CA1075054A - Binocular type viewing instrument - Google Patents
Binocular type viewing instrumentInfo
- Publication number
- CA1075054A CA1075054A CA264,689A CA264689A CA1075054A CA 1075054 A CA1075054 A CA 1075054A CA 264689 A CA264689 A CA 264689A CA 1075054 A CA1075054 A CA 1075054A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- cassette
- film
- film strip
- viewing
- instrument according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An instrument for the individual viewing of pictures disposed successively on a transparent film strip, with a housing in which a binocular viewing window and a lens system enlarging the viewing angle and located in the ray path between viewing window and object are provided, and with holding and guiding means holding the film strip in a viewing plane, wherein the beam paths or optical axes associated with the two viewing windows are brought together approximately in the center of a common picture aperture lying in the viewing plane, and wherein the film strip guiding and holding means has a back support which supports the film strip during the positive and/or frictional engagement of an externally operable mechanical trans-port device with the film.
An instrument for the individual viewing of pictures disposed successively on a transparent film strip, with a housing in which a binocular viewing window and a lens system enlarging the viewing angle and located in the ray path between viewing window and object are provided, and with holding and guiding means holding the film strip in a viewing plane, wherein the beam paths or optical axes associated with the two viewing windows are brought together approximately in the center of a common picture aperture lying in the viewing plane, and wherein the film strip guiding and holding means has a back support which supports the film strip during the positive and/or frictional engagement of an externally operable mechanical trans-port device with the film.
Description
~ 1075054 VIEWING IN_T~UI`1ENT
BACKGROUND
The invention relates to an instrument for the one-by-one viewing of pictures arrayed successively on a transpar-ent film strip, having a housing in which there is provideda viewing window and, in the light-ray path between the viewing window and the object, a lens system which magnifies the viewing angle, and having means for holding and guiding the film strlp in a viewing plane.
Instruments of this kind are known for the stereoscopic viewing of still pictures. They are constructed much like field-glasses, independent light-ray paths and different transparent pictures being associated with each of the two viewing windows. The transparent pictures, or diapositives, are disposed opposite one another in pairs on a rotary disk.
The two simultaneously viewed diapositives produce the stereoscopic effect. This instrument offers the desirable possibility of binocular viewing, but it is very limited in the number of pictures that can be viewed in a continuous series on account of the necessarily circular configuration of the picture carrier. The fact that two frames must be provided on the picture carrier for each picture imposes an additional limitation upon the number of pictures in a sequence.
.
i ~
_ ~ , ,. - . ' ' : : ' THE INVENTION
The invention sets out from the consideratlon that the principle of binocular viewing of still pictures illu-minated by an outside source will be broadly useful onlyif a great series of pictures can be viewed successively and without the nuisance of changing picture carriers, because in the case of a short series of pictures, and hence a sequence of small informational content~ a viewing instrument of this kind--if one disregards the stereoscopic effect--is ùnnecessary~ since comparable information can also be contained on a directly readable information ve-hicle.
.
It is therefore the object of the invention to make available a picture viewing instrument of the kind described - - in the beginning, which will be inexpensive to manufacture - and easy to operate, while permitting the continuous view-ing of a very great number of individual pictures disposed on a picture carrier.
.~ ' ', For the achievement of this object, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that the light-ray paths or optical axes associated with-the two viewing windows be brought together approximately in the center of a commonpic-- tùre aperture located in the viewing plane, and that the film guiding and holding means have a back support to sup-` -port the film stri~ durin~ the fil~-driving en~aeement Or a ~art Or an extern~lly operated mechanical transport means.
The focusing to~ether Or the optical axes for binocular viewin~ of a frame is known in binocular microscopes. The complex prism systems used therein for beam splitting, how-ever, would make the instrument i~practical for economic reasons for the viewing of large series of pictures. The apparatus of the kind that is involved here serves for the purpose of making the picture information on a film strlp serving as the picture carrier accessible to the user, doing so in such a manner as to provide him with the com-fort and convenience ofrered by binocular viewing. The instrument must therefore be extremely inexpensive~-to manu-facture, by being made of plastic parts for example, and must make use Or film cassettes so as to avoid complex film threading operations.
Thus the present invention provides an instrument for the individual viewing of pictures disposed successively on - a transparent film strip, comprising: a housing, a binocular viewing window in said housing, a picture aperture, a lens system enlarging the viewing angle and located in the ray path between said viewing window and an object, holding and guiding means holding the film strip in a viewing plane, the optical axes associated with said binocular viewing window being brought together approximately in the center of said picture aperture lying in said viewing plane, said strip guilding and holding means having a back support for supporting the film strip, and means for moving the film strip when on said support.
