Automatic developing apparatus

An automatic developing apparatus which transports film while preventing treatment liquid from being passed up onto gears and the like located above the surface of the treatment liquid and which prevents treatment liquid from being oxidized or decreasing in quantity. A cylindrical shaft having an axis of rotation normal to a liquid surface of the treatment liquid is positioned so as to cross the liquid surface in order to transmit torque from above the liquid surface to below the liquid surface via a shaft. Since the shaft is rotated about the axis of rotation normal to the liquid surface, the treatment liquid in contact with the shaft is left in contact therewith at a specified height, thereby eliminating the likelihood that the treatment liquid is passed up onto bevel gears, etc. located above the liquid surface via the shaft. Further, the rotation of the shaft about its axis of rotation does not cause the treatment liquid near the liquid surface to be scooped up. This prevents the treatment liquid from being oxidized by mixing with air.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an automatic developing apparatus in which 
a film transport unit provided with film transport rollers is sunk in a 
treatment tank containing treatment liquid used for developing film or a 
similar photosensitive material. In particular, the present invention 
relates to an automatic developing apparatus where torque is transmitted 
from outside of the treatment tank to the film transport rollers through 
the liquid surface in the treatment tank. 
2. Discussion of the Related Art 
Automatic developing apparatus generally include a plurality of treatment 
tanks 52 containing treatment liquids 51 which are liquid agents such as 
developer, bleaching liquid and fixer, for example, as shown in FIG. 4. 
Transport units (hereinafter, "rack") 53 containing a plurality of 
transport rollers for transporting a photosensitive material such as film 
are sunk in the respective treatment tanks 52. In this way, the film can 
be developed by being immersed in the respective treatment liquids 51 
while being transported through the respective treatment tanks 52. The 
film, developed by passage through the respective treatment tanks 52, is 
then transported to a drying assembly (not shown) to be dried and 
discharged from the apparatus. 
The aforementioned plurality of transport rollers of the rack 53 include a 
pair of feed rollers 54a, 54b, large-diameter rollers 55a, 55b, 55c, first 
small-diameter rollers 56a, 56b, 56c, second small-diameter rollers 57a, 
57d, 57c, and reverse rollers (not shown). These rollers are provided so 
that the axis of rotations thereof all are along the widthwise direction 
of the film. The reverse rollers are provided at the bottom end of the 
rack 53 without being held in contact with any other roller, and the 
transport direction of the film being transported is reversed by being 
moved along the circumferential surface of the reverse rollers. 
The feed rollers 54a, 54b introduce the film into the treatment tank 52 and 
are positioned near a film inlet so as to face each other. 
The large-diameter roller 55a is provided in an inner upper portion of the 
rack 53 such that a portion of its circumferential surface crosses the 
liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 51 in the treatment tank 52. The 
large-diameter rollers 55b, 55c, are provided in this order in a downward 
direction from the large-diameter roller 55a so that the interval between 
successive rollers (including the interval between the large-diameter 
rollers 55a and 55b) are substantially equal, and are completely immersed 
in the treatment liquid 51. 
The first small-diameter rollers 56a, 56b, 56c, are positioned to face the 
large-diameter rollers 55a, 55b, 55c, so that the film introduced by the 
pair of feed rollers 54a, 54b can be transported by the rotation of the 
respective pairs of the large-diameter and small-diameter rollers while 
being tightly held. 
The second small-diameter rollers 57a, 57b, 57c, are positioned to face the 
large-diameter rollers 55a, 55b 55c, at the side opposite from the first 
small-diameter rollers 56a, 56b, 56c, so that the film having its 
transport direction reversed by the reverse rollers can be transported by 
the rotation of the respective pairs of the large-diameter and 
small-diameter rollers while being tightly held. 
Torque imparted to these transport rollers is transmitted from a drive 
source (not shown) outside the treatment tank 52 via gears and spur gears 
provided in the treatment tank 52. Hereinafter, the principle of rotating 
the respective transport rollers is described with reference to FIGS. 4 
and 5. 
The large-diameter rollers 55a, 55b, 55c, the first smalldiameter rollers 
56a, 56b, 56c, and the second small-diameter rollers 57a, 57b, 57c, shown 
in FIG. 4 are connected with first spur gears 65a, 65b, 65c, second spur 
gears 66a, 66b, 66c, and the third spur gears 67a, 67b, 67c, while sharing 
the same rotatable shafts. The first spur gears 65a, 65b, 65c, are in mesh 
with the second spur gears 66a, 66b, 66c, and also with the third spur 
gears 67a, 67b, 67c, respectively. 
