JP2003222941A - Flash device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flash device capable of accurately positioning an optical member with respect to a light emitting tube. <P>SOLUTION: The light emitting tube 48 is held in a reference member 42 in a state where a reflector 46 is interposed between the 1st reference surface 42a of the member 42 and the tube 48. The optical member 44 is fixed in the member 42 in a state where it abuts on the 2nd reference surface 42b of the member 42. <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 flash device, and more particularly to a flash device that can be easily miniaturized.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a flash device used for a camera, for example, the optical panel is generally separated from the xenon tube, and therefore, the relative position between the optical panel and the xenon tube has not been required to be very high.

For example, like a flash device 2 shown in a sectional view in FIG. 5, a holder 3 in which a xenon tube 4 and a reflector 6 are arranged is fixed to a camera body. Rubber bands 5 are locked to both ends of the xenon tube 4 protruding from the holder 3, and the xenon tube 4 is rearward (flash device 2
The direction opposite to the light emission direction from) is urged. The xenon tube 4 is arranged at the bottom of the curved surface of the reflecting umbrella 6 and biases the reflecting umbrella 6 rearward. As a result, the end portion 6a of the reflector 6 contacts the front end surface 3a of the holder 3 and is positioned. Behind the curved surface of the reflective umbrella 6, a gap 1a is formed between the reflective umbrella 6 and the holder 3, and
It is possible to absorb variations in the shape and dimensions of. The optical panel 8 is fixed to the exterior cover 9 of the camera. A Fresnel lens is formed on the inner surface 8a of the optical panel 8, and the distance 1 between the optical panel 8 and the xenon tube 4 is long.

In this type of flash device 2, the reflector 6
Error of the parts, the displacement of the reflector 6 relative to the holder 3,
Relative position of the optical panel 8 with respect to the xenon tube 4 has many accumulated errors such as displacement of the holder 3 with respect to the camera body, displacement of the outer cover 9 with respect to the camera body, and displacement of the optical panel 8 with respect to the outer cover 9. Increasing precision is not easy.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-84488 discloses a structure in which a reflector having a xenon tube arranged on the inner surface is pressed against a protective cover by the elastic force of an elastic member and held. Even with this configuration, it is not easy to increase the relative positional accuracy of the optical panel 8 with respect to the xenon tube 4 because a reflector that has a large variation in component processing is present.

[0006]

By the way, in order to miniaturize the flash device and distribute light more efficiently, it is conceivable to provide the optical panel with optical power and bring it closer to the xenon tube. In this case, since the distance between the optical panel and the xenon tube becomes short, the light distribution characteristics such as the light distribution angle and the guide number largely fluctuate due to the displacement of the optical panel with respect to the xenon tube, and the error sensitivity is high. Become. Also, when using a plastic optical panel, make sure that the optical panel does not get too close to the xenon tube so that the optical panel is not softened by the heat from the xenon tube and the optical characteristics do not change. It is necessary to strictly control the position.

Therefore, a technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a flash device capable of accurately positioning an optical member (optical panel) with respect to an arc tube (xenon tube).

[0008]

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a flash device having the following configuration.

The flash device is of a type in which a light emitting tube is arranged inside a reflector and an opening of the reflector is covered with an optical member. The flash device includes a reference member having first and second reference surfaces. The arc tube is held with respect to the reference member in a state where the reflector is sandwiched between the reference tube and the first reference surface of the reference member. The optical member is fixed to the reference member while being in contact with the second reference surface of the reference member.

In the above structure, the arc tube is, for example, a xenon tube. The light from the arc tube is emitted to the outside through the optical member either directly or after being reflected by the reflector. The optical member may not have optical power.
The first and second reference surfaces of the reference member may be the same surface.

In the above structure, the position of the optical member with respect to the arc tube is (a) the displacement of the arc tube with respect to the first reference surface of the reference member, and (b) the position of the first and second reference surfaces of the reference member. And (c) misalignment of the optical member with respect to the second reference surface of the reference member.

Here, (a) the positional deviation of the arc tube with respect to the first reference surface of the reference member is caused by a portion where the reflector is sandwiched (that is, the reflector is the first reference surface of the reference member and the arc tube). However, the processing accuracy of this part can be strictly controlled. (B) The positional deviation between the first and second reference surfaces of the reference member can be reduced by accurately processing the reference member. (C) The positional deviation of the optical member with respect to the second reference surface of the reference member can be reduced by accurately processing the optical member (particularly, the position of the portion of the reference member that contacts the second reference surface). You can

Therefore, the optical member can be accurately positioned with respect to the arc tube.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a flash device having the following configuration.

