JPH06242589A - Fan control method for drying device and photosensitive material drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To prevent uneven drying at the initial stage of the device startup. [Configuration] When the power switch is turned on, step 15
At 0, the drying fan and heater are turned on to supply the drying air to the drying chamber so that the film can be processed in the drying chamber. When it is judged in step 152 that the film processing has started, the drying air is continuously dried. Supply to the chamber (step 154).
When it is determined in the next step 156 that the leading edge of the film has reached the drying chamber, the intermittent operation of the drying fan is started in step 158. During the intermittent operation, the drying fan is turned on and off in a short time so that the drying fan does not reach the rated operation, and the air volume of the drying air is made smaller than in the rated operation state to perform the film drying process at the beginning of the process. As a result, it is possible to prevent the film at the beginning of the process from receiving heat from the transport rollers and the guide and becoming overdried.
The noise of the drying fan during intermittent operation can also be suppressed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fan control method for a drying device for drying a photosensitive material treated with a processing liquid with a drying air, and a photosensitive material drying device using this fan control method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A light-sensitive material such as a film is subjected to various treatments such as development, fixing and washing with a processing solution such as a developing solution, a fixing solution and washing water after an image is recorded, and then dried by a drying device. It is done and finished. Generally, a photosensitive material drying device is configured to blow a dry air heated to a predetermined temperature onto the surface of the photosensitive material while guiding and conveying the photosensitive material by a plurality of conveying rollers and guides arranged in a drying chamber. In the drying device, the temperature of the drying air supplied to the drying chamber to obtain the drying air of this predetermined temperature is measured, the heater is turned on and off so that the photosensitive material is in an optimal dry state, and the drying fan is used. The generated wind is being heated.

Further, in the drying device, when the photosensitive material is not processed for a long time for the purpose of energy saving or other purposes, the temperature rise of the conveying rollers and guides in the drying chamber is slower than that of the drying air, and the degree of drying of these is also high. It is known that the drying fan or the heater is turned on / off at regular intervals so that the temperature of the drying air is slightly lower than the predetermined temperature when the photosensitive material is dried. There is a device that performs so-called standby control so that the temperature of the drying air can be quickly switched to a temperature at which the photosensitive material can be dried at any time.

In such a drying device, a drying fan and a heater generate a drying air of a desired temperature and an amount of air prior to the drying process of the photosensitive material, and the drying air causes a conveying roller and a guide in the drying chamber to be predetermined. I am trying to heat to the temperature. As a result, when the apparatus is started up and after the photosensitive material has not been processed for a long time, when the photosensitive material is processed, the photosensitive material that is first dried is treated with a developing solution, a fixing solution, washing water, etc. The drying air is heated to a specified temperature by the end of the liquid treatment, and the conveying rollers and guides that come into contact with the photosensitive material inside the drying device also reach the same temperature as the drying air, and the inside of the drying device is conveyed. The photosensitive material is prevented from being dried due to contact with a roller or a guide and being delayed in drying, so that unevenness in drying is prevented, and the photosensitive material is finished in a desired quality.

[0005]

However, in order to be able to quickly dry the photosensitive material from the standby state, the drying fan or the drying fan and the heater are intermittently turned on / off even in the standby state. It is necessary to make sure that the temperature inside the drying chamber does not become too low. A problem in this case is that the sound generated by the drying fan is perceived as annoying noise due to the intermittent operation of the drying fan.

Further, when the processing of the photosensitive material is started after the interruption, the conveying rollers, guides and the like in the drying chamber are heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, and the photosensitive material to be processed first is the roller and the guide together with the drying air. Drying is promoted by the heat received when it comes into contact with, and uneven drying appears in the form of uneven gloss.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and unevenness in drying occurs in a photosensitive material due to heat received from a roller or the like in contact with the photosensitive material in the drying chamber after the drying chamber is started up from a standby state or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a light-sensitive material drying device for preventing the occurrence of the above. It is another object of the present invention to provide a fan control method for a drying device that is optimal for such a photosensitive material drying device.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fan control method for a drying device, in which power is intermittently supplied to a drive motor of a drying fan for sending a drying air for drying a photosensitive material or the like. The drying fan is turned on and off, and is turned off before reaching the rated operation after being turned on.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fan control method for a drying apparatus, wherein a drying fan blows warm air for drying onto a photosensitive material conveyed by guides or conveying rollers arranged in a drying chamber to dry the photosensitive material. The method of controlling a fan according to claim 1, wherein the drying fan is intermittently turned on and off during the initial period from when the photosensitive material is inserted into the drying chamber to dry the warm air for drying at a blown amount or less in a rated operation. It is characterized in that the photosensitive material is supplied to a room to be dried.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for drying a photosensitive material, wherein an insertion detecting means for detecting a timing at which the photosensitive material is inserted into the drying chamber, and a conveying roller for conveying the photosensitive material in the drying chamber. Means for drying the photosensitive material by ejecting hot air for drying generated by the drying fan and the heater toward the photosensitive material conveyed in the drying chamber, and continuously operating the drying fan of the drying means. After the conveyance rollers or guides in the drying chamber are heated to a predetermined temperature prior to the start of the processing of the photosensitive material, the drying fan is intermittently operated for a predetermined time after the first photosensitive material is inserted into the drying chamber. Drying control means for controlling the air volume of the hot air for drying supplied to the drying chamber after being driven in a desired manner.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive material drying apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the drying control means drives the drying fan during intermittent operation of the drying fan. It is characterized in that after the power supplied to the motor is once turned on, it is repeatedly turned off before the drying fan reaches the rated operation state.

[0012]

In the fan control method for the drying device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the drying fan that has started its operation is stopped before reaching the rated operating state, and by repeating this, the intermittent operation of the drying fan is performed. That is, the intermittent operation of turning on / off the drying fan in an extremely short time generates a desired amount of dry air as compared with the rated operation.

Generally, in the electric fan, the noise generated by the drive motor and the wind noise of the impeller are the largest during the rated operation. However, the inertial force after the start-up state before the rated operation is reached and the operation is stopped. In the state where the wind is generated by, the noise of the driving motor as well as the wind noise of the impeller is extremely low as compared with the rated operation. Utilizing this,
When less dry air is generated than during continuous operation of the drying fan, if the drying fan is turned on / off so as not to reach the rated operating condition (rated speed) and intermittent operation is performed, noise during intermittent operation of the drying fan Can be made small, the change in noise intensity can be suppressed, and no annoying sound such as swelling is generated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fan control method for a drying apparatus, wherein the photosensitive material is brought into contact with the photosensitive material by hot air (warming air for drying) supplied to the drying chamber upon detection of insertion of the photosensitive material into the processor. After the heating of the conveying rollers and guides, the amount of dry air is reduced or the supply of dry air is stopped for a predetermined time when the first photosensitive material is inserted into the drying chamber. As a result, the photosensitive material is dried by the total heat received in contact with the conveying roller or guide and the heat received from the drying air, and the heat of the conveying roller or guide does not affect the drying of the photosensitive material. Therefore, the drying fan is continuously operated, and the photosensitive material is dried only with a specified amount of warm air for drying. As a result, even a light-sensitive material that is dry-processed in the initial stage of start-up can be finished without uneven drying as in a light-sensitive material that is subsequently dry-processed.

In order to reduce the amount of dry air, the dry fan may be intermittently turned on and off to operate.
When the drying fan is operated intermittently, it may be turned off before the drying fan reaches the rated operation (rated speed) state.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the photosensitive material drying apparatus, the first photosensitive material is activated when the apparatus is activated and / or when the non-processed state of the photosensitive material is continuously raised for a predetermined time. By the time the drying process of (1) is started, the transport rollers and guides that constitute the transport means are heated by the dry air. After that, when the photosensitive material is first processed, the air volume of the dry air is reduced so that the dry air reduces the heat applied to the photosensitive material by the amount of heat applied to the photosensitive material by the conveying roller and the guide.

As a result, the photosensitive material to be dried first is dried by a small amount of dry air. At this time, the photosensitive material comes into contact with the conveying rollers and the guides and receives heat from them, so that it is practically effective. An amount of heat that can be dried is applied to the optimum state for drying.

