JP2003177450A - Stroboscopic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stroboscopic device equipped with a function of changing the irradiating direction of strobe light according to a distance to a principal subject whose distance is measured with compact and simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: A driving spring made of shape memory alloy is coupled with the rear part of a reflector turnably supported so that the irradiating direction of the strobe light can be changed. The stroboscopic device is constituted so that the irradiating direction of the strobe light may be changed by turning the reflector so as to cover the photographing range of an image pickup optical system with the illuminating range of the strobe light by applying voltage to the driving spring in accordance with range-finding data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a strobe device mounted on a camera, and more particularly to a strobe device for changing the irradiation direction of strobe light so as to illuminate a photographing range.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, auxiliary light is used when a subject image is dark such as at night. There are various types of auxiliary light such as an illumination lamp, but generally, flash light from a strobe device, that is, strobe light is used. This strobe device is classified into a built-in type that is built in the camera and an external type that is separate from the camera and is attached to an accessory shoe or the like. Among them, the built-in type strobe device is integrated with the camera, and there is also one that has a mechanism that pops up when used. But,
This built-in type generally has a small amount of light, and when a sufficient amount of light is required, the external type is selected.

The photographing range of a camera equipped with a variable magnification photographing lens, a so-called zoom lens, is arbitrarily determined by the photographer. On the other hand, since the irradiation direction of the strobe light by the strobe device is fixed, the shooting range and the strobe light illumination range may not match, and a part of the subject image may be dark or a shadow may be formed. Of course, although it is slightly different depending on the camera, since the composition is generally such that the distance to the subject is about 3 m, the irradiation direction of the strobe device is also adjusted to this.

Therefore, when the subject is located at a shorter distance than this, the illumination range of the strobe light cannot cover the imaging range.

On the other hand, there is one in which the reflector portion is configured to be rotatable and the irradiation direction of the strobe light can be manually changed. This makes it possible to change the irradiation direction of the strobe light according to the distance to the subject so that the illumination range of the strobe light can cover the imaging range. Furthermore, some external strobe devices have a function of changing the illumination range according to the focal length of the zoom lens by moving the arc tube and the reflector back and forth to change the irradiation angle. there were.

[0006]

Many of the generally known strobe devices in which the reflector portion can be rotated are adopted in external strobe devices, and take bounce photography into consideration. Yes, it does not consider the illumination range of the strobe light. In addition, the built-in type strobe device that is integrated with the camera does not employ a structure in which the reflector is manually rotated.

Further, even if the reflecting umbrella portion can be rotated and the irradiation direction of the strobe light can be changed,
It is troublesome to manually change the irradiation direction each time the focal length of the shooting lens is changed, and even after changing the focal length in the next composition after the shooting, forget to change the irradiation direction and keep the same irradiation direction. There is a problem of exposure.

Further, the structure in which the stroboscopic discharge tube and the reflector are moved back and forth to change the irradiation angle to change the illumination range has a complicated structure. Furthermore, a built-in type strobe device that cannot secure a space required for the reflector to move, such as an external strobe device, causes an increase in the size of the camera, and thus this function cannot be adopted. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a strobe device having a function of changing the irradiation direction of strobe light according to the distance to a measured main subject with a small and simple structure.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is mounted on a camera and rotatably supported by a strobe device for irradiating a strobe light for illuminating an object to be photographed. And a drive spring formed of a shape memory alloy and connected to the reflector, and a drive for applying a voltage to the drive spring to change the shape by utilizing a thermal restoring force. A spring drive unit is provided, and based on the distance measurement data to the subject, the reflector is rotated so that the illumination range of the strobe light covers the shooting range of the imaging optical system of the camera. There is provided a strobe device for changing the irradiation direction of the.

Further, in the strobe device, drive springs are vertically connected to the protrusions provided on the rear portion of the reflector, and the restoring force of the drive spring on the side heated by conduction to a specific shape is applied. As a result, the reflector is rotated upward or downward.

