JPS63132240A - Developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate faults such as curling, expansion, contraction and drying unevenness due to drying and to quickly dry a film by permitting a drying part to blow a weak drying wind to the upstream of a photosensitive material, blowing a strong wind to the downstream, and gradually varying the strength between the upstream and the downstream. CONSTITUTION:A blast tube 122A communicated with the upper-top part of an air duct 124 corresponds to the film 14 on the upstream side of the drying part 32, while a blast tube 122B close to the duct corresponds to the downstream side of the film 14 close to a outlet. Hence the blast tube 122B and a blast tube near the tube 122B are close to an opening 124A, and a relatively strong wind is blew to them. On the other hand, the blast tube 122A and the blast tube 122 near the tube 122A are far away from the opening 124A, and a relatively weak wind is blew to then. Since the width of the air duct 124 becomes gradually smaller toward its tip, the difference of wind blowing amounts between the blast tubes 122A and 122B is comparatively small, and between them the wind blowing amounts are gradually changing. Thus the film 14 does not develop the concentration fluctuation and deformation such as drying unevenness, expansion and contraction, and the drying time is shortened.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a developing device for developing an image recorded on a photosensitive material such as a film using a laser beam or the like, and particularly to a developing device for drying the photosensitive material after development. The present invention relates to a developing device provided with a portion for.

[Cost technology]

Recently, a radiation image recording and reproducing system that obtains a radiation i3 superimage of a subject using an M-stimulable fluorophore (stimulable fluorophore) has been developed and is becoming widespread, particularly in the medical field. Here, the storage fluorophore refers to radiation (X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays,
A phosphor that accumulates some of this radiation energy when irradiated with radiation (rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.), and then emits photostimulable light according to the accumulated energy when it is later irradiated with excitation light such as visible light. .

The above-mentioned radiation image recording and reproducing system utilizes this stimulable phosphor, and is capable of capturing radiation from the human body, etc. II! J-related information All information is recorded on a sheet having a layer made of a stimulable phosphor, and this stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with excitation light such as a laser beam to produce stimulated luminescence light. The stimulated luminescence light is reread photoelectrically to obtain an image signal, and based on this image signal, it is output as a visible image to a recording material such as a photographic light-sensitive material, a CRT, etc.

Here, when the radiation image information once stored in the stimulable phosphor sheet is permanently recorded on the recording material, an image recording device, for example, an image output laser printer device is used. In other words, in this system, the recording material, film, is stored in a cassette or the like, and after the film is taken out one by one using a sheet-fed mechanism such as a suction cup, the image signal obtained from the stimulable phosphor sheet is Based on this, the film is configured to be irradiated with laser light to record a predetermined image.

Therefore, in such a configuration, the film on which the image is newly recorded is transported into the automatic developing device. Here, the film is first transported into a developing tank that stores a developing solution and developed, then passed through a fixing tank that stores a constant solution for fixing processing, and then placed in a water tank that stores cleaning water. Alternatively, the processing liquid is removed by spraying washing water directly onto the film, and the film is then developed.

Next, this film is squeezed with a roller or the like constituting the squeeze section to remove water adhering to the film, and then transported to a drying section where it is dried, for example, by blowing hot air at about 55°C. The information will be stored in a designated location and used for medical diagnosis, etc., if necessary.

The photosensitive material dried in this drying section undergoes curling, expansion and contraction,
It must be able to accurately represent the image without uneven drying (uneven density), etc. To achieve this, it is best to blow a gentle breeze over the entire area to gradually dry it, but In this case, drying is insufficient and a long drying bath is required to eliminate failures such as non-drying and adhesion.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object of the present invention is to provide a developing device that can quickly dry a photosensitive material without causing malfunctions such as curling, expansion and contraction, uneven drying, etc. due to drying.

