Photographic printing method and apparatus therefor

Claim 2

A photographic printing method for making prints of picture frames of a photographic film in which said photographic film is transported in one direction in an inspection process and in the opposite direction in a printing process, said method comprising the steps of: automatically controlling a pulse motor to transport said photographic film so as to place each picture frame in a printing position and, if needed, to finely adjust the position of said picture frame by the use of manually operated fine adjustment key means in said inspection process; counting perforation holes formed in said photographic film and counting driving pulses applied to said pulse motor starting with the detection of an edge of each of said perforation holes; storing position data representing the position of each picture frame to be printed, the stored position data comprising the counted number of said perforation holes and driving pulses in combination for each said picture frame to be printed placed in said printing position; and controlling said pulse motor with said position data to transport said photographic film so as to place said each picture frame to be printed in said printing position in said printing process.

Claim 3

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of inspecting each picture frame placed in said printing position to determine whether said each picture frame is to be printed in said inspection process, and effecting a light measurement on said each picture frame determined to be printed and place again in said printing position, thereby performing an exposure control according to a result of said light measurement.

Claim 4

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of inspecting each picture frame placed in said printing position to determine whether each said picture frame is to be printed and to enter exposure correction data for said each picture frame in said inspection process, and effecting a light measurement on said each picture frame determined to be printed and placed again in said printing position, thereby performing an exposure control according to a result of said light measurement and said exposure correction data.

Claim 6

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of effecting a light measurement for said photographic film frame by frame and collecting data on either one measured values and exposures obtained based on said measured values for all picture frames in said inspection process, and reading out said data for each picture frame placed in said printing position in said printing process, thereby performing an exposure control according to said data read out.

Claim 7

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of inspecting each picture frame of said photographic film to determine whether said each picture frame is to be printed, effecting a light measurement on said each picture frame, collecting data on either one of a measured value and an exposure obtained based on said measured value for all picture frames in said inspection process, and reading out said data for each picture frame placed in said printing position in said printing process, thereby performing an exposure control according to said data read out.

Claim 8

A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of effecting on each picture frame placed in said printing position an inspection whether said each picture frame is to be printed, an input of data on exposure correction and a light measurement and collecting data on exposure obtained from said exposure correction data and measured value for all picture frames, in said inspection process, and reading out said exposure data for each picture frame placed in said printing position in said print process, thereby performing an exposure control according to said exposure data read out.

Claim 11

A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said photographic film is controllably transported to place a marginal edge of each picture frame at a particular position by detecting said marginal edge of said each picture frame, thereby placing said each picture frame in said printing position.

Claim 12

A photographic printer for making prints of picture frames of a photographic film in which said photographic film is transported in a first direction in an inspection process, and in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction in a print process, said printer comprising: a reversible pulse motor for transporting said photographic film in the first and second directions; means for applying a predetermined number of driving pulses to said pulse motor so as to transport said photographic film by a certain length in said first direction during said inspection process, thereby roughly adjusting a picture frame to a printing position; a fine adjusting key manually operable to slightly turn said pulse motor for finely adjusting a picture frame of said photographic film to the printing position; a perforation sensor for detecting perforation holes formed in said photographic film to provide a square wave signal; first edge detecting means for detecting an edge of said perforation hole by detecting a trailing edge of said square wave signal provided by said perforation sensor, thereby providing a trailing edge signal; second edge detecting means for detecting an edge of said perforation hole by detecting a leading edge of said square wave signal provided by said perforation sensor, thereby providing a leading edge signal; a perforation counter caused to count up said perforation holes in response to one of said edge signals from said first and second edge detecting means during said inspection process, and to count down said perforation holes in response to one of said edge signals from the other edge detecting means during the print process; a pulse counter which is reset in synchronism with the counting operation of said perforation counter for counting driving pulses applied to said pulse motor during the manual operation of the fine adjusting key; operation means for calculating the difference (N - n) between the number N of driving pulses counted while said perforation sensor detects edges of each of two adjacent perforation holes and the number n of driving pulses counted until each picture frame is finely adjusted to said printing position; a memory for storing as position data for each picture frame, said difference (N - n) and a counted number by said perforation counter; and means for controlling said pulse motor to rotate in said second direction so as to transport said photographic film until position data of a picture frame to be printed coincides with the position data of the same picture frame read out from said memory, thereby placing said picture frame to be printed in said printing position.

Claim 13

A photographic printer for making prints of picture frames of a photographic film in which said photographic film is transported in a first direction in an inspection process, and in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction in a print process, said printer comprising: a reversible pulse motor for transporting said photographic film in the first and second directions; means for applying a predetermined number of driving pulses to said pulse motor so as to transport said photographic film by a certain length in said first direction during said inspection process, thereby roughly adjusting a picture frame to a printing position; a fine adjusting key manually operable to slightly turn said pulse motor for finely adjusting a picture frame of said photographic film to the printing position; a perforation sensor for detecting perforation holes formed in said photographic film to provide a square wave signal; first edge detecting means for detecting an edge of said perforation hole by detecting a trailing edge of said square wave signal provided by said perforation sensor, thereby providing a trailing edge signal; second edge detecting means for detecting an edge of said perforation hole by detecting a leading edge of said square wave signal provided by said perforation sensor, thereby providing a leading edge signal; a perforation counter caused to count up said perforation holes in response to one of said edge signals from said first and second edge detecting means during said inspection process, and to count down said perforation holes in response to one of said edge signals from the other edge detecting means during the print process; a pulse counter which is reset in synchronism with the counting operation of said perforation counter for counting driving pulses applied to said pulse motor during the manual operation of the fine adjusting key; operation means for calculating the difference (N - n) between the number N of driving pulses counted while said perforation sensor detects edges of each of two adjacent perforation holes and the number n of driving pulses counted until each picture frame is finely adjusted to said printing position; a memory for storing as position data for each picture frame, said difference (N - n) and a counted number by said perforation counter; and means for controlling said pulse motor to rotate in said second direction so as to transport said photographic film until position data of a picture frame to be printed coincides with the position data of the same picture frame read out from said memory, thereby placing said picture frame to be printed in said printing position.

Claim 16

The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of: determining for each picture frame, whether that picture frame can be printed; and wherein position data is stored for only those picture frames which can be printed.

Claim 17

The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of: calculating an exposure correction level for each picture frame which can be printed; and storing data representing the calculated exposure correction level for each picture frame for use during the printing process.

Claim 18

The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of: determining a light measurement for each picture frame that can be printed; and storing data for each picture frame representing the determined light measurement for use during the printing process.