JPS63221339A - Film detecting mechanism for film cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit sure detection of the presence or absence of a film in a cassette by using a negative pressure detecting means to detect whether the suction by a 2nd suction means disposed with the suction surface with inclination to the surface at the end of the film is executed or not. CONSTITUTION:A cap is opened by an opening mechanism after the cassette is inserted and is positioned to a cap opening position. An X-ray film taking-out device 162 operates from this state. Plural suction cups 184 having the suction surfaces parallel with the surface of the X-ray film in the inside part of the cassette along the transverse direction thereof and the suction cup 185 having the previously inclined suction surfaces are mounted to a plate 182 with suction cups of the device 162. The presence or absence of the X-ray film is detected by the negative pressure detecting means according to whether the inclined suction cup 185 sucks the end of the X-ray film or now when the suction cups 184, 185 are lowered onto the end part on the front surface of the X-ray film in the cassette upon operation of the device 162.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a film detection mechanism for a film cassette that detects the presence or absence of a film accommodated in the cassette.

[Conventional technology]

The X-ray film cassette containing the photographed X-ray film is sent to the film loading and unloading device, the lid of the cassette is opened with external light blocked, and the X-ray film inside the cassette is taken out. It has become. To take out the X-ray film, a suction member such as a negative pressure suction cup sucks the X-ray film, takes it out, and sends it to the developing device.

When the X-ray film is sucked by the suction member, the presence or absence of the X1iI film in the cassette is detected.

Methods for detecting the presence or absence of the X-ray film include an optical method using infrared light and a method of detecting the displacement of a suction cup that moves to suck the X-ray film.

When using an optical method, it is done by reading the difference in reflectance between the reflectance of infrared light irradiated on the X-ray film surface and the reflectance of infrared light irradiated onto a screen attached to the inner bottom of the film cassette. The presence or absence of film in the cassette is detected.

In addition, when reading the amount of displacement of the suction cup, if XS* film is in the cassette, the suction cup moves to the surface of the film for suction, and the amount of displacement of this suction cup is detected by a limit switch etc. to detect the presence or absence of the film. Ru.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the optical method described above, there are cases where the difference between the reflectance of the film surface and the reflectance of the screen, etc. is small, and in this case, erroneous detection occurs.

Furthermore, when reading the amount of displacement of the suction cup, erroneous detection may occur because the displacement of the suction cup is extremely small.

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention aims to provide a film detection mechanism for a film cassette that can reliably detect the presence or absence of film in the cassette.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a film detection mechanism for a film cassette that detects whether or not there is a film stored in the film cassette, the film being attracted to the end surface of the film in the cassette. a first suction means whose surfaces are arranged parallel to each other and which adsorbs the film; a second suction means whose suction surfaces are arranged at an angle with respect to the end surface of the film and which adsorbs the film; Negative pressure detection means for detecting whether or not the adsorption means is in a negative pressure state.

If it is not, the first suction means suctions, for example, a screen stuck to the bottom of the cassette, but
Since the suction surface of the second suction means is inclined, it is not set to the suction state.This state is detected by the negative pressure detection means as not being a negative pressure state, and it is determined that no film is accommodated.

Further, when a film is stored in the film cassette, the first suction means suctions the film, and the second suction means similarly suctions the film with negative pressure, so that the film is not stored. It is determined that

In addition, the film inside the cassette may be in close contact with a screen etc. attached to the bottom of the cassette, and in this case, after the film is suctioned by the first suction means, the first suction means and the By tilting the suction means of No. 2 at a predetermined angle,
The film is peeled off from the screen or the like and adsorbed by the second adsorption means. As a result, the negative pressure detection means detects a negative pressure state and determines that the film is accommodated.

Therefore, the presence or absence of film in the cassette can be reliably detected.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Embodiments of an X-ray film cassette opener to which the present invention is applied will be described below.

Figure 1 shows the X-ray film cassette used in this example.
It is shown. This X-ray film cassette IO is equipped with a main body 12 and a lid 14 for opening and closing the main body 12.

The main body 12 has a rectangular flat plate shape, and a side wall 16 is erected from the periphery to the entire circumference, and the inside thereof is used as a housing section for the X-ray film 15. A cutout groove 16A having an arcuate cross section is provided on the outer surface of the side wall 16 over the entire circumference.

On the inside of the side wall 16, there is an inner step 1 as shown in FIG.
6B is provided. Further, one side wall 16 in the longitudinal direction of the main body 12 is provided with a pair of through holes 18 at an intermediate portion thereof. These pair of through holes 18 are positioned below the inner step 16B and close to the upper end surface of the side wall 16, which is offset from the midpoint of the height.

The pot 14 has a rectangular flat plate shape, one end of which is pivotally supported by a side wall 16 on the opposite side of the through hole 18 of the main body 12, and the interior containing the X-ray film 15 can be opened and closed. A latch 20 is protruded from the tip of the lid 14 in correspondence with a pair of through holes 18 provided in the main body 12. These latches 20 are slidably attached to the latch 14 so that the length of their protrusion from the lid 14 can be changed, and are biased by a compression coil spring (not shown) in the direction of protruding from the tip of the latch 14. There is.

Therefore, the latch 20 is secured to the inner step 16B of the side wall 16 when the lid is closed, thereby preventing the lid from being opened inadvertently.

Also, some of this latch 20! ! It is exposed on the upper surface of 14 and serves as an operating section 22. When the operator moves the operating part 22 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring, the latch 20
is removed from the inner step portion 16B, and the lid 14 can be opened.

In this case, if the latch 20 comes off the inner step 16B, the I
[14 is provided with an elastic body (not shown) inside so that it can be opened by a certain amount.

