JPH0380248A - Dry wind control method for automatic developing machine and automatic developing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stabilize the dimensional fluctuation of a processing film before and after a drying treatment by delaying the start of humidification as far as possible in such manner that the humidity in a drying section can be controlled to a set value at the point of the time when the film enters the drying section in the case of the humidification control of drying wind. CONSTITUTION:The temp. and humidity of the outdoor air are detected and the temp. and humidity of the drying wind are controlled in accordance with the detected information. The humidification is started by delaying the same as far as possible in such a manner that the humidity in the drying section can be controlled to the set value at the point D of the time when the film enters the drying section in the case of the humidification control of drying wind. Since the temp. and humidity simultaneously attain the set values at the point D of the tie when the film enters the drying section, the relative increase in the humidity in the drying section is obviated and the humidity sensor for the outdoor air can detect the exact humidity conditions of the outdoor air. The dimensional fluctuation of the film before and after the drying is stabilized in this way.

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 an automatic developing machine that develops silver halide photographic materials. For more details, see 1. The present invention relates to a drying air control method and an automatic developing machine that are optimal for developing a color original film composed of three or four plates used in color printing.

[Prior Art] Current color original silver halide photographic materials (hereinafter referred to as films) have the property of ``shrinking'' when the humidity is low and ``stretching'' when the humidity is high.

Apart from this, it also has the characteristic that the dimensions of the film before and after processing change. This is a phenomenon in which the film and image dimensions on the film at the time of film exposure (equal to the original size) and the film and image dimensions on the film after development are different, and the temperature and humidity conditions at the time of exposure and the dryness during processing are different. Department/
Affected by humidity conditions. The latter results in different dimensions between the original and the copy film, which poses the following problems.

In particular, a film original plate for color printing is composed of three original plates of cyan, magenta, and yellow, or four original plates including a black plate, and therefore, as a set of original plates, dimensional stability is required. Films that are used to create original plates for color printing currently on the market have the above-mentioned characteristics regarding temperature and humidity. Dimensional changes before and after processing caused by fluctuations in conditions (temperature, humidity) are often a problem.

For example, if a film that has been exposed and developed as a cyan version is used as an original, and the pattern of a magenta version is aligned and then exposed and developed, a problem arises in that a misalignment occurs between the resulting magenta version and the original cyan version.

Even in conventional automatic processing machines, it is necessary to change the recycling rate of drying air (the ratio of the amount of outside air taken in as dry air circulated within the drying section) in response to the external environmental humidity, and to change the recycling rate of the drying air from the outlet to the entrance of the drying section. It is well known to control the drying air by creating a temperature gradient, dehumidifying the air used for drying, etc., but such control aims to improve drying efficiency, save energy, and prevent uneven drying. However, no consideration was given to dimensional stability.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, the present inventor has devised a method for detecting the temperature and humidity of the outside air and controlling the temperature and/or humidity of the drying air in the drying section to prevent dimensional fluctuations in the film after processing. We have previously proposed an automatic developing machine or drying air control method that can reduce the
No. 92, No. 83-140254, Patent Application No. 1-3787
No.4, No.1-37875, No.1-8817!3 and No.4! -98778).

In the automatic processors using these previously proposed technologies, the power is turned on (
(See part A in Figure 3) starts controlling the temperature of each processing liquid section, such as the developer and fixer, and the temperature and humidity of the drying section. After the control is completed, the film is inserted and processing begins. During this standby state, the temperature control of each processing liquid section is maintained as it is, but the temperature and humidity control of the drying section is
It is either stopped or controlled to maintain a value lower than the set value. This is because the film passes through each of the processing liquid sections immediately after the start of processing, so the temperature must be constantly regulated, whereas the drying section is located at the rear of the film path, so after the start of processing, This is because even if temperature and humidity control is resumed, the control can be performed again to the set value before the film passes through each processing liquid section and reaches the drying section.In this way, it is possible to control the drying section during standby mode. Energy is saved by stopping or controlling to a low value.

When processing starts from the above standby state.