~ -4-~ l\
~075054 In a preferred embodiment the invention provides such an instrument in combination with a film strip cassette, having a wall defining the viewing place, comprising: means on the outside of said housing in the vicinity of the picture aperture for the releasable mounting of the film strip cassette, said back support being formed on said wall, said wall having a transparent aperture forming the picture aperture and being aligned with the object.
In certain aspects the invention is developed by pro-- 10 viding on the outside Or the housing, adjacent the picture window. a socket or slot for the insertion of a film strip casse, by forming the back support of the guiding and hold-ing means on a wall Or the cassette which defines the view-~
ing plane, and by providing the cassette wall defining the ¦-viewing plane with an aperture which is in line with the object and forms a picture aperture. Preferably, the socket or slot has guiding ribs and/or grooves to mate with cor- ¦
responding grooves and/or ribs formed on the outside Or the ~', ~.1 ;
cassette, and a resilient detent means for locking the cas-sette in its proper position in front of the housing aper-ture.
In a desirable embodiment of the invention, the film strip has a series of perforations parallel with the series of pictures, and is in the form of an endless band; a maga-zine is provided in the cassette and has a height corre-sponding approximately to the width of the film strip, and the guiding and holding means is so constructed that the film strip intersects the light beam only at the picture ap-erture which is offset from the magazine. In this embodi-ment the light beam passes through the picture aperture alongside and approximately parallel to the flat side of the magazine, and one of the narrow sides of the magazine is extended laterally to form the film gate provided with the picture aperture. The film strip, which can be of the super-8 format, for example, is drawn by the film transport from the magazine, fed frame by frame past the picture ap-erture, and from there back into the magazine. At the end --~of the series of pictures, the beginning of the film series will again appear before the picture aperture, without the need for rewinding.
To prevent damage to the film strip~ especially when the cassette is replaced, a film gate with the picture aper-ture is disposed within the cassette, and the holding and `~ .
.
.
` ~ --107505~
gulding means is so constructed that the film strip is guided within the cassette. The light-ray path from the light source to the two viewing windows must be free and open through the picture aperture ~ust as in the other em-bodiments of the invention.
In an alternative embodiment, the picture aperture is created in a bridge-like part of a cassette, which ~oins together two spool chambers each of which contains one end of the film wound within it. In the cassette, which is attached at right angles to the plane of the eyes, as a rule~ for reasons of photographic technology, a film strip having two parallei picture tracks can be used in this em-bodiment to increase the information content in the picture carrier, in the manner~ for example~-of the known double-eight continuous picture film. After the one picture track has been dlsplayed~ the cassette~ which is disposed asym-metrically in relation to the picture aperture, is rotated by 180, and then the other picture track can be vlewed without rewinding.
. ~ .
In further development of the invention, the back sup-port is formed on a resilient film gate. The resillent film gate facilltates the engagement of the~moving part of the transport means as required for the film transport, without harming the film. In a preferred embodiment, the transport means is a sprocket or claw mounted in the housing, which engages the film perforations and is brought out of the housing by means of a shaft disposed approximately parallel to the plane of the eyes. The shaft can be rotated from without by means of a knurled knob in order to advance the film strip by one frame. Within the scope of the invention, however, pull-down claw systems, as known in motion picture pro~ectors~ can be used for the stepwise advancement of the film strip. It is furthermore possible to accomplish the transport of the film by means of a spindle engaging a take-10- up spool of the cassette.
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In an embodiment of particularly simple construction~
the optical axes in the plane Or the eyes merge rectilinearly from the two viewing windows to the center of the picture aperture. In this embodiment, each viewing window must be sufficlently far away from the picture aperture to avoid having to cro5s the eyes excessively in viewing the picture.
It has been found, however, that~a distance of about-lO to 15 cm between the viewing windows and the viewing plane ; 20 is sufficient for comfortable viewing. The resultant length of the housing offers the advantage that it is more conve-nient to operate the transport means at a greater distance from the eyes.
Alternatively, provision is made for disposing two totally reflecting mirrors in the lines of sight between the picture apertures and the two viewing windows. Due to the resultant reflection~ the viewing distance is ln-creased, the optical axes being able to be even parallel ln the vicinity of the two viewing windows. The mirror surfaces can be made at extremely low cost on appropriate plastic surfaces by vapor coating or by covering with a reflective film.