The flash device is of a type in which an arc tube is arranged inside a reflector and an opening of the reflector is covered with an optical member. The flash device includes a reference member having first and second reference surfaces. The arc tube is held with respect to the reference member while being in contact with the first reference surface of the reference member. The optical member is fixed to the reference member while being in contact with the second reference surface of the reference member.

In the above structure, the arc tube is, for example, a xenon tube. The light from the arc tube is emitted to the outside through the optical member either directly or after being reflected by the reflector. The optical member may not have optical power.
The first and second reference surfaces of the reference member may be the same surface.

In the above structure, the position of the optical member with respect to the arc tube is not influenced by the reflector which makes it difficult to obtain a precision in machining parts. That is, the position of the optical member with respect to the arc tube is (a) the positional deviation of the arc tube with respect to the first reference surface of the reference member, (b) the positional deviation of the first and second reference surfaces of the reference member, and (c) ) It is affected by the displacement of the optical member with respect to the second reference surface of the reference member.

Here, (a) the positional displacement of the arc tube with respect to the first reference surface of the reference member can be reduced by accurately mounting the xenon tube.
(B) The positional deviation between the first and second reference surfaces of the reference member is
It is possible to reduce the size by accurately processing the reference member. (C) The positional deviation of the optical member with respect to the second reference surface of the reference member is caused by
It is possible to reduce the size by accurately processing the position of the portion that comes into contact with the reference surface.

Therefore, the optical member can be accurately positioned with respect to the arc tube.

In the flash device having each of the above configurations, preferably, the optical member has a protrusion. The protrusion is
It projects toward the arc tube and has optical power.

With the above arrangement, the flash device can be made compact by bringing the projection of the optical member close to the arc tube. Further, the optical power of the protruding portion enables efficient light distribution. Further, since the optical member can be accurately positioned with respect to the arc tube, it is possible to reduce variations in light distribution characteristics.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A flash device according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, the flash unit 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The flash unit 10 includes a holder 12 as a reference member, an optical panel 14 as an optical member, a reflector 16, and a xenon tube 18 as an arc tube. In the holder 12, the reflector 16 and the xenon tube 18 are housed in a recess formed so that the periphery thereof projects forward (the same side as the direction in which light is emitted from the flash device 10). The reflector 16 has a curved shape, and the xenon tube 1 is provided inside thereof.
8 are arranged. Both ends of the xenon tube 18 have holders 1
2, the rubber band 19 is locked, and is biased rearward (on the side opposite to the direction in which light is emitted from the flash device 10). As a result, the reflective umbrella 16
Is the bottom surface 12a of the recess of the holder 12 (that is, the first
It is held with respect to the holder 12 while being sandwiched between the xenon tube 18 and the reference surface). The end 16 of the reflector 16
The a is inserted into the recess 14c of the optical panel 14 with a margin, so that variations in the components of the reflector 16 can be absorbed.

The optical panel 14 has the rear end surface 14b around the optical panel 14 in contact with the front end surface 12b around the holder 12 (that is, the second reference surface).
Fixed against. The optical panel 14 is a xenon tube 1
It has a projecting portion 14x projecting to the 8 side. Projection 14x
Has an optical power and appropriately distributes the direct light from the xenon tube 18 and the reflected light reflected by the reflector 16.

The flash device 10 can accurately position the optical panel 14 with respect to the holder 12 by accurately processing the holder 12 and the optical panel 14 that are in contact with each other. Further, the xenon tube 18 can be positioned with respect to the holder 12 with high accuracy by accurately processing the part where the reflector 16 contacts the xenon tube 18 and the bottom surface 12a of the recess of the holder 12 and the part between them. Therefore, the optical panel 14 can be accurately positioned with respect to the xenon tube 18. As a result, there is little variation in the gap 11 between the optical panel 14 and the xenon tube 18, and this gap 11 can be made small.

The flash device 10 can be miniaturized and efficiently distribute light by making the optical panel 14 having the optical power projecting toward the xenon tube 14 side approach the xenon tube 18 side. Also, the xenon tube 18,
Since relative positioning accuracy between the optical panel 14 and the reflector 16 can be increased, it is possible to reduce variations in light distribution characteristics.

