JPH0269744A - Photosensitive material processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent evaporation of a treating liquid, a temperature fall, decomposition and deterioration with a simple structure by constituting the title device so that there is no open part of the treating liquid substantially by a means which is deformed or displaced in accordance with the increase/decrease of the liquid quantity of the treating liquid in a treating tank. CONSTITUTION:A carrying-in passage 13 and a carrying-out passage 14 of a photosensitive material are provided on side walls 11, 12 of a treating tank 10. Also, as a means constituted so that there is no open part of a treating liquid substantially by covering a liquid level, a flexible thin plate 32 which is curved and deformed to the outside and the inside of the treating tank 10, for instance, in accordance with the increase/a decrease of the quantity of the treating liquid in the treating tank is provided. In this state, the treating liquid is isolated substantially from the open air, and also, as for the fluctuation of hydraulic pressure which follows up the increase/decrease of the quantity of the treating liquid in the treating tank, this device operates so as to absorb it by deformation of the flexible thin plate 32. In such a manner, evaporation of the treating liquid, a temperature fall, decomposition and deterioration can be prevented by a simple structure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an improvement in a photosensitive material processing apparatus for subjecting a photosensitive material to treatments such as wet development, bleaching and fixing, for example.

<Prior art> Wet development of photosensitive materials uses a processing solution (
For example, this is done by immersing the photosensitive material in a developer solution for a predetermined period of time.

Conventionally, a photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 that continuously processes photosensitive materials
00, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of processing tanks 101 and 102 with open tops are arranged side by side, and conveyance rollers 109 and guides 110 installed in these processing tanks, as well as between each processing type. Crossover rollers 104 to 10 provided
7, the photosensitive material 200 is transported in and out of each processing tank 101, 102 along a predetermined transport path 108, and is configured to perform a predetermined process in each processing tank 101, 102.

In such a photosensitive material processing apparatus 100, when transferring from the preceding processing tank 101 to the subsequent processing tank 102, the photosensitive material 200 is kept in a state almost perpendicular to the processing liquid surface due to the relationship with the photosensitive material transport path 108. be pulled up or entered.

However, when the photosensitive material 200 is continuously developed using such a photosensitive material processing apparatus 100, since the surface of the processing liquid is open, the processing liquid may evaporate or
Contact with air causes a drop in liquid temperature, oxidation, and other changes and deterioration.

If the processing liquid evaporates, there will be a difference in the concentration of the processing liquid near the liquid surface and at the bottom of the processing tank, which may impede uniform development.Moreover, the reduction of the processing liquid will be significant, so it is difficult to evaporate the processing liquid. I have to supply extra. Furthermore, there is also the disadvantage that the evaporated processing liquid adheres to various parts of the processing apparatus, particularly to the conveyance rollers and crossover rollers, and becomes sticky when dried, causing stains.

Furthermore, it is clear that if the processing liquid undergoes alteration or deterioration, it will adversely affect the development characteristics.

In addition, for example, the processing solution should be 20 to 6
It is necessary to maintain the temperature at about 0° C., but if heat dissipates significantly from the liquid surface, a large amount of heat is required to maintain the temperature at the appropriate temperature.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, since the direction of carrying in and carrying out the photosensitive material 200 is almost perpendicular to the surface of the processing liquid, there is a drawback that the interval between the processing tanks 101 and 102 must be long. That is, at the crossover portion between the processing tanks 101 and 102, it is necessary to set the radius of curvature of the photosensitive material 200 that is curved and reversed to a certain extent, but both processing tanks 10, which correspond to the bottom of this arch,
The distance between 1.102 and 102 is necessarily longer.

Therefore, in the conventional photosensitive material processing apparatus lOO, a large space is required for installing the processing tank, resulting in an increase in the size of the apparatus.
Furthermore, since the crossover time becomes long, there is also a drawback that the overall processing time becomes long.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> An object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus that eliminates the drawbacks of the above-mentioned prior art and can prevent evaporation, temperature drop, change in quality, and deterioration of processing liquid with a simple structure. Our goal is to provide the following.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve such an objective, the present inventors conducted research focusing on the following points.

