JPS6292936A - Method for processing photographic film - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the flawing of a photographic film and to eliminate the need for maintenance by atomizing a photographic processing liquid by using a fog generating means, passing the photographic film through the fog and processing the film, thereby easily controlling finish density. CONSTITUTION:The photographic film 1 which is conveyed in an arrow direction is conveyed by the groove part formed of a lower body 5 and both side ends of an upper cap 6 preliminarily adjusted in width according to the film width while both side ends in the transverse direction of the film are slidably held and are grasped by rollers 3B provided in a discharge port. The fog of the developing soln. having the optimum developing density is generated by an ultrasonic oscillator 40 provided to a liquid housing part 4 and is forcibly fed by a fan 49 provided in a circulation path until the fog arrives at a processing part 8. The path for conveying the film 1 and the fog in the processing part 8 are maintained at an optimum developing temp. by a heater 9 and only one face of the film 1 is developed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Technology of 1991!?) This invention relates to the development, fixation, and n The present invention also relates to a method of processing washing with a processing liquid, and relates to a method of processing a photographic film in which processing is performed using a processing liquid such as an atomized developer, fixer, or washing water.

(Technical background of the invention and its problems): Figure iS6 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing an outline of a developing machine in a photographic film processing apparatus using a general roller conveyance processing method. is carried in from the entrance 30A by a group of rollers 31A and 31B shafted between opposing side plates, developed in a developer (D), and deposited on the photographic film 1 by a squeeze roller 31B at the final stage of the developing section. After the liquid (+1) is squeezed out, it is transported to the next process (fixing process) from the transport 1 30F. Conventionally, most automatic processors have stable performance and relatively fast processing speeds. Therefore, this roller conveyance processing method is used. However, even in this roller conveyance processing method, many rollers are used, so if the developer that adheres to the rollers crystallizes, it may cause uneven development or damage the photographic film, reducing the finished quality. There is. Therefore, this roller must be removed frequently for maintenance such as cleaning, which poses a disadvantage of placing a heavy burden on the operator. or,
Except for films that are processed on both sides, such as X-ray film, general photographic film only needs to be processed on one side (the photosensitive side), but since the developer will adhere to both sides, it is necessary to remove the excess developer. There is a drawback that not only is it necessary, but also that it takes time to wash and dry. Furthermore, there is a drawback that the device becomes large-scale. A general fixing device and a water washer have a similar structure and use the above-mentioned roller conveyance processing method, so there are similar drawbacks in the fixing process and the water washing process.

FIG. 8(A) shows an aperture card 100 used for microfilming drawings, etc. As shown in the figure, each film lot is fixed to a mount 102 made of paper, and this aperture card 100 In order to process the aperture cards 100, it is not possible to use the roller conveying force type because the mount 102 cannot be immersed in the processing liquid.Therefore, as shown in FIG. The lower body is sandwiched between the lower body and La, the base m102 is masked by the lower body, and a developer or fixer is sprayed from a nozzle 44 provided in the lower body only on the film surface 101 to develop or fix the film. L.-processing method is used. In this spray processing method, the developer or fixer is sprayed from the nozzle 44 through the pipe 440 or 441, respectively, so the film 101 is on one side (photosensitive side).
However, when the processing liquid is injected from the pull 44, air gets mixed into the liquid and oxidizes the processing liquid, deteriorating its processing capacity. Therefore, the amount of processing liquid used increases, and depending on the shape of the nozzle, the developing liquid is not uniformly sprayed onto the film 101, resulting in uneven development. Zaranimata,
This nozzle 44 has a drawback in that the processing liquid tends to crystallize and become clogged.

