JPH0332071B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a cassette storage type film cassette, and particularly to a reel around which a film having a conductive layer is wound and the conductive layer is electrically connected, and a device main body. The object of the present invention is to provide a cassette in which the electrical connection between members is made tight and the film in the cassette is easily and reliably grounded.

<Prior Art> In recent years, we have been flooded with so much information that it is said that the information society has arrived, and microfilm has come to be used frequently to preserve and organize this information material. Microfilm can reduce documents and printed matter to 1/8
It is recorded at a size of ~1/40, and when the recorded information is to be read out, it is enlarged and projected on a screen or copied. However, since conventional microfilms use a silver salt photoreceptor, once image information has been recorded by exposure, it has been impossible to add other information later. Therefore, recently, microfilms using electrophotographic photoreceptors to which information can be added later have come into use.

This electrophotographic film differs from photographic films using silver salts in that it has a conductive layer and a photoconductive insulating layer laminated on an insulating support (base).
Therefore, it has no photosensitivity unless it is charged,
It has the advantage that it is convenient to store and handle, and requires only a small amount of time and space for development. Taking advantage of this, for example, image information for one frame of each theme can be recorded at intervals on a roll or film of electrophotographic film, and later linked to this image information as needed. It is possible to easily perform a usage method such as additionally recording certain new image information adjacent to already recorded image information. Because of these advantages in electrophotographic film,
Advances are being made in reducing the size and weight of reader printers that enlarge and project and copy image information recorded on electrophotographic film, as well as in systematization. Taking this into consideration, it is desirable to use a cassette format instead of a roll. However, in electrophotographic film, it is necessary to electrically ground the conductive layer during charging when recording an image, and it is not possible to use a simple structure like a conventional magnetic tape cassette. In other words, some means must be taken to electrically connect the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film in the cassette to the main body of the device.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> Therefore, the reel on which the electrophotographic film is wound is electrically connected to the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film, and the electrophotographic film is electrically connected to the external device main body via the reel. One possible method is to connect directly. As shown in FIG. 4, a method for electrically connecting this reel and the main body of the device is to form a spline-like protrusion at the tip of the reel drive shaft 11 of the main body of the device, and to wrap the electrophotographic film 12 around the reel. A groove into which the protrusion fits is formed in the inner circumferential wall of the drive shaft insertion opening of the reel 13 so that rotational force is transmitted through engagement between the protrusion and the groove, and the outer circumference of the protrusion on the reel drive shaft 11 The reel drive shaft 11 and the reel 13 may be electrically connected by forming the surface and the inner circumferential surface of the groove of the reel 13 from a conductive material and contacting them when they are engaged.

However, due to the design, a certain gap is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion of the reel drive shaft 11 and the inner circumferential surface of the groove of the reel 13 into which the protrusion fits. Eventually, the reel drive shaft 11
There may be a situation where the protrusion is located in the center of the groove of the reel 13 and does not come into contact with any wall surface.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the grounding structure in the above-mentioned electrophotographic film cassette. The object of the present invention is to provide a cassette that can be electrically connected reliably and tightly to a reel that is electrically connected to a grounding part of a device body.

The film cassette of the present invention which achieves the above object includes a reel which is rotatably supported and housed within the cassette body and has a recessed drive shaft insertion opening into which the reel drive shaft of the device body is inserted, and the reel. A film cassette comprising a film whose end is wound around the body of the reel and which needs to be grounded through a grounding part provided at the end of the drive shaft, wherein the cassette body and the rotation center of the reel are connected to each other. a spring disposed across the reel to bias the reel in the direction of the drive shaft insertion opening when the reel drive shaft is inserted; a conductive part that is wrapped around the body of the reel and electrically connected to the film, and is pressed to the ground part by the biasing force of the spring when the reel drive shaft is inserted. It is characterized by having been established.

<Operation> Therefore, according to the present invention, when the cassette is attached to the main body of the device and the reel drive shaft is inserted into the drive shaft insertion opening of the reel, the reel is pressed against the reel drive shaft by the biasing force of the spring. As a result, the reel is reliably positioned on the reel drive shaft, the grounding part provided at the end of the reel drive shaft and the conductive part provided on the reel are reliably electrically connected, and as a result,
The conductive layer of the film will be connected to the ground of the device body.

