JPH0267550A - Method for processing silver halide photosensitive material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily allow rapid processing by executing the processing in a slit-shaped processing path and executing the processing while a photosensitive material is fixed at one end by a crimping device disposed on the surface of a specific endless belt, by which the photosensitive material is fixed onto the endless belt and is passed in the slit-shaped processing path. CONSTITUTION:The processing is executed in the slit-shaped processing path 15 at the time of processing the silver halide photosensitive material S by the processing method including developing, desilvering, washing and/or stabilizing stages. Further, the processing is executed while the photosensitive material S is fixed by the crimping device K disposed on the surface of the endless belt having the width of 1/4 to 4 times the width of the photosensitive material S by which the photosensitive material S is held on the endless belt and is passed in the processing path 15. The easy and sure fixing of the photosensitive material S to the endless belt is, therefore, executed by providing the crimping device K on the endless belt in the combination of the slit processing and the endless belt. The stable transportation of the photosensitive material S is possible and the rapid and stable development processing is executed.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to so-called slit development, in which silver halide photosensitive materials such as black and white films, black and white papers, color films, and color papers are processed in a slit-shaped processing path. This relates to a processing method.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, silver halide photosensitive materials are developed by passing them through rectangular parallelepiped processing tanks one after another containing processing solutions such as a developer, a bleaching solution, a fixing solution, and a stabilizing solution.

At this time, in order to obtain an even and uniform finishing performance, the photosensitive material is processed by immersing it in a large amount of processing solution, but an endless belt is used to convey the photosensitive material as a means of passing it through the processing baths one after another. method is known. for example,
"Fuji Color Paper Processor FPRP204, F
PRP204L.

How to use FPRP206” (Fuji Photo Film ■Lp
46-49) disclose a method of conveying a photosensitive material by vertically attaching a ladder plate to an endless belt. In this method, the endless belt is placed on one side of the roller processor, and the belt is significantly narrower than the photosensitive material, in order to minimize the amount of processing liquid carried into the pond by the photosensitive material and the endless belt. I am using it.

The photosensitive material is pulled by a ladder plate attached to an endless belt, but there is a drawback that the ladder plate comes off during processing, resulting in poor stability of the developing process. If endless belts are attached to both sides, the trouble of the ladder plates coming off during processing can be reduced, but since the belt is being transported at a constant speed, it is important to attach the ladder plates to the belt during processing. The disadvantage is that it is extremely difficult. Also, make the belt wider (for example, 173 mm for photosensitive materials).
~10 times), the transportability and bonding properties will be good, and stable development processing will be possible. However, in an apparatus using a normal open processing tank, ■ A large amount of processing solution will be brought in, and ■ It has the disadvantage that the edges flutter, and in some cases may be bent during processing, or when two types of light-sensitive materials are processed in parallel, they may overlap and cause processing unevenness.

On the other hand, if a large amount of processing liquid is stored in a processing tank, and the amount of silver halide photosensitive material to be processed is small, the components in the processing liquid may deteriorate due to air oxidation or carbon dioxide absorption. The pH of the processing solution may drop, causing variations in the performance of the photosensitive material after processing. As an effective means to solve these problems, there is a known slit development processing method that uses a slit-shaped processing tank to minimize the contact of the processing solution with air and process with the minimum necessary amount of solution. There is. In such a slit development processing method, the method of transporting the photosensitive material is a roller transport method or a method using a transport reel (Photographic Science
and Engineering, Vol. 5: pp. 48-54, 19.
Methods such as 1961) were known, but all of them required large and complicated apparatuses, and were not suitable for the purpose of slit development processing, which was aimed at miniaturization and simplification.

These problems arise when processing a silver halide photosensitive material using a processing method that includes development, desilvering, water washing, and/or stabilization steps. It has been found that the problem can be solved by holding the photosensitive material on an endless belt having a width of /4 to 4 times and passing it through a slit-shaped processing path, thereby making it possible to perform a quick and simple slit development process.

However, when holding the photosensitive material on an endless belt, in the above method in which one end of the photosensitive material is pasted on the belt, if tension is applied to the photosensitive material due to physical stress during transportation, etc., the photosensitive material There is a possibility that the photosensitive material may fall off the belt, and even if one end of the photosensitive material is pasted onto the belt, it requires considerable skill to attach the photosensitive material to the belt while it is being transported. there were. Furthermore, there is a problem in that optical fog occurs when the photosensitive materials are bonded, making it impossible to print in this area. If slit development processing is performed in such a pasted state, the advantages of rapid processing in slit development processing cannot be fully utilized, and it is desirable to develop a means to simply and reliably hold the photosensitive material on the endless belt. It was rare.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Therefore, the present invention provides a means for simply and reliably holding a photosensitive material when conveying the photosensitive material using a wide endless belt in the slit development process, thereby providing a simple and quick silver halide solution. The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for processing photosensitive materials.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention was completed based on the knowledge that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by providing a nipping device on the endless belt when a wide endless belt is used to transport the photosensitive material in the slit development process.