In the strobe device having the above-described structure, a drive spring made of a shape memory alloy is connected to the rear part of the reflector which is rotatably supported and whose strobe light irradiation direction can be changed. A voltage is applied to the drive spring according to the distance measurement data, the reflector is rotated so that the illumination range of the strobe light covers the shooting range of the imaging optical system, and the irradiation direction of the strobe light is changed.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the concept of the flash device of the present invention will be described. The strobe device of the present invention changes the irradiation direction of strobe light by vertically swinging (rotating) the reflector for strobe light in the device.
This reflecting umbrella estimates the shooting range based on the distance measurement data, rotates by applying a voltage to the drive spring made of a shape memory alloy, and changes to a suitable irradiation direction.

Here, FIGS. 5A to 5C show the relationship between the photographing range of the photographing lens and the illumination range of the strobe light. Here, the center of the illumination range of the strobe light is set as the irradiation direction of the strobe light.

In the example shown in FIG. 5A, a reflector 2 for strobe light of a strobe device is arranged above a taking lens (single focus lens) 1a having a single focal length, and a strobe discharge tube 3 is provided therein. Is stored. With such an arrangement,
A shooting range m by the shooting lens 1a is set, and an illumination range n by strobe light is set. Here, the distance to the position where the shooting range m and the illumination range n overlap is d1. This distance d
In No. 1, since the distance to the main subject is about 3 m in the shooting by a general user, the ranges are adjusted so that the respective ranges overlap at a distance of about 3 m during manufacturing. Of course, this distance is not limited.

In this example, the distance d1 from the taking lens 1a
During this period, a region (hatched portion) A where the strobe light cannot illuminate occurs. When the subject 4 reaches the shooting range m ′ existing at the closest distance d2 to the distance d1, a part of the subject 4 extends over this shaded portion, and a part thereof is shot dark.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 5B, a reflector 2 for strobe light of a strobe device is arranged above a taking lens (zoom lens) 1b having a variable focal length, and a strobe discharge is provided therein. A tube 3 is stored. With such an arrangement, a photographing range p by the photographing lens 1b is set, and an illumination range n by strobe light is set. Similarly to the above, the distance to the position where the shooting range p and the illumination range n overlap is d1. Here, when the photographer zooms the photographing lens to the wide (wide-angle) side in photographing to set a new photographing range p ′, the distance d1 to the subject 4 does not change,
Since the photographing range is widened, the area (hatched portion) A where the strobe light cannot illuminate falls within the photographing range, and a part of the composition becomes a dark photograph.

Therefore, regarding the photographing of FIG.
As shown in (c), the reflector 2 is rotated to change the irradiation direction of the strobe light to the downward direction to provide an illumination range n ′ and cover the shooting range m. By changing the irradiation direction, it is possible to prevent a part of the subject in the shooting range from becoming dark.

Similarly, for the zoom lens, the same effect can be obtained by rotating the reflector to irradiate the strobe light so as to illuminate the zoomed photographing range.
However, the wide-angle shooting range that cannot be covered by the spread of the strobe light is not considered.

Next, a first embodiment of the strobe device of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an irradiation direction changing mechanism that rotates a reflector for strobe light, and FIG. 2 shows a configuration example including a drive spring drive circuit that drives a drive valve to change the direction of the reflector. The configuration and the operating principle thereof will be described. Here, only the light emitting portion of the strobe device according to the gist of the present invention is shown, and other components are omitted.

In the irradiation direction changing mechanism 11 shown in FIG. 1A, the reflector 12 is supported by the support shaft 13 from both sides so as to be rotated around the support point B. A projection 14 is provided on the back side of the reflector 12. A part of the protrusion 14, for example, a portion 14a connected to the reflector 12 is formed of a flexible resin or the like, and the reflector 14 is moved when the protrusion 14 moves up and down as described later. 12 is configured to rotate smoothly. Two drive springs 15a and 15b made of a memory shape alloy are arranged so as to sandwich the protrusion 14 from both upper and lower sides.
The drive springs 15 a and 15 b are held by the base portion 16.

