JP3529564B2 - Treatment agent supply device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing agent replenishing apparatus, which is used in a photosensitive material processing apparatus such as a printer processor or a film processor having a processing tank for processing a photosensitive material, and replenishes the processing agent into the processing tank. For treating agent replenishing device for

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic processor used in a laboratory (for example,
Photosensitive material processing devices such as film processors and printer processors) process films and color papers.

Films and color papers are used for color development,
Processing is performed by being transported in a plurality of processing tanks containing processing solutions and water for bleach-fixing, washing and stabilizing.

The composition and amount of the treatment liquid in each tank changes depending on the treatment of film or color paper. Therefore, the system is configured such that each treatment tank is replenished with new liquid from the replenishment tank according to the amount of treatment.

In this system, when the sensor detects that the processing agent in the replenishing tank has decreased, a display device or the like instructs the user to replenish the processing agent. When set, it will automatically open,
The treating agent is automatically added to the replenishing tank.

[0006]

When the treatment agent is a highly concentrated liquid, the replenishment amount itself can be reduced to improve workability, but it causes the following problems.

Dispersion deteriorates over time, components precipitate in the replenishment tank, water is separated near the liquid surface, and the liquid adhering to the wall surface of the replenishment tank or the bottle solidifies by evaporation or oxidation. To do. These stains adhere to the wall surface of the replenishment tank to adversely affect the processing performance, or adhere to a sensor for detecting the liquid surface of the replenishment tank to cause malfunction such as malfunction.

In view of the above facts, it is an object of the present invention to provide a treating agent replenishing device capable of preventing solidification and poor dispersion of a replenisher in a replenishing tank and preventing troubles.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing agent replenishing device used in a photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank for processing a photosensitive material, the processing agent being replenished in the processing tank. a reservoir for storing, connected to the reservoir
The processing agent stored in this storage tank is allowed to pass through.
A first pipe, and a first pipe arranged downstream of the first pipe.
Circulation that circulates the treatment agent that has passed through one pipe to the storage tank
And a first pipe arranged downstream of the first pipe.
A replenishment pipe for replenishing the treatment agent that has passed through the pipe to the treatment tank, and the first pipe, the circulation pipe, and the replenishment pipe.
And the processing agent stored in the storage tank is added to the circulation pipe.
And a delivery means capable of delivering to the replenishing pipe, and delivering the delivered processing agent to the circulating pipe, or
It is characterized in that it has a switching means for selectively switching whether to send to the filling pipe and a control means for controlling the sending means and the switching means according to a preset condition.

The operation of the treatment agent replenishing device according to the first aspect will be described below. In the treatment agent replenishing device according to claim 1,
The light-sensitive material is processed in a processing tank (eg, developing, bleaching, fixing,
It is washed with water, dried, etc.).

The control means drives the delivery means in accordance with preset conditions to deliver the processing agent from the storage tank, and
The switching means is switched to whether the processing agent sent out is sent to the processing tank or is circulated to the storage tank. That is, the control means
Is sent to the supplemental piping side or the circulation piping side.
Switch the switching means.

When the switching means is switched in the direction of delivering the processing agent to the processing tank, the processing agent is replenished in the processing tank.

On the other hand, when the switching means is switched to the direction in which the treating agent is circulated to the replenishing tank, the treating agent is circulated, and the treating agent in the treating tank is agitated to make the treating agent uniform. Therefore, the treatment agent is prevented from settling or separating, and the treatment agent which has become uniform can be replenished to the treatment tank.

The treating agent may be a liquid such as a chemical solution or oil, and may be one in which fine particles (powder etc.) are dispersed or a slurry.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the processing agent replenishing device according to the first aspect, the control means sends the switching means to the circulation pipe at preset time intervals .
Is characterized in that makes driving the delivery means is switched to that direction.