In the photosensitive material drying device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the drying fan is turned on / off in a short time so as not to reach the rated operation state during intermittent operation. by this,
It is possible to suppress the noise generated by the drying fan during the intermittent operation and the generation of annoying swell caused by the intensity of the noise of the drying fan, and prevent the deterioration of the working environment during the intermittent operation of the drying fan.

The intermittent operation of such a drying fan can be applied, for example, when the drying device is in a standby state for a long time when the photosensitive material is not processed and the drying fan is intermittently operated at predetermined intervals. .

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an automatic developing apparatus 10 applied to this embodiment. This automatic developing device 10 includes a machine frame 1
2, the processing liquid processing unit 14 and the drying unit 16 to which the present invention is applied
Are provided for processing the film 20 which is a photosensitive material, and the film 20 on which an image is recorded is
After being immersed in a developing solution, a fixing solution and washing water, a developing treatment, a fixing treatment and a washing treatment are carried out, followed by a drying treatment to finish.

This automatic developing device 10 is used alone,
The film 20 on which the image is recorded by the image recording device may be processed, or it may be provided integrally with the image recording device such as a scanner, and after the image is recorded on the film 20 by the image recording device, the film is continuously recorded. The film 20 may be developed, fixed, washed with water, and then dried to be finished.

The automatic developing machine 10 is provided with an insertion port 18 for inserting the film 20 at the upstream end of the machine frame 12 (the left side of the paper surface of FIG. 1). A pair of insertion rollers 32 are provided inside the insertion opening 18, and are rotated by a driving means (not shown). Therefore, the film 20 inserted through the insertion port 18 is guided to the processing liquid processing section 14 installed inside the automatic developing machine 10 by the driving force of the pair of insertion rollers 32. An insertion sensor 66 that detects that the film 20 has been inserted through the insertion opening 18 is provided inside the insertion opening 18.

The processing liquid processing section 14 is provided with a plurality of processing tanks. The processing tanks are a developing tank 22, a rinsing tank 24, a fixing tank 26, a rinsing tank 28, and a rinsing tank 30 from the upstream side (the left side in FIG. 1). Developing tank 22, fixing tank 26, and water washing tank 30 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "processing tank")
In each case, a developing solution, a fixing solution, and washing water are stored. In addition, rinse water (for example, water or an acetic acid aqueous solution) is supplied to the rinse tank 24, and rinse water (for example, water) is supplied to the rinse tank 28 from respective storage tanks (not shown) through the pipelines by driving the pumps, resulting in excess. The cleaning water overflows from the rinse tanks 24 and 28 to an overflow tank (not shown). When the cleaning water is water, a pipe line is provided to directly connect the water supply to the rinse tanks 24 and 28 through a solenoid valve or the like without using a storage tank. You may supply tap water.

A rack 34 is arranged in each of the processing tanks 22, 26 and 30. A plurality of roller pairs 36 are arranged in the rack 34, and a transport path for sandwiching the film 20 by these roller pairs 36 and guiding and transporting the inside of each processing tank in a substantially U shape is formed. ing. The film 20 is immersed in the processing liquid in each processing tank while being transported through these transportation paths.

A crossover rack 38 is arranged above each of the processing tanks 22, 26 and 30. The crossover rack 38 is provided with a pair of transport rollers 40 located in the downstream portion of each processing tank, and a pair of transport rollers 42 located above the rinse tanks 24 and 28 and downstream of the washing tank 30. The film is sandwiched and guided to the adjacent processing tank, and the processing liquid adhering to the film 20 is removed. Further, the lower side surface of the crossover rack 38 also has a role of a floating lid that covers the liquid surface of the processing liquid in each of the processing tanks 22, 26, 30. Especially, the developing solution and the fixing solution come into contact with the outside air. Is being prevented.

Further, a heat exchanger (not shown) is arranged below the developing tank 22 and the fixing tank 26, and means for circulating the developing solution in the developing tank 22 and the fixing solution in the fixing tank 26 (not shown). When agitating by, the heat exchanger provided in the middle of the circulation means heats it to a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the developing solution in the developing tank 22 and the fixing solution in the fixing tank 26 are heated to a set temperature at which the film 20 can be processed when the automatic developing machine 10 is started up, and set to a set temperature after the apparatus is started up. To maintain.

