JP2010033074A - Compact underwater photographing strobe with high function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a subminiature and lightweight underwater photographing strobe being, reducing labor of underwater photographing, and enabling underwater photographing of excellent contents. <P>SOLUTION: The underwater photographing strobe stores a flash discharge tube, a power source, a booster circuit, a capacitor, a trigger circuit, a light quantity control circuit and the like in a waterproof casing. The compact underwater photographing strobe with the high function has stacks and arrays a substantially circular strobe emission panel and one or a plurality of substantially circular component circuit substrates, stacked and arrayed on the substantially circular vertical cross section of the inside of the substantially columnar underwater photographing strobe. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an improvement in a strobe for underwater photography.
Divers and others take an underwater camera with a single-lens reflex camera with an interchangeable lens group selected and mounted in a waterproof camera housing underwater to shoot underwater, but underwater, red light is absorbed by water and blue light remains Strobes are essential because the color balance is lost and the amount of light is low.

  Since the strobe in underwater photography is attached to the underwater camera via a flexible arm and used, it is necessary to irradiate a substantially rectangular shooting area while tilting the tip of the swing arm, and a large irradiation area of a substantially circular shape is required. It is essential.

  For this reason, conventional strobes for underwater photography have a large and complex strobe light emitting section for obtaining a substantially circular irradiation area, a large capacitor for large capacity discharge to obtain a large irradiation area, and a large oscillation for large capacity charging. With a transformer, the overall dimensions and volume are extremely large.

  On the other hand, the ultra-small underwater photography strobe of the present invention is compact but has a large light quantity, has a substantially circular illumination area, is small, lightweight, portable, easy to handle, and can be reconfigured according to the shooting situation. It has features such as easy, easy setting and checking of the optical axis, and it can be used by diver photographers who do not have enough physical strength and swimming power and can easily capture a photo opportunity.

  The cameras used in combination with the underwater photography strobe of the present invention are not only for underwater photography cameras equipped with a waterproof / pressure-resistant mechanism, but also for silver salt photo cameras and APS films housed in a waterproof housing. Also includes cameras, digital cameras, digital video cameras and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the strobe S for underwater photography is attached to the underwater camera C via a flexible arm M and used, so it is necessary to irradiate a substantially rectangular photographing area while tilting at the tip of the swing arm. There is a large irradiation area of a substantially circular shape. (See Figure 1)
The reason why the strobe S is attached to the camera C via the flexible arm M is used for underwater camera photography. First, reflection and reflection of fine plankton and dust floating in the water (like a falling snow scene) This is because it is necessary to shift the light emission axis of the strobe S with respect to the lens system optical axis of the camera C (to provide a declination and to deviate). Second, because the strobe light during underwater shooting is dominant (because almost all of the light during shooting depends on the strobe light), you can freely change the position and orientation of the strobe according to the subject and composition, and lighting This is because the state needs to be devised.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the underwater shooting strobe needs to irradiate a substantially rectangular shooting area of the camera C even when tilted at the tip of the swing arm M, and a large irradiation area of a substantially circular shape is essential. is there.

  For this reason, the conventional strobe for underwater photography has a substantially circular irradiation area, so that a flash discharge tube having a large and large circular curved tube (see FIG. 2RL), a large reflector having a large depth (see FIG. 3RF), A thick and large light diffusion panel (see DF in the lower part of FIG. 2) having a large number of complicated light scattering projection prisms is incorporated, and the size and volume are extremely large.

The exploded view shown in FIG. 3 is a view of the internal component configuration with the front half of the outer shell of the underwater photography strobe with a light diffusing panel shown in the lower part of FIG. 2 removed.
A large straight flash discharge tube (FIG. 3SL) is inserted through the base of a large deep reflector (FIG. 3RF). The reflector RF is incorporated in the central portion of the strobe light emitting panel SP, and guides the light from the flash discharge tube SL to the light scattering projection prism of the front light diffusion panel DF while adjusting its direction.

  In order for a large number of prisms arranged in the rectangular area of the light scattering panel RF to widen the light irradiation area, it is necessary that the light whose direction is adjusted be incident on all the prisms in the rectangular area from almost directly behind. A large reflector RF having a deep depth is essential behind the light diffusion panel DF.

