Automatic image developing apparatus
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an automatic image developing apparatus, and more particularly to an automatic image developing apparatus arranged for automatically cleaning a feeder assembly which feeds a photographic photosensitive material with an image recorded thereon successively through processing tanks which develop and fix the image and then wash the material. 
     There has recently been developed and widely used especially in the medical field a radiation image recording and reproducing system for producing the radiation-transmitted image of an object using a stimulable phosphor material capable of emitting light upon exposure to stimulating rays. When a certain phosphor is exposed to a radiation such as X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, cathode rays, or ultraviolet rays, the phosphor stores a part of the energy of the radiation. When the phosphor exposed to the radiation is subsequently exposed to stimulating rays such as visible light, the phosphor emits light in proportion to the stored energy of the radiation. The phosphor exhibiting such a property is referred to as a &#34;stimulable phosphor&#34;. 
     In the radiation image recording and reproducing system employing such a stimulable phosphor, the radiation image information of an object such as a human body is stored in a sheet having a layer of stimulable phosphor, and then the stimulable phosphor sheet is scanned with stimulating rays such as a laser beam to cause the stimulable phosphor sheet to emit light representative of the radiation image. The emitted light is then photoelectrically detected to produce an image information signal that is electrically processed for generating image information which is recorded as a visible image on a recording medium such as a photographic photosensitive material or displayed as a visible image on a CRT or the like. 
     The radiation image information stored in the stimulable phosphor sheet may permanently be recorded on a recording medium by an image recorder such as an image output laser printer, for example. In the image output laser printer, photographic films stored as a recording material in a magazine are loaded, and taken out one by one by a sheet delivery or feeding mechanism such as a suction cup. Thereafter, the film is exposed to a laser beam modulated by an image signal produced from the stimulable phosphor sheet for recording an image on the film. 
     The film on which the image is newly recorded is then delivered into an automatic image developing apparatus. In the automatic image developing apparatus, the film is first fed into a developing tank containing an image developing solution to develop the image, then passed through a fixing tank containing an image fixing solution to fix the developed image, and thereafter fed into a water tank containing washing water, or washing water is applied to the film as by spraying, to wash the film. 
     Then, the film is moved between rollers or the like in a squeezer unit to squeeze out washing water, and thereafter delivered into a drier unit in which hot air at a temperature of about 55° C. is applied to the film to dry the same. Subsequently, the film is stored in a prescribed place for use in medical diagnosis, if required. 
     The image developing solution, the image fixing solution, and the washing water are stored in the respective tanks in the automatic image developing apparatus, as described above. A feeder assembly is disposed between the tanks for feeding the film into developing, fixing, and washing units. The feeder assembly comprises, for example, racks composed of rollers and guide plates. When the film is delivered by the feeder assembly into the tanks, the solutions are applied to the racks. If the applied solutions were left attached to the rollers and guide plates for a long period of time, the solutions would be oxidized or solidified, and the oxidized or solidified deposits would be applied to films that are subsequently passed through the tanks, resulting in processing irregularities. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the racks periodically to remove such objectionable deposits. 
     To clean the feeder assembly, the worker must disassemble the automatic image developing apparatus or remove the feeder assembly from the automatic image developing apparatus, after which the racks must be manually cleaned. The feeder assembly needs relatively frequent cleaning. Accordingly, the cleaning operation is considerably burdensome for the worker and also time-consuming. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an automatic image developing apparatus including a feeder assembly for feeding a photographic photosensitive material successively to developing, fixing, and washing tanks, the feeder assembly having conduits for ejecting cleaning water against racks composed of rollers and guide plates to remove processing solutions off the racks, so that the feeder assembly will automatically be cleaned. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic image developing apparatus for automatically developing an image recorded on a photographic photosensitive material, the apparatus including a feeder assembly for feeding the photographic photosensitive material successively to processing tanks for developing the image, fixing the developed image, and washing the photographic photosensitive material, the feeder assembly having at least one conduit for supplying cleaning water to remove processing solutions from the feeder assembly. 
     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partly cross-sectional view of an automatic image developing apparatus according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of rollers, guide plates, and a cleaning water ejecting mechanism in the automatic image developing apparatus; and 
     FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of rollers, guide plates, and a cleaning water ejecting mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 generally designates an automatic image developing apparatus according to the present invention, which is associated with an image recording apparatus 12. An unexposed film loaded in the image recorder 12 is scanned with a light beam such as a laser beam to record an image on the film, after which the film is delivered by a film delivery mechanism (not shown) into the automatic image developing apparatus 10. 