A drying section 16 is arranged adjacent to the downstream side of the processing liquid processing section 14 (on the right side in FIG. 1). The drying section 16 is provided adjacent to the downstream end of the processing liquid processing section 14 so as to project upward.

The drying unit 16 has a plurality of pairs of squeeze rollers 44 for the film 20 fed from the processing liquid processing unit 14.
The drying chamber 46 formed in a substantially box-like shape while squeezing the water adhering to the surface of the film 20 while being transported by
It is designed to be sent inside. Inside the drying chamber 46, a guide 48 that constitutes a conveying means and a plurality of conveying rollers 50 are arranged in a staggered manner. The film 20 sent into the drying chamber 46 is guided substantially upward by the guide 48, and is transported by the plurality of transport rollers 50 substantially upward in the drying chamber 46.

Further, in the drying chamber 46, a plurality of blow-out pipes 52 are arranged across the transport path of the film 20. These blow-out pipes 52 have the longitudinal direction of the film 20.
Nozzles 54 are provided along the transport width direction of the film 20, and are directed toward the transport path of the film 20. Each of these blowout pipes 52 is adapted to be supplied with a dry air generated in a dry air generating portion described later from one end in the width direction of the film 20, and the dry air is conveyed from the nozzle 54. The film 20 is jetted toward the surface of the film 20. The internal space of the blowing pipe 52 has a spatial cross-sectional area that gradually decreases from the end to which the dry air is supplied toward the other end, and the dry air is uniformly blown out along the widthwise direction of transport of the film 20. The film 20 is uniformly heated and dried by this drying air.

Above the drying chamber 46, a guide 56 and a pair of conveying rollers 58 and a pair of discharge rollers 60 on both sides of the guide 56.
Is provided. The film 20 discharged from the drying chamber 46 is guided by the guide 56 toward the discharge roller pair 60 while being nipped and conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 58, and then is sent out from the discharge port 62 by the discharge roller pair 60 in a substantially horizontal state. Be done.

On the upper surface of the machine frame 12 above the processing liquid processing section 14, there is formed a tray 64 on which the film 20 delivered from the discharge port 62 is placed, and the automatic developing device 10 is formed.
Film 20 which has been developed, fixed, washed with water and dried
Are sequentially stacked on the tray 64.

Here, the drying unit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The dry air generating unit 68 that generates the dry air for drying the film 20 in 6 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the drying unit 1
The drying chamber 46 of 6 is arranged above the gantry 70,
A dry air generating unit 68 and a control unit 72 are provided below the gantry 70. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an exhaust fan 74 (shown only in FIG. 2) is provided in the dry air generating unit 68, and an exhaust grill 78 is formed in the gantry 70 by a plurality of slits 76. Has been done. The air in the drying chamber 46 can pass through the slit 76 of the exhaust grill 78 and be discharged to the outside of the machine through a duct (not shown).

A drying fan 80 and a heater 82 are arranged in the dry air generating section 68. The drying fan 80 has a suction port 80A formed in one of the axial center portions of a substantially cylindrical casing 100, and a motor 102 provided on the opposite side of the suction port 80A. When the drying fan 80 is driven by the motor 102, an impeller (fan) (not shown) disposed inside the casing 100 is rotated, and the suction port 80
It is designed to inhale air from A. A discharge port 104 is formed in the casing 100 along one of the tangential directions of the outer peripheral surface of the casing 100, and the air sucked into the casing 100 is discharged from the discharge port 104.

In the drying fan 80, an intake cover 86 is provided at the suction port 80A, and the drying fan 80 is connected to the vicinity of the exhaust grill 78 and the outside of the automatic developing device 10 via a filter 84. Drying chamber 46 by 80
A part of the air discharged from the device and the outside of the automatic developing device 10 sucked through the filter 84 and the air are sucked while being mixed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a chamber 88 is arranged on the side of the drying fan 80 in the blowing direction. A heater 82 and a temperature sensor 89 (shown in FIG. 2) are arranged in the chamber 88, and heat the air sent into the chamber 88 by the drying fan 80 to generate dry air. ing.

