Automatic film processing apparatus

Abstract: An automatic film processing apparatus comprises a detector plate 3 which is projected upward when cartridges 4 are placed in cartridge case 5 with an adverse manner. Limit switches 6A, 6B detect the upward displacement of the detector plate 3 and present a warning signal to an operator.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic film processing apparatus and particularly, to a processing apparatus for feeding out sheets of film one by one from their respective cartridges installed in a cartridge case and subjecting them to development and other processes. Such a processing apparatus for feeding out sheets of film one by one from their respective cartridges installed in a cartridge case is known in the form of an automatic film development apparatus. The automatic film development apparatus is provided in which sheets of film are fed out one by one from their respective cartridges installed in a cartridge case, developed, and rewound back into their respective cartridges. If the cartridges are installed in the cartridge case with an adverse manner, barcodes provided on them may incorrectly be read with a sensor reader mounted beneath the cartridge case in the automatic film development apparatus as well as will fail to release their film sheets, causing an interruption of the automatic processing action. Recovery from the interruption is not an easy task. For avoiding such an interruption, the installation of the cartridges in the cartridge case is viewed and checked by the operator in the prior art. However, the cartridges in the cartridge case are all alike when viewed from above and even if some are installed in a wrong direction, they appear in square forms and will hardly be detected. US-A-5452037 discloses a magazine for holding plurality of film cartridges and method handling thrust film cartridges in a photo-finishing process using the magazine. The magazine comprises a plurality of retaining pockets, each pocket designed to hold a film thrust cartridge. Each thrust cartridge having a rotatably mounted spool therein for holding a filmstrip wound around the spool. The magazine includes a flexible retaining member associated with each of the pockets for allowing insertion or removal of the thrust cartridge from the pocket and for retaining the thrust cartridge in a predetermined position when the thrust cartridge is disposed in the pocket. The support member has a first access opening for allowing placement of the cartridge into the pocket and for allowing access to the spool of the thrust cartridge such that the spool can be rotated thrusting the film strip out of the cartridge or rewound back into the cartridge and a second access opening associated with each of the pockets for allowing the film strip to be removed from the thrust cartridge or returned to the thrust cartridge while the cartridge is in the pocket. According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic film processing apparatus including conveyable cartridge cases, each having a number of pockets therein, each pocket having a shape corresponding to the elaborate configuration of a film cartridge, each pocket being formed with a projection such that when a cartridge is inserted in the pocket in the correct orientation the projection enters a recess of the cartridge and the cartridge does not protrude from the pocket more than a predetermined level, whereas if a cartridge is inserted in the pocket in an incorrect orientation the projection does not enter the recess and the cartridge does protrude by more than the predetermined level; and a detecting means capable of detecting that at least one of the film cartridges carried in respective pockets of any cartridge case protrudes by more than the predetermined level in order to determine whether or not the cartridges are inserted in the correct orientation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the entire arrangement of an automatic film processing apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a cartridge; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view showing a primary part of a cartridge case; Fig. 4 is a side view of a primary section of the automatic film processing apparatus; Fig. 5 is a side view of the primary section of the automatic film processing apparatus; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the primary section of the automatic film processing apparatus; Fig.7 is a side view of the primary section of the automatic film processing apparatus; Fig.8 is a perspective view of the primary section of the automatic film processing apparatus; Fig.9 is a cross sectional view of the primary section of the automatic film processing apparatus; Fig.10 is an explanatory view showing a second embodiment of the present invention; and Fig.11 is an explanatory view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 An embodiment of the present invention as defined in claim 1 will be described referring to Figs.1 to 6. When a cartridge case 5 carrying a number of film cartridges 4 therein is loaded into a case loading station 21, the detector plate 3 with limit switches 6A and 6B installed in a detecting mechanism 7 are lowered to a predetermined level. The detector plate 3 may fixedly be mounted to the predetermined level for allowing the cartridge case 5 to be loaded along and on the lower end thereof. The detecting mechanism 7 has support rods 71 thereof extending across slots 31 provided in the detector plate 3 to support the same. The detector plate 3 is supported in the slots 31 for upward and downward displacement in relation to the support rods 71. The orientation of the cartridges 4 is examined by the detector plate 3 in the following fashion. The cartridge 4 has a tailored recess 41 partially provided in one side thereof, as best shown in Fig.2, and a barcode printed on a base side thereof near the opening. The cartridge case 5 has a projection 51 thereof formed to fit into the recess 41 when the cartridge 4 is installed in its correct orientation, as shown in Figs.3 and 6, and a barcode reading aperture 52 provided in the bottom thereof. As the cartridges 4 are loaded in their correct orientation, their recesses 41 come in direct engagement with the corresponding projections 51 of the cartridge case 5 as shown in Fig.4. If any of the cartridges 4 is in a wrong orientation, it is blocked by the projection 51 and remains protruded. This causes the detector plate 3 to be lifted up with at least one of the limit switches 6A and 6B activated to produce and present a warning signal to the operator. The warning signal is indicative of the incorrect orientation of the cartridge 4 and allows the operator to unload the cartridge case 5 from the case loading station 21 and after correcting the orientation of the cartridge 4, load it back again. As all the cartridges 4 have been installed in the correct orientation in the cartridge case 5, the procedure of development is commenced. The procedure starts with conveying the cartridge case 5 to a film unloading station 22. More specifically, the cartridge case 5 is conveyed step by step with a drive gear 29, located above, meshed with and driving a rack 54 mounted on the upper side thereof, as shown in Fig.7. Referring to Fig.8, the cartridge case 5 has a row of slits 53 provided in one edge thereof at equal intervals corresponding to the cartridges 4 therein. Each step movement of the cartridge case 5 is hence executed by an action of the drive gear 29 synchronized with the detection of the corresponding slit 53 with a photointerruptor 28 mounted in the film unloading station 22. Upon the cartridge case 5 reaching and stopping at a specific location, a film unloading unit 8 is forwarded at a right angle to the conveying direction of the cartridge case 5 so that its drive shaft 81 comes into engagement with the spool of the first cartridge 4 in the cartridge case 5, as shown in Fig.9. Rotation of a motor 86 drives via the drive shaft 81 the spool of the first cartridge 4 to release a sheet of film. In more detail, the film unloading unit 8 includes a couple of the drive shafts 81 for matching a construction of the cartridge case 5. The two drive shafts 81 are mounted on a frame 82 of the film unloading unit 8 which can slide along and on an axle 85. The two shafts 81 are driven by belts 84 running on pulleys 83 respectively which are movable laterally with the frame 82. More particularly, the frame 82 is slidably mounted on the axle 85 for relative movement to each other. The pulleys 83 are movable axially of the axle 85 and also rotatable together with the axle 85. For this purpose, key and slot means e.g. of polygon cross section are provided on the pulleys 83 and the axle 85. The film sheet unloaded from the cartridge 4 is temporarily taken up in an intermediate cartridge 23 and after the intermediate cartridge 23 is turned upside down, withdrawn and joined to a film leader 24. During the action, the drive gear 29 advances by another step the cartridge case 5 to feed the second cartridge 4 at the unloading location. Then, the film unloading unit 8 repeats the film unloading action. When all the cartridges 4 in the cartridge case 5 have been exhausted, the cartridge case 5 is conveyed by a conveyor belt 26 to a film loading station 27. The sheets of film from the cartridges 4 are developed in a processing station 25 and after separated from the film leaders, loaded back into their respective cartridges 4 in the cartridge case 5 having been conveyed. For loading the sheet of film into the cartridge 4, ID data on the cartridge 4 is examined for collation. Embodiment 2 The detecting means may be a height detector mechanism, shown in Fig.10, comprising a plate 101, detector bars 102, and limit switches 103 for examining the orientation of cartridges. If any cartridge 4' is installed in a wrong orientation with the plate 101 being lowered, it blocks the bar 102 causing the limit switch 103 to switch on. Embodiment 3 The detecting means may be a combination of a light emitter 104 and a photoreceptor 105 located over the cartridge case 5. When a beam of light from the light emitter 104 is interrupted, there is at least a cartridge which is installed in a wrong orientation. Preferably, the detecting means is arranged movable upward and downward for allowing a cartridge case 5 to pass for loading. The present invention is not limited to a type of the automatic film processing apparatus but applicable with equal success to any apparatus such as an automatic printer which handles a cartridge case(s). According to the embodiments of the present invention, the installation of cartridges is significantly examined to prevent any possible trouble hence contributing to both the higher efficiency and the smooth operation of the automatic film processing apparatus.

Claims: An automatic film processing apparatus including conveyable cartridge cases (5), each having a number of pockets therein, each pocket having a shape corresponding to the elaborate configuration of a film cartridge (4), characterised in that : each pocket being formed with a projection (51) such that when a cartridge (4) is inserted in the pocket in the correct orientation the projection (51) enters a recess (41) of the cartridge (4) and the cartridge (4) does not protrude from the pocket, more than a predetermined level, whereas if a cartridge (4) is inserted in the pocket in an incorrect orientation the projection (51) does not enter the recess (41) and the cartridge does protrude by more than the predetermined level; and a detecting means capable of detecting that at least one of the film cartridges (4) carried in respective pockets of any cartridge case protrudes by more than the predetermined level in order to determine whether or not the cartridges (4) are inserted in the correct orientation. An automatic film processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises: a detector plate (3); support rods (71) extending across slots (31) provided in the detector plate (3) to support upward and downward displacement of the detector plate (3); and limit switches (6A and 6B) for presenting a warning signal in accordance with upward displacement of the detector plate. An automatic film processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises: detector bars (102) movable upward and downward; a plate (101) allowing vertical movement of the detector bars (102) which pass through slots provided in the plate (101); and limit switches (103) for presenting a warning signal in accordance with upward displacement of the detector bars (102). The automatic film processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises: a light emitter (104) emitting a beam of light toward a photoreceptor (105), the photoreceptor (105) presenting a warning signal when there is at least one cartridge (4) which is inserted in a pocket in an incorrect orientation and the beam of light from the light emitter (104) is interrupted by the cartridge (4).

Inventors: KOJIMA MASAYUKI, KOJIMA, MASAYUKI
Applicants: NORITSU KOKI CO LTD, NORITSU KOKI CO., LTD.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: G03D13
IPC codes: G03D13