JP3312972B2 - Strobe device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an illumination strobe device used for photographing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-235931, a concentric convex Fresnel lens surface and a cylindrical convex Fresnel lens surface are formed on the front and rear surfaces of a light collector, respectively, and the light collector is made shorter in focus. There has been proposed a strobe device in which the depth of a reflecting plate is reduced to reduce the size. The stroboscopic device is configured such that a rod-shaped discharge tube is arranged in contact with the bottom of a reflector having a substantially semi-cylindrical cross section so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the bottom, and the light collector is brought into contact with the front opening of the reflector. Let it be arranged.

[0003]

By the way, in such a strobe device, as the miniaturization is improved, the distance between the reflector and the light collector is slightly shifted with respect to the discharge tube, so that the light collector is hardly used. Is hardly converged in a predetermined subject screen frame. According to the above-described strobe device, the distance between the discharge tube and the reflection plate can be accurately positioned because the discharge tube and the reflection plate are in contact with each other.
Since the distance between the discharge tube and the light collector is determined by bringing the light collector into contact with the front opening of the reflector, the distance may not be accurately determined depending on the shape of the front opening.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to provide a strobe device in which the distance between a discharge tube and a light collector is accurately positioned to stabilize the light collecting property.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, an arrangement is made such that the opening is directed toward the front surface.
A reflector with a U-shaped cross section and the bottom of the reflector with a U-shaped cross section
Discharge tube arranged so that the surfaces come into contact with each other, and the opening of the reflector
Convex cylindrical cover that covers and protrudes toward the discharge tube
Condenser lens with integrated lens and convex cylindrical lens
With the tip of the lens in contact with the front of the discharge tube,
Hold the discharge plate between them with the discharge tube sandwiched between them
And an elastic holding member. According to this, since the reflector and the focusing plate before and after the discharge tube is in contact with, it can be used to accurately position the respective spacings between the reflector and the focusing plate to the discharge tube.

Further, according to the present invention, the discharge tube is
In order to collect the direct light emitted toward the subject,
Make the convex cylindrical lens the same width as the diameter of the discharge tube.
It is a thing. The width of the convex cylindrical lens is
Is a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

By the way, both ends of the discharge tube are deformed when the anode and the cathode are respectively caulked to both ends of the glass tube via glass beads. Therefore, in the longitudinal direction on the convex cylindrical lens along the discharge tube, preferably in a range excluding the both ends deformed portion of the discharge tube Ru abutted. According to this, since the convex cylindrical lens is in contact with the portion of the glass tube whose outer diameter accuracy is maintained, the distance between the discharge tube and the light collector can be positioned with high accuracy.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the concave cylindrical lens is provided integrally with the portion of the light collector along the upper and lower sides of the convex cylindrical lens and not blocking light from the discharge tube toward the reflector. . According to this, since the concave cylindrical lens is provided at a position that does not block the light from the discharge tube toward the reflector, the light reflected by the reflector can be focused toward the subject. Claim
In the invention described in Item 4, the holding member discharges the trigger signal.
This is a trigger electrode plate to be applied to the tube.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 2, a strobe device 10 according to the present invention includes a light emitting portion 17 comprising a light collector 13, a reflector 14, a discharge tube 15, and a trigger electrode plate 16, and a printed circuit board 1.
8 attached. A circuit pattern having a contact for a charge start switch is printed on the printed circuit board 18, and for example, a power supply circuit, a synchro switch, a pair of electrode plates for a power supply battery, a main capacitor are formed in through holes formed on the circuit pattern. Then, electrical components such as a trigger transformer and a trigger capacitor are soldered. This soldering is performed by a flow-type soldering method in which the printed circuit board 18 into which the electric components are inserted is immersed in a molten solder bath and soldered at once.

As shown in FIG. 3, such a strobe device 10 is built in a lens-fitted film unit 20 which requires low cost and compactness. The lens-fitted photo film unit 20 includes a main body 21 in which a photo film with a patrone is loaded, a rear cover 22 attached to the back of the main body 21, and a light-tight storage of the photo film between the main body 21 and the main body 21. The battery 2 includes a front cover 23 attached in front of the unit 21 and an exposure unit 24 disposed between the main body 21 and the front cover 23.
The flash device 10 loaded with the front cover 23 is detachably attached to the right side of the main body 21 by a locking claw or the like.
The strobe light is emitted toward the subject through the opening 23a of the camera.