  However, even in this method, the irradiation area is at most approximately elliptical and is not a circular irradiation area. There is also a problem that the amount of light output decreases due to light diffusion loss such as internal reflection of the prism in the light diffusion panel RF.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 (exploded view), the conventional strobe for underwater photography has a single large capacitor for large-capacity discharge (see FIG. 3MC) and a large-capacity charge for obtaining a large irradiation area. And a large oscillation transformer (see FIG. 3TR), and the internal component arrangement area cannot be integrated at high density. That is, wasteful space is eliminated and electronic components are packed neatly and compactly, the internal support and connecting members are omitted, the circuit board is reduced, and the component arrangement area cannot be reduced.

  The component arrangement is diffused, the number of parts that are not essential such as internal support and connection members increases, and the circuit board is also large, so the component arrangement area is large, the overall dimensions and volume are extremely large, and it is about rugby ball Yes.

  In the specific example of the prior art shown in FIG. 3, since the discharge capacitors MC are long, they are arranged in the axial direction of a substantially cylindrical strobe together with the circuit board SB. The strobe light emitting panel SP is fixed to the support plate BB via the support shafts SX1 and SX2. And since the electronic parts are arranged diffusely in a wide space, the circuit board is correspondingly large.

  Cameras are becoming more and more compact due to advances in electronics and technical improvements, but underwater photography strobes are still large. The weight reduction has not progressed.

Recently, the ratio of senior divers and female divers is increasing, and the realization of a compact and lightweight underwater photography system is strongly desired from various fields.
The underwater shooting site has a flow of water, poor scaffolding, and it is difficult to balance the body, so changing heavy and bulky underwater shooting equipment and changing posture are very hard work and meticulous This is because it requires attention and consideration.

  For several years, we have continued research and development to reduce the size and weight of underwater photography strobes. By reworking it, we succeeded in realizing an ultra-compact and lightweight strobe for underwater photography.

  As mentioned above, conventional underwater photography strobes and underwater photography systems that incorporate them are bulky, heavy, and heavy to carry to the shooting site, and are large and difficult to handle at the underwater shooting site. Diver photographers have been forced to do a lot of work and effort for underwater photography.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention realizes an ultra-compact and lightweight strobe for underwater photography, which reduces the labor associated with underwater photography and enables underwater photography with better contents. is there.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is an underwater shooting strobe in which a flash discharge tube, a power supply, a booster circuit, a capacitor, a trigger circuit, a light amount control circuit, and the like are housed in a waterproof box. A compact but highly functional underwater, characterized in that a substantially circular strobe light emitting panel, a substantially circular component circuit board, and one or more are laminated in a substantially circular longitudinal section inside the electronic strobe. Provide a strobe for shooting.

  The present invention also relates to a strobe for underwater photography in which a flash discharge tube, a power supply, a booster circuit, a capacitor, a trigger circuit, a light amount control circuit and the like are housed in a waterproof box, and includes an oscillation transformer and / or a discharge main capacitor. However, the board mounting height is similar to other electronic components, and it is composed of a plurality of oscillation transformers and / or discharge main capacitors with small dimensions and volume, and the component arrangement inside the strobe is integrated at high density. A compact yet highly functional underwater photography strobe that is characterized by being capable of rapid charging.

  As described above, the strobe for underwater photography according to the present invention has been improved and devised for compactness, is ultra-compact, has a large light amount, has a substantially circular irradiation area, can be rapidly charged, and is compact.・ Lightweight, easy to carry, easy to handle, easy to change the system according to the shooting conditions, easy to set and check the optical axis, can be used by diver photographers who do not have enough physical strength and swimming power, etc. It has a number of features.

FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of an underwater photographing system, an underwater camera, and a strobe attached via a flexible arm M. FIG. 2 shows a specific example of a conventional underwater photographing strobe. The upper part of FIG. 2 shows a specific example of a conventional underwater photographing strobe equipped with a flash discharge tube having a large circular curved tube. The lower part of FIG. 2 shows a specific example of a conventional underwater photographing strobe having a light diffusing panel having many complicated light scattering projection prisms. FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a conventional strobe for underwater photography provided with a strobe light emitting panel having a large reflector having a large depth. It corresponds to the underwater photographing strobe with a light diffusion panel having a number of complicated light scattering projection prisms at the bottom of FIG. 2, and shows its internal structure. FIG. 4 shows a strobe light emitting panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a T-shaped arrangement of light emitting units of a straight tube type light emitting tube. FIG. 5 shows a state of an irradiation region of strobe light emission of a straight tube type arc tube T-shaped arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a compact yet highly functional underwater photographing strobe having a substantially circular circuit board stacked and arranged in a substantially circular vertical cross section according to the present invention. FIG. 7 shows an oscillation / charging circuit using a plurality of small oscillation transformers in another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows a circuit configuration relating to the photographing mode switching of a conventional underwater strobe compatible with TTL automatic flash photography. A plurality of switches related to switching between TTL automatic flash photography and manual flash photography are required. FIG. 9 shows a circuit configuration relating to photographing mode switching of an underwater strobe compatible with TTL automatic flash photography according to another embodiment of the present invention. One switch is sufficient for switching between TTL automatic flash photography and manual flash photography, and the photography mode changeover switch SW2 is installed on the exit side of the integration circuit and the TTL signal circuit, that is, on the signal output side. It is an example. FIG. 10 shows a circuit configuration relating to photographing mode switching of an underwater strobe compatible with TTL automatic flash photography according to another embodiment of the present invention. One switch is sufficient for switching between TTL automatic flash photography and manual flash photography, and the photography mode changeover switch SW2 is installed on the entrance side of the integration circuit and the TTL signal circuit, that is, on the signal input side. It is an example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the strobe SS for underwater photography according to the embodiment of the invention of this application includes a plurality of small light-emitting units each having a light-emitting unit SP in which a straight flash discharge tube is covered with a reflector. It is arranged in a T-shape (or a substantially L-shape), and is compact but has a large light amount and a substantially circular irradiation area. (See Figure 4)
The irradiation area by the straight tube-type arc tube T-shaped array is only a large T-shaped area, and there is an illusion that a substantially circular irradiation area is not possible, but according to experiments, an almost complete circular irradiation area can be realized. . (See Figure 5) This is also a discovery like a Columbus egg.

  As shown in FIG. 5, if each of the straight tube arc tube light emitting units F1 and F2 completely illuminates the front, the oval irradiation areas Z1 and Z2 substantially overlap each other while intersecting each other. In addition, a substantially circular irradiation area can be realized.

  According to the strict ray geometry, the emission center axis of the straight tube-type arc tube light emitting unit F2 is shifted by 1 to 2 cm below the emission center axis of F1, so the center of the oval irradiation region Z2 is Although shifted by 1 to 2 cm below the center of Z1, such a shift is negligible from an irradiation area of several meters, and it was the same in an underwater experiment. Moreover, the irradiation area by the straight tube type arc tube T-shaped array was almost circular in the experiment. The irradiation area by the straight tube type arc tube L-shaped arrangement can also be realized in a substantially circular irradiation area by the same mechanism. Further, a strobe having a larger light amount irradiation area can be configured by arranging a plurality of substantially T-shaped (or substantially L-shaped).

  The small light emitting unit F1 disposed in the strobe light emitting panel SP of the embodiment of the present invention has a configuration in which a simple straight tube flash discharge tube SL1 is covered with a simple reflector RF1, and is used for a ground camera. A general-purpose light-emitting unit can be used as it is.

  That is, since the light intensity of the straight flash discharge tubes SL1 and SL2 increases in cooperation with each other, a large straight tube as shown in the lower part of FIG. 2 to FIG. 3 is not necessary and a compact one can be used. SP can be reduced.

  Further, since it is not necessary to forcibly shift the light irradiation area to a circle, it is not necessary to provide a light diffusion panel DF or a light scattering projection prism in front, and the size and weight can be reduced.

  And since it is not necessary to guide the light to the light scattering projection prism of the light diffusion panel DF while aligning the direction of the strobe light, a large deep reflector is not necessary, and a small, shallow reflector is sufficient. .

  In the end, the light emitting unit used in the embodiment of the present invention is a compact and lightweight light emitting unit in which a general-purpose compact straight tube flash discharge tube SL1 is inserted into a small and shallow ordinary reflector RF1 in a ground camera. It is a good translation.

  Since a general-purpose compact light emitting unit for such a ground camera can be procured at low cost with high performance and stable quality, the underwater shooting strobe of the present invention has extremely high performance and high quality. However, it is ultra-compact, inexpensive, and has great industrial significance.