FIG. 7(A) is a diagram showing a developing machine for roll photographic film using a straight processing method in which this spray processing method is applied to a general roll photographic film 1, and FIG.
), it is held between rollers 33A and 33B provided at the loading inlet and outlet, respectively, and is supported so as to slide on both ends in the width direction by grooves formed by the lower body 53 and the upper lid 83. A developing solution is injected from a nozzle 43 provided in the lower main body 53 onto the photographic film l transported by the lower main body 53 to develop the photographic film l. In this straight method, since the developer is injected from the nozzle 43, there is an advantage that only one side of the photographic film is developed; however, when the developer is injected from the nozzle 43, air enters the developer. It mixes into the developer and oxidizes the developer, reducing its processing efficiency. Therefore, the amount of developer used increases, and depending on the shape of the nozzle 43, the developer is not evenly sprayed onto the photographic film 1, resulting in uneven development. Another drawback is that the nozzle 43 is easily clogged by crystallization of the developer. Since the fixing device and the washing machine have similar structures and use the straight processing method described above, there are similar drawbacks in the fixing process and the washing process.

(Object of the invention) This invention was made in response to the circumstances described above.
The purpose of this invention is to easily reduce the final density, reduce processing unevenness, prevent scratches on the film, and increase processing speed in photographic film processing steps using processing solutions such as developing, fixing, or washing with water. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographic film processing method that requires almost no maintenance, imposes less burden on workers, and consumes less processing liquid.

(Summary of the Invention) The present invention relates to a photographic film processing method, in which a processing liquid used in the above processing is atomized using an ultrasonic vibrator, and when processing a general photographic film, both ends of the photographic film are sealed. The above process is carried out by passing only the photosensitive surface side through the fog.

(Embodiments of the Invention) Generally, in order to atomize the above-mentioned treatment liquid, the following methods can be considered. These methods are shown in Figure 2 (
This will be explained below with reference to A) to (D).

(A) As shown in FIG.
and 502 to heat the processing liquid,
Vaporize and atomize. In this case, although the structure is simple, the treatment liquid is heated to a high temperature, which deteriorates the liquid treatment ability.

(B) As shown in FIG. 5B, the processing liquid in the processing liquid layer 510 is heated from the outside, for example, by a heater 511, and is vaporized and atomized. In this case as well, the structure is simple as in (A) above, but since the processing liquid is heated to a high temperature, the processing ability of the liquid is deteriorated.

(C) As shown in (C) of the same figure, the pump 521 is rotated at high speed by the motor 522 built in the processing liquid layer 520 to suck up the processing liquid, and using the centrifugal force, the processing liquid is thrown against the wall surface to form fine particles. A droplet is created and the fan 523 pumps the droplet. In this case, although there are no disadvantages as in (A) and (B) above, a motor and a pump are required, and the shape of the treatment liquid layer becomes complicated, resulting in an increase in the size of the apparatus.

(D) As shown in (D) of the same figure, a filter 531 made of cloth or the like is wound around a pair of rollers built into the processing liquid layer 530, one end of which is immersed in the processing liquid, and the filter is gradually rotated. A fan 532 passes air through the filter 531 to vaporize and atomize the processing liquid. In this case, the amount of fog generated cannot be determined and it is difficult to control the amount of fog generated.

Therefore, in this invention, the structure is simple and small, and the amount of fog generated is easy to reach the W node. Using an ultrasonic vibrator that utilizes a piezoelectric phenomenon such as VDF) or ceramic composite material (PECM), the liquid is vaporized by applying ultrasonic vibrations to generate a mist of the processing liquid.

FIG. 1(A) shows a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a processing apparatus using the photographic film processing method of the present invention, and FIG. 1(B) shows a side view of its processing section. Since it is often used in common for processing, fixing, etc., an example used for general photographic film development will be described below.

In the same figure (A), 7A is a sensor which detects that the photographic film l has been conveyed to this @ machine 2. A pair of rollers 3A and 3B for sandwiching and transporting the photographic film 1 are provided at an inlet and an outlet of the developing processing section 8. The lower body 5 and five lids 6 forming the development processing section 8 are as follows:
As shown in the cross-sectional side view of FIG.
and upper M80A.