The first spur gear 65a integrally positioned with the large-diameter 
roller 55a is positioned such that a portion of the teeth on its 
circumferential surface crosses the liquid surface L of the treatment 
liquid 51 in the treatment tank 52 when the rack 53 is set in the 
treatment tank 52. Further, the reverse rollers are connected to the first 
spur gear located in the bottommost position in the rack 53 while sharing 
the same rotatable shaft. 
Fourth spur gears 68a, 68b, 68c, are placed between the first spur gears 
65a and 65b and between the first spur gears 65b and 65c, such that each 
is in mesh with the corresponding pair of the first spur gears. The first 
spur gear 65a located in the uppermost position in the rack 53 is in mesh 
with a fifth spur gear 70 provided coaxially with a gear 69, to which 
torque is transmitted from the drive source at the side opposite from the 
engaging portion with the fourth spur gear 68a. 
It is noted that spur gears provided coaxially with feed rollers 54a, 54b 
(see FIG. 4) are not illustrated. However, the torque from the drive 
source is transmitted to the feed rollers 54a, 54b at least via, e.g. the 
fifth spur gear 70 so that the feed rollers 54a, 54b are rotated to 
introduce the film between the large-diameter roller 55a and the first 
small-diameter roller 56a. 
In the above construction, if torque from the drive source is used to 
simultaneously rotate the gear 69 and the fifth spur gear 70 in, e.g. a 
direction E of FIG. 5, the first spur gear 65a in mesh with the fifth spur 
gear 70 is rotated in a direction F which is opposite from the direction 
E. The second spur gear 66a, the third spur gear 67a and the fourth spur 
gear 68a which are in mesh with the fifth spur gear 65a are rotated in the 
direction E. The first spur gear 65b in mesh with the fourth spur gear 68a 
is rotated in the direction F by the rotation of the fourth spur gear 68a 
in the direction E, with the result that the second spur gear 66b, the 
third spur gear 67b and the fourth spur gear 68a which are in mesh with 
the first spur gear 65b are rotated in the direction E. 
Thereafter, the large-diameter rollers 55a, 55b, 55c, provided coaxially 
with the first spur gears 65a, 65b, 65c, are all rotated in the direction 
F by the rotation of all the first spur gears 65a, 65b, 65c, in the 
direction F. On the other hand, the first small-diameter rollers 56a, 56b, 
56c, and the second small-diameter rollers 57a, 57b, 57c, are all rotated 
in the direction E by the rotation of all the second spur gears 66a, 66b, 
66c and all the third spur gears 67a, 67b, 67c, in the direction E. 
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the film is passed through the film inlet 
(not shown) and passed between the feed rollers 54a, 54b. Then the film is 
transported to the lower side while being successively passed between the 
large-diameter roller 55a and the first small-diameter roller 56a and 
between the large-diameter roller 55b and the first small-diameter roller 
56b, by the rotation of the large-diameter rollers 55 and the first 
small-diameter rollers 56. After the transport direction of the film is 
reversed by the reverse rollers, the film is transported upward from the 
lower side while passing between the corresponding pairs of the 
large-diameter rollers 55 and the second small-diameter rollers 57 by the 
rotation of the large-diameter rollers 55 and the second small-diameter 
rollers 57. Thereafter, the film is transported to the next treatment tank 
52 while passing between the large-diameter roller 55a and second 
small-diameter roller 57a. In other words, the film passes along a film 
transport path indicated by P in FIG. 4. 
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view along line A--A of FIG. 4. As shown in 
FIG. 6, slit-shaped outlets 58 are formed in positions corresponding to 
the film transport path inside the rack 53, and the treatment liquid 51 is 
placed into the treatment tank 52 through the outlets 58. 
In a conventional developing apparatus, a part of the irregularity on the 
circumferential surface of the first spur gear 65a having an axis of 
rotation in parallel with the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 51 
crosses the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 51 in the treatment 
tank 52. Accordingly, while the first spur gear 65a is rotated, the 
treatment liquid 51 is scooped up by the teeth (projections) of the first 
spur gear 65a and, therefore, it is either directly deposited on the teeth 
or it falls after being scooped up, thereby mixing with the treatment 
liquid 51 in the treatment tank 52. 
