JPH02108051A - Drying wind control method and automatic developing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To rapidly process a photosensitive body under an optimum drying condition and to always control it in a stable and optimum dimension by preferentially setting a drying temperature and controlling humidity corresponding to the set temperature. CONSTITUTION:A microcomputer is provided in a control part 4, where detection information from the humidity detection sensor 20 and the temperature detection sensor 21 of a drying part 12 is inputted so as to obtain the information on drying wind, and also the detection information from a temperature detection sensor 23 and a humidity detection sensor 24 which are provided outside a device main body is inputted. A drying temperature setting means for setting the temperature of the drying wind from the information and a control means for automatically controlling the humidity of the drying wind with reference to the change of the humidity of the drying wind accompanied with the processing of the photosensitive material based on the set drying temperature and keeping the optimum drying condition are provided in the title machine. Thus, the humidity hardly receives the effect of the drying wind by a wall or a roller, etc., in the circulation system and the optimum drying condition can be more rapidly obtained. Besides that, the uniformer drying wind is made to blow against the photosensitive material and the optimum drying condition is kept.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a drying air control method and an automatic developing machine that are applied to the development of photosensitive materials, and more specifically to a method for controlling drying air and an automatic developing machine that are applied to the development of photosensitive materials. The present invention relates to a drying air control method and an automatic developing machine that are optimal for developing a color original film.

[Prior Art] Photosensitive materials have the characteristic of ``shrinking'' when the humidity is low and ``expanding'' when the humidity is high.

Furthermore, apart from this, photosensitive materials have the characteristic that their dimensions change before and after development processing. This is a phenomenon in which the photosensitive material and the image frame size on the photosensitive material at the time of exposure and the image size on the photosensitive material after development are different, and the temperature and humidity conditions at the time of exposure and the drying temperature during development are different. and results influenced by humidity conditions.

In particular, if a photosensitive material is dried too much against the outside air during drying during the development process, so-called overdrying, the photosensitive material will become stretched compared to the unprocessed photosensitive material. The following problems occur because the dimensions of the material change before and after processing.

Since a film original plate for color printing is composed of three original plates of cyan, magenta, and yellow, or four original plates including a blackout plate, dimensional stability is required as a set of original plates. By the way, the film used to create the master plate for color printing has the characteristic of expanding and contracting under the influence of temperature and humidity, so the outside temperature and humidity during exposure and the drying conditions during development processing (
Fluctuations in temperature and humidity (temperature and humidity) often cause dimensional changes before and after treatment, which often becomes a problem. For example, if you obtain a film that has been exposed and developed as a cyan plate, align the pattern of the magenta plate with this cyan plate, perform contact printing exposure, and develop it, there will be a shift between the resulting magenta plate and the original cyan plate. Problems such as the occurrence of

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, in the development processing of photosensitive materials, it is possible to minimize dimensional changes before and after processing and stabilize dimensional changes depending on the external conditions and the type of photosensitive material being processed. It is necessary to process under optimal drying conditions. These optimal drying conditions differ depending on the type of photosensitive material, and are not necessarily uniquely determined even for the same type of photosensitive material, and exist depending on the combination of drying temperature and drying humidity.

By the way, in processing using an automatic developing machine, the humidity of the drying air differs between idle operation and continuous processing, and this may cause the dimensions of the processed photosensitive material to differ, so it is necessary to always process under optimal drying conditions.

Furthermore, for automatic control, it is necessary to provide criteria for determining which of the many optimal drying conditions is best to set.

This invention was made in view of the above, and by setting the drying temperature as a priority and controlling the humidity accordingly, it is possible to quickly perform processing under the optimal drying conditions, and it is always stable and optimal. An object of the present invention is to provide a drying air control method and an automatic developing machine that can perform drying in the most energy-saving manner while controlling the dimensions of the film.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the drying air control method of the present invention detects outside air temperature and outside air humidity, sets the temperature of the drying air based on the outside air information, and detects the outside air temperature and humidity. It is characterized by controlling the humidity of the drying air against changes in the humidity of the drying air as the material is processed, thereby maintaining optimal drying conditions.

These optimal drying conditions vary depending on the outside air condition and the type of photosensitive material to be processed, and are conditions that can minimize the dimensional change of the photosensitive material before and after processing and stabilize the dimensional variation. These optimal drying conditions differ depending on the type of photosensitive material, and are not necessarily uniquely determined even for the same type of photosensitive material, and there are many combinations of drying temperature and drying humidity. The condition is that the dimensional change from front to rear is within ±0.003%.

The temperature of the drying air set from the outside air information is in the range of 30 to 65°C, particularly preferably 33 to 60°C, depending on the outside air information.

In addition, in the drying air control method of the present invention, the temperature of the drying air is set so that when the photosensitive material is processed, the optimum drying conditions are obtained without humidifying the drying air when the humidity of the drying air is in a steady state. be able to. Also, when processing photosensitive materials, when the humidity of the drying air has not reached a steady state,
Humidification can be substantially controlled to obtain optimal drying conditions.

This steady state is a state in which the humidity of the drying air is constant, and is determined by the processing frequency, size, and other processing conditions of the photosensitive material.