[Summary and operation of the invention]

The present invention is a developing device that develops an image recorded on a photosensitive material, then dries it and takes it out. In the drying section, weak drying air is sent to the upstream side of the photosensitive material, and strong drying air is sent to the downstream side of the photosensitive material.3. It is characterized by being provided with a blowing means that gradually changes its strength between these.

Therefore, in the present invention, a weak drying air is applied to the photosensitive material supplied to the drying section upstream thereof, that is, near the entrance of the drying section, and the photosensitive material begins to dry slowly. Therefore, deformations such as large curling, expansion and contraction of the film, and uneven drying do not occur.

Further, the photosensitive material is exposed to strong drying air on the downstream side, that is, near the exit of the drying section, but since the photosensitive material is already dry to some extent, it will not be significantly deformed even if it is suddenly dried from this state.

Furthermore, since the strength of this drying air is gradually changed between the upstream and downstream sides of the photosensitive material, even if the moisture contained in the photosensitive material is uneven, no major deformation occurs. That is,
As the drying wind gradually becomes stronger, especially in areas with a lot of moisture,
Compared to the case where strong drying air is suddenly sent, the degree of drying in this area is gradual and there is less deformation.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 shows a developing device IO to which the present invention is applied. This developing device 10 includes an image recording section 12 and an automatic developing section 13.

In this image recording section 12, a film 1 which is a recording material 4 is stored.
A suction cup 18 placed on the cassette 16 sucks the plurality of films 14 in the cassette 16 from the top layer, and the transport path 20
The film 14 is exposed to an image previously recorded on the system 21 through an optical means 22 including a laser device.

After the image has been exposed, the film 14 is drawn into the automatic developing section 13, and is transferred to a developing tank 26, a fixing tank 28, and a washing tank 30.
After being dried in a drying section 32, it is taken out to the upper part of the image recording section 12.

A plurality of roller pairs 27, 29, 31 for transporting the film 14 are arranged in each of these processing tanks, and there are also roller pairs 27, 29, 31 arranged between the developing tank 26 and the fixing tank 28, and between the fixing tank 28 and the washing tank 30.
Between the processing tanks, there are guide rollers 26A and 2 for passing between the processing tanks.
8A are provided each month. Furthermore, a plurality of transport rollers 30A are provided above the washing tank 3o to send out the washed film 14 to the drying section 32. Note that each of these rollers is rotated by the driving force of a motor (not shown).

A machine frame 34 forming the main body of the apparatus is arranged in the automatic developing section 13, and includes the developer tank 26, the fixing tank 2, and the washing tank 30.
is fixed to this machine frame 34. Also, this machine frame 34
As shown in Fig. 3, the upper part is closed by the drying section 32, and the periphery and lower part are closed by the cover 42 fixed to the machine frame 34 and opening/closing 17143 (Fig. 2), thereby shielding it from external light. ing.

A developer replenishment tank 44 and a fixer replenishment tank 46 are arranged below the machine frame 34. These developer replenishment tank 44 and fixer replenishment tank 46 are connected to the bottom plate 34 of the machine frame 34.
113 to A! The AN1 portion forms a recess 48 in which the cover 42 is recessed inward. As a result, the parts where the developer replenishment tank 44 and the fixer replenishment tank 46 are placed are shielded from light from the inside of the automatic developing section 13, and even if the opening/closing door 43 is opened carelessly, external light will not be exposed inside the automatic developing section 13. is designed to prevent it from entering.

Openings 50 shown in FIG. 4 are formed in parts of the developer replenishment tank 44 and the fixer replenishment tank 46, respectively, to open these tanks to the outside.

The lower end of a suction vibrator 52 is inserted into this opening 50 through the cover recess 48, and sucks the replenisher 54 inside, and the developer replenisher is transferred to the developer tank 26 by the driving force of a pump (not shown). The fixing replenisher can be pumped into the fixing tank 28.

A level sensor 58 is suspended from the opening 50 by a bracket 56 that is hooked to the edge of the opening 50, so that it is possible to detect when the remaining amount of the replenisher 54 is less than a predetermined amount.