As shown in FIG. 1B, this base portion 1
In Fig. 6, the drive springs 15a and 15b are arranged in series and the support shaft 17 is held inside by penetrating. This support shaft 17
It functions as a guide when the protrusion 14 moves. FIG. 1B shows a state where no voltage is applied to the drive springs 15a and 15b. FIG. 1C shows a state in which a voltage is applied only to the drive spring 15a. In this way, the drive spring to which the voltage is applied is formed so as to contract more than in the passing state, and the contracting operation causes the protrusion 14 to move.

The shape memory alloy used for the drive spring is a material that recovers to the shape before deformation even if it is deformed into an arbitrary shape when heated to a specific temperature or higher. Typically, a NITi alloy is known. There is. Further, the shape memory alloy can be used as a leaf spring or a torsion spring by processing it as a plate or a wire, like a general spring material. In addition, for heating the shape memory alloy, the energization method has the fastest reaction.

However, since it is difficult to use soldering for fixing the end portion of the shape memory alloy and the base portion, a method such as wire bonding, pressure welding of the contact piece, pressure welding of the flexible substrate can be adopted. The intrinsic temperature of shape memory alloy is
It can be adjusted depending on the type of alloy, but when used in a camera drive mechanism, a temperature of about 70 ° C., which is a temperature exceeding the normal operating environment temperature, is suitable. According to this, when heating by the energization method, the current value is set in consideration of the internal resistance due to the shape and the characteristics of the alloy.

FIGS. 2A to 2C show the structure of a drive spring drive circuit for driving the drive spring of the irradiation direction changing mechanism. As shown in FIG. 2A, a drive power source 21 and switches 22 and 23 are connected to the drive springs 15a and 15b, respectively. In this figure, both are in the normal state in which the switch is in the off state and no voltage is applied. Here, when the drive spring 15a is driven, the irradiation direction of the strobe light is downward, and when the drive spring 15b is driven, the irradiation direction is upward.

As shown in FIG. 2B, when one switch 22 is turned on, a voltage is applied from the drive power source 21 to the drive spring 15a, and the shape is changed so as to contract. Along with this, the reflector 12 faces downward, and strobe light is emitted downward. When the switch 22 is turned on, as described above, the subject is closer than the shooting range that matches the illumination range of the normal strobe device, and the zoom lens is changed to the wide side to exceed the illumination range. This is the case when the shooting range is reached.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, when the switch 23 is turned on, the drive spring 15b contracts, the reflector 12 faces upward, and strobe light is emitted upward.
When the switch 23 is turned on to irradiate the strobe light in the upward direction, it can be used when photographing by indirect illumination that does not form a clear shadow on the subject, for example, when performing bounce photographing. Further, the strobe device is generally arranged above the photographing lens with respect to the camera body,
If the strobe light can be emitted in the upward direction, it can be arranged below the taking lens. Further, it is also possible to dispose the reflector on the side of the taking lens, as long as the reflector is upright with respect to the longitudinal direction of the camera body and the reflector is rotated horizontally in the horizontal direction. .

The irradiation direction changing mechanism thus constructed changes the irradiation direction of the strobe light by vertically rotating the reflector by applying a predetermined voltage to the drive spring made of a memory shape alloy. be able to.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an example in which the strobe device having the irradiation direction changing mechanism of the first embodiment is incorporated in a camera as a built-in type will be described. Here, of the constituent parts of this camera, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this camera, a photographing lens 42 including a focus lens group, a zoom lens group, etc. is provided in front of the camera body 41.
Are placed. The distance measuring mechanism 43 is provided in the upper right upper body.
Also, a strobe device 43 is incorporated.

