JP2693056B2 - Heater for processing liquid of photosensitive material processing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention automatically conveys a light-sensitive material,
The present invention relates to a processing liquid heater for a photosensitive material processing device, which is used in a photosensitive material processing device for developing, fixing, washing with water, etc. of a photosensitive material and for keeping the temperature of the processing liquid of the photosensitive material constant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a light-sensitive material processing apparatus such as an automatic developing machine, in order to ensure proper development processing capacity for processing a light-sensitive material such as a photographic film, a processing solution such as a developing solution, a fixing solution or a washing water is used. The temperature must be kept within a certain range.

Generally, the treatment liquid temperature is maintained within a predetermined range by providing a treatment liquid heater in each treatment tank, detecting the temperature of the treatment liquid with a temperature sensor, and adjusting the heat generation amount of the treatment liquid heater. ing. When this heater for processing liquid is overheated in a state where the processing liquid is not contained in each processing tank, that is, when it is so-called boiled, each part in the processing tank, especially a part made of resin, may be thermally deformed. There is. For this reason, as a means for protecting each component in the processing tank, there is one in which a safety device such as a thermal protector or a thermal fuse is arranged in the vicinity of the processing liquid heater to prevent the processing liquid heater from overheating.

When a plurality of safety devices such as a thermal protector and a thermal fuse are individually arranged in the processing bath, the number of assembling steps of the processing bath increases. Therefore, a heater for the processing liquid includes a plurality of thermal protectors, thermal fuses and the like. It is conceivable that it has a built-in safety device. The processing liquid heater with a built-in safety device that protects the inside of the processing tank is long in order to evenly heat the processing liquid in the processing tank along its width, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are made of resin or the like. It is attached via a support member.

For example, an elongated heater 140 as shown in FIG. 5 is used. Storage tube 14 for heater 140
2 has one end in the longitudinal direction closed and is partitioned by a partition wall 144 provided slightly inward from the other end, and the portion in which the heating element 146 is accommodated between the one end in the longitudinal direction and the partition wall 144 is the heat generating portion 148. Has become. A temperature fuse 104 and a thermal protector 106 are accommodated as a safety device on the side opposite to the one end in the longitudinal direction with respect to the partition wall 144 in the storage tube 142.

The heater 140 is arranged at the bottom of the processing tank of the automatic processor by brackets 150 and 152 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction.

[0007]

However, such a heater 140 for the processing liquid is designed to house the thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 in a limited space at one longitudinal end of the housing pipe 142. When the heater 140 is assembled, the thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 may interfere with each other, and the heater 140 and the thermal fuse 148 may not be attached to the heat generating portion 148 at regular intervals. For this reason, when the heat generating portion 148 abnormally generates heat due to, for example, empty heating, the temperature fuse 104 or the thermal protector 106 may not operate properly.

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention provides a processing liquid heater for a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which a plurality of safety devices serving as protection means in a processing tank can be arranged at appropriate intervals from a heat generating portion. That is the purpose.

[0009]

A heater for a processing liquid of a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is arranged adjacent to one end side of a heating element so as to prevent overheating of the heating element. Means, second protection means arranged adjacent to the other end side of the heating element to prevent overheating of the heating element, the first protection means, the second protection means, and the heating element. And a storage tube.

A processing liquid heater for a photosensitive material processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the processing liquid heater for the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the first aspect, which has a supporting member to which the heating element is attached. However, the support member is inserted into the storage tube.

[0011]

The heater for the processing liquid of the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure has the first and second protection means arranged at both ends of the storage pipe, and the length of the storage pipe is long. A heating element is provided in the middle of the direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid heater of the light-sensitive material processing apparatus, the heating element housed in the housing pipe is supported by the supporting members, and the first and the second members are provided on both end sides of the supporting member. Two protective means are attached respectively.

That is, the processing liquid heater of the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention is provided with portions at both ends of the storage tube in the longitudinal direction in which heating elements are not arranged, and these portions are provided with, for example, the first protection means. A certain thermal fuse and a second protector, a thermal protector, are separately installed. Further, the heating element may be attached to the support member, and the support member may be inserted into the storage tube to form a double structure.

