JPH0486659A - Photosensitive material processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve processing efficiency and to reduce the size of the device by installing blades in the respective narrow-width passages successively connected with plural processing chambers and using panel heating element as temp. control means. CONSTITUTION:The plural processing chambers 6A to 6E successively connected by the narrow-width passages, the blades 15 installed in the respective passages, transporting means 8 for successively passing a silver halide photosensitive material S in the respective processing chambers 6A to 6E and the panel heating elements 5 for heating the processing liquids (for example, washing water W) in the processing chambers 6A to 6E are provided. Consequently, the liquid compsn. gradients of the processing liquids are formed between the respective processing chambers 6A to 6E. In addition, the liquid compsn. gradients are maintained by the shielding effect and squeezing effect of the blades 15 and further, since the temp. control is executed by the panel heating elements 5, there is no need for installing the heaters on the outside of a processing tank 2 and the need for temp. control means is eliminated according to the kinds and functions of the panel heating elements 5. The processing efficiency is improved and the replenishing quantity of the processing liquid is decreased. The size of the device is thus reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus for processing a silver halide photosensitive material (hereinafter simply referred to as a photosensitive material or photosensitive material) after exposure.

<Prior art> Black and white photosensitive materials are processed through steps such as black and white development, fixing, and water washing after exposure, while color photosensitive materials are processed through steps such as color development and water washing after exposure.
It is processed through processes such as desilvering, water washing, and stabilization.

Black and white developer for black and white development, fixer for fixing, color developer for color development, bleach, bleach-fix, fixer for desilvering, tap water or ion exchange water for washing, Stabilizing solutions are used in each stabilization process.

The temperature of each processing solution is usually adjusted to 30 to 40°C, and the photosensitive material is immersed in these processing solutions to be processed.

Such processing is usually performed by a processing device such as an automatic processor.

In such cases, in recent years there has been a demand for environmental conservation and resource saving, and it is desired to reduce the amount of each processing liquid used.

On the other hand, with the development of small-scale processing systems called minilabs, photosensitive materials are now being processed at stores such as photo shops, and there is a desire for smaller devices.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present applicant first proposed a method that includes a plurality of processing chambers connected by narrow passages, and allows the photosensitive material to pass sequentially through each processing chamber and come into contact with the processing liquid in each processing chamber. We have proposed a photosensitive material processing apparatus that processes photosensitive materials (Patent Application No. 1-251).
No. 32, No. 1-27034, No. 1-'90422,
No. 1-248930, No. 2-54641, No. 2-1
No. 55667, etc.).

These devices have the advantage that the apparatus can be made smaller and the processing efficiency is improved, so that the amount of processing liquid used can be reduced.

In this way, processing efficiency is improved because each processing chamber is connected by a narrow passage, so there is almost no mixing of processing liquids between each processing chamber (according to the supply direction of processing liquid, each A gradient is formed in the liquid composition or concentration of the processing liquid in the processing chamber,
This is because this is maintained.

For example, in the case of washing water, washing water (washing water) is used between each processing room.
The degree of contamination of the washing water changes according to the direction in which the washing water is supplied, and by conveying the photosensitive material in the opposite direction to the direction in which the washing water is supplied,
The photosensitive material is sequentially treated with clean washing water, improving the washing efficiency.

By the way, the temperature of the processing solution in conventional photosensitive material processing equipment is controlled by inserting a rod-shaped heater into the processing tank or a sub-tank connected to the processing tank and immersing it in the processing solution, or by controlling the processing solution circulation. This was done by installing a heater in the middle of the piping etc. that made up the system.

However, the temperature control means having such a configuration requires a large amount of installation space, which is an obstacle to downsizing the device.

Furthermore, in the photosensitive material processing apparatus having the plurality of processing chambers, it is not possible to mix the processing liquids in each processing chamber.
It is necessary to control the temperature of the processing liquid in each processing chamber or to place the processing tank in a constant temperature bath.

However, in the former case, it is necessary to provide a number of temperature control means corresponding to the number of processing chambers, and in the latter case, a constant temperature chamber that is slightly larger than the processing tank must be installed.
Due to the installation of temperature control means, the miniaturization of the equipment has not been sufficient.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> An object of the present invention is to provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus that can improve processing efficiency, reduce the amount of replenishment of processing liquid, and downsize the apparatus. .

Means for Solving the Problems> Such objects are achieved by the following inventions (1) to (6).

(1) A plurality of processing chambers sequentially connected by narrow passages, a blade installed in each of the passages, a conveying means for sequentially passing the silver halide photosensitive material through each of the processing chambers, and processing within the processing chamber. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized by having a planar heating element that heats a liquid.