  Of course, the strobe light emitting panel SP including a plurality of reflectors can be integrally formed of resin or metal to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembly steps. In addition, by using multiple flash discharge tubes at the same time, the load and heat dissipation due to the input of high power are also distributed in multiple, so the life of the flash discharge tube is extended and the interval between repeated light emission can be shortened. No problem with durability.

Such downsizing of the strobe light-emitting panel SP improves the light efficiency by omitting the light diffusion panel DF, etc., so the requirements for the main capacitor for discharge and the oscillation transformer are eased, and further downsizing is possible. To do. (We do not completely deny the reason for the existence of the light diffusing panel with the light scattering projection prism. For example, when trying to have a complete circular irradiation area ignoring cost constraints etc. Is a structure in which a light scattering projection prism is brought into contact with only the ends of the light emitting units F1 and F2 shown in FIG. 5, and if only the end of the irradiation area is diffused, the light distribution characteristics are further improved. (A strobe with a nearly perfect circular illumination area can be realized.)
In the present invention, a substantially circular strobe light emitting panel, a substantially circular component circuit board, and one or a plurality of components are laminated and arranged in a substantially circular longitudinal section inside a substantially cylindrical type strobe for underwater photography. Is a strobe for underwater photography with a high density integration and a compact outer shape, but with a large amount of light and a substantially circular irradiation area.

  As shown in the prior art column of FIG. 3 (exploded view), the internal components of the conventional strobe for underwater photography have electronic components scattered in a wide space and arranged in various directions. The circuit board is also correspondingly large.

  In addition, since the arrangement of components is diffused and the circuit board is large, a member for supporting and connecting the components inside, the support plate BB, the support shafts SX1, SX2, etc. are also required and are essential in addition to the circuit board. There is a vicious circle in which the number of non-members increases and the part arrangement area further increases.

  As a result of trial and error, we have rearranged the substantially cylindrical space inside the strobe for underwater photography as a stack of component arrangement plates with a circular vertical section, and we have developed a substantially circular strobe emission. When the panel is laminated with a substantially circular component circuit board, one or more, the result is a high density integration of the component arrangement, and the support and connecting members between the components can be omitted, resulting in a compact outer shape. However, it has been found that a strobe for underwater photography having a large amount of light and a substantially circular irradiation area can be obtained.

That is, one or a plurality of circuit boards having a substantially circular shape and substantially the same size as a longitudinal section, with components arranged and fixed in a plane, together with a strobe light emitting panel having a substantially circular shape and the same size as the longitudinal section. If the stacked arrangement is used, there is no waste of space at all, so that the component storage space inside the strobe can be compactly compressed, and as a result, a strobe for underwater photography with an extremely short cylindrical appearance can be obtained. (See Figure 6)
At that time, if there are parts such as a power battery storage case and a capacitor that do not fit well, if they are arranged at the periphery of the substantially cylindrical part arrangement space, high-density integration of the parts can be achieved as a whole.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the power battery storage case BTS is unevenly distributed on the periphery of the strobe, almost all of the space inside the strobe is used for the arrangement and storage of circuit components, and the capacitor is composed of a strobe light emitting panel and a component circuit. A high-density integration of the component arrangement is achieved around a circuit board having a substantially circular vertical cross section.

  The stroboscopic cylinder has an extremely short outer shape that is close to an AA battery. Moreover, since the outer shell BTS-H of the power battery storage case BTS is shared with the outer peripheral wall of the strobe, resource saving is also achieved compared to the conventional example of FIG. 3 (see BT of FIG. 3). It is also lighter. Further, since the entire strobe light emitting panel SP has a thin circular plate shape having the same size as the circular longitudinal section, it is accommodated without wasteful space between the circuit board SB2, and the support plate and the support shaft Such support / connecting members can also be omitted.

  The arrangement of the power supply battery is not limited to the method shown in FIG. 6, and four power supply batteries can be arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction in a flat manner or arranged in the cross-sectional direction. In addition, it is possible to devise such as stacking and arranging circular circuit boards that are partially cut out by inserting the battery storage part into the substantially cylindrical part housing space inside the strobe as long as the space efficiency is not impaired. .

  In addition, even when a conventional strobe light emitting panel as shown in FIG. 2 is used in combination, a considerable compactness is achieved as an effect of high-density integration of component arrangements centering on a circuit board having a substantially circular longitudinal section. It has been.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, a strobe for underwater photography further comprises an oscillation transformer and a discharge main capacitor composed of a plurality of parts having a small size and volume, and the arrangement of parts inside the strobe is densely integrated. Yes.