- Molded plastic lenses are entirely adequate for the lens system for the purposes of the invention.
, , ~ , , .
~ 25 .~ -.~ ' _8--The invention w$11 now be further explained with the aid of the embodiments represented in the appended draw-ings wherein:
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the ocular plane of an embodiment of the viewing instrument in which the picture carrier is an endless film strip contained in a cassette;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken - along line II-II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a top view taken in the direction III-III of Fig. 2, and Fig. ~ is a partial cross sectional view through a film strip cassette which can be used in another embodi-ment of the viewing instrument.
The vlewing instrument represented in cross section in Fig. 1 has a housing 1 with a binocular viewing window 2a-2b~ and a cassette 3 holding and guiding the film strip, and forming the object ~ of the instrument. The cassette 3 is inserted releasably approximately in the viewing direc-tion in the embodiment represented, into a front portion of apparatus 1 which is provided with straddling projections, ribs 5 formed on the two outer sides of cassette 3 mating with grooves of corresponding shape on the inner surfaces of the front projections. The cassette 3 is held in its -_9_ .
proper position before the aperture in the housing by re-silient clips or catches 7 which engage the guiding ribs 5 when the cassette is in the proper position~ and can be bent outwardly against their spring bias to release the cassette.
The housing 1 is preferably injection molded of plastic and can be composed of two plastic shells assembled together approximately in the ocular plane. Since the picture in the picture carrier, which i5 not shown in the drawing~ is relatively small to increase the information content within small film strip dimensions, a lens system to enlarge the viewing angle is needed, which consists in this embodiment of two convergent lenses 8a and 8b, each fastened at the viewing windows 2a and 2b~ respectively in the housing.
The lenses 8a and 8b are coordinated w1th the length of the two corresponding optical axes 9a and 9b such that a sharp imaging of the plane in which the optical axes 9a and 9b converge is produced at the corresponding viewing window 2a and 2b.
The image plane disposed transversely of the ocular plane (drawing plane of Fig. 1) is, in this embodiment, - formed at the face 10 of cassette 3 facing the housing 1.
The visible transparency is framed on the viewer's side by the picture aperture 12 formed in the front face of the cassette. When the cassette 3 is in the proper position, ' ' '`' .
therefore, the picture aperture is aligned with the housing aperture 6 in the lies of sight 9a~ 9b. The houslng aper-ture 6 ls preferably large enough to permit an unhampered viewing of the picture through picture apertures 12 of dif-ferent formats and positions.
The film strip 11, which in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1~ is in the form of an endless band and is rolled up in a magazine 13, is carried past the picture aperture 12 while being guided on both sides by guiding ribs 14~ so that it moves at right angles to the plane of viewing, within the interstice between the face 10 of cassets 3 and housing 1.
As best seen in the enlarged view in Fig. 2, a pressure plate 15~ mounted resiliently in the direction of viewing~ is pro-vided on the housing, which holds the film strip 11 in con-- - tact wlth the face 10 of the cassette and hence approximately in the plane of observation. (In Fig. 2~ the cassette 3 is shown as spaced away from the housing 1 for the sake of clarity.) The pressure plate 15 is apertured opposite the :
picture aperture 12 in a manner that is known in film pro-jectors.
' . :
As best seen in Fig. 3, the film strip ll has a per-forated margin 16 by which the strip can be advanced with the aid of the sprocket 17 represented in Figs. 1 and 2 or with the aid of a pull-down claw system. The sprocket 17 is mounted rotatably in housing 1 on an axis disposed at .
- ~ ' -right angles to the film transport means. The shaft 18 associated with the sprocket 17 is carried out of the hous-ing 1 and terminates in a knurled knob 19. By turning the knurled knob 19 ~oined to sprocket 17 by shaft 18, the film strip 11 guided past the picture aperture 12 can be advanced in the direction of the guiding ribs 14. The sprocket 17 has radial teeth 20 disposed at equal angular intervals, - which pass through the housing wall adjacent the picture aperture and through the pressure plate 15 which is pro-vided with an aperture at that point, to engage the per-forations in the film. The face 10 of the cassette 3 forms a back support when the drive teeth engage the film and prevents the film strip from escaping from such engagement.
A shallow recess 21 is formed in the guidance path of film strip 11 at the point of engagement of the sprocket teeth, and permits a deep engagement of the teeth 20 to assure reliable film transport.