The operation of the treating agent replenishing device according to the second aspect will be described below. In the treatment agent replenishing device according to claim 2,
Control means, treatment agent each time set the switching means in advance
For make driving the delivery means is switched to the direction to be transmitted to the circulation piping, process agent reservoir is stirred every preset time.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the treatment agent replenishing device according to the first or second aspect, the control means causes the switching means to remain in the circulation pipe for a certain period of time after the switching means is turned on. It is characterized in that the delivery means is driven by switching to the delivery direction.

The operation of the treatment agent replenishing device according to the third aspect will be described below. In the treatment agent replenishing device according to claim 3,
Control means for causing driving the delivery means switches the switching means in the direction of the treatment agent to the circulation pipeline for a predetermined time switching means after power is transmitted, the processing agent of the reservoir is agitated predetermined time after power-on .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the processing agent replenishing device according to any one of the first to third aspects,
It is characterized in that the control means drives the delivery means by switching the switching means in a direction to deliver the treatment agent to the circulation pipe after a predetermined time from the supply timing of the treatment agent.

The operation of the treatment agent replenishing device according to the fourth aspect will be described below. In the treatment agent replenishing device according to claim 4,
Control means for causing driving the delivery means switches the switching means after a predetermined time from the supply timing of the treatment agent in the direction of the processing agent to the circulation pipe is delivered, the treating agent of the reservoir is constant from the supply timing of the treatment agent Stir after hours.

[0021] A fifth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the treatment agent is a suspension in the treatment agent replenishing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

The operation of the treatment agent replenishing device according to the fifth aspect will be described below. As a replenishing processing solution used for photographic processing, a solution or a solid is conventionally used. The replenishment of the solution is becoming highly concentrated and is approaching a state close to saturation, and it is also considered to use a suspension having a further reduced water content. However, the suspension may cause solidification and poor dispersion.

When the treatment agent replenishing device according to the fifth aspect is used for replenishing the treatment agent in the form of suspension, the suspension can be made uniform by circulating the treatment agent in the storage tank. Therefore, there is an effect of preventing the solidification and dispersion failure. That is, the effect is particularly exerted when a suspension is used as the treating agent.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the treatment agent replenishing device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The treatment agent has a viscosity of 1000 cp or more.

The viscosity of the treating agent is variously changed (1 cp to 7 cp).
000 cp), a circulation test of the treatment agent in the storage tank was conducted, and the state of the treatment agent was visually inspected. As a result, the effect of preventing solidification and dispersion failure was confirmed in each case. Especially, the viscosity is 100
The highest effect was obtained with a treatment agent of 0 cp to 7000 cp.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a treatment agent replenishing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, a photographic printing section 102 which constitutes a printer section of a photosensitive material processing apparatus 10 includes a paper magazine 1 containing a photographic paper 12 as a photosensitive material.
04 has a structure that can be loaded.

The photographic printing paper 102 is sandwiched between the photographic printing paper 12 by a driving roller 106 provided on the upper left side of the paper magazine 104 in FIG. 1 and a pair of nip rollers 108 provided at a position facing the driving roller 106.
It is designed to be sent in. The drive roller 106 is
It is adapted to rotate by receiving the driving force of a motor (not shown).

A cutter 112, which is composed of a pair of upper and lower blades and is operated by a motor 110, is installed in the photo printing unit 102 so as to cut the photographic paper 12 fed from the paper magazine 104. Has become.

On the downstream side of the printing paper 12 in the conveying direction, there is arranged a support base 114 whose upper surface is formed along the horizontal direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1). This support 114
Between the cutter 112 and the cutter 112, a winding roller 118 around which the endless belt 116 is wound and a nip roller 120 that holds the endless belt 116 are arranged in the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface).

A roller group 12 including a plurality of rollers is provided on the downstream side of the support table 114 in the conveying direction of the printing paper 12.
1 is arranged.