  As shown in the prior art column of FIG. 3 (exploded view), the internal component configuration of the conventional strobe for underwater photography is a single large capacitor for large-capacity discharge (FIG. 3MC) to obtain a large irradiation area. As well as a single large oscillation transformer (see Fig. 3TR) for large-capacity charging, and because the internal component arrangement area is too large to be densely integrated, the overall dimensions and volume are extremely large. It ’s about as much as a rugby ball.

  Because of circular irradiation, most underwater photography strobes have a circular strobe light emitting panel SP on the front, and the overall shape is substantially cylindrical. Since the main capacitor MC is long and thick, it does not fit in the circular section of the substantially cylindrical underwater photographing strobe, so it is arranged in the cylinder axis direction. For this reason, the strobe has become a long cylinder.

  In addition, since the large oscillation transformer TR is mounted on the circuit board in order to rapidly charge the large-capacity main capacitor MC, a large space is required around the circuit board, particularly in the upper part. Further, the strobe light emitting panel SP is fixed to the support plate BB via the support shaft SX. And since the electronic parts are arranged diffusely in a wide space, the circuit board is correspondingly large.

  The component arrangement is diffused, the number of parts that are not essential such as internal support and connection members increases, and the circuit board is also large, so the component arrangement area is large, the overall dimensions and volume are extremely large, and it is about rugby ball Yes.

  For these reasons, conventional strobes for underwater photography have an extremely large overall size and volume because the internal component arrangement area cannot be densely integrated and is large, and are about the size of a rugby ball.

  Therefore, in order to further push the advantages of downsizing that can be achieved by downsizing the strobe light emitting panel SP, we also conducted research on downsizing and high-density integration of the internal component arrangement area.

  The conclusions obtained from several trial and error studies are that if a large-capacity capacitor or large-sized oscillation transformer is replaced with a plurality of parts with small dimensions and volumes, the internal arrangement of the components will not occur. As a result, the components can be integrated and arranged at high density, and a significant reduction in size can be achieved.

As a main capacitor for discharging, a large capacitor of 330V, 1000 micro F (diameter: about 3 cm, length: about 7 cm) has been used (refer to MC in FIG. 3), but a small capacitor of 500 micro F (diameter: about 2 cm). , About 4.5cm in length) can be replaced with two (see MC1 and MC2 in FIG. 6), and there is room in the first circular circuit board (diameter about 6.5cm) SB1 that matches the strobe inner diameter. Can be attached. (See Figure 6)
The capacitor body can be laid sideways so as to snuggle up to the board, and its legs can be bent into an L-shape and assembled directly to the circuit board, or it can be sandwiched between circuit boards etc. with an insulating material or cushioning material in between There is also a way of support, and can be devised as appropriate.

Since the main capacitor is not in the longitudinal axis direction of the substantially cylindrical strobe for underwater photography but in the cross-sectional direction and can be disposed on the circular substrate, the length required for the strobe has been shortened at a stretch. (The restriction on shortening the cylindrical outer shape was not the length of the capacitor 7 cm + alpha, but the length of the NiCd AA battery, 4.8 cm.)
In the specific example of FIG. 6, the TTL automatic dimming indicator lamp A-LED, the charging completion indicator lamp R-LED, the electrical signal cable connection terminal EWJ, the optical signal cable connection terminal PWJ, etc. are compact. It is arranged on the external surface of the strobe at high density.

Conventionally, a relatively large transformer EE-19 (height of about 2 cm) has been used for an oscillation transformer so that a large-capacity capacitor can be charged quickly (see TR in FIG. 3). -13 type (height: about 1.2 cm), 2 (see TR1, TR2 in FIG. 6), and can be replaced with a second circular circuit board (diameter: about 6.5 cm) SB2 that matches the inner diameter of the strobe. Can be installed with a margin. When this transformer is used, the height is the same as that of other electronic components, the useless space around the circuit is reduced, and high-density integration can be achieved. (See Figure 6)
In addition, as a secondary effect, the charging time can be shortened.

