JPH087431B2 - Automatic developing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial application field) The present invention is to continuously develop, fix,
The present invention relates to an automatic developing device that performs a developing process by sending to each process of washing.

(Technical Background of the Invention) Conventionally, a roller transport system, a loop transport system, and a horizontal transport system have been known for performing continuous development processing of a film. The roller transport method transports a deep processing liquid tank up and down by a large number of rollers, but has a problem that the processing liquid tank is deep and the apparatus becomes large. The loop transfer method is a method in which a film is stretched between rollers arranged above and below a processing liquid tank and transferred, but it has the same problem as the roller transfer method. In the horizontal transport method, the processing liquid is sprayed onto the film that is transported horizontally to perform development.However, in order to perform high-speed processing, the distance in which the processing liquid contacts the film, that is, the path in the horizontal direction becomes longer. However, there has been a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

Therefore, the inventors of the present application proposed to irradiate ultrasonic waves near the film being processed to increase the processing speed (Japanese Patent Application No.
63-251845).

Further, preheating the film prior to the treatment using the ultrasonic waves together is considered to be effective for increasing the treatment speed. However, when the film is preheated as described above, if the film is not conveyed smoothly or is jammed inside (jam), the film is overheated, which may cause a problem of damaging the film.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances,
The preheated film is processed at high speed using ultrasonic waves,
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic developing device which can protect the film from being overheated even when the film conveying speed is abnormal and does not damage the film when the device is miniaturized.

(Structure of the Invention) According to the present invention, the object
In an automatic developing apparatus for sequentially carrying out development processing, fixing processing, and water washing processing and performing continuous development processing, at least one processing step is performed by irradiating ultrasonic waves from below toward a film conveyed in a processing solution. Sound wave generating means, transport monitoring means for monitoring the transport state of the film, preheating means for overheating the film entering the processing liquid prior to processing, and the standby for detection of transport abnormality by the transport monitoring means. And a preheat temperature control device for stopping heating by the heating means.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a developing processing apparatus used therein, FIG. 3 is a view showing a processing liquid pack, and FIG. Its external perspective view, 3B, 3C
The figure shows the internal condition before and after use, and
The drawing is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a development processing tank.
Has a film guide portion 22 having an arcuate bottom in a side view, and a vibrating portion 24 opening obliquely in the film running direction (rightward direction) so as to cross the film guide portion 22. A pair of feed rollers 26 for loading the film 12 on which a latent image of a micro image is formed into the processing tank 20 is provided at the left end of the film guide portion 22, and a pair of feed rollers 28 for carrying out the film 12 are provided at the right end. ing. Feed roller 26 on the loading side
Is composed of, for example, a heat roller incorporating an electric heater 26A made of a ceramic element having a large heat capacity.
It can be heated to a predetermined temperature by itself.

A liquid level control lid 30 is made of, for example, neoprene rubber or polyurethane rubber and has an arc-shaped cross section.
It is attached to the lid plate 34 via 32. This liquid level control lid
A gap of about 3 to 4 mm is formed between the film 30 and the bottom surface of the film guide 22, and the film 12 is guided by the guide groove 31 (FIG. 4) so as to travel through this gap. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a groove 31 into which the left and right edges of the film 12 are inserted is formed in the processing tank 20, and the film 12 is guided and transferred by the groove 31. Here, the film 12 is controlled so that its emulsion surface 12A faces upward.

A vibrator 10 having a diameter of 25 mm is attached to the bottom of the vibrating part 24,
The perpendicular line of the vibrator 10, that is, the central axis X which is the direction of maximum directivity, crosses the film 12 obliquely in the film running direction. The film 12 is set so as to enter the near-field of the transducer 10 on the central axis X, for example, 10
It is desirable to set it within the range of up to 50 mm. Here, the short-range sound field refers to a range closer to the oscillator 10 than a position farthest from the oscillator 10 among the positions where the sound pressure propagating in the treatment liquid is periodically maximized. By transporting the film 12 obliquely with respect to the central axis X within this range, the film 12 can be uniformly processed without being affected by the uneven sound pressure.

