Filmstrip transport mechanism with compensation for perforation pitch variations for improved film registration

Abstract

A perforated filmstrip transportation and registration system ( ) and method provide a substrate in the form of a rotating drum ( ) with vacuum holes ( ) to allow an internally produced vacuum to act upon an engaged film-strip ( ). The rotating drum ( ) has a number of registration-tension pin pair assemblies ( ) that register and subsequently advance a filmstrip ( ) at the 3 o'clock position in a registration mode (FIGS. and ), and are ready to be inserted in filmstrip perforations ( ) when they approach the 3 o'clock position in a load mode (FIG. ). The registration-tension pin pair assemblies ( ) each contain a registration pin ( ) and a tension pin ( ) which are sized small enough to fit into filmstrip perforations ( ) without interference, and which move away and towards each other in the nature of scissors blades in the preferred embodiment. In the registration mode, a side of the registration pin ( ) rests against a side of one perforation, while the tension pin ( ) engaged in an adjacent perforation, places the filmstrip ( ) in tension by moving away from the registration pin ( ). In the load mode, the tension pin ( ) moves toward the registration pin ( ) so that distance therebetween allows both pins to be easily inserted into prospective adjacent filmstrip perforations ( ). In the preferred embodiment, the registration and tension pins ( ) are part of pin bodies ( ) which are spring loaded and activated via interaction with cam surfaces ( ).