Orientation independent, detachable film cartridge, memory module

• US 5,394,206 A
• Filed: 06/04/1993
• Issued: 02/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Cocca, J. David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gellner, Michael L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TUCCILLO, NICHOLAS
• Application Number:
  US08/071,084
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 354/106, 354/21, 354/275
• US Class Current: 396/208
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/30 Locating spools or other rotatable holders of coiled film
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2206/002 using detachable memory means
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2206/008 using holders for the photographic material
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/24 automatically in accordance with markings or other means indicating film speed or kind of film on the magazine to be inserted in the camera

Abstract

A memory module, releasably attached to the end of a film cartridge, includes a set of conductive arcuate segments surrounding a centrally disposed conductive pad accessible through an upper surface of the module, and non-volatile memory attached to the conductive pad and the arcuate segments. The memory module is positioned so that the conductive pad and arcuate segments can make electrical contact with data recording and reading terminal pins of camera and film processing equipment. The terminal pins include a centrally disposed pin and further pins positioned circularly around the centrally disposed pin to extend into the module and contact the respective conductive pad and segments, so that at least one terminal pin is in contact with each conductive pad and segment. By having a greater number of contact terminals than there are conductive pads and segments, the electronic operating system, on detecting the presence of an inserted cartridge, can identify which of the circularly arranged terminal pins is contacting which of the conductive arcuate segments, and thereafter initiate processing and storage of data in the nonvolatile memory.

Claims

1. A memory module for a film cartridge in which information related to the exposure of film image frames may be recorded in memory for subsequent read-out, the memory module having a module housing having an upper and a lower surface, an integrated circuit chip, including a memory, attached within the module housing and having a plurality of input and output terminals, and means for attaching the module housing to the film cartridge so that the upper surface is exposed for making electrical contact with data recording and read out terminal pins of camera and film processing equipment arranged in a fixed pin array with respect to a receptacle for receiving the attached module housing and film cartridge oriented toward said data recording and read out terminal pins, said memory module further characterized by:

a substrate having a plurality of conductive contact surfaces spaced apart and electrically isolated from one another and formed in a predetermined pattern, said plurality of conductive contact surfaces being less in number than the number of data recording and read out terminal pins;

means for making electrical connections between the plurality of input and output terminals of the integrated circuit chip memory and the plurality of conductive contact surfaces; and

means for positioning the substrate so that said plurality of conductive contact surfaces face toward the upper surface of the module housing and may all be contacted by said data recording and read out terminal pins when the memory module is positioned in respect thereto, wherein said positioning means allows the common contact of at least two of the data recording and read out terminal pins with a single one of said plurality of contact surfaces in at least one position of the substrate.

2. The memory module of claim 1 wherein:

the memory module is disc-shaped;

the substrate includes a conductive pad disposed at the central point of the disc-shaped memory module; and

the means for making electrical connections includes means for connecting the conductive pad to a power terminal of the integrated circuit chip.

3. The memory module of claim 2 wherein:

the plurality of contact surfaces is arranged on the substrate in spaced-apart arcuate segments positioned in a band surrounding the centrally disposed conductive pad.

4. The memory module of claim 2 wherein said attaching means further comprises clip means formed on the periphery of the module housing and dimensioned with respect to a peripheral edge portion of the end of the film cartridge to be releasable attached thereto without regard to the angular orientation of the module housing to the edge portion.

5. The memory module of claim 2 wherein the plurality of conductive contact surfaces comprise a plurality of equally spaced and sized, arcuate conductive segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band around the center pad and collectively forming n contact surfaces.

6. The memory module of claim 2 wherein the plurality of conductive contact surfaces comprise a plurality of unequally spaced and sized arcuate conductive segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band around the center pad and collectively forming n contact surfaces.

7. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the attaching means further comprises clip means formed on the periphery of the module housing and dimensioned with respect to a peripheral edge portion of the end of the film cartridge to be releasable attached thereto without regard to the angular orientation of the module housing to the edge portion.

8. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the plurality of conductive contact surfaces comprise a plurality of equally spaced and sized, arcuate conductive segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band on the substrate.

9. The memory module of claim 1 wherein the plurality of conductive contact surfaces comprise a plurality of unequally spaced and sized, arcuate conductive segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band on the substrate.

10. In a system for recording and reading information related to the exposure of film image frames in a memory module associated with a film cartridge for subsequent read-out, wherein the memory module is of the type having a set of at least n conductive contact surfaces arrayed in a spaced apart pattern in a region and having an integrated circuit, including a memory, positioned in the module and having a further set of N electrical input and output terminal pins electrically connected in a predetermined order to the set of n conductive contact surfaces, and wherein the camera and film processing equipment is of the type having a housing for receiving the film cartridge with the attached memory module in a cartridge receiving chamber and a set of at least n+1 contact terminal pins positioned by the housing to extend into the cartridge receiving chamber and bear against and make electrical contact with the region occupied by the set of n conductive contact surfaces, whereby at least one contact terminal may be in contact with each of the n conductive contact surfaces when the film cartridge and memory module are positioned in the cartridge receiving chamber, apparatus for identifying which of the n contact terminal pins is in contact with the n contact surfaces which are in turn coupled to the input and output terminals of the integrated circuit further comprising:

