Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Identifying – composing – or selecting
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-06
2004-01-06
Nguyen, Henry Hung (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Identifying, composing, or selecting
C355S075000, C358S506000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06674508
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photographic film conveying device which, while conveying a strip-shaped photographic film on which images are recorded, reads the images of the photographic film by an image reading means such as a scanner or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are digital image processing devices for photographic films which, while conveying a photosensitive material, on which images are recorded, at a predetermined reading speed, read the images of the photographic film by a line scanner which is a CCD line sensor or the like, and use the image data obtained by this reading to record the images onto a recording material or display the images on a display or the like. In such a digital image processing device, for example, prescanning, in which the images of the photographic film are read at a relatively rough resolution by the line scanner, is carried out while the photographic film is conveyed in one direction along a conveying path by conveying roller pairs. After the image sizes and the dynamic ranges and the like of the images recorded on the photographic film have been confirmed, the conveying direction of the photographic film by the conveying roller pairs is reversed. While the photographic film is being conveyed in this opposite direction, fine scanning is carried out in which, on the basis of the data obtained by prescanning, the images of the photographic film are read at a high resolution.
There are digital image processing devices in which a film receiving section, which receives the photographic film after reading (fine scanning) has been completed, is connected to the final end portion of the conveying path of the photographic film. In such a film receiving portion are disposed, for example, a discharge roller pair which is formed of a driving roller and a driven roller, and a roller driving section which transmits torque to the driving roller of the discharge roller pair so as to rotate the driving roller in a predetermined direction. Here, when one end portion of the photographic film is discharged from the final end portion of the conveying path, the driving roller of the discharge roller pair is rotated by the torque from the roller driving section while the photographic film is nipped by a nip portion of the discharge roller pair. In this way, the photographic film is pulled into the film receiving section from the film feed-out path due to the conveying force from the discharge roller pair. When the other end portion of the photographic film separates from the nip portion of the discharge roller pair toward the downstream side thereof, the discharging of the photographic film into the film receiving section is completed.
However, in the above-described digital image processing device, while the photographic film is conveyed at a constant reading speed along the conveying path, fine scanning is carried out in which the images of the photographic film are read by a line scanner at a high resolution. At this time of fine scanning, when the end portion of the photographic film reaches the discharge roller pair of the film receiving section, the conveying speed of the photographic film at the image reading position by the line scanner fluctuates.
Namely, even if the driving roller of the discharge roller pair rotates at a rotating speed which corresponds to the reading speed, a resistance to conveying is applied, even if for an extremely short time, to the photographic film when the photographic film abuts the nip portion of the discharge roller pair. This resistance to conveying is transferred to the conveying roller pair through the photographic film, and causes a change in the rotating speed of the conveying roller pair. Further, after the photographic film is nipped by the nip portion of the discharge roller pair and conveying is started, it is difficult to make the conveying speed of the photographic film by the discharge roller pair exactly match the reading speed. Thus, an increase in tension or slack is generated at the portion of the photographic film between the discharge roller pair and the conveying roller pair. This increase in tension or slack of the photographic film causes a change in load of the conveying roller pair, and a change in the rotational speed is caused.
Such a change in the conveying speed of the photographic film at the reading position is a cause of deterioration in the accuracy of reading the image by the line scanner, and for example, is a cause of defects in image quality such as jitters in the image which is reproduced by the image information obtained by fine scanning.
Moreover, in a case in which the conveying speed of the photographic film by the discharge roller pair is faster than the reading speed which is the speed of conveying the photographic film by the conveying roller pair, when the photographic film is in a state of being conveyed by both the conveying roller pair and the discharge roller pair, the tension at the photographic film increases as time passes, and there is the concern that the photographic film may be damaged by this tension.
Further, there are digital image processing devices in which a film supplying section is connected to one end portion of the reading conveying path. Such a film supplying section is provided with, for example, a film holder in which is set a film bundle in which a plurality of photographic films are stacked together; a feed roller which separates one photographic film from the film bundle set in the film holder, and feeds this photographic film to a film supply path connected to the reading conveying path; and a conveying roller pair which conveys the photographic film along the film supply path to the reading conveying path. In such a digital image processing device, one photographic film is separated, by the feed roller, from the topmost portion or the bottommost portion of the film bundle set in the film holder, and is conveyed to the reading conveying path along the film supply path.
In a conventional digital image processing device such as that described above, after fine scanning of one photographic film is completed and that photographic film is discharged from the reading conveying path, the next photographic film is fed into the film supply path by the feed roller by the film supplying section, and the photographic film is conveyed to the reading conveying path along the film supply path. As a result, a period of time, which corresponds to the path length of the film supply path in the film supplying section and to the film conveying speed, is required from the time after the preceding photographic film has been discharged from the reading conveying path until the time the next photographic film is supplied to the reading conveying path. Accordingly, in a case in which the film supply path is long, the period of time from the time the preceding photographic film is discharged from the reading conveying path to the time when the next photographic film is conveyed to the reading conveying path (i.e., the replacement time) is long. In particular, when the film supplying section is mounted to the main body of the image processing device as an optional unit, in most cases, the length of the film supply path is long due to the requirements imposed by the layout.
Moreover, there are digital image processing devices in which the film supplying section, at which can be set a film bundle in which a plurality of photographic films are stacked, is connected to one end portion of the reading conveying path, and the film receiving section, which receives the photographic film for which reading has been completed, is provided at the other end portion of the reading conveying path. In this digital image processing device, one photographic film is separated from the topmost portion or the bottommost portion of the film bundle by the film bundle by the film supplying section, and this photographic film is automatically supplied to the reading conveying path. In this digital image processing device, pres
Ando Shigeru
Kaneko Yasuhiro
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Nguyen Henry Hung
LandOfFree
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