The processing liquid (developer) is supplied to the processing tank 20 so that the liquid surface is always constant. That is, the treatment liquid is sent from the treatment liquid tank 36 to the constant liquid surface tank 40 by the pump 38, and is maintained at a constant liquid surface height in this tank 40, from which the constant amount pump 42 is located upstream of the vibration unit 24. The processing liquid is sent into the film guide portion 22 of the. The processing liquid flows over the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 of the downstream side of the film guide section 22, that is, the lower side of the feed roller 28, flows into the loading chamber 44, and enters the processing liquid pack 46 therefrom.

The processing solution pack 46 is made of waterproof paper in a box shape, and the processing solution tank 36 made of a flexible plastic container is housed on one side of the new processing solution pack 46 before use.
A water-absorbing polymer 48 is contained on the other side (Fig. 3B).
On the upper surface of the treatment liquid pack 46, a treatment liquid outlet 46a and a waste liquid inlet 46b which respectively communicate with the treatment liquid tank 36 and the water absorbing polymer 48 are opened, and after these are sealed with a thin film material,
Further, the upper surface thereof can be opened and closed with adhesive seal lids 46c and 46d. The processing liquid pack 46 includes these seal lids 46.
It is placed on a vertically movable tray 49 with c and 46d open (FIG. 2), and is pushed upward by the tray 49 to be loaded. At this time, the processing liquid inflow pipe of the pump 38
The processing liquid discharge pipe 44a communicating with 38a and the loading chamber 44 breaks a thin film blocking the processing liquid outlet 48a and the waste liquid inlet 48b,
The treatment liquid tank 36 and the water-absorbing polymer 48 communicate with each other.

Therefore, when the processing liquid in the tank 36 decreases, the water absorbing polymer 48 gels and the third volume C
It expands as shown by 48A in the figure. When the processing liquid in the tank 36 runs out and the pack 46 is replaced, the tray
You can lower 49 and let the pipes 38a, 44a exit the pack 46. Although the waste liquid is gelled, there is no danger of the liquid spilling, but the processing liquid outlet 46a and the waste liquid inlet 4 are provided by the seal lids 46c and 46d.
It is even more reliable if you block 6b. As a result, handling of the processing liquid becomes very easy.

The height of the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 accommodating the feed roller 28 determines the height of the processing liquid surface in the processing tank 20, and, for example, based on the arc-shaped bottom of the film guide portion 22. It is desirable to set it to about 7 mm. Reference numeral 50 is a valve for discharging the processing liquid in the vibration unit 24 to the tank 46.

Therefore, a fixed amount of the processing liquid is processed by the metering pump 42.
And the liquid surface is kept constant by the partition wall of the loading chamber 44. The film 12 is fed at a constant speed by the rollers 26 and 28, and moves downward in the film guide portion 22 of the processing tank 20 while drawing a convex arc. Since the feed roller 26 on the inlet side of the processing tank 20 is a heat roller, this roller 26
The film 12 is heated to an appropriate temperature when being sandwiched and fed. The vibrator 10 generates ultrasonic waves at a constant frequency (for example, 1.7 MHz) and constant energy, and the ultrasonic waves strike the film 12 at an angle. Therefore, the film 12 can move within the ultrasonic wave irradiation region including the central axis X by a distance larger than the periodic interval of the ultrasonic wave intensity, and is not affected by the ultrasonic wave periodic intensity.

Ultrasonic waves do not heat the entire processing solution,
It has the function of selectively heating polymer substances such as 12 as a sound absorbing material. As shown in FIG. 4, the amount of the treatment liquid on the upper surface of the film 12 is significantly smaller than the amount of the treatment liquid below the film 12, so that the treatment liquid on the upper surface of the film 12 is quickly heated. Since the emulsion surface 12A of the film 12 is located on the side of the heated processing liquid, the processing of the film 12 is performed very quickly. Further, since the film 12 is preheated by the feed roller 26, the processing speed in the processing liquid is increased and the processing by ultrasonic irradiation is accelerated.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 60 is a conveyance monitoring means, 62 is a preheating temperature control device, and 64 is a heater circuit. Transport monitoring means 60
The film feed amount l and the film 12
Based on the passing time t of the leading and trailing edges of the film 12,
It is determined whether or not the conveyance of is carried out smoothly. The transfer monitoring means 60 sends a signal to the preheating temperature control device 62 so as to stop the heating of the heater 26A when the transfer is abnormal.

In FIG. 1, A, B, and C represent developing, fixing, and water washing devices, respectively, which are processing devices almost similar to those in FIG. 2, and each use a developing solution, a fixing solution, and a cleaning solution as processing solutions. There is. Further, the heater 26A is preferably provided in the developing device A which has the largest influence on the developing density, but the other devices B and C are used.
Of course, it may also be provided.

In this figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a supply reel of a photographed film that has not been subjected to the development processing, and reference numeral 102 denotes a take-up reel that winds the developed film. Undeveloped film 12 is a drive roller
The toner is guided to the developing device A by being sandwiched between the contact roller 104 and the contact roller 106. At this time, the leading edge and the trailing edge of the film 12 are
Detected by 108. The rotation of the contact roller 106 is monitored by the encoder 106A. The film 12 is preheated by the feed roller 26 of the processing apparatus A, developed, and then fixed and washed by the apparatuses B and C, and then wound on the take-up reel 102. At this time, the exit roller 110 rolls on the film 12 coming out of the water washing device C, and the rotation of the exit roller 110 is monitored by the encoder 110A. In the vicinity of the exit roller 110, an exit sensor 112 is configured to monitor the leading edge and the trailing edge of the film 12. The outputs of the encoders 106A and 110A and the entrance / exit sensors 108 and 112 are sent to the conveyance monitoring means 60, and it is determined whether there is a conveyance abnormality.

This device operates as follows. First, the photographed film 12 is set on the reel 100, and the power switch (not shown) is turned on, so that the pumps 38 and 42 operate to keep the processing liquid at the specified liquid level. Starts spinning. When the film 12 is fed from the reel 100 while being sandwiched between the rollers 104 and 106, the leading end of the film 12 is detected by the entrance sensor 108, and the vibration of each of the processing devices A, B, and C is detected based on the output of the sensor 108. The child 10 turns on and starts vibrating.
The film 12 is processed by each of the processing devices A, B, and C and then wound on the take-up reel 102. At this time, when the exit sensor 112 detects the end of the film 12, the vibrator 10 is turned off and the vibration is stopped.

The transport monitoring means 60 detects a transport abnormality such as a film (jam) in the devices A, B and C as follows.
That is, if the difference between the time t ₁ when the leading edge of the film 12 detected by the entrance sensor 108 and the time t ₂ when the leading edge of the film 12 is detected by the exit sensor 112 is not within a certain time, it is determined that the film is a jam. Further, since the encoder that detects the rotations of the contact roller 106 and the exit roller 110 can determine the feed amount of the film 12, if the roller 110 stops while the sensors 108 and 112 are on (while the film is passing), it is determined that a jam occurs. . It should be noted that if the sensor 112 detects the end of the film within a fixed time after the sensor 108 detects the end of the film, it may be determined as normal and it may be confirmed that the development is normally performed.

When the conveyance monitoring means 60 detects a conveyance abnormality in this way, it sends a signal to the preheating temperature control device 62 to immediately stop the heating by the heater 26A.

In the case of this embodiment, the film conveying speed V is obtained from the speeds of the entrance roller 104 and the exit roller 110, the preheating temperature is changed according to the conveying speed, and the processing amount is integrated to reduce fatigue and deterioration of the processing liquid. Accordingly, the preheating temperature may be changed to control the development density to be uniform.

In this embodiment, since the liquid level control lid 30 is located close to the upper surface of the film 12, the liquid level control lid 30 is used for the film 12
The temperature of the treatment liquid on the top surface and the temperature of the treatment liquid are kept warm, and uniform treatment is enabled to further accelerate the treatment. If the liquid level control lid 30 is made of a polymer material such as the above-mentioned polyurethane rubber or neoprene rubber, the lid 30 itself can be heated by the sound absorbing function. Therefore, the heating of the film 12 is further promoted and the treatment is promoted. Neoprene rubber is particularly preferable because it has excellent heat resistance. At this time, if the upper surface of the liquid level control lid 30 is held by the lid plate 34 via the heat insulating material 32 as in this embodiment,
The heat retaining effect by the liquid level control lid 30 is further improved, and the processing is further promoted. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform good processing without processing unevenness in a short time.

In this embodiment, since the central axis X of the vibrator 10 intersects in the running direction of the film 12, the ultrasonic wave promotes the movement of the processing liquid in the running direction of the film, and almost new processing is performed in the processing tank. The treatment can be continued using the liquid.

Although one vibrator 10 is used in this embodiment, a plurality of vibrators 10 may be used in the present invention. 5A and 5B are 2
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment using a single circular vibrator 10 and a cross-sectional view of this embodiment seen from the film transfer direction. In this embodiment, the vibrators 10 and 10 are arranged so that the central axes X of the vibrators 10 and 10 are gathered near the film 12.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a perspective view of an embodiment using three rectangular vibrators 210 and a cross-sectional view of this embodiment seen from the film transfer direction. Here, the ultrasonic wave emission direction (center axis X) of each transducer 210 is gathered toward the vicinity of the film 12. In the examples of FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B, the surface of the treatment liquid is raised by ultrasonic vibration. The liquid level control lids 130 and 230 press the ridges to prevent an unstable flow of the processing liquid and make the flow uniform. Note that 132 and 232 are heat insulating materials.

In these embodiments, the liquid level control lid 30 is provided above the film 12.
Although the present invention is provided, it goes without saying that the present invention also includes those without this.

Although the liquid level of the processing tank 20 is kept constant at the height of the partition wall of the loading chamber 44 in this embodiment, the liquid level may be controlled by using another liquid level sensor and a drain valve. Good. Since the treatment liquid oxidizes and deteriorates after a long period of time, when deterioration of the treatment liquid occurs, the valves 50 are opened while the pumps 38 and 42 are operated, and the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid tank 36 is sent to the water absorbing polymer 48. It may be gelled and discarded.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention provides a preheating heating means to treat a film entering a treatment liquid in promoting the treatment using ultrasonic waves in at least one treatment step of development, fixing and washing with water. While heating is possible prior to the above, the preheating is immediately stopped when the conveyance state of the film is monitored and a conveyance abnormality occurs. In this way, since the processing is accelerated by the ultrasonic waves, the processing step of the film can be shortened and therefore the processing tank can be downsized. Further, since the preheating is immediately stopped when there is a conveyance abnormality, it is possible to reliably prevent the film from being damaged due to overheating even when the film is jammed (jam) for some reason during the processing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a development processing solution used here, FIG. 3 is a view showing a processing solution pack, and FIG. 3A is an external perspective view thereof. Figures 3B and 3C show the internal state before and after use, and Figure 4 shows the second state.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in the figure. See also Figures 5A and 5B
6A and 6B are diagrams showing other examples of arrangement of vibrators and the like. 10, 210 ... Transducer, 12 ... Film, 20 ... Processing tank, 26 ... Feed roller as preheating means, 26A ... Heater, 60 ... Transport monitoring means, 62 ... Preheating temperature control device, 64 ... Heater circuit,
106A, 110A ... Encoder, 108, 112 ... Sensor, A ... Developing device, B ... Fixing device, C ... Water washing device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An automatic developing apparatus for sequentially transferring a film having been photographed to respective steps of developing, fixing and washing, and continuously developing the film, wherein at least one processing step is a film conveyed in a developing solution. Ultrasonic wave generating means for irradiating ultrasonic waves from below toward the film, transport monitoring means for monitoring the transport state of the film, preheating means for heating the film entering the processing liquid prior to processing, and transport monitoring An automatic developing device, comprising: a preheating temperature control device that stops heating by the preheating device when a conveyance abnormality is detected by the device.