JP2604146B2 - Film transport method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for transporting a film, and in particular, when printing an original film such as a negative film, efficiently and quickly moves a leading exposure film to a printing position. The present invention relates to a method for transporting a film.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, the integrated transmission density (LATD) of the entire image of a color negative film (original film) has been measured to correct the density, and the slope has been controlled, and the density and color balance of all finished prints have been adjusted to negative shades (exposure under exposure). There is known a color automatic photographic printing apparatus which performs printing so as to be the same regardless of characteristic exposure and overexposure. This automatic photographic printing apparatus is configured by sequentially arranging an optical system including a light source, a light control filter, a mirror box, a negative carrier, a lens, and a black shutter.
Then, the original film is placed on the negative carrier, the light source is turned on, the black shutter is opened, and an image of the original film is formed on a photographic paper through a lens to perform printing. The baked photographic paper is developed by a developing process, and the print is automatically finished. In this automatic photographic printing apparatus, the original transmitted light emitted from the light source is separated into red light (R), green light (G), and blue light (B) by a light receiving element into three primary colors, which are separated for each of R, G, and B colors. LATD (Large Area Transmittance Densit
y) is measured to determine the printing light amount based on Evans' principle, and to control the print density and color balance by performing slope control to correct reciprocity failure and the like.

Further, in the automatic photographic printing apparatus, it is necessary to accurately position the exposure of the image film on the printing apparatus in order to appropriately print the exposure image of the original film on photographic paper. Conventionally, in order to perform this positioning automatically, a notch is punched at the side end of the original film using a notch in a previous process, and the notch is detected by an optical sensor or the like for positioning.
When a notch is drilled, there is a drawback in that it is necessary to accurately correspond to the exposure, which requires a great deal of labor. There is also a method of positioning the original film by constantly feeding it at a fixed distance for a fixed distance.However, variations in the film exposure by the camera and positional deviations when the film is fed by printing are accumulated, resulting in poor printing accuracy. In such a case, there is a disadvantage that exposure position correction is frequently required and is not suitable for automatic processing.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In order to solve these drawbacks, the present applicant obtains high-resolution image information by interpolating pixel pitches using a two-dimensional image sensor for exposure control having a relatively coarse pixel density, thereby obtaining an accurate exposure edge. Has already been proposed for automatically detecting the exposure of a film at the printing position. This method detects an output of a pixel row at a pitch relatively smaller than a pixel pitch of a two-dimensional image sensor, and detects an exposure edge by a statistical method based on a frequency distribution of interpolated variables. According to this method,
When a long negative film (stripping negative film) to be printed is set on a negative carrier, if the leading exposure closest to the film edge is positioned in advance, the length and interval of the exposure are substantially constant thereafter. Because of this, by transporting a predetermined amount and detecting and positioning the edge of the next exposure within a predetermined detection range, a long negative film exposure can be automatically transferred without practical problems except for the positioning of the first exposure. Can be positioned.

However, the above positioning method is mainly intended for a long negative film, and a short negative film (piece negative film) obtained by cutting a long negative film in predetermined exposure units must be conveyed in the same manner as the long negative film. This was enough to position the first exposure. For this reason, when actually trying to position the leading exposure of the short negative film by the above-described method, the short negative film is handled because the unit of the length of the film is short and the distance from the film edge to the leading edge of the short film is short. Is slightly inconvenient, and there is a problem in that when setting the leading end of the film to a negative carrier at the time of reheating or reordering, it is less efficient to process one case than when setting a long negative film. . In the case of a piece negative, the position of the first exposure is the same as that of the long negative (in the case of a piece negative cut including the cylindrical portion of the long negative)
In both cases, there is a problem that it is difficult to automatically identify these negatives by the exposure edge detection method using a statistical method based on the exposure position. In addition, since the tip of the short negative film has to be manually positioned, there is a problem that the efficiency is low and the automation is hindered.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and classifies a long film such as a long negative film and a short film such as a short negative film, and conveys each in a different method, thereby achieving accurate and efficient. It is an object of the present invention to provide a film transport method capable of performing good positioning.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a film transport method for transporting a leading exposure of a film to a printing position of a photographic printing device by a film transport device, wherein the distance between the film edge of the film and the exposure edge of the leading exposure is predetermined. The first film having a value equal to or less than the first film and the second film having a distance from the film edge to the exposure edge of the first exposure exceeding the predetermined value are classified into the first film and the first film in a state where the film transport device is driven. While inserting and transporting the film from the leading end of the first film into the film transport device, the position of the exposure edge of the first exposure is detected by an image sensor for exposure control, and for the second film, a second film is detected. Is loaded into the film transport device in a stopped state, and is positioned at the printing position immediately before an exposure edge of the first exposure frame, and then the film is Detecting the position of the exposure edge of the leading exposure by the image sensor while driving and transporting the LUM transport device, and transporting the leading exposure to the printing position based on the detected position of the exposure edge. And

[Action]

In the present invention, first, the film is divided into a first film having a distance from the film edge to the exposure edge of the first exposure which is equal to or less than a predetermined value and a second film having a distance from the film edge to the exposure edge of the first exposure exceeding the predetermined value. Classify. This classification can be performed manually, and the first film includes a short film obtained by cutting the long film into predetermined exposure units and not including a portion corresponding to the leading end portion of the long film. The second film includes a long film and a short film including a leading end portion of the long film. After performing the above classification, the first film is inserted into the film transport device while the film transport device is being driven and transported, and the image sensor detects the exposure edge of the first exposure while transporting the film. Based on the position, the leading exposure is conveyed to the printing position of the photographic printing apparatus, and stopped, thereby positioning the leading exposure. On the other hand, as for the second film, the film is pre-loaded into the film transport device, the portion immediately before the exposure edge of the first exposure of the film is positioned at the printing position, and then the film transport device is driven to transport the film, and the image sensor is used. Detecting the exposure edge of the first exposure and transporting the first exposure to the printing position based on the position of the detected exposure edge, the first exposure can be positioned in the same manner as the method already proposed by the present applicant. it can. The detection of the exposure edge can use the mode described below.

As described above, since the first film can be positioned by inserting the first film into the film transport device while the film transport device is driven, the first film can be automatically and efficiently positioned. In addition, since the first film has a short distance from the film edge to the exposure edge of the first exposure, even if the method for detecting the exposure edge by the statistical method proposed by the present applicant is applied, the data acquisition time and the calculation time are reduced. The leading edge can be stopped at the printing position by efficiently detecting the exposure edge without lengthening.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the film is moved to the first position.
The first film is classified into a second film and a second film, and the classified first film is inserted into the film transport device from the leading end side of the first film while the film transport device is being driven, and is transported. By inserting the film with the film transport device being driven, the leading exposure can be automatically transported to the printing position, and the leading exposure can be automatically and efficiently positioned.

Further, according to the present invention, the classified second film is loaded into a stopped film transport device, and the film transport device is driven after the portion immediately before the exposure edge of the first exposure is located at the printing position. Therefore, there is an effect that the time until the exposure edge of the first exposure is detected can be shortened.

(Description of Embodiment)

Next, the state of the present invention will be described. According to the present invention, the position of the exposure edge of the first exposure is detected by one or more first light-receiving element array groups and one or more second light-receiving element array groups extending in a direction orthogonal to the film transport method. Are arranged in parallel in the film transport direction to perform the preliminary detection and the precise detection in the following manner.

The first aspect is that the above-mentioned positioning method proposed by the present applicant is made more practical, and
The precise detection range of the position of the exposure edge is narrowed so that the top exposure of the film can be automatically positioned, and the film can be transported at high speed as a whole by transporting the area before and after the detection range at high speed. It was made.

That is, in the first mode, one or more first light receiving element row groups and one or two or more second light receiving element row groups extending in a direction orthogonal to the film transport direction are arranged in the film transport direction. In detecting the exposure edge by arranging the film in parallel and transporting the film, the presence of the exposure edge is preliminarily detected by the first photodetector array, and after the exposure edge is preliminarily detected, the exposure is performed by the second photodetector array. It is characterized in that the position of the edge is precisely detected.

According to this aspect, the presence of the exposure edge is preliminarily detected by the first light receiving element group, and the position of the exposure edge is precisely detected by the second light receiving element group after the preliminary detection of the exposure edge. Preliminary detection of the presence of the exposure edge in this way makes it possible to limit the precise detection range of the exposure edge to a small range, whereby the distance between the first light receiving element group and the second light receiving element group, that is, the exposure edge is determined. The film can be transported at a high speed from the time when the presence of the film is detected to the time when the film is precisely detected. As described above, in the present invention, the position of the exposure edge is detected after the presence of the exposure edge is preliminarily detected. Therefore, even when a sensor having a low pixel density is used, the position of the exposure edge is always detected with a pitch smaller than the pixel pitch. There is no need to perform the detection with a pitch smaller than the pixel pitch only within the limited precision detection range, and the detection time including the data acquisition time and the calculation time can be shortened as a whole. Also, the first
In the photodetector array, the pixel density may be coarse because only the presence of an exposure edge, that is, whether or not the exposure edge is within a certain distance range, may be used, and until the presence of the exposure edge is detected. The film can be transported, for example, with a single pixel pitch. Note that if the resolution of the first light receiving element row group is high, detection may be performed with a plurality of pixel pitches, and thus the efficiency is further improved. On the other hand, the position of the exposure edge is detected with higher accuracy in the second light receiving element row group than in the first light receiving element row group. Therefore, when a sensor having a low pixel density is used, a pitch smaller than a single pixel pitch is used. To detect. If the resolution of the second light receiving element row group is high, detection may be performed with a single pixel pitch.

As described above, according to this aspect, the position of the exposure edge is precisely detected after the presence of the exposure edge is preliminarily detected to predict the position of the exposure edge, so that the precise detection range of the exposure edge is limited to a narrow range. The detection time can be shortened, so that the preliminary detection range,
Since the position of the exposure edge can be conveyed at a higher speed than in the case where the position of the exposure edge is precisely detected between the light receiving element row groups and after the precise detection, the effect that the film feeding can be efficiently accelerated as a whole can be obtained. In other words, the ratio of preliminary detection of medium-to-high-speed transport with single or multiple pixel pitches and non-detection of high-speed transport without detecting edge edges is relatively higher than the range of precision detection for low-speed transport with fine pitches. As a result, the film feeding can be efficiently speeded up.

A second aspect is an application of the first aspect to detection of an edge of a leading exposure of a typical piece negative in which an edge of the leading exposure has been confirmed to be present near the film edge. Does only confirm the presence of the film edge. That is, the second aspect is:
When detecting the edge of the first exposure of the piece negative that does not include the leading end of the long negative, the first light receiving element array detects the presence of the film edge to preliminarily detect the presence of the edge of the first exposure. After the presence of the edge is preliminarily detected, the position of the edge of the first exposure is precisely detected by the second light receiving element array group.

In the case of a piece negative obtained by cutting one long negative (strip negative) into predetermined exposure units (for example, 6 exposure units or 4 exposure units), except for the piece negative corresponding to the tip of the long negative (for this piece negative), The length from the normal film edge to the exposure edge closest to this film edge (edge of the first exposure) is about 1 mm, and the length of the whole piece negative (because of fogging or the presence of aerial exposure) Approximately 152mm (38mm x 4) for 4 exposures, 228 for 6 exposures
mm (38 mm × 6)), the position of the film edge and the edge of the leading exposure closest to the film edge can be considered to be substantially equal at the stage of preliminary detection of the presence of the leading edge. . Therefore, by detecting the presence of the film edge, it can be considered that the presence of the edge of the first exposure has been preliminarily detected. Therefore, in this embodiment,
After preliminary detection of the presence of the edge of the first exposure from the presence of the film edge, high-speed transport to the position of the second light receiving element group is performed, and the position of the edge of the first exposure is precisely detected by the second light receiving element group. I have. The presence of the film edge can be easily detected by judging whether or not the output of the first light receiving element array group has changed to the high density side at least by the film base density based on the no film state. .

In this way, by preliminarily detecting the edge of the leading edge from the presence of the film edge, if the piece negative is inserted into the film transport device while the film transport device is driven, the leading edge is detected because the presence of the film edge is detected. Presence of the edge of the exposure is preliminarily detected, and thereafter, the position of the edge of the first exposure is precisely detected by, for example, a predetermined method (pixel pitch interpolation or the like) described later, and the first exposure can be stopped at a predetermined position. Thus, the leading exposure closest to the film edge of the piece negative can be positioned.

Therefore, according to this aspect, it is possible to obtain an effect that the speed of transporting the film can be generally increased, and the leading exposure closest to the film edge of the piece negative can be automatically and efficiently positioned.

The third aspect is substantially the same as the second aspect, but further enhances the practicality of the second aspect. By performing the preliminary detection, the film edge is confirmed and the edge of the first exposure is confirmed. The range of precision detection can be further limited. That is, in the third aspect, when the automation efficiency of the second aspect is to be further increased, the position within the predetermined distance range and the predetermined density range with respect to the position where the output of the first light receiving element row group changes to the high density side is used as a reference. The preliminary detection of the presence of the edge of the first exposure by judging whether the output of the first light receiving element array group has further changed to the higher density side, and the preliminary detection of the presence of the edge of the first exposure The position of the edge of the first exposure is precisely detected by the second light receiving element array group.

In the second aspect, in the case of a piece negative that does not include the leading end of a long negative, in the stage of preliminary detection of the presence of the edge of the leading exposure, the film edge is detected assuming that the edge of the leading exposure is substantially equal to the edge of the leading exposure. The edge of the first exposure is preliminarily detected by the above method. However, in this embodiment, in order to preliminarily detect the presence of the edge of the first exposure, the output of the first light receiving element array group is at least based on the non-film state. A predetermined distance range (for example, the length from the film edge of a piece negative to the edge of the first exposure closest to this film edge (maximum distance to be transported by about 4 to 5 mm or It is determined whether the output of the first light receiving element array group has further changed to a higher density side within the time period)) and within the predetermined density range, thereby determining the first exposure. Are pre-detect the presence of. That is, in the case of a piece negative that does not include the leading end of a long negative, the distance from the film edge to the edge of the first exposure is short, and the density of the exposed image portion is higher than that of the negative base portion. When a portion is detected, the output of the first light receiving element array changes to the high density side, and from this point on, the exposure image portion is detected within a predetermined distance range, and the output further changes to the high density side within the predetermined density range. I do. In some cases, the film is cut into the leading exposure image, and the film edge is equal to the leading edge image. In this case, the predetermined distance is zero. Therefore, the edge of the first exposure closest to the film edge is detected by detecting whether or not the output of the first light receiving element row group has changed to the high density side within the predetermined distance range and the predetermined density range. Can be. Then, similarly to the first mode, the edge of the first exposure is precisely detected by the second light receiving element row group.

In this aspect, since the actual edge of the first exposure is preliminarily detected, the edge of the first exposure is more reliably detected, the practicability is higher, and the overall detection time is shorter than in the second aspect. Is obtained.

In the above, the piece negative that does not include the leading end of the long negative, that is, the piece negative where the frequency of fogging or aerial photography at the leading end of the film is low is described. However, in general, the film pulled out from the patrol at the time of shooting is loaded into the camera, so that fogging that is completely exposed to external light occurs on the tip of the long negative or the piece negative including the tip of the long negative. ing. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the versatility and practicability are extremely enhanced by automatically detecting the edge of the leading end of the piece negative including the leading end of the long negative and the leading end of the long negative film.

That is, in the fourth mode, the presence of the edge of the first exposure is preliminarily detected by detecting a change point in time when the output of the first light receiving element array group becomes a value between the film base density and the fog density. After the presence of the edge of the exposure is preliminarily detected, the position of the edge of the first exposure is precisely detected by the second light receiving element array group.

The film base portion is an unexposed portion, and can be regarded as having substantially the same density for all negatives. Further, the density of the fogging portion is substantially uniform and extremely high as a whole over the normal overexposed exposure image, and the low density portion and the high density portion are not mixed as in general exposure image information. Therefore, the density of the exposure image takes a value between the density of the film base portion and the fog density, and the change point in time when the output of the first light receiving element array group becomes a value between the film ace density and the fog density. By performing the detection, the presence of the edge of the first exposure can be preliminarily detected. The fog density and the general image density may be distinguished from each other by using contrast information, minimum density information, and the like. This case is effective when the accumulation time of the image sensor described later is short (when the information on the super high density side is saturated).

As described above, according to the fourth aspect, it is possible to obtain an effect that the edge of the leading exposure closest to the film edge of the long negative film can be automatically and efficiently positioned. Therefore, the fourth aspect has the highest versatility and practicality as compared with the second and third aspects.

Since the density of the exposure image of the first exposure of the piece negative that does not include the tip of the long negative also takes a value between the density of the film base and the fog density, this embodiment includes the tip of the long negative. The present invention can also be applied to the detection of an exposure edge of a piece negative.

In a fifth aspect, each of the first light receiving element row group and the second light receiving element row group extends in a direction orthogonal to the film transport direction of the exposure control two-dimensional image sensor of the automatic photographic printing apparatus. When detecting the presence of the film edge or the edge of the first exposure using at least one specific light receiving element row group, the sensitivity is relatively higher than when detecting the exposure control image information with a two-dimensional image sensor. It is intended to be lowered.

The dynamic range of a two-dimensional image sensor is narrower than that of ordinary photoelectric conversion elements such as photodiodes and photoelectric tubes, and exposure image information mainly exists on the high density side of a negative film. JP-A-60-
In the case of using a two-dimensional image sensor for measuring exposure image information disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 154244, the dynamics of the image sensor are set so that the film base, which is the lowest density of the image, becomes zero in reference density in order to effectively use the dynamic range. A range is set, and the reciprocal of the image sensor output is logarithmically converted according to the following formula to compress information on a relatively low density side and expand information on a high density side for exposure control or exposure correction. Image information calculation processing is performed.

Here, D is the density and T is the transmittance.

Therefore, when trying to detect the film edge or the edge of the first exposure using the exposure control two-dimensional image sensor in which the dynamic range is set as described above, the information on the low density side corresponding to the vicinity of the film base is saturated. Because of the compression, the resolution is poor, and it is difficult to detect the film density lower than the film base, that is, the presence or absence of the film. For this reason, in this aspect, when detecting the presence of the film edge or the edge of the first exposure using the two-dimensional image sensor for exposure control, the relative presence of the two-dimensional image sensor is higher than when detecting the image information for exposure control with the two-dimensional image sensor. To reduce the sensitivity. The sensitivity can be reduced by reducing the amount of light from the light source or by shortening the accumulation time of the two-dimensional image sensor and switching the sensitivity of the two-dimensional image sensor. By switching the sensitivity in this way and setting the dynamic range so that the reference density becomes zero, for example, in the state where the film is not present and the light source is on, the information on the low density side does not saturate. , It is easy to detect the presence of the film edge or the edge of the first exposure.
When detecting a film edge or an edge of the first exposure, image information corresponding to a low density side near the film base density is important. For example, an A / D (analog-digital) converted image sensor output is used. (Corresponding to the transmittance) may be used as it is to detect the presence of a film edge or the like, or the corresponding lookup table may be switched to be converted to a density value. In the following embodiment, an example in which a lookup table is used has been described.

According to this aspect, since a two-dimensional image sensor for detecting image information for exposure control is used for edge detection, it is not necessary to add a sensor for edge detection, so that a sensor mounting space can be saved and the cost of the sensor can be reduced. Can be reduced. Further, when the accumulation time is shortened, unnecessary signals such as blooming and smear unique to the image sensor can be reduced, and thereby there is an effect that edge detection accuracy can be improved. Furthermore, since the accumulation time of the sensor can be reduced, the detection time can be shortened, and the overall processing time can be shortened.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a printing optical system of the automatic photographic printing apparatus used in the present invention. Film transport device 10
Is a film transfer device for transferring a developed original image film 18 such as a negative film to a predetermined printing position 17 of a film support stand (negative carrier) 15. Below the printing position 17, there is a printing light source 19, and between the film 18 and the light source 19, there is provided a dimming filter 27 comprising complementary color filters of yellow (Y), magenta (M) and cyan (C). Are located. A portion corresponding to the film photographing area of the film support 15 is open or translucent. A long printing paper 33 is disposed above the film 18 via a printing lens 29 and a shutter 31. 33A is a supply roll of the photographic paper 33, and 33B is a take-up roll thereof. LS is a printing optical axis.

An image information detecting device 35 for obtaining a density distribution of the film 18 at the printing position 17 near the printing position 17 at a predetermined angle of the optical axis LS so as not to disturb printing on the photographic paper 33.
Is arranged. The image information detecting device 35 includes a two-dimensional image sensor 37 composed of a storage type photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD type or a MOS type, a lens 39 for forming a film image at the printing position 17 on the image sensor 37, and an image sensor 37. Is electronically processed to form a light quantity signal from the printing position 17. The image sensor 37 receives the original transmitted light of the negative film 18 located at the printing position 17 via the lens system 39, and divides the light amount information from the printing position 17 into a number of aligned pixels and outputs the divided pixels. Further, the circuit 41 is connected to the CPU 43, and the CPU 43 is connected to the pulse motor of the film transport device 10 so as to control the transport speed.

The original film 18 is sequentially exposed to the printing position 17 by the film transport device 10, and the film transport device 10 is configured as follows.

[Film transport device]

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, on the upstream side and the downstream side of the optical axis LS, transport rollers 22 and 24 are respectively disposed so as to correspond to the rear surface (lower surface) of the negative film to be transported. These transport rollers 22 and 24 have rotating shafts 26 and 28, respectively.
And is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the film transport path A when viewed in plan.

A pulley 38 is fixed to the transport roller 22, and a pulley 40 is fixed to the transport roller 24.
A timing belt 42 is stretched between them. Thus, the rotation shafts 26 and 28 are rotated in the same rotation direction and at the same rotation speed when viewed in the axial direction.

A pulley 44 is fixed between the pulley 40 and the transport roller 24, and a part of the timing belt 46 is wound around the pulley 44. Another part of the timing belt 46 is wound around a pulley 48, and this pulley 48 is connected to an output shaft 52 of a pulse motor 50 whose number of drive pulses is controlled by the CPU 43. For this reason, the pulse motor 50 transmits the rotational force to the rotating shafts 26 and 28 via the timing belts 46 and 42, and rotates the conveying rollers 22 and 24 clockwise in FIG. 4 to the negative film on the film conveying path A. It provides a transfer force.

As shown in FIG. 3, a lower mask 64 is mounted below the film transport path A. A fourth mask opening 68 and a second mask opening 70 penetrate the lower mask 64, respectively.

Further, a pair of press rollers 114 and 116 are attached to the large arm 14, and a negative film is held between the large arms 14 and the transport rollers 22 and 24, respectively, so that the negative films can be transported when the transport rollers 22 and 24 rotate. ing. A mask base 136 is fixed to the tip of the small arm 16. This mask stand 136
An opening 137 that is larger than the mask opening 140 is formed, and an upper mask 138 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 3, the film transport device is provided with a pass key 43, a right fine adjustment key 45, and a left fine adjustment key 47. By pressing the pass key 43, the negative film can be sent one frame at a time (when the status register without film is reset). Also,
By pressing the right fine adjustment key 45, fine adjustment of the negative film rightward feed can be performed, and by pressing the left fine adjustment key 47, the negative film leftward feed fine adjustment can be performed. Further, when the pass key 43 and the right fine adjustment key 45 are pressed at the same time, fast forward is performed in the right direction, and when the pass key 43 and the left fine adjustment key 47 are simultaneously pressed, the fast forward is performed in the left direction.

[Image sensor sensitivity switching]

When the film 18 is sent along the transport path A, an average (or integrated) output from a plurality of light receiving elements selected according to the negative size from a pixel array in a direction orthogonal to the film transport direction of the image sensor 37. That is, the exact numerical values are as shown in FIG. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the film 18, and FIG. 5B is the output when the dynamic range is set to the CCR of FIG. 8 by operating the image sensor 37 with low light sensitivity. , (C) are the outputs when the dynamic range is set to FDR in FIG. 8 by operating with high light sensitivity. As understood from FIG. 5 (B), when the image sensor is operated with low sensitivity, for example, when the brightness of the light source in the absence of the film is set to the reference density of zero, the high density side, Although the sensor output of the image exposure part is saturated, on the low density side, the output greatly changes in the film edge part and the exposure edge part, and from this change, the existence of the film edge and the exposure edge and the position of the exposure edge are determined. Can be detected. On the other hand, the fifth
When the image sensor is operated with high sensitivity as understood from FIG. (C), that is, when the film base density is set to the reference sensitivity of zero, the image information on the high density side is obtained with high accuracy. The sensor output is saturated on the concentration side. Therefore, when the image sensor is operated with high sensitivity, it becomes difficult to detect the film edge. As can be understood from FIG. 5 (C), for a specific exposure image, the exposure edge can be detected even when the image sensor is operated with high sensitivity, but it is generally difficult to detect the exposure edge. Since the exposure image of an underexposed negative film or a negative film having a high distribution ratio of low-density parts has the same density as that of the film base, the exposure edge is detected when the image sensor is operated with high sensitivity to detect the exposure edge. It is not preferable because it becomes difficult. Image sensor 37
Is performed as follows.

First, a case in which the sensitivity is switched by changing the accumulation time of the image sensor will be described. FIG. 6 shows the details of the circuit 41 in FIG.
It shows the details. The image sensor 37 receives light from an image or the like, performs photoelectric conversion and accumulates electric charge, and has a photoelectric conversion / accumulation unit 211, and has the electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion / accumulation unit 211 transferred and held. Part 212,
The charge held in the holding unit 212 is converted into an analog image signal P.
And a read register 213 for outputting as S. Further, the pulse oscillator 201 oscillates a basic clock 4fcp of a predetermined frequency (for example, 6 MHz), and the basic clock 4fcp is input to the drive timing unit 202 and the CPU 203, and the clock signal CK (clock) for driving the image sensor 37 is provided. ΦI, Φ
S, ΦR) and a signal indicating the operation state of the image sensor 37, that is, an image signal SP corresponding to one pixel of the image sensor 37, and a horizontal synchronization signal Hsync corresponding to scanning of one line of the image sensor 37. , Image sensor 3
7, and generates and outputs a vertical synchronization signal Vsync corresponding to one screen scan. The clock signal CK input to the image sensor 37 includes, for example, a four-phase signal ΦI (ΦI1 to ΦI4) for driving the photoelectric conversion / storage unit 211 and a four-phase signal ΦS (ΦS1) for driving the holding unit 212, for example. .About..PHI.S4) and a four-phase signal .PHI.R (.PHI.R1) for driving the readout register 213, for example.
~ ΦR4), each of which is a basic clock signal 4f
Although the same frequency (for example, 1.5 MHz) is obtained by dividing cp, each phase signal (ΦI1 to ΦI4, ΦS1 to ΦS4, ΦR1 to ΦR
In each of 4), the phases are shifted by a predetermined relationship. The image signal PS read from the image sensor 37 is
Digital exact value P by A / D converter 221 in arithmetic processing unit 200
The logarithmic table circuit (lookup table) 224 performs logarithmic conversion of the reciprocal of the transmissivity of the true-valued PSD into a digital density value DS, which is stored in the memory 223. Further, the image processing unit 200 receives the image signal SP, the horizontal synchronizing signal Hsync, and the vertical synchronizing signal Vsync from the driving timing unit 202, and performs arithmetic processing according to the operation state of the image sensor 37. .

Further, the phase signal ΦI (ΦI1 to ΦI4) output from the drive timing unit 202 is supplied to the photoelectric conversion / storage unit 211 of the image sensor 37 through the gate circuit 204,
The gate circuit 204 is controlled by a control signal CS from the CPU 203. Further, the CPU 203 is connected to the arithmetic processing unit 200, and can grasp the operation state of the image sensor 37 based on the image signal SP, the horizontal synchronization signal Hsync, and the vertical synchronization signal Vsync, and can process image information. I have. Accordingly, the CPU 203 can output the control signal CS in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal Vsync from the drive timing unit 202, that is, the scanning of one screen. Further, a selection signal SL corresponding to the control signal CS is input into the logarithmic table circuit 224 in the arithmetic processing unit 200 from the CPU 203.

Here, the contents of the log look-up table in the log table circuit 224 composed of a ROM (Reed Only Memory) or the like will be described. The relationship between the true value Y and the density value X is as shown in FIG. For example, if the output of the A / D converter 221 is 8
Bit ^{# (} 0 to 225) and when the density resolution is 0.01 In Table ^# 0, the density range of 0.00 to 0.77 is the density resolution 0.01.
In Table ^# 5, the range of density 0.51 to 1.32 is the effective area of density resolution 0.01.
^{In #} 10, the range of density 1.03 to 1.92 is the area of density resolution 0.01. Therefore, if a required number of such tables (tables corresponding to the dynamic ranges R ₁ and R ₂ in FIG. 8) are prepared, the dynamics are hardly affected by noise components such as dark current and offset. By switching the range, the density value X can be converted to an accurate and high-resolution density value X. That is, the resolution of the dotted line portion in FIG. 7 is extremely lower than that of the solid line portion, and the precision cannot be compensated especially in the case of digital arithmetic processing. However, for example, the solid line portions of tables ^# 0 and ^# 5 are appropriately selected. In this case, even if the dynamic range of the image sensor is D = 1.0 (10: 1) or less, a range of density values D = 0.01 to 1.32 can be read with a resolution of 0.01.

FIG. 8 shows a typical relationship between the dynamic range FDR required for a high-density image (exposure image portion) and the dynamic range CDR required for film edge and exposure edge detection. Is changed from range R1 to range R2 by changing the dynamic range setting of the image sensor, thereby increasing the overall dynamic range.The image information with a higher density than the film base density and the average density of the film image The figure shows that image information having a density lower than the vicinity can be switched and detected as needed. When the dynamic range is set to CDR, the sensitivity becomes low as shown in FIG. 5 (B), and when the dynamic range is set to FDR, the sensitivity becomes high as shown in FIG. 5 (C). Become.

In such a configuration, the basic clock signal 4fcp from the pulse oscillator 201 is input to the drive timing unit 202, and the clock signal CK and the state signals of the image signal SP, the horizontal synchronization signal Hsync, and the vertical synchronization signal Vsync are input as described above. The phase signals ΦS and ΦR of the clock signal CK are directly applied to the holding unit 212 and the readout register 213 of the image sensor 37, respectively, and the phase signal ΦI passes through the gate circuit 204 to the photoelectric conversion / storage unit 211. Applied. The image signal PS from the image sensor 37 is input to the arithmetic processing unit 200 and is processed in exactly the same manner as described above. Where CPU2
03 determines the operating state of the image sensor 10 via the arithmetic processing unit 200, that is, the cycle mode of photoelectric conversion / accumulation, transfer, holding and reading, and switches the control signal CS to switch the gate circuit.
Controls 204. This is the drive timing unit 2
It is also possible to directly input the status signals (SP, Hsync, Vsync) from 02. In this way, when the CPU 203 detects the photoelectric conversion / accumulation mode of the image sensor 10 and switches the gate circuit 204 by the control signal CS, the phase signals ΦI1 to ΦI4 from the gate circuit 204 change according to a predetermined combination of theoretical "L" or "H". For example, ΦI1 = “L”, ΦI2 =
“L”, φI3 = “H”, φI4 = “H”
This is provided to the storage unit 211. In this case, the phase signals ΦS and ΦR are input to the reading register 213 in the holding unit 212, respectively. If the fixed operation time of the phase signals ΦI1 to ΦI4 from the gate circuit 204 by the control signal CS is performed in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal Vsync output corresponding to one screen scan, as shown in FIG. Only the photoelectric conversion / accumulation mode can be repeated a plurality of times (two times in this example). That is, when the CPU 203 determines that the image sensor 37 is in the photoelectric conversion / accumulation mode (time t1), the CP
U203 supplies the control signal CS to the gate circuit 204 and outputs the phase signal ΦI
1 to ΦI4 are fixed to a predetermined combination of logic levels, and photoelectric conversion and accumulation are performed. When the photoelectric conversion / accumulation is performed a plurality of times in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal Vsync, the CPU 203 causes the control signal CS to disappear and the gate circuit 204 to return (at time t).
3) Apply the phase signal ΦI from the drive timing section 202 to the photoelectric conversion / accumulation section 211 as it is. As a result, the image sensor 10 transfers, holds, and reads the accumulated charge from the time t3, and outputs the next vertical synchronization signal Vsync.
Shifts to the next operation from time t4 when is input.

In this device, the CPU 203 responds to the control of the gate circuit 204 by the control signal CS, and the logarithmic table circuit is transmitted by the selection signal SL.
The log table in 224 is selected and used.

First, a method for setting the above-described logarithmic table will be described. Here, the logarithm is a common logarithm with a base of “10”, the basic storage time of the image sensor 37 is TB, and the photometric storage time is T
X, the A / D conversion value (exact numerical value) at the time of scanning (hereinafter, referred to as a main scan) using photometry using a logarithmic table is Y, the photometric density value from the logarithmic table circuit 224 is X,
The accumulation time coefficient is a, the number of log tables is Tn, the density coefficient is K, the number (page) of the log table is n, and photometry for selecting a log conversion table number using a vacuum table (hereinafter referred to as Prescan). The maximum A / D conversion value at the time is YP, the A / D reference value of the base luminance is PB, and the required dynamic range is D. The dynamic range is D,
Since the number of logarithmic tables is Tn, the accumulation time coefficient a is Is defined as

The basic storage time TB is set before the photometry of the original film, usually during the operation of the calibration for detecting the calibration data on the reference film. At the time of detecting image information, the base luminance PB is first measured in order to increase the resolution of the image information by setting the film base to the reference density of zero. At the time of exposure edge detection, the brightness of the light source when no negative film is present may be set to the reference density of zero. At this time, the image information is configured by the image sensor 37 so that the A / D conversion value having a margin with respect to the anti-saturation output M of the A / D converter 221 becomes (M−α). The basic storage time TB corresponding to the base luminance PB is selected by sequentially extending the storage time from the minimum storage time that can be obtained.

Next, if necessary, the photometric storage time TX is set using a press key.A / D obtained by photometering with the basic storage time TB using a true number table for the original film to be photometrically measured is used.
Using the maximum luminance value YP of the true number output Y of the D converter 221 as address information, the photometric storage time TX is determined by n determined in the prescan table. That is, ^{TX = TB · a n ··· (} 2). (2) In photometry by the basic accumulation time TB determined A / D conversion value YP is represented by YP = PB / a ^n, when this equation to logarithmic conversion, logYP = log (PB / a n) logYP = LogPB−n · loga (3) Since n · loga = logPB−logYP (4), n = (logPB−logYP) / loga (5) Note that n is obtained by truncating the decimal part. Accordingly, using the A / D conversion maximum luminance value YP at the time of the prescan as address information, the multiple table number n selected by the prescan table memory obtained by the above equation (5) is determined.

On the other hand, the photometric luminance value A / D conversion value Y at the Sukiyan When P ^{is, Y = P × a n ···} (6) , and the photometric density value X in common logarithm of the reciprocal of the optical intensity ratio Therefore, the relation between the AD reference value PB of the base luminance and the photometric density X with respect to the photometric luminance value P is defined as X = K · logPB / P (7). Equation (6) because it is P = Y / a ⁿ Converting, Substituting this expression (7) is X = K · log (PB / Y / a n) = K · log (PB · a n / Y) = K · log ( Y / PB · a n) -1 = -K [logY-logPB-n · loga] = K [logPB-logY + n · loga] (8) is obtained, X = K · logPB + n · K · loga−K · logY (9) Therefore, the density photometric value X selected by the log table memory obtained from the above equation (9) is determined using the logarithmic table number n determined at the time of the press scan and the A / D conversion value Y at the time of the main scan as address information. .

As described above, the configuration of the logarithmic table circuit 224 is as shown in FIG. 10, and as the logarithmic table, ^# 0 to ^# 28
Are prepared, and a press table 241 and an antilog number table 242 for outputting input and output in a one-to-one correspondence are provided. In the case of 8-bit processing, the address is 0 to 255,
The photometric data is also in the range of 0 to 255, and the prescan table 221 selects the table number n by n = (log250−logYP) /1.269 (10). In this case, if the required dynamic range D is set to 1: 1000, the accumulation time function a is calculated from the above equation (1). And the above equation (10) is obtained. Also log table
Each of ^# 0 to ^# 28 has a configuration of 256 bytes, and the density value X is X = 100 · log250 + n · 100 · log (1.269) −100 · logY
(11) The density value X is read out at the corresponding addresses 0 to 255 of the respective logarithmic tables ^# 0 to ^# 28. In this case, if the density value D = 0.01 corresponds to the A / D conversion value “1”, then K = 1 / 0.01 = 100, and the density coefficient K is determined by the balance between the required resolution and the dynamic range. Also, in the case of 8-bit processing, the density value X is clipped at "255", the fractional part is discarded, and when Y = 0, Y = 255.

The log table set in the log table circuit 224 as described above is selected by the selection signal SL from the CPU 203. Therefore, the image signal from the image sensor 37 is
PS is converted into a logarithmic table density value X corresponding to the accumulation time.

As described above, the image information PS from the image sensor 10 changes the charge accumulation time, and switches the conversion table corresponding to the output signal in accordance with the set number of times, for example, the eighth information.
Dynamic range FDR required for high-density images and dynamic range C required for low-density images as shown
DR will be selected. When detecting edges, it is only necessary to know the relative displacement amount rather than the absolute value of the light amount. Alternatively, the accumulation time based on the brightness of the light source when no negative film is present may be determined to be about 50% of the accumulation time based on the base density.

Next, a method of adjusting the sensitivity of the image sensor by adjusting the amount of light from the light source will be described.

The accumulation time of the image sensor 37 for photoelectric conversion is set to a predetermined value, the amount of light per unit area (for example, per pixel) received by the image sensor 37 is measured, and the measured value is detected. It is determined whether or not the value falls within a predetermined range determined in advance according to the density to be obtained. If the measured value is not within the specified range,
The light amount is adjusted by adjusting the amount of insertion into the optical path of the light source 27, or the power supplied to the printing light source 19 is adjusted. When adjusting the light amount, the insertion amount of the ND filter may be changed, or the aperture provided on the front surface of the image sensor may be adjusted. Then, the light amount per unit area is measured again, and the adjustment of the dimming filter 27 or the adjustment of the supply power is repeated so that the light amount per pixel of the image sensor falls within a predetermined range. When detecting the film edge or the exposure edge using this adjustment method, the light amount is reduced to lower the sensitivity of the image sensor than when detecting the density information of the exposure image, and the density information of the exposure image is reduced. In the case of detection, the amount of light is increased and the sensitivity of the image sensor is increased to increase the image sensor output as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C. Exposure edges can be detected and image information can be detected. Note that power consumption can be reduced by controlling the amount of light emitted from the light source itself instead of controlling the dimming filter and the like.

Here, since the dynamic range of the image sensor 28 is generally narrow, when it is desired to obtain the density information of the film photographing area in detail, the density signal of the film base (non-photographing area) which is the film minimum photographing density area has the lowest (photoelectric conversion). The sensitivity is set so that the element output becomes the maximum value or a saturation value or immediately before the saturation value. Therefore, as understood from FIG. 5 (C), the output on the low concentration side is saturated, Normally, it is not possible to distinguish between a filmless part and a film base part. Therefore, in order to distinguish the film-free portion from the film base portion (that is, to detect the film edge), the light sensitivity must be reduced by shortening the charge accumulation time as described above. When the sensitivity of the image sensor 37 is reduced, its output becomes as shown in FIG. 5 (B). In this state, since the output on the high density side is saturated, the difference in density distribution information from the film non-photographing area (base part) photographing area part is reduced, and it becomes difficult to accurately detect the density distribution information of the photographing area. Since the sensor output greatly changes on the low density side, it is easy to detect the film edge and the exposure edge. High-density exposure edges can have a large detection ratio (presence or absence of exposure),
Saturation does not interfere with edge detection.

[Array of light-receiving element group]

For the detection of the film edge and the exposure edge, as can be seen from FIG. 5 (B), the density is remarkable in the case where no film exists and in the case where the film exists or in the photographing region and the non-photographing region of the film. Therefore, when the film is transported, attention should be paid to the density change in the film transport direction. Actually, in order to detect the boundary edge between the photographing area and the non-photographing area, that is, the exposure edge at the center of the printing position, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Exposure edges are detected by one or more rows of light receiving element outputs of the light receiving element area 170 on the side where the film enters, among the lines orthogonal to the film transport direction on the surface of the three-dimensional image sensor 37. In order to detect the edge of the first exposure, the edge of the first exposure is preliminarily detected, and then a distance slightly shorter than the interval between the first light receiving element region 170 and the second light receiving element region 172 (from the first time element region). After the high-speed transport (up to immediately before the second light-receiving element area), the film transport speed is reduced, and the area 1
The position of the edge of the first exposure is precisely detected at the center of the printing position by the output of one or more rows of the light receiving elements 172 parallel to 70 (preferably detecting the center of the printing position). FIG. 11A shows the printing position 17 (that is, the upper mask).
138 shows the state of film transport in the mask opening 140), and FIG. 11B shows the corresponding light receiving element surface of the image sensor 37.

Each of the light receiving element regions 170 and 172 integrates outputs of several light receiving elements corresponding to a negative film size image width of a light receiving element row including at least one light receiving element row extending in a direction orthogonal to the film transport direction. Then, the partial density difference of the film is eliminated. Since the edge detection only needs to be able to measure the density difference near the density of the film base, a plurality of sensor outputs corresponding to the image width of the negative film size in the direction orthogonal to the film transport direction are integrated or averaged, and the edge determination is performed. Perform the operation. The calculation of the sensor output corresponding to such a negative size can be easily performed using a micro computer.

That is, when the conveyance of the exposure image is automatically controlled, since the exposure size of the negative film 18 is known by measurement or data input, the detection area of the image information and the light receiving element array group are determined by the exposure size in FIG. Use by switching as in 1). All pixels of the image sensor 37 are in the j-th column (1
-40) and i-th row (1-30)
135F size uses area F2, 110 size uses area F1
Use Then, the measured value of the pixel S _ij of the image sensor 37 is set to TS _ij, and the exact numerical value of the j _n- th sampling point in the j- _th column is obtained. In the case of 135F size, the average value T is
Since 23-7 = 16, Becomes When detecting negative film 18 with a fine pitch,
Exact value THS of 135F size of each adjacent sampling point
_135F is Similarly, in the case of the 110 size, the average value T is 19-11 = 8 since the number of pixels is Becomes When detecting negative film 18 with a fine pitch,
Exact value THS ₁₁₀ of 110 size for each adjacent sampling point
Is Is required. When the frequency distribution is obtained by sampling the measured values obtained in this way, an exact numerical value curve PC as shown in FIG. 17 is obtained.

When the above operation is performed such that the accumulation time of the exposure control two-dimensional image sensor 37 is reduced or the light amount is reduced to lower the light sensitivity so that the output shown in FIG. Edges or exposure edges can be detected.

[Edge detection]

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of Retin in one embodiment of the edge detection method according to the present embodiment. However, since this edge detection method is mainly used as a means for positioning a photographic exposure at a printing position, it is a subroutine in a control system incorporated in a printing apparatus. This routine is an application of the third and fourth aspects.

First, a negative film to be printed is a short negative film and a long negative film obtained by cutting a first negative film in which a distance from a film edge to an exposure edge of a first exposure is equal to or less than a predetermined value, that is, a long negative film into predetermined exposure units. A short negative film not including a portion corresponding to the leading end portion of the film, and a second negative film in which the distance from the film edge to the exposure edge of the first exposure exceeds a predetermined value, that is, the long negative film and the leading end portion of the long negative film. And a short negative film containing a portion corresponding to When the first negative film is transported, the film transport control by a pass key, which is provided in the film transport device and is usually a switch for transporting the negative film one frame at a time, is switched so that the negative film does not exist at a predetermined printing position. In such a case, the negative film should be transported continuously. The presence or absence of a negative film at a predetermined printing position can be detected by a two-dimensional image sensor. In this state, operate the pass key to drive the film transport device,
The first film is inserted into the film transport device from the front end, and is sandwiched between nip rollers to detect the position of the exposure edge of the first exposure while transporting the first film, and print the first exposure based on the detected position of the exposure edge. To the position. In the case of the second negative film, the upper mask is raised and the negative film is inserted and loaded from a direction perpendicular to the film transport direction, or the fine adjustment key and the pass key are simultaneously operated to set the film in the fast forward state. Is inserted into the film transport device from the leading end thereof, sandwiched between the nip rollers, the film is loaded, and the unexposed portion or the aerial photographing portion of the leading end of the negative is set at a predetermined printing position. Also, in the state where the negative is present at the predetermined printing position and before the positioning of the first exposure is performed, the negative can be transported continuously without operating the pass key. When the pass key is operated in a state where the second negative film is loaded in the film transport device and the portion immediately before the first exposure is located at the printing position, the film edge of the first exposure is continuously driven and transported while the film transport device is transported. Is detected and transported to the printing position in the same manner as described above. The details of such a film transport method will be described below. In the following, the method of transporting the first negative film will be described. However, the method of transporting the second negative film is also substantially the same as that of the flowchart of FIG. The only difference is that after the part is located at the printing position, the pass key is operated to drive the film transport device. In the same manner as the first negative film, the second negative film can be transported by inserting the negative film from the leading end while driving the film transport device, but the length from the film edge to the exposure edge of the first exposure can be increased. , The detection time may be long. However, as described above, the preliminary detection range of the exposure edge of the first exposure frame is reduced by driving the film transport device after the aerial photographing portion or the unexposed portion at the leading end of the second negative film is located at the printing position. When a full-time operator is present, as in a normal photographic printing apparatus, the detection time is shorter than when automatic feeding is performed as in the case of the first negative film.

First, a mask having a size corresponding to the size of the negative film 18 to be printed is loaded at a predetermined position 17 of the printing section, and in step S1, the size of the mask opening of the film transport device 10 is determined by an image sensor 37, for example, as shown in The size of the negative film is measured by measuring as in No. 60-151626. This size measurement may be input visually. In accordance with the size measurement, the transport amount of the negative film 18 is set, the selection and extraction of the light receiving element rows are automatically performed, and further, the printing exposure amount and its correction amount are controlled.

In the next step S2, the accumulation time of the image sensor is shortened by the above-described method so that image information having a density lower than the film base density can be obtained (for example, 1/2 of the case where the exposure image information is detected). In step S22, the non-film status register is set so that the negative film can be transported continuously when the passkey is turned on. In the next step S23, it is determined whether or not the passkey is turned on. If it is determined that the passkey is turned on, the film can be conveyed at medium to high speed by detecting a single pixel pitch (for example, about 1 mm pitch) in step S24. Thus, the drive roller is continuously rotated by controlling the pulse motor 50 of the film transport device.
When the film is inserted into the film transport device while the transport motor is continuously rotated by the pulse motor 50, the transport of the film is started (step S25), and the film is automatically transported by a single image pitch (step S3). ).
In the case of the second negative film, as described above, the upper mask is raised and the film is directly inserted and loaded, or the film is loaded into the film transporting device by rapid traverse, and then the pass key is turned on. The conveyance of the image pitch is automatically performed.

In step S4, it captures the light receiving element array group output of the light receiving element region 170, between the value L ₀ of the output L of the light receiving element array group in step S5 is corresponding to the density fogging value L _B corresponding to the film base density frame edge nearest frame on the film edge (top frame) pre detecting by detecting whether or not it is a value _{(L 0 <L <L B} ).

If the determination in step S5 is negative, the medium-to-high-speed conveyance of the film is continued and the output is taken in.

If it is determined in step S5 that the edge of the first exposure has been preliminarily detected, the non-film status register is reset in step S26 so that normal exposure, that is, one exposure can be performed when the passkey is operated. In step S7, the film is conveyed at a high speed by a length corresponding to the interval from the detection position of the light receiving element area 170 to immediately before the light receiving element area 172, and the edge of the first exposure is changed to the light receiving element area 17.
After being conveyed to a position where it can be precisely detected by the light receiving element row group 2, the pulse motor 50 is controlled in step S8 to move the film to a small pitch smaller than a single pixel pitch (for example, 0.
Conveys at low speed upon detection. Next step S9
In the state where the film is being transported by the fine pitch,
At step E shown in FIG. 13, precision measurement of the edge of the first exposure is performed. At step S10, it is determined whether or not the edge of the first exposure has been detected by the light receiving element array group of the light receiving element area 172.

When an image sensor with a coarse resolution generally used for exposure control, exposure correction, and the like is used for precise detection of an exposure edge, pixel pitch interpolation described below is performed. In the following, detection of an exposure edge other than the first exposure will be described for convenience of description, but the same applies to the first exposure. In the pixel pitch interpolation, when an edge is detected by a sensor having a low pixel resolution (for example, about 1.0 mm unit on a film), a clear portion and an exposed image portion change slowly without changing sharply. Negative film 18 while detecting with a fine pixel pitch of about one tenth of a millimeter pitch
And the time when the change direction of the time-series change amount of the light receiving element is inverted (referenced to the position where the change value becomes zero) is detected as the edge position. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of storage pixel data areas M of a memory (for example, 10 pixels ^# 1 to ^# 10 corresponding to 10 pixels) are formed for a representative pixel row P including a plurality of light receiving pixels of a two-dimensional image sensor. ), Pixel data is formed on the memory. For example, the light receiving pixel
As M ₁₁ ~M ₁₁₀ to indicate the memory pixel data M ₁ of the memory in FIG. 16 corresponding to P _1, the storage data M ₂ in the memory corresponding to the light receiving pixels P ₂ and M ₂₁ ~M _210. Similarly, the other light receiving pixels are formed by the storage pixel data of ^# 1 to ^# 10.

After this storage, as shown in FIG. 17, the pixel sequence data stored in the memory, that is, the image information detected by interpolating the pixel pitch of the negative film 18 is processed to obtain the light amount characteristic PC, thereby obtaining the negative film. An edge between an unphotographed area (a blank area) R between the 18 exposures and the exposure is detected. in this case,
(1) The maximum value PM of the light amount characteristic PC is the negative base light amount value MA.
And the threshold value at a predetermined rate (for example, 80%)
It must be within the value of CV. This is because the edge of the image exposure of the negative film is located at the boundary between the image exposure and the unphotographed area, and generally has a light amount larger than a certain threshold value CV. (2) The distance from the position of the maximum value PM of the light amount characteristic PC to a negative slope of the light amount, that is, the distance 1 where the light amount decreases from the maximum value PM is a predetermined distance (for example, 1 m).
m) There must be more. This is because the exposure edge exists after passing through the transparent region R between the exposures, and it is necessary to remove noise components. The range may have some tolerance. Further, (3) the light amount NP at a distance 1 from the maximum value PM corresponds to the edge of the image exposure, and must be within a certain ratio range with respect to the maximum value PM. This means that the light amount is always smaller than the maximum value PM, and that the inclination also needs to have a certain magnitude. This is because if there is not much difference between the light amount NP and the maximum value PM, it cannot be distinguished between an image and an unphotographed area. Here, the above-mentioned 3
When all of the conditions are met, an edge is detected. In the case of the first exposure, the light amount characteristic PC 'shown by a dashed line in FIG. 17 is obtained. Also, in this example, the true numerical value of the light amount is obtained in 8 bits (0 to 255).

Here, when image information is detected by the light receiving element region 172 of the image sensor 37, data for each pixel as shown in FIG. 12B is obtained. In FIG. 12, the information is shown as density information. The data may be a true number or the above-described density information obtained by logarithmically converting the reciprocal of the true transmittance. As is clear from the correspondence between FIGS. 12 (A) and 12 (B), the pixel exposures 2A,
Non-photographing area RA, RB, RC, ... between 2B, 2C, ... and exposure
In general, there is a remarkable difference in the density value, so that the density is less than a certain value, and the change in the vertical direction (vertical direction and the transport direction of the negative film 18) occurs in the portion where the density value changes steeply in the horizontal direction. By searching for a region within a certain range with the light receiving element region 172 of the image sensor 37, the image exposures 2A, 2B, 2C,.
The position of the exposure edge, which is the boundary between the unphotographed areas RA, RB, RC,..., Can be precisely detected. Fig. 13 (2)
The negative film 18 is conveyed in the N direction to a predetermined position 17 and detects the position of the edge between the non-photographing area RB between the exposures and the image exposure 2A in the light receiving element area of the image sensor. I have. The light receiving element region 172 of the image sensor 37 comes to the center of the mask opening.
In FIG. 12 (B), the width of the non-photographing area between the exposures is shown widely for convenience. However, in practice, the above-mentioned image forming apparatus is also used with an exposure control image sensor having a relatively low resolution of about 1.0 mm on the negative film 18. This edge can be detected similarly to the method. That is, as shown in FIG. 14 (B), the time series change amount (light amount change amount, that is, an exact numerical value) of the light receiving element region 172 of the image sensor detected with respect to the movement state of the negative film 18 of fine pitch feed is shown. As shown in FIG. 11A, the time when the change direction is reversed can be detected as an edge between the unexposed area between the image exposures and the image exposure based on the position where the light amount change amount becomes zero.

The edge detection described above can also be performed by a method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-103032 using a sensor having a high resolution.

If it is determined in step S10 that the exposure edge of the leading exposure has been detected, the process proceeds to step S11.

Then, the distance S ₂ (this example until positioning the first frame in position 17 from the size information determined by the size measurement (step S1) is the light receiving element region 172 is located at the center portion of the mask opening Therefore, the high-speed quantitative transfer is performed in step S11 for only about 1/2 exposure), and then the transfer is stopped in step S12. As a result, the first exposure is automatically positioned at a predetermined position. After the first exposure has been positioned,
In S13, the storage time of the image sensor is extended to switch to high sensitivity by the sensitivity switching method described above, and exposure image information is measured to determine or correct the exposure amount, and step S1 is performed.
In step 4, it is determined whether or not printing is necessary. If printing is required, printing is performed in step S16. In the next step S19, the accumulation time of the image sensor is reduced, and in step S20, it is determined whether or not a film is present. If the film is present, the second light receiving element region is arranged at the center of the mask. Therefore, after carrying out a half exposure in step S21, the mode is switched to a fine pitch feed in step S8 so that the exposure edge of the second exposure can be accurately detected by the light receiving element array group in the second light receiving element area 172. To

If the transport of the negative film 18 is continued at a low speed in step S8 until the detection of the exposure edge of the second exposure is performed in step S10, and the edge positions of the image exposure 2A and the non-photographing area RB are detected. is the size measurement (step S1) the frame from the size information obtained in the high speed to feed the distance S ₂ only step S11 in until positioned at a predetermined position 17, to stop the subsequent conveyance at step S12. In this case, after the fast quantitative conveyance S _1, the distance E to approximately image frame 2A which is located at the center portion, the position of the edge of the non-imaging region RB and the image frame 2A between 2B of the mask opening is detected Are parameters (variables) for correcting variations in the distance of the non-photographing region RB, and the feed amount D of the image exposure 2A in the state of FIG. 13 is D = S ₁ + E + S
_{If 2} (one corrected frame) is conveyed, the negative film 18 stops while being accurately positioned at the predetermined position 17.

After the negative film 18 is conveyed and stopped, in step S13, the storage time of the image sensor is extended to switch to high sensitivity by the sensitivity switching method described above, and exposure is determined by measuring the exposure image information by measuring the exposure image information. After performing correction or the like, it is determined in step S14 whether or not printing is necessary. If printing is required, printing is executed in step S16. And
After the completion of printing of the exposure or when the printing is not suitable for printing, the next image exposure is transported to the printing position and printed.
After reducing the accumulation time of the image sensor in step 9,
At step 20, it is determined whether or not the negative film 18 is still present. If the film is present, the negative film 18 is conveyed at a speed of about 1/2 of the exposure interval at step S21 in accordance with the size information obtained at step S1. And return to step S8. Hereinafter, by repeating the above-described transport and stop, it is possible to sequentially print each image frame. And step
When it is determined in S20 that the negative film 18 has run out, the motor 50 is automatically stopped and the processing ends. Here, the exposure edge is precisely detected at a position corresponding to the central portion of the negative film, but this does not hinder the detection at portions other than the central portion.

On the other hand, if the exposure edge is no longer detected in step S10, the image exposure cannot detect an exposure edge such as an underexposure negative or the like. The fixed amount is conveyed by about the remaining 1/2 exposure of 38 mm) and stopped at step S12.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to insert a film negative and a long negative into a film transporting device without driving the film transporting device in advance and without switching the setting of the device. Since the leading exposure closest to the edge can be automatically stopped at a predetermined position, the advantage is obtained that the leading exposure closest to the film edge can be efficiently and automatically positioned.

The above description is for a piece negative in which fogging does not occur near the leading end of the film.However, in the case of a piece negative that does not include the leading end of a long negative, a long negative or piece negative in which fogging occurs near the leading end of the film. In the case of the above, as described above, the output of the light-receiving element array group has a predetermined value in the exposure edge portion of the first exposure, so that the output of the light-receiving element array group falls within the predetermined range in step S5 in FIG. Is determined, the preliminary detection of the exposure edge of the first exposure can be performed without being affected by fogging near the leading end of the film. Note that, in this case, the accumulation time may be temporarily increased to detect the high-density side so that it is easy to identify the fog portion.

When the light receiving element region 172 is composed of a group of light receiving element rows having a high resolution, the position of the exposure edge located in one or a plurality of light receiving element rows is detected by a single pixel pitch to precisely determine the position. You may want to know. In this way, the speed can be further increased. In this case, the position detection accuracy of the exposure edge at the printing position 17 is increased, and therefore, the film feed amount for positioning the photographing exposure at approximately the center of the printing position 17 can be accurately known.

Further, the light receiving element region 170 may be constituted by a group of light receiving element rows with high resolution so that the exposure edge is preliminarily detected by a plurality of pixel pitches. It may be configured by a combination of a row group and a light-receiving element row group having a low resolution.

When the resolution of the two-dimensional image sensor is high, the same pixel pitch may be conveyed both when detecting the presence of the edge and when detecting the position of the edge. Further, in the above, an example in which the sensitivity is switched by changing the accumulation time has been described. However, the sensitivity may be switched by switching the light amount.
Further, in the above description, an example in which a two-dimensional image sensor for exposure control is used has been described, but a separate sensor for edge detection may be provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the negative film is sent in one direction from left to right has been described. However, the first light receiving element region may be arranged at a symmetrical position with respect to the second light receiving element region. For example, the negative film can be easily fed in the reverse direction by the same algorithm as described above, without requiring any mechanical or optical switching operation of the sensor. As described above, if the first light receiving element area is arranged on both sides of the second light receiving element area so that the negative film can be sent in two directions,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 648, the first negative film is sent one frame at a time, the image information of each exposure is measured between them, and then the exposure is adjusted according to the image information while returning the negative film one frame at a time. The present invention can also be applied to implement a method of performing photographic printing.

In addition, the method of detecting an exposure edge of the present invention can be applied to a case where an aerial photographing exposure on a long negative film is skipped and burned from a required exposure, or a necessary exposure is designated by re-printing or reordering on a short negative film. When printing the required number of sheets, the present invention can be applied to the conventional handling of negative films, such as inputting in advance with a keyboard, stopping the necessary exposure, and stopping only the target exposure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a film transport routine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing optical system portion of the above embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a film with a large arm, a small arm and the like removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the film transport device, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an average output of the image sensor along the longitudinal direction of the film, and FIG. 6 is an example of a drive system of the image sensor. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a logarithmic table, FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a dynamic range of an image sensor, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the image sensor. FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a logarithmic table, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a film passing a printing position and a light receiving surface of an image sensor, and FIG. 12 shows an example of image information. Memory diagram, Fig. 13 (1) shows light receiving element array Diagram for explaining the use range, FIG. 13 (2) is a line diagram showing the mask opening of the film feed device, Fig. 14 diagram showing the detection state of the frame edge, the
15 and 16 are diagrams for explaining the relationship between pixel column data and storage in the memory, and FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the relationship between negative films and detection data on the memory. 18 ... film, 37 ... two-dimensional image sensor, 170 ... first light receiving element area, 172 ... second light receiving element area.

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A film transport method for transporting a leading exposure of a film to a printing position of a photographic printing device by a film transporting device, wherein said film has a distance from a film edge to an exposure edge of the leading exposure less than a predetermined value. The first film is classified into a film and a second film in which the distance from the film edge to the exposure edge of the leading exposure exceeds the predetermined value, and the first film is formed by driving the film transport device. The position of the exposure edge of the leading exposure is detected by an image sensor for exposure control while inserting and transporting the film from the leading end side into the film transport device, and for the second film, the second film is stopped. After driving the film transport device after filling the transport device and positioning the portion immediately before the exposure edge of the first exposure at the printing position. The leading detects the position of the exposures edge of frame, the film transfer method, characterized by conveying the first frame based on the detected position of the said frame edge to the printing position by the image sensor while conveying Te. 2. The first film according to claim 1, wherein the first film is a short film obtained by cutting the long film into predetermined exposure units and does not include a portion corresponding to a leading end of the long film. 2. The film transport method according to claim 1, wherein the film is a short film including a long film and a portion corresponding to a tip portion of the long film. 3. The position of an exposure edge of the first exposure is defined by a group of one or more first light receiving elements and a group of one or more second light receiving elements extending in a direction orthogonal to the film transport direction. And a group of photodetectors are arranged in parallel in the film transport direction, the presence of an exposure edge is preliminarily detected by the first photodetector array, and the fine detection is performed by the second photodetector array after the exposure edge is preliminarily detected. 3. The film transport method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The film transport method according to claim 3, wherein the presence of the exposure edge is preliminarily detected by detecting the presence of the film edge of the first film in the first light receiving element array group. 5. A first light-receiving element array and a second light-receiving element array each comprising one or more light-receiving element arrays extending in a direction orthogonal to a film transport direction of an image sensor for exposure control. 5. The film transport method according to claim 3, wherein the film is a group. 6. When detecting a film edge or an exposure edge using a negative film with the image sensor,
6. The film transport method according to claim 5, wherein the sensitivity is relatively reduced as compared with the case where the image sensor detects exposure control image information.