(2) A plurality of processing chambers sequentially connected by narrow passages, a blade installed in each of the passages, a conveying means for sequentially passing the silver halide photosensitive material through each of the processing chambers, and processing within the processing chamber. A photosensitive material processing apparatus comprising a processing tank removably loaded with a rack having a planar heating element for heating a solution, the apparatus comprising: a first area including a processing chamber through which the silver halide photosensitive material first passes; A partition member is installed on the rack side to separate the first area from the second area including the processing chamber through which the silver halide photosensitive material passes last, and the end of the partition member engages with the inner surface of the processing tank to separate the first and second areas from each other. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that the apparatus is configured to substantially block flow of processing liquid between the second regions.

(3) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to (2) above, wherein the planar heating element is installed on the surface or inside of the partition member.

(4) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to 3), wherein the planar heating element heats a part of the plurality of processing chambers.

(5) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to 4) above, wherein the planar heating element has a negative temperature coefficient of resistance.

(6) The photosensitive material according to any one of (1) to 5) above, wherein a drain pipe is connected to a processing chamber other than the processing chamber through which the silver halide photosensitive material passes first and the processing chamber through which it passes last. Material processing equipment.

<Function> In the present invention, a plurality of processing chambers are sequentially connected by narrow passages, and a blade is installed in each passage so as to block the passage when the photosensitive material does not pass through. Between the chambers, a liquid composition gradient (concentration gradient) of the processing liquid is maintained according to the supply direction of the processing liquid, and processing efficiency is improved.

By installing blades in the passageway, particularly at least a pair of opposing blades, the liquid composition gradient of the processing liquid in each processing chamber can be dramatically maintained over a long period of time.

That is, when the photosensitive material passes through, the blade comes into contact with both sides of the photosensitive material, creating an effect of wiping off the liquid adhering to the photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to as "squeeze effect"), and moving the photosensitive material from the previous processing chamber to the subsequent processing chamber. The amount of liquid brought in is reduced.

Furthermore, even when the photosensitive material is passing through, the liquid flow only occurs through a minute gap (approximately the thickness of the photosensitive material) between the blades that occurs at the side edge of the photosensitive material, so the ability of the blades to block the liquid flow is insufficient. There is no need for liquid flow that exceeds the replenishment amount of processing liquid.

When the photosensitive material is not passing through, the opposing blades are in close contact with each other, so there is almost no liquid flow in the passage.

In addition, when a partition member is provided to separate a first area including a processing chamber through which the photosensitive material passes first and a second area including a processing chamber through which the photosensitive material passes last, it is possible to Since the liquid flow is also blocked, the effect of maintaining the liquid composition gradient in each processing chamber is further enhanced.

In addition, in the present invention, a planar heating element is used as a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the processing liquid, but since this planar heating element is in the form of a thin plate, it can be placed anywhere on the partition member, the inner wall of the processing tank, etc. It can be installed in a small space (therefore, it contributes to miniaturization of the device).

In particular, when a planar heating element having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance is used, there is no need to control the amount of heat generated, so the structure is further simplified.

The reason why the temperature of the processing liquid can be controlled by the planar heating element is that the amount of processing liquid and the amount of replenishment in the processing tank are sufficiently reduced by the processing using the plurality of processing chambers.

In particular, the washing process does not require precise temperature control of the washing water, so it is ideal for temperature control using a planar heating element.

In this case, there is no need to circulate the processing liquid in each processing chamber, and the apparatus can be downsized by omitting the installation of a processing liquid circulation system.

<Example> Hereinafter, the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing a configuration example when the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a water washing processing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. The figure shows m in Figure 1.
It is a sectional view taken along the line -■. As shown in these figures, the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 of the present invention has a vertically long processing tank 2 having a predetermined volume. Inside this processing tank 2, there is a rack 3.
is removably loaded. This rack 3 has a side plate 31
．． 32, and several block-shaped members (hereinafter referred to as block bodies) 4 are installed between these side plates.

These block bodies 4 are made of, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyphenylene oxide (PPO), A
It is made of hard materials such as plastics such as BS resin, phenol resin, polyester resin, and polyurethane resin, ceramics such as alumina, or various metals such as stainless steel and titanium. In particular, polypropylene has excellent moldability, is lightweight, and has sufficient strength.
Preferably, it is made of plastic such as 220% ABS resin.

In the illustrated example, the block body 4 is a solid member, but it is also a hollow member (manufactured by blow molding, for example).
It may also be configured as

Such a block body 4 provides five processing chambers 6A, 6B, and 6C1, which are spaces for washing the photosensitive material S.
6D and 6E are formed.

Each of these processing chambers 6A to 6E is filled with washing water W.

In the illustrated configuration, the volume per processing chamber is 20~
It may be about 3000mffi.

