EP0581543B1 - Appareil de développement photographique avec dispositif de transport du film à deux vitesses - Google Patents

Appareil de développement photographique avec dispositif de transport du film à deux vitesses Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0581543B1
EP0581543B1 EP19930305840 EP93305840A EP0581543B1 EP 0581543 B1 EP0581543 B1 EP 0581543B1 EP 19930305840 EP19930305840 EP 19930305840 EP 93305840 A EP93305840 A EP 93305840A EP 0581543 B1 EP0581543 B1 EP 0581543B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
film
drive means
station
speed
drive
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19930305840
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0581543A1 (fr
Inventor
Leslie James Horace Pummell
Paul Courtenay Ward
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Kodak Ltd
Eastman Kodak Co
Original Assignee
Kodak Ltd
Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Kodak Ltd, Eastman Kodak Co filed Critical Kodak Ltd
Publication of EP0581543A1 publication Critical patent/EP0581543A1/fr
Priority to US08/265,599 priority Critical patent/US5493360A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0581543B1 publication Critical patent/EP0581543B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03D—APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
    • G03D3/00—Liquid processing apparatus involving immersion; Washing apparatus involving immersion
    • G03D3/08—Liquid processing apparatus involving immersion; Washing apparatus involving immersion having progressive mechanical movement of exposed material
    • G03D3/13—Liquid processing apparatus involving immersion; Washing apparatus involving immersion having progressive mechanical movement of exposed material for long films or prints in the shape of strips, e.g. fed by roller assembly
    • G03D3/132—Liquid processing apparatus involving immersion; Washing apparatus involving immersion having progressive mechanical movement of exposed material for long films or prints in the shape of strips, e.g. fed by roller assembly fed by roller assembly