This strobe device 43 is provided on the front of the camera.
A diffusing plate 44 that can be driven in the front-rear direction is arranged, and a strobe discharge tube 45 and a reflector 12 are arranged behind it. The reflector 12 includes the irradiation direction changing mechanism 1 described above.
1 is provided, and the reflector 12 is rotated to change the strobe light irradiation direction up and down.

FIG. 4 shows the internal structure of this camera.
In the constituent parts of this camera, the same parts as those described in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

First, the taking lens 42 for forming a subject image on the film 51 comprises a focusing lens group 52,
The zoom lens group 53 changes the magnification of the focal length, and the diaphragm 54 is arranged between them. These include
A focusing drive circuit 55 for driving the focusing lens group 52 to perform focusing, an aperture drive circuit 56 for opening and closing the aperture 54, and a zoom lens group 53 in the optical axis direction for zooming. Zoom drive circuits 57 for performing the above are respectively provided. On the optical axis between the taking lens 42 and the film 51, a shutter mechanism 58 that opens and closes when performing exposure, and a shutter drive circuit 5 that drives the shutter mechanism 58.
9 is provided. Then, a film drive circuit 60 for driving a motor (not shown) for winding up and rewinding the exposed film 51 one frame is provided.

Further, a finder optical system 61 for confirming the composition taken by the photographer is provided. Inside the finder, a finder zoom lens 62 interlocking with the focusing lens group 52 and a zoom lens group 53 are provided. A finder zoom lens 63 that interlocks is arranged.

Further, known distance measuring mechanism 64 and known photometric mechanism 65
Is provided, and a power SW 66 for turning on / off the main power supply of the camera, and a tele SW 67 for instructing the taking lens 42 to move to the tele (telephoto) side.
On the contrary, a wide SW 68 for instructing to move to the wide side, a 1st release SW 69 provided in the release button for performing distance measurement and photometry when turned on, and a 2nd release SW 70 for starting an exposure operation, A strobe circuit 74 for controlling the light emission of the strobe discharge tube 45 is provided.

A control unit (CPU) 71 controls the entire camera including each circuit and each mechanism described above and performs a processing calculation. The control unit 71 includes a ROM 72 as a program execution area and a RAM 73 as a data storage area. The CPU 71 uses, for example, the distance measuring mechanism 64.
Depending on the distance between the two images, the driving amount of the focusing lens group 52 for focusing is determined based on the distance between the two images, and the drive control thereof is performed or the drive control of the diaphragm 54 is performed. Further, the operation of these controls is determined from the data stored in the RAM area.

Photographing by such a camera will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. It is assumed that the power of this camera is turned on and the camera is in a shooting standby state. First, it is determined whether the zoom switch, that is, the tele SW 67 or the wide SW 68 is operated, by CP.
The determination is made in U71 (step S1). If any switch is operated in this determination (YES), the photographing lens 42 is moved to the zoom drive circuit 57 according to the operated amount.
Thus, the zoom drive is performed to the tele side or the wide side (step S2). Is this zoom drive completed, or
If the switch is not operated in step S1 (N
O), the release button is pressed and the 1st release SW
It is determined whether 69 is turned on (step S3).
If the first release SW 69 is turned on (YES) in this determination, a predetermined photometric operation is performed by the photometric mechanism 65 (step S4), and the obtained photometric value is stored in the RAM area 73 of the CPU 71.

Next, the distance measuring mechanism 64 performs a predetermined distance measuring operation (step S5). The distance measurement data obtained here is stored in the RAM area 73 of the CPU 71. Then, based on this distance measurement data, as shown in FIG.
As described in (b), it is determined whether or not the subject is at a close range (step S6). If it is determined that the distance is not the shortest distance (NO), the AF data is integrated by the processing method stored in the ROM area by the CPU 71 and stored in the RAM area 73 (step S7). On the other hand, if it is determined that the distance is the shortest distance (YES),
The CPU 71 turns on the switch 22 of the irradiation direction changing mechanism 11 to apply a predetermined voltage to the drive spring 15a to drive it (step S8).