In addition, the processing chambers 6A and 6B, 6B and 6C, which are vertically adjacent to each other,
Narrow passages 71, 72, 73 and 74 are formed between 6C and 6D and between 6D and 6E to connect both processing chambers.

Furthermore, similar passages 75 and 76 are formed in the upper portions of the processing chambers 6A and 6E for carrying in and carrying out the photosensitive material S, respectively. The width of these passages 71 to 76 (
The effective slit width is preferably about 0.5 to 5 mm, which is about 5 to 40 times the thickness of the photosensitive material S.

With such a width, the photosensitive material S can be transported without any trouble.

In addition, in the illustrated configuration, the length of the passage between the processing chambers is 1
The thickness is preferably about 0 to 200+ nm, preferably about 20 to 60 mm.

A pair of blades 15 is installed in each of the passages 71 to 74, as shown.

The pair of blades 15 are attached to the block body 4 so that their tips are in close contact with each other when the photosensitive material S is not passing through.

The structure is such that when the photosensitive material S passes through, the tip portion is pushed out by the entry of the photosensitive material S.

FIG. 4a shows an enlarged view of the passage 71 portion in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 4a, the blade 15 is connected to the block body 4.
It consists of a base that is attached to the base and a tip that gradually decreases in thickness toward the tip, and is used in combination.

Further, the blade 15 may have substantially the same thickness from the base to the tip, as shown in FIG. 4b.

At this time, the average inclination angle of the blade 15 with respect to the surface of the photosensitive material S is generally about 10 to 70''.
In particular, it is preferable to set the angle to about 20 to 45 degrees.

The length from the base to the tip of the blade 15 may be greater than or equal to the effective slit width (w) of the passageway, but generally it is preferably 2 to 20 times this length, 10 to 50 mm, and particularly preferably. is preferably 3 to 10 times as large as 15 to 25 mm.

The length of the overlapping portion of the tips of the blades 15 in a pair of opposing blades 15 when the photosensitive material does not pass through is preferably about 1 to 10 mm, particularly about 2 to 5 mm. .

The thickness of the tip of the blade 15 may be 1/100 or more of the length of the blade 15 or 0.5 mm or more, particularly 1 to 1.5 mm.

The contact surface pressure between the blades 15 is 0.001 to 0,
About 1 kg/cm2, especially 0.01 to 0.05 kg/cm2
It is preferable to set it to about cm2.

With the above conditions, it is possible to ensure close contact between the tips of the blades 15 when the photosensitive material S is not passing through, and to effectively block the flow of the washing water W.

Further, the flow of the washing water W when the photosensitive material S passes through can be made very small.

The material of the blade 15 may be any material that does not adversely affect the washing water (for example, natural rubber, chloroprene rubber, etc.).
Various rubbers such as nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, fluorine rubber, inbrene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, soft resins such as soft polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, ionomer resin, fluororesin, silicone resin, etc. Examples include elastic materials.

Note that the adhesion force between the blades 15 is usually given by the elastic force of the blades, but it is also possible to incorporate a magnetic material into the tips of the blades 15 (such as rubber magnets) to attract the tips to each other. It is also possible to provide or increase adhesion.

In addition, even when the photosensitive material S slides on the blade 15, there is almost no adverse effect such as scratches on the emulsion surface, but if this cannot be ignored or when trying to reduce the sliding resistance, the blade 15 may be This can be dealt with by performing a surface treatment such as smoothing the inner surface or coating the inner surface with a lubricant such as silicone or Teflon.

In addition, in the illustrated example, the blade 15 is connected to each of the passages 71 to 7.
Although one pair of blades 15 are installed in each passageway 4, two or more pairs of blades 15 may be installed in each passageway 2.

In this case, the shielding effect and squeezing effect of the passages 71 to 74 become greater, and the amount of replenishment can be further reduced.

Further, the blades 15 are not limited to those forming a pair, and the blades 15 are not limited to those forming a pair.
As shown in the figure, the base of the blade 15 may be fixed to one wall in the passage 71, and the tip of the blade 15 may be in close contact with the other wall in the passage 71. .

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4d, the inner wall surface of the passage on the side opposite to the blade fixing side may protrude into the passage 71, and the tip of the blade 15 may be in close contact with this protrusion 40. In this configuration, the sliding resistance of the photosensitive material S is reduced compared to the configuration shown in FIG. 4c.

In the configuration shown in FIGS. 4c and 4d, it is preferable to convey the photosensitive material S so that the emulsion layer of the photosensitive material comes into contact with the blade 15.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, processing chambers 6A, 6B,
One pair of conveyance rollers 8 is installed near the center of each of 6D and 6E, and three pairs of conveyance rollers 8 are installed in the processing chamber 6C. Further, a pair of conveyance rollers 8 are installed near the photosensitive material entrance of the passage 75 and near the photosensitive material exit of the passage 76, respectively.