That is, when processing a silver halide photosensitive material using a processing method including development, desilvering, water washing and/or stabilization steps,
The above processing is carried out in a slit-shaped processing path, and one end of the photosensitive material is fixed by a nipping device placed on the surface of an endless belt having a width ~4 times the width of the photosensitive material. The present invention provides a method for processing a silver halide photosensitive material, characterized in that the above-mentioned processing is carried out by holding the photosensitive material and passing it through a slit-like processing path.

The slit-shaped processing path used in the development process of the present invention is defined as the width of the cross section (in the width direction of the photosensitive material) when the path in the processing tank through which the photosensitive material passes is cut at right angles to the traveling direction of the photosensitive material. This means that it has a so-called slit shape with a thinner thickness than the other one. Note that the cross section of the slit shape may be rectangular or oval.

The shape of a processing tank having such a slit processing path is defined as follows.

V/L≦20, particularly preferably V/L≦10. Here, ■ is the volume of the processing liquid accommodated in the processing path (c[[I), and L
is the length (in am) of the central path (processing path) of the photosensitive material from the liquid level on the inlet side of the photosensitive material to the liquid level on the outlet side of the processing tank.

Therefore, the slit processing path is characterized by a small amount of liquid accommodated relative to the length of the path. In other words, since the amount of liquid is small, the liquid in the processing path (processing tank) can be replaced quickly by replenishing the processing liquid.In other words, the residence time of the liquid in the processing tank can be shortened, and fatigue of the processing liquid over time can be avoided. Can be done. However, for practical purposes, the lower limit of V/L is preferably 0.1, particularly preferably 0.5.

In the processing path, specifically, V is 10,000 to 100c.
al is preferred, particularly preferably 5000 to 200 cf
fI, most preferably 1000-300 cffI. Further, L is preferably 300 to 10 cm, particularly preferably 200 to 20 cm, and most preferably 100 to 30 cm.
It is.

When processing is performed using a slit processing path, the liquid volume V (cl
It is preferable to use a processing tank in which the liquid surface area S (cJ) (hereinafter referred to as opening area) that comes into contact with air is small relative to T.

Specifically, it is preferable that V and S have the following relationship.

S/V≦0.05, particularly preferably S/V≦0.01. In other words, S/
The smaller V is, the less likely it is to be oxidized by air, and the less evaporation of the liquid, the more the liquid can be stored stably for a long period of time.

However, practically, the lower limit is preferably 0.0005, and particularly preferably O, OO1.

In the above regulations, the thickness of the slit-shaped processing path is 1 to 50
It is preferably mm, particularly preferably 3 to 30 mm.

Also, the withdrawal speed of the photosensitive material in the slit processing path is 10 cm.
It is preferably in the range of Z minutes to 300 cm/min, particularly preferably in the range of 20 to 200 cm/min, and most preferably in the range of 20 to 120 cm/min to obtain even and uniform finishing performance.

When processing is performed in the above slit processing path, changes in the processing solution in the processing tank occur, specifically, oxidation of the developing agent and preservative, decrease in pH due to absorption of carbon dioxide in the air, and concentration due to evaporation of water. , various decompositions of treated liquid components due to long-term residence in the tank,
This has the great advantage of eliminating factors of variation in conventional processing, such as mutual unfavorable reactions. Therefore, even in slow processing where the amount of photosensitive material to be processed is small, it is possible to perform processing in which the finishing performance of the photosensitive material, such as gradation, fog, and sensitivity, is less likely to fluctuate. Furthermore, it is easy to make the processing apparatus more compact, and since the opening area is small, the complexity of using a conventional floating lid can be avoided.

In the present invention, a flexible member (such as nylon or polyester) can be provided on the inner wall of the slit-shaped processing path so as to protrude inward.

In the present invention, when performing slit development, it is further preferable to use a processing tank in which the ratio of the liquid surface area to the liquid volume is small, and in this processing tank, the cross-sectional area of the processing liquid path is approximately the same as the surface area of the liquid surface part. This is preferred, and so-called thin layer development is preferred.

Furthermore, the liquid flow path in the main part of the developing tank and the conveyance path of the photosensitive material are almost parallel, and in the main part, the liquid flow path in the main part of the developing tank is perpendicular to the emulsion layer and the support layer of the photosensitive material (thickness direction).
The length is within 200 times the thickness of the photosensitive material, and even 1/
It is preferable that the processing liquid path is 4 to 100 times larger, particularly 5 to 50 times larger. In this case, the gap between the processing tank and the photosensitive material in the thickness direction is 0.3 to 30 mm, preferably 0.5 to 1 mm.
0, particularly preferably 0.5 to 3.