Control of the temperature and/or humidity of the drying section is resumed (third
During this control, the temperature is increased by a heating heater, etc., and the humidity is increased by a humidifier, but the inventor further researched the previously proposed technology and found that the heating heater in the drying section Output, heat capacity of drying section (air volume of drying section and heat capacity of components), heat radiation to the outside,
It has been found that the rate of increase in humidity, which is determined by conditions such as the humidifying capacity of the humidifier, the air volume in the drying section, and the amount of air discharged by exhaust, is faster than the rate of temperature increase, which is determined by various conditions such as heat dissipation due to exhaust air from the drying section. Ta. In the case of humidity, this
- This is because no hygroscopic material is used in the dry area of the crotch, so there is no equivalent heat capacity of the components at elevated temperatures.

When the temperature and humidity control of the drying section is resumed from the standby state described above, the humidity reaches the set value before the temperature, and until the temperature reaches the set value, the humidity remains relatively higher than the set value. The present inventors conducted research that found that not only did dew condensation occur inside the automatic developing machine, but also affected the environmental conditions in the work room outside the automatic developing machine, especially the humidity. A series of automatic developing machines that perform this process detect the outside temperature and humidity, which are the environmental conditions of the work room, and control the temperature and/or humidity of the drying air according to the detected information to ensure the dimensional stability of the film. As such, the latter effect is an extremely serious problem.

Furthermore, it has been found that when temperature control and humidity control are started at the same time, the rate of temperature rise decreases due to the influence of humidification as shown in (1) and (2) below.

■The increase in humidity increases the heat capacity of the air in the drying section.

■Thermal energy is consumed as latent heat of evaporation when the humidified water evaporates, so the temperature rise rate decreases.

In particular, with regard to (2), humidifiers that heat and evaporate water have little effect, but ultrasonic humidifiers, which are preferred because of their quick response and easy control, generate water droplets in the form of mist and evaporate. Since this method does not have an evaporative heat source inside the humidifier, the impact is large.

For humidifiers that heat and evaporate water.

As mentioned above, the temperature increase rate has a small effect, but the point at which the film enters the drying section after the humidity reaches the set value (
The thermal energy required for humidification until the temperature reaches the set value (see the third diagram) is an energy loss, resulting in wasted power consumption.

[Objective of the Invention] The present invention was created in view of the above, and reduces the influence of drying air on the outside air humidity when processing is started from a standby state, and stabilizes dimensional fluctuations of the film before and after drying processing. The main purpose of the present invention is to clarify a method of controlling drying air in an automatic developing machine and an automatic developing machine that can be used as an automatic processor, and other objects and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present inventor has conducted intensive studies and has arrived at the present invention.

That is, 1. A method for controlling drying air in an automatic developing machine according to the present invention is a method for controlling drying air in an automatic developing machine that detects outside air temperature and humidity and controls the temperature and/or humidity of the drying air according to the detected information. When the drying air is humidified, the humidification is started as late as possible so that the humidity of the drying section can be controlled to a set value when the processed film enters the drying section.

Further, the automatic developing machine according to the present invention is an automatic developing machine that detects outside air temperature and humidity, controls the temperature and/or humidity of drying air according to the detected information, and has a drying section for drying a film. When the drying air is humidified, a control means is provided to start humidification as late as possible so that the humidity of the drying section can be controlled to a set value at the time when the processed film enters the drying section. It is characterized by

[Specific structure of the invention] Hereinafter, one aspect of the present invention will be explained in detail.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automatic processor of the present invention, in which a film F to be processed is stored in a magazine or the like, for example, and is prepared on the side surface of the device frame 2. It is set in the insertion section 3 where it is located.

