Patent ID: 6343880
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A camera loadable with a photo film cassette including a cassette shell, a spool contained in said cassette shell in a rotatable manner, and a photo film wound about said spool in a roll form, said camera comprising:a cassette holder chamber for containing said cassette shell; a roll chamber into which said photo film is advanced from said cassette shell; a spool drive shaft, disposed to project from an inside of said cassette holder chamber, connected with said spool, for rotating in an unwinding direction, to feed said photo film from said cassette shell, and for rotating in a winding direction, to wind said photo film back to said spool; a take-up spool, disposed to project from an inside of said roll chamber, for rotating in a take-up direction, to take up said photo film from said cassette shell; a motor for making a forward rotation to feed said photo film, and a backward rotation to return said photo film; a sun and planet gear mechanism, including: (a) a sun gear for rotating in a first direction in response to said motor forward rotation, and for rotating in a second direction in response to said motor backward rotation; (b) a feeding planet gear and a returning planet gear, meshed with said sun gear; (c) an arm for supporting said sun gear and said feeding and returning planet gears in a rotatable manner, and supporting said feeding and returning planet gears in a revolvable manner; a first feeding transmission gear, meshed with said feeding planet gear revolved about said sun gear, for transmitting rotation of said sun gear in said first direction to said spool drive shaft, to cause said spool drive shaft to rotate in said unwinding direction; a second feeding transmission gear, meshed with said feeding planet gear revolved about said sun gear, for transmitting rotation of said sun gear in said first direction to said take-up spool, to cause said take-up spool to rotate in said take-up direction; a returning transmission gear, meshed with said returning planet gear revolved about said sun gear, for transmitting rotation of said sun gear in said second direction to said spool drive shaft, to cause said spool drive shaft to rotate in said winding direction; wherein said first and second feeding transmission gears and said returning transmission gear are provided coaxially with one another.