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the cassette opener, and FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the cassette opener.

A pair of base frames 32 are arranged parallel to each other along the cassette insertion direction (direction of arrow A) on a base (not shown). These pair of base frames 32 have an L-shaped cross section at right angles in the longitudinal direction, and one side 32A of each L-shape is fixed on a base (not shown), and the other side 32B of each is vertically erected. ing. These pair of base frames 32
A bracket 34 is attached to one end in the longitudinal direction.

This bracket 34 has a flat plate shape, and both ends in the longitudinal direction and one end along the longitudinal direction are bent at right angles in the same direction. Both bent longitudinal end surfaces are fixed to the sides 32B of the pair of base frames 32. Further, one bent end surface along the longitudinal direction is located at the longitudinal end of the base frame 34 . Further, a flat guide 28 is placed and fixed on the upper surface of the intermediate portion of the bracket 34. This guide 128 constitutes a part of the insertion opening of the cassette 10 together with a cover (not shown), and is adapted to slide on this guide 28 when the cassette 10 is inserted in the direction of arrow A.

A flat fixed base 33 is attached to one of the pair of base frames 32 (on the left side of the paper in FIG. 3) along the longitudinal direction of the base frame 33.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the fixed base 33 is located further back in the direction of arrow A than the bracket 34, and its upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the bracket 34. Two vertical shafts 36 are erected from this fixed base 33. One of the vertical shafts 36 is located in the middle of the fixed base 33, and the other one is located near the cassette insertion opening.

A roller 38 is pivotally supported at the intermediate portion of each of these two vertical shafts 36. Further, a rectangular flat motor bracket 42 is horizontally supported at the tip of each of the two vertical shafts 36.

A motor 44 is vertically attached to the end of the motor bracket 42 on the cassette insertion port side. A drive shaft 44A of this motor 44 passes through the motor bracket 42, extends vertically downward, and projects between the motor bracket 42 and the bracket 34. A pulley 46 around which a timing belt is wound is fixed to the tip of the protruding drive shaft 44A.

The height of the pulley 46 from the fixed base 33 is the same as the height of the roller 38 from the fixed base 33.

Further, a plate 48 is fixed to the motor bracket 42 on the back side in the insertion direction of the cassette 10, and a pulley 50 for winding the timing belt is pivotally supported on this plate 4B. A timing belt 4o is wound between the pulley 50 and the pulley 46. This timing belt 40 has protrusions provided at regular intervals on the inner circumference, and has a flat surface on the outer circumference. When the cassette 1O is inserted from the insertion port, the flat outer peripheral surface of the straight portion on the right side in FIG. 3 between the pulley 46 and the pulley 50 comes into contact with the side edge of the cassette 10. It also guides the straight portion of the timing belt 40. This timing belt 40 is made of, for example, urethane rubber.

Also on the fixed base 33 is the third rj! As shown in FIGS. J and 4, a guide plate 35 is fixed along the cassette insertion direction. The upper surface of this guide plate 35 is flush with the upper surface of the guide 28.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3.4 and 6, a movable base 52 is disposed on the side 32B side of the other of the pair of base frames 32 on the right side in FIG. 3, and a pair of base guides 54 It is guided by the timing belt 40 and is movable in the direction of coming into contact with and separating from the timing belt 40. These base guides 54
are arranged parallel to each other between the pair of base frames 32, with the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the six directions of the arrows, and both ends of each are fixed to the base frame 32.

As shown in FIG. 6, two vertical shafts 56 are erected on the movable base 52, one vertical shaft 56 is located at the middle part of the movable base 52, and the other is located at the third vertical shaft on the side of the cassette insertion port. It is located at the right end of the figure.

A roller 5B is pivotally supported at the intermediate portion of each of the two vertical shafts. Further, a flat motor bracket 60 is horizontally supported at the tip of each of the two vertical shafts 56. A motor 62 is attached to the end of the motor bracket 60 on the cassette insertion port side. A drive shaft 62A of this motor 62 passes through the motor bracket 60 and extends vertically downward between the motor bracket 60 and the bracket 3.
It stands out between. A timing belt winding pulley 64 is fixed to the tip of the drive shaft 62A. The height of this pulley 64 from the movable base 52 is
8 from the movable base 52.

Further, a plate 66 is fixed to the motor bracket 60 toward the back side in the cassette insertion direction.
A timing belt winding pulley 68 is pivotally supported. A timing belt 70 is wound between these pulleys 64 and 68. This timing belt 70 has the same structure as the timing belt 40, and is similarly arranged along the straight part of the belt 70 between the inner periphery of the straight part, y → 58, 3 contacts, 7 and 9, and 2 and 4.8. The linear portion of the timing belt 70 is guided along the cassette moving direction together with the belt guide 59.

The timing belt 70 and the timing belt 40, the pulley 50 and the pulley 6B, and the pulley 46 and the pulley 64 are each symmetrical in shape when viewed in plan.

This timing belt 70 corresponds to the timing belt 40, and the straight portion on the left side in FIG. 3 between the pulley 6B and the pulley 64 contacts the side edge of the inserted cassette, and The cassette is held between them. The timing belt 70 is made of urethane rubber, for example, like the timing belt 40.

Further, the upper surface of the movable base 52 is flush with the upper surface of the bracket 34, and a guide plate 53 is fixed along the cassette insertion direction. The upper surface of this guide plate 53 is flush with the upper surface of the guide plate 28.