When a voltage is applied to the driving spring 15a, the driving spring 15a contracts from the normal state as shown in FIG. 2A by the heat action, and the projection 14 of the reflecting umbrella 12 is pushed up, and as a result, the reflecting umbrella 12a. Is directed downward, and the strobe light irradiation direction is changed to downward. And the irradiation direction variable mechanism 1
After driving 1, the AF data obtained by the distance measuring mechanism 65 is integrated by the CPU 71 and stored in the RAM area 73 (step S9).

Next, in the CPU 71, the AF sensor data obtained by the integration in the above step S7 or step S9 is read from the RAM area 73, distance calculation is performed, the drive amount of the focus lens group 52 is calculated, and the focus is adjusted. The drive circuit 55 is driven to focus (step S10).

Then, it is determined whether or not the second release SW 70 is turned on (step S11), the second release S
If W70 is not turned on (NO), it is determined whether or not the 1st release SW 69 is still on (step S12). Here, if the 1st release SW 69 is in the ON state (YES), it waits for the 2nd release SW 70 to be turned on, and if it is not turned on (NO), it returns to the shooting standby state in step S1. Also, step S
If the 2nd release SW70 is turned on in 11 (YE
S), the shutter mechanism 58 is driven to drive the film 51
Exposure operation is performed (step S13).

After the exposure, under the control of the CPU 71, the switch 22 is turned off to turn off the voltage applied to the drive spring 15a (step S14). Drive spring 15
2a returns from the contracted state to the original normal state with the end of the voltage application, and accordingly, the one in which the reflector 12 faces downward is the irradiation for the normal stroboscopic photography shown in FIG. 2 (a). Return to the direction. Then, the film drive circuit 60 winds the film 51 for one frame (step S
15) Return. The voltage applied to the drive spring 15a may be turned off after winding the film.

As described above, according to the strobe device of the first embodiment, the subject is present at a close range or the photographing range of the photographing lens is changed to the wide side, so that the strobe light is emitted in the normal state. If the shooting range cannot be covered with the lighting range by, the irradiation direction variable mechanism causes the reflector of the strobe device to face downward to illuminate the subject, and thus a part of the subject that becomes dark can be covered. It can be lost. Further, since the strobe device of the present embodiment can change the strobe light irradiation direction to either the upward direction or the downward direction, it can be arranged above or below the position of the taking lens of the camera.

Next, the irradiation direction changing mechanism according to the second embodiment will be described. Since the irradiation direction variable mechanism in the first embodiment described above has the drive springs arranged in the vertical direction, it has a built-in type as shown in FIG. The flash device can be easily applied, but in a structure in which only the light emitting portion is potted up, the light emitting portion becomes thick in the vertical direction, which may be difficult to apply.

The second embodiment is an example in which the drive springs are arranged in the lateral direction and the light emitting portion is downsized in the vertical direction. FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the irradiation direction changing mechanism in the present embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of the reflector viewed from the back side.

In this irradiation direction changing mechanism, a stroboscopic light emitting section is housed in the pop-up section 80, and support shafts 86 are provided on both side surfaces of the reflector 12 to rotate inside the hop-up section 80. Supported as possible. A cylindrical pin 81 is provided on the back side of the reflector 12.
Triangular sliding part 82 having an inclined surface in contact with this pin 81
And the drive springs 15a, 15 made of a memory-shaped alloy that sandwiches the protrusion 83 provided on the lower surface of the sliding portion 82 from both sides.
b and the drive springs 15a and 15b of the base portion 84
Is held by. In the base portion 84, the drive springs 15a and 15b are arranged in series, and the support shaft 17 is held so as to pass through the protruding portion 83. The support shaft 17 functions as a guide when the protrusion 83 moves.