Each of these conveyance rollers 8 is connected to the side plate 3 at its rotating shaft 81.
1.32, both of the pair of rollers are driven to rotate, and the photosensitive material S is conveyed by sandwiching it between the rollers.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive mechanism for the conveyance rollers 8 includes a bevel gear 83 fixed at a predetermined position on a main shaft 82 extending vertically in the figure, and a bevel gear 83 fixed at a predetermined position on a main shaft 82 extending vertically in the figure, and a bevel gear 83 fixed at a predetermined position on a main shaft 82 extending in the vertical direction in the figure. By meshing with a fixed bevel gear 84 and rotating the main shaft 82 in a predetermined direction by the operation of a drive source (not shown) such as a motor, one of the conveyor rollers 8 of the roller pair is rotated.
is set to rotate. A gear 85 is fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft 81 of each conveying roller 8, and the meshing of the gear 85 causes the rotation of one roller 8 of the roller pair to be transmitted to the other roller 8. It has become.

The material constituting each conveyance roller 8 is preferably one that has durability and chemical resistance against washing water W, for example,
Various rubbers such as neobrane and EPT rubber, sunbrane,
Elastomers such as Thermolan and Hytrel, hard vinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, ABS resin, p
Various resins such as po, nylon, polyacetal (PoM), phenolic resin, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyether sulfone (PES), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), Teflon, ceramics such as alumina, stainless steel, titanium, Hastelloy, etc. metals with corrosion resistance, or a combination of these metals.

A guide 9 for guiding the photosensitive material S is installed between the conveying roller 8 and the passages 71 to 74 in the processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6D, and 6E.

The guides 9 are composed of a pair of plate-shaped members, and are placed facing each other with a distance between them through which the photosensitive material S passes.

Further, a reversing guide 10 is installed between the conveying rollers 8 in the processing chamber 6C, which is curved in an arc shape and changes the direction of the photosensitive material S along this curved portion.

These guides 9 and 10 are made of molded plastic or metal plates, for example.

Preferably, the guides 9.10 are also substantially uniformly formed with openings (not shown) passing through the guides. This enables the circulation of the washing water W and promotes the circulation of the liquid within the processing chamber, thereby improving the washing efficiency.

The guides 9 and 10, the conveyance rollers 8, and their drive system constitute means for conveying the photosensitive material S.

Note that the guides 9 and 10 may be provided partially along the conveyance route, or may not be provided, as long as they do not impede the conveyance of the photosensitive material S.

Above the processing chamber 6E, one end is open and the other end is a passage 76.
A liquid supply path 11 communicating with the block body 4 is formed through the block body 4 . Further, above the processing chamber 6A, a drain passage 12 is formed passing through the block body 4 and having one end open and the other end communicating with the passage 75.

On the other hand, the processing tank 2 is provided with a liquid supply pipe 13 and a drain pipe 14 that penetrate the side wall thereof and are open to the inner surface of the processing tank. Then, with the rack 3 loaded in the processing tank 2, the liquid supply path 11 and the liquid supply pipe 13, and the liquid drain path 12 and the liquid drain pipe 14 are connected, respectively.

The liquid supply pipe 13 is for connecting (replenishing) the washing water W, and the liquid drain pipe 14 is for discharging the overflow liquid OF of the washing water W that has become tired after processing due to overflow, etc. be.

A plate-shaped partition member 17 is installed in the rack 3 and is perpendicular to the side plates 31 and 32. As shown in FIG. 5, this partition member 17 partitions a first region 18 indicated by diagonal lines on the left side of the figure and a second region 19 indicated by crossed diagonal lines on the right side of the figure. The purpose is to block the

The first region 18 is a processing chamber 6 through which the photosensitive material S first passes.
This area includes A, and in the illustrated example, also includes process 6B, which is passed through second.

The second region 19 is the processing chamber 6 through which the photosensitive material S passes last.
E, and in the illustrated example, it also includes the process 6D that is passed through second to last.

As shown in FIG. 2, both ends 171.1 of the partition member 17
72 is formed with a taper (width gradually decreases toward the bottom in the figure), while 21 on both side walls of the processing tank 2 corresponding to this taper is formed.
．． 22 also has a tapered shape with the same angle. As a result, when the rack 3 is inserted into the processing tank 2, the ends 171, 172 of the partition member 17 engage with the inner surfaces of the side walls 21, 22 of the processing tank 2, and the first area 18 and the second area 19 are separated. compartmentalize.

At this time, the engaging portion comes into close contact with the rack 3 due to its own weight, and substantially blocks the flow of the washing water W.