A large number of small holes (not shown) are formed over the entire area of the endless belt 116, and the upper surface of the support 114 on which a part of the endless belt 116 is placed has an upper surface of the endless belt 116. A large number of holes (not shown) are formed corresponding to the small holes. Furthermore, this support 1
The inside of 14 is formed in a hollow shape, and the endless belt 11
A pair of communication ducts 122 (only one of which is shown) formed corresponding to both ends in the width direction of 6 are connected to the support base 114. These communication ducts 122 are fan boxes 124.
Is connected to.

On the other hand, an easel device 126 is provided above the endless belt 116 that moves on the support 114.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a diffusion box 128 for diffusing light is arranged outside the casing 10A constituting the outer frame of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10 and directly above the easel apparatus 126. Adjacent to this, a CC filter 130 composed of three sets of movable C, M, and Y filters, which can change the amount of filter inserted into each optical path, is arranged. Therefore, the light beam emitted from the light source 132 located adjacent to the CC filter 130 passes through the CC filter 130, and is then diffused by the diffusion box 128 while being bent and sent directly below.

Further, light rays are transmitted through the negative film 14 on the negative carrier 134 placed on the upper surface of the casing 10A.

As shown in FIG. 1, a support plate 138 supported by a guide rail 136 is installed in the photo printing unit 102 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface). The prisms 142 are arranged on the plate 138 so as to be arranged on the optical axes 140 of the light rays described above.
And a zoom lens 144 is attached.

Therefore, the light beam that has passed through the negative film 14 and becomes an exposure light beam passes through the prism 142, and then passes through the zoom lens 144 whose magnification can be changed, and is positioned below the easel device 126. An image of the negative film 14 is formed on the photographic paper 12.

A density measuring device 146 for measuring the density of the negative film 14 is arranged in the photographic printing section 102. The density measuring device 146 is connected to a controller (not shown), and an exposure correction value at the time of printing exposure is set based on the measured data and the data keyed in by the operator.

Further, a black shutter 148 is provided in the optical path between the zoom lens 144 and the easel device 126 to adjust the printing exposure time.

The photographic printing paper 12 for which image printing and exposure has been completed in the photographic printing unit 102 having the above-described structure is the roller group 12
It is conveyed to the processor unit 150 which performs the processes of developing, bleaching, fixing, washing and drying by a plurality of rollers.

The processor section 150 is provided with a developing tank 152 as a processing tank, a bleaching tank 154, and a fixing tank 156, and stores a developing solution, a bleaching solution, and a fixing solution, respectively. The photographic paper 12 is sequentially immersed in each of the processing tanks for processing. Further, the photographic printing paper 12 is conveyed to a rinsing section 158, which is disposed adjacent to these processing tanks and is composed of a rinsing tank in which rinsing water is stored, and is subjected to rinsing processing.

The photographic printing paper 12 that has been washed with water is washed with water 15
It is conveyed to the drying section 160 located above the No. 8 and dried by hot air.

The photographic printing paper 12 which has been subjected to the above processing is sandwiched by a plurality of roller pairs 162, discharged to the outside of the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10, and stacked.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of a treatment agent replenishing device for replenishing the treatment tank with replenisher. In this embodiment, the concentrated liquid and the diluting water are mixed at a predetermined ratio to generate a replenisher, and the replenisher is replenished to the processing tank.

In this embodiment, only the developing tank 152 is shown and described. The other processing tanks (the bleaching tank 154 and the fixing tank 156) have the same structure, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of a pipe 40 is connected to the bottom of the storage tank 38, and the other end of the pipe 40 is connected to a switching valve 42 as a switching means. A pump 41 serving as a delivery unit that delivers the concentrated liquid stored in the storage tank 38 is provided at an intermediate portion of the pipe 40.

One end of a pipe 44 and one end of a pipe 46 are connected to the switching valve 42, the other end of the pipe 44 is connected to a side wall of the storage tank 38, and the other end of the pipe 46 is connected to a mixing nozzle 48. There is.