An opening of a side plate chamber 90 provided on a side plate 46A forming a wall surface of the drying chamber 46 is provided at an opening of the chamber 88 on the side opposite to the drying fan 80. Outlet pipe 5
It communicates with the inside of 2. Therefore, the dry air generating unit 68
The dry air generated in 1 is supplied to the blowout pipe 52 through the side plate chamber 90, and is jetted from the nozzle 54 into the drying chamber 46.

A control unit 72 is provided below the dry air generating unit 68 constituted by the chamber 88 and the drying fan 80.
Is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the insertion device 66, the temperature sensor 89, the motor 102 of the drying fan 80 and the heater 82 are connected to the control device 92 of the control unit 72, and the dry air measured by the temperature sensor 89 is used. The operation of the heater 82 is controlled according to the temperature of the drying fan 80 and the motor 10 of the drying fan 80 is controlled during the processing of the film 20.
2 is turned on to supply the drying air to the drying chamber 46, and the drying unit 16
When the unprocessed state of the film 20 has passed for a long time, the motor 102 of the drying fan 80 is intermittently operated to reduce the amount of drying air supplied to the drying chamber 46 (standby control). Further, the control device 92, when the first film 20 is processed after the non-processed state of the film 20 continues, the film 20 is not dried.
The intermittent operation of the drying fan 80 is performed for a predetermined time from the time when the drying fan 80 is inserted.

When the controller 92 performs the intermittent operation of the drying fan 80, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the drying fan 8 is operated.
Operating time of 0 (time from turning on to turning off)
Δt is 0.06 seconds. The operating time Δt is set shorter than the time required for the drying fan 80 to reach the rated operation for generating a predetermined air volume, and the control device 92 causes the motor 102 of the drying fan 80 to operate for the operating time Δt each time the stop time t elapses. I'm trying to turn on. The control device 92
Detects the transport speed of the film 20, the insertion sensor 66, the length of the transport path of the film 20 from the insertion port 18 to the drying chamber 46 of the drying unit 16, and the timing at which the film 20 is inserted into the drying chamber 46. Whether or not the film 20 is being processed in the automatic developing device 10 can be determined from the length of the transport path of the film 20 from the insertion port 18 to the discharge port 62.

Further, the control device 92 includes a drying fan 8
The operation of the processing liquid processing unit 14 and the drying unit 16 as well as the 0 and the heater 82 is controlled.

The operation of the next embodiment will be described. In the automatic developing device 10, when a power source (not shown) is turned on, the operation of the device is started up. When the operation of this apparatus is started up, the developing tank 22 of the processing liquid processing section 14, the developing solution and the fixing solution of the fixing tank 26 are heated by a heat exchanger (not shown), and the temperature at which the film 20 is developed and fixed in an optimum state. Heat to. In the drying unit 16, the drying fan 80 and the heater 82 are operated to supply the drying air into the drying chamber 46,
The drying unit 16 is set up so that the film 20 can be dried, and after starting up, the temperature is maintained.

The automatic developing device 10 whose operation has been started up
When the film 20 is inserted into the insertion port 18 in the sheet feeding device, the automatic developing device 10 draws the film 20 by the insertion roller 32, and the processing liquid processing unit 14 causes the developing tank 22 and the fixing tank 2
6. It is conveyed while being dipped in the water washing tank 30 in that order, and is subjected to development, fixing and water washing treatments. Developing, fixing in the processing liquid processing unit 14,
The film 20 that has been washed with water is squeeze roller 4
4 is conveyed while being squeezed and is inserted into the drying chamber 46 of the drying unit 16.

The dry air generated by the dry air generating section 68 is supplied into the drying chamber 46, and the air transferred to the film 20 is supplied to the dry air.
The film 20 is dried by being discharged toward the surface of the film. The film 20 that has been dried in the drying chamber 46 is conveyed toward the discharge port 62 by the conveying roller 58 and the guide 56, and is discharged from the discharge port 62 onto the tray 64 by the discharge roller 60, and the film 20 is sequentially transferred to the tray 64. Place on top.