Furthermore, this substantial humidification control can be performed using a humidifier, and the return air rate can be changed, and it is also possible to use both the method of using a humidifier and the method of changing the conveyance M rate. It is.

Means for changing the return air rate are not particularly limited, but preferably include changing the strength of the exhaust fan, providing a valve in the exhaust path and/or air intake to adjust the opening ratio, and using these in combination. etc.

The automatic developing machine of the present invention also includes a temperature detecting means for detecting the outside air temperature, a humidity detecting means for detecting the outside air humidity, a drying temperature setting means for setting the temperature of the drying air based on this outside air information, and a drying temperature setting means for setting the temperature of the drying air based on this outside air information. The apparatus is characterized in that it has a control means for controlling the humidity of the drying air based on the drying temperature of the drying air in response to changes in the humidity of the drying air accompanying the processing of the photosensitive material, thereby maintaining optimum drying conditions.

[Function] In the drying air control method and automatic developing machine of the present invention, the temperature of the drying air is first set, and the humidity of the drying air is controlled in response to changes in the humidity of the drying air as the photosensitive material is processed. In drying air control, humidity control has a faster response than temperature control, and humidity is less affected by walls, rollers, etc. in the drying air circulation system, and optimal drying conditions can be obtained more quickly.

Moreover, more uniform drying air can be blown onto the photosensitive material, and optimal drying conditions can be maintained. moreover,
When processing a photosensitive material, the temperature of the drying air is set so as to obtain optimal drying conditions without humidifying the drying air when the humidity of the drying air is in a steady state. Furthermore, when processing photosensitive materials, when the humidity of the drying air has not reached a steady state, if the humidity is effectively controlled to obtain the optimum drying conditions, it is possible to The drying temperature can be set without the need for humidification control, resulting in energy savings. If this condition is set during dry operation, the humidity of the drying air will increase during continuous processing and the drying conditions will not be optimal. Therefore, set the humidity low in advance and humidify until it reaches a steady state. The drying conditions can be set to the optimum drying conditions, allowing effective and stable drying at all times.

In addition, energy can be saved by setting conditions such that no humidification is required in steady state. At this time, a humidifier and a method of changing the return air rate can be used together for actual humidification control, and a method of changing the humidifier and the return air rate can be used together, and humidification control can be performed with a simple configuration.

[Example] The present invention will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automatic developing machine to which the drying S control method of the present invention is applied.

The film F to be processed is stored, for example, in a magazine 1 or the like, and is set in an insertion section 3 provided on a side surface of the main body 2 of the apparatus. After setting the magazine 1, when a start button (not shown) provided on the control section 4 is turned on, the presence of the film to be processed is confirmed by the film detection means 5. For example, the end of the film is engaged with the take-in roller 6 by the rotation of the film pull-out roller, and then guided to the developer tank 8, the fixing tank 9, and the washing tank 1o for processing by the rotation of the transport rollers 7 group.

The film F that has been washed with water is guided to the squeeze section 11 and drained, and then guided to the drying section 12 and dried.
The film is discharged to the outside of the apparatus through the film discharge port 13.

A drying duct 15 is provided in the drying rack 14 of the drying section 12, a drying fan 16 is provided in communication with the drying duct 15, and the drying fan 16 is provided with a heater 17. Note that a dehumidifier can be provided in the drying duct 15.

Further, the drying fan 16 is connected to an exhaust duct 18 and communicates with the outside of the apparatus main body 2 via the exhaust fan 19.

The drying section 12 is provided with a humidity detection sensor 20 that detects the humidity of the drying air, and a temperature detection sensor 21 that also detects the temperature, and these sensors are preferably installed near the outlet of the drying fan 16 in the automatic developing machine. Although preferred, it may also be provided in other circulation paths for the drying air.

A humidifier 22 is provided at the outlet of the drying fan 16, and although it is provided at the outlet of the drying fan 16, it may also be provided in another circulation path for drying air or near the outside air intake.

The control unit 4 is equipped with a temperature detection sensor 23 which is a temperature detection means for detecting outside air temperature, and a humidity detection sensor 24 which is a humidity detection means for detecting outside air humidity.

This control section 4 is equipped with a microcomputer, and includes a humidity detection sensor 20 and a temperature detection sensor 21 of the drying section 12.
The detection information from the temperature detection sensor 23 and the humidity detection sensor 24 provided outside the main body of the device are manually inputted to obtain information on the drying wind. A drying temperature setting means for setting the temperature; and a control means for automatically controlling the humidity of the drying air based on the set drying temperature in response to changes in the humidity of the drying air due to the processing of the photosensitive material to maintain optimum drying conditions. have.

In this embodiment, the temperature detection sensor 23 and the humidity detection sensor 24 are installed in the automatic developing machine, but the exposure machine and the automatic developing machine may be used in environments where the temperature and humidity are different, for example, when both devices are installed in separate rooms. In this case, a temperature detection sensor and a humidity detection sensor are also installed near the exposure machine.

Hereinafter, the drying air control according to the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 2 and 3.

