FR2507346A1 - APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING RADIOGRAPHIC FILM CASSETTES - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION RELATES TO AN APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING CASSETTES OF RADIOGRAPHIC FILMS. THIS APPARATUS INCLUDES A 12 TO 20 CONVEYOR DEVICE WHICH CAN BE SWITCHED TO AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT SPEEDS OF WHICH THE GREATEST IS EQUAL TO THE EXTRACTION SPEED OF FILM 22 FROM CASSETTE 1 AND THE SMALLEST IS SUITED TO THE INTRODUCTION SPEED IN THE DEVELOPMENT MACHINE 8. APPLICATION TO AUTOMATIC PLANTS FOR PROCESSING RADIOGRAPHIC FILMS WITH MODERATE PRODUCTION.

Description

Apparatus for discharging cassettes of radiographic films

  The invention relates to an apparatus for discharging cassettes of radiographic films, which comprises means for automatically opening the cassette and a device for extracting the film contained in the cassette, which can be transferred directly or indirectly to a machine of development. an apparatus of this type is known from the European patent application 17 269. In order to be able to unload the cassettes as quickly as possible, an accumulator magazine is provided in which the film extracted from the cassette is introduced at a high speed. opposite the cassette, there is provided an extraction device which extracts the films in the order of the introduction and at a speed which

  corresponds to that of the development machine.

  In many applications, the number of X-rays is not large enough to justify the acquisition of a relatively complicated and expensive accumulator magazine. However, on the other hand, even in these cases, it is not appropriate that the person in charge of the service of the machine is mobilized very

  long time to unload a cassette.

  The object of the invention is therefore to improve an apparatus of the aforementioned type so as to allow easy and non-aggressive unloading with possibility

  to delete the accumulator magazine.

  According to the invention this problem is solved by a device characterized by a carrier that can be switched to at least two different speeds, the first higher speeds being equal to the film extraction speed of the cassette and the second speed, - lower, being adapted to the

  speed of introduction into the development machine.

  The invention enables unloading -2-

  direct in the development machine without accumula-

  intermediate, at the same time as unloading

  cassette can occur in a relatively short time.

short time.

  In one embodiment of the invention, applied to devices in which an accumulator is used because of the very large amount of work, it is arranged to treat a radiography preferably in relation to radiographs that are in the accumulator For this purpose, it is expected, in parallel with an arranged accumulator store

  in a known arrangement, a device made in accordance

  to the invention, and it is possible to select either the tra Jet passing through the accumulator or the tra Jet

  direct unloading by means of a switch.

  An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings and in which FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the combination of an installation comprising an accucmulator magazine and a direct unloading apparatus.

according to the invention.

  In FIG. 1, a radiographic film cassette is designated by 1 which is placed on a table 2. An opening mechanism 3 having a clamp is provided, but which is not shown or described in detail because it is known per se There is also provided an extractor device, also known, constituted for example by a windmill 4,

  and which has been represented only schematically.

  The extra-territorial Mergane designated as a whole by

  reference 5 also presents a pair of

  carriers 6, 7 of which a roll is entered Iné

  by a motor and runs at a first speed

aunt V 1.

  In the right-hand part of FIG. 1, there is shown a developing machine 8 on the input side of which there is a pair of conveying rollers 9, 10 of which a roll has been driven with a speed V 2 speed term refers to the circumferential speed of the rollers, that is to say the speed with which a film introduced between the rollers is driven.

  Between the extractor member 5 and the development die

  Option 8, is disposed a carrier device 11 which essentially comprises two pairs of rollers

  carriers 12, 13 and 14, 15 The rollers

  In each pair of rollers, one of the rollers, for example 13 and 15, is driven by a

driving device 18.