As shown in FIG. 3, a cassette pressing mechanism 72 is provided at the middle portion of the back side of the movable base 52. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an endless belt 76 is fixed to the cassette pressing mechanism 72 via a bracket 78. As shown in FIGS. This belt 76 is located between a motor 74 (see FIG. 3) arranged on the side of one base frame 32 and the other base frame 32! I! It is wound between a pulley 82 attached via a straightening plate. Two guide pins 71 protrude from the upper surface of the bracket 78. These pins 71 are inserted into the elongated holes 52C provided in the movable base 52 as shown in FIG.
This guide is used for relative movement in the direction perpendicular to the cassette insertion direction.

Further, in the cassette pressing mechanism 72, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a block 84 extending longitudinally along the belt 76 is arranged on the back surface of the movable base 52. This block 84 is erected downward from the back surface of the movable base 52.

A cross-sectional plate 86 is attached to both ends of the block 84 in the longitudinal direction along the straight portion of the belt 76.
As shown in the figure, it protrudes perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the block 84. Both ends of a shaft provided along the longitudinal direction of the belt 76 are fixed to this plate 86. The shaft 88 passes through plates 90 and 91 which are fixedly protruded from both longitudinal ends of the belt 76 of the bracket 78 in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the bracket 78 is guided by the shaft 88 and is movable relative to the movable base 52 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 7.8.

A compression coil spring 92 is disposed between the plate 90 of the shaft 88 and the plate 86. Therefore, the cassette pressing mechanism 72 can move relative to the movable base 52 in the direction of arrow B against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 92.

As shown in FIG. 9, a limit switch 94 is attached to the back side of the movable base 52 via a mounting bracket 96. When the bracket 78 moves relative to the movable base 52 in the direction of arrow B in the figure against the urging force of the compression coil spring 92, the limit switch 94 is activated by a stopper plate 98 attached to the bracket 78.
It is designed to come into contact with the This stopper plate 9
8 comes into contact with the contact 94A, the bracket 78 moves by the driving force of the motor 74 transmitted via the belt 76.
movement in the direction of arrow B is stopped.

Therefore, when the X-ray film cassette 10 is held between the timing belts 40 and 70, the stopper plate 9
8 hits the contact 94A.
is compressed and is pressed and held by this urging force.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, a detector 100 is attached to the end of the movable base 52 facing the fixed base 33, closer to the cassette insertion opening. This detector 10
0 detection surface is in the direction of the cassette insertion slot (right direction in Figure 10)
facing towards. Corresponding to the detection surface of this detector 100,
On the bottom surface of the bracket 34 is a plate 102 with an angular cross-section.
The longitudinal direction is the moving direction of the movable base 52 (direction of arrow B)
installed along.

As shown in FIG. 11, this plate 102 has a through hole 102A, which is a rectangular opening, along the longitudinal direction.
A plurality of openings and non-openings are arranged alternately. These through holes 102A have different sizes. When the detection surface of the detector 100 is positioned at the edge of the through hole 102A, the position of the movable base 52 is detected.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 28A is provided in the middle portion of the guide 28, and the detection surface of the detector 104 mounted on the bracket 34 is exposed. This detection surface and the upper surface of the guide 28 are flush with each other. This detector 104 detects that the X-ray film cassette 10 is inserted through the insertion opening.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a detector 106 is fixed to the fixed base 33 via a mounting plate 105 at the back of the cassette 10 in the insertion direction. Two detectors 106 are installed with their detection surfaces facing toward the cassette insertion port.

When the front edge 24 of the cassette 10 comes into contact with this detector 106, the position of the front edge 24 of the cassette 10 is detected.

Furthermore, a plurality of optical detectors 10B are attached to the end of the fixed base 33 on the cassette 10 insertion opening side via a mounting plate 107 below the cassette insertion path. These detectors 108 are located at four points along the direction of movement of the cassette 10.
The sensor is placed with its detection surface facing upward. These detection surfaces are flush with the upper surface of the fixed base 33. The rear edge of the cassette 10 is located between these four detectors, and the position of the rear edge of the cassette 10 is detected depending on the on/off state of each detector. This allows the lengthwise size of the cassette lO to be detected.

Therefore, the size (vertical and horizontal dimensions) of the cassette 10 is detected by the detector 100 and the detector 10B.

Next, the stopper mechanism 110 determines the lid opening position of the X-ray film cassette 10 in order to fully open 1E14 of the X-ray film cassette 10 according to FIGS. 6, 12, and 13.
I will explain about it.

The stopper mechanism 110 is disposed on the intermediate lower surface side of the fixed base 33 and on the intermediate lower surface side of the movable base 52, and is symmetrical to each other.

First, the stopper mechanism 110 attached to the lower surface of the movable base 52 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the base bracket 112, which has a U-shaped cross section, has a base bracket 112 extending from the bottom 112A. A mounting portion 112B is formed which is bent in the opposite direction to the pair of leg portions 112C and 112D. The stopper mechanism 110 is attached to the back surface of the fixed base 33 and the back surface of the movable base 52 by this attachment portion 112B.

Further, one end of the pin 11 is fixed to one leg 112C of the base bracket 112 and faces toward the other leg 1!2D. Stopper plate 1 is attached to the tip of pin 11B.
One end of 16 is rotatably supported. The other end of the stopper plate 116 is bent at a substantially right angle toward the other leg 112D, and extends upward to form a stopper portion 116A. This stopper part 11
6A corresponds to a through hole 52A provided in the movable base 52. A roller 120 is in contact with the lower end surface of the intermediate portion of the stopper plate 116 .

This roller 120 is rotatably supported on the tip of a pin 121. The base end of the pin 121 is fixed to the upper end of the rotation block 122. The lower end of the zero rotation block 122 is rotatably supported by the tip of the pin 115, and the base end of the pin 115 is fixed to the leg 112c. has been done. The rotating block 122 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 13 about the pin 115 by a tension coil spring (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG.
The shaft 124A is connected to the shaft 124A. This solenoid 124 is attached to the bottom 112A.