     The automatic image developing apparatus 10 has an film inlet slot 14 communicating with a film outlet port (not shown) of the image recording apparatus 12. A film detector 16 is disposed closely to the film inlet port 14. The film detector 16 comprises an inserter roller 18, a detector roller 20 disposed above the inserter roller 18, and a microswitch 22 operatively coupled to the detector roller 20. The detector roller 20 is movable upwardly when a film A delivered from the image recording apparatus 12 via the film inlet port 14 is inserted between the inserter roller 18 and the detector roller 20. The microswitch 22 is actuated by such upward movement of the detector roller 20 to detect when one film A is inserted between the inserter roller 18 and the detector roller 20. 
     A first rack 24 which constitutes a portion of a feeder assembly 23 is disposed near the film detector 16. The first rack 24 includes a curved guide plate 26 for directing the film A as it has passed through the film detector 16 into an image developing unit 28 while deflecting the path of travel of the film A through 90°. 
     The image developing unit 28 has a tank 30 storing an image developing solution. An image developing rack 32 composed of a pluratity of rollers and a plurality of guide plates is positioned in the tank 30. The feeder assembly 23 also includes a second rack 34 positioned at the terminal end of the image developing rack 32 and including a pair of rollers 36, a pair of curved guide plates 40a, 40b, and a pair of rack cleaning conduits 42a, 42b such as pipes. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conduit 42a is disposed near the guide plate 40a and the rollers 36 and has a plurality of small holes 44 defined through its outer peripheral wall and directed toward the guide plate 40a and the rollers 36. The conduit 42a is disposed near the guide plate 40b and the rollers 36 and has a plurality of small holes 46 defined through its peripheral wall and opening toward the guide plate 40b and the rollers 36. The conduits 42a, 42b are coupled through a solenoid-operated valve (not shown) to a cleaning water supply conduit (not shown) connected to a water washing unit 64 (described later). In response to switching operation of the solenoid-operated valve, a portion of film washing water is selectively ejected from the holes 44, 46 toward the rollers 36 and the guide plates 40a, 40b. 
     At the outlet end of the second rack 34, there is positioned an image fixing unit 48 including an image fixing rack 50 composed of a plurality of rollers and guide plates. The image fixing rack 50 is immersed in an image fixing solution stored in a tank 52 and has a terminal end connected to a third rack 54. 
     The third rack 54 has a pair of rollers 56, a pair of curved guide plates 60a, 60b, and a pair of rack cleaning conduits 62a, 62b. The conduits 62a, 62b are of the same construction as that of the conduits 42a, 42b.  Thus, upon operation of a solenoid-operated valve (not shown), cleaning water is ejected from the holes of the conduits 62a, 62b into the third rack 54. 
     The water washing unit 64 has a water washing rack 66 positioned at the outlet end of the third rack 54 and immersed in washing water stored in a tank 68. The water washing rack 66 has its terminal end coupled to a squeezer unit 70. The squeezer unit 70 has a pair of rollers 69 and a guide plate 71 for feeding the film A which has been delivered upwardly from the water washing unit 64 toward a drier unit 72 while deflecting the film A through 90°. 
     The drier unit 72 comprises a group of rollers 74a positioned for contact with one surface of the film A, and a group of rollers 74b positioned for contact with the opposite surface of the film A, the rollers 74a, 74b being horizontally alternate with each other. The drier unit 72 also includes a plurality of air discharge conduits 76a disposed adjacent to the rollers 74a in confronting relation to the rollers 74b, respectively, and a plurality of air discharge conduits 76b disposed adjacent to the rollers 74b aaaconfronting relation to the rollers 74a, respectively. The air discharge conduits 76a, 76b have drying air discharge slits 78a, 78b defined therein for ejecting hot air toward the film A as it is fed between the roller groups 74a, 74b. 
     A pair of rollers 80 is positioned at the outlet end of the drier unit 72, and another pair of rollers 82 is located downwardly of the rollers 80. A film storage unit 84 is disposed below the rollers 82. 
     Operation and advantages of the automatic image developing apparatus of the above construction will be described below. 
     A film A on which an image has been recorded by the image recording apparatus 12 is delivered by the film delivery mechanism into the automatic image developing apparatus 10 via the film inlet port 14 and the film detector 16. 
