Camera film feed device and film feed method

A camera film feed device for enabling freely loadable placement of a film magazine having a takeup shaft on which a film is wound and a film feeding opening from which a film leader protrudes, said film feed device comprising:

• a magazine chamber in which said film magazine is loaded;
• a fork which engages with said takeup shaft of said film magazine loaded into the magazine chamber;
• a takeup spool which is positioned on a side of a photographing aperture opposite said magazine chamber, and which takes up said film;
• a sprocket which is positioned between said magazine chamber and said takeup spool;
• a control circuit which controls operations of said fork, said takeup spool, and said sprocket;
• and
• a movement amount detection circuit which detects an amount of movement of said film,
• wherein, when said film magazine is loaded into said magazine chamber, the control circuit starts an operation by the detection sensor detects the tip of said film, ends the rewind operation by said fork.

A film feed device for enabling freely loadable placement of a film magazine having a takeup shaft on which a film is wound and a film feeding opening from which a film leader protrudes, said film feed device comprising:

• rewinding means for rewinding the film to a prescribed position in response to loading of said film magazine;
• feeding means for feeding the film toward a takeup spool after completion of a rewind operation by the rewinding means;
• takeup means for taking up the film by means of said takeup spool;
• and
• detection means for detecting an amount of movement of the film,
• wherein a speed of feeding of the film by said takeup means is faster than a speed of feeding of the film by said feeding means;
• and
• wherein said takeup means can change the speed of feeding of the film by said takeup means according to detection results of said detection means.

A camera film feed device for enabling freely loadable placement of a film magazine having a takeup shaft on which a film is wound and from which a film leader protrudes, said film feed device comprising:

• rewinding means for rewinding the film to a prescribed position in response to loading of said film magazine;
• feeding means for feeding the film toward a takeup spool after completion of a rewind operation by the rewinding means;
• takeup means for taking up the film by means of said takeup spool;
• and
• detection means for detecting a movement speed of the film;
• and
• wherein said takeup means switches a driving speed of said takeup spool according to the film movement speed detected by said detection means.

A camera comprising a film feed device for enabling freely loadable placement of a film magazine having a film feeding opening from which a film leader of a film protrudes, said camera comprising:

• loading means for rewinding the film to a prescribed position, and then feeding the film toward a takeup spool, in response to loading of said film magazine;
• rewinding means for rewinding exposed film into an interior of said film magazine;
• irradiation means for projecting infrared light toward the film;
• light-receiving means for receiving light reflected from the film;
• nonvolatile storage means for storing a prescribed value in order to judge an output level of the light-receiving means;
• and
• detection means for comparing an output signal from said light-receiving means with said prescribed value, and for detecting a tip of the film;
• and
• wherein the output signal from said light-receiving means is set to a next prescribed value, and stored in said nonvolatile storage means, either with prescribed timing during loading by said loading means, or after completion of an operation by said rewinding means.

A camera film feed device for enabling freely loadable placement of a film magazine having a film feeding opening from which a film leader of a film protrudes, said film feed device comprising:

• light projection/reception means, provided within a film feed path, for projecting infrared light toward the film, and for receiving light reflected from the film and outputting a light-reception signal;
• nonvolatile storage means for storing a prescribed value for use in judging an output level of the light-reception signal output from the light projection/reception means;
• detection means for comparing the output level of said light-reception signal and said prescribed value, and for detecting a presence or absence of the film;
• loading means for feeding the film in response to loading of said film magazine;
• detection means for detecting a failure of film loading by the loading means;
• and
• rewinding means for rewinding the film if failure of said film loading is detected by the failure detection means;
• and
• wherein the output level of said light-reception signal is stored in said nonvolatile storage means as said prescribed value in response to a completion of a film rewind operation by said rewinding means upon occurrence of said failure.