It is possible to position and attach the first and second protection means on both sides of the support member to which the heating element is attached, and these can be integrally stored in the storage tube.
Since the first and second protection means are separately attached to both end sides of the support member, they can be positioned adjacent to the heating element in advance, and are stored in the storage tube at an appropriate interval with respect to the heating element, The heat generation state of the heat generating element can be accurately detected and operated.

A spacer may be arranged adjacent to the supporting member. By arranging the spacer at one end of the storage tube and positioning the support member with respect to the storage tube, the positions of the support member and the first and second protection means in the storage tube can be determined.

A tubular body can be used as the support member, and the heating element may be housed inside the tubular body and positioned and housed in the housing pipe via a spacer having the same diameter. Further, the support member may be a bracket or the like that supports the heating element. Further, the support member may be one that divides the heating element into a plurality of pieces, and a plurality of protective means may be arranged between or outside the divided heating elements. Here, the spacer for positioning the support member and the like in the storage tube is not limited to the one having substantially the same diameter as the support member, and may be any shape as long as the support member can be positioned with respect to the storage tube.

As the first and second protection means, it is possible to apply a thermal fuse which is provided in an electric circuit for supplying an electric current to a heating element and which is fused to open the electric circuit when heated to a predetermined temperature. A thermal protector that turns on and off the electric circuit depending on the temperature of the body, or a temperature thermistor whose electric resistance changes depending on the temperature of the heating element can be applied. By disposing a thermal protector or the like as a protection means at an appropriate position with respect to the heating element on a support member to which the heating element is attached, abnormal overheating due to empty heating of the heater for the processing liquid is prevented, and It is possible to prevent defects such as thermal deformation of components, particularly resin components.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an automatic processor 1 to which the present invention is applied.
A schematic configuration diagram of the processing tank portion 0 is shown.

The casing 12 of the automatic processor 10 is provided with an insertion opening 16 for inserting the photosensitive material 14, as shown in the left side surface of FIG. A pair of rollers 18 is provided inside the insertion opening 16 and is rotated by a driving means (not shown).

The photosensitive material 14 inserted through the insertion opening 16
Is conveyed by the driving force of the pair of rollers 18 and is guided to the processing section 20 installed inside the automatic developing machine 10.

The processing section 20 is provided with a plurality of processing tanks, and from the left of FIG.
The fixing tank 28, the rinse tank 30, and the water washing tank 32 are used.

The developing tank 24, the fixing tank 28, and the washing tank 32 (hereinafter collectively referred to as a processing tank) store a developing solution, a fixing solution, and washing water, and the rinse tank 26 stores washing water ( For example, water or an acetic acid aqueous solution) and rinse water (for example, water) are supplied to the rinse tank 30 from respective storage tanks (not shown) via a pump via pipes, and the rinse water is supplied to the rinse tank 26 and the rinse tank 30. A notch provided in the upper part of the tank wall overflows into an overflow tank (not shown).

When the cleaning water is water, a pipe is provided from the water supply to the rinse tanks 26 and 30 through a solenoid valve without using a storage tank so that water is supplied to the rinse tanks 26 and 30. May be.

A rack 3 is provided in each processing tank 24, 28, 32.
4 are provided, and a plurality of pairs of rollers 36 for sandwiching the photosensitive material 14 and for transporting the photosensitive material 14 in each processing tank along a predetermined transport path are provided.

A crossover rack 46 having a rinse rack is arranged above the rinse tanks 26 and 30. The crossover rack 46 is provided with rollers 38 and 40, which sandwich the photosensitive material 14 and guide it to the next processing tank adjacent thereto, and squeeze the processing liquid adhering to the photosensitive material 14.

Here, the developing tank 24 as the first processing tank
The heater 60 of the present invention is provided in each of the fixing tank 28 as the second processing tank.

The heater 60 heats the processing liquid (developing liquid and fixing liquid) to a processable temperature when the automatic developing machine 10 is started, and thereafter is maintained within a processable temperature range. ing.

Photosensitive material 14 which has been washed with water in the washing tank 32
Are conveyed to a drying section 45 arranged in parallel in the processing section 20 by a pair of conveyance rollers 42. In the drying section 45, the photosensitive material 14, which has been washed with water in the washing tank 32, is nipped and conveyed in the horizontal direction in the drying section 45 by a plurality of rollers 44.

Chambers 68 are arranged in the drying unit 45 in the vertical direction of the conveying path of the photosensitive material 14. The warm air from the fan 74 heated by the heater 72 is supplied to the chamber 68 via the duct 70.