In the present invention, a developing solution, a bleaching solution,
It is filled with a bleach-fix solution, a fixing solution, washing water, a stabilizing solution, etc., and the exposed silver halide photosensitive material is passed through them for development processing. Incidentally, examples of the developer include a black and white developer and a color developer (including a reversal color developer). Specifically, the slit developing method of the present invention includes the following steps.

(1) Development - Bleach fixing - Washing - Drying (2) Development - Bleach fixing - Stabilization - Drying (3) Development - Bleach fixing - Washing - Drying (4) Development - Bleach fixing - Stabilization - Drying (5) ) Development - Bleach, fixed, washed, stabilized, dried (6) Development - Bleach-fixed, washed, stabilized, dried (7) Black and white development - Washed, reversed - Color development - Washed, bleached, fixed, washed, stabilized Water washing can be provided between development and bleaching in the above processing steps. Furthermore, steps such as stopping, adjusting, and neutralizing can be provided as appropriate.

Incidentally, in the case of a black-and-white photographic material, the bleaching step and the stabilizing step can be omitted in the above (3) to (5).

In the above-mentioned slit developing method, it is preferable that the processing liquid is divided and supplied into the slit processing path along the traveling direction of the silver halide photosensitive material within the processing path.

Here, at least one of the above-mentioned processing liquids can be mentioned as the processing liquid to be supplied in parts, but all the processing liquids can also be supplied in parts. Furthermore, divided supply means, for example, when supplying a developer, the developer is supplied to at least two locations along the traveling direction of the silver halide photosensitive material, preferably 1/2, within the slit processing path containing the developer. It means to divide it into 4 to 5 times and supply it.

When the developer is supplied in parts, a supply port is provided at a position where the photosensitive material enters the developer in the developer tank, and 30 to 70%, preferably 40 to 60%, of the total developer replenishment amount is supplied from the supply port.
%, and the remainder is divided according to the number of supply ports, and is preferably supplied from a supply port provided downstream of the position where the photosensitive material enters the developer.

On the other hand, bleach solution, bleach-fix solution, fixing solution, washing water, stabilizing solution, etc. differ from the order in which the developer is supplied.
30 to 70%, preferably 40 to 60%, of the replenishment amount of the processing solution is supplied from a supply port provided in a countercurrent direction to the conveyance direction of the photosensitive material, that is, at a position where the photosensitive material exits from the processing solution, and the remaining amount is It is preferable that the photosensitive material be divided into parts according to the number of supply ports and supplied from the supply ports provided upstream of the position where the photosensitive material comes out.

The above-mentioned slit development may be carried out using, for example, an automatic developing machine in which all processing paths for introducing processing solutions (developing solution, bleaching solution, fixing solution, washing water, etc.) shown in Fig. 1 are formed as slit-shaped processing channels. Can be done.

Although the development processing method of the present invention is based on the above configuration, the apparatus used in the present invention may be equipped with a temperature regulator, roller, replenishment port, overflow port, etc., which are included in a normal automatic developing machine. In addition, a spray discharge device or a plush roll can be installed inside the slit processing path, which turns the laminar flow of the processing liquid that accompanies the transport of the photosensitive material into a turbulent flow, and mixes and stirs the processing liquid to create a uniform flow. Development processing becomes possible. These devices are particularly effective when increasing the slit gap.

The endless belt used in the present invention is made of a polymer material such as nylon, Tetron, polypropylene, polyethylene, etc., and a laminated film of these materials can also be used.

The thickness of the belt may be as long as it can easily pass through the slit processing path gap, but it is usually 50 to 500 tons,
Preferably it is 100 to 200 μm. In this case, the gap between the slit processing paths is the sum of the belt thickness and the thickness of the photosensitive material (usually 0.3 to 0.6+nm) plus the thickness of the processing liquid of 0.1 nm.
It is desirable to set the gap to 3010111, preferably 0.1 to LOmm.

The width of the belt is usually y4 to 4 times, preferably 1 to 2 times, the width of the photosensitive material in order to stably transport the photosensitive material. For example, regular color paper is 82.
The width of the endless belt suitable for conveyance is 83 to 180 mm, as it has a width of 5 cities, and in some cases a width of 89 II 1 m.
It is mm. Furthermore, the endless belt may be partially hollow in order to eliminate processing liquid between the photosensitive material and the endless belt.

The endless belt enters the slit from the entrance of the photosensitive material, passes through the slit, passes through the winding section outside the slit, and returns to the inside of the slit, repeating the cycle, but the route is shown in Figures 1 and 2. It has been revealed.

The present invention is characterized in that when fixing the photosensitive material onto such an endless belt, it is fixed using a pinching device disposed on the belt.

