JP2005331798A - Illuminator for photography - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illuminator which efficiently illuminates row of teeth with equal brightness, without giving unpleasant feeling to a patient in close-up photography for dental medical care. <P>SOLUTION: The illuminator attached to the periphery of the lens barrel of a digital camera includes a tapered lightguide member 16 which is tapered. The light guiding member 16 has an irradiation surface 22 vertical to the center axis of the lens barrel and an inner peripheral surface 24 parallel with the center axis. The level of a drive current supplied to 1st to 8th LEDs 15A to 15H arranged at equal intervals is controlled so that the luminance of illuminating light irradiated from the horizontal area H of the irradiation surface 22 and the area, in contact with the horizontal area H of the inner peripheral surface 24, is higher than the luminance of illuminating light from the vertical area V of the irradiation surface 22 and the area in contact with the vertical area V of the inner peripheral surface 24. The illuminator illuminates only the periphery part of patient's mouth so that the row of teeth, including front teeth near the vertical area V and back teeth near the horizontal area H, which look darker than the front teeth, is irradiated as a whole with equal brightness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an illumination device for close-up photography, and more particularly to a dental illumination device for photographing close-ups of a human dentition.

In general, when taking a close-up image of a human dentition for dentistry, a ring strobe suitable for close-up photography may be used (for example, Patent Document 1). The ring strobe is attached to the outer periphery of the lens barrel of the imaging apparatus and irradiates light to the patient's mouth.
JP 2001-356403 A (FIG. 1)

  When a ring strobe is used in photographing a patient's dentition, the entire face is illuminated, and the patient may feel uncomfortable due to glare of illumination light, heat, or the like. When the light emission surface of the ring strobe is large, there may be an intimidating feeling to the patient in close-up photography. Further, if the ring strobe illuminates a range that is not related to shooting, it may not be able to illuminate efficiently, leading to unnecessary power consumption.

  In close-up photography of the dentition, the distance from the imaging device is short, and the front teeth that are relatively bright under natural light and the distance from the imaging device are long, and the dark back teeth can be illuminated with uniform brightness. First, when photographing is performed so that the front teeth have appropriate brightness, the back teeth may have insufficient brightness.

  In close-up photography for dentistry, the present invention provides a bright area and a dark area such as an illuminating device that efficiently illuminates a dentition so that the dentition becomes uniform brightness without causing discomfort to the patient. An object of the present invention is to provide an illumination device that illuminates a subject having a region with uniform brightness and efficiently only a range necessary for photographing.

  The illuminating device of the present invention is an illuminating device provided on the outer periphery of the lens barrel, and includes a plurality of annularly arranged light sources that radiate illumination light from the lens barrel side toward the subject side. A plurality of light sources simultaneously emit illumination lights having different luminances so that a subject having a bright region and a dark region has substantially uniform brightness when illuminated.

  The plurality of light sources are composed of, for example, light emitting elements that emit light when energized. In this case, the illumination device further includes light source control means for controlling a drive current to the light emitting elements, and is positioned at a position corresponding to a dark region of the subject The drive current to the light emitting element is preferably larger than the drive current to the light emitting element at a position corresponding to the bright area of the subject.

  The light source is preferably a semiconductor light emitting element.

  The illumination device is cylindrical and has a tapered shape in which the radial dimension decreases from the light source toward the tip of the subject side in the central axis direction of the lens barrel, and guides the incident illumination light toward the subject side. It is preferable to further include a light guide member and a reflective member that is disposed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the light guide member and reflects the illumination light transmitted through the light guide member.

  The light guide member has an irradiation surface at an end on the subject side, and when the lighting device is attached, a light source that emits illumination light toward a horizontal region that is substantially horizontally away from the central axis of the irradiation surface, It is preferable to emit illumination light having a higher luminance than a light source that emits illumination light toward a vertical region that is a region that is substantially perpendicular to the central axis.

  The tip of the light guide member on the subject side preferably has a flange portion that protrudes more than the reflecting member in the central axis direction of the lens barrel. The light guide member is preferably made of a diffusive material that diffuses illumination light incident from the light source. The inner peripheral surface of the light guide member is preferably substantially parallel to the central axis of the lens barrel.

