Eastman-kodak Company

Howard P Jehan

Gary A Granath

Thomas W McKeehan

Brian A Reed

Eugene R Clemons

Mark R O'Donnell

James E Bird

L Charles Burgwardt

A rotatable arm mechanism capable of acquiring two elements simultaneously for purposes of assembly, disassembly and delivery. At one end of the rotatable arm there is mounted a vacuum cup capable of acquiring generally planar elements such as film samples. In addition, there is a pair of tongs extending from the same end of the rotatable arm. The tongs are movable from a converged, non-engaging position to a diverged engaging position such that objects having opening therein such as sample cups and/or rings can be engaged on an inner surface thereof and lifted. The rotatable arm is supported on a linear slide allowing the rotatable arm to be moved vertically. In such manner, the rotatable arm mechanism can reach into open sample cups and deliver thereto or remove therefrom, simultaneously, both a weighted ring and a sample thereby assembling or disassembling such elements. Through further operation of the tongs to engage an inside surface of the sample cup, the rotatable arm mechanism can lift the assembled elements and transport them to another position.

Method for automatically assembling a sample cup having a weighted ring

A shuttering system for a sensitometer is taught which can be used both conventional and high speed exposures. The shuttering system includes a high speed rotating sector shutter, a rotating capping sector shutter, a mask and a sample transport all of which are precisely controlled relative to one another. Located closest to the sample of radiation sensitive material is the mask having three different width slits therein. The different width slits produce different and predictable exposure times when the sample is moved past at a constant velocity. Positioned behind the mask is the high speed sector shutter which is a thin disk having two different size exposing apertures therein located 180.degree. apart to thereby produce different exposure times depending on the rotational speed of the disk. The rotating capping shutter is positioned behind the high speed shutter and has one aperture therein. The first way uses the sample transport system to move the sample past one of the slits in the mask at a constant velocity. For short exposure times of 4 msec to 100 .mu.sec, the high speed sector shutter and the capping sector shutter are spinning synchronized to each other and synchronized to the position of the sample transport. The rotation of the capping shutter is synchronized with the high speed shutter so that the exposing apertures of each shutter are aligned during an exposure. The spinning of these two shutters is also synchronized with the sample transport so that light passes onto the sample precisely when each test object step is centered on the exposure plane.

Shuttering system for a sensitometer

A method and apparatus for automatic sample preparation and handling which includes a computer controlled arm capable of both rotary and vertical movement wherein the arm has disposed at the distal end thereof two different part acquisition tools. There is a vacuum cup capable of acquiring sample disks, and there is a pair of tongs movable from a converged, non-engaging position to a diverged engaging position such that sample cups and/or weighted rings can be engaged on an inner surface thereof and lifted. A sample retrieval mechanism delivers individually retrieved samples from a sample magazine to a sample transport mechanism. The sample is then automatically positioned within a punch and a sample disk is punched therefrom. The computer controlled arm then automatically assembles the sample disk in a sample cup and delivers the assembled sample cup to a spectrometer or other downstream test device. When testing of the sample disk is completed, the computer controlled arm automatically reacquires the assembled sample cup from the spectrometer, disassembles the sample cup, and discards the tested sample disk.

Method and apparatus for automatic sample preparation and handling

Rotatable arm mechanism for assembling and disassembling samples

An apparatus for handling and automatically positioning film samples such that individual film samples can be retrieved from a magazine and moved precisely to a position where a subsequent operation can be performed such as the reading thereof by a densitometer. Individual samples are acquired from the magazine by means of a vacuum pad supported on a rotatable arm. Once acquired, the sample is repositioned in a horizontal plane through rotation of the arm. A second arm is moved into position such that clamping jaws grasp one end of the sample. Once the sample has been grasped by the clamping jaws, the sample is released from the vacuum pad. The second arm which is rotatable in a horizontal plane is mounted on a linear slide such that through operation of the linear slide and rotation of the arm, the acquired film sample can be automatically and precisely positioned through computer control thereof. Once a sample has been read, the sample is automatically discarded and a new sample is acquired by the vacuum pad.

Film sample positioning apparatus

A method and apparatus (10) referred to as a step and repeat sensitometer directs radiant energy (18) from a radiant energy source (16) into a diffuse integrating chamber (2) which uniformly mixes and directs the radiant energy (18) onto an exposure plane (14) where a radiation sensitive sample (1) is positioned so that individual areas of the sample (1) are exposed to readily adjustable levels of illuminance producing gradated exposures.

Apparatus and method for producing gradated exposures on radiation

Radiant energy is directed from a source (14,16) to an illumination plane (28) where the light receiving ends of groups (36) of optic fibers are arranged in coplanar striations (100), after which the radiant energy passes through the groups of optic fibers into individual exposure columns (40) and on to an exposure plane (42) where a radiation sensitive sample is exposed in individual areas to different, readily adjustable levels of illuminance from each of the groups of optic fibers.

Growing community of inventors

Honeoye Falls, NY, United States of America

Howard P Jehan