A developer replenishment cartridge 63 and a fixer replenishment cartridge 65 are connected above the developer replenishment tank 44 and fixer replenishment tank 46, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the developer replenishment cartridge 63
A protrusion 63B protrudes from the bottom surface of the developer replenishing tank 44, and enters into a recess 44A formed on the top surface of the developer replenishment tank 44. On the other hand, a protrusion 65B formed on the bottom surface of the fixer fluid replenishment cartridge 65 enters into a recess 46A formed on the top surface of the fixer fluid replenishment tank 46. These uneven shapes are such that in the state shown in FIG. 5, the protrusion 63B and the recess 44A are biased toward the right side of the developer replenishment cartridge 63 and the developer replenishment tank 44, and the protrusion 65B and the fourth part 46A are biased toward the right side of the developer replenishment cartridge 63 and the developer replenishment tank 44. Cartridge 65, fixer replenishment tank 46
It is placed in the center of the horizontal direction.

Therefore, when trying to install the developer replenishment cartridge 63 into the fixer replenishment tank 46 or the developer replenishment tank 44 into the fixer replenishment cartridge 65, these unevenness do not fit together and the liquid inlet of each cartridge 63, 65 68 cannot be connected to the receiving lower 0 of the developer replenishment tank 44 and 46, so it cannot be installed.

The drying section 32 is rotatably supported by the machine frame 34 by a shaft 84 that is integrally fixed to the machine frame 34, as shown in detail in FIG.

This shaft 84 has three engaging recesses 86A, 86B, 8
A ratchet 86 with a 6C is secured to rotate with the shaft 84. This ratchet 86 corresponds to a pawl 88 that is pivotally supported by the machine frame 34 and the hebin 87.
This pawl 8 is biased in the direction of engagement with the ratchet 86 by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 90.

Therefore, when the drying section cover 82 rotates counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 3 to open the upper part of the automatic developing section 13, the opening angle is divided into three stages:
Drying section cover 82 each engages with 86B and 86C.
Movement in the closing direction (clockwise direction of the third L21) is prevented, so that the opening can be stopped at a desired opening angle.

When the pawl 88 is rotated clockwise by a predetermined angle or more from the state shown in FIG. 3, the biasing direction of the torsion coil spring 90 is reversed and the pawl 88 rotates clockwise. In other words, the fixed end 90A of the torsion coil spring 90 to the machine frame 34 and the attached end 90B to the claw 88 are biased to separate from each other, and the straight line connecting these ends is the line of the bin 87 in FIG. If it is to the left of the axis, the pawl 88 is rotated counterclockwise, and if it is to the right, the pawl 88 is rotated clockwise.

Further, as the opening angle of the drying section cover 82 increases, the protrusion 86D adjacent to the recess 86C causes the claw 88 to rotate significantly clockwise, causing the tip of the claw 8 to become thicker (separated) from the ratchet 86 and torsion coil spring. When the drying section cover 82, which is designed to reverse the biasing force of 90 and is therefore opened to the maximum angle, is rotated clockwise in FIG. The drying section cover 82 can be rotated until the upper part of the automatic developing section 13 is completely closed.

However, when the drying section cover 82 is rotated to the point where it completely closes the upper part of the automatic developing section]3, the ratchet 86
The protrusion 86F protruding adjacent to the recess 86A is the claw 8.
The claw 88 is engaged with a protrusion 88A protruding from a part of the spring 8, and the claw 88 is rotated largely counterclockwise again to release the torsion coil spring 9.
The biasing force caused by 0 can be reversed again to bias the tip of the pawl 88 in the direction of engagement with the ratchet 86.

A torsion recoil spring 92 with a large biasing force is attached to the shaft 84, and this torsion coil spring 92 biases the drying section cover 82 in the direction of opening. Therefore, in the initial stage of opening the drying section cover 82, the urging force of the torsion coil spring 92 allows the drying section cover 82 to be opened with a light operating force.