Normal state (state where solenoid 124 is not energized)
! In this case, the rotating block 122 is urged by the urging force of a tension coil spring (not shown) and moved to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. In this state, the roller 120
is rotating around the pin 115, so the stopper plate 116 is rotating clockwise around the pin 11B. As a result, the stopper portion 116A of the stopper plate 116 is connected to the through hole 52A provided in the movable base 52.
It is pulled inward and does not protrude from the through hole 53A.

When the solenoid 124 is energized, the shaft 124A is retracted and the rotating block 122 rotates clockwise in FIG. 13 about the pin 115.

As a result, the roller 12G slides on the lower end surface of the stopper plate 116, and the stopper plays around the pin 11B)
116 counterclockwise.

As a result, the stopper portion 116 of the stopper plate 116
A passes through the through hole 52A, and the tip of the stopper portion 116A projects upward from the through hole 53A. Therefore, the front edge of the X-ray film cassette 10 moving in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 13 comes into contact with the tip of the protruding stopper plate 116, thereby positioning the cassette 10 and determining the opening position of the lid 14.

The stopper mechanism 110 is similarly provided on the lower surface side of the fixed base 33, and in this case, the stopper plate 11
The stopper part 116A of No. 6 passes through the through hole 33A (see FIG. 5) provided in the fixed base 33, and the tip of the stopper part 116A passes through the through hole 35A (see FIG. 5) of the guide plate 35.
(See Figure 5). Further, the stopper mechanism arranged on the lower surface side of the fixed base 33 and the stopper mechanism arranged on the lower surface side of the movable base 52 are operated simultaneously to maintain the front end of the X-ray film cassette 10 at right angles to the six directions of the arrows. 114 and is positioned in the open position.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, pins 128 are attached to the inner ends of the guide plate 35 on the fixed base 33 and the guide plate 53 on the movable base 52 in the cassette insertion direction through mounting blocks 127, respectively. installed. A pair of these pins 128 are arranged parallel to each other with their axial directions facing the insertion opening of the cassette 10, and correspond to a pair of through holes 18 at the front end of the cassette 10.

Therefore, by inserting the pin 128 into the pair of through holes 18 of the cassette 10 and pressing the latch 20 in the direction of arrow A, the latch 20 is removed from the inner step 16B of the side wall 16.

Next, the opening mechanism 126 for opening the lid 14 of the X-ray film cassette 10 will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 14, and 15, there is an opening mechanism 126 above the inserted cassette 10 for opening the lid.
is located. The opening mechanism 126 is provided with a pair of rotating arms 130 that are parallel to each other along the length of the cassette 10 inserted in the six directions of the arrows. The base ends of each of the pair of rotating arms 130 are pivotally supported by a bracket 132 via a pin 131. This bracket 1
32 is a zero rotation arm 1 installed upright on a base (not shown)
A pair of plates 134 are erected at right angles to each other at the tips of the shafts 30, and a shaft 135 is passed between the plates 134. The base ends of each of a pair of connecting arms 136 are rotatably supported at the intermediate portion of this shaft 135 .

Further, a tension coil spring 138 is arranged between each of the pair of plates 134 and the pair of connecting arms 136. The tension coil spring 13B biases the connecting arm 136 so that the longitudinal direction of the connecting arm 136 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rotating arm 130, as shown by the solid line in FIG. That is, the connecting arm 136
When rotated around the shaft 135 from the state shown in the figure, the tension coil spring 13B receives a tensile force, returning the connecting arm 136 to the state shown in FIG. 14.

The distal end of the connecting arm 136 rotatably supports bent sides 140A and 140B of a flat suction cup mounting bracket 140 via a pin 142. Further, a tension coil spring 144 is provided between the shaft 137, which is provided to the pair of connecting arms 136, and both side surfaces 140A and 140B of the suction cup mounting bracket 140, respectively.

This tension coil spring 144 connects the connecting arm 136
The mounting bracket 140 is biased so as to be in the state shown by the solid line in FIG.

That is, the base surface 140C of the suction cup mounting bracket 140 is urged to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connecting arm 136.

A plurality of suction cups 146 are attached to the base surface 140C of the suction cup mounting bracket 140 along the width direction of the cassette 10, and can be slid a certain amount in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the base surface 140C. These suction members 1146 are biased by a compression coil spring 145 in a direction away from the base surface 140C while maintaining their suction surfaces parallel to the surface of the base surface 140C. Further, this suction cup 146 is designed to attract the lid 14 with negative pressure from a negative pressure source (not shown).

Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 14, the suction cup 146 can suck the lid 14 of the X-ray film cassette 10 that has already been inserted when the rotating arm 130 is in a substantially horizontal state. Even when it rises as shown by the line, it rotates around the pin 142 and can maintain the suction state of the lid 14. Even if the X-ray film cassette 10 moves further in the insertion direction in this 1:14 open state, due to the rotation of the suction cup 14 (i) and the rotation of the connecting arm 136,
Care has been taken so that the opening angle of 1114 hardly changes.

Further, it is preferable that the connecting arm 136 be set at an angle close to vertical when the lid 14 is open.