Here, in the case of deposition on the teeth, the scooped treatment liquid 
51 also passes onto the second spur gear 66a, the third spur gear 67a and 
the fifth spur gear 70 in mesh with the first spur gear 65a and is 
solidified on the circumferential surfaces of these spur gears. This 
results in added weight acting on the torque transmission from the drive 
source and unsatisfactory torque transmission, thereby hindering film 
transport. 
On the other hand, in the case where the liquid falls back into the tank, 
since the treatment liquid 51 is frequently brought into contact with air 
by being scooped up, oxidation of the treatment liquid 51 is promoted. 
This oxidation reduces the usefulness of the treatment liquid 51. In 
addition, evaporation of the liquid increases, thereby decreasing the 
amount of treatment liquid 51 which is predetermined in accordance with 
required specifications. As a result, satisfactory development cannot 
always be achieved. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention was developed in view of the above and other 
problems. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an 
automatic developing apparatus in which torque can be transmitted to the 
respective transport rollers without scooping up the surface of a 
treatment liquid, so that the film can be satisfactorily transported while 
preventing the treatment liquid from being passed onto other members. 
Thus, development in accordance with the specifications of the treatment 
liquid can be reliably performed by reducing oxidation of the treatment 
liquid. In addition, the amount of treatment liquid can be decreased since 
liquid loss is minimized. 
The invention is directed to an automatic developing apparatus comprising a 
treatment tank for holding a treatment liquid having a liquid surface and 
for developing a photosensitive material, and a transport unit comprising 
a plurality of transport rollers for transporting the photosensitive 
material, wherein the photosensitive material is developed by sinking the 
transport unit in the treatment tank to immerse the photosensitive 
material in the treatment liquid. The apparatus also includes a torque 
transmitting means for transmitting torque from outside of the treatment 
tank to the respective transport rollers through the liquid surface in the 
treatment tank, 
wherein said torque transmitting means comprises a shaft-shaped 
transmitting portion having an axis of rotation normal to the liquid 
surface, wherein said shaft-shaped transmitting portion is positioned so 
as to cross the liquid surface, and a remaining portion of said torque 
transmitting means is positioned so as not to cross the liquid surface. 
With this construction, torque provided from outside of the treatment tank 
is transmitted to the respective transport rollers of the transport unit 
sunk in the treatment tank, thereby driving the respective transport 
rollers to transport the photosensitive material into the treatment tank. 
The torque transmitting means is comprised of a shaft-shaped transmitting 
portion which has an axis of rotation normal to the liquid surface and is 
positioned so as to cross the liquid surface. The remaining portion is 
positioned so as not to cross the liquid surface. The torque is 
transmitted from above the liquid surface to below the liquid surface via 
the shaft-shaped transmitting portion. In other words, in the above 
construction, only the shaft-shaped transmitting portion is in contact 
with the liquid surface of the treatment liquid, but the portion other 
than the shaft-shaped transmitting portion is out of contact with the 
liquid surface. 
Here, since the shaft-shaped transmitting portion is rotated about an axis 
of rotation normal to the liquid surface, the treatment liquid is left in 
contact with this transmitting portion at a specified height. Accordingly, 
the rotation of the shaft-shaped transmitting portion does not cause the 
treatment liquid to be passed onto the torque transmitting means located 
above the liquid surface via the shaft-shaped transmitting portion. 
Therefore, there is no likelihood that the drive of the torque 
transmitting means is hindered by solidification of the treatment liquid 
thereon. Thus, according to the above construction, the torque can be 
smoothly transmitted from outside of the treatment tank to the respective 
transport rollers via the liquid surface of the treatment liquid without 
depositing superfluous material. This results in satisfactory 
transportation of the photosensitive material. 
Further, since the shaft-shaped transmitting portion is rotated about an 
axis of rotation normal to the liquid surface, the treatment liquid near 
the liquid surface will not be scooped up during the rotation of the 
shaft-shaped transmitting portion. This limits the reaction of the 
treatment liquid with air and, as a result, considerably prevents 
oxidation and evaporation of the treatment liquid. Therefore, according to 
the above construction, a reduction in the function of the treatment 
liquid and a loss in the quantity of the treatment liquid can be 
dramatically suppressed. As a result, satisfactory development in 
accordance with the specifications of the treatment liquid can be 
achieved. 
Preferably, the shaft-shaped transmitting portion has a cylindrical shape. 