Note that if a sealing member such as a gasket made of an elastic material is installed on this engaging portion, for example, the end portions 171 and 172,
This is preferable because the blocking performance of the washing water W is further improved.

The taper angles of the ends 171, 172 of the partition member 17 and the side walls 21, 22 of the processing tank 2 are not particularly limited, but are preferably about 2 to 10'' with respect to the vertical direction.

Note that the same material as the block body 4 can be used for the partition member 17, and the partition member 17 and each block body 4 and side plates 31 and 32 may be made by joining different members. It may be formed integrally.

Further, at predetermined positions in the height direction of the rack 3 on the outside of the side plates 31 and 32, flat plates 20 are installed which are perpendicular to the side plates 31 and 32 and the partition member 17, respectively.

The main shaft 82 passes through this flat plate 20 and is supported.

The installation position of the flat plate 20 is preferably at or near a certain height of the passages 71 to 74.

This flat plate 20 prevents the washing water W from flowing in the vertical direction between the side plate 31 and the side wall 21 and between the side plate 32 and the side wall 22. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the washing water W in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E from mixing through the outside of the side plates 31 and 32.

Inside the partition member 17, the processing chambers 6A, 6B, 6D
A sheet heating element 5 is buried in a position 6E.

The planar heating element 5 generates heat by being energized by an energizing means (not shown), and heats the washing water W in the processing chamber.

Moreover, unlike the illustration, the planar heating element 5 may be installed on the surface (particularly both surfaces) of the partition member 17.

By installing the planar heating element 5 on the partition member 17 in this way, there is an advantage that the installation space is not taken up and maintenance is easy because it can be installed and removed at the same time as the rack.

In addition, in the present invention, the planar heating element 5 is placed at another position, for example,
Side plate 31.32, flat plate 20, side wall 21.22 of processing tank 2
It may be installed on the surface or inside of the block body 4, the bottom wall, or the like.

Furthermore, the planar heating elements may be installed at two or more locations in one processing chamber.

In such a case, the planar heating element 5 may be installed fixedly or detachably with respect to the member on which it is installed.

Note that the planar heating element 5 may be installed so as to face all of the processing chambers among the processing chambers 6A to 6E, or may be installed so as to face only some of the processing chambers. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a planar heating element that directly heats the washing water W in the processing chamber 6C is not provided, but heat is transferred through the block body 4 and heated in the processing chamber 6D. Due to the inflow of the washing water, etc., the liquid temperature in the processing chamber 6C becomes equal to or slightly lower than the liquid temperature in other processing chambers, and the washing performance is not affected.

Furthermore, in order to equalize the liquid temperature in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E, it is preferable to install the planar heating element 5 so as to face all of the processing chambers 6A to 6E (see FIG. 6). . In this case, the calorific value of the planar heating elements for each processing chamber 6A to 6E is set according to the volume of the processing chamber, etc. (setting can be done by adjusting the installation area, operating area, amount of current, etc. of the planar heating element) It is preferable to do so.

Further, a temperature gradient may be formed in the liquid temperature in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E.

Methods of achieving this include, for example, a predetermined processing chamber (
For example, a method in which the planar heating element 5 is installed only in the processing chamber 6E), a method in which the planar heating element is operated (generates heat) only in a predetermined processing chamber, or the amount of heat generated by each planar heating element 5 Examples include a method of creating a difference between the two.

Examples of such a sheet heating element 5 include a panel heater with a built-in heater, an oil circulation type panel heater, a sheet heating element containing various conductive fillers, and a heater element coated with an insulating material. Among these, those containing a conductive filler and those in which the heater element is coated with an insulating material (such as an organic material, ceramics, or a mixed material thereof) are particularly preferable.

Examples of conductive fillers include organic conductive fillers such as carbon-based materials such as carbon black, graphite, and carbon fibers, metal powders such as iron, aluminum, titanium, and nickel, or titanium dioxide, iron oxide, and oxide. Examples include inorganic conductive fillers such as metal oxide powders such as zinc and magnesium oxide.

Specific examples of such a sheet heating element 5 include the following ■~[
Examples include things like [phase].