  It is desirable that the inner diameter of the tip of the illumination device on the subject side is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the lens barrel.

  According to the present invention, in close-up photography, an illuminating device that illuminates efficiently without irradiating a patient by irradiating illumination light only to the patient's mouth so that the dentition has uniform brightness. Can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a lighting device and a digital camera.

  The illumination device 10 according to the present embodiment is detachably attached to the distal end of the outer periphery of a lens barrel 32 that includes a photographing optical system (not shown) of the digital camera 30 and is used. The lens barrel 32 has substantially the same diameter as an interchangeable lens for a single-lens reflex camera. The illuminating device 10 is cylindrical and has a tapered shape that becomes narrower toward the subject. A plurality of LEDs (semiconductor light emitting elements, not shown) arranged in a ring shape are used as the light source of the illumination device 10, and the light source is electrically connected to the illumination device 10 via a connection cord 42. A current is supplied from the power supply unit 40. In the power supply unit 40, a power supply and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling the amount of current supplied to the light source are provided.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the lighting device 10 and the power supply unit 40.

  The illumination device 10 is detachably attached to the lens barrel 32 via the attachment portion 12. The power supply unit 40 is attached to the digital camera 30 via a screw 44 that is screwed into a tripod attachment hole (not shown) provided in the digital camera 30. The user attaches and detaches the power supply unit 40 by operating a dial 46 interlocked with the screw 44.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the illumination device 10 attached to the lens barrel 32.

  The illumination device 10 includes a light source unit 14 including a plurality of LEDs that emit illumination light, a light guide member 16, and a reflection member 18. The light source unit 14 emits illumination light from the lens barrel 32 toward the subject and does not obstruct the optical path of the illumination light, that is, near the end of the illumination device 10 on the lens barrel 32 side, that is, the attachment unit 12. It is arranged in the vicinity of The light guide member 16 has a cylindrical shape and is formed in a tapered shape that becomes narrower from the light source unit 14 side toward the subject side in the central axis direction of the lens barrel 32. The light guide member 16 is in contact with the light source unit 14 and is formed of a diffusible material that diffuses illumination light. Therefore, the illumination light emitted from the light source unit 14 is guided toward the subject side. The reflection member 18 is formed in a cylindrical shape and a tapered shape coaxially with the light guide member 16 so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the light guide member 16, and reflects the illumination light transmitted through the light guide member 16.

  An arrow in the light guide member 16 illustrates an optical path of illumination light in the light guide member 16. The illumination light emitted from the light source unit 14 is guided by being diffused through the transmissive light guide member 16 by being reflected on the surface of the reflection member 18 except for a part thereof. As a result, the illumination light reflected by the reflecting member 18 is emitted from the inner peripheral surface 24 of the light guide member 16 in a direction toward the central axis E of the lens barrel of the digital camera 30 (see arrow A). Note that the arrow A exemplifies the direction in which the illumination light is emitted, and the illumination light from the inner peripheral surface 24 is actually emitted at various angles so as to travel toward the subject while facing the central axis E. Is done. Further, the central axis E coincides with the optical axis of the photographing optical system 34.

  The light guide member 16 has a flange portion 20 at the distal end portion on the subject side. The flange portion 20 protrudes from the subject-side end of the reflecting member 18 in the direction of the central axis E of the lens barrel. An irradiation surface 22 perpendicular to the central axis E is provided at the tip of the flange portion 20. And from the irradiation surface 22, the illumination light which is not reflected in the surface of the reflection member 18 among the illumination lights from the light source part 14 is mainly inject | emitted. For this reason, part of the illumination light emitted from the irradiation surface 22 travels along a direction parallel to the central axis E. Further, since the illumination light is diffused by the light guide member 16, a part of the illumination light from the irradiation surface 22 is in a direction having an irradiation angle α with respect to the central axis E so as to be away from the central axis E. (See arrow B). Arrow B also exemplifies the direction of emission of irradiation light. The flange portion 20 has not only the irradiation surface 22 but also an outer peripheral surface 23 that forms the front end portion of the outer surface of the lighting device 10, and the boundary between the illumination area and the non-illumination area that is reflected when shooting a little away from each other. In order to make it inconspicuous, illumination light is also slightly emitted from the outer peripheral surface 23.