By making the shaft-shaped transmitting portion cylindrical, the cross 
section thereof in the liquid surface of the treatment liquid does not 
change regardless of whether it is stationary or rotating. Accordingly, as 
compared to the case where the shaft-shaped transmitting portion is in the 
shape of, e.g. a rectangular prism, the liquid surface is unlikely to be 
rippled and, as a result, there is little likelihood than the treatment 
liquid will be mixed with air by the rotation of the shaft-shaped 
transmitting portion. Therefore, when the shaft-shaped transmitting 
portion has a cylindrical shape, the oxidation and evaporation of the 
treatment liquid can be considerably lessened as compared to any other 
shape. As a result, the treatment liquid can be used for a longer period 
of time while avoiding a reduction in its quality. 
Preferably, the torque transmitting means further comprises a first 
rotatable shaft above the liquid surface and at least one second rotatable 
shaft below the liquid surface. The first and second shafts are in 
parallel with the liquid surface, and each is connected to the 
shaft-shaped transmitting portion by torque transmission gears. 
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed 
description and accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
An automatic developing apparatus according to the invention is provided 
with a treatment tank 2 containing treatment liquid 1 used for developing 
film or like photosensitive material, and a rack 3 (transport unit) 
including a plurality of transport rollers for transporting the film. The 
rack 3 is sunk in the treatment tank 2 to immerse the film in the 
treatment liquid 1 in order to develop the film. 
The rack 3 includes a first transport path W1 for transmitting film having 
a width of 24 mm in accordance with the APS (advanced photo system), a 
second transport path W2 for transporting a 135 size film having a width 
of 35 mm and the aforementioned plurality of transport rollers for the 
respective treatment paths. The first and second transport paths W1, W2 
run parallel to each other, so that two kinds of films having different 
widths can be simultaneously developed. Hereinafter, the respective 
transport rollers provided in the respective transport paths are 
described. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the rack 3 includes large-diameter rollers 4a, 4b, 4c, 
4d, first small-diameter rollers 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, and second small-diameter 
rollers 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, as transport rollers corresponding to the first 
transport path W shown in FIG. 1. In addition, the rack includes a pair of 
feed rollers (not shown) and reverse rollers (not shown). The respective 
rollers are all provided so that their axes of rotation are along the 
widthwise direction of the film and in parallel with the liquid surface L 
of the treatment liquid 1. 
The pair of feed rollers introduce the film into the treatment tank 2, and 
are arranged so as to face each other near the film inlet (not shown) of 
the rack 3. On the other hand, reverse rollers are provided at the bottom 
and of the rack 3 without contacting any other roller, and the transport 
direction of the film being transported is reversed by being guided by the 
circumferential surfaces of the reverse rollers. 
The large-diameter roller 4a is provided in an upper position inside the 
rack 3 so that the circumferential surface thereof is not brought into 
contact with the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1 in the 
treatment tank 2 by its rotation even if the rack 3 is set in the 
treatment tank 2. The large-diameter rollers 4b, 4c, 4d are provided in 
this order in a downward direction from the large-diameter roller 4a so 
that the intervals between successive rollers (excluding the interval 
between the large-diameter rollers 4a and 4b) are substantially equal and 
are completely immersed in the treatment liquid 1. 
The first small-diameter rollers 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d are positioned so as to 
face the large-diameter rollers 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d to transport the film 
introduced by the pair of feed rollers by the rotation of the respective 
pairs of the large-diameter and small-diameter rollers while tightly 
holding the film. 
The second small-diameter rollers 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d are positioned to face the 
large-diameter rollers 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d at the side opposite the first 
small-diameter rollers 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d so that the film, having its 
transport direction reversed by the reverse rollers, can be transported by 
the rotation of the respective pairs of large-diameter and small-diameter 
rollers while being tightly held. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the rack 3 also includes large-diameter rollers 7a, 7b, 
7c, 7d, first small-diameter rollers 8a, 8a, 8c, 8d, and second 
small-diameter rollers 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d as transport rollers corresponding 
to the second transport path W2 shown in FIG. 1, and a pair of feed 
rollers (not shown) and reverse rollers (not shown). The large-diameter 
rollers 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d and the large-diameter rollers 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d share 
rotatable shafts 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d (see FIG. 1), respectively. Further, 
the first small-diameter rollers and the second small-diameter rollers are 
provided coaxially with the first small-diameter rollers and the second 
small-diameter rollers, respectively. Likewise, the pair of feed rollers 
and the reverse rollers provided in the second transport path W2 are 
provided coaxially with the pair of feed rollers and the reverse roller 
provided in the first transport path W2, respectively. 