A plurality of slits 76 are provided on the surface of the chamber 68 facing the conveying path of the photosensitive material 14, and the warm air sent to the chamber 68 is directed from the slit 76 toward the photosensitive material 14. Will be ejected. Therefore, the photosensitive material 14 is dried by warm air and discharged from the discharge port 47 to the outside of the machine.

Next, the structure of the heater 60 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the heater 60 is provided inside the housing tube 100 as the first and second protection means for the thermal fuse 10.
4 and the thermal protector 106 are housed and configured. The storage pipe 100 has a cylindrical shape and is made of a corrosion-resistant metal material such as SUS316 in consideration of heat resistance and prevention of corrosion by the treatment liquid. A bottom lid 108 is integrated with one end of the storage tube 100 in the axial direction by argon welding. A heat-resistant resin material can be used for the storage tube 100.

The support member 102 is cylindrical and made of the same material as the storage pipe 100, and is inserted coaxially into the storage pipe 100. By supplying an electric current to the inside of the support member 102, A heating element 110 that generates heat is enclosed, and a pair of wirings 112, 1 connected to the heating element 110.
14 are drawn out from both ends of the support member 102 in the axial direction. Both ends of the cylindrical support member 102 are closed by the closing members 103.
Is a heat resistant material, for example, a packing made of silicon rubber is used, and the packing 112 is used.
A hole through which 114 passes is provided. One wiring 11
The temperature fuse 104 is connected to the No. 4. The thermal fuse 104 is designed to blow when heated to a constant temperature, for example, 55 ° C. or higher.

Further, a thermal protector 106 is connected to an intermediate portion of one of the pair of wirings 112 drawn out from the other end of the supporting member 102. This pair of wires 11
2 is pulled out from the storage pipe 100 via the heat insulating plate 118 and connected to the control device 82. Further, the thermal protector 106 opens the circuit when the temperature reaches a certain temperature, for example, 50 ° C. or higher, and keeps the circuit closed when the temperature is lower than 50 ° C.

A cylindrical spacer 101 made of the same material as the support member 102 and having the same diameter is provided between the support member 102 and the closed end of the storage tube 100. With this spacer 101, the supporting member 102, the temperature fuse 104, and the thermal protector 1 in the storage tube 100 are provided.
The arrangement position of 06 is determined. Here, the shape and material of the spacer 101 are not limited to those of the present embodiment as long as the arrangement position of the support member 102 and the like in the storage tube 100 can be determined.

As shown in FIG. 3, the thermal fuse 10
4 or the thermal protector 106 opens the circuit, the supply of current from the pair of wirings 112 to the heating element 110 is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 2, a thermal fuse 104 and a thermal protector 106 are provided inside the storage tube 100.
A heat conductor 116 is filled in the surroundings of and in the inside of the support member 102 in which the heating element 110 is inserted. The heat conductor 116 is preferably MgO (magnesium oxide), silicone compound, or the like, but may be one in which air is sealed as the heat conductor. This heat conductor 116
Thus, the heat of the heating element 110 is transferred to the thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106.

A bracket 120, which is formed by bending a flat plate into a substantially L shape, is arranged at the end of the storage tube 100 opposite to the bottom cover 108. The bracket 120 is made of a material having heat resistance and corrosion resistance similar to the storage tube 100,
A joint portion 122 into which the storage tube 100 is inserted from the opposite surface is formed on one surface. The storage tube 100 is inserted into the joint 122, and the outer peripheral surface and the bracket 120 are tightly joined by argon welding.

In the vicinity of the bracket 120, the joint 12
The socket 124 is arranged so as to face 2. The socket 124 has a cylindrical shape with the same diameter as the joint portion 122 and is arranged coaxially with the joint portion 122. The socket 124 is
In the state where the end opposite to the bracket 120 is closed and the cable 126 is pulled out from this end, the cable 1
It is integrally molded with the 26.

The socket 124 and the joint portion 122 of the bracket 120 are tightly molded by a rubber member 128. As the material of the rubber member 128, for example, neoprene rubber, silicone rubber or the like can be used. Also, inside the socket 124, the cable 12
One end of the cable 6 and the pair of wires 112 are connected to each other, and the cable 1
The other end of 26 is pulled out from the processing tank and is connected to the control device 82.
Connected to As a result, current is supplied from the control device 82 to the heating element 110 via the cable 126.