In the drying section 16, in order to dry the film 20 conveyed in the drying chamber 46, a large amount of air is supplied into the chamber 88 by the drying fan 82, and this air is supplied by the heater 82 arranged in the chamber 88. It is heated and supplied as dry air into the side plate chamber 90. The dry air is supplied from the side plate chamber 90 to the blowout pipe 52 and is jetted from the nozzle 54 toward the surface of the film 20.

The film 20 conveyed in the drying chamber 46
Is heated by the dry air ejected from the nozzle 54, and moisture is evaporated from the surface and inside. The water evaporated from the film 20 is removed from the surface of the film 20 by the dry air blown from the nozzle 54, and is discharged from the slit 76 of the exhaust grill 78.

Here, the operation of the drying section 16 from the start-up of the operation of the apparatus will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. In this flowchart, the control unit 72 mainly controls the air volume of the dry air according to the processing state of the film 20 in the drying unit 16. In the control unit 72,
The temperature of the dry air is measured by the temperature sensor 89, and the heater 82 is on / off controlled so as to maintain the temperature of the dry air at a predetermined value or in a predetermined range.

When a power switch (not shown) of the automatic developing device 10 is turned on, the operation start-up process of the drying unit 16 is performed in the first step 150. During the operation start-up process, the drying fan 80 is turned on together with the heater 82 for a certain period of time, and the conveying roller 50 and the guide 48 inside the drying chamber 46 are heated to the optimum temperature for drying the film 20 by the generated drying air. To do. Note that, instead of operating the drying fan 80 and the heater 82 for a certain period of time, the temperature of the air that has passed through the exhaust grill 78 and is discharged from the inside of the drying chamber 46 is measured to measure the temperature of the conveyance roller 50 inside the drying chamber 46. The temperature may be converted and the startup process may be performed so that this temperature becomes a predetermined temperature. In this case, the drying unit 16 can be started up in a short time.

When the start-up process of the drying section 16 is completed,
At the next step 152, the film 20 is automatically developed by the developing device 10.
To determine whether or not it has been inserted into. When the insertion sensor 66 detects that the film 20 has been inserted from the insertion port 18, the process proceeds to step 154 and the drying fan 80 supplies the drying air into the drying chamber 46. In addition, in this step, when the drying fan 80 is in the ON state, the state is continued, and mainly from a standby process described later to the drying unit 1
6 will be performed when starting up, and the inside of the drying chamber 46 is heated to a temperature for drying the film 20,
Maintain this temperature.

At the next step 156, it is judged whether or not the film 20 has reached the drying chamber 46, and the timing at which the leading end of the film 20 is inserted into the drying chamber 46 is determined, and the process proceeds to the next step 158. This timing can be obtained from the path length from the insertion port 18 to the drying chamber 46 and the transport speed. A sensor may be provided at the insertion opening into the drying chamber 46 to detect that the leading edge of the film 20 has reached the entrance to the drying chamber 46.

In step 158, the drying fan 80 is intermittently operated for a predetermined time. After that, the process proceeds to step 160, and the drying fan 80 is continuously operated to perform the drying process. The dry air generated by the dry fan 80 is supplied to the blowout pipe 52 through the side plate chamber 90, and the nozzle 5 is directed toward the film 20 conveyed in the dry chamber 46.
Eject from 4. At this time, the temperature of the dry air is measured by the thermistor 89, and the temperature of the dry air is measured by the film 2
The heater 82 is turned on so that 0 is dried in the optimum state.
Controlled off.

FIG. 6 shows the on / off timing of the drying fan 80 and the dry air volume. During this intermittent operation, the one-time operation time Δt of the drying fan 80 is shorter than the time during which the drying fan 80 that has been turned on reaches the rated operation, and when the drying fan 80 is turned off, it gradually rotates while rotating due to inertial force. Air volume decreases. By repeating the on / off of the drying fan 80 as described above, the drying air having a smaller air volume (shown by a chain double-dashed line in the figure) than that during the rated operation of the drying fan 80 is supplied into the drying chamber 46 first. The film 20 is dried.

