JP2007233174A - Film processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a film processing apparatus in which even if a rear end of a photographic film with a film leader discharged from a film processor stays nearby a discharge section, there is no adverse influence exerted on discharging operation for a next photographic film. <P>SOLUTION: The film processing apparatus is provided with a first conveyance path for conveying the photographic film with the film leader discharged from a discharging section 14 of the film processor FP to the side of a film stocker 18, a second conveyance path for conveying the photographic film with the film leader discharged from the discharging section of the film processor FP to the side of a film scanner FS, a film guide 30 for conveying the photographic film discharged from the film processor FP to one of the first conveyance path and second conveyance path, and a film pressing mechanism 80 which prevents a film leader L conveyed subsequently and the rear end of the photographic film F from being caught when the rear end of the photographic film discharged to the side of the film stocker 18 stays at the position of the discharging section 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a film processor that performs development processing in a state where a guide film reader is connected to the leading end side of undeveloped photographic film, and a frame image of the developed photographic film processed by the film processor as digital image data. The present invention relates to a film processing apparatus including a film scanner for acquisition and a transport unit for transporting a developed photographic film discharged from a film processor to the film scanner.

  A system in which a film processor for developing an undeveloped photographic film and a film scanner for acquiring a frame image of the developed photographic film as digital image data are combined and integrated is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. A photographic material processing apparatus is known. When a photographic film is developed in the film processor, a guide member called a film reader is attached to the leading end of the photographic film, and the photographic film moves through the film processor by the film reader. When the development process and the drying process of the photographic film are completed, the photographic film is discharged from the discharge portion of the film processor and sent to the transport unit. The film reader is collected at a predetermined location, and the developed photographic film is subsequently conveyed to the film scanner, and scanning of each frame image is performed.

  As described above, when the development processing of the photographic film is performed, the photographic film is basically sent to the film scanner as it is. However, when only developing the photographic film (for example, when there is no request to create a photographic print) or when trouble occurs on the film scanner side and the photographic film cannot be fed, Rather, collect it in a film stocker. A discharge roller pair is provided in the discharge portion of the film processor, and the photographic film is transferred by the transfer force of the discharge roller pair. When a photographic film with a film leader is conveyed to the film stocker, it is conveyed only by the conveying force of the discharge roller pair, and when the film leader is conveyed to some extent, the film reader is configured to slide by its own weight on the inclined surface. Thereby, even a long photographic film can be fed into the film stocker only by the conveying force of the discharge roller pair.

JP 11-234476 A

  However, particularly in the case of a photographic film having a long length, the rear end of the film may not completely escape from the position near the discharge roller pair, and may remain in the vicinity of the discharge roller pair. In such a case, when the next photographic film with a film leader is ejected by the pair of ejection rollers, the leading end side of the feeder and the rear end of the film may be caught, resulting in poor conveyance of the film leader.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the problem is that even if the rear end of the photographic film with a film leader discharged from the film processor stays in the vicinity of the discharge portion, It is an object of the present invention to provide a film processing apparatus that does not adversely affect the discharging operation.

In order to solve the above problems, a film processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
A film processor that performs development processing in a state where a guide film reader is connected to the front end side of undeveloped photographic film, and a film stocker that collects photographic film with a film reader discharged from the discharge portion of the film processor A film processing apparatus,
Film retainer for preventing the rear end of the photographic film from being conveyed and the rear end of the photographic film being caught when the rear end of the photographic film discharged to the film stocker side remains at the position of the discharge section It is characterized by having a mechanism.

  The operation and effect of the film processing apparatus having such a configuration will be described. When the undeveloped photographic film is developed by the film processor, it is discharged from the discharge section and collected in the film stocker. When the rear end of the photographic film discharged to the film stocker side remains at the position of the discharge portion of the film processor, a mechanism for pressing the rear end of the film by the film pressing mechanism is provided. By this film pressing mechanism, when a transported object such as a film reader is subsequently transported, it can be retracted to a position where the transported object and the rear end of the film are not caught. As a result, there is provided a film processing apparatus that does not adversely affect the discharge operation of the next transported object even if the rear end of the photographic film with a film reader discharged from the film processor stays in the vicinity of the discharge unit. be able to.

In order to solve the above problems, another film processing apparatus according to the present invention is as follows.
A film processor that performs development processing in a state where a guide film reader is connected to the leading end of undeveloped photographic film, and a frame image of the developed photographic film processed by the film processor for acquiring digital image data. A film processing apparatus comprising a film scanner and a transport unit for transporting the developed photographic film discharged from the film processor to the film scanner,
A first transport path for transporting a photographic film with a film reader discharged from the discharge section of the film processor to the film stocker side;
A second transport path for transporting a photographic film with a film reader discharged from the discharge section of the film processor to the film scanner side;
A path switching mechanism for transporting the photographic film discharged from the film processor to either the first transport path or the second transport path;
Film retainer for preventing the rear end of the photographic film and the film leader transported subsequently from being caught when the rear end of the photographic film discharged to the film stocker side remains at the position of the discharge section. And a mechanism.