(1) First, since the upper part of the processing tank is not open, a "lid" or the like is installed as a means to cover the surface of the processing liquid, for example.

(2) However, if a lid is provided to cover the entire surface of the processing liquid, it becomes impossible for the photosensitive material to pass in and out perpendicularly to the liquid surface as described above.

Here, the lid has an opening for the photosensitive material to pass through.

If the above purpose is established, the above purpose cannot be fully achieved,
If an opening/closing shutter is provided at the opening, it may be difficult to simplify the structure due to an increase in the number of parts.

(2) Therefore, in addition to providing the above-mentioned "lid", an inlet passage and an unloading passage for the photosensitive material are provided on the side wall of the processing tank, so that the structure is such that the photosensitive material does not need to pass through the "lid". That is, it eliminates the need to form such an opening or a shuttered opening in the "lid".

■However, continuous processing involves continuous or timely supply of processing liquid to the processing tank, but the amount of processing liquid in the processing tank increases or decreases in relation to the amount taken out, so the above-mentioned "lid" has certain restrictions. receive.

In other words, if the "lid" is a rigid body fixed to the processing tank, and the substantial volume of the processing tank does not change, when the amount of processing liquid in the tank increases due to oversupply of processing liquid. Furthermore, the processing liquid overflows from the photosensitive material loading and unloading passages, contaminating other parts of the apparatus, or requires a separate means for collecting the overflowing processing liquid.

Therefore, the "lid" should be capable of absorbing changes in the amount of processing liquid in the tank, that is, should be capable of deforming or displacing in response to increases and decreases in the amount of liquid, thereby changing the substantial volume of the processing tank.

■ In addition, if the amount of processing liquid in the tank changes significantly, it may not be possible to respond by deforming or displacing the "lid" alone, so control the amount of processing liquid supplied according to the amount of processing liquid in the tank. It is preferable.

A suitable example is a method in which the deformation or displacement of the "lid" is fed back to the amount of processing liquid supplied.

As mentioned above, the present invention has been completed after considering items 0 to 0.

That is, the present invention provides a photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a photosensitive material by immersing it in a processing solution supplied into a processing tank by a processing solution supplying means, which includes a hollow structure for introducing a photosensitive material into a side wall of the processing tank. and a carry-out passage, and the positions of proximal ports of the carry-in passage and the carry-out passage located in the processing tank are set below the liquid level of the processing liquid, and the amount of the processing liquid in the processing tank. This photosensitive material processing apparatus is characterized in that it is provided with a means that deforms or displaces in response to an increase or decrease in the amount of water, and that means substantially eliminates any open portion of the processing liquid.

Further, in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention, the processing liquid supply means includes a processing liquid amount control means capable of controlling the supply amount of the processing liquid according to the amount of the processing liquid in the processing tank. This is a photosensitive material processing equipment.

<Function> In the present invention having such a configuration, for example, as a means for substantially eliminating the open portion of the processing liquid by covering the liquid surface, for example, according to an increase or decrease in the amount of processing liquid in the processing tank,
Provide a flexible thin plate that curves outward and inward of the processing tank, or provide a floating lid or fluid layer that floats on the processing liquid so as to cover almost the entire surface of the processing liquid and moves up and down with the liquid level. This allows the processing liquid to be substantially isolated from the outside air, and also prevents the deformation of the flexible thin plate, the floating lid or the fluid layer from changing the liquid pressure due to an increase or decrease in the amount of processing liquid in the processing tank. It acts to absorb this by the displacement of .

<Embodiments> The present invention will be described in detail below based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Note that the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 according to the illustrated embodiment has a plurality of processing tanks arranged in parallel, for example, to perform development processing, bleaching/fixing processing, and water washing processing on the sheet-shaped photosensitive material 200. In order to simplify the explanation, only one processing tank is shown in the figure.

In FIG. 1, a processing tank 10 used in this photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 is filled with a processing solution 2 depending on the type of processing, such as a developer or a bleach/fix solution.

For example, two opposing side walls 1 of this processing tank 10
1.12 includes a carry-in passage 13 for introducing the photosensitive material 200 transported from the previous step (not shown) into the processing tank 10, and a passageway 13 for introducing the photosensitive material 200 processed in the processing tank 10 into the processing tank 10. , and a carry-out passage 14 for carrying out the light-sensitive material to a photosensitive material processing tank (not shown) prepared for a subsequent process are disposed opposite to each other.