■ Carbon and paper fibers mixed with heat-resistant resin (
(manufactured by Toho Rayon ■, Toho Veslon ■) ■ A mixture of carbon black and heat-resistant resin (
(manufactured by Kaken ■) ■ Inorganic conductive paint (■ rHMc111 manufactured by Himax
■ Product name: NR-ceramic plate heater (manufactured by Nippon Steel) ■ Product name: NR-Fluororesin plate heater (manufactured by Nippon Steel) ■ Product name: Samicon Super 340 (Sakaguchi electric heating) ■ Product name: Idemitsu surface heater (manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan ■) ■ Teflon submersible panel heater Product name: Heatflon (manufactured by Two-Tone, Noguchi Seisakusho ■) ■ Product name: Thin heater F-1, F -2 (Narasaki Sangyo■
Product name: Silicone rubber heater (made by Taiyo) ■ Product name: Flexible mesh heater type SS
Type, J-KK type, KA type, KE type, 5-TS type, R-ni type, R-S type, KK type, 5-SS type (■Taiyo) 0 Product name: Valfron PFA Imagilon plate heater [PL-500] (manufactured by Palfron) 0 Product name Two new black heaters NBHI, NBH32, NBH34, NBHS6 (manufactured by Nikko) [Phase] Product name: Quick Ultra Heater QUT-4
0 (manufactured by Teikoku Piston Ring) The planar heating element 5 is preferably a negative register type as shown in (1) and (2) above, that is, one having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance (negative characteristics).

This type of heater has the property that the current value decreases as the temperature of the sheet heating element increases, that is, the amount of heat generated is small, and the temperature converges to a constant level. The temperature of the liquid can be kept constant without having to perform control such as pinching and turning on or off the heat source based on the pinching.

Therefore, there is no need to provide a control means for controlling the liquid temperature (which contributes to the simplification and miniaturization of the structure of the device).

In addition, when the sheet heating element 5 is of the type shown in ■~■ or ■~@ above, the calorific value of the sheet heating element 5 is controlled to keep the liquid temperature of the flushing water W constant. It is preferable to

In this case, a temperature sensor 16 is installed in the processing chamber, for example, as shown in FIG.
The temperature sensor 16 detects the temperature of the washing water W, and based on this detected value, the O of the sheet heating element S is controlled by a control means (not shown) such as a microcomputer.
N, OFF can be controlled.

It is preferable that the calorific value of the planar heating element 5 is such that the temperature of the treatment liquid falls within the range shown in Table 1 below.

Color negative film Color vapor developer 30-45℃ 30-45℃ Bleach 25-50℃ Bleach-fix solution 25-50℃ 25-50"C Fixer 25-50℃ Washing water 20-50℃ 20-50"C Stabilizing liquid 20-50°C Next, the usage and operation of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 1 will be explained.

When starting the processing of the photosensitive material S, the washing water W is supplied from the liquid supply port 13, and the processing chambers 6A to 6E and the narrow passages 71 to 74 are filled with the washing water W.

At this time, as described above, since the blade 15 is configured to block the flow of the washing water W when the photosensitive material S does not pass, a sheet-like material is used to replace the photosensitive material S when the washing water W is supplied. It is preferable to transport and supply smoothly. Further, each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E may be provided with a liquid supply port and filled with the washing water W.

Next, electricity is applied to the planar heating element 5 to heat the washing water W in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E to a desired temperature.

In this state, the photosensitive material S is transferred to the passage 75 above the processing chamber 6A.
At the same time, replenishment of washing water W from the liquid supply pipe 13 is started.

As mentioned above, at the same time as the processing of the photosensitive material S starts, the washing water W is
The reason for starting the replenishment is that the blade 15 has a great blocking effect on the washing water W, and the washing water W does not substantially flow until the photosensitive material S enters the blade 15.

During the treatment period, this replenishment continues and the drain pipe 14
Almost the same amount of overflow liquid OF as the replenishment amount is discharged from the tank.

On the other hand, the photosensitive material S is placed in the processing chamber 6A as indicated by the arrow in the figure.
, 6B, 6C16D, and 6E are transported in this order.

Therefore, the flow direction of the washing water W is opposite to the conveyance direction of the photosensitive material S (counter flow). This also improves the water washing efficiency.

When the processing is finished and the photosensitive material S is carried out of the passage 76 above the processing chamber 6E, the replenishment of the washing water W is stopped at the same time.

In such a case, the degree of contamination of the washing water W in each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E due to the introduction of chemicals attached to the photosensitive material S from the previous bath is reduced by the squeezing effect of the blade 15. This reduces the amount of liquid carried into the subsequent processing chamber, the blade 15 has an extremely high ability to block liquid, and the washing water W is supplied by counterflow as described above.
The process chambers 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E gradually become smaller, and the liquid composition gradient in each of the process chambers 6A to 6E is maintained extremely well.

Therefore, the water washing efficiency is significantly improved and the amount of replenishment can be significantly reduced.

The amount of replenishment may be approximately the amount of circulation determined by the gap created when the photosensitive material S passes through the blade 15.

Such replenishment amount mainly depends on the width of the photosensitive material S.

Depends on thickness, conveyance speed, etc. Taking the processing of color paper (thickness 0.24 mm) as an example, the results are as shown in Table 2 below.