The pin 81 is always urged against the inclined surface of the sliding portion 82 by an elastic member 85 such as a leaf spring to be in contact with the inclined surface. Further, this inclined surface may be formed in a curved surface with respect to the axial direction of the pin 81 in order to make point contact with the pin 81 and reduce resistance during movement.

The operation of this irradiation direction changing mechanism will be described. Similar to the above-described first embodiment, for example, when the drive spring 15a is driven and contracted, the sliding portion 82 moves to the drive spring 15a side as shown in FIG.
By this movement, the pin 81 appears to be lifted upward, and the reflector 12 faces downward. Therefore, the irradiation direction of the strobe light is changed to the downward direction, and it is possible to illuminate the entire subject existing at a close range, and also in the drive spring 15b, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. You can

Next, a modification of the irradiation direction changing mechanism of the above-described second embodiment will be shown. In the second embodiment, the strobe light irradiation direction is switched in two steps with respect to the upper and lower sides (upward-normal position-downward). When a zoom lens is used as the photographing lens, the photographing range is gradually changed to the short distance side (wide side), and thus the above-described two-step irradiation direction change may not be sufficient.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, if the drive springs 15a1 to 15a4 are divided into four drive springs on the wide side and each of them is configured to be driven, the irradiation direction can be changed in four steps toward the wide side. It should be noted that this modification is the same as the above-mentioned first
It can be easily applied to the embodiment.

Next, the irradiation direction changing mechanism according to the third embodiment will be described. In the above-described second embodiment, the reflector is configured to rotate in both up and down directions. However, in the present embodiment, the reflector is provided only in the downward direction in order to further simplify the structure and reduce the size and weight. That is, the configuration is such that the irradiation direction of the strobe light is changed only to the close-range side. FIG. 10 shows a configuration of a sliding portion and a drive spring as a characteristic portion of the irradiation direction changing mechanism. Other components are shown in FIG.
It is equivalent to the constituent parts shown in.

In this irradiation direction changing mechanism, one drive spring 91 made of a shape memory alloy is held by the base portion 92. In this base portion 92, a support shaft 95 is passed through and supported by the drive spring 91 and the projection portion 94 of the sliding portion 93, and the support shaft 95 functions as a guide when the sliding portion 93 moves.

In this structure, the drive spring 91 is connected to the power source 2
When contracted by the application of the voltage of 4, the sliding portion 93 moves to the drive spring 91 side. By this movement, the pin 81 appears to be lifted upward, the reflector 12 faces downward, and the irradiation direction of the strobe light is changed to downward. The drive of the drive spring 91 is controlled based on the distance measurement data obtained at the time of shooting, as described above.

As described above, according to the strobe device of each embodiment, the irradiation direction variable mechanism having a simple structure is provided, and the drive spring made of the shape memory alloy is driven by the voltage application based on the distance measurement data. Then, by changing the vertical direction of the reflector, the irradiation direction of the strobe light is changed, and the illumination range is changed so as to cover the shooting range at that time. This solves the problem that the main subject is wholly illuminated even when the shooting range is wide or the subject is in a close range, and a part of the subject that is conventionally generated becomes dark. it can.

Further, since the drive spring used in the irradiation direction changing mechanism according to the present invention is formed of a shape memory alloy, the drive can be easily controlled by applying a predetermined voltage, so that the switch circuit for performing the control has a simple structure. Therefore, the cost can be reduced and the miniaturization can be realized. Furthermore, since the direction of strobe light irradiation can be obtained in the vertical direction,
Arrangement of the strobe device on the camera body is free.

Although the above embodiments have been described, the present invention also includes the following inventions. (1) In the strobe device capable of changing the irradiation direction so as to eliminate the difference between the photographing range of the imaging optical system and the irradiation range of the strobe light, the reflection on the irradiation light can be changed in order to change the irradiation direction at the time of strobe irradiation. An umbrella and an irradiation angle changing mechanism for driving the reflecting umbrella are provided, and the irradiation direction changing mechanism includes a drive spring made of a shape memory alloy, and with a thermal restoring force of the shape memory alloy drive spring, A strobe device, characterized in that it drives the reflector.