  Further, since the light guide member 16 emits part of the illumination light that is not reflected by the reflecting member 18 in a direction substantially parallel to the central axis E from the irradiation surface 22, the light source unit 14 is close to the inner peripheral surface 24. It is arranged to be. The inner peripheral surface 24 is parallel to the central axis E, and the inner diameter at the subject-side tip of the illumination device 10 is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the lens barrel 32. Furthermore, since the light guide member 16 and the reflection member 18 are tapered so as to become narrower toward the subject side, the illumination light irradiated from the irradiation surface 22 is not irradiated over a wide range, and the central axis E The irradiation angle α with respect to is suppressed to a small angle.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the light source unit 14 and the light guide member 16. In addition, although the light source part 14 and the light source attachment surface 26 of the light guide member 16 are actually in contact with each other, FIG. 4 shows a state in which they are separated in order to clearly show their shapes. FIG. 5 is a top view showing the light source unit 14. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the amount of current supplied to the LEDs included in the light source unit 14.

  The light source unit 14 includes first to eighth LEDs 15 </ b> A to 15 </ b> H that emit light when energized, and an annular mounting substrate 17. The first to eighth LEDs 15A to 15H are mounted on the mounting substrate 17 at equal intervals. The first and fifth LEDs 15A and 15E radiate illumination light toward the vertical region V of the irradiation surface 22, and the third and seventh LEDs 15C and 15G radiate illumination light toward the horizontal region H. The first and fifth LEDs 15A and 15E are electrically connected to each other by the first and second wires 50 and 51, and the third and seventh LEDs 15C and 15G are electrically connected to each other by the third and fourth wires 52 and 53, respectively. (See FIG. 5). Similarly, the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth LEDs 15B, 15D, 15F, and 15H are connected by fifth and sixth wires 54 and 55, respectively.

  The first to sixth wires 50 to 55 are all disposed along the mounting substrate 17, and the first, third, and fifth wires 50, 52, and 54 are for the anode, and the second, fourth, and fourth wires. The 6 wires 51, 53 and 55 are for the cathode. The first to sixth wires 50 to 55 are all connected to a power source (not shown) via the control circuit 56, and the first to eighth LEDs 15A to 15H are supplied with a drive current from the power source. .

  The magnitude of the drive current supplied to the first to eighth LEDs 15A to 15H is controlled by the control circuit 56. That is, the amount of current supplied to the first and fifth LEDs 15A and 15E shown in FIG. 6A is the smallest, and the amount of current supplied to the third and seventh LEDs 15C and 15G shown in FIG. The biggest. The amount of current to the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth LEDs 15B, 15D, 15F, and 15H includes the first and fifth LEDs 15A and 15E, the third and seventh LEDs 15C, as shown in FIG. It is the middle of the amount of current to 15G. Therefore, the third and seventh LEDs 15C and 15G emit illumination light with the highest luminance, the first and fifth LEDs 15A and 15E emit illumination light with the lowest luminance, and the second, fourth, sixth and eighth LEDs 15B. , 15D, 15F, and 15H emit illumination light having an intermediate luminance.

  The illumination light from any LED is guided while being diffused by the light guide member 16. As a result, after the diffusion by the light guide member 16, the luminance of the illumination light irradiated from the horizontal region H of the irradiation surface 22 toward the subject is higher than the luminance of the illumination light from the vertical region V, and the inner peripheral surface 24. Similarly, the luminance of the illumination light from the region in contact with the horizontal region H is higher than the luminance from the region in contact with the vertical region V.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the light source unit 14 and the irradiation surface 22 and the dentition in photographing the dentition.

  In the illumination device 10, the horizontal region H of the irradiation surface 22 is located in a region that is substantially horizontal away from the central axis E, that is, in the vicinity of the back tooth, and the vertical region V is a region that is substantially perpendicular to the central axis E. That is, it is attached to the lens barrel 32 so as to be positioned near the top and bottom of the front teeth. For this reason, the brightness of the illumination light applied to the back teeth that are difficult to reach natural light is higher than the brightness of the illumination light applied to the front teeth, and the illuminating device 10 is arranged so that the overall brightness is uniform. Illuminate.