First, turn on the power to the automatic processor when starting work (see Figure 2 A).
s)), the developing tank 6, fixing tank 7. Temperature control of each processing tank, such as the washing tank 8, and control of the temperature and humidity of the drying section 10 are started. After the control is completed, the standby state (
In this standby state, the temperature control of each processing tank is maintained as it is, but the drying section lO
The temperature and humidity controls are either turned off or controlled to remain below the set point. This is because the film F passes through each processing tank immediately after processing starts, so the temperature must be constantly regulated, whereas the drying section 10 is located at the rear of the path of the film F. ,
After the start of processing, it takes several minutes for the film F to reach the drying section 10, and even if temperature and humidity control is resumed at the start of this processing, the film F passes through each processing tank and reaches the drying section 10. This is because it is possible to control the set value again by the time the set value is reached. In this way, by stopping the control of the drying section 10 or controlling it to a low value during the standby state, energy is saved.

After setting the magazine 1, when the start button is turned on, the presence of the film to be processed is confirmed by the film detection means, and the end of the film is engaged with the take-in roller 4 by the rotation of the film pull-out roller, and the film is then transported sequentially. The developing tank 6 and fixing tank 7 follow the rotation of the 5 groups of rollers.
, and are guided to the washing tank 8 and processed. Also, by turning on this start button, the standby state is canceled.
The temperature and humidity control of the drying section 10, which had been stopped or controlled to a low value as described above, is restarted (see part C of FIG. 2).

The washed film is guided to the squeeze section and drained, then guided to the drying section 10 and dried, and then discharged out of the apparatus through the film discharge port as shown by the arrow.

At the time when the film F is guided to the drying section 10 (see the second diagram), the temperature and humidity of the drying section 10 have already been controlled to the set values.

11 is a drying fan, 12 is a heater, 13 is a drying rack,
14 is a drying duct, and 15 is a W# air duct.

16 is a drying air humidity sensor, 17 is a temperature sensor, and both sensors are connected to the drying fan 11 in the automatic developing machine.
Although it is preferable to provide the device near the outlet of the dry air, it may also be provided in another light circulation path for dry air.

A humidifying device 18 is provided at the outlet or inlet of the drying fan 11, but it may also be provided near another circulation path for drying air or an external air intake. Although an ultrasonic humidifier that is easy to control is preferable, it is of course possible to use a general humidifier that heats and evaporates water using a heater.

18 is a dehumidifying device, which connects the drying duct 14 with a pair of pipes.
It dehumidifies the dry air.

21 is a humidity sensor for outside air, and 22 is a temperature sensor for outside air.

In this specification, what is outside air humidity and temperature?

This refers to the environmental humidity and temperature during film exposure, since the exposure machine and automatic developing machine are usually installed under the same environment, that is, in the same room.

The outside air humidity sensor 21 and temperature sensor 22 are provided on the automatic developing machine side. The outside air humidity sensor 2
When the temperature sensor 1 and the temperature sensor 22 are provided on the automatic developing machine side, it is preferable to install them 5 cm or more away from the automatic developing machine main body so as not to be affected by the heater 12 of the developing machine.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a control unit, which controls the outside air humidity and temperature detected by the outside air humidity sensor 21 and temperature sensor 22.
Appropriate temperature and humidity conditions for drying air that can stabilize dimensional fluctuations of the film F are calculated, and based on the calculated values, the humidifier 18 and/or heater 12 in the drying section 10 are operated to adjust the humidity and/or temperature. It is something to control.

At this time, when controlling the humidification inside the drying section 10 based on the detected outside air conditions, the humidification starts when the film F enters the drying section 10, and the humidity of the drying section 10 is calculated based on the set value, that is, the detected information. Start as late as possible to allow humidity. To start the process later, the control unit 20 determines various conditions such as the capacity of the humidifying device 18 and the air volume of the drying unit 10, as well as the humidification ratio.

By controlling the start of operation of the humidifier 18.

Conventionally, the lower the humidification value, the faster it reached the set value by starting as late as possible, but in the present invention,
Conversely, the lower the humidification value is, the slower the start of humidification is, so when heating is performed, there is no longer any effect of humidification at the start of heating, and the rate of temperature rise becomes faster than in the conventional case.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, by delaying the start of humidification as much as possible, even when heating is performed, the temperature does not reach the set value first, but when the film enters the drying section. Since the humidity and humidity reach the set value at the same time, the humidity inside the drying section does not become relatively high, which prevents dew condensation from forming inside the automatic processor. Since it does not affect the indoor environmental conditions, the outside air humidity sensor can accurately detect outside air humidity conditions. Therefore, dimensional fluctuations in the film before and after the drying process can be stabilized.

