JPH03243950A - Developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the early deterioration of a developing soln. and the generation of noise and to prevent the generation of unequal development and the deterioration in properties of the developing soln. by intermittently subjecting the driving of a stirring section to on-off control to a min. required extent. CONSTITUTION:A heater 23 and a thermistor 24 are disposed in parallel. A developing unit container 12 is risen and set in the upper part in a body frame 16 of a developing section and is held intruded in this state into the developing soln. of a developing tank. A central control section 34 determines the optimum stirring system meeting the volume of the developing soln. and the heat generating capacity of a heater and controls a heating section 41 including the heater 23 and the stirring section 42 including a main motor (stirring motor) 28 is accordance with the information from a liquid temp. detecting section 39 and liquid level detecting section 40. The early deterioration of the developing soln. and noise are prevented in this way and the generation of the unequal development and the deterioration in the properties of the developing soln. are prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a developing device for developing exposed film.

It includes not only a developing device as a stand-alone device, but also a developing device in a composite device such as a processor camera (image recording/developing integrated processing device) combined with a photographing device.

(Prior art) A developing device that processes exposed film is equipped with automatic control means to maintain and manage the developer solution in the developer tank at a predetermined temperature in order to improve and stabilize the developing ability. .

Specifically, for the developer in the developer tank, a heating section, a solution temperature detection section, and a stirring section are provided, and the temperature of the developer is controlled by on/off control of the heating section based on the solution temperature detection information of the solution temperature detection section. This is to control temperature control (temperature control) within a predetermined set liquid temperature range.

FIG. 12 shows a temperature control control diagram in a conventional developing device.

The main motor (stirring motor) starts driving at the same time as the device is started (power switch is turned on), and continues to be driven until the power switch is turned off. The developer solution is stirred.

Further, the heating section (heater) is energized and turned on at the same time as the apparatus is started, and heating of the developer in the developer tank is started, and the temperature of the developer increases.

Temperature changes over time of the developer in the developer tank after the device is started are detected by a solution temperature detection section (such as a thermistor), and the detected information is input to the control circuit.

When the detection unit detects that the developer temperature has reached a predetermined set temperature (30°C in this example) due to heating of the developer by turning on the power to the heating unit (approximately 3 minutes after the device is started), the heating unit The power supply to the heating section is turned off, and thereafter, the power supply to the heating section is turned on intermittently every few minutes to compensate for the drop in developer temperature due to heat radiation, heat transfer, etc. The temperature of the developing solution is maintained at a predetermined set temperature (30° C.) within an allowable ripple range.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional device as described above, the main motor is constantly operating and the agitation unit continuously agitates the developer in the developer tank. Since the developer is exposed to air, there are problems such as accelerated deterioration due to oxidation of the developer.

Furthermore, in recent years, as the office environment has improved, there has been a demand for quieter OA equipment, but constantly driving the main motor may cause noise problems.

In particular, in processor cameras that combine a camera and a developing device, the power is constantly turned on to take pictures sequentially, so the noise problem mentioned above is more severe than with a developing device that is a stand-alone device. This is highlighted as an important matter.

Therefore, as shown in the control diagram of Fig. 13, the main motor is turned on only during the energization-on period in synchronization with the energization of the heating section, that is, the stirring section is stirred, and is kept off during the other periods. It is conceivable to control the main motor intermittently on and off, but even after the heating section is energized and turned off, and even after the stirring section stops stirring, the developer is heated by the residual heat of the heating section. As shown in Fig. 14, the developer in the developer tank with stirring stopped is particularly concentrated in the developer surface layer (
This may form a liquid layer in the upper part of the developer that is hotter than the middle or lower part of the developer, which may cause uneven development during film development or cause deterioration of the quality of the developer. is.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and similarly, as in the latter case, the main motor, and thus the stirring section, are controlled intermittently on and off as required to drive the main motor continuously. It is an object of the present invention to provide a developing device that prevents early deterioration of the developer and noise, and also eliminates the above-mentioned temperature rise of the developer surface layer due to residual heat of the heating section after power is turned on and off, and the problems caused by this. shall be.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has a heating section, a solution temperature detection section, and a stirring section for the developer in the developer tank, and the heating section is controlled based on the solution temperature detection information of the solution temperature detection section. In a developing device that manages the developer solution temperature to a predetermined set temperature using on/off control, even after the solution temperature detection section detects that the developer temperature has reached the predetermined set temperature and the heating section is turned off. This developing device is characterized in that the developer stirring section continues stirring operation for a predetermined period of time and then stops.