In the cassette configuration represented in Fig. 1, the illumination ray path throughobject chamber ~ is kept free by disposing the picture aperture in a side chamber -of the cassette, i.e., a chamber beside the magazine 13.
- This side chamber is open in the direction of a light source not shown in the drawing (downwardly in Fig. 1) for the unhampered access of light to the plcture aperture 12. To increase the light input it is desirable to provide the inside walls of the side-chamber forming the object chamber with a light-reflective coating or to make it of light-colored material. The wall 22 of the side chamber, which is parallel to the flat sides of the magazine chamber 13, serves in the present embodiment as the wall which carries a rib 5. When the cassette 3 is applied unilaterally or to other walls on the housing 1, the wall 22 can be omitted in order to increase the access of light to the picture aperture 12.
~he endless film strip is wound up in a roll in the magazine 13, emerges from the magazine approximately axially on the flat side of the cassette facing away from the object chamber 4, through the opening 30; it is carried past the picture aperture 12 through the lines of sight 9a and 9b of the viewing instrument~ and finally it is introduced tan-gentally back into chamber 13 and wound onto the spool again.
The film strip 11 can also be completely enclosed and 20 guided within the cassette, in which case the film gate ---with the picture aperture is formed in the cassette. Such a film strip arrangement facilitates the changing of the cassette and prevents film damage by improper handling, since -the film strip 11 is not accessible from without.
In Fig. 4 there is shown another embodiment of a cas-sette 23 for a viewing instrument of the kind described.
In this embodiment, a film gate is formed in a bridge por-tion 24 which joins together two spool chambers 25a and 25b.
The film strip 11 is held in front of the picture aperture 27 in the viewing plane by means of resilient hold-downs 26 in the bridge portion. One end of the film is wound in each of the spool chambers 25a and ?5b. In the cassette-design represented in Fig. 4, the guides for the insertion of the cassette into a corresponding opening in housing 1 are best disposed at right angles to the ocular plane of the instrument. In this manner the object side of the bridge portion 2~ can be kept fully unobstructed for the access Or light.
` In the cassette embodiment represented in Fig. 4~ it is advantageous to use a film strip 11 provided with two ~~ - parallel picture tracks and with perforations on both mar-- gins. After the one picture track has been viewed through the picture aperture 27, the cassette 23 is turned 180 about the optical axis, thus bringing the other picture -20 track into the viewing path so that it can be viewed.
: ~ .
Within the scope of the invention, many variants of-the above-described embodiments are possible. For example, a pull-down claw system known in connection with film transports in pro~ectors or motion picture cameras can be - used for the film transport. A reduction of the size of housing 1 can be achieved by doubling the lines of sight 9a -14_ and 9b back on one another by means of appropriately disposed mirrors~ the basic system of the binocular viewing of a picture being preserved. The picture aperture can be pro-vided with a transparent plastic or glass pane.
The viewing instrument described permits the direct viewing of individual pictures of a motion picture film of the super-8 mm size, for example. Pictures can be taken with a conventional motion picture camera set for single frame operation~ and after the film has been developed and -installed in an appropriate cassette, it can be viewed with the viewing instrument. When this photographic technique is used~ the longer dimension of the picture aperture will be disposed parallel to the ocular plane.
~ ' 15 , ...
~ 20 ; '. ' . .
. 30
BACKGROUND
The invention relates to an instrument for the one-by-one viewing of pictures arrayed successively on a transpar-ent film strip, having a housing in which there is provideda viewing window and, in the light-ray path between the viewing window and the object, a lens system which magnifies the viewing angle, and having means for holding and guiding the film strlp in a viewing plane.
Instruments of this kind are known for the stereoscopic viewing of still pictures. They are constructed much like field-glasses, independent light-ray paths and different transparent pictures being associated with each of the two viewing windows. The transparent pictures, or diapositives, are disposed opposite one another in pairs on a rotary disk.
The two simultaneously viewed diapositives produce the stereoscopic effect. This instrument offers the desirable possibility of binocular viewing, but it is very limited in the number of pictures that can be viewed in a continuous series on account of the necessarily circular configuration of the picture carrier. The fact that two frames must be provided on the picture carrier for each picture imposes an additional limitation upon the number of pictures in a sequence.