Therefore, the large-diameter rollers and the first small-diameter rollers 
are arranged so as to face each other in order to transport the film 
introduced to the pair of feed rollers by the rotation of the respective 
pairs of the large-diameter rollers and the small-diameter rollers while 
tightly holding it. Further, the large-diameter rollers and the second 
small-diameter rollers are positioned to face each other, respectively at 
the opposite side from the first small-diameter rollers, in order to 
transport the film having its transport direction reversed by the reverse 
roller by the rotation of the respective pairs of the large-diameter 
rollers and the second small-diameter rollers while tightly holding it. 
Next, the mechanism of the automatic developing apparatus for transmitting 
torque from a drive source (not shown) outside the treatment tank 2 to the 
respective transport rollers is described below. 
As shown in FIG. 1, in the rack 3, a shaft 11 having an axis of rotation in 
parallel with the rotatable shaft 30a of the large-diameter rollers 4a, 7a 
is provided above the large-diameter rollers 4a, 7a. A gear 12 coaxially 
rotatable with the shaft 11 by the torque from the drive source is secured 
to one end of the shaft 11. At the end of the rotatable shaft 30a opposite 
the large-diameter roller 4a with respect to the large-diameter roller 7a, 
a first spur gear 13 is provided coaxially with the rollers 7a, 4a. This 
first spur gear 13 is in mesh with a second spur gear 14 which is coaxial 
with the shaft 11 and is secured in a position more inward than the gear 
12 inside the rack 3. 
A bevel gear 15 is provided coaxially with the rollers 4a, 7a at the side 
of the rotatable shaft 30a opposite the first spur gear 13. The first spur 
gear 13 and the bevel gear 15 are provided above the liquid surface L of 
the treatment liquid 1 so as not to scoop up the treatment liquid 1 by 
being brought into contact with the treatment liquid 1 in the treatment 
tank 2 while being rotated. 
At the side of the rotatable shaft 30b of the large-diameter rollers 4b, 7b 
present below the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1, a bevel gear 
16 is provided coaxially with these rollers 4b, 7b and on the side 
opposite the large-diameter roller 7b with respect to the large-diameter 
roller 4b. At the sides of the rotatable shafts 30c, 30d opposite the 
large-diameter rollers 7c, 7d with respect to the large-diameter rollers 
4c, 4d, third spur gears 17c, 17d are provided coaxially with these 
rollers. Between the bevel gear 16 and the third spur gear 17c, and 
between the third spur gears 17c, 17d, fourth spur gears 18a, 18c, 18d, 
are provided in mesh with the corresponding ones of the gears 16, 17c, 
17d, respectively. 
At the sides of the respective rotatable shafts of the first small-diameter 
rollers 5b, 5c, 5d shown in FIG. 2 opposite the first small-diameter 
rollers 8a, 8c, 8d with respect to the first small diameter rollers 5b, 
5c, 5d, fifth spur gears 19b, 19c, 19d, sharing the same rotatable shafts 
with these rollers are provided as shown in FIG. 3. The fifth spur gears 
19b, 19c, 19d are present so as to be in mesh with the bevel gear 16, the 
third spur gears 17c, 17d, in this order, respectively. 
At the sides of the respective rotatable shafts of the second 
small-diameter rollers 6b, 6c, 6d, shown in FIG. 2 opposite the second 
small-diameter rollers 9b, 9c, 9d, with respect to the first 
small-diameter rollers 6b, 6c, 6d, sixth spur gears 20b, 20c, 20d, sharing 
the same rotatable shafts with these rollers are provided, as shown in 
FIG. 3. The sixth spur gears 20b, 20c, 20d, are positioned so as to mesh 
with the bevel gear 16 and the third spur gears 17c, 17d, in this order at 
the opposite side from the fifth spur gears 19b, 19c, 19d, respectively. 
At the side of the rotatable shaft of the first small-diameter roller 5a on 
the side opposite the first small-diameter roller 8a with respect to the 
first small-diameter roller 5a and at the side of the rotatable shaft of 
the second small-diameter roller 6a on the side opposite the second 
small-diameter roller 9a with respect to the second small-diameter 6a, 
spur gears (not shown) are provided which share the same rotatable shafts 
with the respective rollers and mesh with the bevel gear 16. 
Spur gears are provided coaxially with the pair of feed rollers. However, 
the torque from the drive source is transmitted to the feed rollers at 
least via, e.g. the second spur gear 14 so that the respective feed 
rollers can introduce the film between the large-diameter roller 4a (7a) 
and the first small-diameter roller 5a (8a) by their rotation. Further, 
the respective reverse rollers are connected with the third spur gear 
located at a bottommost position in the rack 3 while sharing the same 
rotatable shaft therewith. 