The present invention also provides a heating section for the developer in the developer tank;
In a developing device that has a solution temperature detection section and a stirring section, and manages the developer solution temperature to a predetermined set solution temperature by controlling the heating section on and off based on the solution temperature detection information of the solution temperature detection section, the developer solution is turned off after the device is started. Only when the liquid temperature detection section first detects that the temperature has reached a predetermined set temperature, the developer stirring section continues to stir for a predetermined period of time even after the heating section is turned off based on that detection information. This is a developing device characterized in that the developing device is configured to stop after the developing device has started.

(Function) (1) That is, even after the heating section is turned off, stirring of the developer by the stirring section is continued for a predetermined period of time and then stopped, thereby reducing the residual heat of the heating section after the heating section is turned off. The heated developer is dispersed throughout the developer in the developer tank due to the stirring action of the stirring unit, which continues to operate for a predetermined time even after the heating unit is turned off, so that the surface of the developer in the developer tank is The formation of a hot liquid layer in the layer is prevented.

The predetermined time indicated in L for extending the operation of the stirring section is such that heating of the developer due to the residual heat of the heating section after the heating section is turned off is substantially eliminated, and even when the stirring is stopped, a high temperature liquid layer is formed on the surface layer of the developer. This is the time it takes for the image to become virtually invisible, and although the appropriate time may vary depending on the heating capacity of the heating section, the amount of the developer, etc., in most cases, it is sufficient to set the time to a short time.

As mentioned above, by controlling the agitation unit's drive on and off intermittently to the minimum necessary level, it is possible to prevent early deterioration of the developer and noise that would otherwise occur when the agitation unit is driven continuously. At the same time, as mentioned above, the temperature rise phenomenon of the developer surface layer due to the residual heat of the heating section after the heating section is turned off is also eliminated, and the occurrence of uneven development and deterioration of the developer caused by this is also prevented. .

(2) Also, the developer temperature (minimum control temperature of the developer temperature) at which the heating unit is controlled from off to on based on the liquid temperature detection information of the liquid temperature detection unit, and the developer temperature (lower limit control temperature of the developer temperature) at which the heating unit is controlled from on to off ( By reducing the difference in the upper limit control temperature of the developer temperature (during developer temperature control), the amount of heat for heating the developer in the heating section in one cycle of heating section on/off is reduced, and as a result, By designing the developing device to reduce residual heat generated by the heating section, the temperature of the developing solution is reduced only once, when the solution temperature detection section first detects that the developing solution temperature has reached a predetermined set temperature after the device is started. Even after the heating section is turned off based on the detection information, the stirring section continues stirring for a predetermined period of time and then stops, and then when the heating section is turned off to shorten the time, the stirring section is also turned off at the same time as the heating section is turned off. Even if the control configuration is adopted, the same operation and effect as in (1) above can be obtained.

(Example of implementation) (1) Control example ■ (Figures 1 and 2) In this example (Figure 1), even after the heating unit is turned off, the developer stirring unit remains active for a predetermined period of time to shorten the heating unit off control time. α (in this example 1
The agitation operation is continued for a period of time (around 0 seconds) and then stopped, and the developer is heated by the residual heat of the heating section to shorten the heating section off control time. It will be stirred and diffused throughout the developer.

(Set liquid temperature 30°C 1β is during developer temperature control) Figure 2 shows the temperature of the developer in the developer tank after heating-off when this control is implemented, measured for the upper, middle, and lower parts of the developer. It is something.

Compared to the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 14 described above, there is no temperature unevenness among the upper, middle, and lower parts of the developer.

(2) Control example ■ (Figure 3) In this example, β1 during developer temperature management is made smaller than β during the above control example process, and the developer in the heating unit is controlled in one cycle of heating unit on/off. For a developing device with a design configuration that reduces the amount of heating heat and thereby reduces the residual heat generated in the heating section after the heating section is turned off, it is determined that the developer temperature reaches the predetermined set temperature (30C) after the device is started. Only once, when first detected by the detection unit, even after the heating unit is turned off based on the detection information, the stirring unit continues for a predetermined time α1 (about 10 seconds in this example)
Stirring is continued and then stopped, and in order to reduce the time required to turn off the heating section, the stirring section is also turned off at the same time as the heating section is turned off.

In this case as well, formation of a high-temperature developer surface layer due to residual heat of the heating section after the heating section was turned off was effectively prevented.

~/- (3) Control example ■ (Fig. 4) In this example, similar control is performed by setting developer temperature control β2 smaller (β2 × βI) than in the case of control example m above. .