  It took about 3 seconds to charge a large capacitor of 330V and 1000μF from 50V to 260V using four NiCd AA batteries as a power source with the conventional oscillation transformer EE-19, but the small transformer EE-13 The charging time under the same conditions for the two molds TR1 and TR2 was about 2.4 seconds, which was shortened.

Small transformer EF-13 type Two TR1 and TR2 are used in parallel with two parallel oscillation transistors in the circuit configuration as shown in FIG. 7, so the total resistance of the transformer coil is reduced and the copper loss is reduced. It is considered that a large current can be passed, and as a result, the charging time has been shortened. (See Figure 7)
In underwater shooting, the sea conditions and the subject's situation change quickly, so the shutter chance is also short, so it is necessary to make a quick and accurate decision and take a quick shot. It is important to have a short charging time with an underwater strobe. It is a point and a big feature.

In an underwater photographing strobe according to another embodiment of the present invention, the strobe can be reduced in size by reducing the number of switches for switching between automatic and manual strobes and reducing the size.
For conventional underwater flashes that support TTL automatic flash photography, in addition to TTL automatic flash photography, manual full flash photography, manual 1/2 flash photography, as well as a photographic mode selector switch (see upper SW2 in FIG. 2) A variable light amount setting for manual shooting such as shooting is provided.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the circuit includes a light emission stop signal output unit (such as 25 in FIG. 8) for TTL automatic flash photography, and a dimming confirmation signal unit for notifying completion of TTL automatic flash photography, A TTL-related circuit such as a dimming confirmation signal generation circuit (27 in FIG. 8) and the like is mainly configured, and a low-use manual shooting-related circuit (right end in FIG. 8, 50) is a central circuit portion (center portion in FIG. 8). And the left side). Then, the circuit is switched according to the photographing mode by the mode switch (SW2 in FIG. 8) located at the boundary between the two.
However, strictly speaking, switching between the auto and manual circuits is not sufficient with only the changeover switch SW2 at the boundary.

  The reason is that the signal from the control element IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor, 26 in FIG. 8) related to strobe light emission / interruption is not only TTL automatic flash photography but also manual 1/2 light emission. Also in the case of shooting, etc., it is transmitted to a dimming confirmation signal section, that is, a dimming confirmation signal generating circuit (27 in FIG. 8), and an indicator lamp (28 in FIG. 8, A- This is because the LED is turned on.

  Therefore, in addition to the mode changeover switch (SW2 in FIG. 8) at the boundary, an on / off changeover switch (SW3 in FIG. 8) of the dimming confirmation signal section, that is, the dimming confirmation signal generation circuit (27 in FIG. 8). The dimming confirmation signal section, that is, the dimming confirmation signal generating circuit (27 in FIG. 8, etc.) works only when the TTL automatic dimming is completed, and the TTL automatic dimming indicator lamp (28 in FIG. 8, upper part of FIG. 2). The A-LED) is lit so that it is lit only when it should be lit.

  As shown in the upper part of FIG. 2, the on / off switch (SW3 in FIG. 8) of the dimming confirmation signal unit, that is, the dimming confirmation signal generating circuit is integrated with the mode switch (SW2 in FIG. 8). In many cases, it is configured as a multi-layered and multi-connected rotary operation switch (like the SW2 at the top of FIG. 2, it looks like a single operation switch in appearance). This multi-layer, multi-connection rotary operation switch requires a small installation location on the outer surface of the strobe, but it protrudes greatly into the part arrangement space inside the strobe and occupies the inner space, so it is a major issue for downsizing the strobe It is.

  In short, in the conventional underwater flash for TTL automatic flash photography, in addition to the power on / off switch (see SW1 in the upper part of FIG. 2) and the photographing mode changeover switch (SW2 in FIG. 8), The dimming confirmation signal section, that is, the on / off switch (SW3 in FIG. 8) of the dimming confirmation signal generating circuit is required, and it is necessary to reduce the switches and reduce the size.

Therefore, in another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a circuit configuration that does not require the dimming confirmation signal section, that is, the on / off switch (SW3 in FIG. 8) of the dimming confirmation signal generating circuit is used. This has enabled the reduction of switches and miniaturization. (See FIGS. 9 and 10)
In other words, the TTL shooting control circuit unit and the manual shooting control circuit unit, which can be switched so that either one becomes active by the circuit switching operation of the shooting mode selection switch, have a light emission / intermediate stop / signal output unit respectively. Only the light emission / intermediate stop / signal output unit attached to the TTL imaging control circuit unit is connected to the light control confirmation signal unit, that is, the light control confirmation signal generation circuit, and only when the TTL automatic light control imaging is completed A compact underwater photography strobe that is configured so that a halfway stop signal is transmitted to the dimming confirmation signal circuit and the indicator lamp lights up.