Surface material width (mm) Conveyance speed Replenishment amount (water supply amount) 82.5 60cm/min 13 mj/min 80cm/min
17 mQ1 minute 100cm/minute 21
mj/min 60cm/min 19.4+nj/min 80cm/min 26 rnl/min 100cm/
Minutes 32.4mj/min 60cm/min 23
tng/min 80 cm/min 311/min 100 crn/min 38.5 mj/min The replenishment amount exemplified in Table 2 is about 50 to 80% of the conventional replenishment amount. There are no stains caused by poor washing.

In this way, since the amount of replenishment of the washing water W is reduced and strict temperature control is not required during washing, the stirring of the washing water in each processing chamber 6A to 6E is controlled by the rotation of the conveyance roller 8. This is achieved through convection caused by temperature differences and temperature differences, and even without installing means to actively circulate or stir the processing solution, the uniformity of the solution composition and temperature within the processing chamber can be maintained sufficiently, and good water washing can be performed. I can do it.

Further, as a result of being able to improve the water washing efficiency, the volume of each of the processing chambers 6A to 6E can be reduced, contributing to miniaturization of the apparatus.

Further, when the photosensitive material S is not passing through (not being processed), the blade 15 blocks the flow of the washing water W between adjacent processing chambers, so mixing of the washing water W hardly occurs. As a result, even if the treatment is stopped for a long period of time and then resumed, efficient water washing can be carried out immediately.

The timing of replenishment and the amount of replenishment described above may be controlled using known control methods and means.

In the above description, it is assumed that washing water W is replenished at the same time as processing of the photosensitive material, but replenishment may be carried out during non-processing.

In such a case, a bypass may be provided to connect adjacent processing chambers, so that an amount of liquid corresponding to the amount of replenishment in the preceding processing chamber flows into the subsequent processing chamber.

Although the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention has been described above with reference to an example in which it is applied to a water washing processing apparatus, the present invention is not limited thereto (the present invention can be applied to various types of processing).

In addition, a process that has the function of washing out unnecessary substances in the photosensitive material (
For example, regarding stabilization, fixing, adjustment, reversal, etc., the same structure as that of the washing processing bag and placement may be used.

In the present invention, it is also possible to perform processing by supplying two or more types of processing liquids with different functions from different processing chambers.
As an example, FIG. 6 shows an apparatus in which bleaching, bleach-fixing and fixing can be carried out in the same processing tank.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus 1'' shown in FIG. 6 will be described below, and the same members as those in the apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
Explanation of similar matters will be omitted.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus 1° uses the liquid drain path 12 and the liquid drain pipe 14 shown in FIG. 1 as the liquid supply path 41 and the liquid supply pipe 43.

Further, one end of the drain pipe 44 is connected to a processing chamber other than the processing chamber 6A through which the photosensitive material S passes first and the processing chamber 6E through which it passes last, that is, the processing chamber 6C.

The other end of this drain pipe 44 is installed at a height position that sets the liquid level in the processing tank 2.

In this photosensitive material processing apparatus 1°, a bleaching solution (or its replenisher) R1 is supplied from the supply pipe 43, and a fixing solution (or its replenisher) R2 is supplied from the supply pipe 13.

During processing, the bleaching liquid R1 supplied from the liquid supply pipe 43 sequentially passes through the processing chamber 6A, the passage 71, the processing chamber 6B, and the passage 72, and flows into the processing chamber 6C. On the other hand, the fixer R2 supplied from the liquid supply pipe 13 is supplied to the processing chamber 6E and the passage 7 during processing.
4. It passes through the processing chamber 6D and the passage 73 in order and flows into the processing chamber 6C.

The bleaching solution and fixing solution that have flowed into the processing chamber 6C in this way are mixed in the processing chamber 6C to become a bleach-fixing solution, and the exhausted bleach-fixing solution flows from the drain pipe 44 into an overflow solution.
It is discharged as Fg.

In this case, during processing, the bleaching solution flows in the same direction as the direction in which the photosensitive material S is transported (parallel flow), and the fixing solution flows in the opposite direction to the direction in which the photosensitive material S is transported (counter flow).

In addition, in this apparatus 1', it is necessary to control the temperature of the processing liquid more strictly than in the water washing process, so there is also a surface on the inner surface of the bottom wall of the processing tank 2 that heats the liquid in the processing chamber 6C. A shaped heating element 5 is installed.

The installation pattern of the planar heating element 5 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 6, and may be installed so as to face only a part of the processing chamber, for example, the processing chamber 6A.

In addition to the above, the present invention can be applied to various other processes such as development, bleaching, fixing, and bleach-fixing alone. Can be used by changing the flow of liquid.

Generally, in a processing solution containing a compound that reacts with silver halide, etc. in the photosensitive material, such as a developer, bleach solution, bleach-fix solution, and fixing solution, the flow of the processing solution is different from the washing water mentioned above. In order to improve processing efficiency, it is preferable to set the flow in the same direction as the transport direction (parallel flow). As for the processing liquid having a fixing function, counter flow may be used since it also has the effect of washing out unnecessary substances in the sensitive material, as described above.

Even when using various processing equipment other than water washing, the squeezing effect and liquid blocking effect by the blade can be obtained in the same way as washing processing, and in both cases, the processing efficiency is improved, the amount of replenishment is reduced, and the equipment is smaller. It is possible to aim for

The various processing solutions used in the present invention, such as washing water, stabilizing solution, black and white developer, color developer, bleaching solution, fixing solution, bleach-fixing solution, stop solution, adjustment solution, and reversal solution, can be any of the known ones. (For details on these processing solutions, see "Fundamentals of Photographic Engineering" edited by the Photographic Society of Japan, published by Corona Publishing (1978))
P299 r Chapter 4 Development Process", etc. can be referred to.

In the present invention, the type of photosensitive material to be processed is not particularly limited, and may be either a color photosensitive material or a black and white photosensitive material. Examples include color negative film, color reversal film, color positive film, color photographic paper, color reversal photographic paper, photographic light-sensitive material for plate making, X-ray photographic light-sensitive material, black-and-white negative film, black-and-white photographic paper, and light-sensitive material for microphotography.

The photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention can be applied to various photosensitive material processing apparatuses such as automatic developing machines, wet copying machines, printer processors, video printer processors, photo print making coin machines, and color paper processing machines for plate inspection. I can do it.

Although the configuration examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention, a liquid composition gradient of the processing liquid is formed between each processing chamber, and this liquid composition gradient is maintained by the shielding effect and squeezing effect of the blade.

Therefore, processing efficiency is improved, and it is possible to reduce the amount of processing liquid to be replenished and the amount of processing liquid in the processing chamber.

As a result, it is also possible to omit the installation of means for circulating and stirring the processing liquid.

Furthermore, since the temperature of the processing liquid is controlled by the planar heating element installed inside the processing tank, there is no need to install a heater outside the processing tank (and it does not take up installation space. Depending on the type and function, it may not be necessary to install a means for temperature control.

From the above, the photosensitive material processing apparatus can be downsized.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an example of the configuration of a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I[I-III in FIG. 1. FIGS. 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d are cross-sectional side views showing enlarged configuration examples of the blade, respectively. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the first region and the second region in the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view showing another example of the configuration of the photosensitive material processing apparatus of the present invention. Explanation of symbols 1.1''...Photosensitive material processing device 2...Processing tank 21.22...Side wall 3...Rack 31.32...Side plate 4...Block body 40...Protrusion Part 5... Planar heating elements 6A to 6E... Processing chambers 71 to 76... Passage 8... Conveyance roller 81... Rotating shaft 82... Main shaft 83.84... Hevel gear 85 ...Gear 9...Guide 10...Reversing guide 11.41...Liquid supply path 12...Drainage path 13.43...Liquid supply pipe 14.44...Drainage pipe 15 ... Blade 16 ... Temperature sensor 17 ... Partition member 171, 172 ... End portion 18 ... First region 19 ... Second region 20 ... Flat plate S ... Photosensitive material W ...Washing water R3...Bleach solution R3...Fixer OF, , OFg...Overflow liquid FI G,
3 F I G, 2 ■ 6.4a F I G, 4b FIG, 4c FIG, 4d FIG

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of processing chambers sequentially connected by narrow passages, a blade installed in each of the passages, a conveying means for sequentially passing the silver halide photosensitive material through each of the processing chambers, and processing within the processing chamber. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized by having a planar heating element that heats a liquid. (2) A plurality of processing chambers sequentially connected by narrow passages, a blade installed in each of the passages, a conveying means for sequentially passing the silver halide photosensitive material through each of the processing chambers, and processing within the processing chamber. A photosensitive material processing apparatus comprising a processing tank removably loaded with a rack having a planar heating element for heating a solution, the apparatus comprising: a first area including a processing chamber through which the silver halide photosensitive material first passes; A partition member is installed on the rack side to separate the first area from the second area including the processing chamber through which the silver halide photosensitive material passes last, and the end of the partition member engages with the inner surface of the processing tank to separate the first and second areas from each other. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that the apparatus is configured to substantially block flow of processing liquid between the second regions. (3) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the planar heating element is installed on or inside the partition member. (4) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the planar heating element heats a part of the plurality of processing chambers. (5) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the planar heating element has a negative temperature coefficient of resistance. (6) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a drain pipe is connected to a processing chamber other than the processing chamber through which the silver halide photosensitive material passes first and the processing chamber through which it passes last. .