Photography – With film drive – Mechanical detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-04-03
Gray, David M. (Department: 2851)
Photography
With film drive
Mechanical detail
C396S513000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210048
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on application No. H09-270055 filed in Japan, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera supporting the advanced photo system, and more particularly, to a camera being small in size and having minimum functions necessary for the new photographic system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, a new photographic system called advanced photo system (hereinafter, referred to as new system) has been introduced, and cameras and films supporting this system have been commercialized. This system has been spreading because it is superior to the conventional system using the 135 film in camera size reduction and convenience in photographing.
First, a film supporting the new system will briefly be described.
FIGS. 1 and 2
are perspective views of a film cartridge for the new system (hereinafter, referred to as cartridge
1
) viewed from above and below, respectively. A film
10
is housed being wound around a rotatable spool
3
in the cartridge
1
and the spool
3
can receive rotation from a driving system of the camera by a subsequently-described spindle key being engaged in a key groove
3
a
formed in the spool
3
. A light lock door
6
is provided at a film outlet
5
. A subsequently-described opening and closing key of a predetermined configuration is inserted into a key hole
4
having a locking portion
4
a
and a rotary portion
4
b
, and is rotated in the key hole
4
, so that the light lock door
6
is opened. This enables the film
10
to be sent out.
On the side of the upper surface
1
a
of the cartridge
1
, a data disk
2
rotatable integrally with the spool
3
is fixed. On the data disk
2
, film information such as the number of exposures and the ISO speed of the film is recorded by means of a bar code
2
a
. The film information can be read out by an optical sensor provided in the camera. At the lower surface
1
b
of the cartridge
1
, marks
7
(“unused”
7
a
, “exposed partway”
7
b
, “fully exposed”
7
c
and “developed”
7
d
) representing the film use condition are provided. The film use condition is indicated by one of the marks
7
being displayed in white according to the stop position of a white indicator
8
rotatable integrally with the spool
3
(in
FIG. 2
, the film use condition is “unused”
7
a
).
Since the relative positions of the indicator
8
, the bar code
2
a
and the key groove
3
a
are fixed, the position of the indicator
8
can be recognized by the optical sensor for reading out the bar code
2
a
or a mechanism for detecting the position of the subsequently-described spindle key rotatable integrally with the key groove
3
a
. The operation of stopping the indicator
8
at one of the positions of the “unused”
7
a
, the “exposed partway”
7
b
, the “fully exposed”
7
c
and the “developed”
7
d
will be called VEI setting (VEI is an abbreviation of “visual exposure information”).
In a typical camera supporting the new system, as shown in
FIG. 3
, a cartridge chamber
21
where the cartridge
1
is loaded is disposed on one side of a camera
20
, and a cartridge chamber lid
22
for insertion of the cartridge
1
is provided at an end of the cartridge chamber
21
. On the other side of the camera
20
, a winding spool
26
for winding the film
10
therearound is disposed.
When the cartridge
1
is loaded into the cartridge chamber
21
, the light lock door
6
of the cartridge
1
is opened, the film use condition is determined based on the position of the data disk
2
, and the film information is read out from the bar code
2
a
formed on the data disk
2
. When the film use condition is “unused”, an operation to transport the film
10
to the first frame is necessary. When the film use condition is “exposed partway”, an operation to wind the film
10
being exposed partway around the winding spool
26
is necessary. When the cartridge
1
is taken out, an operation to record the film use condition on the film cartridge
1
according to the position of the indicator
8
and close the light lock door
6
is necessary. Since these operations are complicated, automatic control by motor driving is indispensable. At present, winding and rewinding the film
10
by motor driving is a function provided in most cameras. In addition to this function, cameras are desired to have a function to automatically perform an operation to lock and a unlock the cartridge chamber lid
22
in order to prevent the film
10
from being damaged by the user inadvertently opening the cartridge chamber lid
22
during photographing.
An example of operations necessary for the motor driving and other operations will be described on the time series by use of a brief flowchart shown in FIG.
4
. In the figure, the operations enclosed by broken lines are manually performed by the user According to the flowchart, first, the cartridge
1
is loaded into the cartridge chamber
21
and the cartridge chamber lid
22
is closed (operation number
201
). Then, the cartridge chamber lid
22
is automatically locked (
202
) and the light lock door
6
is opened (
203
). Then, the spool
3
is rotated in the rewinding direction, and the position of the data disk
2
and the data on the data disk
2
are read out (
204
,
205
). When the film use condition is “fully exposed” or “developed”, the operation shifts to the subsequently-described VEI setting. When the film use condition is “unused” or “exposed partway”, the film
10
is sent out (
206
, hereinafter, this operation will be referred to as thrust driving), it is detected that the tip of the film
10
is caught by the winding spool
26
(
207
), the film
10
is wound up around the spool
26
until the first frame or the first unexposed frame (
208
,
209
) reaches an exposure portion of the camera and the operation is stopped. These operations will be referred to as initial loading.
When the user turns on a rewinding switch (
210
), the operation shifts to a subsequently-described rewinding driving. When the user performs photographing (
211
), winding-up driving is performed by one frame for each photographing (
212
). When all the frames have been exposed (
213
), rewinding driving of the film
10
is performed (
214
), the VEI setting is performed to stop the indicator
8
at a position corresponding to the film use condition and the operation is stopped (
215
). When the user turns on a switch for unlocking the cartridge chamber lid
22
(
216
), the light lock door
6
is closed (
217
) and the cartridge chamber lid
22
is unlocked (
216
), so that the cartridge chamber lid
22
is openable (
219
).
A driving mechanism of a camera capable of performing the above-described series of operations is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. H9-211590.
In the driving mechanism of this conventional example, a planet gear is provided for each of the operations of winding-up driving, rewinding driving, thrust driving, opening and closing driving of the light lock door
6
(including the cartridge chamber lid locking mechanism), and the operations are controlled by contact between a cam and followers of planet carriers holding the planet gears. For this reason, the number of parts is large, so that size reduction of the camera is difficult and the cost increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a camera having a driving mechanism enabling reduction in the number of parts, not requiring a large space and being excellent in cost performance although having necessary functions.
To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a camera is provided with: at least one motor; a spindle gear (i.e. a gear having a spindle) for rewinding and thrusting a film; a cam that rotates together with the spindle gear when the spindle gear is rotated in a film-rewinding direction and that remains at rest when the spindle gear is rotated in a film-thrusting direction; a direction-limiting mechanism f
Nakamura Ikushi
Tanaka Yoshiharu
Tanii Junichi
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Gray David M.
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
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