.
i ~
_ ~ , ,. - . ' ' : : ' THE INVENTION
The invention sets out from the consideratlon that the principle of binocular viewing of still pictures illu-minated by an outside source will be broadly useful onlyif a great series of pictures can be viewed successively and without the nuisance of changing picture carriers, because in the case of a short series of pictures, and hence a sequence of small informational content~ a viewing instrument of this kind--if one disregards the stereoscopic effect--is ùnnecessary~ since comparable information can also be contained on a directly readable information ve-hicle.
.
It is therefore the object of the invention to make available a picture viewing instrument of the kind described - - in the beginning, which will be inexpensive to manufacture - and easy to operate, while permitting the continuous view-ing of a very great number of individual pictures disposed on a picture carrier.
.~ ' ', For the achievement of this object, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that the light-ray paths or optical axes associated with-the two viewing windows be brought together approximately in the center of a commonpic-- tùre aperture located in the viewing plane, and that the film guiding and holding means have a back support to sup-` -port the film stri~ durin~ the fil~-driving en~aeement Or a ~art Or an extern~lly operated mechanical transport means.
The focusing to~ether Or the optical axes for binocular viewin~ of a frame is known in binocular microscopes. The complex prism systems used therein for beam splitting, how-ever, would make the instrument i~practical for economic reasons for the viewing of large series of pictures. The apparatus of the kind that is involved here serves for the purpose of making the picture information on a film strlp serving as the picture carrier accessible to the user, doing so in such a manner as to provide him with the com-fort and convenience ofrered by binocular viewing. The instrument must therefore be extremely inexpensive~-to manu-facture, by being made of plastic parts for example, and must make use Or film cassettes so as to avoid complex film threading operations.
Thus the present invention provides an instrument for the individual viewing of pictures disposed successively on - a transparent film strip, comprising: a housing, a binocular viewing window in said housing, a picture aperture, a lens system enlarging the viewing angle and located in the ray path between said viewing window and an object, holding and guiding means holding the film strip in a viewing plane, the optical axes associated with said binocular viewing window being brought together approximately in the center of said picture aperture lying in said viewing plane, said strip guilding and holding means having a back support for supporting the film strip, and means for moving the film strip when on said support.
~ -4-~ l\
~075054 In a preferred embodiment the invention provides such an instrument in combination with a film strip cassette, having a wall defining the viewing place, comprising: means on the outside of said housing in the vicinity of the picture aperture for the releasable mounting of the film strip cassette, said back support being formed on said wall, said wall having a transparent aperture forming the picture aperture and being aligned with the object.
In certain aspects the invention is developed by pro-- 10 viding on the outside Or the housing, adjacent the picture window. a socket or slot for the insertion of a film strip casse, by forming the back support of the guiding and hold-ing means on a wall Or the cassette which defines the view-~
ing plane, and by providing the cassette wall defining the ¦-viewing plane with an aperture which is in line with the object and forms a picture aperture. Preferably, the socket or slot has guiding ribs and/or grooves to mate with cor- ¦
responding grooves and/or ribs formed on the outside Or the ~', ~.1 ;
cassette, and a resilient detent means for locking the cas-sette in its proper position in front of the housing aper-ture.
In a desirable embodiment of the invention, the film strip has a series of perforations parallel with the series of pictures, and is in the form of an endless band; a maga-zine is provided in the cassette and has a height corre-sponding approximately to the width of the film strip, and the guiding and holding means is so constructed that the film strip intersects the light beam only at the picture ap-erture which is offset from the magazine. In this embodi-ment the light beam passes through the picture aperture alongside and approximately parallel to the flat side of the magazine, and one of the narrow sides of the magazine is extended laterally to form the film gate provided with the picture aperture. The film strip, which can be of the super-8 format, for example, is drawn by the film transport from the magazine, fed frame by frame past the picture ap-erture, and from there back into the magazine. At the end --~of the series of pictures, the beginning of the film series will again appear before the picture aperture, without the need for rewinding.
To prevent damage to the film strip~ especially when the cassette is replaced, a film gate with the picture aper-ture is disposed within the cassette, and the holding and `~ .
.
.
` ~ --107505~
gulding means is so constructed that the film strip is guided within the cassette. The light-ray path from the light source to the two viewing windows must be free and open through the picture aperture ~ust as in the other em-bodiments of the invention.