<Examples> Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrophotographic film cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of essential parts showing the electrophotographic film cassette installed in the main body of the device.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, an electrophotographic film cassette 21 has an upper cassette half 22 and a lower cassette half 23 fixed to each other by screws or other fixing means, and has a pair of reels 2 inside.
4 are supported and housed in a rotatable manner. Both ends of a long belt-shaped electrophotographic film 25 are connected to each reel 24 , and the electrophotographic film 25 is wound around the body of the reel 24 . The direction is regulated by a pair of rotatably mounted direction changing rollers 26, and a portion is exposed to the outside of the cassette 21 through a window 27 formed in the cassette 21.

A drive shaft insertion port 29 into which the reel drive shaft 28 of the device main body is inserted is recessed in the lower end surface of the reel 24, and the drive shaft insertion port 29 is inserted into the outside of the cassette 21 from the opening formed in the lower cassette half 23. is coming. Further, a leaf spring 30 is attached to the upper cassette half 22 to press the reel 24 toward the drive shaft insertion opening 29, that is, toward the lower cassette half 23, thereby stabilizing the rotation of the reel. Furthermore, a plurality of grooves into which protrusions formed on the outer circumferential surface of the tip of the reel drive shaft 28 fit are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the drive shaft insertion port 29 of the reel 24, and the reel drive When the shaft 28 is inserted, these protrusions and grooves engage, and the rotational force of the reel drive shaft 28 is transmitted to the reel 24.

In this embodiment, a metal piece 31 is attached to a part of the outer periphery of the body of the reel 24 on which the electrophotographic film 25 is wound.
is fixed, and one end of the metal piece 31 extends through the flange portion of the reel 24 to the lower surface of the reel 24, and is connected to a ring-shaped metal piece 32 fixed to the lower surface of the reel 24. In this embodiment, the metal piece 31 and the ring-shaped metal piece 32 form the conductive part of the reel. On the other hand, the reel drive shaft 2
8 is formed with a cylindrical pawl 33 that comes into contact with the ring-shaped metal piece 32, and as shown in FIG. The end surface of the pawl 33 comes into contact with the ring-shaped metal piece 32 of the reel 24, so that the reel 24 can be slightly lifted against the spring force of the leaf spring 30. As a result, the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film 25 and the metal piece 31 fixed to the body of the reel 24 are electrically connected.
A ring-shaped metal piece 32 electrically connected to 1
is pressed flat against the pawl 33 of the reel drive shaft 28,
The ring-shaped metal piece 32 and the reel drive shaft 28 are electrically connected, and by further connecting the reel drive shaft 28 to the ground of the main body of the device, the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film 25 stored in the cassette 21 is connected. It will be connected to the ground of the device itself.

The electrophotographic film 25 generally consists of an insulating layer such as a polyester film serving as a base, a conductive layer formed by depositing, for example, a metal on the insulating layer, and a photoconductive layer layered thereon. It has a laminated structure. In this example, since the insulating layer is wound on the inner circumferential side, a part of the insulating layer is melted and a metal piece is attached to the exposed conductive layer.
The conductive layer and the metal piece 31 are electrically connected by bringing them into contact with each other and fixing them to each other with a conductive adhesive. In addition, as a means for electrically connecting the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film 25 and the metal piece 31, for example, an insulating layer may be chemically peeled off, or a through hole may be formed in the electrophotographic film 25 to form a hole therein. Methods such as inserting the metal piece 31 or bringing the metal piece 31 into contact with the end face (cut end) of the electrophotographic film 25 can be applied.

In such a configuration, when the electrophotographic film cassette 21 is attached to the main body of the device and the reel drive shaft 28 is inserted into the drive shaft insertion opening 29 of the reel 24, the pawl 33 of the reel drive shaft 28 springs the reel 24. The reel 24 is pushed up against the spring force 30, and the reel 24 is pressed against the reel drive shaft 29. This leaf spring 30 presses the reel 24 against the reel drive shaft 28 with moderate pressure, and the reel 24
Stabilize the rotation of. Furthermore, the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film 25 is electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus through the mutual pressing surfaces of the ring-shaped metal piece 32 of the reel 24 and the claw 33 of the reel drive shaft 28.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a claw was provided on the reel drive shaft, which is a connecting member on the device main body side, and this claw was pressed against the ring metal piece of the reel. It does not need to be integrated with the shaft, and an independent contact piece may be used as a connection member, separate from the reel drive shaft.

Further, FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention,
A sectional view of the main part corresponding to FIG. 2 shows the electrophotographic film cassette attached to the main body of the device. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the reel drive shaft 28 of the device main body does not have a pawl 33 unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. The reel 24 is configured to come into direct contact with the ceiling of the reel 29 and push up the reel 24 against the spring force of the leaf spring 30. In this embodiment, a metal piece 31 is fixed to a part of the outer periphery of the body of the reel 24, and a metal piece 34 is fixed to a part of the ceiling of the drive shaft insertion opening 29 of the reel 24 where the reel drive shaft 28 contacts. These metal pieces 31, 31 are connected. The metal piece 31 is electrically connected to the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film 25 in the same way as described above, so that the electrophotographic film 25 is electrically connected to the electrophotographic film 25 through the pressing surface of the metal piece 34 of the reel 24 that the reel drive shaft 28 comes into contact with.
electrically connected to the conductive layer. Also, reel 2
The tip end pressing surface of the reel drive shaft 28 that comes into contact with the metal piece 34 of No. 4 is grounded by electrically connecting the reel drive shaft 28 to the ground of the device body.

Therefore, in this embodiment as well, the electrophotographic film cassette 21 is attached to the main body of the device and the reel 2
When the reel drive shaft 28 is inserted into the drive shaft insertion port 29 of No. 4, the reel drive shaft 28 pushes up the reel 24 against the spring force of the leaf spring 30, and the reel 24 is pressed against the reel drive shaft 29. The metal piece 34 of the reel 24 and the reel drive shaft 2
The conductive layer of the electrophotographic film 25 is electrically connected to the main body of the device through the mutually pressed surfaces of the tips of the electrophotographic film 25 .

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the metal pieces 31,
32 and 34 are fixed to the reel 24, and the conductive layer of the electrophotographic film 25 is electrically connected to the pressing surface that the reel drive shaft contacts via them. Alternatively, necessary portions may be plated with a conductive material, or the entire reel 2 may be formed of conductive resin, metal, or the like. Here, in the case where the reel 24 is plated with a conductive material or formed with a conductive resin, it has the advantage of being easy to manufacture. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reel is rotated stably by the biasing force of the leaf spring, and this biasing force is used to transfer the electrophotographic image through the pressing surface between the reel and the connecting member of the main body of the device. Since the cassette containing the film is electrically connected to the main body of the device, electrical connection can be established reliably regardless of whether the reel is rotating or stationary. Further, the shapes and structures of the reel 24 and the reel drive shaft 28 are not limited to those shown in the illustrated example, and can be changed as necessary.

Further, although the above-described cassette is a two-shaft type cassette having a pair of reels, it goes without saying that the present invention is equally effective for a single-shaft type cassette.

Furthermore, in the above description, the film having a conductive layer is an electrophotographic film, but the invention is not limited to this example.
Photographic Bngineering vol9, No.1, 38
(1983) Electro photographic
The present invention can be applied to any film that requires grounding, such as a migration imaging film or a film that requires antistatic properties, and is stored in a cassette.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above with reference to the embodiments, according to the present invention, the reel is biased by the spring in the insertion direction of the reel drive shaft to stabilize the rotation of the reel, and the grounding portion of the reel drive shaft is Since the film is connected to the main body of the device via the pressing surface of the conductive part of the reel and the ground part of the reel drive shaft, it is possible to easily and reliably make a tight electrical connection. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrophotographic film cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of essential parts showing the electrophotographic film cassette installed in the main body of the device, and FIG. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a main part sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing an electrophotographic film cassette attached to the main body of the device, and FIG. 4a is a sectional view of a conventional reel and reel drive shaft. , FIG. 4b is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 4a. In the drawing, 21 is an electrophotographic film cassette;
24 is a reel, 25 is an electrophotographic film, 28 is a reel drive shaft, 29 is a drive shaft insertion slot, 30 is a leaf spring, 31, 32, and 34 are metal pieces, and 33 is a claw.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A reel having a recessed drive shaft insertion opening into which the reel drive shaft of the device main body is inserted and rotatably supported and housed within the cassette main body, and an end portion of the reel wrapped around the body of the reel to accommodate the drive shaft. In a film cassette comprising a film that requires grounding through a grounding part provided at the end of the shaft, the cassette is disposed between the cassette body and the center of rotation of the reel, and is connected to the reel drive shaft. a spring that biases the reel in the direction of the drive shaft insertion opening when inserted; and a spring that is provided from a part of the outer periphery of the body of the reel to a grounding part of the drive shaft and that is wound around the body of the reel. 1. A film cassette comprising: a conductive part that is electrically connected to the film and is pressed against the ground part by the biasing force of the spring when the reel drive shaft is inserted.