Start the operation of the automatic developing machine, manually select the film type by operating the button (step a), drive the heater 17 by operating the switch, and preheat the drying air to a temperature of, for example, 30°C. (step b).

The outside air temperature and humidity are detected from the temperature detection sensor 23 and the humidity detection sensor 24 (step C), this outside air information is taken in, and, for example, optimal drying condition information according to the type of film stored in advance in a map is called up (step C). Step d).

Then, the drying temperature and drying humidity (ha) in a steady state as shown in FIG. 3 are calculated from the type of film and outside air temperature and humidity information (step e).

The set drying temperature (Ta) at the drying humidity (ha) calculated in step e is selected and set from among the optimal drying conditions called up in step d (step f).

The set drying temperature (Ta) is the lowest settable temperature (Ta) and the highest settable temperature (T) in the automatic processor.
It is determined whether it is within the range of a) (step g).

If the set drying temperature (Ta) is equal to or higher than the maximum settable temperature (Ta), the highest settable temperature (Ta) is set (step h). In step i, this maximum settable temperature (
By setting the optimum drying humidity (hd) at Ta) and performing controls such as lowering the return air rate,
hd) (step j).

Also, the set drying temperature (Ta) is the lowest settable temperature (Ta).
) and the maximum settable temperature (Ta), set the drying temperature to the set drying temperature (Ta) (step k
), the temperature of the drying air is set so as to obtain the optimum drying conditions without humidifying the drying air in a steady state of drying humidity. Then, the actual drying humidity (hb) of film processing is
Detected by humidity detection sensor 20 (stepwise).

It is determined whether or not there is a difference between the calculated drying humidity (ha) and the actual drying humidity (hb) (step m). For example, as shown in FIG. When the humidity of has not reached the steady state, the calculated dry humidity (
ha) (step n).

Also, the set drying temperature (Ta) is the lowest settable temperature (Ta).
) In the following cases, this minimum settable temperature (Ta) is set (step). The optimum dry humidity (he) at this set minimum settable temperature (Ta) is set (step p), and the humidity is humidified to the optimum dry humidity (he) (step q).

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention sets the temperature of the drying air based on outside air information and controls the humidity of the drying air in response to changes in the humidity of the drying air due to processing of photosensitive materials. The response in drying air control is faster, and the humidity is less affected by walls and rollers in the drying air circulation system, making it possible to obtain optimal drying conditions more quickly and producing more uniform drying air. It can be sprayed onto photosensitive materials to maintain optimal drying conditions.

Furthermore, when processing photosensitive materials, the temperature of the drying air is set so as to obtain optimal drying conditions without humidifying the drying air in a steady state of drying humidity, and when processing photosensitive materials, When the humidity of the drying air has not reached a steady state, substantially controlling the humidification to obtain the optimum drying conditions will result in
Among several optimal drying conditions, the drying temperature can be set to a value that eliminates the need for humidification control during steady-state conditions, resulting in energy savings.

In addition, during dry operation, the humidity can be set low in advance, and the humidity can be humidified until the drying humidity reaches a steady state to set the optimal drying conditions, effectively allowing drying to always be carried out under stable and optimal drying conditions. . Furthermore, it is possible to save energy by setting conditions such that no humidification is required in this steady state.

Humidification control can be performed with a simple configuration by using a humidifier, a method of changing the return air rate, and further using a humidifier and a method of changing the conveyance air rate for this substantial humidification control.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automatic processor to which the drying air control method of the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is a flowchart of drying air control, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of processed films and drying humidity. It is. In the figure, 4 is a control unit, 12 is a drying unit, 14 is a drying rack, 15 is a drying duct, 16 is a drying fan, 17 is a heater, 19 is an exhaust fan, 21.23 is a temperature detection sensor, 2
0.24 is a humidity detection sensor, and 22 is a humidifier. Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Detect the outside air temperature and outside air humidity, set the temperature of the drying air based on this outside air information, and adjust the humidity of the drying air against changes in the humidity of the drying air due to processing of photosensitive materials. A drying air control method characterized by controlling the drying conditions and maintaining optimal drying conditions. 2. The temperature of the drying air is set so as to obtain an optimum drying condition without humidifying the drying air in a steady state of humidity of the drying air when processing a photosensitive material.
The drying air control method described. 3. The drying air control method according to claim 1, wherein when processing a photosensitive material, when the humidity of the drying air has not reached a steady state, humidification is substantially controlled to obtain optimal drying conditions. . 4. The dry air control method according to claim 3, wherein the substantial humidification control is performed using a humidifier. 5. The drying air control method according to claim 3, wherein the substantial humidification control involves changing the return air rate. 6. The drying air control method according to claim 3, wherein the actual humidification control is a method using a humidifier and a method of changing the conveyance air rate. 7. Temperature detecting means for detecting outside air temperature, humidity detecting means for detecting outside air humidity, drying temperature setting means for setting drying air temperature based on the outside air temperature and outside air humidity, and drying temperature setting means for setting the drying air temperature based on the outside air temperature and outside air humidity. 1. An automatic developing machine characterized by having a control means for controlling the humidity of the drying air based on changes in the humidity of the drying air accompanying the processing of photosensitive materials and maintaining optimum drying conditions.