The front cover 23 has upper and lower protrusions 23d and 23e integrally formed with the opening 23a therebetween.
The upper protruding portion 23d is for preventing breakage and damage of a flat surface exposed to the outside of the light collector 13, which will be described in detail later, and the lower protruding portion 23e is provided with a strobe with a holding finger. This is for preventing a finger from entering so as not to block light.

The charging start contacts 26 and 27 are connected to the front cover 2.
These contacts are short-circuited and turned ON by the contact of the short-circuit plate 28 arranged on the back surface by the pressing operation of the switch portion 23b formed integrally with the switch 3b. The synchro switch 29 opens one contact piece 29a when the shutter blade provided on the exposure unit 24 fully opens the aperture opening in conjunction with the pressing operation of an elastic shutter button 23c formed integrally with the front cover 23. The contact piece 29a is pressed and turned on when the contact piece 29a contacts the other contact piece 29b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the circuit of the strobe device 7 includes a power supply circuit 30 having a battery, a charging start contact 26,
27 are connected in series, and the charging start contacts 26,
27 is turned on, the trigger capacitor 31 and the main capacitor 3 are activated by the high voltage from the power supply circuit 30.
Charge 2. A trigger transformer 33 is connected to the trigger capacitor 31, a contact piece 29a of the sync switch 29 is connected to the primary winding 33a, and a trigger electrode for starting discharge of the discharge tube 15 is connected to the secondary winding 33b. Board 1
6 are connected to each other.

The discharge tube 15 includes a glass tube 35, an anode 36, a cathode 37, and the like, as shown in FIG. The anode 36 and the cathode 37 are obtained by butt welding a nickel rod 38 and a tungsten rod 39, and a cathode material 40 is provided on the tungsten rod 39 of the cathode 37.
Is fixed. The cathode material 40 is formed by mixing, molding, and sintering a powder of a base metal and a powder of an electron-emitting material. Electron emitting materials are, for example, cesium zirconate, cesium tungstate, cesium titanate,
Any one of cesium vanadate, cesium niobate, and cesium molybdate, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

The anode 36 is caulked into an opening at one end of a glass tube 35 via a bead glass 41 after a tungsten rod 39 is inserted therein, and the cathode 37 is a cathode material 4.
After the 0 is inserted into the inside, it is cut through the bead glass 41 into the opening at the other end of the glass tube 35. The outer diameter of both ends of the glass tube 35 is deformed by these caulking.

In such a discharge tube 15, the anode 37 is connected to the main capacitor 32 and the cathode 36 is connected to the ground, and the discharge tube 15 is discharged by the electric charge stored in the main capacitor 32. A pair of connecting pieces 43 and 44 for elastically electrically connecting the cathode 36 and the anode 37 to the circuit pattern of the printed circuit board 18 are insert-molded on the light collector 13 (see FIG. 2). The cathodes 36 and anodes 37 of the discharge tube 15 are connected to one end sides 43a, 44a of these connection pieces 43, 44 by soldering, respectively.

The reflection plate 14 is formed by bending a single piece of bright aluminum, and has openings 14a and 14b on both sides. The discharge tube 15 is inserted into the reflector 14 such that the terminals 15a and 15b of the discharge tube 15 are exposed from these openings 14a and 14b, respectively. The vertical cross-sectional shape of the reflecting plate 14 is such that the light emitted from the discharge tube 15 is reflected in the horizontal direction so that the concave cylindrical lenses 51 to 5 are formed.
4 so as to be incident.

The trigger electrode plate 16 is formed by bending an elastic metal piece, for example, a copper plate, and applies a trigger signal output from the secondary winding 33b of the trigger capacitor 31 to the discharge tube via the reflection plate 14. 15 and a function of supporting the reflector 14 and the light collector 13 in which the discharge tube 15 is inserted.