The automatic developing section 13 is connected to the drying section 3 on the bottom surface of the drying section cover 82.
A barrier plate 94 is attached to separate the area from the area 2.

This partition plate 94 is attached to the frame 8 of the drying section cover 82 with screws 96.
It is fixed to 2A.

The partition plate 94 is formed with protrusions 94A that protrude toward the guide rollers 26A and 28A between the developing tank 26 and the fixing tank 28 and between the fixing tank 28 and the washing tank 30, respectively. These protrusions 94A are pulled out from between the pair of rollers 27 and 29 when the end of the film 14 is moved from the developing tank 26 to the fixing tank 2 days, and when it is moved from the fixing tank 28 to the washing tank 3o. The rigidity of 14 serves as a treatment liquid mixing prevention means to prevent the treatment liquid that is thrown up and scattered (in the directions of arrows A and B) from entering the next tank when attempting to straighten.

An opening 94B for passing the film 14 from the washing tank 30 to the drying section 32 is formed in a part of the partition plate 94, corresponding to the upper side of the conveyance roller 30A.

In the drying section 32, a pair of guide rollers 102 and 104 are pivotally supported on the drying section frame 82A above the opening 94B, and a guide plate 106 having a substantially 1/4 arc shape is arranged above the drying section frame 82A.
The direction of the film 14 is changed in the horizontal direction.

Adjacent to the guide plate 106 is a conveyance roller ll0A.

Five pairs of combinations 110B are provided in the drying section frame 82A, and each receives the driving force of the drive belt 112 to feed the film 14 to the outlet 114.

The nipping roller groups formed by the combination of these transport rollers 110A and 110B are arranged spaced apart from each other, and between these, a transport roller 116 which similarly receives driving force from a drive heald 112 is used to transport the film 1.
It is arranged corresponding to the lower side of 4.

For this reason, compared to the conventional structure in which the film 14, which is conveyed in a horizontal direction or in a near-horizontal direction, is held between rollers arranged in a staggered arrangement alternately on the front and back sides of the film 14, the film 14 can be transported reliably with a smaller number of rollers. It is now possible to send it out.

A plurality of air ducts 122 whose longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the film 14 are arranged on the front and back sides of the film 14, which is conveyed in a substantially horizontal direction by a combination of conveyance rollers ll0A and ll0B. These air pipes 12
As shown in FIGS. 6.7 and 8, the base of 2 communicates with the ventilation duct 124.
4 and attached to the drying section frame 82A. The air blower duct l-124 has an opening 124A whose base is orthogonal to the axis and faces toward the automatic developing section 13, and as shown in FIG. Air blowing a1 by combination of fan and heating means
The upper end portion of the duct 128 communicates with the duct 26.

The air pipe 1 communicated with the tip end of this air duct 124
22A corresponds to the film 14 on the upstream side (the side closer to the automatic developing section 13) in the drying section 32, and the duct 128
The blower pipe 122B on the side closer to the film 14 corresponds to the downstream side of the film 14, that is, the film 14 on the side closer to the outlet 114. Therefore, the blower pipe 122B and the blower pipe 1 in this vicinity
22 is close to the opening 124A, and a relatively strong wind is sent to the air pipe 122A and the air pipe 122 near the opening 124.
Far from A (relatively weak wind is blown).

Therefore, relatively weak drying air is sent to the upstream side of the film 14 in the drying section 32, and strong drying air is sent to the downstream side.

However, if this continues, the amount of air blown to the vicinity of the air duct 122A will be small and the scenery between the upstream and downstream sides of the film 14 will be too different, so the width of the air duct 124 is gradually reduced from Wl to W2 toward the tip. I'm letting you do it. As a result, the difference in air volume between the air pipe 1228 section and the air pipe 122B section is relatively small, and the air flow rate changes gradually between them, so the film 14 deforms more than when the air flow rate changes suddenly. Less is. That is, film 14
In some cases, there may be a lot of moisture in some parts, and in order to dry these parts without causing deformation, it is not suitable to change the air volume suddenly, and it is preferable that the tiuit changes gradually.

