.0 ° C. 60 ml Stable processing step ( ST) 11 seconds × 2 30 to 40 ° C. 100 ml Drying step (DR) 22 seconds 40 to 80 ° C. The same processing solution and photosensitive material as those used in Example 1 were used.

As a result, the cyan density of the unexposed area is 0.1%.
01, and when the whiteness was further improved, the residual silver amount was reduced to 0.2 mg / dm ² at the same time. [Embodiment 3] The automatic developing machine shown in FIG. 4 of Embodiment 3 has the same structure as the automatic developing machine shown in FIG. 1 in the structure of the color developing step CD, the stabilizing step ST and the drying step DR.

The image processing means 40 is provided in the bleach-fixing step BF of FIG. 4, and the image processing means 40 has a processing liquid container 41 for storing a first constituent liquid for processing the photosensitive material P.
A gravure roll described later is used as the processing liquid supply units 42 and 43. The processing liquid supply means 42 supplies a bleach-fixing solution to the emulsion surface of the photosensitive material P after the color development step CD.
At this time, the opposing roller 44 is provided on the back surface side of the photosensitive material P, and is pressed against the photosensitive material P.

Subsequently, the second constituent liquid contained in the processing liquid container 45 is supplied in the same manner. 1.0 second after the supply of the first constituent liquid, the second constituent liquid is supplied. Pumps 46 and 4 are provided in the processing liquid container 41 and the processing liquid container 45, respectively.
7, the first constituent liquid and the second constituent liquid are removed from the tanks 48 and 49.
Is supplied.

There is a heating means 30 for heating the photosensitive material P toward the downstream side of the conveying path where the processing liquid is supplied by the processing liquid supply means 42 and 43. The heating means 30 includes a heating roller 31, a driving roller 32, and a heating belt 33.
The heating belt 33 is stretched over the heating roller 31 and the driving roller 32. The heating roller 31 is provided with the processing liquid supply unit 4.
The heating belt 33 is heated on the upstream side of the conveyance path of the photosensitive material P to which the processing liquid is supplied via the gas phase by 2 and 43. A drive roller 32 located downstream of the heating roller 31 in the conveyance path of the photosensitive material P drives a heating belt 33.

The photosensitive material P is heated to 70 ° C. while the heating belt 33 is heated. Alternatively, a number of holes may be formed in the heating belt 33, and the heating belt 33 and the photosensitive material P may be brought into close contact with each other by sucking the air from the rear of the belt with a fan or an air compressor.

Thereafter, as in Example 1, a multi-roller process was performed in the stabilization process ST. The same photosensitive material and processing solution (color developing step CD and stabilizing step ST) as used in Example 1 were used.

The paper processing conditions of this automatic developing machine are as follows.

Processing step Processing time Processing temperature Replenishment amount (supply amount) (per 1 m ² ) Color development step (CD) 22 seconds 39.8 ° C. 80 ml Bleaching and fixing step (BF) 11 seconds 70.0 ° C. 60 ml Stable processing step ( ST) 22 seconds 30 to 40 ° C. 100 ml Drying step (DR) 22 seconds 40 to 80 ° C. The following first and second constituent solutions d and e of the bleach-fix solution were used. (First constituent liquid d) Ammonium ferric ethylenediaminetetraacetate (50% solution) 260 g Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 5.6 g Finished to 1 liter with water. (Second constituent liquid e) Ammonium thiosulfate (70% solution) 240 ml Ammonium sulfite (40% solution) 100 ml Sodium metabisulfite 35 g Finished to 1 liter with water.

One second after the first constituent liquid d was applied, the second constituent liquid e was applied to the color paper emulsion surface, and after the first constituent liquid d was applied, processed in the next stabilization step 10 seconds later. Was done.

As a result, the amount of residual silver in the exposed portion was 0.7
mg / dm ² , and the unexposed portion reflected cyan density is 0.0
It was 3. Embodiment 1 FIG. Experiment No. It was found that the performance was overwhelmingly better than the one using the multi-roller process in the bleach-fixing step 1-3, but the performance was slightly inferior to that using the processing tank in the bleach-fixing step. [Embodiment 4] The automatic developing machine of Embodiment 4 develops a film N as shown in FIG.
D, the structure of the stabilization step ST and the drying step DR are shown in FIG.
Of the color developing process CD
Next, a bleaching step BL and a fixing step Fix are provided. The bleaching step BL and the fixing step Fix are configured in the same manner as the color developing step CD and have a small processing solution capacity and form a narrow path. It is transported by 51.