Further, by delaying the start of humidification, when heating is performed, the heating process is not affected by humidification, and a decrease in the rate of increase in heating can be reduced.

Additionally, it can shorten the operating time of the humidifier.

This not only improves the durability of the humidifier, but also reduces the amount of water used for humidification and the energy such as electricity and heat required for humidification.

[Example] Hereinafter, dry air control of the present invention performed using the above-mentioned device will be explained along with experimental data.

The experimental data shown in this example was obtained by processing the samples and processing agents shown below in an automatic processor shown in FIG.

A silver halide emulsion was prepared by simultaneously adding a silver nitrate solution and an aqueous solution of sodium chloride and potassium bromide to a gelatin solution. After this emulsion was sulfur sensitized in a conventional manner, the following compound [I] was added to coat the emulsion with latex subbing.
A gelatin amount of 2 g/m'' is applied onto a 100 g yi PET base (polyethylene terephthalate film).

At this time, an emulsion protective layer was simultaneously coated on the outside of the emulsion layer with respect to the base so that the amount of gelatin was 1 g/rn'. This sample was dried to prepare a sample. At this time, the amount of coated silver was 3.5 g/rn'.

Compound [I] Cut this sample into 30cm x Boas size P-
E! 27FM Meisho printer (manufactured by Dainippon Screen Co., Ltd.)
Using this method, two thin lines were imagewise exposed at a distance of 58 cm and developed to form a manuscript.

After thoroughly controlling the original, unexposed sample (same size as the original), printer, and automatic processor under various humidity conditions at 25°C, the unexposed sample was closely exposed to the original and developed using the automatic processor. Processed. Overlay the developed sample on the original manuscript,
The extent to which the spacing between the thin lines had changed compared to the original manuscript was measured using a loupe with a scale.

The optimal drying conditions in terms of dimensional stability before and after treatment under each outside air condition should be determined independently for each film, and are not limited to the drying conditions shown in this example.

The measurement was performed with n=8, and the average value was taken. The measurement error is the average value ±10. It is a temple.

The processing conditions of the automatic processor (hereinafter sometimes referred to as automatic processor) and the composition of the processing agent are as follows.

Processing conditions Development 28℃ 30 seconds fixation
28℃ 20 seconds water wash Room temperature
Dry for 14 seconds and dry for 27 seconds.The automatic developing machine is in a standby state until the processing starts. That is, the temperatures of the developing, fixing, and washing processing tanks are controlled to maintain the above conditions, but only the drying section is in a stopped state.

Sato JIIJ Masashi [Composition A] Pure water (ion exchange water) Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt diethylene glycol Potassium sulfite (55% Kaha aqueous solution) Potassium carbonate hydroquinone 5-methylbenzotriazole l-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole Potassium hydroxide Amount to make pH 10.9 after use 150mg 0g 100mg 0g 5g 200+sg 01g Potassium bromide [Set *B] Pure water (ion exchange water) Diethylene glycol ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt 4.5g 3mg 0g 25 g Acetic acid (80% aqueous solution) 0.3m 5-nitroindazole 110g1
-;y x 2)'Lt-3-pyrazolidone 500+s
When using g developer, add the above set mA in 500+sjl of water,
They were dissolved in the order of composition B and used as one sentence.

L nutrient solution A' [Composition A] Ammonium 1000 sulfate (72.5% aqueous solution) 2301ml Sodium sulfite 8.5g Sodium acetate trihydrate 15. l1g boric acid
6.78 Sodium citrate 2 water m 2g acetic acid (90% w/
w aqueous solution) 8.1 tJL [Set 1 & B] Pure water (ion exchange water) 171 sulfuric acid (50% w/w aqueous solution) 5.
D Aluminum sulfate (^!; L 203 equivalent content is 8.
(1% w/w aqueous solution) When using 28.5g of fixer, the above composition A and dB were dissolved in 500ml of water in that order, and the solution was finished to 1M.