The pinching device is arranged on the surface of the endless belt, as seen in FIG. 4, and serves to secure one end of the photosensitive material onto the endless belt.

The arrangement interval of the device is 50 to 1000 cm, preferably 200 to 500 cm.

As is clear from FIG. 4, this device has one end fixed on the endless belt, a support having a sandwiched portion extending in a direction opposite to the traveling direction of the endless belt, and a tip of the support. A photosensitive material fixing portion for fixing the leading end of the photosensitive material is arranged at the portion and/or the center portion. Examples of the material of the support part include Tetron, nylon, vinyl chloride, etc., and by fixing the support fixing part to the endless belt, the support is subjected to pinching stress that tends to be parallel to the endless belt. The photosensitive material can be sandwiched and fixed. The photosensitive material fixing portion may be hook-shaped, or may have an uneven or serrated surface, or may have a sanded friction surface. At the same time when one end of the photosensitive material is inserted into the nipping device at the photosensitive material insertion part, pressure is applied by the guide roller, so that an impression corresponding to the shape of the photosensitive material fixing part is left on the surface of the end of the photosensitive material. The formation of such impressions generates sufficient frictional force between the photosensitive material and the photosensitive material fixing portion, so that the photosensitive material does not fall off during the development process. Further, it is preferable that the nipping device does not open during the development process, but it is permissible to open the opening to some extent at curved portions such as a portion of the roller, as long as the photosensitive material does not fall off.

The device should have a width sufficient to fix the photosensitive material, usually 83 to 1.80 mm, preferably 1 to 2 times the width of the photosensitive material.

When the belt is conveyed by a guide roller for conveying the endless belt provided at the inlet of the photosensitive material, the nipping device is in an open state depending on the diameter of the roller. While this state is occurring, the photosensitive material is inserted into the nipping device, and is then squeezed between the photosensitive material conveying roller and the endless belt conveying guide roller, so that the photosensitive material is fully Deformation is applied to produce a frictional force. Thereafter, the photosensitive material is pulled by the nipping device and guided to the slit processing path,
The rollers for conveying the endless belt provided at the outlet and inlet of each processing tank are equipped with presser slit plates. , the photosensitive material will not fall off. The photosensitive material developed in this way reaches the slit exit section, but since the endless belt conveyance roller at the exit section is not provided with a holding slit plate,
The pinching device opens again and the photosensitive material can be easily removed from the endless belt.

Next, the processing liquid used in the processing method of the present invention will be explained.

Development Process In the present invention, a color developer or a black and white developer is used as the developer.

Among these, the color developing solution is preferably an alkaline aqueous solution containing an aromatic primary amine color developing agent as a main component. Although amine phenol compounds are also useful as color developing agents, p-phenylenediamine compounds are preferably used, and a typical example is 3-methyl-
4-amino-N.

N-diethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-
Ethyl-N-β-hydroxyethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-ethyl-N-β-methanesulfonamidoethylaniline, 3-methyl-4-amino-N-
Examples include ethyl-N-β-methoxyethylaniline and their sulfates, hydrochlorides, p-)luenesulfonates.

Two or more of these compounds can be used in combination depending on the purpose.

The color developer may contain pH buffering agents such as carbonates, borates or phosphates of alylekali metals, development inhibitors or fogging agents such as bromide salts, iodide salts, benzimidazoles, benzothiazoles or mercapto compounds. It generally contains an inhibitor. In addition, if necessary, hydroxylamine, diethylhydroxylamine, sulfites, hydrazines, phenyl semicarbazides, triethanolamine, catechol sulfonic acids, triethylenediamine (1,4-diazabicyclo[2°2.2]
various preservatives such as octane), ethylene glycol,
Organic solvents such as diethylene glycol, benzyl alcohol, polyethylene glycone quaternary ammonium salts, development accelerators such as amines, dye-forming couplers, fogging agents such as competing couplers sodium boron hydride, 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone. Auxiliary developing agents such as viscosity imparting agents, various oxidizing agents such as aminopolycarboxylic acids, aminopolyphosphonic acids, alkylphosphonic acids, phosphonocarboxylic acids, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid, hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid, 1-hydroxyethylidene-
1,1-diphosphonic acid, nitrilo-N,N,N-)rimethylenephosphonic acid, ethylenediamine-N,N.

Representative examples include N'N'-tetramethylenephosphonic acid, ethylene glycol (0-hydroxyphenylacetic acid), and salts thereof.

Further, when performing reversal processing, black and white development is usually performed and then color development is performed. This black and white developer contains known black and white developing agents such as dihydroxybenzenes such as hydroquinone, 3-pyrazolidones such as l-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone, or amine phenols such as N-methyl-p-aminophenol. Alternatively, they can be used in combination.

The pH of these color developing solutions and black and white developing solutions is generally 9 to 12.