A base end of a pin 133 whose tip extends toward the other rotating arm 130 is fixed to the intermediate portion of one rotating arm 130 . At the tip of this pin 133 is the t1 moving arm 1.
One end of 50 is rotatably supported. The other end of this lateral movement arm 150 is connected to the drive type Wt14B via a pin 154.
The drive arm 152 is rotatably attached to the drive arm 152 of the drive arm 152 . An intermediate portion of a drive shaft 156A passes through and is fixed to this drive arm 152. This motor 156 is attached to a motor bracket 155 fixed to a frame (not shown). Therefore, the drive shaft 156A of the motor 156
When it rotates, this rotational force is transmitted to the rotating arm 130 via the drive arm 152 and the swinging arm 150, so that the rotating arm 130 rotates around the pin 131.

FIG. 16 shows a side view of the drive device 14B viewed from the direction P in FIG. 14. Drive shaft 156A of motor 156
A fan-shaped plate 158 is attached to the detector 160 so as to sandwich the arcuate end surface of this plate 158.
is provided.

The motor 156 is driven while the end face of the plate 158 is sandwiched between the detector 160, and when the end face is removed from the detector 160, the drive of the motor 156 is stopped. Thereby, the rotation angle of the rotation arm 130 is controlled.

Next, after the lid 14 of the cassette 10 is opened, the cassette 1
The X-ray film take-out device 162 for taking out the exposed X-ray film 15 stored in the X-ray film 15 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. FIG. 17 shows a side view of the X-ray film take-out device 162, and FIG. 18 shows a front view as seen from the direction in which the cassette 10 is inserted. This X-ray film take-out device 162 is arranged at the back in the insertion direction of the cassette 10 (see FIG. 5).

The shaft 166 shown in FIG. 18 is arranged along the width direction of the cassette 10 (in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the cassette 10). This shaft 166 is rotatably supported at two locations in the middle by a pair of side plates 164 erected from a base (not shown). shaft 166
One end portion of a pair of arms 168 is fixed to each end of the arm. Each other end of the pair of arms 168 is connected to a pin 17.
The bent side plates 172A and 172B of the movable plate 172 are pivotally supported through the movable plate 172.

A pin 174 is provided on the side plate 172A of this moving plate 172.
One end of the support plate 176 is rotatably supported via the support plate 176 . The other end of this support plate 176 is attached to a frame (not shown) that is erected on a base (not shown) with a pin 1.
It is rotatably supported by a shaft at 78. , the distance between pins 17B and 174 is set equal to the distance between shafts 166 and 170, and the distance between pins 17B and shaft 166 is set equal to the distance between pins 174 and 170. has been done. Therefore, the support plate 176, the arm 168, and the side plate 172A constitute a parallel link mechanism.

Further, both side plates 172A and 172B of the movable plate 172 rotatably support both bent sides of a suction cup mounting plate 182, to which a suction cup 184 is attached, through pins 180, respectively. The suction cup mounting plate 182 generates a force to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 17 around the pin 180 due to its own weight, but the stopper 181 provided around the pin 180 keeps it in the state shown in FIG. 17 (the suction cup 184 is vertical). This rotation is stopped.

Therefore, in this parallel link mechanism, when the shaft 166 receives a driving force from a drive source (not shown) and rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Plate 176 also rotates in the same direction. As a result, moving plate 1
72 and the suction cup mounting plate 182 in the direction of the arrow.
It is rotated while maintaining the posture shown in the figure.

Further, as shown in FIG. 18, both ends of a shaft 186 are rotatably supported on the upper part of a pair of side plates 164 that are erected from a base (not shown). A roller support plate 188 is fixedly supported on this shaft 186 via bent portions at both ends thereof. Further, a through hole 188A larger than the diameter of the roller shirt 190 is provided near the cassette insertion opening at both ends of the roller support plate 18, into which both ends of the roller shirt 190 are inserted. Therefore, the roller shaft 190 can freely move within the through hole 188A.

A roller 192 is rotatably attached to the middle portion of the roller shaft 190, and is used to sandwich the X-ray film.

Further, both ends of a shaft 194 are supported by the roller support plate 188, and the end of the shaft 194 on the left side in FIG. There is.

The other end of a tension coil spring 196, one end of which is fixed to the side plate 164, is attached to this protruding end. Therefore, the roller support plate 188 is the 17th
It is biased in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow E in the figure.

The left end of the shaft 186 in FIG. 18 protrudes from the side plate 164 and has an abutment plate 198 attached thereto. The contact plate 198 has a flat portion 198A facing toward the insertion side of the cassette 10, and is rotatably supported by the shaft 186. The corner portion 172A of the movable plate 172 comes into contact with this flat portion 198A, and when the movable plate 172 moves further after the contact, the abutment plate 198 moves to the arrow E in FIG.
It is adapted to rotate around a shaft 186 in the direction.

Therefore, the rotation of the flat portion 198A causes the roller support plate 188 to rotate in the direction of arrow E against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 196. This results in
The wire film 15 is sandwiched between the roller 192 and a drive roller 200 whose both ends are pivotally supported by a pair of side plates 164.

At this time, the shaft 190 on which the roller 192 is supported
Both ends protruding from the side plate 164 are movable within the through hole 188A, so they are easily inserted into the rectangular notch 164A provided in the side plate 164, and the roller 190 is positioned. Ru.

That is, the width dimension of the notch portion 164A (the horizontal dimension in FIG.
The roller shaft 190 is inserted into the groove 4A as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 17, and even when the outer periphery of the roller 192 is in contact with the roller 200, the roller shaft 190 is sized to float above the bottom of the groove. Furthermore, when the shaft 166 and the arm 17B are rotated by the maximum amount in the counterclockwise direction as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. The dimensions are determined so as to be apart from the inner periphery of the hole 188A. As a result, when the roller support plate 188 rotates clockwise from the solid line state in FIG.
The X-ray film hits the peripheral edge 164B of the rotating roller support plate 188 and falls into the notch 164A under the force of lateral movement by the through hole 188A of the rotating roller support plate 188, and the X-ray film is held between the roller 192 and the roller 200 by the clamping force due to its own weight. 15 can be held and conveyed.