The switching valve 42 has a first state in which the concentrated liquid delivered by the pump 41 is passed to the pipe 44 side, and the pipe 46.
It is designed so that it can be switched to a second state in which it is passed to the side.

Further, one end of a pipe 50 is connected to the mixing nozzle 48, and the other end of the pipe 50 is connected to a switching valve 51. One end of a pipe 53 and one end of a pipe 55 are connected to the switching valve 51.

The other end of the pipe 53 is connected to the tank 52 for storing the diluting water, and a pump 54 for sending the diluting water from the tank 52 is connected to an intermediate portion of the pipe 53.

The switching valve 51 has a first state in which the diluting water delivered by the pump 54 is passed to the pipe 50 side, and the pipe 55.
It is designed so that it can be switched to a second state in which it is passed to the side.

The mixing nozzle 48 mixes the diluting water and the concentrated liquid to generate a replenishing liquid, which is discharged to the developing tank 152.

The pump 41, the pump 54, the switching valve 42 and the switching valve 51 are controlled by the control unit 56 as a control means.

The storage tank 38 is provided with a float switch 58 for detecting the liquid level of the replenisher, and the developing tank 1
52 is a level sensor 6 for detecting the liquid level of the developing solution.
0 is provided.

In the float switch 58, the float 58A moves up and down along the guide 58B.

The float switch 58 and the level sensor 60 are connected to the control unit 56, and the control unit 56 monitors the liquid level of the storage tank 38 and the developing tank 152 by the float switch 58 and the level sensor 60.

When the control unit 56 recognizes that the processing liquid stored in the developing tank 152 has decreased by the level sensor 60 and determines that the replenishment liquid needs to be replenished, the switching valve 42 is set to the second state. And the switching valve 51 in the first state,
The pump 41 and the pump 54 are each driven for a predetermined time to supply the replenisher (concentrated liquid + diluted water) from the mixing nozzle 48 to the developing tank 1.
Replenish to 52.

When the control unit 56 recognizes by the float switch 58 that the concentrated liquid stored in the storage tank 38 has decreased, the control unit 56 displays a message on the display unit 68 to replenish the concentrated liquid. Display it.

The control unit 56 includes a CPU, ROM,
It has a RAM and the like, and stores a program for driving the driving means such as the pump 41, the switching valve 42, and the pump 54. Further, the control unit 56 includes a power switch 57.
Are connected.

In this embodiment, when a message is displayed on the display unit 68, the lid 69 provided on the upper portion of the processor unit 150 is opened and the bottle 70 containing the concentrated liquid is provided on the upper portion of the storage tank 38. The loading unit 72 is loaded.

The injection port 74 of the bottle 70 is closed by a thin seal (not shown) so as to prevent the processing agent from leaking, and the bottle 7 is inverted in the loading section 72.
When 0 is loaded, the stopper member 76 pushes through the seal and the concentrated liquid in the bottle 70 flows out to the storage tank 38.

A large number of nozzle holes (not shown) are formed at the tip of the opening member 76 so that the dilution water supplied from the pipe 55 is ejected (arrow A in FIG. 3).

Further, the float switch 5 is provided in the storage tank 38.
A partition plate 78 is arranged between the loader unit 8 and the loading section 72,
When the concentrated solution is replenished from the bottle 70, the replenished concentrated solution is prevented from directly covering the float switch 58, and the upper part above the liquid surface is not contaminated. Further, by doing so, at the time of replenishment of the concentrated liquid, the loading portion 72 side is swelled with respect to the partition plate 78, but the float switch 58 side is less swelled with respect to the partition plate 78, and the float switch 58 is less undulated.
The dirt of the can be kept to a minimum.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. The photographic printing paper 12 that has undergone the predetermined exposure is sequentially dipped in each processing tank of the developing tank 152, the bleaching tank 154, the fixing tank 156, and the washing section 158 including a plurality of washing tanks, and then the drying section 160.
Is dried by.

When the control unit 56 recognizes by the level sensor 60 that the processing liquid stored in the developing tank 152 has decreased and determines that the replenishment liquid needs to be replenished, the switching valve 42 is set to the second state and the switching is performed. The valve 51 is set to the first state, the pump 41 and the pump 54 are driven for a predetermined time, and the replenisher is replenished from the mixing nozzle 48 to the developing tank 152.

When the control unit 56 recognizes by the float switch 58 that the concentrated liquid stored in the storage tank 38 has decreased, the control unit 56 causes the display unit 68 to display a message to the effect that the concentrated liquid will be replenished.

When a message prompting the replenishment of the concentrated liquid is displayed, the lid 69 is opened, the bottle 70 is loaded in the loading portion 72, and the seal is crushed by the opening member 76 to break the concentrated liquid into the storage tank 38. Drain.

After that, the switching valve 51 is set to the second state, the pump 54 is driven for a predetermined time, and a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid (diluting water) is sprayed from the nozzle hole of the opening member 76 to clean the inside of the bottle 70. . Note that the cleaning liquid is an amount necessary for cleaning the bottle 70, and is a small amount (amount that does not affect the processing of the photographic paper 12) that cannot be completely diluted in the replenishing tank 38.

By the way, in the concentrated liquid, a tarred component adheres to the liquid surface exposed to air over time,
The liquid that has scattered and adhered to the wall surface of the replenishment tank 38 solidifies,
The dispersed components may precipitate and separate from water to form a non-uniform liquid of the components. However, even with such a liquid,
When it is stirred, it is redispersed and returns to a uniform liquid, and the solidified components also dissolve in the liquid again. Solidification or poor dispersion is not preferable because it causes troubles such as instability of liquid performance and malfunction of the float switch 58 (the solidified component hinders the movement of the float 58A).

However, in the present embodiment, the concentrated liquid delivered from the replenishing tank 38 by the pump 41 can be returned to the replenishing tank 38 via the switching valve 42 and the pipe 44, whereby the concentrated liquid in the replenishing tank 38 can be returned. Can be stirred to form a concentrated solution having a uniform composition.

In the present embodiment, the stirring of the concentrated liquid stored in the replenishing tank 38 is performed every predetermined time programmed in advance by the control unit 56 (at such a time that separation or precipitation of components affecting the processing performance does not occur). ) For a predetermined time (the time required for the solidified components to dissolve in the liquid again), whereby the concentrated liquid in the replenishing tank 38 can be always kept in a uniform composition.

Therefore, the replenisher is always uniform, and the photographic printing paper 12 can be processed properly.

Incidentally, in the conventional photosensitive material processing apparatus, the concentrated liquid was sent from the replenishing tank by the pump as in the photosensitive material processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, but in the present embodiment, the conventional concentrated liquid replenishing mechanism is used. Since the changeover valve 42 and the pipe 44 are added to agitate the concentrated liquid, the increase in the number of parts is smaller than that of the conventional product, and the structure is not so complicated.

The pipe 40 is preferably provided on the bottom surface of the replenishing tank 38. The pipe 44 connected to the replenishment tank 38 is preferably located away from the connection point of the pipe 40. Further, the opening of the connecting portion of the pipe 44 may be made smaller than that of the pipe 40 so that the liquid ejected into the tank may be in the form of a jet stream, or the opening may be divided into a plurality of portions. As a result, the liquid stored in the tank can be well stirred.

Further, in the above embodiment, the concentrated liquid stored in the replenishing tank 38 is stirred for each predetermined time for a predetermined time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be stirred for a fixed time each time the power is turned on. After a certain period of time, the mixture may be stirred for a fixed time, may be stirred at a fixed time every day, or may be stirred immediately before the replenisher (concentrated liquid + diluted water) is replenished to the treatment tank. The timing of stirring may be appropriately selected depending on the properties of the concentrate, the structure of the replenishing tank, and the like, and the stirring methods described above may be appropriately combined. The stirring timing is not limited to the above-mentioned method as long as it can prevent solidification and non-uniformity of the components of the concentrated liquid.