In an alternative embodiment, the picture aperture is created in a bridge-like part of a cassette, which ~oins together two spool chambers each of which contains one end of the film wound within it. In the cassette, which is attached at right angles to the plane of the eyes, as a rule~ for reasons of photographic technology, a film strip having two parallei picture tracks can be used in this em-bodiment to increase the information content in the picture carrier, in the manner~ for example~-of the known double-eight continuous picture film. After the one picture track has been dlsplayed~ the cassette~ which is disposed asym-metrically in relation to the picture aperture, is rotated by 180, and then the other picture track can be vlewed without rewinding.
. ~ .
In further development of the invention, the back sup-port is formed on a resilient film gate. The resillent film gate facilltates the engagement of the~moving part of the transport means as required for the film transport, without harming the film. In a preferred embodiment, the transport means is a sprocket or claw mounted in the housing, which engages the film perforations and is brought out of the housing by means of a shaft disposed approximately parallel to the plane of the eyes. The shaft can be rotated from without by means of a knurled knob in order to advance the film strip by one frame. Within the scope of the invention, however, pull-down claw systems, as known in motion picture pro~ectors~ can be used for the stepwise advancement of the film strip. It is furthermore possible to accomplish the transport of the film by means of a spindle engaging a take-10- up spool of the cassette.
.
In an embodiment of particularly simple construction~
the optical axes in the plane Or the eyes merge rectilinearly from the two viewing windows to the center of the picture aperture. In this embodiment, each viewing window must be sufficlently far away from the picture aperture to avoid having to cro5s the eyes excessively in viewing the picture.
It has been found, however, that~a distance of about-lO to 15 cm between the viewing windows and the viewing plane ; 20 is sufficient for comfortable viewing. The resultant length of the housing offers the advantage that it is more conve-nient to operate the transport means at a greater distance from the eyes.
Alternatively, provision is made for disposing two totally reflecting mirrors in the lines of sight between the picture apertures and the two viewing windows. Due to the resultant reflection~ the viewing distance is ln-creased, the optical axes being able to be even parallel ln the vicinity of the two viewing windows. The mirror surfaces can be made at extremely low cost on appropriate plastic surfaces by vapor coating or by covering with a reflective film.
- Molded plastic lenses are entirely adequate for the lens system for the purposes of the invention.
, , ~ , , .
~ 25 .~ -.~ ' _8--The invention w$11 now be further explained with the aid of the embodiments represented in the appended draw-ings wherein:
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the ocular plane of an embodiment of the viewing instrument in which the picture carrier is an endless film strip contained in a cassette;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken - along line II-II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a top view taken in the direction III-III of Fig. 2, and Fig. ~ is a partial cross sectional view through a film strip cassette which can be used in another embodi-ment of the viewing instrument.
The vlewing instrument represented in cross section in Fig. 1 has a housing 1 with a binocular viewing window 2a-2b~ and a cassette 3 holding and guiding the film strip, and forming the object ~ of the instrument. The cassette 3 is inserted releasably approximately in the viewing direc-tion in the embodiment represented, into a front portion of apparatus 1 which is provided with straddling projections, ribs 5 formed on the two outer sides of cassette 3 mating with grooves of corresponding shape on the inner surfaces of the front projections. The cassette 3 is held in its -_9_ .
proper position before the aperture in the housing by re-silient clips or catches 7 which engage the guiding ribs 5 when the cassette is in the proper position~ and can be bent outwardly against their spring bias to release the cassette.
The housing 1 is preferably injection molded of plastic and can be composed of two plastic shells assembled together approximately in the ocular plane. Since the picture in the picture carrier, which i5 not shown in the drawing~ is relatively small to increase the information content within small film strip dimensions, a lens system to enlarge the viewing angle is needed, which consists in this embodiment of two convergent lenses 8a and 8b, each fastened at the viewing windows 2a and 2b~ respectively in the housing.
The lenses 8a and 8b are coordinated w1th the length of the two corresponding optical axes 9a and 9b such that a sharp imaging of the plane in which the optical axes 9a and 9b converge is produced at the corresponding viewing window 2a and 2b.
The image plane disposed transversely of the ocular plane (drawing plane of Fig. 1) is, in this embodiment, - formed at the face 10 of cassette 3 facing the housing 1.
The visible transparency is framed on the viewer's side by the picture aperture 12 formed in the front face of the cassette. When the cassette 3 is in the proper position, ' ' '`' .
therefore, the picture aperture is aligned with the housing aperture 6 in the lies of sight 9a~ 9b. The houslng aper-ture 6 ls preferably large enough to permit an unhampered viewing of the picture through picture apertures 12 of dif-ferent formats and positions.