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a film processor for processing photographic film in elongate strip form.
  • Film processors comprise a plurality of processing stations, a plurality of drive rollers which define a film processing path through the processing stations and drive means for rotating the rollers to transport film along the path, the final processing station being a drying station and the penultimate processing station being a washing station. If the drive rollers of all the processing stations are driven at a constant speed there is no need to couple different transport speeds. Where there is a need to couple film to different transport speeds, it is common practice to use a "slack box", but that introduces complications.
  • An object of this invention is to provide a film processor which can be operated with a balance between the various conflicting requirements discussed above.
  • a film processor for processing photographic film in elongate strip form, the processor comprising a plurality of processing stations, drive means which are operable to transport the film along a film processing path through the processing stations, the final processing station being a drying station and the penultimate processing station being a washing station, wherein the drive means comprises first drive means provided for transporting the film through each of the processing stations that precedes the washing station and for feeding the film into the washing station at one speed and second slower drive means independent of said first drive means provided for withdrawing the film from the washing station at another speed which is slower than said one speed. That obviates the need for an intermediate film store since the film can be left in the washing station without disadvantage.
  • the second slower drive means also is operable to transport film withdrawn from the washing station to the drying station.
  • the second slower drive means may be arranged so that the film is introduced into the drying station at a speed which is fractionally slower than the speed of a transfer web by which it is transported through the drying station. Thus snagging of the film as it is transferred into the drying station is avoided.
  • a preferred embodiment of this invention includes a plurality of drive rollers which are drivingly rotated by said respective drive means to transport the film along the path, wherein a first clutch is provided which is operable to rotate the drive rollers of the preceding processing stations, and to drivingly couple the drive rollers of the washing station to said first drive means which are operable to rotate the drive rollers of the preceding processing stations, and to decouple the same, and a second clutch is provided for drivingly coupling said second drive means to the drive rollers of the washing station when the latter are decoupled from said first drive means.
  • the film processor illustrated in Figure 1 is a mini-lab colour film processor machine of the kind described and illustrated in PCT International Patent Publication No. WO90/08981.
  • the machine has six similar, individually mounted modular tanks 10 to 15, each containing a different processing solution.
  • each tank 10 to 15 there is a so-called 'rack mechanism', generally indicated at 16, which is operable to circulate a length of film along its length around a closed-loop path immersed in the respective processing solution for a predetermined number of times.
  • the time taken to circulate the film around the closed loop path for the predetermined number of times is substantially the optimum time for the film to be immersed in the developer solution.
  • a switch mechanism is actuated to deflect the film out of the closed loop path and to direct it to a film transfer mechanism generally indicated at 18 by which it is fed out of the tank and into the next tank where it is taken up by the rack mechanism 16 of that next tank and circulated around the respective closed loop path in that tank for the predetermined number of times.
  • the rack mechanisms 16 of all the tanks 10 to 15 are driven by a common drive shaft 20 so that the film is moved at a constant speed within and between the tanks 10 to 15. Since the film can be circulated within each tank 10 to 15 for several circuits of the closed loop path, the speed can be fast so that the time taken for transfer through air between juxtaposed tanks 10 to 15 is minimised. It will be understood that the time the film spends immersed in the processing solution in each tank 10 to 15 is not dependent solely upon its speed but also on the number of times it is cycled around the tank and that can be set independently of setting the speed.
  • the rack mechanism 16 of the first tank which is the developer tank 10 is described in more detail by way of example. It comprises a pair of driven rollers 21 and 22 journalled in support structure so as to rotate one above the other. They are driven by the common drive mechanism of the processor machine, which is illustrated in Figure 2 and which includes the common drive shaft 20. Film introduced into the machine for processing is fed by appropriate input feed means 23 through an aperture 24 and directed between the upper driven roller 21 and a co-operating squeegee nip roller 25 by which it is directed towards the lower driven roller 22. The film is passed between a lower squeegee nip roller 26 and the lower roller 22, around the lower roller 22 and between the lower roller 22 and another squeegee nip roller 27.
  • the switch mechanism 17 is provided near to the last mentioned squeegee nip roller 28. It has two settings. In the first setting it directs the film around the upper driven roller 21 to be fed downwards to the lower driven roller 22 between the cooperating squeegee nip roller 25 and the upper driven roller 21.
  • FIG. 2 shows that the drive shaft 20 has five worms 31 at spaced intervals thereon.
  • a main drive motor 32 drives the drive shaft 20 through a belt drive 33.
  • Each worm 31 meshes with a respective worm wheel 34 by which motion is transmitted from the drive shaft 20 to a respective one of the switch racks 16 of the developer tank 10, the bleach tank (11 and the next three tanks 12 to 14, motion so transmitted by the intermeshed worms 31 and worm wheels 34 to the respective switch racks being synchronised.
  • Motion is transmitted from each worm wheel 34 to the respective switch rack 16 by rotation of a shaft 34A to which the worm wheel 34 is fixed, the shaft 34A being drivingly coupled by suitable gearing with the upper and lower driven rollers 21 and 22 of the respective switch rack 16.
  • the worms 31, the worm wheels 34, the shaft 34A and the gearing are similar so that each switch rack is driven at the same speed.
  • An electro-magnetic clutch 35 couples the main drive shaft 20 to a shorter, coaxial shaft 36 which carries two further worms 37.
  • the worm 37 nearer to the electromagnetic clutch 35 meshes with a worm wheel 38 which is drivingly connected to the switch rack 16 of the last tank 15 which is a washing station.
  • the other worm 37 meshes with a worm wheel 39 which is drivingly coupled to transfer drive rollers 40 (see Figure 1) operable to transport film from the washing tank 15 to an infra-red film dryer 43 in a drying station of the film processor.
  • the dryer 43 forms the subject of the co-pending patent application which designates the priority of British Patent Application No. 9216334.4 filed 31 July 1992.
  • the worms 37 and worm wheels 38 and 39 are respectively of the same size as the worms 31 and worm wheels 34 and the transfer drive rollers 40 are the same size as the rollers 21 and 22 of the switch racks 16 driven by the meshing worms 31, 37 and worm wheels 34,38,39.
  • Another electromagnetic clutch 41 couples the end of the shorter shaft 36 remote from the electromagnetic clutch 35 to another drive motor 42.
  • the motor 32 drives the main drive shaft 20 to transport a length of film through the five processing stations provided by the five tanks 10 to 14 with which the five worm wheels 34 are associated.
  • the clutches 35 and 41 are de-energised so that the shorter shaft 36 is disconnected from both the main drive shaft 20 and the motor 42 whilst the film is being transported through those tanks 10 to 14, but the web transport of the infra-red dryer 43 is driven to prevent it overheating.
  • the clutch 35 is energised so that the shorter shaft 36 is coupled to the main drive shaft 20.
  • the film is transferred into the washing tank 15 from the tank 14 at the speed at which it has been drawn through all the preceding tanks 10 to 14. It is also circulated within water in the washing station by drive transmitted from the main drive shaft 20 through the clutch 35 to the shorter shaft 36 and through the intermeshing worm 37 and worm wheel 38 and the shaft 38A on which the worm wheel 38 is fixed, to the respective switch rack mechanism 16.
  • the electromagnetic clutch 35 is de-energised so that the shorter shaft 36 is decoupled from the main drive shaft 20 and the film comes to a stop in the washing tank 15.
  • the other clutch 41 is then energised to couple the other motor 42 to the shorter shaft 36.
  • the other motor 42 is arranged to drive the shaft 36 at a slower speed than the speed by which it was driven when coupled to the main drive shaft 20.
  • the film is withdrawn from the washing tank 15 by the transfer drive rollers 40 that are driven by the intermeshing worm 37 and worm wheel 39 at the desirable slower speed which results in the squeegeeing action on the film being better than it would be if it had been withdrawn at the higher speed at which the shaft 36 is driven by the main drive shaft 20, and with the result that it has less water sticking to it.
  • the other motor 42 also drives the transport rollers 40 so that they feed the film onto the transport web of the infra-red film dryer 43 at a speed which is fractionally slower than the speed of the transport web, thus avoiding the film snagging the rest of the transport web.
  • the film processor incorporates control means by which the sequential operation of the clutches 35 and 41 and the motor 42 as described above is controlled automatically.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Photographic Processing Devices Using Wet Methods (AREA)
  • Cleaning In General (AREA)
  • Advancing Webs (AREA)
  • Medicines That Contain Protein Lipid Enzymes And Other Medicines (AREA)