Next, the flash device 20 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The flash device 20 has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment, and includes a holder 22, an optical panel 24, and
The reflector 26 and the xenon tube 28 are provided. Reflective umbrella 26
Has a curved shape, and the xenon tube 28 is arranged inside thereof. The optical panel 26 includes a protrusion 24x protruding rearward, and the protrusion 24x has optical power. The end portion 26a of the reflector 26 is inserted into the recess 24c of the optical panel 24 with a margin to absorb variations in the components of the reflector 26.

On the other hand, unlike the first embodiment, the holder 2
Reference numeral 2 is a plate-shaped member, and a reflector 26 and a xenon tube 28 are arranged in front of it. A pair of fixed springs 29 are locked to the xenon tube 28 and are biased rearward. As a result, the reflecting umbrella 26 is sandwiched between the front surface 22 a of the holder 22 and the xenon tube 28. That is, the front surface 22a of the holder 22 functions as a first reference surface.

Around the optical panel 24, an extended portion 24s extending rearward is formed, and the reflector 26 and the xenon tube 2 are formed.
It is designed to cover the periphery of 8. The rear end surface 24b of the extension 24s of the optical panel 24 is positioned by abutting the front surface 22a of the holder 22 and fixed to the holder 22. That is, the front surface 22a of the holder 22 is
It also functions as a second reference surface.

As in the first embodiment, by accurately processing the holder 22 and the optical panel 24, the optical panel 24 can be accurately positioned with respect to the holder 22. Further, the xenon tube 28 can be accurately positioned with respect to the holder 22 by accurately processing the portion where the reflector 26 contacts the xenon tube 28 and the front surface 22a of the holder 22 and the portion therebetween. Therefore, the optical panel 24 can be accurately positioned with respect to the xenon tube 28.

By the way, the reflector may not be sandwiched between the holder and the xenon tube as in the third embodiment.

Next, a flash device 30 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The flash unit 30 is constructed in substantially the same manner as in the second embodiment, and comprises a holder 32, an optical panel 34 having a protrusion 34x, a reflector 36, and a xenon tube 38. The end face 3 behind the extension 34s of the optical panel 34
4b contacts the front surface 32a of the holder 32, is positioned, and is fixed. That is, the front surface 32 of the holder 32
a functions as a second reference surface. The end portion 36a of the reflector 36 is inserted into the recess 34c of the optical panel 34 with a margin, so that variations in the components of the reflector 36 can be absorbed. A pair of fixed springs 39 are engaged with the xenon tube 38 and are biased rearward so that the holder 32
Held against.

On the other hand, unlike the second embodiment, the holder 3
A protrusion 32b protruding forward from the front surface 32a is formed on the front surface 2, and the xenon tube 38 abuts on the front end surface 32s for positioning. That is, the protrusion 32 of the holder 32
32 s of end surface functions as a first reference surface.

By accurately processing the holder 32 and the optical panel 34, the optical panel 34 can be accurately positioned with respect to the holder 32. Further, the holder 32 (in particular, the position and shape of the end surface 32s of the protrusion 32b)
The xenon tube 38 can be accurately positioned with respect to the holder 32 by accurately processing. At this time, the positioning of the optical panel 34 with respect to the xenon tube 38 is not affected by the reflector 36. Therefore, the optical panel 34 can be positioned with higher accuracy with respect to the xenon tube 38. As a result, the gap 31 between the optical panel 34 and the xenon tube 38 can be reduced.

Next, a flash device 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The flash device 40 includes a holder 42,
An optical panel 44, a reflector 46, and a xenon tube 48 are provided. In the holder 42, the reflection umbrella 46 and the xenon tube 48 are housed in a recess formed so as to project forward from the surroundings. The reflector 46 has a curved shape, and the xenon tube 48 is arranged inside thereof. Both ends of the xenon tube 48 project from the holder 42, a rubber band 49 is locked, and the xenon tube 48 is biased rearward. This allows
The reflector 46 is sandwiched between the bottom surface 42 a of the recess of the holder 42 and the xenon tube 48. That is, the bottom surface 42a
Function as the first reference plane.