The film strip 11, which in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1~ is in the form of an endless band and is rolled up in a magazine 13, is carried past the picture aperture 12 while being guided on both sides by guiding ribs 14~ so that it moves at right angles to the plane of viewing, within the interstice between the face 10 of cassets 3 and housing 1.
As best seen in the enlarged view in Fig. 2, a pressure plate 15~ mounted resiliently in the direction of viewing~ is pro-vided on the housing, which holds the film strip 11 in con-- - tact wlth the face 10 of the cassette and hence approximately in the plane of observation. (In Fig. 2~ the cassette 3 is shown as spaced away from the housing 1 for the sake of clarity.) The pressure plate 15 is apertured opposite the :
picture aperture 12 in a manner that is known in film pro-jectors.
' . :
As best seen in Fig. 3, the film strip ll has a per-forated margin 16 by which the strip can be advanced with the aid of the sprocket 17 represented in Figs. 1 and 2 or with the aid of a pull-down claw system. The sprocket 17 is mounted rotatably in housing 1 on an axis disposed at .
- ~ ' -right angles to the film transport means. The shaft 18 associated with the sprocket 17 is carried out of the hous-ing 1 and terminates in a knurled knob 19. By turning the knurled knob 19 ~oined to sprocket 17 by shaft 18, the film strip 11 guided past the picture aperture 12 can be advanced in the direction of the guiding ribs 14. The sprocket 17 has radial teeth 20 disposed at equal angular intervals, - which pass through the housing wall adjacent the picture aperture and through the pressure plate 15 which is pro-vided with an aperture at that point, to engage the per-forations in the film. The face 10 of the cassette 3 forms a back support when the drive teeth engage the film and prevents the film strip from escaping from such engagement.
A shallow recess 21 is formed in the guidance path of film strip 11 at the point of engagement of the sprocket teeth, and permits a deep engagement of the teeth 20 to assure reliable film transport.
In the cassette configuration represented in Fig. 1, the illumination ray path throughobject chamber ~ is kept free by disposing the picture aperture in a side chamber -of the cassette, i.e., a chamber beside the magazine 13.
- This side chamber is open in the direction of a light source not shown in the drawing (downwardly in Fig. 1) for the unhampered access of light to the plcture aperture 12. To increase the light input it is desirable to provide the inside walls of the side-chamber forming the object chamber with a light-reflective coating or to make it of light-colored material. The wall 22 of the side chamber, which is parallel to the flat sides of the magazine chamber 13, serves in the present embodiment as the wall which carries a rib 5. When the cassette 3 is applied unilaterally or to other walls on the housing 1, the wall 22 can be omitted in order to increase the access of light to the picture aperture 12.
~he endless film strip is wound up in a roll in the magazine 13, emerges from the magazine approximately axially on the flat side of the cassette facing away from the object chamber 4, through the opening 30; it is carried past the picture aperture 12 through the lines of sight 9a and 9b of the viewing instrument~ and finally it is introduced tan-gentally back into chamber 13 and wound onto the spool again.
The film strip 11 can also be completely enclosed and 20 guided within the cassette, in which case the film gate ---with the picture aperture is formed in the cassette. Such a film strip arrangement facilitates the changing of the cassette and prevents film damage by improper handling, since -the film strip 11 is not accessible from without.
In Fig. 4 there is shown another embodiment of a cas-sette 23 for a viewing instrument of the kind described.
In this embodiment, a film gate is formed in a bridge por-tion 24 which joins together two spool chambers 25a and 25b.
The film strip 11 is held in front of the picture aperture 27 in the viewing plane by means of resilient hold-downs 26 in the bridge portion. One end of the film is wound in each of the spool chambers 25a and ?5b. In the cassette-design represented in Fig. 4, the guides for the insertion of the cassette into a corresponding opening in housing 1 are best disposed at right angles to the ocular plane of the instrument. In this manner the object side of the bridge portion 2~ can be kept fully unobstructed for the access Or light.
` In the cassette embodiment represented in Fig. 4~ it is advantageous to use a film strip 11 provided with two ~~ - parallel picture tracks and with perforations on both mar-- gins. After the one picture track has been viewed through the picture aperture 27, the cassette 23 is turned 180 about the optical axis, thus bringing the other picture -20 track into the viewing path so that it can be viewed.
: ~ .