! It is composed of 10B, fil, and the size of the film being conveyed (for example, the width is 16mm).
35) depending on the lower body 50A, 50B, 5 automatically or manually, for example by a motor.
1A, 51B, 52 and upper lid BOA, [ioB, 8
1 is moved to the position shown by the broken line or returned to the position shown by the solid line, and its width is adjusted while maintaining airtightness. Therefore, as shown in the cross-sectional side view of FIG.
Depending on the size of the film 1 being conveyed, the grooves formed by the lower body 5 and the upper lid 6 allow both ends of the film 1 in the width direction to be held in a sliding rotation and sealed. The development processing section 8 has its inlet and outlet sealed by a pair of rollers 3A and 3B to maintain airtightness. The F main body 5 is provided with a liquid storage section 4 that stores the developer injected from the injection port 41.
141 is tightly sealed with a cap 41A to prevent mist from leaking outside except when injecting liquid. Furthermore, a drain IJ 48 for discharging the developer is provided at the bottom of the liquid storage section 4. The amount of liquid injected into the liquid storage section 4 is
The liquid level is detected by a liquid level sensor 7B and controlled. A two-legged ultrasonic vibrator 40 is provided at the bottom of the liquid storage section 4 to generate 7 ft. of developer. A fan 49 installed in the circulation path forces the generated fog to the developing processing section 8 and develops the photographic film 1. After the development of the film 1 is completed, the fan 49 returns the fog from the opening 42. The liquid storage section 4
It is sucked and circulated so that it returns to normal. Further, during development, a plate-shaped heater 9 is provided in contact with the upper lid 6 in order to maintain the transport path of the film 1 in the development processing section 8 and the above-mentioned fog at an optimum development temperature. is removably installed so that it can be removed in case of improper use such as during washing with water.

A developing processing method using the developing machine 2 having such a configuration will be described below. In the same figure (A), when the photographic film l conveyed in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure is detected by the six sensors 7A, a pair of rollers 3A provided at the loading entrance rotate and sandwich it, and the photographic film l is conveyed in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. As shown in the 1m diagram on that side of
A roller 3B provided at the discharge port is held slidably at both ends in the width direction by grooves formed at both ends of the lower main body 5 and LZ6, whose width is adjusted in advance according to the width of the lumen. The ultrasonic vibrator 40 provided in the liquid storage section 4 generates a developer mist having an appropriate developer concentration (amount generated).
It is force-fed by a fan 48 provided in the circulation Jz path and reaches the development processing section 8 . Here, the conveyance path of the fill 111 of the second development processing section 8 and the above-mentioned fog are kept at the optimum developing temperature by a plate-shaped heater 9 submerged above the first gain 6, and both ends are Since it is sealed, only one side (photosensitive side) of the photographic film 1 is developed at the optimum developing temperature and optimum developing density.

Then, the developing machine 2 that has completed the above-mentioned developing process,
By discharging the developer from the drain port 48, for example, injecting water and energizing the ultrasonic vibrator 4o to generate water vapor, the inside can be easily cleaned without decomposition. .

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the development processing was explained among the photographic film processing methods, but the invention is not limited to the development processing, and as can be easily seen from the above-mentioned embodiments, the above-mentioned processing apparatus can also be used. If a fixer is injected, it can be used as a fixing device for fixing processing, and if water is injected, it can be used as a water washer for washing processing. In this way, the processing device 2 is used for developing m([1)2A
, 1 machine (F) 28 and U water wash FMIC'd) 2G
The roller for carrying out the developing machine (D) 2A and the roller for carrying in the fixing machine (F) 2B are used together, and the roller for carrying out the fixing machine (F) 2B and the washing machine Figure 3 shows an example of a photographic film processing device that is integrated in a series with a 2G loading roller.In this case, it is necessary to adjust the temperature of the water washer 2C. If not, the plate-shaped heater 9 may be removed as shown in the figure.

(Modified example of the invention) In the above-described embodiment, the processing section 8 is composed of the lower body 5OA, 50B, 51A, 51B, 52 and the upper lid 60A, 808.81, which are composed of a plurality of members, and the M! i Depending on the size of the film 1 being fed, the lower main body 50A
.