In the bleaching tank 52 and the fixing tank 53,
The supply of the bleaching replenisher and the fixing replenisher from the respective replenishment tanks 57 and 58 by driving the supply pumps 55 and 56. A squeeze roller 54 is provided between the bleaching bath 52 and the fixing bath 53 to prevent the bleaching solution from being carried into the next process.

The film processing conditions of this automatic developing machine are as follows.

Processing step Processing time Processing temperature Replenishment amount (per 1 m of 135 size) Color development step (CD) 90 seconds 40.5 ° C 15 ml Bleaching and fixing step (BF) 30 seconds 42 ° C 3 ml Fixing step (Fix) 30 seconds 42 ° C 15 ml Stabilization step (ST) 30 seconds 30 to 40 ° C. 15 ml Drying step (DR) 30 seconds 40 to 70 ° C. A processing solution uses a processing agent for CNK-4-52 process manufactured by Konica Corporation, and the photosensitive material is Konica ( The experiment was performed using a color negative film JX400 manufactured by K.K.

As in Example 1, the fixing step and the stabilizing step were performed in a processing tank or a multi-roller system as shown in Table 2 below, and an experiment was conducted to measure the residual silver amount and the yellow transmission density in the unexposed area. . Table 2 summarizes the results.

Table 2

[0093]

This shows that when the processing tank is used in the fixing step and the multi-roller is used in the stabilization tank, the residual silver is small and the yellow transmission density of the unexposed portion is good. [Example 5] A part of the stabilizing solution stored in the stabilizing solution storage tank at the lower part of the stabilizing process ST of the automatic developing machine used in Example 1 was caused to flow into the bleach-fixing process by a pump, and the amount of this inflow was A replenisher for bleach-fix was prepared and used by reducing the amount of water dissolved in the replenisher for bleach-fix.

As a result, the amount of silver remaining in the exposed area of the color paper after the processing was improved to 0.2 mg / dm ² . Example 6 An experiment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the material of the roller used in the multi-roller process in the stabilization process of Example 1 was changed as shown in Table 3 below. The results are summarized in Table 3.

Table 3

[0097]

Thus, it can be seen that the porous material gives good results. Example 7 In Example 7, the experiment No. 1 in Example 1 was performed using the automatic developing machine shown in FIG. An experiment was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the transport direction of the color paper in the stabilization process ST used in 1-1 was modified so as to be transported from bottom to top instead of from top to bottom.

As a result, the reflection cyan density of the unexposed portion became 0.05, and the amount of residual silver slightly deteriorated to 0.6 mg / dm ² . From this, it can be seen that, in the present invention, it is preferable that the conveyance direction is higher than below. Example 8 An experiment was performed by changing the processing time of the stabilization step used in Experiment 1-1 of Example 1 as shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4

[0101]

From this, the supply amount of the stable processing liquid was 300 ml.
/ M Effect of ² to the Kosu and residual silver is reduced, and waste amount undesirably increases, good results in the range of 10～300Ml / m ^2, 20 to 150 ml / m ²
It can be seen that this is more preferable in the case of (1) and particularly good in the range of 30 to 100 ml / m ² . Example 9 An experiment was performed by changing the supply amount of the stabilizing solution used in Experiment 1-1 of Example 1 as shown in Table 5 below.

Table 5

[0104]

Further, when the same experiment was performed using water instead of the stabilizing treatment solution and compared, there was almost no significant difference over 60 seconds, but the stabilizing solution was used within a short time within 60 seconds. By using this, the unexposed portion reflected cyan density is increased by 0.02 to 0.04, and it has been found that a great effect can be obtained in the present invention. Especially within 30 seconds, the difference from water becomes 0.04 to 0.07, and the effect becomes remarkable.

From the results in Table 5 above and the results of experiments using water, the stabilization step of the present invention is preferably 3 to 60 seconds,
-30 seconds is more preferred. [Embodiment 10] As in Embodiment 1, the automatic developing machine is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the stabilizing step ST and the drying step DR are arranged at the same positions as the color developing step CD and the bleach-fixing step BF, but in the stabilizing step ST, the paper from the bleach-fixing step BF is transported upward from below. Is done. Example 11 The thickness D of the processing passage of the bleach-fixing processing tank used in (Experiment 1-1) (FIG. 1) of Example 1 was changed.
Other than that, an experiment was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1, and the amount of residual silver in the exposed portion and the reflected cyan density in the unexposed portion were measured. The thickness of the used color paper including the emulsion layer was 0.23 mm in a dry state. The results are summarized in Table 6 below.

Table 6

[0108]

From the above Table 6, it can be seen that good results are obtained when the thickness D of the processing passage is 100 times or less the thickness of the light-sensitive material, and more preferable when the thickness D is in the range of 2 to 70 times. It can be seen that particularly good results are obtained in the range of up to 50 times.

The roller section 100 of the multi-roller shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 includes a pair of rollers 10 and a tray section 11 below the rollers 10, but can be configured as shown in FIG. The roller portion 100 of the multi-roller shown in FIG. 7 has a notch 11a in the center through which the photosensitive material P passes, and the tray portion 11 has a U-shape when viewed from above. 11b and a portion 11c connecting the pair of portions 11b. The stable processing liquid flows down from the upper roller section 100 to the portion 11b where one roller 10 is disposed, and this stable processing liquid pools on the tray section 11 and is supplied to the pair of rollers 10, while the other roller 10 is disposed. It flows down from the hole 11d formed in the part 11b to the roller part 100 below.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
The stable processing liquid supplied to the roller unit 10 falls onto one of the rollers 10 and accumulates in the tray unit 11. The stable processing liquid stored in the tray unit 11 is supplied to the pair of rollers 10 and stored in the tray unit 11. Flows downward from the opposite side, and the stable processing liquid alternately flows downward from above.

[0112]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering property can be obtained stably even when processed in various environments, and the occurrence of processing unevenness is improved. You. In addition, the generation of stains in the unexposed areas that occurs when stored under high humidity has been improved, and even though extremely rapid processing is possible, stable processing over a long period of time is possible. It is economical because the amount of liquid is small, and also suitable for the global environment because the amount of waste liquid is small.

The processing section having a fixing ability is a processing liquid tank or a processing liquid coating means, and can carry out a photographic processing reaction such as a fixing reaction or a bleach-fixing reaction with a small amount of processing liquid, which is economical. In addition, it has a high update rate and is suitable for processing stability.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of the stable processing solution to the utmost, so that the processed stable processing solution is in a state very close to the liquid component of the preceding process.
It can be sufficiently used as a pre-process liquid. By supplying the processed stable processing solution to a processing step having a fixing ability, it is possible to reduce the processing solution having a fixing ability and to increase the utilization efficiency to the maximum, and at the same time, to reduce the waste liquid amount. This can be reduced to the utmost limit, which is preferable from the viewpoint of protection of the global environment, and further reduces the running cost.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the photosensitive material is immersed in the processing solution tank and processed, and the photographic material has a function of performing a photographic processing reaction such as a fixing reaction or a bleach-fixing reaction in the tank. In addition, a processing tank having a small capacity and forming a narrow passage is economical, has a high renewal rate, and is suitable for processing stability.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the processing passage of the processing liquid tank is 100 times or less the thickness of the photosensitive material to be processed, the capacity of the processing tank is small, and the renewal rate is high. It is also suitable for stability.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the roller has the function of holding the processing liquid, it is possible to reduce the processing liquid, so that the processed processing liquid is in a state very close to the pre-process liquid component. And can be used as a pre-process liquid.

According to the invention of claim 6, a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material (color paper) containing a substantial silver chloride emulsion layer containing at least 80 mol% of silver chloride.
In addition, a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material (color negative film) containing a silver iodobromide emulsion layer containing at least 5 mol% of silver iodide can be rapidly processed without unevenness.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of the stable processing solution to the utmost limit. For this reason, the processed stable processing solution is in a state very close to the components of the pre-processing solution, It can be used as a pre-process liquid to increase the processing capacity and reduce the amount of waste liquid.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, by supplying a pre-heated liquid before supplying the stable processing liquid to the upper roller portion, the processing efficiency of the stable processing step can be increased, and The occurrence of unevenness is also improved.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the roller is made of a porous material, and the roller can sufficiently absorb and hold the supplied stable processing liquid, so that the processing capacity can be sufficiently exhibited.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the photosensitive material is transported from the lower roller to the upper roller, so that the processing efficiency is improved, the reflected cyan density at the unexposed portion is reduced, and the transport direction is reduced. It is preferable to convey above and below.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the supply amount of the stable processing solution is in the range of 10 to 300 ml per 1 m ^{2 of the} photosensitive material, and sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering property can be obtained stably.
The occurrence of processing unevenness is improved.

According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, the processing time of the stable processing step is in the range of 3 to 60 seconds, and sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering property can be stably obtained in a short processing time. The occurrence of processing unevenness is improved.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-roller processing structure in which the stable processing liquid is sequentially supplied from the upper roller to the lower roller, and the processed stable processing liquid easily flows down to the lower stable liquid storage tank. Can be recovered.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the supplied stable processing liquid is sequentially supplied from the upper roller section to the lower roller section, and the processing step having a fixing ability is performed by processing in a processing liquid tank or coating. Even under a mild environment, sufficient processing characteristics such as desilvering properties can be stably obtained, and the occurrence of processing unevenness is improved. In addition, the generation of stains in the unexposed areas that occurs when stored under high humidity has been improved, and even though extremely rapid processing is possible, stable processing over a long period of time is possible. It is economical because the amount of liquid is small, and also suitable for the global environment because the amount of waste liquid is small.

The processing having a fixing ability is processing by a processing liquid tank or a processing liquid coating means. For example, a photographic processing reaction such as a fixing reaction or a bleach-fixing reaction can be performed with a small amount of a processing liquid. It has a high update rate and is suitable for processing stability.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to supply a part or all of the stabilized solution having been stabilized to a processing step having a fixing ability, and to reduce the amount of the stabilized solution to the utmost.
For this reason, the treated stable treatment liquid is in a state very close to the pre-process liquid component, and can be sufficiently used as the pre-process liquid. By supplying the processed stable processing solution to a processing step having a fixing ability, it is possible to reduce the processing solution having a fixing ability and to increase the utilization efficiency to the maximum, and at the same time, to reduce the waste liquid amount. This can be reduced to the utmost limit, which is preferable from the viewpoint of protection of the global environment, and further reduces the running cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic developing machine that processes paper of Example 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic developing machine that processes paper of Example 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic developing machine that processes paper of Example 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic developing machine that processes paper of Example 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic developing machine that processes a film of Example 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic developing machine that processes paper of Example 10.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a roller unit of the multi-roller.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flow in which a stable processing liquid of the multi-roller processing alternately flows down.

[Explanation of symbols]

 CD color developing process BF bleach-fixing process ST stabilizing process DR drying process 1 color developing process bath 2 bleach-fixing process bath 3,4 transport rollers 6,7 supply pump 8,9 replenishment tank 10,11 having stable processing solution holding function Roller 12 liquid supply means

Claims (15)

[Claims] In a photosensitive material processing apparatus having at least a processing section having a fixing ability and a subsequent stabilization processing section, the stabilization processing section is arranged such that a plurality of rollers contact a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in a vertical direction. And a means for supplying a stable processing solution to the silver halide photographic material in contact with the upper roller portion and / or the upper roller portion of the roller, wherein the supplied stable processing solution is supplied from the upper roller portion to the lower portion. A photosensitive material processing apparatus, wherein the processing section having a fixing ability is a processing liquid tank or a processing liquid applying means, wherein the processing section has a fixing function. 2. A photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for supplying a part or all of the processed stable liquid in said stabilization processing section to a processing section having a fixing ability. 3. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing section having the fixing ability is a processing liquid tank. 4. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of the processing passage of the processing liquid tank is 100 times or less the thickness of the photosensitive material to be processed. 5. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller has a processing liquid holding function. 6. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing section having the fixing ability is a fixing section or a bleach-fixing section. 7. A structure according to claim 1, wherein the stable processing liquid supplied to the upper roller portion is supplied from the upper roller portion to the lower roller portion sequentially by natural fall. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of the above. 8. A photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating means for heating said stable processing liquid. 9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller is made of a porous material. 10. A structure according to claim 1, wherein said photosensitive material is transported from a lower roller to an upper roller.
The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 9. 11. A supply amount of said stable processing solution is 1 m
Photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that in the range of ² per 10～300Ml. 12. The processing time of the stabilizing step is 3-6.
The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time is within a range of 0 seconds. 13. The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a processed stable storage tank is provided below the lower roller in the stable processing step. 14. After a processing step having at least a fixing ability,
In the method for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, which subsequently performs a stabilization processing step, the above-mentioned stabilization processing step is provided so that a plurality of pairs of rollers are vertically contacted with the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material. A stable processing liquid is supplied to the silver halide photographic light-sensitive material in the roller section and / or the upper roller section, and the supplied stable processing liquid is sequentially supplied from the upper roller section to the lower roller section, and the processing step having the fixing ability. Is a process in a processing liquid tank or a process by coating. 15. A method for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material according to claim 14, wherein part or all of said stabilized liquid is supplied to a processing step having a fixing ability.