The ventilation cross-sectional area S1 of the ventilation duct I-124 at this width dimension W, and the ventilation duct 1 at the width dimension W2 region.
The ratio S2/, S+ of 24 to the ventilation cross-sectional area S2 is 75 to
It may be 10%, preferably 50 to 25%.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 7.8 (air pipe 122
A slit 130 is formed facing the film 14 passing through, so that drying air is blown toward the film 14 passing through. In this case, the cross-sectional area of the blow tube 122 is gradually reduced toward its tip, so that air can be uniformly blown in the width direction of the film 14. However, the cross-sectional area of the air pipe 122 changes because the side opposite to the part facing the film 14 is an inclined surface, and the slit 130 facing the film 14 is parallel to the film 14, so that uniform drying air is distributed to the film 14. can be supplied.

The cross-sectional area of the air blowing pipe 122 has a ratio of maximum area to minimum area of 5 to 30%, preferably 8 to 15%.

Opening of the drying section 32 is prevented by a locking means 142 attached to the image recording section 12.

That is, a substantially U-shaped opening, a lock bar 144, is arranged inside the image recording section 12, and this locker 144 is guided to a case 148 arranged inside the image recording section 12, so that the leading edge of the image is The recording section 12 can protrude from the recording section 12 toward the automatic developing section 13 and the drying section 32, respectively. One tip of the lock par 144 can be inserted into an opening 150 formed in the drying section cover 82. Therefore, when the lock par 144 is inserted into the opening 150, the drying section cover 82 can be opened and closed. It becomes impossible.

The other end of the lockper 144 is inserted into an insertion opening 152 for the film 14 from the image recording section 12 to the automatic developing section 13, and this insertion tip is inserted into the insertion opening 152.
It is connected to 52 M154.

Therefore, when the lockper 144 is removed from the drying section 32, the M154 can forcibly close the insertion port 152, and unless the insertion port 152 is closed, the drying section 32 cannot be opened. ing. This rock par 1
44 is such that its protrusion and retraction state is controlled 1111 by a solenoid 156, and the insertion port 15
When the film 14 is passing through the film 14 through the film 14, the id 156 can maintain the locking member 144 in a protruding state, thereby preventing the drying section 32 from being inadvertently opened during the developing process of the film 14. considered impossible,
Care is taken so that the film 14 during development is not exposed to external light.

Note that this lockper 144 may be operated manually,
Alternatively, a side structure lock bar may be used.

A handle 158 is formed in a part of the drying section cover 82 as shown in FIG. 2, and this handle 158 is prevented from rising by the opening/closing door 43 when the opening/closing door 43 is closed. The portion 32 is prevented from being opened inadvertently.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

After the image is exposed from the laser device 22 by the optical means 24 onto the film 14 taken out from the cassette 16 in the image exposure device 12 by the suction cup 18, the automatic developing section 13
be sent to.

In the automatic developing section 13 , the film 14 passes through a developing tank 26 , a fixing tank 28 , and a washing tank 30 , where it undergoes development, fixing, and washing operations, and then passes through a drying section 32 and is taken out above the image exposure value 712 .

After a predetermined number of developing operations have been performed, or in small amounts, a pump (not shown) supplies the replenisher 54 in the developer replenishment tank 44 and fixer replenishment tank 46 to the developer tank 26 and fixer tank 28, respectively.

As a result, the developer replenishment tank 4 shown in FIGS.
4. The level of the replenisher 54 in the fixer replenisher tank 46 decreases, but as the atmosphere enters the developer replenisher cartridge 63 and fixer replenisher cartridge 65 through the opening 50, these replenishers 54 are reduced. Developer replenishment tank 4
4. The fixer replenishment tank 46 is filled, and the liquid levels in the developer replenishment tank 44 and the fixer replenishment tank 46 are always maintained constant.