Therefore, the film 20 which is first inserted into the drying chamber 46 is blown with the dry air having a smaller air flow than the predetermined air flow, and the dry air alone is not dried in the optimum state. . But the first film 20,
Heat is applied by coming into contact with the transport roller 50 and the guide 48 that are heated at the time of start-up. This allows the film 20
The heat is applied so that it is dried in the optimum state. That is, in the drying unit 16, the film 20 to be processed first after the start-up is dried by the heat of the drying air and the heat of the heat conduction from the transport roller 50 and the guide 48.

The amount of the drying air during the intermittent operation of the drying fan 80 may be set by the stop time of the drying fan 80. For example, the conveying roller 50 and the guide 48 may dry the film 20 in an optimum state. If about 30% of the heat is applied, the drying fan 80 may be intermittently operated by setting the operating time Δt and the stop time t so that the amount of the drying air becomes about 70% of the rated operation of the drying fan. Good.

After that, the conveying roller 50 and the guide 48
Applies heat to the film 20, so that the temperature thereof decreases.
The degree of decrease in the temperature depends on their heat capacities, but the temperature does not substantially affect the dry state of the film 20, but the number of sheets differs depending on the device. When the temperature of the transport roller 50, the guide 48, etc. is lowered, the film 20 to be continuously processed thereafter is substantially dried by only the dry air.

The time during which the drying fan 80 is intermittently operated starts when the leading edge of the film 20 is first inserted into the drying chamber 46, and the trailing edge of the film 20 is dried at the drying chamber 4.
You may make it complete | finish before it discharges from 6. The intermittent operation time may end, for example, after a time when the first film 20 is inserted into the drying chamber 46 and a time when about 2 to 3 films 20 can be processed, during which the transport roller 50 and the guide 48 are substantially disposed. It is sufficient to set a time after which the temperature does not affect the drying of the film 20. Further, the stop time t of the drying fan 80 is gradually shortened according to how the temperature of the transport roller 50 and the guide 48 is lowered,
The amount of dry air is gradually increased.

If the drying air is controlled in this way, the drying is promoted under the influence of heat from the conveying roller 50 and the guide 48 in the initial stage after the start-up, and the film 20 which is overdried is generated. Even if the film 20 processed in the initial stage after the start-up can be finished in an optimum dry state without causing uneven drying such as gloss unevenness.

In the next step 162, it is judged whether or not the film 20 is in the dry processing state. When it is determined that the film 20 is in the processed state, the process proceeds to step 164 and the standby state is set. That is, it is always in the standby state except during the drying process of the film 20. The standby state ends when the newly processed film 20 is detected in step 152 and it is determined that the processing of the film 20 by the automatic developing device 10 is restarted. In step 166, the operation of the device ends. I am confirming whether I did it or not.

FIG. 7 shows the operation timing of the drying fan 80 during the standby processing in the drying section 16. During the standby process, the drying fan 80 is intermittently operated for a predetermined time (for example, every time the time T elapses) for a predetermined time so that a smaller amount of dry air than that in the normal operation is applied to the drying chamber 4.
Supply within 6 At this time, the operating time Δt of the drying fan 80 is set to about 0.06 seconds, and the drying fan 80 is turned off before the drying fan 80 reaches the rated operation state.

As a result, when the drying fan 80 is turned on to start its operation, the air volume increases, and when it is turned off, the drying fan 80 gradually rotates while rotating due to inertial force. By repeating this, during the intermittent operation, the drying fan 80 supplies the drying air having a smaller air volume (not shown) than the rated air volume into the drying chamber 46 to prevent the temperature in the drying chamber 46 from decreasing. At this time, the heater 82 may be turned on while measuring the temperature of the dry air with the thermistor 89.

Conventionally, when the drying fan 80 is intermittently operated, the rated operation and the stop of the drying fan 80 are repeated. However, the noise of the motor 102 and the wind noise of the impeller of the drying fan 80 are kept in the rated operation state of the drying fan 80. It becomes the largest, and by repeating this intermittently, the change in the intensity of the noise sounds like a swell and becomes harsh, which deteriorates the working environment near the automatic developing device. But,
In this embodiment, since the drying fan 80 is stopped before the drying fan 80 reaches the rated operating state and the noise is increased, the intermittent operation of the drying fan 80 is suppressed in order to suppress the noise generated by the drying fan 80 during the intermittent operation. There is no harsh noise due to changes in noise intensity.