As shown in FIG. 18, the suction cup mounting plate 182 has suction! 1184 are attached along the width direction of the cassette 10. The suction surfaces of these suction cups 184 are used to hold the X-ray film 15 in the inserted X-ray film cassette 10.
is said to be parallel to the surface of Furthermore, suction cup mounting plate 1
As shown in FIG. 20, a suction cup 185 is attached to the suction cup 82, which is inclined in advance so that its suction surface faces toward the tip of the XL film 15 in the cassette.

The suction cups 184, 185 are connected to a pump 187, which is a negative pressure source, as shown in FIG. FIG. 21 shows a piping diagram between the suction cups 184, 185 and the pump 187. Tube 183 connected at one end to pump 187
The other end is branched in the 0-2 direction, and a suction cup 185 is connected to one of the two branches through a pipe 189. One end of a tube 181 is connected to the other end. The other end of the pipe 181 is branched into two directions, a negative pressure detector 191 is connected to one end, and a solenoid valve 1'15 is connected to the other end via a pipe 179.

Negative pressure detector 191 includes a tube 191A communicating with tube 181 and a limit switch 191B. tube 1
An elastic membrane 191C is stretched over the end of the tube 191A, and is elastically deformed by the negative pressure inside the tube 191A to close the limit switch 1.
A negative pressure state is detected by the contact 91B.

Further, the electromagnetic valve 195 is for opening to the atmosphere to release the negative pressure state.

Further, a suction cup 184 is connected to the pump 187 via a solenoid valve 199. This solenoid valve 199 is for controlling the supply of negative pressure to 1184.

This makes it possible to identify the state in which the xwA film 15 has been properly placed in the X-ray film cassette 10 in the previous process, and the state in which the X-ray film 15 has not been placed due to malfunction or the like.

That is, when the suction cup 184 is in a vertical state as shown in FIG. 19 and transmits negative pressure to the suction cup 184 and the suction cup 185, if the X-ray film 15 is not suctioned, that is, if the X-ray film 15 is housed in the cassette 10, the suction cup 184 is tilted in advance. 185 has a gap between it and the X-ray film 15, and negative pressure leaks, so that the elastic ll9191C shown in FIG. 21 is not deformed, and the limit switch 1
91B detects the absence of the X-ray film 15.

When the X-ray film 15 is sucked, that is, when it is housed in the cassette 10, the inclined suction cup 18
Since the X-ray film 15 is attracted by the negative pressure shown in FIG. 21, the tubes 189 and 191A in FIG. 21 maintain negative pressure, and this is detected by the limit switch 191B.

An eccentric cam 202 is brought into contact with the end of the left side surface of the suction cup mounting plate 182 in FIG. This eccentric cam is fixed to a drive shaft 206A of a motor 206 supported by a frame 204 erected on a base (not shown).

This eccentric cam 202 connects its outer periphery to the suction cup mounting plate 18.
The suction cup mounting plate 1B2 is rotated about the pin 180 in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 17.

Therefore, the suction cups 184 and 185 are tilted as shown by imaginary lines in FIGS. 19 and 20. As a result, the end of the X-ray film 15 sucked by the suction cup 184 can be peeled off from a screen (not shown) or the like stuck to the inner bottom surface of the cassette 10 and then turned over.

Note that the illustration of the cassette 10 is omitted in FIGS. 19 and 20.

It is preferable to judge whether or not the X-ray film 15 is attracted to the suction cup 185 after the suction cup 184 and the suction cup 1B5 are tilted by the eccentric cam 202 in this way. When trying to adsorb the X-ray film 15,
Erroneous detection caused by the suction cup 185 when the X-ray film cassette 10 is firmly attached to the inner bottom surface of the X-ray film cassette 10 can be eliminated.

When the end of the X-ray film 15 is sucked by the suction cup 184 and the suction cup 185, the shaft 166 rotates by receiving a driving force from a drive source (not shown), and the suction cup 184 and the suction cup 18
5 is rotated in the direction of the arrow. This allows the X-ray film 15 to be taken out from the cassette 10. Removed X-ray film 1
5 has an intermediate portion sandwiched between a roller 192 and a roller 200, and is guided by a guide roller 20B and conveyed to a developing machine (not shown).

Next, the positioning mechanism 210 for inserting the X-ray film 15 will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of film insertion positioning mechanisms 210 are arranged at the back of the film cassette 10 in the insertion direction. One is provided on the lower surface of the fixed base 33, and the other is provided on the lower surface of the movable base 52.

First, the film insertion positioning mechanism 210 attached to the lower surface of the fixed base 33 will be explained.
As shown in the drawings and FIG. 23, a sub-bracket 21G having a U-shaped cross section is disposed on the lower surface side of the fixed base 33. One leg of this U-shaped sub-bracket 216 is attached to the back surface of the fixed base 33. A stopper 214 is attached to this sub-bracket 216. Both ends of this stopper 214 penetrate through the pair of legs of the sub-bracket 216 and can be slid in the longitudinal direction, and one end extends through the through hole 33B of the fixed base 33 and the through hole 35B of the guide plate 35. It can penetrate and protrude upward.

One end of a block 220 is rotatably supported at the intermediate portion of the stopper 214 via a pin 215 . The middle portion of this block 220 is rotatably supported via the pin 218 to the bottom portion 216A of the sub-bracket 216. The other end of the block 220 is rotatably supported on a shaft 224 via a pin 222. shaft 22
Both ends of 4 pass through both legs of the sub-bracket 216,
One of them is further connected to the through hole 33B of the fixed base 33.
The through hole 35B of the guide plate 35 is movably penetrated through the guide plate 35.
It is possible to protrude from the The shaft 224 is biased by a compression coil spring 226 whose one end is supported by the sub-bracket 216 so as to protrude in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 22, that is, to protrude onto the guide plate 35.