  Between the pair of rollers 6, 7 of the extractor device 5 and the first pair of rollers 12, 13 in the transport direction is interposed a photoelectric barrier 19 in connection with a switch 20 which, in turn, controls the device. The pairs of rollers 6, 7; 12, 13; 14, 15 and 9, 10 are arranged so that the film can circulate approximately in a plane 21. Furthermore, the distance between the photoelectric barrier 19 and the pair of feed rollers 9, 10 of the machine development 8 is at least equal to the length of the largest leaf of

  film that is intended to be extracted.

  The operating mode of the apparatus described with reference to FIG. 1 is the following: After the opening of the cassette 1, carried out by an opening mechanism 3, a film 22 is extracted from the cassette by means of a 4, then introduces -4- between the rollers 6, 7.1 which extract the film 22 of the cassette with a high speed Vl As soon as the film has left the cassette, the latter can be

  evacuated or forwarded to a reloading station.

  When the front edge of film 22 crosses the barrier

  photoelectric 19, this one makes maneuvering

  mutateur 20 which adjusts the driving device 18 to its high speed Vl Under this effect, the pairs of conveyor rollers 12, 13 and 14, 15 are switched on the high speed Vl and they therefore transport the film in the appropriate manner As soon as the rear edge of the film has left the light barrier, it again sends a signal to the switch 20 which, in response, switches the detacher 18 on the low speed Y 2 C is with this speed, which corresponds to the speed of introduction into the developing machine that 1 l film is now transported past and introduced into the pair of rollers 9, 10

of the development machine 8.

  In the case of large format films, the need to give the total transport distance a longer length than that of the film, may require Pnor the need

  to give the device a relatively large size.

  For this reason, the principle illustrated in FIG. 1 is modified to obtain the arrangement shown in FIG.

  Figure 2, gray to which it is possible to

  In FIG. 2, the extractor device 5 and the development machine 8 are thus represented in the same way but with a smaller mutual spacing. The conveyor device 11 represents the distance between the extraction station 5 and the developing machine 8. between these two elements extends here approximately perpendicularly to the line which joins the exit slot of the extractor device to the inlet slot of the development machine Here, it is provided upstream of the conveyor device 11 a part 23 on which are formed two deflector elements 235 and 23 b The first deflecting element 23 e deviates the film path by about 90, passes the film through the photoelectric barrier 19 and introduces it

  in the first pair of conveyor rollers 12, 13.

  In all other respects, the carrier device is constructed in the same manner as that of FIG. 1 except that it is rotated by 900. However, there is an important difference that, after being switched by the switch 20, the device 18 'is not only switched to the

  low speed V 2 but also, on a sense of

  This has the consequence that when the photoelectric barrier 19 has been actuated by the leading edge of a film 22, the driving device is on the high speed Vl, at which the rollers 13 and 15 are rotated. in a clockwise direction and that after the passage of the rear edge of the film 22, the switching rotates the rollers in the opposite direction to that of the needles of a leader and at the low speed V 2 This way , the film 22 is again transported from bottom to top until it meets the deflector element 23b which is on its trajectory and introduces it between the

  rolls 99 10 of the development machine 8.

  FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention, the like elements being designated by the same reference numerals. The embodiment described in this figure is particularly suitable for installations.

  at a high rate of production In such instal-

  As has already been indicated above, an accumulator magazine 24 is used in which the films are introduced and collected at their output from the extractor device 5, while

  On the other hand, they are taken to the development machine.

  According to the invention, in order to abolish the

  to begin by introducing x-rays in -6-

  store 24, where there are x-rays

  However, to allow them to be treated directly, a combination comprising a storage magazine known per se and the direct introduction according to the invention is proposed. For this purpose, there is provided on the output side of the pair of conveyor rollers 6, 7 of the extractor device 5, a switch 25 which can be rotated about an axis 26 downstream of the switch 25 is arranged pair of conveyor rollers 27, 28 which is at the entrance of the accumulator magazine 24 On the outlet stack of the accumulator magazine 24 are arranged a pair of conveying rollers 29, 30 and a separating device 31 which surrounds the sheet of film between leadits rollers Downstream of this last, is disposed a guide member 32 which leads to the pair

  of rollers 9, 10 of the developing machine 8.

  When the accumulator is at one point from the line of junction between the extractor device 5 and the developing machine 8, the carrier device 11 described in FIG. 2 and which can be built from

  the same way, is placed on the other side of this line.

  Since, thanks to the presence of the warehouse,

  2 k emulator, the distance between the extractor device 5 and the development machine 8 may be slightly larger, it is provided between the pair of rollers 6, 7 of the extractor device 5 and the pair of rollers

  12, 13 of the conveyor 11 or between this pair of

  and the pair of rollers 9, 10 of the developing machine 8, larger deflector elements 23 'which can otherwise be interrupted by others.

  pairs of conveyor rollers 33, 34 and 35, 36.

  In operation, in the position of the switch which is shown, the films are introduced into the magazine 24 at the high speed V 1 through the pair of conveyor rollers 27, 28 From this store, the films are extracted and introduced one after the other at a low speed V 2 between the rollers 29, 30, slide along the guide member 32, and are introduced between the input rollers 9, 10

of the development machine 8.

  When the switch 25 is switched to the position shown in phantom, a film is introduced at the high speed Vl, between the rollers 12, 13 by

  through the pair of rollers 33, 34 which

  Also, at the speed Vl, the film is processed in the manner described with reference to FIG. 2. Under the effect of the reversal of the speed, the film is introduced into the developing machine 8 by the pair of rollers.

  slow 35, 36, along the deflector element 23 '.

  The switch 25 is coupled by means not shown to the separating device 31 in such a way that, in the position of the switch 25 which is shown in broken lines, the extraction of the film from the film magazine is halted, so that two films can not be introduced simultaneously into the

development machine.

-8-

Claims (8)

  1. Apparatus for discharging photographic film cassettes, comprising means for automatic opening of the cassette and a device for extracting the film contained in the cassette, which can be transferred directly or indirectly into a developing machine, this apparatus characterized by a carrier device (12 to 2 ô) which can be switched to at least two different speeds (Vi, V 2), the higher first speed (V 1) being equal to the film extraction speed (22) of the cassette (1) and the second speed (V 2), lower, being adapted to   the speed of introduction into the machine of development (8).   2 Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that between the extractor station (5) and a   first pair of rollers (12, 13) of the trans-   carrier (11) is interposed a detector (19) which recognizes   the beginning and the end of the film (22) speed comutation.   3. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 and   2, characterized in that the conveying device   (11) includes at least two pairs of transplant reuleaux   tors (12, 13; 14, 15) which are connected to a common drive (18) and rotate at speeds   equal to each other but switchable.   4. Apparatus according to one of claims 2 and   3, characterized in that the detector (19) is con-   staged by a phote-electric infrared barrier which controls a switch (20) that can change the speed and possibly also the direction of the device drive (18).   5. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to   4, characterized in that the conveyor device (11) is interposed between the extractor device (5) and the developing machine (8) and that the distance between the sensor (10) and a pair of feed rollers t 507346 -9- (9, 10) of the developing machine (8) is larger   than the longest movie formats.   6. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that the conveying device (11) has an orientation perpendicular to the conveying plane of the extractor device (5) or the developing machine (8) and that deflector elements (23a, 23k) are provided used to introduce the film (22)   extractor device (5) in the trans-   carrier (11) and, of the latter, in the machine of   development (8), in the opposite direction of displacement.   7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, in the case of a switching signal, the driving device (18) switches from the high speed (v 1) to the low speed (V 2) with inversion. of sense of movement.   8. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 7,   characterized by the fact that an ac-   accumulator (24) in parallel with the transport device   turn (11) and that, at the output of the extractor device (5), is disposed a switch (25) which directs the film, either to the accumulator magazine (24), or to the carrier device (11).