In the above embodiment, the partition plate 78 is arranged between the float switch 58 and the loading section 72 so that the replenished concentrated liquid does not directly cover the float switch 58. However, as shown in FIG. In addition, a guide plate 80 for the float switch 58 may be provided below the loading section 72, and the float switch 58 may be washed with the concentrated liquid and the washing liquid (diluting water) that drop from the bottle 70 each time replenishment is performed. Therefore, even if the upper part of the float switch 58 is soiled by liquid splash or the like, the float switch 58 can be surely washed when the concentrated liquid is replenished.

[0077]

As described above, in the treating agent replenishing apparatus according to the first aspect, it is possible to prevent the solidification and the poor dispersion of the replenisher in the replenishing tank, and to prevent the trouble due to the solidification and the poor dispersion of the replenisher. It has an excellent effect that it can be prevented.

In the treatment agent replenishing device according to the second aspect, by stirring the treatment agent in the storage tank at every preset time, it is possible to always prevent solidification and dispersion failure, which is an excellent effect.

In the treatment agent replenishing device according to the third aspect, by stirring the treatment agent in the storage tank after the power is turned on, there is an excellent effect that a uniform treatment agent can be replenished in the treatment tank immediately after starting.

In the treatment agent replenishing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the treatment agents can be replenished with a uniform treatment agent immediately after replenishment by agitating the old treatment agent and the new treatment agent in the storage tank after a predetermined time from the treatment agent replenishment timing. , Which has an excellent effect.

In the treatment agent replenishing device according to the fifth aspect, it is possible to prevent the solidification and the dispersion failure of the suspension which is likely to cause the solidification and the dispersion failure, and particularly the effects of the present invention can be exhibited.

In the treating agent replenishing device according to the sixth aspect, the effect of the present invention can be most exerted when the treating agent having a viscosity of 1000 cp or more is used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a photosensitive material processing apparatus to which an embodiment of a processing agent supply apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a photosensitive material processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a processing agent supply device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another embodiment of a treatment agent supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Treatment agent supply device 12 Printing paper (photosensitive material) 38 Storage tank 41 pump (delivery means) 42 Switching valve (switching means) 56 control unit (control means)

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processing agent replenishing device used in a photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank for processing a photosensitive material, comprising: a storage tank for storing a processing agent to be replenished in the processing tank; and a storage tank connected to the storage tank. , Treatment agent stored in this storage tank
And a first pipe that is allowed to pass through and a first pipe that is disposed on the downstream side of the first pipe.
A circulation pipe that circulates the treatment agent to the storage tank and a first pipe that is disposed downstream of the first pipe.
Connected to the replenishment pipe for replenishing the treatment agent to the treatment tank, the first pipe, the circulation pipe, and the replenishment pipe.
The processing agent stored in the storage tank and the circulation pipe and
And a delivery means capable of delivering to the replenishment pipe, and delivering the delivered processing agent to the circulation pipe,
A treatment agent replenishing device comprising: a switching means for selectively switching whether to deliver to the replenishment pipe; and a control means for controlling the delivery means and the switching means according to a preset condition. Wherein said control means, the process according to claim 1, characterized in that makes driving the delivery means is switched in the direction of delivery to the circulation pipeline for each of the switching means a predetermined time Agent supply device. Wherein said control means, wherein, characterized in that makes driving the delivery means by switching a predetermined time said switching means said switching means after power to <br/> direction to be sent to the circulation pipe The treatment agent supply device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The control means sends the switching means to the circulation pipe after a lapse of a fixed time from the timing of replenishing the processing agent.
The processing agent replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the delivery means is driven by switching to a direction in which the treatment agent is supplied. 5. The treatment agent supply device according to claim 1, wherein the treatment agent is a suspension. 6. The treating agent replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treating agent has a viscosity of 1000 cp or more.