Patent ID: 6035520
Filing Date: 2000-03-14
Classification: G03B,Y10T

Abstract:
A film unit manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a film unit having a cartridge chamber and a film roll chamber which hold a cartridge shell and a roll of photo filmstrip respectively, wherein the cartridge shell contains an entire length of the filmstrip before being exposed, and is able to advance the filmstrip out of the cartridge shell by rotating a spool of the cartridge shell in an unwinding direction, the apparatus comprising:a film leader advancing device comprising a spool drive shaft and a film leading end detection device for detecting the leading end of the filmstrip, the film leader advancing device advancing the filmstrip out of the cartridge shell by rotating the spool through the spool drive shaft and stopping the spool drive shaft when the film leading end detection device detects the leading end of the filmstrip at a predetermined position out of the cartridge shell;a rotational position detecting device for detecting a rotational position of the spool at the stop of the spool drive shaft based on a rotational position of the spool drive shaft;a winding device having a film supply shaft to engage the spool of the cartridge shell therewith and a winding shaft to engage the leading end of the filmstrip therewith, the winding device withdrawing the filmstrip from the cartridge shell and winding the filmstrip into a roll by rotating the winding shaft;an adjusting device for adjusting a rotational position of the film supply shaft to the rotational position of the spool that is detected by the rotational position detecting device, before the spool is disengaged from the spool drive shaft and is engaged with the film supply shaft; anda loading device for loading the roll of the filmstrip and the cartridge shell in the film roll chamber and the cartridge chamber of the film unit respectively.