50th, 51A, 51B, 52 and upper lid BOA, 80
8.81 was moved and its width was increased by 3 while maintaining airtightness.
1r! '1 has been shown, but as shown in Figure 5,
Film guides 56A and 5 are installed in grooves at both ends of the top cover 6 and the main body 5 to slidably move while maintaining airtightness.
6B and k ? according to the width of the film l. = i 6 and lower body 5 instead of moving this film guide 5
8A and 5f (Be) The film 1 may be held and sealed by moving it to the position shown by the broken line or returning it to the position shown by the solid line as described above.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the width of the processing section of the processing device can be adjusted according to the width of the film. As shown in the figure, the processing section 8 may be fitted into the processing liquid tank 4 via joints 401 and 402, and the processing section 8 may be replaced depending on the film.

Generally speaking, although the above-mentioned processing device has shown an example in which the processing liquid is circulated, it may be made to be disposable. In addition, when used as a film processing device that needs to process one side of the film, such as the above-mentioned X-ray film, both ends of the above-mentioned processing section,
The film guide may be configured to slidably hold the film and not to seal it.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the photographic film processing method of the present invention, in the photographic film processing step using a processing liquid such as developing, fixing, or washing, the processing liquid is atomized by an ultrasonic vibrator. The particle size is extremely fine, and its concentration (amount of generation) can be easily adjusted to the optimal concentration by simply adjusting the applied voltage, and the temperature of the processing section and processing liquid mist can be adjusted to the optimal temperature using a heater. As a result, the finished density can be easily adjusted to YJ, and there is little processing unevenness.Also, when processing general photographic film, one side of the film is always mixed into the atomized processing solution depending on the size (width) of the photographic film. Since only the (photosensitive surface side) is passed through, excess processing liquid is not used and the amount of processing liquid consumed is small, and there is no need to dry it each time, increasing processing speed. Furthermore, the processing equipment using the processing method of the present invention has a simple structure, has a small number of parts, and can be easily cleaned without disassembling as mentioned above, so the film is less likely to be damaged and requires little maintenance. It is unnecessary and puts less burden on the worker.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1(A) is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing an outline of a processing apparatus using the photographic film processing method of the present invention, FIG. 1(B) is a cross-sectional side view of the processing section of FIG. 1(A), and FIG. (A) ~ (D)
3 is a diagram illustrating another application example of the present invention, FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating other embodiments of the processing device, and FIG. FIG. 7(A) is a cross-sectional configuration diagram schematically showing a general photographic film processing apparatus using a roller conveyance processing method, and FIG. 7(B) is a cross-sectional configuration diagram schematically showing a processing apparatus using a straight processing method. ) is the same figure (A
), FIG. 8(A) is a cross-sectional configuration diagram schematically showing a processing apparatus using a spray processing method, and FIG. 8(B) is a cross-sectional side view of FIG. 8(A). 1... Photographic film, 2.2A, 2B, 2G... Processing device, 3A, 38.31A, 318.33A, 33B
...roller, 4...processing liquid tank, 5.5OA, 50B
, 51A, 518.52... lower body. 6, EloA, BOB, [11... upper lid, 8...
Processing section, 9... Heater, 40... Ultrasonic oscillator. Applicant's agent Yu Yasugata Engraving of three drawings (add *L in content) (,4) (B) Leather l drawing (D) Certain 2 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 (B) Stone 6 Fig. Procedural amendment 1! g (method) % formula % 2. Name of the invention Photographic film processing method 3. Relationship with the person making the amendment Patent applicant 210 Nakanuma, Minamiashigara City, Kanagawa Prefecture (520) Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. 4, Agent 1988 I J, J 8, 1985 (Date of dispatch: January 28, 1985) Amended as per (no change in content).

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A photographic film processing method using a photographic processing liquid, characterized in that the processing is performed by atomizing the processing liquid used in the processing using a fog generating means and passing the photographic film through the fog. Photographic film processing method. (2) When the photographic film is passed through the fog, both ends of the photographic film are sealed so that only the photosensitive side of the photographic film is subjected to the treatment.
Photo fail processing method described in section. (3) The photographic film processing method according to claim 1, wherein an ultrasonic vibrator is used as the fog generating means.