Bleaching and/or fixing treatment (desilvering treatment) After color development, a bleaching treatment is usually performed. The bleaching process may be carried out simultaneously with the fixing process (bleach-fixing process) or separately. Furthermore, in order to speed up the processing, a processing method may be used in which bleaching is followed by bleach-fixing. Furthermore, processing in two consecutive bleach-fixing baths, or carrying out a fixing process after a bleach-fixing process can be carried out as desired depending on the purpose.

Examples of bleaching agents include iron (■), Kobal) (I[[
), compounds of polyvalent metals such as chromium (■), copper (n), peracids, quinones, nitro compounds, etc. are used.

Typical bleaching agents include ferricyanide; dichromate; organic complex salts of iron (III) or cobal) (1);
For example, aminopolycarboxylic acids such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid, methyliminodiacetic acid, 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetic acid, glycol etherdiaminetetraacetic acid, or complex salts such as citric acid, tartaric acid, and malic acid. Sulfates; bromates; permanganates; nitrobenzenes and the like can be used. Among these, aminopolycarboxylic acid iron(I) complex salts and persulfates, including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid iron(III) complex salts, are preferable from the viewpoint of rapid processing and prevention of environmental pollution. Furthermore, aminopolycarboxylic acid iron(III) complexes are particularly useful in both bleach and bleach-fix solutions. pH of bleach solution or bleach-fix solution using these aminopolycarboxylic acid iron (III) complex salts
is usually 5.5 to 8, but it is also possible to process at an even lower pH to speed up the process.

A bleach accelerator may be used in the bleaching solution, bleach-fixing solution, and their prebaths, if necessary.

Useful bleach accelerators include those specifically described in U.S. Pat.
No. 893.858, West German Patent No. 1.290.812,
Compounds having a mercapto group or disulfide bond described in JP-A No. 53-95.630, Research Disclosure No. 17.129 (July 1978); Thiazolidine derivatives described in JP-A-50-140.129 ; Thiourea derivatives described in U.S. Patent No. 3,706,561; Iodide salts described in JP-A-58-16,235; Polyoxyethylene compounds described in West German Patent No. 2,748,430 ; polyamine compounds described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 45-8836; bromide ions, and the like. Among these, compounds having a mercapto group or a disulfide group are preferred because they have a large promoting effect, and are particularly preferred as disclosed in US Pat.
．． Preferred are the compounds described in No. 893.858, West German Patent No. 1.290.812, and JP-A-53-95.630. Further preferred are the compounds described in US Pat. No. 4,552,834. These bleach accelerators may be added to the photosensitive material. These bleach accelerators are particularly effective when bleach-fixing color light-sensitive materials for photography.

Examples of fixing agents include thiosulfates, thiocyanates, thioether compounds, thioureas, and large amounts of iodide salts, but thiosulfates are commonly used, with ammonium thiosulfate being the most widely used. Can be used for As the preservative for the bleach-fix solution, sulfites, bisulfites, or carbonyl bisulfite adducts are preferred.

Water Washing and/or Stabilization Process After the above desilvering process, a water washing and/or stabilization process is generally performed. The amount of water used in the washing process depends on the characteristics of the photosensitive material (for example, depending on the materials used such as couplers), the application, the temperature of the washing water, the number of washing tanks (number of stages), the replenishment method such as countercurrent or forward flow, and various other conditions. Can be set over a wide range.

Among these, the relationship between the number of washing tanks and the amount of water in the multistage countercurrent method is described in the Journal of the 5ociet.
y of Motion Picture and Te
1evision Engineers Volume 64,
P, 248-253 (May 1955 issue).

According to the multi-stage countercurrent method described in the above-mentioned literature, the amount of water used for washing can be significantly reduced, but due to the increase in the residence time of water in the tank, bacteria will breed, and the generated suspended matter will adhere to the photosensitive material. The problem arises. In the processing of the color photosensitive material of the present invention, as a solution to such problems,
The method for reducing calcium ions and magnesium ions described in JP-A No. 62-288,838 can be used very effectively. In addition, chlorine-based disinfectants such as inthiazolone compounds and thiabendazoles, chlorinated sodium incyanurate, etc. described in JP-A-57-8.542, and other benzotriazoles, as well as ``Chemistry of antibacterial and antifungal agents'' by Hiroshi Horiguchi, are also available. It is also possible to use the disinfectants described in ``Microbial Sterilization, Disinfection, and Anti-Mildew Techniques'', a complete collection of sanitary techniques, and ``Encyclopedia of Antibacterial and Antifungal Agents'' edited by the Japan Antibacterial and Antibacterial Society.

