Edison: His Life and Inventions by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin
Chapter XXI, it will be unnecessary to repeat it here. Suffice it to say
726 words | Chapter 50
by way of reminder that it is founded upon the physiological phenomenon
known as the persistence of vision, through which a series of sequential
photographic pictures of animate motion projected upon a screen in rapid
succession will reproduce to the eye all the appearance of the original
movements.
Edison's work in this direction comprised the invention not only of a
special form of camera for making original photographic exposures from a
single point of view with very great rapidity, and of a machine adapted
to effect the reproduction of such pictures in somewhat similar manner
but also of the conception and invention of a continuous uniform, and
evenly spaced tape-like film, so absolutely essential for both the above
objects.
The mechanism of such a camera, as now used, consists of many
parts assembled in such contiguous proximity to each other that an
illustration from an actual machine would not help to clearness of
explanation to the general reader. Hence a diagram showing a sectional
view of a simple form of such a camera is presented below.
In this diagram, A represents an outer light-tight box containing a
lens, C, and the other necessary mechanism for making the photographic
exposures, H<1S> and H<2S> being cases for holding reels of film before
and after exposure, F the long, tape-like film, G a sprocket whose teeth
engage in perforations on the edges of the film, such sprocket being
adapted to be revolved with an intermittent or step-by-step movement
by hand or by motor, and B a revolving shutter having an opening and
connected by gears with G, and arranged to expose the film during the
periods of rest. A full view of this shutter is also represented, with
its opening, D, in the small illustration to the right.
In practice, the operation would be somewhat as follows, generally
speaking: The lens would first be focussed on the animate scene to be
photographed. On turning the main shaft of the camera the sprocket, G,
is moved intermittently, and its teeth, catching in the holes in the
sensitized film, draws it downward, bringing a new portion of its length
in front of the lens, the film then remaining stationary for an instant.
In the mean time, through gearing connecting the main shaft with the
shutter, the latter is rotated, bringing its opening, D, coincident with
the lens, and therefore exposing the film while it is stationary, after
which the film again moves forward. So long as the action is continued
these movements are repeated, resulting in a succession of enormously
rapid exposures upon the film during its progress from reel H<1S> to its
automatic rewinding on reel H<2S>. While the film is passing through the
various parts of the machine it is guided and kept straight by various
sets of rollers between which it runs, as indicated in the diagram.
By an ingenious arrangement of the mechanism, the film moves
intermittently so that it may have a much longer period of rest than
of motion. As in practice the pictures are taken at a rate of twenty or
more per second, it will be quite obvious that each period of rest is
infinitesimally brief, being generally one-thirtieth of a second or
less. Still it is sufficient to bring the film to a momentary condition
of complete rest, and to allow for a maximum time of exposure,
comparatively speaking, thus providing means for taking clearly defined
pictures. The negatives so obtained are developed in the regular
way, and the positive prints subsequently made from them are used for
reproduction.
The reproducing machine, or, as it is called in practice, the Projecting
Kinetoscope, is quite similar so far as its general operations in
handling the film are concerned. In appearance it is somewhat different;
indeed, it is in two parts, the one containing the lighting arrangements
and condensing lens, and the other embracing the mechanism and objective
lens. The "taking" camera must have its parts enclosed in a light-tight
box, because of the undeveloped, sensitized film, but the projecting
kinetoscope, using only a fully developed positive film, may, and,
for purposes of convenient operation, must be accessibly open. The
illustration (Fig. 2) will show the projecting apparatus as used in
practice.
The philosophy of reproduction is very simple, and is illustrated
diagrammatically in Fig. 3, reference letters being the same as in Fig.
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