Both the carry-in passage 13 and the carry-out passage 14 are configured as hollow photosensitive material passages, and each of the passages 13 and 14 has a tip end opening 13a located on the atmosphere side;
14a and a proximal opening 13b located inside the processing tank,
The installation height of 14b is set below the liquid level of the processing liquid 2 and within a plane substantially parallel to the liquid level of the processing liquid 2.

The sizes (cross-sectional areas) of the tip side openings 13a and 14a are set to such a size that the processing liquid 2 will not leak outward from these passages 13, 14 due to its surface tension.

Note that it is also possible to provide sealing means (not shown), such as a squeegee, for forcibly blocking the leakage of the processing liquid 2 in both passages 13 and 14, and in this case, the tip side port There is no such restriction on the size of 13a, 14a.

The photosensitive material 200 is then conveyed from the previous step to the introduction roller means 15 by an appropriate conveyance means, passed through the introduction passage 13 by the introduction roller means 15, and is carried into the processing tank 10, and then, The above-mentioned carrying-out passage 14 is reached by an in-tank conveying means 16 installed so as to be immersed in the processing liquid 2 in this processing tank 10 .

In this case, the introduction roller means 15
A small pair of rollers is installed in the atmosphere side space of No. 3.

In order to form an intra-tank conveying path 17 for the photosensitive material 200 in the processing tank 10, the tank conveying means 16 reverses the traveling direction of the photosensitive material 200 at the upper and lower positions in the tank with a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers 16a. It has upper and lower conveyance direction reversing means 16b and 16c arranged so that the conveyance direction can be reversed.

In addition, each of the above-mentioned roller pairs 15 and 16a is, for example,
It is composed of two unit rollers whose outer peripheral surfaces are in pressure contact with each other, and both conveyance direction reversing means 16b and 16c are provided with a guide with a radius of curvature that does not mechanically or physically harm the photosensitive material 200, for example. It consists of a roller and a reversing guide that curves in an arc along the circumference of the roller.

On the other hand, near the center of the bottom wall of the processing tank 10, a processing liquid supply opening 18 is formed to receive a new processing liquid 2 supplied by a processing liquid supply means 20, which will be described later.

This processing liquid supply means 20 is a suitable processing liquid storage tank 2.
1, a liquid guide pipe 22 that communicates between this tank 21 and the supply opening 18 on the processing tank 10 side, and a liquid feed pump 23 of an appropriate structure provided in the middle of this liquid guide pipe 22. be done.

A shielding lid 30 is installed above the processing tank 10 to block the processing liquid 2 from the atmosphere.

This shielding lid 30 includes, for example, a rigid frame 31 having an opening 31a in the center, and a frame 31 made of a rigid body having an opening 31a in the center.
1, a stretchable and chemical-resistant material such as synthetic rubber (neobrene rubber, silicone rubber, etc.), natural rubber, soft resin (polyethylene, polypropylene, saran, polyurethane, nylon, Tetron, etc.) is spread in the opening 31a of 1. The flexible thin plate 32 is made of a material that has the following properties.

Note that the shape of the opening 31a may be any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, or any other polygon (and its formation position with respect to the frame 31 is not limited to the central part. Two or more openings may be formed.

The peripheral edge of the frame 31 is fixedly and liquid-tightly attached to the upper end of the peripheral wall of the processing tank 10, and the peripheral edge of the flexible thin plate 32 is also liquid-tightly attached to the opening 31a of the frame 31. Joined.

The processing tank 1 whose upper part is shielded by such a shielding lid 30
0 contains a nearly full amount of processing liquid 2, and when the internal liquid pressure fluctuates as the amount of processing liquid in the processing tank 10 increases or decreases, the amount of processing liquid changes. Depending on the increase or decrease, the flexible thin plate 32 expands upward or downward in a curved manner, thereby absorbing liquid volume fluctuations (fluid pressure fluctuations) in the processing tank 10.

With this configuration, the processing liquid 2 is substantially isolated (blocked) from the outside air, thereby preventing evaporation, temperature drop, alteration, and deterioration of the processing liquid 2, as well as contamination of dust into the processing liquid 2. Furthermore, the processing liquid 2 can be prevented from overflowing to the outside of the tank even when the liquid level fluctuates in the processing tank 10 (
, can be handled.

Note that in the present invention, a shielding lid whose entire surface is rigid is installed above the processing tank 10, and the same opening as described above is inserted into the processing tank 10.
It is also possible to have a configuration in which the opening is provided on the side wall 11 or 12, etc., and a flexible thin plate similar to that described above is attached to this opening, and even in this case, the same functions and effects as described above can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 1, above the shielding lid 30, a displacement amount detection means 40 is provided which determines the limit of the vertical deflection range of the flexible thin plate 32.

This displacement amount detection means 40 includes, for example, a stylus 41 whose lower end touches the central portion (the portion where the amount of vertical displacement is the thickest) of the flexible thin plate 32, and a stylus 41 that moves the stylus 41 in the vertical direction. A support cylinder 42 that is slidably supported, and an upper limit point 43 and a lower limit point 44 set at the upper and lower parts of this support cylinder 42.
When the reference setting point (not shown) of the stylus 41 reaches these upper limit points 43 or lower limit points 44, the pump operation of the liquid feeding pump 23 on the processing liquid supply means 20 side is stopped. A control circuit 45 that outputs a signal and a pump operation start signal, and a control circuit 45 that outputs a signal and a pump operation start signal, and a control circuit 45 that outputs a signal and a pump operation start signal;
and a liquid pump drive circuit 46 that drives the pump.

Therefore, as the processing liquid 2 in the processing tank 10 increases or decreases, -
C When the flexible thin plate 32 of the shielding lid 30 is bent upward or downward, the amount of deflection (displacement amount) of this flexible thin plate 32
When the stylus 42 is displaced upward or downward in accordance with
detects this state and outputs a control signal for stopping or starting the operation of the liquid feeding pump 23 to the liquid feeding pump drive circuit 46.

Note that the smaller the opening area of the opening 31a, the more responsive the flexible thin plate is to deformation to increases and decreases in the amount of processing liquid, and the more delicate control of the amount of processing liquid supplied becomes possible. On the other hand, the larger the opening area of the opening 31a, the wider the range in which the amount of processing liquid can be increased or decreased.

Now, the processing tank 1
The photosensitive material 200 conveyed outside the contact roller means 5
0 to another processing tank prepared for the subsequent process. The communication roller means 50 is composed of, for example, two unit rollers whose outer peripheral surfaces are in pressure contact with each other.

In this case, the communication roller means 50 is configured in advance from a plurality of pairs of rollers, and for each pair of rollers, for example,
(2) A function to absorb the applied water and the residual processing liquid exuding from the photosensitive material 200, (2) a function to replenish the processing liquid for subsequent processing into the processing tank in the subsequent process, etc. The roller pair may be configured to have a function other than the conveying function, such as a function of applying a processing liquid such as a bleaching/fixing liquid to the photosensitive material 200 that is being conveyed.

In addition, regarding the processing tank in the present invention, various types,
Although a treatment tank having this configuration can be used, when the configuration shown in the figure is used, the above-mentioned crossover length is shortened.

In the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 having such a configuration, the photosensitive material 200 that has been conveyed from the previous step via the introduction roller means 15 is transported through the carry-in passage 13 that is formed approximately horizontally on one side wall 11 of the processing tank 10. and is carried into the processing tank 10 through this passage 13.

The photosensitive material 200 that has entered the processing tank 10 is moved through the processing solution 2 at a predetermined speed along the tank transport path 17 by the tank transport means 16, and is then transported through a roughly horizontal transport path 17. It is carried out of the processing tank 10 through the passage 14, and guided through the communication roller means 50 to a processing tank for subsequent processing prepared for a subsequent process.

Therefore, for example, the spatial transport path that exits the tip end opening 14a of the unloading passageway 14 and heads toward the processing tank for subsequent processing traces a nearly straight trajectory (this results in a shortened crossover length. Particularly When the carry-in route 13 and the carry-out route 14 of the photosensitive material 200 are set horizontally, the crossover length can be minimized.

In this embodiment, both the carry-in passage 13 and the carry-out passage 14 are made to protrude almost horizontally from the side wall of the processing tank 10, but only one of the carry-in passage 13 and the carry-out passage 14 is made to project in this way. It may be configured as follows.

Alternatively, the carry-in passage 13 and the carry-out passage 14 may be configured to protrude obliquely upward from the side walls 11 and 12, and their front end openings are located above the liquid level.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which the shielding lid 30 has a different configuration. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 are the same as in FIG. 1, so detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

A photosensitive material processing apparatus 60 according to this embodiment differs from the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 described above in that a floating lid 61 that can float on the processing liquid surface is used as a lid for covering the processing liquid level in the processing tank 10. It's there.

That is, the floating lid 61 is placed on the surface of the processing liquid 2 with a slight gap (negligibly small and does not impede the effects of the present invention) with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the side wall of the processing tank 10. The floating lid 61 is configured to float, and is displaced in the vertical direction as the amount of processing liquid 2 in the processing tank 10 increases or decreases, and the amount of displacement is detected by the displacement amount detection means 40. By doing so, the amount of processing liquid supplied into the processing tank 10 is controlled in the same manner as described above.

In this case, the structure and material of the floating lid 61 are as follows: (1) It has buoyancy with respect to the processing liquid 2, and (2) It is chemically stable against contact with the processing liquid 2, and in particular, it does not dissolve into the processing liquid. (1) has gas and liquid impermeability; (2) has no adverse effect on the processing performance; (2) has gas and liquid impermeability; Any object that can be detected as a mechanical quantity or a physical quantity (including a quantity of light using invisible light) may be used, and as long as it satisfies this condition, it may be a rigid body, a flexible body, an elastic body, or a body that satisfies this condition. , these hollow bodies may be used.

In addition, in the unlikely event that the floating lid 61
It is preferable to install stoppers 62, 63 capable of locking the floating lid 61 on the side walls 11 and 12 above the passage 13, 14 so that the floating lid 61 does not come into contact with the photosensitive material 200, etc. .

The one shown in FIG. 3 has a fluid layer 7 instead of the shielding lid 30.
1 is another embodiment according to the present invention in which case No. 1 is used.
In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 are the same as in FIG. 1, so detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

The difference between the photosensitive material processing apparatus 70 according to this embodiment and the photosensitive material processing apparatuses 1 and 60 is that the processing tank 10
A fluid layer 71 that can float on the surface of the processing solution is used as a lid to cover the surface of the processing solution inside.

The fluid layer 71 is made of, for example, paraffin, which is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the side wall of the processing tank 10 and floats on the surface of the processing liquid 2 .

Then, when this fluid layer 71 is displaced in the vertical direction due to fluctuations in the amount of processing liquid 2 in the processing tank 10, the amount of displacement is detected by a float-type displacement amount detection means 72. By doing so, the amount of processing liquid supplied into the processing tank 10 is controlled in the same manner as described above.

In this case, the displacement amount detection means 72 includes a detection lever 73 in the shape of an "angular" which rotates about a fulcrum 73a, and a float 74 rotatably attached to the tip of the long arm of this lever 73. , a pressing protrusion 75 formed near the tip of the short arm of the detection lever 73, and a cantilever-type limit switch 76 that bends when pressed by the pressing protrusion 75.
and a control circuit 77 that outputs a pump operation start signal and a pump operation stop signal related to the liquid feeding pump 23 on the processing liquid supply means 20 side based on the disconnection/connection (opening/closing) of the contact of the switch 76; It is composed of the liquid feeding pump drive circuit 46.

Note that the aforementioned control circuit 77 is set as follows.
That is, (1) when the position of the fluid layer 71 lowers as the amount of processing liquid in the processing tank 10 decreases, the float 74 descends accordingly, and the contact of the limit switch 76 opens;
A pump operation start signal for the liquid feeding pump 23 on the processing liquid supplying means 20 side is output; The pump operation stop signal is set to continue being output while the contact of the limit switch 76 is closed.