The pH of the washing water used is 4-9, preferably 5.
-8. Washing water temperature and washing time also depend on the characteristics of the photosensitive material.
Although various settings can be made depending on the purpose, generally the temperature is 15-45°C for 20 seconds-10 minutes, preferably 25-40°C for 30 seconds-5
A range of minutes is selected. Furthermore, the photosensitive material of the present invention can also be directly processed with a stabilizing solution instead of washing with water. In such stabilization treatment, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-8
, No. 543, No. 58-14.834, No. 60-220
．． The known method described in No. 345 can be used.

Further, following the water washing treatment, a further stabilization treatment may be carried out, such as a stabilizing bath containing formalin and a surfactant, which is used as a final bath for color photosensitive materials for photography. .

It is also possible to add various botanical agents and antifungal agents to this stabilizing bath.

The overflow liquid resulting from the water washing and/or replenishment of the stabilizing liquid can also be reused in processes such as the desilvering process.

Photosensitive materials processed by the method of the present invention include color photosensitive materials as well as black and white photosensitive materials. For example, color paper
In addition to color reversal paper, color negative film for photography, color reversal film, negative or positive film for movies, and direct positive color photosensitive materials, examples include X-ray film, photosensitive materials for printing, microfilm, and black and white film for photography. can.

Any known silver halide emulsion for light-sensitive materials can be used. Silver chlorobromide emulsion (silver chloride content of 90 mol % or more is preferred for rapid processing) is used for color printing photosensitive materials, and silver iodobromide emulsion (containing silver iodide) is used for color photosensitive materials for photography. The amount is preferably 1/4 to 15 mol%). In particular, in slit development, it is preferable to use a silver chloride photosensitive material because no bromide ions are released into the developer, and development unevenness due to non-uniform dispersion of bromide ions is less likely to occur. Moreover, since the developing speed is fast, the length of the slit processing path can be shortened, the processing apparatus can be easily made compact, and non-uniform distribution of the concentration of the processing liquid can be eliminated, which is preferable. Silver halide grains are spherical, cubic, octahedral, rhombic dodecahedral, tetradecahedral, etc., and tabular (preferably aspect ratio 5 to 2) are used for high-sensitivity photosensitive materials.
0) is preferred. These particles may have a uniform phase or may have a multilayer structure. Further, the particles may be surface latent image type particles or internal latent image type particles. The particle size distribution may be polydisperse or monodisperse (preferably standard deviation/average particle size≦15%), but the latter is preferred. These silver halide grains may be used alone or in combination depending on the purpose.

The above photographic emulsion is published in Research Disclosure (R
D) vol, 176 ItemNα17643 (I,
It can be prepared by the method described in Sections (1) and (2) (December 1978).

Furthermore, emulsions that have been subjected to physical ripening, chemical ripening, and spectral sensitization can usually be used. Additives used in such processes are listed in Research Disclosure Vol. 176, Nα17643 (December 1978) and Research Disclosure Vol.
Volume 87, N118716 (November 1979), and the relevant sections are summarized in the table below.

Furthermore, known photographic additives that can be used are also listed in the above two Research Disclosures, and the locations listed are shown in the table below.

Additive type Chemical sensitizer Sensitivity enhancer RD17643 Page 23 Same as above RD18716 Page 648 Right column Same as above 10 Ultraviolet absorber Same as above Same as above Stain inhibitor Page 25 Right column 650 Left to right column Dye image stabilizer Page 25 Same as above Hardener 26 Page 651 Left column Supersensitizer Brightener Same as above Page 24 Same as above Binder Plasticizer, lubricant Page 26 Page 27 Same as above 650 Page Right column Coupler Page 25 Organic solvent Page 25 Light absorber, Page 25-26 Filter dye Same as above Ditto page 649 right column - page 650 left column Static inhibitor page 27 Ditto color photosensitive material can contain various color couplers, specific examples of which are listed in the above-mentioned No. No. 17643, ■-C-G.

As dye-forming couplers, couplers that provide the three subtractive primary colors (i.e., yellow, magenta, and cyan) in color development are important, and diffusion-resistant, 4-equivalent or 2-equivalent couplers are important.
As specific examples of equivalent couplers, in addition to the couplers described in the above-mentioned patents described in RD17643, ■-○ and section D, the following can be preferably used.

Typical examples of yellow couplers that can be used include known oxygen atom elimination type yellow couplers and nitrogen atom elimination type yellow couplers. α-pivaloylacetanilide couplers have excellent color fastness, especially light fastness, while α-benzoylacetanilide couplers provide high color density.

Examples of magenta couplers that can be used include hydrophobic 5-pyrazolone and pyrazoloazole couplers that have a ballast group. As the 5-pyrazolone coupler, a coupler in which the 3-position is substituted with an arylamine group or an acylamino group is preferable from the viewpoint of the hue and coloring density of the coloring dye.