The pH of this fixer was 4.3.

Experimental example 1 The humidifying device starts operating at the same time as ■When the start button of the automatic processor is pressed, the heater starts operating (warming) immediately (comparative example), and ■The heater starts operating at the same time as ■. , when the start button of the automatic processor is pressed, but if the humidifier is delayed so that it reaches the set value when the film reaches the drying section (
Regarding the present invention), the temperature and humidity in the processing chamber were changed as shown in Table 1, and the continuous processing was repeated 5 times for each of the 80 cm x 30 cm samples with the longitudinal direction being the transport direction. Dimensional changes before and after treatment were measured. In each experiment, an interval of 10 minutes was maintained every time six sheets were processed in succession, so that the automatic developing machine was set to standby during the interval.

Also. The conditions of the drying section were as follows.

・Heater output 3.3 ・Ultrasonic humidifier humidification capacity 7g/win ・Drying section air volume: 0.2rn' ・Drying section exhaust air ik: 2. Onf/sin/standby state Drying section temperature: 30"0 drying humidity 75g
/Kg The results are summarized in Table 1.

As shown in Margin Table 1 below, when drying air is controlled by heating and humidifying it (Experiments No. 3 and 6), stable dimensional fluctuation processing can be performed based on the results of 5 processings in case (3). , ■
As the process continues, dew condensation forms inside the automatic developing machine and becomes water droplets, causing the humidity of the drying air to rise slightly above the control value. It was also found that the humidity around the aircraft had increased slightly.

On the other hand, in the case of control that only humidifies dry air (experiment No.
1 and 4) and the case of controlling only by heating the drying air (Experiment No. 2 and 5), good processing results with stable dimensional fluctuations were obtained for both ■ and ■, but the former In the case of control that only humidifies dry air (Experiments No. 1 and 4), it was found that the operation time of the humidifier 18 was longer in Experiment No. 4 than in Experiment No. 61, and the amount of humidifying water used was also larger. Ta.

Experimental Example 2 Using the drying section of Experimental Example 1, the temperature of the drying section in standby mode was set to 30°C and the humidity was 5 g/Kg, the set price of the drying section was set to 45°C, humidity 20g/Kg, and the humidifier started operating. For the cases ■ and ■ in Experimental Example 1, the changes in temperature and humidity in the drying section from the stein-by state to the time when the film reached the drying section were investigated.

The results are graphed, and the case (■) (invention) is shown in FIG. 2, and the case (■) (comparative example) is shown in FIG. 3.

As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the rate of increase in drying temperature in case (2) is approximately half that of case (2). Therefore, in the case (2), it is possible to set the temperature of the drying section during the standby state lower than in the case (2), and it is possible to save energy during the standby state.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an automatic developing machine of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a graph showing the changes in temperature and humidity in the drying section of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a graph showing the changes in temperature and humidity in the conventional drying section. In the figure, each symbol indicates the following. 10: Drying section 11: Drying fan 12: Heater 13: Drying rack 14: Drying duct 15: Exhaust fan 18: Dry air humidity sensor 17: Dry air temperature sensor 18: Humidifier 18: Dehumidifier 20: Control unit 21 : Outside air humidity sensor 22: Outside air temperature sensor F: Film

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A drying air control method in an automatic developing machine that detects outside air temperature and humidity and controls the temperature and/or humidity of the drying air according to the detected information, where the drying air is humidified. A method for controlling drying air in an automatic processor, characterized in that the start of humidification is delayed as much as possible so that the humidity of the drying section can be controlled to a set value when the processed film enters the drying section. 2. An automatic developing machine that has a drying section that detects the outside air temperature and humidity, controls the temperature and/or humidity of the drying air according to the detected information, and dries the film, and when the drying air is humidified. 1. An automatic developing machine comprising a control means for starting humidification as late as possible so that the humidity of the drying section can be controlled to a set value at the time when the processed film enters the drying section.