The replenisher 54 in the developer replenishment cartridge 63 and fixer replenisher cartridge 65 all enters the developer replenisher tank 44 and fixer replenisher tank 46, and the replenisher in the developer replenisher tank 44 and fixer replenisher tank 46 54 is supplied to the developing tank 26 and the fixing tank 28 through the suction pipe 52, and the liquid level gradually decreases.The level sensor 58 detects this and displays a warning.
emits.

As a result, the operator removes the developer replenishment cartridge 63 or the fixer replenishment cartridge 65 and replenishes it with a new one.
, 54 are loaded into the developer replenishment tank 44 and the fixer replenishment tank 46.

Even if the opening/closing door 43 of the machine frame 34 is opened during this loading operation,
Since the portion where the developer replenishment tank 44 and the fixer replenishment tank 46 are installed is shielded from light from the inside of the developing device 10 by the cover recess 48, external light will not inadvertently reach the developing section. Further, since the developer replenishment cartridge 63 and the fixer replenishment cartridge 65 are arranged and shaped such that their uneven shapes fit selectively into the developer replenishment tank 44 and the fixer replenishment tank 46, there is no possibility of incorrect loading.

When the film 14 reaches the drying section 32, the guide roller 102
．． The film 14 guided by the guide plate 104 and the guide plate 106 is turned horizontally, and the film 14 is guided by the transport rollers ll0A, ll0
Passing through combination B, the slit 13 of the air pipe 122
After drying the drying air through the air outlet 114, the drying air is taken out through the outlet 114.

During this drying, the air pipe 122 sends weak air to the upstream side of the film 14 in the drying section 32 to gently dry the film I4 in the early stage of drying, so that uneven drying, density fluctuations such as expansion and contraction, and deformation of the film 14 may occur. There isn't. Further, since the film 14 is gradually dried by being supplied with strong wind, the drying time of the film 14 is shortened. During this rapid drying, the film 14 has already been dried to some extent, so even if it dries rapidly, there is no major deformation.

Next, FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the drying section 32 of the previous embodiment, and a guide crosspiece 162 is arranged below the film 14 instead of the conveying roller 116 in the drying section 32. This guide plate 162 has a bracket 1 erected from a part thereof.
64 is fixed to the frame 82A. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, the distance between the transport rollers 110A and 110B is increased, the number of rollers is reduced, and appropriate transport is possible. In addition, although the exposure device using laser light was shown in the Thursday implementation 1-11, the development of the present invention! The j2 position can also be applied to development for an exposure device using a light source such as a tungsten light, a fluorescent lamp, a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, or a radiation light source such as an X-ray.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention is a developing device that develops an image recorded on a photosensitive material, then dries it and takes it out. Since the method is characterized in that it is provided with a blowing means that gradually changes the intensity between the two, it has an excellent effect of not causing deformation of the photosensitive material and also allowing rapid drying.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a drying section, and FIG.
The figure is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to the rV-TV %i cross section in Figure 1, Figure 5 is a left side view of Figure 4, Figure 6 is a plan view of the drying section viewed from below, and Figure 7 is Cross-sectional view along the ■-■ line in Figure 6,
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line ■--■ in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the drying section of the second embodiment of the present invention. 10...Developing device, 12...Image recording section, 13...Automatic developing section, 14...Film, 26...Developing tank, 28...Fixing tank, 30...Washing tank, 122... Air pipe, 124... Air duct, 126... Air source, 128... Duct, 130... Slient.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A developing device that develops an image recorded on a photosensitive material, then dries it and takes it out, and the drying section sends weak drying air to the upstream side of the photosensitive material and strong drying air to the downstream side, A developing device characterized in that it is provided with an air blowing means that gradually changes its strength between the two directions. (2) The blowing means has a large blowing cross-sectional area in a portion blowing air to the upstream side of the photosensitive material, and a narrow blowing cross-sectional area in a portion blowing air to the downstream side. Developing device described in ).