  The operation and effect of the film processing apparatus having such a configuration will be described. When the developing process of the undeveloped photographic film is performed by the film processor, it is sent to the film scanner via the transport unit, and the frame image of the developed photographic film is scanned to obtain digital image data. In order to transport the photographic film within the film processor, a guide member called a film reader is connected to the leading side of the photographic film. Usually, the film reader is set wider than the photographic film, and the film reader is separated from the photographic film by an appropriate method before feeding the photographic film to the film scanner. In some cases, the developed photographic film is not fed in the direction of the film scanner, and in that case, the developed photographic film is collected into the film stocker with the film reader attached. That is, the photographic film discharged from the discharge section of the film processor is transported using the first transport path when being collected to the film stocker, and is transported using the second transport path when being sent to the film scanner. For this purpose, a path switching mechanism is provided and is configured to select one of the paths.

  When the rear end of the photographic film discharged to the film stocker side remains at the position of the discharge portion of the film processor, a mechanism for pressing the rear end of the film by the film pressing mechanism is provided. With this film pressing mechanism, when a transported object such as a film reader is subsequently transported, it can be retracted to a position where the transported object and the rear end of the film are not caught. As a result, there is provided a film processing apparatus that does not adversely affect the discharge operation of the next transported object even if the rear end of the photographic film with a film reader discharged from the film processor stays in the vicinity of the discharge unit. be able to.

  The film presser mechanism according to the present invention includes a presser roller unit that is rotatable about a predetermined axis on the discharge side of the discharge roller pair provided in the discharge unit, and is provided with a presser roller provided in the presser roller unit. It is preferable that the rear end of the film is retracted outside the planned passage path of the film leader.

  A discharge roller pair is provided in the discharge unit, and the developed photographic film with a film reader is discharged by the discharge roller pair. In addition, a press roller unit is provided on the discharge side of the discharge unit, and the rear end of the film can be pressed by the press roller and retracted out of the planned passage path of the film leader. As a result, the film leader and the rear end of the film can be reliably prevented from being caught.

  The presser roller unit according to the present invention preferably presses the film rear end by its own weight.

  Since the pressing force is applied by its own weight, it is not necessary to attach a member such as a pressing spring, and the configuration of the film pressing mechanism can be simplified.

  The presser roller unit according to the present invention is preferably pivotally supported around the axis of the drive side roller or the pressure side roller of the discharge roller pair.

  The discharge roller pair is composed of a driving side roller and a pressure-bonding side roller, and discharges while holding the photographic film with a film leader by the roller pair. Also, when the presser roller unit is pivotally supported, the number of parts can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified by using one of the roller cores to support the presser roller unit. .

  The presser roller unit according to the present invention includes a guide roller positioned between the presser roller and the discharge roller pair. The guide roller is pivotally supported around the predetermined axis, and the presser roller is The guide roller is pivotally supported with respect to the axis of the guide roller, and when the film reader is discharged by the discharge roller pair, the guide roller is pressed against the rear end of the film by the presser roller, and the front end of the film reader It is preferable to be configured to be lifted by

  According to this configuration, the press roller unit includes the guide roller and the press roller. The guide roller can be rotated with respect to any axis of the discharge roller pair, and the configuration can be simplified by using a common axis. The presser roller is pivotally supported with respect to the guide roller. According to this configuration, when the film leader is discharged from the discharge roller pair, the guide roller is lifted by the tip of the film reader. Since the press roller is pivotally supported with respect to the guide roller at the initial point of lifting, the rear end of the film can be pressed by the press roller for a while. Thereby, it can discharge | emit in the state which the front-end | tip part of a film leader does not catch at the film rear end.

  In the present invention, when the discharge operation of the film leader is not performed by the discharge roller pair, it is preferable that the presser roller is positioned below the guide roller.

  With such an arrangement, the rear end of the film can be surely pressed by the press roller, and when the film leader is discharged, the part of the guide roller can be lifted by the film leader. It is possible to prevent the rear end from being caught.

  A preferred embodiment of a film processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a print processing system 1 having a film processing apparatus FA including a film processor FP and a film scanner FS, and a print creation apparatus PA. Note that the print processing system 1 may include other devices (for example, an orderer accepting terminal, a recording medium writing / reading device, and a PC terminal capable of accepting the Internet).

<Overall system configuration>
In FIG. 1, a film processing apparatus FA acquires a film processor FP for developing an undeveloped photographic film and a frame image of the developed photographic film developed by the film processor FP as digital image data by photoelectric conversion. And a film scanner FS are arranged in the vertical position. The film processing apparatus FA includes a transport unit FC for transporting the developed photographic film discharged from the discharge section of the film processor FP to the supply section of the film scanner FS.

  The film processing apparatus FA is connected to the print creating apparatus PA via a communication line. The print creation device PA has a communication function, an order management / control function, an image processing function, and a print creation function, and includes a display means such as a computer and a display, and an interface such as a keyboard and a mouse. With this configuration, the image data acquired by the film processing apparatus FA is transmitted to the print creation apparatus PA via the communication line, and the print creation apparatus PA prints an image on a print medium such as photographic paper. The order management / control is configured so that image data can be managed in units of orders and the order of print creation can be set.

  The print creation apparatus PA is not limited to the one using silver salt type photographic paper, and an ink jet type or sublimation type print creation apparatus may be used.

  In the present invention, a photographic film before being developed by the film processor FP (frame image in a latent image state) is particularly called an undeveloped photographic film, and a photographic film after being developed by the film processor FP (frame image). In particular) is sometimes referred to as a developed photographic film.

<Film processor>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the film processor FP includes a film insertion unit 11 disposed at the front of the processor body, and includes a development processing unit 12 and a drying processing unit 13 inside the processor body. A discharge unit 14 is disposed, and a transport mechanism 15 is formed from the film insertion unit 11 to the discharge unit 14. A liquid crystal display 16a for displaying various information and a control panel 16 having a plurality of operation buttons 16b are provided at a front position of the processor main body, and a control unit 17 for controlling the entire film processor FP is provided inside the processor main body. A film stocker 18 for receiving the developed photographic film fed from the discharge unit 14 is formed on the upper surface of the processor body.

  The film insertion section 11 is provided with a lid 11a that can be opened and closed. An unrolled photographic film accommodated in a film cartridge Ca (or cartridge) is set and transferred to the transport mechanism 15 (film drive mechanism). 11e) and a cutting unit 11b for cutting the rear end of the photographic film.

  In addition, in order to obtain information on the length of the photographic film, a loading sensor 11c that detects passage of the front and rear ends of the photographic film conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 15 is provided. The loading sensor 11c is composed of a pair of optical sensors (light receiving type, light projecting type). The loading sensor 11c can detect the film leading edge position (or the film leader leading edge position) and the film trailing edge position. Based on the detected front end position and rear end position information, length information of the photographic film is calculated.

  In the case of APS film development processing, a film leader L is attached to the leading end of the photographic film drawn out from the cartridge Ca, the lid 11a is opened, and the cartridge Ca is set in the film insertion portion 11 so that the film leader L precedes. To do. A state in which the photographic film F and the film reader L are connected is shown in FIG. The film leader L is a sheet-like member having the same degree of flexibility as a resin film, and has a larger width dimension than the photographic film F. A large number of perforations La are formed in the film leader L, and the photographic film F is conveyed through the film processor FP by a sprocket that meshes with the perforations La. By providing such perforation La, it is possible to reliably guide the photographic film without slipping in the film processor FP.

  The perforation La may be formed not at the center of the film leader L as shown, but at one end (see FIG. 3B) or both ends in the width direction. The photographic film F and the film leader L can be connected by inserting engaging protrusions formed on the film leader L into holes formed on the photographic film F as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3B, the leading end of the photographic film F and the film leader L may be connected by an adhesive tape T. The shape and size of the film leader L to be used are determined in advance. In addition, since the film leader L and the photographic film F are connected using a jig, the connecting position (pasting position) of the photographic film F with respect to the film leader L is also determined in advance.

  After the photographic film F with the film reader L is set and the lid 11a is closed, film transport (loading) is started under the control of the control unit 17 by operating a predetermined operation button 16b of the control panel 16, After the development processing in the development processing unit 12 and the drying processing in the drying processing unit 13, the photographic film is discharged from the discharge unit 14 with the film reader L at the head. In this case, when the cartridge detecting means 11d detects the cartridge Ca and then closes the lid 11a, loading is started and conveyance of the photographic film F is started.