(2) The irradiation direction varying mechanism drives the reflector in the vertical direction by the restoring force of the drive spring to a specific shape when the drive spring is electrically heated. The strobe device according to the item (1).

(3) In the irradiation direction changing mechanism, when the strobe device is used for changing the photographing range, the drive spring is energized and heated. Strobe device.

(4) The strobe device according to the above item (3), wherein the irradiation direction changing mechanism is adapted to release the energization heating after the photographing operation is completed.

[0057]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the irradiation direction variable mechanism having a simple structure is provided, and the drive spring made of the shape memory alloy is driven by voltage application based on the distance measurement data. By changing the vertical direction of the reflector, the irradiation direction of the strobe light is changed, and the illumination range is changed so as to cover the shooting range at that time. As a result, a strobe device that solves the problem that the main subject is wholly illuminated and a part of the subject that has been conventionally generated becomes dark when the shooting range is wide or the subject is in a close range, etc. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an irradiation direction changing mechanism in a first embodiment of a flash device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the irradiation direction changing mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a camera including the strobe device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a camera.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the concept of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining shooting by a camera equipped with a strobe device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an irradiation direction changing mechanism in a second embodiment of a strobe device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the operation of the irradiation direction changing mechanism of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the irradiation direction varying mechanism of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an irradiation direction changing mechanism in a third embodiment of a flash device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Shooting lens 2, 12 ... Reflective umbrella 3 ... Discharge tube 11 ... Irradiation direction variable mechanism 13 ... Spindle 14 ... Projection 15a, 15b ... Drive spring 16 ... Base part 21 ... Drive power supply 22, 23 ... Switch

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A strobe device mounted on a camera for irradiating a strobe light for illuminating a subject for photographing, wherein the strobe light is radiated to a subject position based on distance measurement data detected at the time of photographing. A strobe device comprising an irradiation direction changing mechanism for changing the direction. 2. A strobe device for irradiating a strobe light for illuminating an object to be photographed, which is mounted on a camera, is rotatably supported, and includes a reflector that can change a strobe light irradiation direction, and a shape memory alloy. A drive spring that is formed and is connected to the reflector, and a drive spring drive unit that applies a voltage to the drive spring and changes the shape by utilizing a thermal restoring force. A strobe device, characterized in that, based on the data, the reflector is rotated to change the irradiation direction of the strobe light so that the illumination range of the strobe light covers the photographing range of the imaging optical system of the camera. 3. In the strobe device, drive springs are respectively connected vertically to projections provided on the rear part of the reflector so that the drive spring on the side electrically heated is restored to a specific shape. Therefore, the reflector is rotated upward or downward.
The strobe device described. 4. A strobe device mounted on a camera for irradiating a strobe light for illuminating an object for photographing, the reflector being rotatably supported in a vertical direction and capable of changing the strobe light irradiation direction, The sliding part is formed in a triangular shape in which the hypotenuse side comes into contact with a pin provided on the rear part of the reflector, and the sliding part is movable in the horizontal direction, and the pin is urged to always come into contact with the hypotenuse of the sliding part. A biasing portion, drive springs that are respectively connected to the left and right in the horizontal direction to the protrusions provided on the bottom surface of the sliding portion, and a voltage is applied to the drive spring to change the shape by utilizing thermal restoring force. A drive spring drive unit, and based on the distance measurement data to the subject, the drive spring drive unit causes the sliding unit to move with the restoring force of the drive spring on the side electrically heated to a specific shape. Move horizontally, Also, the strobe device is characterized in that the reflector is turned upward or downward to cover the photographing range of the image pickup optical system of the camera with the strobe light illumination range.