Further, the fluid constituting the fluid layer 71 is the processing liquid 2.
It has a smaller specific gravity (preferably less than 1.0) and can float, and is not compatible with or miscible with this treatment liquid 2.
Moreover, it does not react with the processing liquid 2 and adversely affect the processing properties of the photosensitive material 200, and has a relatively high viscosity (
For example, it is preferably a fluid (about 50 to 500 cps at a temperature of 20 to 50°C).

Specific examples include various synthetic oils such as paraffin and silicone oil, various natural oils such as linseed oil and tung oil,
tricresyl phosphate, dibutylphenol,
Examples include liquid crystal.

On the other hand, the thickness of this fluid layer 71 is determined by the evaporation of the processing liquid 2,
The thickness may be sufficient to sufficiently prevent alteration and deterioration, and it depends on the type of fluid used and the area covered by the fluid, but for example, in the case of paraffin, the thickness may be 0.1 to 1.
It is preferable to set it to about 0 mm.

The reason for this is that if it is less than 0.1m+n, evaporation of the processing liquid 2 can be prevented, but the permeability of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air will be high (this will cause oxidation and pH reduction of the processing liquid 2). This is because there is a risk of causing
This is because fluid such as paraffin may adhere to the hydrophobic surface of the conveyance roller or the like, causing problems such as paraffin adhesion to the photosensitive material 200.

Although several embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments (it should be noted that various modifications can be made without changing the gist thereof).

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention,
With a simple structure, it is possible to prevent evaporation, temperature drop, change in quality, and deterioration of the processing liquid, and it is also possible to cope with fluctuations in the amount of processing liquid in the processing tank.

Additionally, the crossover length can be shortened depending on the location of the photosensitive material loading and unloading paths.

In addition to reducing the size of the device, the time required for crossover can be shortened and the overall processing time can be shortened.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing a configuration example of a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention. 2 and 3 are partial cross-sectional side views schematically showing other configuration examples of the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention, respectively. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing a configuration example of a conventional photosensitive material processing apparatus. Explanation of symbols 1.60.70...Photosensitive material processing device 2...Processing liquid 10...Processing tank 11.12...Side wall 13...Carry-in passages 13a, 14a...Tip side opening 13b , 14b... Base end side opening 14... Carrying out passage 15... Introducing roller means 16... In-tank conveying means 16a... Conveying roller pair 16b, 16c... Conveying direction reversing means 17... - In-tank transport path 18... Processing liquid supply opening 20... Processing liquid supply means 21... Processing liquid storage tank 22... Liquid guiding pipe 23... Liquid feeding pump 30... Shielding lid 31... Frame 31a... Opening 32... Flexible thin plate 101... Processing tank 102 for preceding processing... Processing tanks 104 to 107 for subsequent processing... Each roller means 108... - Tank transport path 109... Transport roller ρ... Distance between processing tanks 200... Photosensitive material 40... Displacement detection means 41... Stylus 42... Support tube 43...・Upper limit point 44 ・Lower limit point 45 ・Detection control circuit 46 ・Liquid pump drive circuit 50 ・Communication roller means 61 ・Floating lid 62, 63 ・Stopper 71 ・・・Fluid layer 72...Displacement detection means 73...Detection lever 73a...Fully point 74...Float 75...Press projection 76...Limit switch 77...Control circuit h...Deflection Range 100...Photosensitive material processing equipment F IG, 1 FIG, 2

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a photosensitive material processing apparatus that processes a photosensitive material by immersing it in a processing solution supplied into a processing tank by a processing solution supply means, a hollow structure is provided in the side wall of the processing tank for carrying in and carrying out the photosensitive material. Is installed, set the position of the base end side opening located in the processing tank of the carry -in passage and the processing tank of the passage is set down from the liquid surface of the processing solution, and the amount of liquid of the processing tank in the processing tank is increased or decreased. What is claimed is: 1. A photosensitive material processing apparatus comprising means for deforming or displacing the material, said means substantially eliminating any open portion of the processing liquid. (2) The processing liquid supply means includes processing liquid amount control means capable of controlling the supply amount of the processing liquid according to the amount of the processing liquid in the processing tank. Photosensitive material processing equipment.