(4) Control example ■ (Figure 5) This example uses a control circuit to extend the operation time of the stirring section by shortening the off control time of the heating section in direct proportion to the length of the on time in each on period of the heating section. It is designed to control the length by appropriately determining the length and shortness.

(5) Example of developing device (Figs. 6 to 11) Fig. 6 is a cutaway front view of an example of the developing device according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal side view.

The developing device in this example is a stand-alone developing device, and is roughly divided into four parts: a film supply section 1, a developing section 2, a drying section 3, and a film winding section 4.

The film supply section 1 is equipped with a reel 5 that winds up an exposed roll film F that has been photographed using, for example, a microfilm camera.

The developing section 2 includes a developing tank 8, a fixing tank 9, a first washing tank 10, and a second washing tank 10.
The developing unit container 12 provided with four washing tanks 11 can be detachably set.

The film F set in the film supply section 1 is conveyed to the developing section 2 through the path of the driving roller pair 6 and 7, and then transferred to the developing tank 8.
The developing and fixing film set in the first and second washing tanks 10 and 11 is sequentially transported through the developing tank 8 and the fixing tank 9 by the developing/fixing film transport unit 13, and then the washing film set in the first and second washing tanks 10 and 11 is transported. In the section 14, the inside of the first washing tank 10 and the second washing tank 11
By being sequentially conveyed through the interior, development processing using a known development process is performed.

The film that has passed through the developing section 2 and has been subjected to the development process then enters the drying section 3, where it is conveyed by a pair of transport rollers 18a→1.
8b → same 18c → water absorption roller 19 → conveyance roller pair 18d
During the process of being transported through a U-shaped passage including
Drying process is carried out using hot air.

The dried film is then drawn into the winding section 4 by a pair of transport rollers 18e, wound around a winding reel 22 by a lever 21, and wound onto the winding reel 22 one after another.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a main body frame (housing) of the developing section 2, and FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of this developing section main body frame portion.

Mainly in FIG. 7, numeral 37 denotes a developing unit container holder provided in the frame of the main body of the developing section so as to be freely movable up and down, and 15 is a lever member for raising and lowering the container holder. The lever member 15 can be freely raised and rotated about a horizontal shaft 17 supported by the main body frame 16 by gripping the handle portion 15a. A container receiver 37 is received by this lever member 15 via rollers 37a provided on its lower surface.

When the lever member 15 is tilted and rotated to the lower side of the developing section main body frame 16, the container receiver 37 moves downward within the main body frame 16, and when the lever member 15 is raised and rotated, the container receiver 37 accordingly moves downward. The developing unit container 1 moves upwardly within the main body frame 16.
In the second set, the container receiver 37 is lowered by rotating the lever member 15, and the container 12 is placed on the container receiver 37 in a predetermined position, and then the lever member 15 is raised and rotated. By moving the container receiver 37 upward to a predetermined level and fixing the lever member 15 with the locking means, the developing unit container 12 is set at a predetermined position in the upper part of the main body frame 16.

Removal of the set container 12 is performed by the reverse procedure of the above-mentioned setting operation.

FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B) show a front view and a sectional view of the developing and fixing film conveying section 13.

Since the washing film transport section 14 has exactly the same structure as the development and fixing film transport section 13, the development and fixing film transport section 13 will be mainly described.

This developing and fixing film conveying section 13 has one of its left and right halves placed in the developing tank 8 and the other half placed in the fixing tank 9, so that the two layers 8
・It is set across 9. Similarly, the washing film conveying section 14 also performs the first and second washing W! It is set across two layers, 10 and 11.

As described above, when the developing unit container 12 is raised to a predetermined position in the upper part of the developing section body frame 16 by raising and rotating the lever member 15, the above-mentioned developer and fixing device set in the container 12 is set. Film transport section 13 for washing with water
- 14 is held in an immovably positioned state by a portion 16a (FIG. 7) of the main body frame 16;

And the rack connecting gears 30 and 3 on the side of the transport section 13
Drive gears 25 (
(Fig. 7).

FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a portion of the developer tank 8, which is connected to a rack connecting gear or drive gear 25 of the developing and fixing film conveying section 13.

