Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd.

Yukihiko Yamaguchi

Hirofumi Katsura

Yasuhiro Yamashina

Fuminori Kawamura

Kazuo Itakura

Hideo Sasajima

Ryo Mori

Shinsuke Aoshima

Masaya Morita

Yoshihiro Tominaga

Shoichi Uchida

Masahiro Tagi

Koichi Murai

In an inspection device, an inspection light projector and an auxiliary light emitter respectively project an inspection light and auxiliary light onto a position of a filmstrip. After transmitting the filmstrip, the inspection light is received by a defect detector. When receiving the inspection light, the defect detector generates a data signal and sends it to a controller. In the controller, a threshold of a level of the data signal is memorized, and the level of the data signal is compared with the threshold. If the level of the data signal becomes under the threshold, the controller determines that the filmstrip has a coloring defect. Further, if there is a dust on the filmstrip, the level of the data signal becomes higher. Because the auxiliary light is diffused by the dust, and a part of the auxiliary light is received by the defect detector.

Apparatus and method for inspecting light transmittable material

A taking lens of a used lens-fitted photo film unit is cleaned according to sequential steps for recycling. A cleaning head is caused to press a loosened cleaning tape against the taking lens. While the cleaning tape is pressed against the taking lens, the cleaning head is moved, to wipe the taking lens with the cleaning tape. Furthermore, before wiping with the cleaning tape, the taking lens may be brushed by rotating the cleaning head back and forth. In a preferred embodiment, a recycling apparatus includes a disassembly line which disassembles the lens-fitted photo film unit after removal of a cassette shell with photo film being exposed. A main body is obtained with at least a cassette shutter closing mechanism for a cassette shutter and a frame counter mechanism. Furthermore, an inspection line inspects operation of the mechanical parts and a cleaning line cleans at least a viewfinder lens.

Lens cleaning apparatus and method and recycling apparatus and method for lens-fitted photo film unit

A lens-fitted photo film unit is pre-loaded with unexposed photo film, and includes a taking lens. A shutter device is disposed between the taking lens and the photo film, and cocked in response to a winding operation of the photo film. The shutter device has a shutter blade for opening/closing a photographic light path in response to an external releasing operation. A flash device has a flash emitter window, and emits flash light in response to operation of the shutter device. Before inspection of the lens-fitted photo film unit, a front of the flash emitter window or a periphery of a front of the light path is covered by use of a light-shielding member. The light-shielding member avoids entry of flash light emitted from the flash emitter window into the light path. The flash device is charged. The shutter mechanism is cocked. The shutter mechanism is released while the light-shielding member covers the front. An operation of opening/closing of the shutter mechanism is inspected in response to the releasing operation. An operation of flash emission of the flash device is inspected.

Method and apparatus for inspecting lens-fitted photo film unit

In a lens-fitted photographic film unit, a connection lever makes one reciprocating movement when struck by a shutter actuating lever. The reciprocating movement of the connection lever is transmitted to a crank lever to a pair of shutter blades to cause the shutter blades to open and then close a shutter aperture. The connection lever is coupled to the crank lever through a connection pin and a cam slot. The cam slot has an actuating portion and a keeping portion. While the connection pin moves along the actuating portion, the movement of the connection lever is transmitted to the shutter blades through the crank lever to open and close the shutter aperture. While the connection pin moves along the keeping portion, the movement of the connection lever is not transmitted to the shutter blades so that the shutter blades are kept in the opened position.

Adjustable taking lens assembly

Lens-fitted photographic film unit having shutter with connection lever

A lens-fitted film unit has a main body and front and rear covers attached thereto and sandwiching the main body between them. The main body is preloaded with photographic film, and provided with a shutter device and a taking lens. The shutter device is constituted of a single shutter blade, a shutter base on which the shutter blade is swingably mounted, a shutter cover disposed in front of the shutter blade, and a coil tension spring for biasing the shutter blade toward a closed position. The coil tension spring has one end connected to a projection on the shutter blade, and the other end connected to a pin on the shutter base. The projection on the shutter blade is received in an opening in the shutter cover. The opening is superposed with an access opening in the front cover, so that the shutter blade can be forcibly shifted from a closed position to an open position when the front cover is attached to the main body. The shutter blade can be held in that open position while the taking lens of the film unit is tested. The other end of the coil tension spring is mounted on a pin on a forward surface of the main body, and this pin is likewise received in an opening in the shutter cover. Both ends of the spring are thus immune to disengagement under impact.

Lens-fitted photographic film unit having an access opening formed in

Lens-fitted photographic film unit with a swingable shutter blade

A lens inspection device has an objective lens composed by front and rear lenses, a two-dimensional image sensor and an image forming lens for forming a point image of light passing through the objective lens. A lens to be inspected is disposed between a light source and an object focal point of the objective lens. The light source projects a light beam through the lens to be inspected parallel to the optical axis of the objective lens, and the front lens of the objective lens is moved along the optical axis so as to shift the object focal point of the objective lens stepwise into a plurality of positions within a predetermined range including a normal focal point of the lens to be inspected. Brightness data of a point image formed on the two-dimensional image sensor is detected for each shifted position of the objective lens, and is used for judgment as to whether an actual focal point of the lens to be inspected is within a proper range. The location of the point of maximum brightness is also detected, so as to determine whether the inspected lens is misaligned as mounted in a camera or in a lens-fitted photographic film unit.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Yukihiko Yamaguchi