Further, this shaft 224 is hollow, and the shaft 225
are inserted coaxially. This shaft 225 is biased in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 22 by a compression coil spring 227 whose one end is supported on the upper end surface of the shaft 224.

As a result, the end of the shaft 225 is pressed against the outer periphery of the roller 228. This compression coil spring 22
The biasing force 7 is larger than the biasing force of the compression coil spring 226.

The roller 228 with which the shaft 225 is in contact is rotatably supported by the end of the lock plate 230 on the back side in the direction in which the cassette 10 is inserted. An intermediate portion of the lock plate 230 is rotatably supported by a block 232 erected on the fixed base 33. Further, the lock plate 230 is arranged with its axial direction facing the direction in which the cassette 10 is inserted. A cushion 234 that comes into contact with the upper surface of 1114 is attached to the lower surface of the lock plate 230 on the back side where the cassette 10 is inserted. When the lid of the cassette 10 is closed, the eccentric roller 212 operates to close the lock plate 2.
30 rotates clockwise in FIG. 22 around the bottle 231,
A cushion 234 presses against the top surface of the lid 14.

The eccentric roller 212 is fixed to the axially intermediate portion of a shaft 236 whose both ends are supported by the pair of base frames 32, and its axial length is larger than the movement range of the movable base 52 in the direction of arrow B. There is.

Also, a positioning mechanism 210 for film insertion is provided on the lower surface of the movable base 52, similar to the fixed base 33.
It passes through the through hole 52B (see Fig. 6) and through the through hole 53B (see Fig. 6).
A stopper 214 is adapted to protrude from the (see FIG. 6). A lock plate 232 provided on the movable base 52 side is configured to slide on the eccentric roller 212 as the movable base 52 moves.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a pulley 238 is fixed to one end of the shaft 236 to which the eccentric roller 212 is attached, which protrudes through the base frame 32.
The timing belt 2 is wound between this pulley 238 and a pulley 239 fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 242.
The driving force of the motor 242 is transmitted through the motor 40.

When the lock plate 230 is in contact with the position where the length from the axis center of the eccentric roller 212 to the outer peripheral surface is maximum, the second
As shown in Figure 2, the stopper 214 is connected to the through hole 33B.
It penetrates through and protrudes from the first through hole 35B. The front edge 24 of this stopper 214
By this contact, the X-ray film cassette 10 is positioned and the film insertion position is determined.

As shown in FIG. 17, a roller group 244 is disposed below the guide roller 208, and is configured to send out a new Xll1 film 15 to be loaded into the empty X-ray film cassette 10. .

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

Cassette lO containing the photographed X-ray film 15
is inserted into the cassette opener in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIG. The timing bell) 70 is preliminarily separated from the timing belt 40 by a maximum amount, and the operator can insert the cassette 10 at any position between the timing belts 40 and 70, which are separated by a large distance.

When the insertion of the cassette 10 is detected by the detector 104, the motor 74 is driven and the movable base 52 is moved by the arrow B.
driven in the direction. This makes the imming belt 70
contacts one side edge of the cassette 10, presses the other side edge against the timing belt 40, and the timing belt 40.
The cassette 10 is held between the cassette 70 and the cassette 70. At this time, even if the cassette 10 is inserted diagonally with respect to the insertion direction, the timing belt 70 presses the side edge of the cassette 10 against the timing belt 40 and corrects it to a straight state, so the operator can insert the X-ray film cassette 10 does not have to be inserted correctly and straight.

Even after the cassette 10 is held between the timing belt 40 and 70, the motor 74 is driven and the cassette 10 is pressed against the timing belt 40 against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 92 (FIG. 7). When the bracket 78 moves a predetermined amount, a stop position is detected by the limit switch 94, and the drive of the motor 74 is stopped. Therefore, the cassette 10 connects the timing belt 40 to the timing belt 7.
0, the recassette 10 is always pressed and held between the timing belt 40.70 and the timing belt 40.70 with a constant pressure, and the timing belt 40.70 ensures transport in the direction indicated by the arrow. become.

Further, the position of the movable base 52 is detected by a detector 100 (FIG. 10.11) on the movable base 52. By detecting this position, the size of the cassette lO in the width direction is detected.

The cassette 10 held by the timing belt 40.70 is moved and guided in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 by the driving force of the motor 44.62, and the front edge 24 of the cassette 10 comes into contact with the detector 106. At this time, the bin 128 provided on the bracket 34 and the movable base 52 allows the cassette lO
The latch 20 is pressed and released from the inner step 16B.

Further, when the front edge 24 of the cassette 10 comes into contact with the detector 106, the position of the rear edge of the cassette 10 is detected by the detector 10B. As a result, the lengthwise size of the cassette 10 is detected, and the size of the cassette 10 is determined based on the width dimension already detected by the detector 100.

With the latch 20 released, the cassette 10 remains pressed and held between the timing belts 40 and 70, and the remoters 46 and 62 are driven in the opposite direction, and the cassette 10 is once moved and guided toward the cassette insertion slot, and then the stopper Mechanism 11
0, the stopper plate II6 protrudes from the through holes 35A and 53A. The motor 44.62 is now actuated again and the X-ray film cassette 10 is moved in the direction of arrow A so that the front edge 24 abuts against the stopper portion 116A. As a result, the cassette 10 is positioned at the lid open position.