Cyan couplers that can be used include hydrophobic, diffusion-resistant naphthol and phenolic couplers.
Preferably, a two-equivalent naphthol coupler of oxygen atom separation type is mentioned as a representative example. Also, couplers capable of forming cyan dyes that are stable against humidity and temperature are preferably used; typical examples thereof include U.S. Pat.
2.002, a phenolic cyan coupler having an alkyl group greater than or equal to an ethyl group at the meta-position of the phenol nucleus, a 2,5-diacylamino substituted phenolic coupler, a phenolic coupler having a 7-enylureido group at the 2-position, and a 5- These include phenolic couplers having an acylamino group at the acylamino positions, and 5-amidenaphthol cyan couplers described in European Patent No. 161626A.

Granularity can be improved by using a coupler in which the coloring dye has an appropriate diffusibility. Such a coupler is
Specific examples of magenta couplers are described in US Pat. No. 4,366.237, and specific examples of yellow, magenta and cyan couplers are described in European Patent No. 96.570.

The dye-forming couplers and the special couplers described above may form dimers or more polymers. A typical example of a polymerized dye-forming coupler is U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,82.
It is written in No. 0, etc. Specific examples of polymerized magenta couplers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,282 and elsewhere.

Couplers that release photographically useful residues upon coupling are also preferably used in the present invention. The DIR coupler releasing the development inhibitor is the aforementioned RD17643,
The patent couplers listed in Sections .-F. are useful.

In the light-sensitive material processed in the present invention, a coupler that releases a nucleating agent or a development accelerator or a precursor thereof in an imagewise manner during development can be used. Specific examples of such compounds are given in British Patent No. 2,097,140;
, No. 131,188. In addition, DIR redox compound-releasing couplers described in JP-A-60-185950 and the like, couplers that release dyes that change color after separation as described in European Patent No. 173,302A, and the like can be used.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, in a combination of slit processing and an endless belt, by providing a pinching device on the endless belt, the photosensitive material can be easily and reliably fixed to the endless belt, so that the photosensitive material can be stably transported. This has made it possible to perform rapid and stable development processing.

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to examples.

〔Example〕

Example 1 Slit-type automatic developing machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 (showing a cross-sectional view)
The exposed silver halide photosensitive material (color paper) was processed using this method. FIG. 2 is a detailed sectional view of section 21 (color developing section) in FIG. 1. Here, as a transportation method for the photosensitive material, the width is 89a + m5FJ and 0.18 mm.
A polyester endless belt was used. A photosensitive material having a width of 82.5 mm to be processed was mounted as shown in FIG. 4(a) and held on a belt to perform the phenomenon processing.

In FIG. 2, a processing housing 4 is provided in the developing processing tank p1.
A lid 8 with a comb-shaped upper lid 6 suspended therein was placed to form a narrow (slit-like) processing passage 15. Handle 1 on lid 8
0 is set. The upper lid 6 has a plurality of vinyl chloride upper lid members 12 each having a rectangular cross section arranged substantially vertically, and a feed reel 16 of silver halide photosensitive material (S) is arranged at the joint portion of the upper and lower ends of these upper lid members 12 .

Inside the processing housing 4, a tank wall material 14 that is combined with the upper lid material 12 to form a processing path 15 (width 3 m+n) is arranged. Therefore, the upper lid material 12 and the tank wall material 14 form a continuous wave-shaped processing path 15, and photosensitive material feeding reels 16 are arranged at the upper and lower bends of the processing path 15, respectively.

In FIG. 2, three photosensitive material feeding reels 16 are provided at the top and four at the bottom.

An overflow hole 20 and a replenishment port 22 are provided at the slit-shaped inlet and outlet portions of the processing path 15, and the level of the developer in the processing path 15 is never higher than the overflow hole 20.22. Furthermore, above the entrance and exit portions of the processing path 15, a photosensitive material supply reel 24 and a photosensitive material take-out reel 26 are arranged.

In the above configuration, a color developer (D) was placed in the processing path 15, and hot water was placed in the developer housing 4 to maintain the developer at a constant temperature. The photosensitive material S is then supplied to the processing path 15 via the photosensitive material supply reel 24, developed while being conveyed by a plurality of photosensitive material feed reels 16, and taken out by the photosensitive material take-out reel 26.

The endless belt passes through the winding section Tu provided outside the device according to the endless belt path shown in FIG.
It was guided into the slit treatment path again. The pinching tool shown in FIG. 5(a) is attached to the endless belt as shown in FIG. 4.

Next, Nos. 571 to 57 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-70857
The 7-layer color paper described in Example 2 on page 5 was
After exposure, the film was held on an endless belt by a clamping tool, and subjected to color development according to Example 1 described on pages 571 to 575 of the same publication. Note that deionized washing water (B) was used for washing.