Next, the shaft drive of the present invention is described below. In this 
embodiment, torque is transmitted from the bevel gear 15 to the bevel gear 
16 through the liquid surface L by means of a shaft having an axis of 
rotation which is normal to the liquid surface L. 
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rack 3 is provided with a 
cylindrical shaft 21 (shaft-shaped transmitting portion) having an axis of 
rotation normal to the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1. This 
shaft 21 is made of metal such as SUS (stainless steel) 316 or resin which 
is unlikely to be oxidized by the treatment liquid 21. The shaft is 
positioned so as to cross the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1. 
The shaft is supported by a shaft supporting member 22. A bevel gear 23 is 
secured coaxially with the shaft 21 in a position where shaft 21 is above 
the liquid surface L, whereas bevel gear 24 is secured coaxially with the 
shaft 21 when in a position below the liquid surface L. The bevel gear 23 
is in mesh with the upper teeth portion 15a of the bevel gear 15 which is 
located above the rotatable shaft 30a, whereas the bevel gear 24 is in 
mesh with the upper teeth portion 16a of the bevel gear 16 which is 
located above the rotatable shaft 30b. 
Unlike the conventional apparatus, the construction according to this 
embodiment for transmitting torque from the outside of the treatment tank 
2 to the bevel gears and spur gears arranged below the liquid surface L 
through the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1 is not such that a 
torque transmitting member, such as a gear located in the vicinity of the 
liquid surface L and having an axis of rotation in parallel with the 
liquid surface L is brought into contact with the liquid surface L of the 
treatment liquid 1. Instead, the torque of the bevel gear 15 located above 
the liquid surface L and having an axis of rotation parallel with the 
liquid surface L is translated into the torque of the shaft 21 having the 
axis of rotation normal to the liquid surface L, which is then transmitted 
to the bevel gear 16 located below the liquid surface L and having an axis 
of rotation in parallel with the liquid surface L. In such a construction, 
the treatment liquid 1 will not be scooped up since the shaft 21 in 
contact with the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1 is rotated 
above the axis of rotation normal to the liquid surface L. 
As described above, in this embodiment, the torque transmitting means for 
transmitting torque from the drive source outside the treatment tank 2 to 
the respective transport rollers is composed of the respective shafts, 
gears, spur gears, rotatable shafts and bevel gears. 
Further, the rack 3 further includes slit-shaped discharge ports 10a for 
discharging the treatment liquid 1 toward the film being transported along 
the first transport path W1 and introducing it into the treatment tank 2, 
and slit-shaped discharge ports 10b for discharging the treatment liquid 1 
toward the film being transported along the second transport path W2 and 
admitting it into the treatment tank 2. Opening areas of the respective 
discharge ports 10a, 10b correspond to the widths of the corresponding 
films. 
The automatic developing apparatus according to this embodiment is provided 
with a heater (not shown) for heating the treatment liquid 1 to a suitable 
temperature and a pump (not shown) for circulating the treatment liquid 1 
heated by the heater between the inside and outside of the treatment tank 
2. With this construction, the temperature of the treatment liquid 1 in 
the treatment tank 2 can be constantly maintained at a temperature suited 
for film development. 
Next, the operation of the automatic developing apparatus having the above 
torque transmitting means is described. In the description below, the 
rotating directions of the respective shafts, gears, spur gears and bevel 
gears are defined as follows for the sake of convenience. Specifically, in 
FIG. 3, for those having the axes of rotation in parallel with the liquid 
surface L of the treatment liquid 1, A, B denote clockwise and 
counterclockwise directions about the respective axes of rotation, 
respectively. On the other hand, for those having the axes of rotation 
normal to the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1, when the thumb 
of the right hand points downward along the axis of rotation, the 
remaining four fingers point in the direction C, and D is the rotating 
direction opposite the rotating direction C. It is further assumed that 
the respective rotating directions in FIGS. 1 and 2 correspond to those in 
FIG. 3. 
In the above construction, when torque is transmitted from the drive source 
to the gear 12 in FIG. 1, thereby causing the gear 12 to rotate, e.g. in 
the direction B shown in FIG. 1, the shaft 11 and the second spur gear 14 
are likewise rotated in the direction B in synchronization with the gear 
12. Accordingly, the first spur gear 13 in mesh with the second spur gear 
14, and the bevel gear 15 provided coaxially with the first spur gear 13 
are rotated in the direction A. 