     Upon passage of the film A through the film detector 16, the microswitch 22 is turned on to indicate that the film A has entered the automatic image developing apparatus 10. The film A which has passed through the film detector 16 is then directed by the first rack 24 downwardly upon operation of a developing unit controller (not shown). The film A is gripped by the image developing rack 32 while being immersed in the image developing solution in the tank 30. The film A is then deflected 180° in the tank 30 toward the second rack 34. The film A having reached the second rack 34 is deflected 180° again by the guide plates 40a, 40b and the rollers 36 toward the image fixing rack 50 where the film A is immersed in the image fixing solution contained in the tank 52 of the image fixing unit 48. The film A is thereafter fed upwardly toward the third rack 54 and then directed downwardly by the guide plates 60a, 60b and the rollers 56 through the water washing rack 66 into the tank 68 of the water washing unit 64, in which the film A is washed by water. After having been washed, the film A is delivered to the squeezer unit 70 where water on the film A is squeezed out. Thereafter, the film A is introduced into the drier unit 72. 
     In the drier unit 72, the film A is fed along with its opposite surfaces being held in contact with the rollers 74a, 74b. On travel through the driver unit 72, hot air at about 55° C. is ejected from the slits 78a, 78b of the air discharge conduits 76a, 76b toward the surfaces of the film A to evaporate any remaining water thereon. The film A is then delivered by the rollers 80, 82 into the film storage unit 84. When the film A is finally stored in the film storage unit 84, the image on the film A is fully developed and the film A is appropriately dried. 
     The racks 34, 54 are positioned in association with the tanks 30, 52, respectively. Therefore, the film A with the image developing and fixing solutions attached thereto is delivered into the racks 34, 54. As the film A passes through the racks 34, 54, the image developing and fixing solutions are attached to the racks 34, 54. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the racks 34, 54 to remove the attached deposits of the image developing and fixing solutions. A process of cleaning the second rack 34, for example, will be described below. 
     First, delivery of a film A into the automatic image developing apparatus 10 is stopped, and the non-illustrated solenoid-operated valve is actuated to supply cleaning water to the conduits 42a, 42b. The cleaning water introduced into the conduit 42a is ejected out of the holes 44 of the conduit 42a against the guide plates 40a and the rollers 36 which are positioned closely to the conduit 42a. The cleaning water introduced into the conduit 42b is ejected out of the holes 46 of the conduit 42b against the guide plates 40b and the rollers 36 which are positioned closely to the conduit 42b. Therefore, the guide plates 40a, 40b and the rollers 36 can be cleaned by the cleaning water thus ejected. As a result, the attached deposits of solutions can automatically and efficiently be removed from the guide plates 40a, 40b and the rollers 36 by the cleaning water supplied from the conduits 42a, 42b without disassembling the automatic image developing apparatus 10. During this time, the rollers 36 may be rotated to allow the cleaning water to be supplied reliably over the entire peripheral surfaces of the rollers 36, so that the second rack 34 can be cleaned more effectively. 
     The first rack 54 can similarly be cleaned by the cleaning water ejected from the conduits 62a, 62b against the guide plates 60a, 60b and the rollers 56. 
     In the above embodiment, the small holes 44, 46 are defined in the rack cleaning conduits 42a, 42b and 62a, 62b. However, slits may be defined in the outer peripheral walls of these conduits for ejecting cleaning water, as shown in FIG. 3. More specifically, rack cleaning conduits 42a, 42b and 62a, 62b have slits 90a, 90b, respectively, which may extend along the axes of the conduits 42a, 42b and 62a, 62b as indicated by the solid lines or may extend circumferentially over a certain angular range as indicated by the dotted lines. 
     While in the above embodiments the conduits 42a, 42b and 62a, 62b are supplied with the cleaning water via the solenoid-operated valve to the cleaning water supply conduit coupled to the water washing unit 64, the washing water stored in the tank 68 of the water washing unit 64 may be supplied by a pump to the conduits 42a, 42b and 62a, 62b. 
     With the arrangement of the present invention, as described above, a feeder assembly for feeding a photographic photosensitive material to each processing tank includes rack cleaning conduits from which cleaning water can be supplied to remove processing solution deposits from a rack. Therefore, the feeder assembly which has conventionally been manually cleaned by the operator can automatically be cleaned within a short period of time. The feeder assembly which needs frequency cleaning can be cleaned by a simplified process, and hence the automatic image developing apparatus can efficiently be operated. 
     Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it should be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.