Claims (4)

  1. Appareil de développement de film pour développer un film photographique sous la forme d'une bande allongée, l'appareil de développement comprenant une pluralité de postes de développement (10 à 15 et 43), des moyens d'entraînement (32 et 42) qui sont mis en oeuvre pour transporter le film le long d'un trajet de développement de film à travers les postes de développement (10 à 15 et 43), le poste de développement final (43) étant un poste de séchage et le poste de développement avant celui-ci (15) étant un poste de lavage, caractérisé en ce que le moyen d'entraînement (32) comprend un premier moyen d'entraînement prévu pour transporter le film à travers chacun des postes de développement (10 à 14) qui précède le poste de lavage (15) et pour délivrer le film au poste de lavage (15) à une première vitesse et un second moyen d'entraînement plus lent (42) indépendant dudit premier moyen d'entraînement (32) prévu pour sortir le film du poste de lavage (15) à une autre vitesse qui est inférieure à ladite première vitesse.
  2. Appareil de développement de film selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le second moyen d'entraînement (42) est également mis en oeuvre pour transporter le film sorti du poste de lavage (15) dans le poste de séchage (43).
  3. Appareil de développement de film selon la revendication 2, dans lequel le second moyen d'entraînement (42) est prévu d'une manière telle que le film est introduit dans le poste de séchage (43) à une vitesse qui est légèrement inférieure à la vitesse de la bande de transfert par laquelle il est transporté à travers le poste de séchage (43).
  4. Appareil de développement de film selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, comprenant une pluralité de rouleaux d'entraînement (21, 22, 40) qui sont mis à tourner par lesdits moyens d'entraînement respectifs (32, 42) afin de transporter le film le long du trajet, dans lequel un premier embrayage (35) est prévu qui peut être mis en oeuvre pour coupler les rouleaux d'entraînement (21 et 22) du poste de lavage (15) auxdits premiers moyens d'entraînement (32) qui sont mis en oeuvre pour faire tourner les rouleaux d'entraînement (21 et 22) des postes de développement précédents (10 à 14) et pour découpler ceux-ci et un second embrayage (41) est prévu pour coupler lesdits seconds moyens d'entraînement (42) auxdits rouleaux d'entraînement (21 et 22) du poste de lavage (15) lorsque les derniers sont découplés du premier moyen d'entraînement (32).
EP19930305840 1992-07-27 1993-07-23 Appareil de développement photographique avec dispositif de transport du film à deux vitesses Expired - Lifetime EP0581543B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/265,599 US5493360A (en) 1992-07-27 1994-06-24 Film processor

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9215957 1992-07-27
GB929215957A GB9215957D0 (en) 1992-07-27 1992-07-27 A film processor

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0581543A1 EP0581543A1 (fr) 1994-02-02
EP0581543B1 true EP0581543B1 (fr) 1996-11-06

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19930305840 Expired - Lifetime EP0581543B1 (fr) 1992-07-27 1993-07-23 Appareil de développement photographique avec dispositif de transport du film à deux vitesses

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0581543B1 (fr)
JP (1) JPH06233975A (fr)
CA (1) CA2101120A1 (fr)
DE (1) DE69305797T2 (fr)
GB (1) GB9215957D0 (fr)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0933678A1 (fr) * 1998-01-30 1999-08-04 Agfa-Gevaert N.V. Appareil pour le traitement de matériau en feuilles à l'aide de liquides

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2706913C3 (de) * 1977-02-18 1980-03-06 Basf Ag, 6700 Ludwigshafen Vorrichtung zum Behändem von nach photochemischen Verfahren hergestellten Druckplatten
US4300828A (en) * 1980-07-14 1981-11-17 Pako Corporation Photosensitive sheet processor
US4673251A (en) * 1985-12-18 1987-06-16 Pako Corporation Apparatus and method for transporting photosensitive sheets in a photoprocessor
DE3833733A1 (de) * 1988-10-04 1990-04-05 Agfa Gevaert Ag Verfahren und vorrichtung zur koppelung von verschiedenartigen maschinen zur verarbeitung von bandfoermigen, lichtempfindlichen fotografischen materialien
CA2046624A1 (fr) * 1989-02-01 1990-08-02 Edward Charles Timothy Samuel Glover Unite de traitement

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0581543A1 (fr) 1994-02-02
JPH06233975A (ja) 1994-08-23
DE69305797T2 (de) 1997-05-22
DE69305797D1 (de) 1996-12-12
GB9215957D0 (en) 1992-09-09
CA2101120A1 (fr) 1994-01-28

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