The heater 60 has one end in the axial direction supported and fixed by fixing the bracket 120 to the bottom of the processing tank, and the other end is inserted into a resin bracket 120A attached to the bottom. It is supported. still,
The tip portion of the storage tube 100 may be further fixed to the processing tank with a band or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the controller 8
2 also controls the operations of the heater 72 and the fan 74 for supplying warm air to the drying unit 45.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. First,
Assembly of the heater 60 attached to the developing tank 24 and the fixing tank 28 of the automatic developing machine 10 will be described.

The heating element 110 of the heater 60 shown in FIG.
A thermal fuse 104 and a thermal protector 106 are previously attached to the. Since the thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 are attached with the support member 102 having the heating element 110 inserted therebetween, respectively,
Since the thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 do not interfere with each other, they can be easily positioned and attached to the support member 102.

The storage pipe 100 is fixed to the bracket 120, and the storage pipe 10 is attached from the joint portion 122 side of the bracket 120.
The support member 102 in which the heating element is enclosed, the temperature fuse 104, and the thermal protector 106 are inserted into the zero.
The thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 are
Since they are preliminarily positioned and attached to the supporting member 102 and do not interfere with each other, they are accommodated in the heating element 110 at an optimum interval.

After this, a pair of wiring 112 and cable 12
6 and the socket 124 is molded on the joint portion 122 by the rubber member 128, and the heater 60 is tightly assembled so that the processing liquid does not enter inside. Although the rubber member 126 is heated during this molding, since the thermal fuse 104 is arranged at the end opposite to the bracket 120, the thermal fuse 104 is not melted by the heating during the molding. That is, it is possible to prevent the problem that the thermal fuse 104 is blown during the assembly of the heater 60, and the molding operation is facilitated.

Next, the processing procedure of the photosensitive material 14 by the automatic developing machine 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

In the automatic developing machine 10 shown in FIG. 1, when the operation is started, the controller 82 operates so that the heater 60 causes the developing solution stored in the developing tank 24 and the fixing solution stored in the fixing tank 28 to be predetermined. It is designed to be heated and maintained at the temperature.

When the photosensitive material 14 is inserted into the insertion port 16, the photosensitive material 14 is nipped and conveyed by the conveying rollers 18, guided by the guide surface of the crossover rack 46, and conveyed into the developing tank 24. In the developing tank 24, the developing tank 24 is nipped by rollers 36 provided on the rack 34, and is transported in a substantially U-shape in the developing solution in the developing tank 24 and discharged.

The photosensitive material 14 discharged from the developing tank 24
Is washed by washing water while being conveyed by rollers 38 provided above the rinse tank 26, and then guided by the guide surface of the crossover rack 46 to be fixed in the fixing tank 28.
Transported to In the fixing tank 28, it is conveyed in a substantially U-shape like the conveying path in the developing tank 24. Fixing tank 2
The photosensitive material 14 discharged from the cleaning tank 8 is conveyed by the roller 40 above the rinse tank 30 and is cleaned with cleaning water to reach the washing tank 32, where it is washed in the same manner as the developing tank 24 and the fixing tank 28. It is transported in a U shape inside,
Washing process is performed.

The photosensitive material 14 that has been washed with water is conveyed to the drying section 45 by the conveying rollers 42. The photosensitive material 14 is dried by being blown with warm air while being conveyed in a substantially horizontal state by the conveyance rollers 44, and is discharged from the discharge port 47 to the outside of the machine.

The temperature of the processing liquid in each processing tank is detected by a temperature sensor (not shown), and based on the information from the temperature sensor, the operating temperature of the temperature fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 in the heater 60 is determined. The controller 82 controls the amount of heat generated by the heater 60 in the low temperature range.

The temperature of the processing liquid can be controlled also by providing a thermal protector of a type that is turned on / off according to an appropriate processing temperature of the processing liquid in the heater 60 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Is. That is, when the thermal protector is heated to the operating temperature or higher, the contacts are opened and the supply of current to the heating element 110 is stopped. Further, when cooled to below the operating temperature, the contacts are closed to supply an electric current to the heating element 110 to heat the processing liquid. That is, the temperature of the processing liquid is automatically kept substantially constant by the heater 60.