  FIG. 8 is a side view showing the illumination device 10 used with the digital camera 30.

  The illuminating device 10 illuminates a surface of the subject that the irradiation surface 22 faces and is slightly wider than the irradiation surface 22. And in this embodiment, since the shape etc. of the light guide member 16 are adjusted so as to be suitable for close-up of the dentition, the illuminating device 10 does not irradiate the patient's eyes with illumination light during close-up, Only the illumination area 48 below the nose including the mouth is illuminated. In this way, since only a necessary range is illuminated and an LED with higher luminous efficiency is used as the light source, the illumination device 10 enables efficient illumination with reduced power consumption.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in close-up photography, illumination is performed with illumination light having different luminance so that the dentition has substantially uniform brightness, and only the patient's mouth is irradiated with illumination light. It is possible to realize an illumination device that illuminates efficiently without causing discomfort.

  The light source unit 14 preferably includes an LED that has high luminous efficiency and can continuously emit illumination light, but is not limited thereto. For example, illumination light may be emitted using a xenon lamp. Further, the number and arrangement interval of the LEDs are not limited to the present embodiment.

  The size and shape of the light guide member and the like including the irradiation surface and the inner peripheral surface are not limited to the present embodiment as long as they are appropriate for close-up of the dentition.

  The power supply unit 40 may supply power while being in contact with the lighting device 10 without using the connection cord 42. In this case, the power supply unit 40 is installed, for example, in the vicinity of the light source unit 14 so as to cover the lens barrel 32.

It is a perspective view which shows an illuminating device and a digital camera. It is a perspective view which shows an illuminating device and a power supply unit. It is sectional drawing of the illuminating device in the state attached to the lens-barrel. It is a perspective view which shows the light source part and light guide member in the isolate | separated state. It is a top view which shows a light source part. It is a figure which shows the electric current amount supplied to LED of a light source part. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the light source part and irradiation surface in imaging | photography of a dentition, and a dentition. It is a side view which shows the illuminating device used with a digital camera.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Illuminating device 12 Mounting part 14 Light source part 15A-15H 1st-8th LED (light emitting element and light source)
16 Light guide member 18 Reflecting member 20 Flange part 22 Irradiation surface 24 Inner peripheral surface 30 Digital camera (imaging device)
32 Lens barrel 34 Imaging optical system 56 Control circuit (light source control means)
E Center axis

Claims (9)

An illumination device provided on the outer periphery of the lens barrel,
A plurality of light sources arranged in an annular shape for emitting illumination light from the lens barrel side toward the subject side;
An illumination device, wherein the plurality of light sources simultaneously emit illumination lights having different luminances so that a subject having a bright region and a dark region has substantially uniform brightness when illuminated.   The plurality of light sources are composed of light emitting elements that emit light when energized, and further include a light source control unit that controls a driving current to the light emitting elements, and a driving current to a light emitting element at a position corresponding to a dark region of the subject. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the driving current is set to be larger than a drive current to a light emitting element at a position corresponding to a bright area of the subject.   The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements. It is cylindrical and has a tapered shape in which the radial dimension decreases from the light source toward the tip on the subject side in the central axis direction of the lens barrel, and guides the incident illumination light toward the subject side. An optical member;
The illumination device according to claim 1, further comprising a reflection member that is disposed so as to cover an outer peripheral surface of the light guide member and reflects the illumination light transmitted through the light guide member.   The light guide member has an irradiation surface at an end on the subject side, and when the lighting device is mounted, the illumination light is directed toward a horizontal region of the irradiation surface that is substantially horizontal away from the central axis. The radiating light source emits the illuminating light having a higher brightness than the light source that radiates the illuminating light toward a vertical region that is a region separated from the central axis in a substantially vertical direction. 4. The lighting device according to 4.   The lighting device according to claim 4, wherein a distal end portion of the light guide member on the subject side includes a flange portion that protrudes from the reflection member in a central axis direction of the lens barrel.   The lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the light guide member is made of a diffusive material that diffuses illumination light incident from the light source.   The lighting device according to claim 4, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the light guide member is substantially parallel to a central axis of the lens barrel. The illumination device according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of a distal end portion on the subject side of the illumination device is substantially equal to an inner diameter of the lens barrel.

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