Agfa-gevaert Ag

Gunter Fauth

Peter Lermann

Istvan Cocron

Otto Stemme

Herbert Muller

Dieter Engelsmann

Karl Wagner

Richard Wick

Eduard Wagensonner

Herbert Schultes

Alfred Winkler

Kurt Borowski

Friedrich Stumpf

Franz Lechner

When a trigger lever is depressed, both a focus adjuster ring and a control disk commence to rotate in unison, driven by a spring mechanism. Position-sensing switches receive signals indicating which subject-distance setting the focus adjuster ring should be arrested at, and furthermore are opened and closed by the control disk during movement of the latter. When the focus adjuster ring reaches the required subject distance setting, it is arrested and kept arrested, thereby completing an automatic focussing operation, but the control disk continues to turn on to its end position, at which it causes the shutter mechanism of the camera to open and furthermore the exposure-timing circuit of the camera to initiation a scene-light-dependent exposure-timing operation.

Automatic exposure control for automatic-focus cameras

Photographic camera

The bellows type folding camera includes two pairs of collapsable struts symmetrically hinged inside the bellows between the camera housing and the displaceable objective support; the upper and lower struts are interconnected by transverse straps and only one of the struts is operated by an actuation handle whereby the movement of this one strut is transmitted to the remaining struts by a coupler and crank linkage and by the transverse straps.

Bellows type folding camera

A first photodetector arrangement comprises three adjoining photodetectors, and a second comprises six. First and second optics, and the two photodetector arrangements, are located immovable on the camera, and the optics project onto the first arrangement an image of a subject which is to form the basis of a subject-distance measurement, without shift between image and photodetectors of the first arrangement so long as the subject-distance is within one of the ranges the system is to furnish; whereas the image projected onto the second photodetector arrangement shifts relative thereto in dependence upon the distance to the subject. The six photodetectors of the second arrangement are subdivided, for signal-processing purposes, into four successive groups, respectively comprised of the first, second and third photodetector, the second, third and fourth, the third, fourth and fifth, etc. A plurality of comparisons are performed by signal-evaluating circuitry, on the basis of absolute-value versions of the differences between the output signals of individual photodetectors in the first arrangement and in successive photodetector-groups within the second arrangement, to automatically ascertain, sequentially or non-sequentially, which photodetector-group in the second photodetector arrangement is in receipt of an image best corresponding to that cast onto the first photodetector arrangement, thereby determining the subject-distance setting best corresponding to the true subject-distance value.

Focussing system

A focussing system emits an infrared light beam towards the subject, the reflected beam passing through an infrared filter and being projected by a spot optics as a small spot onto a pair of photosensitive elements. The spot optics shifts in a plane normal to the camera's optical axis in dependence upon rotation of the camera's focussing ring, to vary the distribution of the reflected beam onto the two elements, the distribution being equal between them when the state of focus is correct. A circuit derives, from the output signals of the two photosensitive elements, a state-of-focus signal used to automatically focus or else to indicate to the user the direction in which he should manually adjust focus. When focussing is finished, the photosensitive elements are disconnected from the focussing circuitry and connected to the camera's exposure-control circuitry, to thereby serve a dual function. The infrared filter moves out of the light path of the photosensitive elements. The spot optics is moved out of the light path of the photosensitive elements, so that for exposure control a larger light field can be established, or else an auxiliary optics moves into the light path to enlarge the light field in that manner.

Photographic camera with exposure-control and focussing means

A photographic apparatus which can accept cassettes having markers denoting different film speeds. When a cassette having a particular marker is inserted into the housing, it displaces a spring-biased scanning lever which thereby allows or prevents a filter to move into register with the picture taking lens. Complete closing of the door for the film chamber results in engagement of the scanning lever with a displacing lever which moves the scanning lever slightly away from the marker so that the scanning lever cannot interfere with proper orientation of the cassette in the housing. Alternatively, the scanning lever can be disengaged from the marker by a film transporting or shutter actuating member which engages the scanning lever with another lever to thereby hold the scanning lever out of contact with the marker.

Photographic apparatus

An arrangement of a photographic camera, preferably an instant-picture print camera having two light reflecting mirrors between the objective and a rectangular film strip. According to this invention, the angular position between the mirrors is adjusted such that at least one section of the path of travel of light rays between the objective and the large mirror assigned to the film strip forms an oblique angle with an edge of the film strip.

Arrangement of a photographic camera having two deviating mirrors

A camera has a pair of nip rollers which are rotated by a toothed belt via gears. Function-controlling elements mounted on the camera are operated when the belt moves.

Camera with film-unit drive

A photographic camera, particularly an instant-picture camera, has a set of transporting rollers between which a film is advanced. An actuating arrangement is mounted for movement from a starting position to an operating position in order to rotate the transporting rollers, and back to the starting position. An energy storing arrangement is connected to the actuating arrangement and stores energy during movement of the same to the starting position, this energy being dissipated during movement of the actuating arrangement to the operating position in order to thereby aid in such movement.

A photographic camera comprises two deviating mirrors arranged within the camera housing between the objective and the film strip in such a manner that the optical axis of the light rays between the objective and the assigned first mirror lies on a different plane than the optical axis of the rays between the second mirror and the film strip.

Arrangement of a photographic camera

A self developing type photographic apparatus wherein one of the spread rollers is driven by one or two toothed racks forming part of or constituting a manually reciprocable handle. One of the racks further rotates a gear which programs the movements of an expelling device for exposed film units, the movements of a device which controls the width of the gap between the spread rollers and the cocking of the shutter.

Self developing type photographic apparatus

A photographic camera has a film transporting mechanism which requires different amounts of energy during different phases of each film-transporting cycle. A gear drive is provided which furnishes to the mechanism differing energy amounts while itself receiving a substantially constant energy input.

A collapsible camera has a lens mount which is pivoted on the camera body and can move between an open and a shut position. An arcuate drive segment is composed of at least two segment parts, both of which pivot on the same pivot axis as the lens mount. These parts can move relative to one another and to the body and lens mount when the latter is opened and closed. The periphery of each part has serrations which engage with the teeth of a pinion that constitutes the input member of a film transporting mechanism so that the pinion is rotated in response to the pivoting movement of the lens mount.

Collapsible camera

An improved pressure roller in a photographic apparatus of the self-developing type is disclosed. The roller has a rigid core provided with two axially spaced circumferential grooves which are filled with resiliently compressible material. The core is jacketed with a resilient sheath which covers its circumferential surface, including the grooves and the material therein.

Photographic apparatus of the self-developing type

The camera has a housing and a lens. A film transport mechanism is arranged in the housing. An operating element includes a member which is displaceable by a user in longitudinal direction of the optical axis of the lens and which, during at least part of such displacement, actuates the film transport mechanism. The operating element may include two of these members; if so, they are located at opposite lateral sides of the lens and are coupled so as to move in unison.

Growing community of inventors

Unterhaching, Germany

Gunter Fauth