Then, the bevel gear 23 in mesh with the upper teeth portion 15a of the 
bevel gear 15 is rotated in the direction C in FIG. 1. The result is that 
the shaft 21 and the bevel gear 24 provided coaxially with the bevel gear 
23 are likewise rotated in the direction C, and the bevel gear 16 having 
the upper teeth portion 16a in mesh with the bevel gear 24 is rotated in 
the direction A. 
Since the shaft 21 is rotated about the axis of rotation which is normal to 
the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1, the torque of the bevel 
gear 15 is transmitted to the bevel gear 16 via the bevel gear 23, the 
shaft 21 and the bevel gear 24 without scooping up the treatment liquid 1 
during the rotation of the shaft 21. 
If the bevel gear 16 is rotated in the direction A, the fifth spur gear 
19b, the sixth spur gear 20b and the fourth spur gear 18a which are in 
mesh with the bevel gear 16 as shown in FIG. 3 are rotated in the 
direction B. The rotation of the fourth spur gear 18a in the direction B 
causes the third spur gear 17c in mesh with the fourth spur gear 18a to 
rotate in the direction A. 
Similarly, the fifth spur gears, the sixth spur gears, and the fourth spur 
gears are rotated in the direction B. The third spur gears, in mesh with 
the fourth spur gears, are rotated in the direction A. 
Accordingly, the large-diameter rollers 4a (large-diameter rollers 7a) and 
the reverse rollers provided coaxially with the bevel gears 15, 16 and the 
third spur gears 17b, 17c are all rotated in the direction A. However, the 
first small-diameter rollers 5b (first small-diameter roller 8a) provided 
coaxially with the fifth spur gears 19b, and the second small-diameter 
rollers 6b (second small-diameter rollers 9b) provided coaxially with the 
sixth spur gears 20b, are all rotated in the direction B. 
Thus, in FIG. 2, film having a width of 24 mm which has passed between the 
film inlet (not shown) and the feed rollers is transported downward while 
successively passing between the corresponding pairs of the large-diameter 
rollers 4 and the first small-diameter rollers 5. After having its 
transport direction reversed from downward to upward by the reverse 
rollers, the film is transported upward from the bottom while passing 
successively between the corresponding pairs of the large-diameter rollers 
4 and the second small-diameter rollers 6. Thereafter, the film is 
transported to the next treatment tank 2 after passing between the 
large-diameter roller 4a and the second small-diameter roller 6a. 
On the other hand, film having a width of 35 mm is transported downward 
while successively passing between corresponding pairs of the 
large-diameter rollers 7 and the first small-diameter rollers 8. Then its 
transport direction is reversed from downward to upward by the reverse 
rollers, and the film is then transported upward from the bottom while 
passing successively between the corresponding pairs of the large-diameter 
rollers 7 and the second small-diameter rollers 9. Finally, the film is 
transported to the next treatment tank 2 after passing between the 
large-diameter roller 7a and the second small-diameter roller 9a. Thus, 
the film passes along a film transport path indicated by an arrow P in 
FIG. 2. 
As described above, in transmitting torque from the outside of the 
treatment tank 2 to the respective transport rollers through the liquid 
surface L of the treatment liquid 1, the shaft 21 is positioned where it 
can contact the liquid surface L, and torque is transmitted from above the 
liquid surface to below the liquid surface L by means of this shaft 21. 
Since shaft 21 is rotated about the axis of rotation which is normal to 
the liquid surface L, the treatment liquid 1 in contact with the shaft 21 
is left in contact with the shaft 21 at a specified height even if shaft 
21 is rotated. Accordingly, the rotation of the shaft 21 does not cause 
the treatment liquid 1 to be passed up onto, e.g. the bevel gears 23, 15 
located above the liquid surface L via the shaft 21. Therefore, the 
treatment liquid 1 will not solidify on the bevel gears 23, 15. Thus, 
torque can be smoothly transmitted to the respective transport rollers via 
the liquid surface L without causing any encumbrance on the rotation of 
the bevel gears 23, 15. 
Further, since the liquid treatment 1 near the liquid surface L will not be 
scooped up even if the shaft 21 is rotated, oxidization and evaporation of 
the treatment liquid 1 can be considerably restrained. As a result, a 
reduction in the function of the treatment liquid 1 and a decrease in the 
quantity thereof can be prevented. Therefore, even when using the 
treatment liquid 1, which is specified to be used in a small quantity and 
thus is more likely to be influenced by oxidation, satisfactory 
development can still be achieved. Further, since a reduction in the 
function of the treatment liquid 1 is prevented, it becomes easier to 
control the quality of the treatment liquid 1. 