Within the scope of the invention, many variants of-the above-described embodiments are possible. For example, a pull-down claw system known in connection with film transports in pro~ectors or motion picture cameras can be - used for the film transport. A reduction of the size of housing 1 can be achieved by doubling the lines of sight 9a -14_ and 9b back on one another by means of appropriately disposed mirrors~ the basic system of the binocular viewing of a picture being preserved. The picture aperture can be pro-vided with a transparent plastic or glass pane.
The viewing instrument described permits the direct viewing of individual pictures of a motion picture film of the super-8 mm size, for example. Pictures can be taken with a conventional motion picture camera set for single frame operation~ and after the film has been developed and -installed in an appropriate cassette, it can be viewed with the viewing instrument. When this photographic technique is used~ the longer dimension of the picture aperture will be disposed parallel to the ocular plane.
~ ' 15 , ...
~ 20 ; '. ' . .
. 30
Claims (14)
1. An instrument for the individual viewing of pictures disposed successively on a transparent film strip, comprising:
a housing, a binocular viewing window in said housing, a picture aperture, a lens system enlarging the viewing angle and located in the ray path between said viewing window and an object, holding and guiding means holding the film strip in a viewing plane, the optical axes associated with said binocular viewing window being brought together approximately in the center of said picture aperture lying in said viewing plane, said strip guiding and holding means having a back support for supporting the film strip, and means for moving the film strip when on said support.
a housing, a binocular viewing window in said housing, a picture aperture, a lens system enlarging the viewing angle and located in the ray path between said viewing window and an object, holding and guiding means holding the film strip in a viewing plane, the optical axes associated with said binocular viewing window being brought together approximately in the center of said picture aperture lying in said viewing plane, said strip guiding and holding means having a back support for supporting the film strip, and means for moving the film strip when on said support.
2. An instrument according to claim 1, in combination with a film strip cassette, having a wall defining the viewing plane,comprising: means on the outside of said housing in the vicinity of the picture aperture for the releasable mounting of the film strip cassette,said back support being formed on said wall, said wall having a transparent aperture forming the picture aperture and being aligned with the object.
3. An instrument according to claim 2, wherein said means for mounting said cassette is a slot.
4. An instrument according to claim 2, wherein said means for mounting said cassette is a socket.
5. An instrument according to claim 3, wherein one of said slot and cassette has guiding ribs and the other has grooves of complementary shape for insertion of said ribs, and resilient detent means for locking said cassette in front of said picture aperture.
6. An instrument according to claim 4, wherein one of said socket and cassette has guiding ribs and the other has grooves for the insertion of said ribs, and resilient detent means for locking said cassette in front of said picture aperture.
7. An instrument according to claim 2, wherein said film strip cassette has a film strip with a row of perforations parallel to the pictures on the strip, said strip forming a magazine in said cassette and having a height corresponding approximately to the width of the film, said guiding and holding means being so constructed that the film strip intersects the illumination and imaging ray path only at the picture aperture disposed offset from the magazine.
8. An instrument according to claim 7, comprising a film gate disposed within the cassette with said transparent aperture, said holding and guiding means being so constructed that the film strip is guided in the interior of the cassette.
9. An instrument according to claim 7, wherein said cassette has a side-chamber, said object being formed in said side-chamber adjacent the magazine, said side-chamber being open on the side opposite the picture aperture.
10. An instrument according to claim 2, wherein said cassette has a bridge portion and two spool chambers, said picture aperture being formed in said bridge portion, and said bridge portion joining said spool chambers in which one end each of the film is wound.
11. An instrument according to claim 1, comprising a resilient film gate on which said back support is formed.
12. An instrument according to claim 1, comprising a resilient film gate, the film strip being pressed against said back support by said resilient film gate.
13. An instrument according to claim 1, wherein said moving means comprises a sprocket wheel mounted in said housing for engaging the film strip and a shaft extending approximately parallel to the viewing plane of said housing.
14. An instrument according to claim 1, wherein the optical axes converge rectilinearly from said binocular viewing window to the center of the picture aperture.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA264,689A CA1075054A (en) | 1976-11-02 | 1976-11-02 | Binocular type viewing instrument |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA264,689A CA1075054A (en) | 1976-11-02 | 1976-11-02 | Binocular type viewing instrument |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1075054A true CA1075054A (en) | 1980-04-08 |
Family
ID=4107186
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA264,689A Expired CA1075054A (en) | 1976-11-02 | 1976-11-02 | Binocular type viewing instrument |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1075054A (en) |
-
1976
- 1976-11-02 CA CA264,689A patent/CA1075054A/en not_active Expired
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |