JPH0254234A - Microfilm retrieving and reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the accessing time of the title device so that a change in the scale of a system can be coped with easily by housing cartridges under a condition where the cartridges are stacked in vertically movable states and taking out and leading an aimed cartridge to a scanner provided above the housing shelf for reading an aimed picture. CONSTITUTION:An aimed cartridge 14 is taken out from a housing shelf 12 in which cartridges are vertically stacked and led to a scanner 42 positioned to the uppermost section by means of a carrier 30. After the scanner 42 reads the picture of the cartridge 14, the cartridge 14 is returned to the top of the stacked cartridges in the shelf 12. Therefore, the carrier 30 can search the shelf for a next cartridge 14 and can wait for the reading by the scanner 42 in front of the scanner 42 while the scanner reads out a picture from another cartridge 14. Thus the accessing time can be reduced and, at the same time, the occupying area of this device can be reduced and a change in the scale of a system can be coped with easily.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention is a microfilm retrieval system that searches for a target image from a storage shelf storing a large number of microfilm cartridges and reads that image using an image sensor. This relates to a reading device.

(Technical Background of the Invention) One cartridge is selected from a large number of microfilm cartridges stored in a storage shelf, a target image contained therein is read out by an image sensor, and this image signal is output as a digital signal. A device is being considered. For example, it is considered that this image signal can be used to output an image on a CRT, Blink, or facsimile machine, or to output a desired form or document by printing it in combination with the output of another data processing device. That is, by converting microfilm images into digital signals, it becomes possible to collaborate with other digital image processing devices using a data communication network, thereby increasing the usefulness of microfilm.

As such a device, a rotating shelf type device is conventionally known. In this method, a large number of cartridges are stored in multiple stages in a rotating drum so that they can be attached and detached from the outer circumferential surface of the drum, and a take-out device that only moves up and down at a fixed position takes out the desired cartridge and transfers it to an image reader equipped with an image sensor. It is used to read images.

However, in this case, since the heavy rotating drum rotates to take out the target cartridge, there are problems in that the time required to search for the target image (access time) becomes longer and the installation area becomes larger.

In addition, a large number of cartridges are stored in a bookshelf-like fixed shelf, and a carrier running in the
It is also known to locate one cartridge, transport it to an image reader fixed at a predetermined position, and read the image there.

However, in this case the cartridge must be handed over twice. That is, it must be transferred from the shelf to the carrier and then from the carrier to the image reader. Therefore, there is still a problem that the access time becomes long. There is also the problem that the scale of the system has increased, making it impossible to respond to cases where a small-scale system is required.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to shorten access time, have a small installation area,
The purpose of this invention is to provide a microfilm search/reading device that can easily respond to changes in system scale.

(Structure of the Invention) According to the present invention, this object is provided in a microfilm search/reading device that selects a cartridge containing a target image from a storage shelf storing a large number of microfilm cartridges and reads out the target image using an image sensor. , a vertical storage shelf that stacks and stores cartridges movably in the vertical direction; a scanner that has a built-in film drive device and an image reader and is disposed above the storage shelf; and a scanner that extracts the target cartridge and puts it into the scanner. A carrier for guiding the cartridge, a return means for returning the cartridge to the top of the storage shelf after reading a target image with a scanner, a memory means for storing the cartridge storage position, and a control means for controlling the carrier, the scanner, and the return means. This is achieved by a microfilm retrieval/reading device featuring the following features.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a system using an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the cartridge storage state of the scanner.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a prismatic case, and a cartridge storage shelf 12 is assembled in this case 10 closer to one side. A large number of cartridges 14 are stacked on this storage shelf so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Each cartridge 14 has a microfilm 16 (
Each reel 18 wound with a material (Fig. 2) is housed therein.

A large number of electromagnetic plungers 20 are vertically arranged in parallel on one surface of the storage shelf 12, facing each cartridge 14. That is, when the electromagnetic plunger 20 is excited, the plunger projects into the storage shelf 12 and pushes out one of the cartridges 14 in the horizontal direction.

30 is a carrier. This carrier 30 is case 10
It is located on the opposite side of the electromagnetic plunger 20 with the storage shelf 12 in between, and moves in the vertical direction. That is, the carrier 30 is held movably up and down by the guide rail, and is moved up and down by the wire 32. The wire 32 is wound between upper and lower pulleys 34 and 36, and both ends thereof are fixed to the carrier 30. One pulley 36 is rotated by a servomorph 38, and as a result, the carrier 30 is moved up and down. Note that this wire 32 has a carrier 30
A counterweight 40 is fixed at a position symmetrical to
The load on the motor 38 is reduced.

42 is a scanner. This scanner 42 is attached to the storage shelf 12
located above. That is, this scanner 42 includes a film transport drive device 4 that accommodates a film transport motor, etc.
4 and the cartridge 1 carried by the carrier 30
4, a take-up reel 48, and an image reader 50 disposed between these two.

The entry space 46 of the film travel drive device 44 is connected to the storage shelf 12.
The upper part of the storage shelf 12 opens into the entry space 46 . The reel drive shaft 44a that protrudes into the entry space 46 of the traveling drive device 44 is capable of retracting upward, for example, and when the cartridge 14 carried by the carrier 30 enters the entry space 46, it exits upward. It is configured to avoid interference with the cartridge 14.

The image reader 50 includes a closed reader unit 52 and an EL plate 54 as a light source. The ELI 54 can be pressed against and separated from the film 16, and is controlled by an electromagnetic plunger (not shown) or the like. The reader unit 52 includes a glass 56 facing the EL plate 54 with the film 16 in between, a projection lens 58 and an image sensor 60 housed in a sealed case. Here, the lens 58 is moved in the optical axis direction by a motor, a piezoelectric element, etc., and can be focused.

Reference numeral 62 denotes a return means, which returns the cartridge 14 in the entry space 46 to the top of the storage shelf 12 after the scanner 42 has read the target image. This return means 62
For example, a claw member 64 for fixing the cartridge that holds the cartridge 14 carried into the entry space 46 from the carrier 30 at a predetermined position in the entry space 46, and this claw member 6.
4 and an electromagnetic plunger 66 that rotates the cartridge 14 to release the cartridge 14. That is, by energizing the electromagnetic plunger 66, the claw member 64 is rotated, the cartridge 14 is released from the claw member 64, and the cartridge 14 is dropped to the top of the storage shelf 12.

The image sensor 60 scans the image and generates a time-series image signal a.
Output. This signal a is binarized by the image processing circuit 70 and converted into a digital signal, which is input to the child control means 100A, and further transferred to the parent control means 100. Here, the image sensor 60 is preferably a two-dimensional area sensor, but
−-dimensional line sensor in the direction perpendicular to its length direction (
The image may be read by moving in the sub-scanning direction).

In this embodiment, the control means includes a child control means 100A provided for each case 10, and a child control means 100A provided for each case 10.
A is separately provided with a parent control means 100 for giving information such as a target cartridge 14 and a target image to A.

These control means 100, 100A are formed by small computers, and the parent control means 100 includes a CPU 102,
It has output interfaces 104 and 106, a ROM 108 for storing control programs, etc., and a RAM 110 for storing data during control, such as data for performing autofocus. Reference numeral 112 denotes a memory means, which is composed of a storage medium such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, or a semiconductor memory. When a plurality of storage shelves are provided, a cartridge 14 is stored in each storage shelf 12.
Store data such as The slave control means 100A has a memory means 114 that stores the contents, storage positions, etc. of a large number of cartridges 14 in the storage shelf 12.

Data such as the contents and storage address of each cartridge 14 are input to the CPU 102 from the keyboard 116 and stored in the memory means 112 or 114. In addition, a code such as a bar code is attached to the cartridge 14, and a code such as a bar code is attached to the storage shelf 1.
2, by reading this code, the contents and storage location may be input into the memory means 112, 114. Each time the cartridge 14 is moved, a new storage position is stored in the memory means 112 or 114.

When searching for a target image, for example, the keyboard 11
Input the code etc. of the target image from step 6. The CPU 102 outputs information such as the storage shelf containing the cartridge 14 containing the target image and the target image from the memory means 112 or 114 to the child control means 100A. Child control means 100A
searches for the corresponding cartridge 14 based on this information and operates the motor 38 to move the carrier 30 in front of this cartridge 14. Then, the electromagnetic plunger 20 is energized and the cartridge 14 is transferred to the carrier 3.
Moved to 0. At this time, this extruded cartridge 14
The higher cartridges 14 are lowered one step at a time. The carrier 30 then moves upward and pushes the cartridge 14 into the entry space 46 of the scanner 42. As described above, the reel drive shaft 44a retracts upward at this time. When the cartridge 14 enters the entry space 46, the claw member 6
4, and a running drive device 44 rotates the reel 18, 48 to run the film 16. When the target image arrives, the EL plate 54 presses the film 16 against the glass plate 56. The EL plate 54 serves as a surface light source, and the projected image of the film 16 is guided to the image sensor 60 through the glass plate 56 and the lens 58. While an image is being read from one cartridge 14 in this manner, the carrier 30 carries the cartridge 14 to be read next and waits in front of the entry space 46 (position 30A in FIG. 1). When the reading of the image from the cartridge 14 in the entry space 46 is completed, the electromagnetic plunger 66 of the return means 62 is energized, the cartridge 14 is released from the claw member 64, and the cartridge 14 is placed in the uppermost stage (first row) of the storage shelf 12. It falls to position 14A in Figure 1).

Note that the target image can be confirmed by reading blip marks (not shown) recorded in advance on the microfilm 16 using the image sensor 60 or another optical sensor (not shown).

The image signal a of the image read by the image sensor 60 is inputted to the slave control means 100A after being subjected to various types of processing such as correction of variations in characteristics of each light receiving element, correction of shading, and waveform shaping in the signal processing circuit 70. Further, when performing an autofocus operation, this circuit 70 selects a predetermined spatial frequency component of the image signal a using a band pass filter, and obtains a contrast signal by integrating the absolute value of this component. The slave control means 100A controls the lens 58 to a position where this contrast signal is maximized. Note that it is of course possible to separately prepare another element exclusively for autofocus, such as an element using a phase difference detection method, to perform autofocus.

When the image is read in this way, this image signal is read into the parent control means 100, and the CPU 102 outputs this data to various types of image processing devices. For example, this image may be output to the CRT 118 or the printer 120, or may be stored in other external memory means such as the optical disk device 122. It is also possible to output the data to a remote facsimile, CRT, etc. using a data communication network 124 such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

Note that the CPU 102 can also read data from an external image processing device using this data communication network 124, and use image data from the outside within this system.

In this embodiment, cartridge 14 includes one noll 18.
However, if two reels on the film supply side and take-up side are housed in the cartridge, it goes without saying that the scanner does not need to have the take-up reel 48.

The smallest version of this system is completed by combining one case 10 with a workstation. That is, it can be composed of a keyboard 116, a CRT 118, a printer 120, a control means 100, and a memory means 112.

In the above embodiment, the control of the case 10 is performed by the parent control means 100 and the child control means 100A, so that the control becomes easier when a large number of cases 10 are connected to increase the scale. be.

However, the present invention replaces the child control means 100A with the parent control means 100A.
It goes without saying that it may be integrated with, and such things are also included.

When scaling up this system, multiple cases 1
0 can be connected to multiple workstations.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention extracts the target cartridge from the vertically stacked storage shelves, guides it to the scanner located at the top by the carrier 4, reads the image here, and then removes the cartridge. Since the cartridge is returned to the top of the storage shelf, the carrier can wait in front of the scanner to find the next cartridge while the scanner is reading the image, reducing the access time required to read the target image. can be shortened. Furthermore, since the unit of one case can be made smaller than that of conventional devices, the installation area is reduced, and furthermore, by appropriately increasing or decreasing the number of cases, changes in system scale can be easily accommodated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a system using an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the cartridge storage state of the scanner. 10... Case, 12... Storage shelf, 14... Cartridge, 18... Reel, 30... Carrier, 4
2...Scanner, 44...Traveling drive device 50...Image reader, 62...Returning means, 100A
...Control means, 12.114...Memory means. Patent applicant: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. Representative: Patent attorney 1) Text: eloquence 1) Hiroshi Shi

Claims (1)

[Claims] A microfilm search method that selects a cartridge containing a target image from a storage shelf containing a large number of microfilm cartridges, and reads the target image using an image sensor.
The reading device includes a vertical storage shelf that stores cartridges in a vertically movable stack, a scanner that includes a film transport drive device and an image reader and is disposed above the storage shelf, and a scanner that extracts the target cartridge. a carrier for guiding the cartridge to the scanner, a return means for returning the cartridge to the top of the storage shelf after reading a target image by the scanner, a memory means for storing the cartridge storage position, and a control means for controlling the carrier, the scanner, and the return means. A microfilm search/reading device comprising: