EP0533773B1 - Device for interfacing between a film feeder unit and a film receiver unit - Google Patents

Abstract

In the field of photography, an interfacing device (10) is connected to a receiver unit by a first arrangement and to a feeder unit by a second arrangement. A driving roller (42) draws the photographic strip (153) out of the feeder unit so that it forms a loop (53) which triggers a control system (56) controlling the rotation speed of the motor (41). The device can be used for feeding a photographic film printer.

Description

The present invention relates to photographic printing and more particularly to an interfacing device making it possible to connect, to a printer, a very large capacity package.

Current photographic printers very often use photographic chargers, as described for example in United States patent 4,741,439. These chargers allow easy use of photographic printers since there is no longer any need for premises capable of be put in total darkness. However, given the weight of these loaders, the roll lengths are limited (less than 500 m) and there is a need to frequently renew the loaders.

The Applicant has developed a new type of packaging described in the French patent application filed on June 8, 1990 and entitled "Packaging of photographic products in strips". This package contains several strips of photosensitive product wound on mandrels carried by a spindle, each roll being able to reach lengths of approximately 1500 m or more. As indicated in the application cited above, this type of packaging has several light-tight slots through which the photosensitive strips can be extracted.

However, given the large length of each wound strip and therefore the weight of the rollers, the friction forces are high. Under these conditions, the tensile force required to extract a strip from this type of packaging is greater than the tensile force required to extract strips from relatively small capacity photographic magazines currently available on the market. This phenomenon prevents direct connection of the pullers currently available to the new type of packaging since the pulling force exerted by the feeder of the pullers does not currently have a sufficient value.

In addition, the introduction of the strips from the packaging to the printer must be possible while limiting the length of the veiled photosensitive strip to a minimum. The subject of the invention is an interfacing device capable of adapting to the packaging described in the French patent application filed on June 8, 1990 and entitled "Packaging of photographic products in strips".

The abstract of application JP-A-60 2555 published on May 18, 1985 describes a mechanism for making the feeding of paper independent of the forces of inertia and friction applied by the supply roller. This mechanism allows the formation of a paper loop to prevent inertial forces from braking the strip when feeding the paper.

Document DE-A-3 034 083 describes a processing machine in which a loop is formed between the tape cassette and the inlet of the machine which is regulated by means of a cell. The objective pursued by the formation of this loop is to allow transverse displacement of the strip while avoiding the risks of abrasion of the surface of this strip.

Document US-A-4 429 988 describes a photographic printer in which the strip describes loops making it possible to make the various systems acting on the strip practically independent.

• un premier agencement pour relier le dispositif au poste débiteur,
• un second agencement pour relier le dispositif au poste débiteur,
• des moyens pour définir une trajectoire dans laquelle la bande présente une boucle destinée à commander un système de régulation, et
• un dispositif d'entraînement placé en amont de la boucle et relié au système de régulation.

Document DE-A-3 034 083 discloses an interfacing device mounted on a machine allowing the simultaneous reception of several cassettes. In this document, the interfacing device is integral with the machine and it makes it possible to move the strips between a receiving station, the machine, and a debtor station, the cassettes. This interfacing device includes:

• a first arrangement for connecting the device to the debtor station,
• a second arrangement for connecting the device to the debtor station,
• means for defining a trajectory in which the strip has a loop intended to control a regulation system, and
• a drive device placed upstream of the loop and connected to the regulation system.

The disclosed device makes it possible to overcome the tensile force to be exerted on the strip during operation, but the introduction of the strip into the printer is not automatic and a large part of this strip is veiled.

The invention also relates to an interfacing device aiming not only to overcome the tensile force to be exerted on the strip to move it but at the same time to avoid veiling the photosensitive strip over a significant length and for which feeding is practically automatic.

The object of the invention is achieved with an interfacing device as described in claim 1.

Other advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description made with reference to the appended drawing in which the single figure schematically represents an embodiment of the interfacing device according to the invention.

The interfacing device 10 according to the invention is used to connect a debtor station 11 (of which only the part cooperating directly with the device according to the invention) in a light-tight manner to a receiver station 12 (of which only the supply port 13 is shown). The debtor station 11 is used to deliver a strip 153 of photosensitive product and can take the form of the packaging described in the French patent application filed by the plaintiff on June 8, 1990 and entitled "Packaging of photographic products in strips". debtor 11 comprises at least one outlet slot 14 delimited by an upper lip 15 and a lower lip 16. The receiving station 12 can be by example a photographic printer which comprises a feeding system making it possible to exert a given tensile force on a strip introduced into the feeding orifice 13 of the printer.

The interfacing device comprises a light-tight housing 30 provided with an inlet 31 and an outlet 32.

The outlet 32 is provided with a first arrangement consisting essentially of the lips 20 disposed at the outlet of the device. The lips 20 are designed so as to cooperate with the supply orifice 13 of the receiving station in order to obtain a light-tightness when the lips 20 penetrate into the supply orifice 13.

The inlet 31 is provided with a second arrangement making it possible to connect the device according to the invention to the debtor station 11. The lips 15 and 16 of the debtor station 11 have, for example, grooves 21 surrounding the strip 153 exiting through the slot 14. The interfacing device has a complementary part 22 to the grooves 21 designed to cooperate with the grooves so that, during operation, the cooperation of the grooves 21 and the complementary part 22 ensure a light tightness.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the complementary part 22 is fixed on a movable member 23. The member 23 slides on columns 24 secured to the housing 30; it is connected to the housing 30 by means of a bellows 25 making it possible to maintain the light-tightness. It is obvious that other embodiments can be envisaged for connecting the outlet slot of the debtor station to the inlet 31 of the device 10 according to the invention. The preferred debtor item is similar to the packaging described in the French patent application filed on June 8, 1990 and entitled "Packaging of photographic products in strips". This package includes several individual strips arranged next to each other and leaving the package through the light-tight slot 14. As indicated in the aforementioned request during the use of the packaging, the latter is displaced by the distance equal to that between the longitudinal axes of two strips to use the next strip when a strip is finished.

The movable member 23 slides on the columns 24 between on the one hand a retracted position in which the device does not cooperate with the debtor station and in which one can introduce a strip leaving the debtor station in said device and on the other hand a deployed position in which it cooperates with the debtor station to ensure, in operation, the light tightness. In addition, this movement simplifies the mechanism for correctly positioning the debtor station. In fact, the latter needs to be located with reference to the interfacing device and the movement of the movable member makes it possible to limit the positioning accuracy of the debtor station to two dimensions.

The device according to the invention also comprises a drive device 40 provided with a motor 41 connected to a drive roller 42. The drive roller is associated with a pressure roller 43 biased by springs 44 so as to come in contact with the drive roller 42. Downstream of the drive device, there are curved guides 45 delimiting a chute 47 through which the strip of photosensitive paper is passed.

To supply the interfacing device 10 according to the invention, the movable member 23 is placed in its retracted position in order to provide a space between the interfacing device 10 and the debtor station 11. In the retracted position, a cam 46 carried by the movable member 23 cooperates with the pressure roller 43 to move it away from the drive roller 42 and provide a free space between the drive roller or motor 42 and the pressure roller 43. After having placed the movable member in its retracted position, manually introduced the strip exiting from the slot 14 between the drive roller 42 and the pressure roller 43, then the movable member 23 is again placed in the deployed position. At this time, the complementary part 22 cooperates with the grooves 21 ensuring the seal. The pressure roller 43, no longer in contact with the cam 46 and being biased by the springs 44, presses the strip on the drive roller 42. The motor 41 is then excited which has sufficient torque to extract the strip from the slot 14 of the debtor station 11. The strip then enters the chute 47 and reaches a mobile carriage 48, guided for example on a rod 70 and provided with a roller 49 free in rotation and a deflector 50. During the loading, the movable carriage 48 is in the high position (in broken lines) so that the deflector 50 directs the strip over a roller 51 for deflection towards a second pair of guides 52. This second pair of guides directs the strip towards the outlet 32 between the lips 20. A detection system (not shown) indicates the exit of the strip between the lips 20. It is obvious that in place of a detection, a time delay or any other means can be used equivalent. When the strip leaves the device 10, the carriage 48 is lowered while moving the strip by means of the driving roller 42 so as to form a loop 53. The roller 49 serves to deflect the strip so as to form the loop while the roller return 51 allows to orient the strip towards the exit 32. On the trajectory of the mobile carriage 48, there are detection means shown diagrammatically by rocker switches 54 and 55 allowing the length of the loop to be known. The detection means 54, 55 are connected to a regulation system 56. The regulation system makes it possible to control the speed of rotation of the motor 41. When the switch 55 is operated indicating that the carriage 48 is in its lowest position the motor 41 is stopped this which has the effect of reducing the length of the loop 53 when the printer drives photosensitive product in a strip. When the two-position switch 54 indicates that the carriage is in its low position, the motor 41 moves the strip at a speed close to the speed required for correct operation of the printer and when the switch 54 indicates that the carriage is towards at the top, the motor drives the tape at a much higher speed than that of the printer.

In view of the fact that the rollers 49 and 51 are free to rotate, the friction forces exerted on the strip are limited to the maximum. The loop thus defines a means for limiting the tensile forces necessary for the extraction of the strip. The motor 41 serves to supply the strip and the loop serves to control this delivery. The interfacing device 10 according to the invention serves as an adapter between the traction forces. This device makes it possible to supply a printer equipped with a low traction force supply device with a debtor station for which the traction force necessary to extract the strip is greater than the traction force likely to be exerted by the photographic printer.

One can also envisage improvements to the interfacing device according to the invention. Instead of making a single loop, a series of several loops can be produced, thus providing a time delay allowing the band to be changed with bonding between the bands. It will however be necessary to provide a system for detecting the bonding so as not to make an exposure on the part of the veiled strip existing in the vicinity of the bonding since the band exited through the slot 14 of the debtor station 11. It is also possible to provide an automatic bonding device used to join a band to the preceding band. It is obvious that one can also use a second arrangement capable of receiving all of the strips and which will deliver the strip only when the preceding strip has been consumed.

Claims (2)

1. Interface device between a receiving station (12) of web photosensitive product fitted with a feed opening (13) and a driving device liable to move a web (153) inserted into the feed opening (13) with a given tension force, and a feeding device (11) delivering the said web through at least a discharge slot (14), and for which the tension force to be exerted onto the web for pulling it out of the feeding device (11), is higher than the given tension force, such device comprising:

   a) a first means (20) light-tight when it participates with the receiving station (12) to connect the said device with the receiving station and allow the web to enter the receiving station ;

   b) a second means (22, 23, 24, 25) having a feed opening and means to provide, during operation light tightness at the discharge slot of the feeding device ;

   c) means for, when in service, moving the web over a first trajectory in which the web has one loop (53) at least in order to limit the required tension forces to be applied onto the web so as to move it out of said interface device at a value lower than the given tension force ;

   d) a regulating system controlled by said means for moving the web ;

   e) a driving device (41, 42, 43) set upstream of the said loop, exerting onto the web entering the second means, tension forces high enough to pull the web out of the feeding device and connected to the regulating system (56) so as to limit the variations in the loop dimensions around a medium position ;
   device characterized in that said second means is provided with an element (23,25) movable between a retracted position wherein the interfacing device does not cooperate with the feeding device and wherein introduction in said interfacing device of a web which exits from the feeding device is possible, and an extended position wherein it participates with the feeding device to provide, during operation, light tightness, and in that the interface device comprises means for, once the web has been introduced in the feed opening of said second means being in its retracted position and after said second means has been placed in its extended position, moving the web exiting from the feeding device over a second feeding trajectory connecting said first means to said second means and then forming said loop.
2. Device in accordance with claim 1, in which, on the one hand, the driving device comprises a driving roller (42) and a freely rotating compression roller (43) which is urged so as to come into contact with the driving roller and, on the other hand, the displacement of the mobile element to its retracted position (46) separates the compression roller from the driving roller in order to permit manual feeding of the web which exits from the feeding device between the driving roller and the compression roller.

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