Here, when the heater 60 is not heated when there is no processing liquid in the processing tank of the automatic processor 10,
The thermal protector 106 is operated by being heated by the heating element 110, and the supply of current from the control device 82 to the heating element 110 is stopped. When the thermal protector 106 is cooled below the operating temperature, the circuit can be closed and current can be supplied from the control device 82 to the heating element 110.

When the thermal protector 106 does not operate for some reason, the thermal fuse 104 heated by the heating element 110 is melted and the heating element 110 is heated.
It is designed to prevent overheating.

As described above, since the thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 are arranged close to the heating element 110 inserted in the support member 102, the thermal fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 can be operated reliably and the heat generated by the heater 60 is overheated. It does not affect the parts inside the processing tank.

The thermal protector 106 may be arranged on the bottom lid 108 side of the storage tube 100 and the thermal fuse 104 may be arranged on the bracket 120 side.

Further, instead of the thermal protector 106, a temperature sensing element such as a thermistor can be applied. The controller 82 may detect the change in the electrical resistance of the thermistor and control the supply of current to the heater 60.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a safety thermostat 130 using thermal expansion of liquid or gas may be applied instead of the thermal protector 106.

The capillary tube 134, one end of which is connected to the heat-sensitive section 132 mounted inside the storage tube 100, is
It is connected to a pressure switch 136 that is pulled out from the heater 60 and attached to the outside of the processing tank.

The heat-sensitive portion 132 is heated by the heating element 110, and the thermal expansion of the liquid or gas inside the heat-sensitive portion 132 is transmitted to the pressure switch 136 via the capillary tube 134. The pressure switch 136 is a capillary tube 134.
When the inside pressure reaches a certain level, the contacts are opened and the current supplied from the control device 82 to the heater 60 is cut off. The pressure switch 136 may be manually restored or may be automatically restored.

Further, the housing tube 100 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may have another shape. The heating element 110 is housed inside the supporting member 102, but the supporting member 102 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. The heating element 110 may have any shape as long as it can be stored in the storage tube 100. Further, it is possible to apply a bracket or the like in which flanges are provided at both ends and these flanges are connected by a support. The heating element 110 along this pillar
The temperature fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 are attached to the outside of the flange to support the
It should be stored in 0. Further, the support member of the heating element 110 is not limited to this, and any member can be applied as long as it holds the heating element 110 in a fixed shape and the temperature fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 are positioned and attached.

In this embodiment, the temperature fuse 104 and the thermal protector 106 are provided on both ends of the support member 102, respectively.
Etc., the support member 102 is divided into two, and at least one of the thermal fuse 104, the thermal protector 106, the thermistor, and the like is provided in the vicinity of the divided support member 102 so as to correspond to the end portion of the support member 102. It is possible to apply even a configuration in which each of them is arranged one by one. By arranging the heat sources on both sides, the operation of the thermal fuse 104 and the like becomes more reliable.

Further, in the present embodiment, the heater 60 is provided in the developing tank 24 and the fixing tank 28, but the heater 60 may be provided in other processing tanks such as the washing tank 32.

[0064]

As described above, in the processing liquid heater of the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to the present invention, the first and second protection means are separately arranged in the storage tube adjacent to the heating element. As a result, the first and second protection means can be easily housed in the housing pipe in a state where they are positioned at an appropriate position close to the heating element, so that heat treatment due to empty heating of the treatment liquid heater can be achieved. It is possible to prevent thermal deformation of non-conductive parts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an automatic developing machine according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing a heater according to this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an internal circuit diagram of the heater according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a modified example of a heater.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part similar to FIG. 2 showing a conventional example of a heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Automatic Developing Machine 24 Developing Tank 28 Fixing Tank 60 Heater 100 Storage Tube 102 Supporting Member 104 Thermal Fuse (Protecting Means) 106 Thermal Protector (Protecting Means) 110 Heating Element 130 Safety Thermo (Protecting Means)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first protection means disposed adjacent to one end side of the heating element to prevent overheating of the heating element, and an overheating of the heating element disposed adjacent to the other end side of the heating element. A processing liquid heater for a photosensitive material processing apparatus, comprising: a second protection means; a first protection means; a second protection means; and a storage tube that stores the heating element. 2. The processing liquid heater of the photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a support member to which the heating element is attached, wherein the support member is inserted into the storage tube. Heater for processing liquid of photosensitive material processing device.