28 is a main motor provided on the main body frame 16 side,
The driving force of this motor is the heald 29, the connecting gear 26, a shaft 27 fixed to this gear 26 in the rotational direction by a pin (not shown), and a bottle (not shown) to which the drive gear 26 is fixed to the shaft 27 in the rotational direction. The rotation of the drive gear 25 causes the left and right rack connecting gears 30 and 30 of the developing and fixing film conveying section 13 to be transmitted to the drive gear 25 through the drive gear 25 (as shown in the figure), and the rotation of the drive gear 25 connects the left and right rack connecting gears 30 and 30 of the developing and fixing film conveying section 13, respectively, to arrows F and E in FIG. 9(A). rotationally driven in the direction. In conjunction with this, a propeller 33 serving as an agitation unit inserted into the developing tank 8 and the fixing tank 9 respectively moves a large gear 31 and a stepped gear 32.
The developer enters a rotating state via the developer tank 8, and the developer in the developer tank 8 and the fixer in the fixer tank 9 are stirred.

The step gear 32 is a coaxial gear of two types, large and small, and is capable of rotating the propeller 33 at high speed.

The washing film transport section 14 is also similar to the development and fixing film transport section 13 described above.

In FIG. 7, reference numerals 23 and 24 denote a heater as a developer heating section and a thermistor as a developer temperature detecting section, which are supported downwardly on the side of the main body frame 16, respectively. Heater 2
3 and the thermistor 24 are arranged in parallel, and enter the developer solution in the developer tank 8 when the developer unit container 12 is raised and set at a predetermined position in the upper part of the developer unit body frame 16 as described above. .

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the control system. 34 is a central control section, which includes a control section 35, a recording section 36, and a calculation transfer section 37.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a keyboard, through which control information such as setting of developer temperature can be input manually to the central control unit 34 .

39 is a liquid temperature detection unit including the thermistor 24, and the data of the developer temperature obtained from the thermistor 24 is sent to the central control unit 3.
4.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a liquid level detection unit for the developer in the developer tank 8 . For example, by using a plurality of electrodes arranged in the vertical direction immersed in the developer in the developer tank 8 as a sensor, the level of the liquid (capacity of the developer) can be detected by checking the continuity between the electrodes due to the developer, and the information is The information is transmitted to the central control unit 34.

Based on the information from the liquid temperature detection section 39 and liquid level detection section 40, the central control section 34 determines the optimum stirring system according to the capacity of the developer and the heat generation capacity of the heater, and determines the optimum stirring system for the heating section 4 including the heater 23.
1 and a stirring section 4 including a main motor (stirring motor) 28
2 is controlled using the relationships shown in control examples (1) to (2) described above.

FIG. 11 shows an external perspective view of an example of a microprocessor-camera as a compound machine that combines a photographing device 43 and a developing device 44.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, in the developing device, the drive of the stirring section is controlled to be intermittently turned on and off to the minimum necessary level, so that when the stirring section is driven continuously, This prevents as much as possible early deterioration of the developing solution and noise generation, and also eliminates the phenomenon of temperature increase in the surface layer of the developing solution due to residual heat of the heating section after the heating section is turned off. This also prevents deterioration of the developer, and thus the intended purpose is well achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a control diagram of a control example. FIG. 2 is a graph of liquid temperature distribution changes in this control example. FIG. 3 is a control diagram of control example H. FIG. 4 is a control diagram of control example (■). FIG. 5 is a control diagram of control example (■). FIG. 6 is a cutaway front view of an example of the developing device. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal side view of the same. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the frame portion of the main body of the developing section. FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B) are a front view and a sectional view of a developing and fixing film transport section. FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the control system. FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of an example of a microprocessor-camera. FIG. 12 is a conventional control diagram. FIG. 13 is another control diagram. FIG. 14 is a liquid temperature distribution change graph in the case of the control example shown in FIG. 13. 23 is a liquid heater, 24 is a liquid temperature detection thermistor, 28
is the main motor (stirring motor), and 33 is the stirring propeller.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Contains a heating section, a solution temperature detection section, and a stirring section for the developer in the developer tank, and controls the developer solution temperature at a predetermined level by controlling the heating section on and off based on the solution temperature detection information of the solution temperature detection section. In a developing device that manages a set liquid temperature, the developer stirring unit continues to stir for a predetermined period of time even after the liquid temperature detection unit detects that the developer temperature has reached a predetermined set temperature and the heating unit is turned off. A developing device characterized by continuing its operation and then stopping it. (2) Contains a heating section, a solution temperature detection section, and a stirring section for the developer in the developer tank, and controls the developer solution temperature at a predetermined level by controlling the heating section on and off based on the solution temperature detection information of the solution temperature detection section. In a developing device that manages a set liquid temperature, only when the liquid temperature detection unit first detects that the developer temperature has reached a predetermined set temperature after the device is started, the heating unit is turned off based on the detection information. The developing device is characterized in that the developer stirring section continues stirring operation for a predetermined period of time and then stops.