Although the shaft 21 having an axis of rotation normal to the surface L 
has a cylindrical shape in this embodiment, the shape thereof is not 
particularly limited, provided that it has an axis of rotation normal to 
the liquid surface L. For example, the shaft 21 may be in the shape of a 
polygonal prism, a cone, or an inverted cone. In such a case, the same 
effects as described above can be obtained since the shaft 21 will not 
scoop up the treatment liquid 1 while being rotated. 
However, if the shaft 21 has a cylindrical shape as in this embodiment, the 
cross section of the shaft 21 in the liquid surface L does not change 
regardless of whether the shaft 21 is stationary or rotating. Thus, as 
compared to where the shaft 21 is in the shape of a polygonal prism, the 
liquid surface L is unlikely to be rippled. Accordingly, there is little 
likelihood that the treatment liquid 1 will be mixed with air by the 
rotation of the shaft 21. Therefore, when the shaft 21 has a cylindrical 
shape, oxidation of the treatment liquid 1 can be considerably slowed down 
as compared to where it has any other shape. As a result, the treatment 
liquid 1 can be used for a longer period of time while avoiding a 
reduction in its quality. 
If the shaft 21 has a shape of, e.g. a polygonal prism, the treatment 
liquid 1 acts as a load on the respective side surfaces of the shaft 21 
during the rotation of the shaft 21. However, if the shaft 21 has a 
cylindrical shape, such loads can be considerably reduced. As a result, 
the torque can be more satisfactorily transmitted by smoothly rotating the 
shaft 21. 
Although the surface of the shaft 21 is even in this embodiment, it may be 
made uneven, e.g. by forming grooves therein in order to further avoid the 
treatment liquid 1 being rippled during the rotation of the shaft 21. 
Although the torque is successively transmitted to the respective transport 
rollers located below the liquid surface L of the treatment liquid 1 via 
the spur gears in this embodiment, the invention is not limited to this 
torque transmitting arrangement. For example, the invention may be applied 
to an embodiment which torque is transmitted to the respective transport 
rollers via a belt mechanism, a crank mechanism or a cam mechanism. 
As described above, the automatic developing apparatus of the present 
invention is provided with a torque transmitting means for transmitting 
torque from the outside of the treatment tank to the respective transport 
rollers via the liquid surface of the treatment liquid. The torque 
transmitting means is composed of a shaft-shaped transmitting portion 
having an axis of rotation normal to the liquid surface. The shaft-shaped 
transmitting portion is arranged so as to cross the liquid surface, 
whereas the remaining portion of the torque transmitting means is arranged 
so as not to cross the liquid surface. 
Accordingly, the treatment liquid in contact with the shaft-shaped 
transmitting portion is left in contact therewith at a specified height, 
and there is no opportunity for the treatment liquid to be passed up onto 
the torque transmitting means located above the liquid surface via the 
shaft-shaped transmitting portion by the rotation of the shaft-shaped 
transmitting portion. Thus, unlike the conventional apparatus, the drive 
of the torque transmitting means will not be hindered by the 
solidification of treatment liquid thereon. According to the above 
construction, torque can be smoothly transmitted from the outside of the 
treatment tank to the respective transport rollers via the liquid surface 
of the treatment liquid without depositing superfluous material. As a 
result, the film can be satisfactorily transported. 
Further, the treatment liquid near the liquid surface will not be scooped 
up during the rotation of the shaft-shaped transmitting portion. This 
prevents the reaction of the treatment liquid with air to a large degree. 
As a result, oxidation and evaporation of the treatment liquid are 
limited. Therefore, according to the above construction, a reduction in 
the function of the treatment liquid and a decrease in the quantity of the 
treatment liquid can be reliably prevented, and satisfactory development 
in accordance with the specifications of the treatment liquid can be 
attained. 
If the shaft-shaped transmitting portion is formed with a cylindrical 
shape, the liquid surface is unlikely to be rippled, and there is little 
likelihood that the treatment liquid will be mixed with air by the 
rotation of the shaft-shaped transmitting portion as compared to where the 
shaft-shaped transmitting portion is in the shape of, e.g. a polygonal 
prism. As a result, oxidation and evaporation of the treatment liquid can 
be considerably slowed down, and the treatment liquid can be used for a 
longer period of time while avoiding a reduction in its quality. 
The Japanese priority application No. 10-028975 is specifically 
incorporated herein by reference.