The capacity of the Pl tank is 31, and the shape of the tank is 12 in width.
The length of the path below the liquid surface is 6.5 m, the liquid volume is 2.35 L, and the conveyance speed is 1.9 m/min.

Stable conveyance was also achieved by performing the above treatment intermittently for one month.

Example 2 An exposed silver halide photosensitive material was processed using a slit-type automatic processor shown in FIG. 3 (a cross-sectional view is shown). Here, a polyester endless belt having a width of 89 mm and a thickness of 0.18 mm was used as a method of conveying the photosensitive material. Example 1 Photosensitive materials with widths of 82 and 5 to be processed
I installed it as shown in the figure below, held it on a belt, and processed the phenomenon.

In FIG. 3, a lid 8 with a comb-shaped upper lid 6 hanging therein is placed in a processing housing 4 in the developing processing tank 2 to form a narrow (slit-like) processing passage 15. The lid 8 has a handle 10
is provided. The upper lid 6 has a plurality of vinyl chloride upper lid members 12 each having a rectangular cross section arranged substantially vertically, and a feed reel 16 of silver halide photosensitive material (S) is arranged at the joint portion of the upper and lower ends of these upper lid members 12 .

Inside the processing housing 4, a tank wall material 14 is arranged which forms a processing path 15 (width 3 mm) in combination with the upper cover material 12. Therefore, the upper lid material 12 and the tank wall material 14 form a continuous wave-shaped processing path 15, and photosensitive material feeding reels 16 are arranged at the upper and lower bends of the processing path 15, respectively.

In FIG. 1, two photosensitive material feeding reels 16 are provided at the top and three at the bottom.

An overflow hole 20 and a replenishment port 22 are provided at the slit-shaped inlet and outlet portions of the processing path 15, and the level of the developer in the processing path 15 is never higher than the overflow hole 20.22. Furthermore, above the inlet and outlet portions of the processing path 15, a photosensitive material supply reel 24 and a photosensitive material take-out reel 26 are arranged.

In the above configuration, in the processing path 15, a color developer (D),
A bleach-fix solution (BF) and washing water (W) were each put in, and hot water was put in the developer housing 4 to keep the developer at a constant temperature. The photosensitive material S is then supplied to the processing path 15 via the photosensitive material supply reel 24, developed while being conveyed by a plurality of photosensitive material feed reels 16, and taken out by the photosensitive material take-out reel 26. The endless belt passed through the winding section Tu shown in FIG. 1 and was guided into the slitting path again.

Next, JP-A No. 63-108339 (Japanese Patent Application No. 61-25)
After exposure, the color paper described in Example 2 on pages 337 to 341 of the publication (No. 4878) was processed by the slit development process shown in FIG. 3 using the following processing solution.

water sodium chloride triethanolamine 00m1 g g 00mf g potassium carbonate 6g 6g sodium sulfite 0, g -2g potassium bromide add water H 0.02g 10,05 j7 10, 65 (bleach-fix solution) water Mother solution and replenisher are the same 600 recitations It is.

H
0ml 1° bleach-fix solution 10mf washing water 30ml.

The capacity of the tank is 360 jaws, the shape of each tank is 120+nm wide, 3[+11[1] thick, and the path length below the liquid surface is 1mq, and the liquid capacity is 360rn1. , the conveyance speed is
It is 1.6m/min.

The processing time and temperature are as shown in the table below, and the processing time in the table is the time from contact with the liquid until contact with the liquid of the next step.

Even by performing the above treatment intermittently for one month, the excellent effect of achieving stable conveyance was obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the photo developing machine used in the present invention, FIG. 2 is a detailed sectional view of the P1 section in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a modified example of the photo developing machine used in the present invention. It is a diagram. Fourth
FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the sandwiched portion on the endless belt, and FIG. 4(b) is a plan view thereof. Figure 5 (
a) is a detailed cross-sectional view of FIG. 4(a), and FIGS. 5 et al.) to e) are cross-sectional views of modified examples. Figure 5 (
Figure 5 (b) shows a support with a hook-shaped tip.
) shows needle-like protrusions, (C) shows a filter surface provided on the photosensitive material sandwiching portion, and (6) and (e) show those provided with an uneven rubber surface in the same way. In the figure, S...Photosensitive material fixed on an endless belt, K...Pinching tool, 15...
- Indicates the processing path. Figure 4 Cross-sectional view Plan view Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] When processing a silver halide photosensitive material by a processing method including development, desilvering, water washing and/or stabilization steps, the above processing is carried out in a slit-like processing path, and one part of the photosensitive material is
One end of the photosensitive material is fixed by a pinching device placed on the surface of an endless belt having a width of 4 to 4 times, and the photosensitive material is held on the endless belt and passed through a slit-shaped processing path. A method for processing a silver halide photosensitive material, which comprises performing the above-mentioned processing.