A rear end face 44b around the optical panel 44
Is positioned by abutting a contact surface 42b having an L-shaped cross section formed in a step shape inside the front end portion around the holder 42. That is, the contact surface 42b functions as the second reference surface. A space is formed outside between the holder 42 and the optical panel 44, and the space is filled with a resin 43 (for example, an ultraviolet curable resin). As a result, the optical panel 44 is fixed to the holder 42.

The optical panel 44 has a protruding portion 44x protruding rearward. The rear surface 44a of the protrusion 44x has a second curved surface 44t formed around the central first curved surface 44s. The first curved surface 44s almost directly transmits the direct light from the xenon tube 18. The second curved surface 44t generally transmits the reflected light of the light from the xenon tube 18 that is reflected by the reflector 46. First and second curved surfaces 44s, 4
By appropriately selecting the shapes of the 4t and the reflector 46, the light from the xenon tube 48 is efficiently distributed.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the optical panel 44 has a recess 44c into which the end 46a of the reflector 46 is inserted.
Are formed to hold the reflecting umbrella 46 in a predetermined shape. The recess 44c is formed deeper than the end portion 46a, so that even the reflector 46 having a low processing accuracy can absorb an error in its size and shape.

The holder 42 and the optical panel 44 can be accurately processed by molding resin, for example, so that the optical panel 46 can be accurately positioned with respect to the holder 42. The reflector 46 is formed by pressing an aluminum material, for example. in this case,
The reflective umbrella 46 has a limited portion interposed between the bottom surface 42 a of the holder 42 and the xenon tube 48 (that is, the reflective umbrella 46 is the reference surface 42 a of the xenon tube 48 and the holder 42).
Since it is possible to process the portion contacting with and the portion between them) with high precision, the xenon tube 48 can be positioned with respect to the holder 42 with high precision. Therefore, the optical panel 44 can be accurately positioned with respect to the xenon tube 48. As a result, the optical panel 44 and the xenon tube 48 are, for example, up to the limit where the optical panel 44 is not adversely affected by heat from the xenon tube 48.
The gap 41 between the optical panel 4 and the predetermined value around 1 mm
4 can be brought close to the xenon tube 48 to reduce the size of the flash device 40, improve the light distribution efficiency, and reduce the variation in the light distribution characteristics.

As described above, the flash unit 1
0, 20, 30, 40 are xenon tubes 18, 28, 3
The optical panels 14, 24, 34, 44 can be accurately positioned with respect to 8, 48.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and examples, but can be implemented in various other modes.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 1B is a horizontal sectional view of a flash device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 2B is a horizontal sectional view of a flash device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 3B is a horizontal sectional view of a flash device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 4B is a horizontal sectional view of a flash device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 5B is a horizontal sectional view of a conventional flash device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 20, 30, 40 flash device 12,22,32,42 Holder (reference member) 12a Bottom surface (first reference surface) 12b End surface (second reference surface) 14, 24, 34, 44 Optical panel (optical member) 14x, 24x, 34x, 44x protrusions 16,26,36,46 reflective umbrella 18, 28, 38, 49 Xenon tube (light emitting tube) 22a front surface (first and second reference surfaces) 32a front surface (second reference surface) 32s end surface (first reference surface) 42a Bottom surface (first reference surface) 42b Contact surface (second reference surface)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) F21Y 103: 00 F21Y 103: 00 (72) Inventor Wataru Abe 2-3 Azuchi-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. 13 Osaka International Building F term in Minolta Co., Ltd. (reference) 2H053 CA03 CA08 CA12 3K011 GA00 JA02 KA09

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A flash device in which an arc tube is arranged inside a reflector and which covers an opening of the reflector with an optical member, comprising a reference member having first and second reference surfaces, wherein the arc tube comprises: The optical member is held with respect to the reference member while the reflector is sandwiched between the reference member and the first reference surface, and the optical member is in contact with the second reference surface of the reference member. The flash device is characterized in that it is fixed to the reference member in this state. 2. A flash device in which an arc tube is arranged inside a reflector and which covers an opening of the reflector with an optical member, comprising a reference member having first and second reference surfaces, wherein the arc tube comprises: The reference member is held by the reference member while being in contact with the first reference surface of the reference member, and the optical member is in contact with the second reference surface of the reference member by the reference member. A flash device characterized by being fixed to a member. 3. The flash device according to claim 1, wherein the optical member has a protrusion protruding toward the arc tube, and the protrusion has an optical power.