In the automatic developing apparatus 10, after the apparatus starts operating and is started up from the standby state, when the film 20 is processed for the first time, the drying fan 80 is operated intermittently for the operation time Δt. Also at this time, the noise generated by the drying fan 80 can be suppressed.

As described above, the flow chart shown in FIG.
Step 1 to control the drying fan 80 of a general drying device
54, 156, 158, particularly step 158 is only added, which does not cause drying unevenness in the film 20 that is dried in the initial stage of startup, and is constant from the initial stage of startup of the drying unit 16. The film 20 can be dried with good quality. At this time, the operating time Δt and the stop time t of the drying fan 80 are not limited to the times applied to the present embodiment, but can be set so as to obtain a desired dry air volume.

The present embodiment does not limit the construction of the photosensitive material drying device to which the present invention is applied. For example, in the photosensitive material drying device to which the present invention is applied, the film 20 is integrally provided in the automatic developing machine 10 which develops, fixes and rinses the film 20 in the processing liquid processing unit 14, and then heat-drys it in the drying unit 16. Alternatively, it may be a photosensitive material drying device used alone, and the automatic developing device 10 may be applied even if it processes other photosensitive materials such as photographic paper. The present invention can be applied to a general photosensitive material drying device in which the air volume of dry air is controlled by turning off.

[0064]

As described above, according to the fan control method for the drying device of the present invention, noise when the drying fan is intermittently operated can be eliminated. Further, even if the photosensitive material which is dried in the initial stage after the start-up is brought into contact with the conveying roller or the guide heated by the hot air for drying, the photosensitive material can be finished with a desired quality, so that the photosensitive material is not unevenly dried. .

In the light-sensitive material processing apparatus, by controlling the drying fan as described above to dry the drying material, an excellent effect of eliminating the unpleasant sensation of noise change due to the operation and stop of the drying fan is obtained. To be

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic developing machine applied to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a dry air generating unit of the automatic processor.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing operations of a drying fan and a heater.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the drying unit.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the operation timing of the drying fan at the start of film processing.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the operation timing of the drying fan during standby.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Automatic Developing Machine 12 Film (Photosensitive Material) 16 Drying Section 48 Guide 50 Conveying Roller 66 Insertion Sensor 68 Dry Air Generating Section 72 Control Section 80 Drying Fan 82 Heater 89 Thermistor 102 Motor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. Before and after the drying fan reaches its rated operation after intermittently turning on and off the power supply to the drive motor of the drying fan for sending the drying air for drying the photosensitive material and the like. A fan control method for a drying device, characterized in that the fan is turned off. 2. A fan control method for a drying device, wherein a drying fan blows hot air for drying onto a photosensitive material conveyed by a guide or a conveying roller arranged in a drying chamber to dry the photosensitive material. From the time when it is inserted into the drying chamber, the drying fan is intermittently turned on / off to supply the warm air for drying, which is equal to or less than the blown air volume in the rated operation, into the drying chamber to dry the photosensitive material. A fan control method for a drying device characterized by the above. 3. An insertion detecting means for detecting the timing of inserting the photosensitive material into the drying chamber, a conveying means for conveying the photosensitive material by means of conveying rollers or guides in the drying chamber, and a drying fan and a heater for drying. The drying means for jetting warm air toward the photosensitive material conveyed in the drying chamber to dry the photosensitive material, and the drying fan of the drying means are continuously operated to perform the drying before starting the processing of the photosensitive material. After heating the conveying rollers or guides in the room to a predetermined temperature, the drying fan is intermittently operated for a predetermined time from the time when the first photosensitive material is inserted into the drying room and is supplied to the drying room. And a drying control means for controlling the amount of warm air. 4. During the intermittent operation of the drying fan, the drying controller temporarily turns on the power supplied to the drive motor for driving the drying fan, and then turns off before the drying fan reaches the rated operating state. 4. The photosensitive material drying device according to claim 3, wherein the above is repeated.