  Only when the TTL automatic light control photographing is completed, the dimming confirmation signal section, that is, the dimming confirmation signal generating circuit (27 in FIG. 9, FIG. 10, etc.) works, and the TTL automatic dimming indicator lamp (28 in FIG. 9, FIG. 10). The A-LED in FIG. 6 is lit.

  The circuit of FIG. 9 is an example in which the photographing mode changeover switch SW2 is laid on the exit side of the integrating circuit and the TTL signal circuit, that is, on the signal output side. When the shooting mode switch SW2 is set to TTL, when the trigger button TSW linked to the X-contact ON is turned on when the shutter button on the camera side is fully pressed and the X contact is turned on, the trigger circuit 18 operates and the flash tube 19 , It begins to emit light using the power of the capacitor MC.

  When TTL-C, a signal for informing that the exposure in TTL automatic flash photography has been satisfied, is transmitted from the camera side to the strobe side via the terminal 23, the light emission stop signal output unit (FIG. 8 and 25), the light emission is stopped, and the dimming confirmation signal section for notifying the completion of the TTL automatic dimming photographing, that is, the dimming confirmation signal generating circuit (27 etc. in FIG. 8) also operates to display the TTL completion display. The light comes on.

  When the shooting mode change-over switch SW2 is set to manual 1/2, when the trigger switch TSW that is linked to the camera side full press and the X contact on is turned on, the trigger circuit 18 is activated and flashes. The arc tube 19 emits light using the power of the capacitor MC. This process is the same as in the TTL shooting mode.

  Simultaneously with the start of light emission, the gate voltage signal circuit 35 starts the operation of the integration circuit on the right side of FIG. After a while from the start of light emission, when the light emission amount is half of full light emission, the voltage applied to the transistor TRR in the circuit rises to the operating voltage of the TRR. The light emission is stopped by the operation of the control circuit, and the manual shooting is also finished. In this case, the dimming confirmation signal portion related to the TTL automatic dimming photographing, that is, the dimming confirmation signal generating circuit 27 does not operate, and the TTL completion indicator lamp does not light up.

  With the circuit configuration of FIG. 9, the complete TTL shooting mode and the manual shooting mode as described above can be realized only by switching the shooting mode switch SW2.

  With this circuit configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of changeover switches, save the installation space on the outer surface of the strobe, reduce the size of the changeover switch parts, and reduce the part arrangement space inside the strobe.

  In addition, by combining this circuit changeover switch reduction and miniaturization with the stroboscopic light emission panel of the above-described embodiment, it is compact but has a highly circular, high-intensity irradiation area. It is clear from the explanation so far that it will be a strobe for underwater photography.

  Combining the devices for reducing and downsizing the circuit change-over switches with the device arrangement of the component circuit board etc. of the present invention described above, it becomes a more compact and highly functional underwater photography strobe. Is clear from the above explanation.

  Furthermore, by combining this circuit changeover switch reduction / miniaturization contrivance with the capacitors and transformers of the above-mentioned embodiment and the miniaturization / multiplication of major components such as transformer, It is clear from the description so far that it becomes a high-performance underwater photography strobe with an irradiation area and a short charging time.

Claims (2)

  A strobe for underwater photography in which a flash discharge tube, power supply, booster circuit, capacitor, trigger circuit, light amount control circuit, etc. are housed in a waterproof box, in a substantially circular longitudinal section inside a substantially cylindrical underwater photography strobe, A compact yet highly functional strobe for underwater photography, characterized in that a substantially circular strobe light emitting panel, a substantially circular component circuit board, and one or more are laminated.   A strobe for underwater photography in which a flash discharge tube, power supply, booster circuit, capacitor, trigger circuit, light amount control circuit, etc. are housed in a waterproof box, and the oscillation transformer and / or main capacitor for discharge are other electronic components The board mounting height approximates, and consists of a plurality of oscillation transformers with small dimensions and volume and / or main capacitors for discharge. A compact but highly functional underwater photography strobe that is capable of being used.

Images