  The control unit 17 controls each element of the film processor FP so as to start loading. When the film driving mechanism 11e conveys the film reader L and the photographic film F to the developing processing unit 12 while sandwiching the film reader L and the photographic film F with the pressure roller, and the loading sensor 11c detects the leading edge of the film leader L and the photographic film that has been conveyed, The transport mechanism 15 of the processing unit 12 and the drying processing unit 13 is driven, and the film reader L and the photographic film are sandwiched between pressure rollers and transported to the development processing unit side. Here, the film drive mechanism 11e and the transport mechanism 15 operate by separate driving. Note that “loading” in the film processor FP means an operation in which a photographic film is drawn from the film cartridge Ca by the film driving mechanism 11 e and conveyed to the development processing unit 12.

  The development processing unit 12 includes a color development tank, a bleaching tank, a fixing tank, and a stabilization tank. Inside the development processing unit 12, the transport mechanism 15 includes a film reader L and a perforation La of the film reader L to transport the photographic film. A plurality of sprocket mechanisms to be engaged and a pressure roller mechanism 15a are provided. Further, the drying processing unit 13 includes a blower 13a for drying the photographic film conveyed from the development processing unit 12. Similarly, the drying processing unit 13 is also provided with the sprocket mechanism and the pressure roller mechanism. The transport mechanism 15 includes a sprocket mechanism, a pressure roller mechanism 15a, and a drive system that drives these synchronously with an electric motor (not shown).

  The discharge unit 14 is provided with a discharge roller pair 15b for discharging the developed photographic film from the film processor FP. The photographic film discharged by the discharge roller pair 15b is delivered to the transport unit FC and transported to the film scanner FS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the film scanner FS has a film carrier 21 arranged at the lower part of the scanner body, a light source unit 22 below the film carrier 21, and a zoom lens 23 and a photoelectric sensor above the film carrier 21. A conversion unit 24 is arranged. A scanner control unit 25 (control unit) is arranged inside the scanner body. The film scanner FS is fixed to the film processor FP, and is disposed at the upper position of the discharge block of the discharge unit 14.

  The film carrier 21 is configured to form a developed photographic film supply part 21a in the same direction as the front part of the film processor FP, and to perform scanning while conveying the film from the supply part 21a to the rear side. Note that before the photographic film is sent to the film carrier 21, a process of separating the film reader L from the photographic film is performed in the transport unit FC. Further, the film carrier 21 includes a transport motor (not shown) that drives the transport roller 21b.

  The light source unit 22 has light emitting diodes (not shown) of three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The zoom lens 23 adjusts the focal length to provide information on the frames of the photographic film. Is imaged on the photoelectric conversion surface of the photoelectric conversion unit 24 at the set magnification. The photoelectric conversion unit 24 includes three line sensors (not shown) made of photoelectric conversion elements such as a CCD corresponding to the three primary colors R (red), G (green), and B (blue).

<Configuration of transport unit>
Next, the configuration of the transport unit FC for transporting the developed photographic film discharged from the film processor FP to the film scanner FS will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the discharge section 14 of the film processor FP is provided with a discharge roller pair 15b.

  The transport unit FC includes a transport block B fixed to a frame, and a chucker C attached so as to be rotatable around a predetermined axis. A film guide 30 is provided at the upstream end portion of the lower block portion of the transport block B, and is rotatably supported around the axis 30a. The film guide 30 is provided with a guide portion corresponding to the width dimension of the photographic film to be conveyed, and any one of the first position shown in FIG. Switch to position. The film guide 30 and the switching solenoid 31 correspond to a path switching mechanism. When set in the first position, the photographic film can be guided in the direction of the film scanner FS. The route in this case corresponds to the second transport route. When set to the second position, the photographic film is discharged to the film stocker 18. The route in this case corresponds to the first transport route.

  The photographic film developed by the film processor FP can be sent directly to the film scanner FS via the first transport path. However, if you are only developing photographic film (for example, if you do not request to create a photographic print), or if you are unable to send photographic film due to a problem with the film scanner, It is not sent to the scanner FS but collected in the film stocker 18. In this case, the photographic film with a film leader is transported along the second transport path.

  A mechanism in which a photographic film with a film reader is discharged from the discharge unit 14 and discharged to the film stocker 18 without being automatically inserted into the film scanner FS side will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the film stocker 18 is located at the top of the processor body. The guide portion 18G guides the photographic film with a film leader discharged from the discharge portion 14, and contacts and guides both end portions in the width direction of the film reader L. Reference numeral 18GS forms an inclined surface that guides the tip of the photographic film with a film leader discharged from the discharge section 14 (ie, the film leader L) upward. A slit is formed so that the photographic film passes in the vertical direction along the conveying direction of the guide portion 18G, and the film reader L is formed so as not to pass.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the leading end of the film leader L is lifted upward by being guided by the inclined surface 18GS of the guide part 18G, and when the maximum apex part 18GT of the guide part 18G is exceeded, the weight of the film leader L is discharged The guide portion 18G slides down and is fed into the holding portion 18K by the pushing force of the roller pair 15b. The photographic film connected to the film reader L is dropped into the storage space from the slit space described above.

  The shape of the guide portion 18G is set according to the overall configuration of the film processing apparatus FA. If the length of the photographic film is equal to or longer than a predetermined length, the maximum vertex of the guide portion 18G is generated by the pushing force of the discharge roller pair 15b. The guide 18G is configured to slip over the part 18GT and to be slid down by the weight of the film leader L.

  The discharge roller pair 15b of the discharge unit 14 is provided with a film pressing mechanism 80 (pressing roller unit), which presses the rear end portion of the photographic film discharged to the film stocker 18 side and is conveyed thereafter. The tip of the film reader L is prevented from being caught. Details of the film pressing mechanism 80 will be described later.

  A roller transport mechanism 32 including an upstream transport roller pair 32a and a downstream transport roller pair 32b is provided along the transport path. Each of the conveying roller pairs 32a and 32b includes a driving roller and a pressure roller, and is synchronously driven by a first driving motor M1 (see FIG. 5). A first film sensor 33 and a reader sensor 34 are provided in the vicinity of the upstream side of the downstream conveying roller pair 32b. These sensors are optical sensors composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element. When a photographic film or a film reader passes the sensor position, detection is performed by switching from a light transmitting state to a light shielding state. The first film sensor 33 and the reader sensor 34 are arranged at the same position when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 4, but are arranged at different positions in the width direction, and the photographic film and the film reader are separately provided. Can be detected.

  A cutter 35 for separating the photographic film and the film reader is provided further downstream of the pair of downstream conveying rollers 32b, and is driven by a cut motor 36. The cut film leader is collected by the leader stocker 19. A second film sensor 37 is provided immediately downstream of the cutter 35, and detects the tip of the film reader or the tip of the photographic film. The second film sensor 37 can also be composed of the same optical sensor as the first film sensor 33.

  The chucker C sandwiches the leading end portion of the photographic film from which the film reader has been separated by the sandwiching roller pair 40, and conveys it to the supply unit 21a of the film scanner FS. The chucker C is provided to be rotatable around the axis 41 by a chucker drive motor (not shown). The chucker C can rotate between a receiving position for receiving a photographic film as shown in FIG. 4 and a transferring position where the photographic film can be transferred to the film scanner FS, and further, a loop is formed in the loop box 50. It is possible to make an intermediate stop at the loop forming position.

  A space on the right side of the transport unit FC is a loop box 50, in which a space for forming a loop of the photographic film is formed. A first guide part 60 and a second guide part 61 are provided above the transport unit FC, and transport paths 60a and 61a for transporting the photographic film are formed. When the chucker C rotates to the delivery position, the second guide portion 61 moves so as to retract from the path, and the photographic film is delivered to the conveyance path 60a of the first guide portion 60.

  A first discharge path 51 and a second discharge path 52 are provided above the loop box 50. The photographic film for which the frame image has been read by the film scanner FS is conveyed in the reverse direction through the first guide portion 60 and the second guide portion 61 and guided to the first discharge path 51. The end of the first discharge path 51 is connected to the film stocker 18, and the photographic film that has been scanned is collected by the film stocker 18.

  The photographic film developed by the film processor FP is automatically sent to the film scanner FS via the transport unit FC. However, the photographic film can be manually supplied to the film scanner FS. In this case, the 2nd guide part 61 is opened and a photographic film is manually supplied from the supply part 21a via the 1st guide part 60. FIG. For example, when the photographic film is not developed due to the request for reprinting, the photographic film is manually supplied to the film scanner FS. The manually inserted photographic film is configured to be discharged from the second discharge path 52.

  In the film scanner FS, a conveyance roller 21b is arranged along the conveyance path, and an opening 21c for reading is provided in the middle thereof. The reading optical axis SL is set at the position of the opening 21c. The supply unit 21a is provided with a loading sensor 26, which detects that the leading edge of the photographic film has been conveyed. Based on this detection, the drive motor for rotating each conveyance roller 21b is driven. In addition to the loading sensor 26, a ready sensor 27 is provided, and the start of image scanning of the photographic film is controlled based on the detection timing of the ready sensor 27.

<Control block configuration>
Next, the control function of the film processing apparatus FA will be described with reference to the control block diagram of FIG. First, main functions of the control unit 17 of the film processor FP will be described. The film end detection unit 17a detects the front end position and the rear end position of the photographic film (film reader) based on the detection signal from the loading sensor 11c. The film length calculation unit 17b calculates the length of the photographic film based on the information on the front end position and the rear end position detected by the film end detection unit 17a. What is actually detected by the loading sensor 11c is the tip of the film reader. Since the size of the film reader is known in advance, the length of the photographic film can be calculated by subtracting that amount. The communication control unit 17c has a function of performing communication with the transport unit FC and the film scanner FS.

  The film position calculation unit 17d calculates the timing at which the developed photographic film is sent into the transport unit FC based on the tip position information of the photographic film. Specifically, it is detected that the leading edge of the photographic film has reached a position at a predetermined distance from the discharge roller pair 15b. The counting unit 17e counts a predetermined time set in advance from the time when the tip is detected by the loading sensor 11c. When the predetermined time has been counted, the leading edge of the photographic film has reached a position at a predetermined distance from the discharge roller pair 15b. Instead of counting time, the conveyance amount by the conveyance mechanism 15 may be counted.

  The conveyance control unit 70 performs overall drive control including conveyance / stop of the photographic film conveyed in the conveyance unit FC. Further, it communicates with the control unit 17 of the film processor FP and the scanner control unit 25 of the film scanner FS. The position information and length information of the photographic film can be received by communication from the control unit 17.

  The carry amount calculating unit 71 calculates the carry amount of the photographic film. In order to control conveyance / stop of the photographic film in the conveyance unit FC, it is necessary to monitor the conveyance amount of the photographic film. The conveyance amount can be calculated based on the number of drive pulses supplied to drive each motor (pulse motor) and a signal from an encoder that rotates in conjunction with the conveyance roller. . Alternatively, the conveyance amount may be calculated by counting time with a timer. The carry amount calculation unit 71 has a function of counting the length of the photographic film to be carried, and performs carry control based on this function.

  The conveyance control unit 70 performs drive control on the guide switching solenoid 31, the first drive motor M1, the second drive motor M2, the third drive motor M3, the chucker motor CM, and the cut motor 36. The first drive motor M1 drives the roller transport mechanism 32, and the second drive motor M2 and the third drive motor M3 drive the pinching roller pair 40 of the chucker C. The chucker C itself is not mounted with a drive source. When the chucker C is in the receiving position, the second drive motor M2 and the sandwiching roller pair 40 are mechanically connected, and the chucker C is in the transfer position. The third drive motor M3 and the sandwiching roller pair 40 are configured to be mechanically connectable. The second drive motor M2 and the third drive motor M3 are fixed with respect to the frame of the transport unit FC.

  As described above, the first and second film sensors 33 and 37 detect the leading and trailing edges of a photographic film (film reader). The home limit switch 35a detects whether or not the cutter 35 is at the home position. The home limit switch 35a mechanically detects the cutter 35, but other types of sensors such as an optical sensor may be used.

  The home sensor 38 is a sensor for detecting that the chucker C is at the receiving position (home position). The guide detection sensor 62 is a sensor for detecting whether or not the first guide unit 60 is closed. When the first guide portion 60 is closed, the photographic film can be delivered to the film scanner FS by the chucker C. Each of the above sensor signals is transmitted to the conveyance control unit 70, and drive control of the solenoid and the motor is performed based on the detection results.

<Structure of film presser mechanism>
Next, the configuration of the film pressing mechanism 80 will be described. When the photographic film is discharged to the film stocker 18, the photographic film with a film leader is conveyed by the conveying force of the discharge roller pair 15b. As described above, the photographic film is accommodated between the slits. However, when the rear end of the film remains in the vicinity of the discharge portion 14, particularly the discharge side of the discharge roller pair 15b, it is conveyed next. There is a possibility that the leading end of the film leader L that has been caught catches the rear end of the film, resulting in a conveyance failure (clogging). FIG. 6 shows a case in which the film pressing mechanism according to the present invention is not provided. If a photographic film remains in the state shown by F ′ in FIG. 6, the film reader L catches it. In order to solve this problem, a film pressing mechanism 80 is provided.

  FIG. 7 is a side view showing the configuration of the film pressing mechanism 80, and FIG. 8 is a front view. As shown in FIG. 7, the discharge roller pair 15b includes a driving roller 150 located on the lower side and a pressure roller 151 located on the upper side, and is connected to the film leader L so as to be sandwiched between these roller pairs. The developed photographic film is discharged. The film pressing mechanism 80 includes a pressing roller 81 that presses the rear end of the film and a guide roller 82 that is pushed up by the film reader L.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the guide roller 82 is rotatably supported around a support shaft 84 by a substantially U-shaped support member 83. Further, the support member 83 is supported so as to be rotatable around the support shaft 152 of the pressure roller 151. Further, the presser roller 81 is supported by a pair of support members 85 so as to be rotatable around a support shaft 86 in the width direction, and the support member 85 is supported so as to be rotatable around a support shaft 84 of the guide roller 82. Accordingly, the entire film pressing mechanism 80 and the guide roller 82 can be rotated around the support shaft 152, and the entire press roller 81 is rotatably supported around the support shaft 84. Further, a presser auxiliary roller 87 is provided at a position facing the presser roller 81, and the rear end of the film can be sandwiched between the presser roller 81 and the presser auxiliary roller 87. The presser assisting roller 87 is rotatably supported with respect to the frame member 88.

  In FIG. 7, the film presser mechanism 80 tends to rotate clockwise around the support shaft 152 by its own weight. An attempt is made to move in the direction of pressing against the roller 87. Therefore, if the rear end of the film remains in the vicinity of the discharge portion 14, the rear end of the film is pressed and clamped by the presser roller 81 and the presser auxiliary roller 87. Further, the outer periphery of the guide roller 84 is in contact with the outer periphery of the drive roller 150. The guide roller 84 is provided at an intermediate position between the pressure roller 151 and the pressing roller 81, and the axis of these shafts forms an inclined line of approximately 45 °. As for the height relationship, the shaft core 152 of the pressure roller 151 is at the highest position, and then becomes the guide roller 82 and the presser roller 81. Further, the support shaft 84 of the guide roller 82 is slightly below the contact point between the drive roller 150 and the pressure roller 151.

  The length in the width direction of the film pressing mechanism 80 shown in FIG. 8 only needs to correspond to the width dimension of the photographic film. In other words, it can be approximately the same size as the width of the photographic film. Since the discharge roller pair 15b conveys the film reader L wider than the photographic film, the width direction dimension is longer than that of the guide roller 82 and the pressing roller 81 of the film pressing mechanism 80.

  Next, the operation of the film pressing mechanism 80 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the leading end of the film reader L is about to be discharged from the discharge roller pair 15b. Further, the rear end of the film is sandwiched between the pressing roller 81 and the pressing auxiliary roller 87. FIG. 9B shows a state in which the leading end of the film leader L is discharged from the discharge roller pair 15b and the guide roller 82 starts to be lifted. Even if the guide roller 82 is first lifted, the presser roller 81 keeps pressing the rear end of the film. Accordingly, the rear end of the film is retracted outside the planned passage path of the film leader L, and the front end of the film leader L is not caught by the rear end of the film.

  FIG. 9C is a diagram showing a state in which the film leader L is further discharged. At this time, the presser roller 81 is also lifted by the film leader L, but the state when the presser roller 81 is held down is held by the effect of holding down the rear end of the film. Further, when the presser roller 81 is lifted, the leading end of the film leader L has passed, and even if the photographic film is lifted up, it will not be caught.

<Operation of film processing apparatus>
Next, the operation of the film processing apparatus FA will be briefly described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the film processing apparatus FA. 10A, 10B, and 10C are operation diagrams showing operations in the transport unit.

  When the photographic film is developed in the film processor FP (S1), the photographic film F is discharged by the discharge roller pair 15b of the film processor FS (S2) and sent into the transport unit FC. When the photographic film F is transported to the film scanner FS, the film guide 30 is set at a position where the film leader L can be guided as shown in FIG. 10, and the transport block B is driven by the discharge roller pair 15b. The film leader L is guided to the back (S3). Further, since the film pressing mechanism 80 is provided, the film reader L is conveyed without catching the photographic film on the film stocker 18 side.

  In the transport block B, the film leader L and the photographic film F are driven by the roller transport mechanism 32 to transport the film leader L and the photographic film F to a predetermined position and stop the photographic film F (S4). In order to separate the film leader L from the photographic film F, the cutter 35 is operated to separate the film leader L (S5). The separated film leader L is discharged by the pair of clamping rollers 40 and is collected by the leader stocker 19 (S6).

  Subsequently, only the photographic film F is conveyed, and is conveyed to a position where the leading end of the photographic film F is nipped by the nipping roller pair 40 of the chucker C (S7). Next, the chucker 40 is rotated around the axis 41 with the photographic film F being sandwiched (S8). The chucker C first stops at an intermediate position as shown in FIG. 10, and forms a loop of the photographic film F in the loop box 50 (S9, S10). When a sufficient amount of loops are formed, the chucker C is rotated again to the state shown in FIG. 11, and the photographic film F is transferred to the transport path 60a of the first guide unit 60 (S11). The delivered photographic film F is conveyed to the film scanner FS, and a frame image is read (S12).

  When the photographic film F is transported, the operation of each part is controlled based on the outputs of the actuators and various sensors provided in the transport unit.

<Another embodiment>
The photographic film to be processed in the present invention is not limited to a negative film or a positive film, and can be applied to an appropriate kind of photographic film such as 135 type or APS type.

  Various modifications of the specific structure of the film pressing mechanism are possible. For example, the rotation support shaft of the support member 85 may not be the same as that of the guide roller 82. Further, the rotation support of the support member 83 may not be the same as the support shaft 152 of the pressure roller 151. In the present embodiment, the film pressing mechanism 80 is rotated by its own weight, but an urging spring may be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the film processing apparatus in which the film scanner FS, the transport unit FC, and the film processor FP are integrated has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a film processing apparatus in which the film scanner FS is not incorporated. In this case, the photographic film with a film leader discharged from the film processor FP is always collected to the film stocker 18. In this case, if the rear end of the film remains in the vicinity of the discharge unit 14, There is a possibility of being caught with the photographic film with a film leader being conveyed. Therefore, even in the case of a film processing apparatus having such a structure, by providing the film pressing mechanism 80, it is possible to collect the developed photographic film without any trouble.

The figure which shows the external appearance structure of the whole print processing system which has a film processing apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows the whole structure of a film processing apparatus The figure which shows the state which connected the photographic film and the film leader Sectional view showing the configuration of the transport unit Diagram showing transport route to film stocker Block diagram showing control functions of film processing equipment The figure which shows the state where the film leader and the film rear end are caught Side view showing the structure of the film presser mechanism Front view showing the structure of the film presser mechanism Diagram for explaining the operation of the film presser mechanism (1) Diagram for explaining the operation of the film presser mechanism (2) Diagram for explaining the operation of the film presser mechanism (3) Diagram showing operation of film processing apparatus (1) Diagram showing the operation of the film processing apparatus (2) Diagram showing the operation of the film processing apparatus (3) Flow chart showing operation of film processing apparatus

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Print processing system 14 Discharge part 15b Discharge roller pair 30 Film guide 32 Roller conveyance mechanism 80 Film press mechanism 81 Press roller 82 Guide roller 83 Support member 84 Support shaft 84 Support member 86 Support shaft 87 Press support roller F Photo film FP Film processor FA Film processing device FC Conveyance unit FS Film scanner L Film reader

Claims (7)

A film processor that performs development processing in a state where a guide film reader is connected to the front end side of undeveloped photographic film, and a film stocker that collects photographic film with a film reader discharged from the discharge portion of the film processor A film processing apparatus,
Film retainer for preventing the rear end of the photographic film from being conveyed and the rear end of the photographic film being caught when the rear end of the photographic film discharged to the film stocker side remains at the position of the discharge section A film processing apparatus comprising a mechanism. A film processor that performs development processing in a state where a guide film reader is connected to the leading end of undeveloped photographic film, and a frame image of the developed photographic film processed by the film processor for acquiring digital image data. A film processing apparatus comprising a film scanner and a transport unit for transporting the developed photographic film discharged from the film processor to the film scanner,
A first transport path for transporting a photographic film with a film reader discharged from the discharge section of the film processor to the film stocker side;
A second transport path for transporting a photographic film with a film reader discharged from the discharge section of the film processor to the film scanner side;
A path switching mechanism for transporting the photographic film discharged from the film processor to either the first transport path or the second transport path;
Film retainer for preventing the rear end of the photographic film from being conveyed and the rear end of the photographic film being caught when the rear end of the photographic film discharged to the film stocker side remains at the position of the discharge section A film processing apparatus comprising: a mechanism;   The film pressing mechanism includes a pressing roller unit that is rotatable around a predetermined axis on the discharge side of a pair of discharging rollers provided in the discharging unit, and a film reader is provided by the pressing roller provided in the pressing roller unit. The film processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rear end of the film is retracted outside the planned passage route.   The film processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presser roller unit presses the rear end of the film by its own weight.   5. The film processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pressing roller unit is rotatably supported around an axis of a driving side roller or a pressure side roller of the discharge roller pair.   The presser roller unit includes a guide roller positioned between the presser roller and the discharge roller pair. The guide roller is pivotally supported around the predetermined axis, and the presser roller is supported by the guide roller. The guide roller is lifted by the front end portion of the film reader while being supported by the pair of discharge rollers and the rear end of the film being pressed by the press roller when the film reader is discharged by the discharge roller pair. The film processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the film processing apparatus is configured as described above.   7. The film processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the discharge operation of the film leader is not performed by the discharge roller pair, the presser roller is positioned below the guide roller.

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