The rotating arm 130 of the opening mechanism 126, which had been retracted upward, moves to the cassette 10 which has been positioned to the lid opening position.
4 When the suction cup 46 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the suction cup 46 falls onto the lid 14 and is attracted to it.
14 is fully opened, and from this state, the XL film take-out device 162 is activated, and the suction cup 184 is lowered to the upper end of the X-ray film 15 in the cassette 10. The presence or absence of the X-ray film 15 is determined by whether or not the inclined suction cup 185 suctions the end of the X-ray film 15.

After the suction cup 1184 suctions the edge of the X-ray film 15 with negative pressure, the eccentric cam 202 is actuated by the driving force of the motor 206, and the suction cups 184 and 185 are tilted. As a result, the end of the X-ray film 15 is turned over from the screen or the like on the inner bottom of the cassette.

Suction cups 184 and 185 that adsorbed the edges of the X-ray film 15
The X-ray film 15 is raised by rotation of the shaft 166 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Suction cup 184 is the first
When moved to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in Figure 7, the side plate 172
Since A presses the flat portion 198A, the roller support plate 188 is rotated in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 17. When the roller support plate 188 moves to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The adsorption of the X-ray film 15 is released, and the X-ray film 15 is guided by the guide roller 20[1 and transported to a developing machine (not shown).

The empty cassette 10 with the X-ray film 15 removed from the cassette 10 is further moved in the direction of arrow A with the cassette 114 left fully open, and is moved to a position where a new X-ray film 15 is inserted. In this movement, the connecting arm 136
By the rotation of the suction cup 146, the opening angle of the lid 14 is moved without greatly changing. The cassette 10 is positioned at the X-ray film 15 insertion position by a film insertion positioning mechanism 210 in which a stopper 214 operates in conjunction with a lock plate 230. Edges 24 are abutted.

A new X-ray film 15 is taken out from a magazine (not shown) into the cassette 10 positioned at this X-ray film 15 insertion position, and guided by guide rollers 244 and loaded into the cassette body.

After this loading, the lid 14 moves to the open position, the suction cup 146 that attracts the lid 14 of the cassette 10 is released, and the lid 14 descends under its own weight in the closing direction, leaving it slightly open, that is, the side wall 16 is on the inside. It reaches a state right above the stepped portion 16B. From this state, the eccentric roller 212 is actuated by the drive of the motor 242, and the stopper 214 is moved to the through hole 35B.
, 53B.

The half-open cassette 10 is further guided to move in the six directions of the arrow until the upper end of the IE 14 is located directly below the cushion 234. When the upper end of the lid 14 is located directly below the cushion 234, the eccentric roller 21 is moved again.
2 is driven by the driving force of a motor 242, and the upper end surface of the lid 14 is pressed into contact with the cushion 234. This locks the latch 20 to the inner step 16B of the cassette 10.

In this case, since the shafts 225 and 224 are movable relative to each other in the axial direction, the shaft 225 is connected to the roller 224.
8, the stopper 214 does not protrude onto the guide plate 35.The cassette 10 with the stopper 114 closed is guided by the timing belt 40.70 and moved to the insertion slot by the reverse rotation of the motor 44.62. Then, it is stopped with the end slightly protruding from the insertion port. When the timing belt 70 is separated from the timing belt 40 by the reversal of the motor 74, the grip on the X-ray film cassette 10 is released, and the X-ray film cassette 10 can be taken out.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the present invention, since the negative pressure detection means detects whether or not suction has been performed by the second suction means arranged with the suction surface inclined, it is possible to reliably detect the presence or absence of X-ray film in the cassette. This provides an excellent effect in that it can be detected.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an X-ray film cassette used in an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a half-sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an X-ray film cassette. A plan view of the opener, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the X-ray film cassette opener, and FIG. 5 shows the positional relationship of the lid opening mechanism, film take-out device, and X-ray film cassette movement guide device, and the left side of FIG. 3. Fig. 6 is a right side view of Fig. 3, and Fig. 7 is a cross section corresponding to
8 is a bottom view of FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a left side view of FIG. 7, FIG. 1O is a view taken along the line X-X of FIG. 3,
FIG. 11 shows a plate for detecting the moving position of the movable base, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line X I-X I. FIG.
Partially enlarged view of Fig. 6 corresponding to the m-xm line cross section, No. 14
The figure is a side view showing the operation of the lid opening mechanism, and Figure 15 is the 14th
The left side view of the figure, Figure 16 shows the details of the drive device, and Figure 14 shows the details of the drive device.
Fig. 17 is a side view showing the operation of the X-ray film retrieval device, Fig. 18 is a right side view of Fig. 17,
Figure 19 is a sectional view taken along the line XtX-XIX in Figure 18;
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line XX-XX in Figure 18, Figure 21 is a piping diagram of the pump and the suction cup connected to the negative pressure detector, and Figure 22 shows details of the positioning mechanism when inserting the X-ray film. Figure X
A cross-sectional view along the line X■-XX■, Figure 23 is the XXI- in Figure 22
It is a sectional view taken along the xxtn line. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... X-ray film cassette, 15... X-ray film, 182... Suction cup mounting plate, 184... Suction cup, 191... Negative pressure detection device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A film detection mechanism for a film cassette that detects the presence or absence of a film accommodated in the film cassette, in which a suction surface is arranged parallel to the end surface of the film in the film cassette and attracts the film. A first suction means, a second suction means arranged such that the suction surface is inclined with respect to the end surface of the film and which suctions the film, and whether or not the second suction means are in a negative pressure state. A film detection mechanism for a film cassette, comprising negative pressure detection means for detecting negative pressure.