means for identifying which, if any, of the n+1 contact terminal pins are commonly contacting a single one of the n contact surfaces and for selecting only 1 of the contact terminal pins in common contact with a single contact surface;

means for successively assuming the identity of the set of n remaining contact terminal pins including the selected 1 of the contact terminal pins until the correct assumption is confirmed;

means for successively testing the assumptions of the identity of the remaining n contact terminal pins; and

means for confirming the correct assumption identifying the specific ones of the N input or output terminals of the integrated circuit to which each of the remaining n contact terminal pins are in electrical communication with and for halting the operation of the assuming and testing means.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the assuming means further comprises means for generating a set of test signals representing the assumed input or output signals appropriate to the operation of the N input or output terminals of the integrated circuit assumed to be coupled to the set of n contact surfaces; and

the testing means further comprises means for applying the assumed set of test signals to the set of n contact surfaces.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the memory module is of the type comprising:

a disc-shaped module housing having an upper and a lower surface and a diameter generally corresponding to the diameter of an end of the film cartridge, wherein the set of n conductive contact surfaces is arrayed in a spaced apart pattern in a region accessible from the upper surface of the disc-shaped module housing;

and further comprising;

means for attaching the disc-shaped module housing to the end of a film cartridge so that the set of n conductive contact surfaces is exposed for making electrical contact with at least n of the n+1 data recording and reading terminal pins of the camera and film processing equipment.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory module is of the type comprising:

a disc-shaped module housing having an upper and a lower surface and a diameter generally corresponding to the diameter of an end of the film cartridge, wherein the set of n conductive contact surfaces is arrayed in a spaced apart pattern in a region accessible from the upper surface of the disc-shaped module housing;

and further comprising;

means for attaching the disc-shaped module housing to the end of a film cartridge so that the set of n conductive contact surfaces is exposed for making electrical contact with at least n of the n+1 data recording and reading terminal pins of the camera and film processing equipment.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the camera and film processing equipment is provided with a further terminal pin; and

a further contact surface is formed as a pad in the center of the accessible upper region of the memory module and disposed for contact by the further contact terminal pin of the camera and film processing equipment, regardless of the orientation of the disc-shaped module housing on the end of the film cartridge.

15. The memory module of claim 14 wherein the set of n conductive contact surfaces comprises n equally spaced and sized arcuate segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band around the center pad.

16. The memory module of claim 13 wherein the set of n conductive contact surfaces comprises n unequally spaced and sized arcuate segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band around the center pad.

17. The memory module of claim 13 wherein the attaching means further comprises clip means formed on the periphery of the module housing and dimensioned with respect to a peripheral edge portion of the end of the film cartridge to be releasable attached thereto without regard to the angular orientation of the module housing to the edge portion.

18. In a method for recording and reading information related to camera exposure parameters of film image frames in a memory module associated with a film cartridge for subsequent read-out, wherein the memory module is of the type having a set of n conductive contact surfaces arrayed in a spaced apart pattern in a region and having an integrated circuit, including a memory, positioned in the module and having a further set of N electrical input and output terminals electrically connected in a predetermined order to the set of n conductive contact surface, and wherein the camera and film processing equipment is of the type having a housing for receiving the film cartridge with the attached memory module in a cartridge receiving chamber, a set of at least n+1 contact terminal pins positioned by the housing to extend into the cartridge receiving chamber and bear against and make electrical contact with the region occupied by the set of n conductive contact surfaces whereby at least one contact terminal is in contact with each of the n conductive contact surfaces, the method of identifying which n of the n+1 contact terminal pins is in contact with the n contact surfaces which are in turn coupled to the input and output terminals of the integrated circuit comprising the steps of:

identifying which, if any, of the n+1 contact terminal pins are commonly contacting a single one of the n contact surfaces and selecting only 1 of the contact terminal pins in common contact with a single contact surface;

assuming the identity of the set of n remaining contact terminal pins;

testing the assumption of the identity of the remaining n contact terminal pins; and

confirming the correct assumption identifying the specific ones of the N input or output terminals of the integrated circuit to which each of the remaining n contact terminal pins are in electrical communication with.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the testing step further comprises:

applying a set of test signals representing the assumed input or output signals appropriate to the operation of the N input or output terminals of the integrated circuit assumed to be coupled to the set of n contact surfaces.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the memory module is of the type comprising:

a disc-shaped module housing having an upper and a lower surface and a diameter generally corresponding to the diameter of an end of the film cartridge, wherein the set of n conductive contact surfaces is arrayed in a spaced apart pattern in a region accessible from the upper surface of the disc-shaped module housing;

and further comprising;

means for attaching the disc-shaped module housing to the end of a film cartridge so that the set of n conductive contact surfaces is exposed for making electrical contact with at least n of the n+1 data recording and reading terminal pins of the camera and film processing equipment.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the memory module further comprises a further contact surface formed as a pad in the center of the accessible upper region and disposed for contact by a further contact terminal pin of the camera and processing equipment, regardless of the orientation of the disc-shaped module housing on the end of the film cartridge.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the set of n conductive contact surfaces comprises n equally spaced and sized arcuate segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band around the center pad.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the set of n conductive contact surfaces comprises n unequally spaced and sized arcuate segments electrically isolated from one another and positioned in a circular band around the center pad.