The trigger electrode plate 16 is formed by bending it into an M-shape to have elasticity, and the claws 16b, 1 provided at both ends thereof are provided.
6c is detachably connected to notches 13a, 13b provided on the light collector 13, so that the reflector 14 and the light collector 13 in which the discharge tube 15 is inserted are supported, and the M-shaped central part 16a is provided. Is slightly curved and bent along the back surface of the reflecting umbrella 14, so that the reflecting plate 14 in which the discharge tube 15 is inserted is urged toward the light collector 13. One end of a bent piece 16d protruding laterally from the vicinity of the central portion 16a is connected to the trigger capacitor 3d.
The trigger signal can be applied to the discharge tube 15 by connecting it to the first secondary winding 33b by soldering or the like.
This application can be reliably performed because the central portion 16a is slightly curved and bent along the back surface of the reflector 14 and is in contact with the reflector 14 over a wide range.

The light collector 13 is formed of a transparent plastic material, and as shown in FIGS.
The convex cylindrical lens 50 and concave cylindrical lenses 51 to 54 are integrally formed on the surface facing 5. The convex cylindrical lens 50 has an aspheric surface on which light is incident, and has a vertical width equal to the outer diameter of the discharge tube 15 and a discharge length excluding both ends whose horizontal length is deformed by caulking. It is formed so as to abut in the area of the tube 15.

When the reflector 14 into which the discharge tube 15 is inserted is attached, the convex cylindrical lens 50 and the discharge tube 1
5 is the optical axis of the convex cylindrical lens 50 and the discharge tube 1
Since the trigger electrode plate 16 urges the discharge tube 15 and the reflector 14 toward the convex cylindrical lens 50, the convex cylindrical lens 50 , Light collector 13, discharge tube 15,
In addition to accurately positioning each interval between the light source and the reflecting umbrella 14, the light incident directly from the light emitted from the discharge tube 15 is uniformly collected toward the subject.

The concave cylindrical lenses 51 to 54 are formed such that the concave cylindrical lenses 51 and 52 and the concave cylindrical lenses 53 and 54 are vertically symmetric with respect to the convex cylindrical lens 50, and the reflection plate is formed of the light emitted from the discharge tube 15. It is formed integrally with the portion of the light collector 13 that does not block the light reflected by 14. Concave cylindrical lens 51,
54 is formed such that each optical axis is inclined at a predetermined angle in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the horizontal direction, and the concave cylindrical lenses 52 and 53 are each formed such that each optical axis is predetermined in the clockwise direction with respect to the horizontal direction. Since the light is formed to be inclined at an angle, the light reflected by the reflection plate 14 is uniformly collected toward the object side. In addition, the front surface of the light collector 13 is a flat surface so that when exposed to the outside through the opening 23a, dirt does not easily adhere.

The assembled light emitting portion 17 is connected to the connecting piece 4.
The other ends 43b and 44b of the base plates 3 and 44 are inserted into the through holes of the printed circuit board 18 from the same direction as the above-mentioned electric components, and are soldered simultaneously with the electric components by a flow soldering method. In order to enhance the positioning accuracy at the time of insertion, the printed circuit board 10 and the light collector 13 are provided with positioning holes 60 and 61 and positioning pins 62 and 63, and the locking strength between the light emitting unit 17 and the printed circuit board 18 is increased. Openings 64 and 65 and resilient locking claws 67 and 68 are formed to increase the height.

Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment will be described. First, in assembling the light emitting unit 17, the discharge tube 15 is inserted so that the electrodes 36 and 37 are exposed to the outside from the openings 14a and 14b of the reflector 14. Then, after inserting the reflector 14 into which the discharge tube 15 is inserted into the light collector 13, the trigger electrode plate 16 is fitted. This fitting is performed by engaging the claws 16b, 16c provided at both ends with the notches 13a, 13b provided on the light collector 13. Thereafter, the cathode 36 and the anode 37 of the discharge tube 15 are soldered to one end sides 43a, 44a of the connection pieces 43, 44 inserted in the light collector 13, and the assembly of the light emitting unit 17 is completed.

Thus, the light emitting section 17 is supported by the trigger electrode plate 16 in a state where the reflecting plate 14 is directed toward the discharge tube 15 and the discharge tube 15 is biased toward the light collector 13.

When the positioning pins 62 and 63 are inserted into the holes 60 and 61, the locking claws 67 and 68 are locked in the openings 64 and 65 of the assembled light emitting unit 17. As a result, the other ends 43b and 44b of the connection pieces 43 and 44 are inserted into the predetermined through holes of the printed circuit board 18. Electrical components such as a synchro switch 29, an electrode plate for a battery, a main capacitor 32, a transformer 31 for a trigger, a capacitor 33 for a trigger, and the like are inserted into each of the predetermined through holes of the strobe board 18, and a connection piece 43 is provided. , 44 are simultaneously immersed in a molten solder bath and soldered together. Finally, the trigger electrode plate 16
Piece 16d and secondary winding 33b of trigger transformer 33
And the strobe device 10
Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the assembly of the film unit with lens 20 is performed.

When performing flash photography, the front cover 23
Is pressed. By continuing this operation, the charging start contacts 26 and 2 are connected via the short-circuit plate 28.
7 is turned on, and the trigger capacitor 31 and the main capacitor 32 are charged by the high voltage from the power supply circuit 30. When the charging of the main capacitor 32 is completed, the charging completion lamp blinks. After confirming the blinking, the shutter button 23c is pressed while pressing the switch 23b. By this pressing operation, the exposure unit 24
The shutter blade provided in the opening / closing operation is opened and closed once, and the synchro switch 29 is turned on during this opening / closing operation. When the synchro switch 29 is turned ON, a trigger signal is output from the trigger capacitor 33, and the trigger signal is applied to the discharge tube 15 via the trigger electrode plate 16 and the reflection plate 14, and stored in the main capacitor 32 at this moment. The discharge tube 15 is discharged by the charged electric charge.

As shown in FIG. 1, the light emitted from the discharge tube 15 is divided into light that directly enters the light collector 13 and light that is reflected by the reflector 14. Most of the light that directly enters the light collector 13 is located at a position where the width of the convex cylindrical lens 50 is equal to the diameter of the discharge tube 15 and the concave cylindrical lenses 51 to 54 do not block the light reflected by the reflector 14. Since it is provided, it is incident on the convex cylindrical lens 50. The incident light is refracted according to the aspherical surface of the convex cylindrical lens 50, further refracted on the plane on the exit side, and uniformly converges at a substantially central portion within a predetermined subject frame.

The light reflected by the reflection plate 14 is reflected by the reflection plate 14 in the horizontal direction, and enters each of the concave cylindrical lenses 51 to 54. The incident light is formed so that the optical axes of the concave cylindrical lenses 51 to 54 are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction. It should be noted that a small amount of light goes out of the predetermined object frame, and arrows A and B in the same figure among the light directly incident on the concave cylindrical lenses 51 to 54.
Only a very small amount of light indicated by.

The subject light illuminated by the strobe light passes through the taking lens 70 and enters the film. Thus, the film is exposed. Thereafter, by rotating the winding knob 71, one frame of the film can be wound. When photographing is performed in this manner and exposure of all the films is completed, the lens-fitted film unit 20 is submitted to the developing laboratory as it is. In the developing station, the pull-top type lid 22a of the rear cover 22 is opened, and the cartridge containing the exposed film is taken out of the cartridge chamber 21a of the main body 21. The exposed film taken out is subjected to processing such as development and printing using the current development processing system, the print photograph and the film negative are returned to the user, and the film unit 2 with an empty lens is returned to the user.
0 is collected at the factory. The film unit 20 with the lens may be stored or transported in a stack or the like during or before the collection, and the flat surface 13a of the light collector 13 may be damaged or damaged. Shape 23
The plane 13a is protected by d and 23e.

The lens-equipped film unit 20 collected at the factory is disassembled and reused as it is, and unusable ones are used as raw materials in order to protect the environment and reduce industrial waste. Recycling takes place. In the above-described strobe device 10, since the circuit elements and the light emitting section 17 are mounted on a single printed circuit board and are integrated as a strobe unit, these can be reused for each unit and can be reused. The effect is to increase the number of parts as much as possible. In addition, the reusable parts used are those that have passed the inspection. Here, the rejected parts are reworked. In order to easily carry out this reworking operation, the light emitting unit 17 described above uses the trigger electrode plate 16 to briefly form the diffusion plate 1.
3, a structure in which the discharge tube 15, the reflector 14, and the like are detachably supported.

In the embodiment described above, the discharge tube 15, the reflector 14, and the light collector 13 are integrally supported by the trigger electrode plate 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a type in which the light collector 13 and the discharge tube 15 are integrally supported.
The strobe device of the embodiment can be applied not only to a film unit with a lens but also to a strobe device built in a low-cost type camera or the like, or to a strobe device having a structure that can be separated from the camera.

[0033]

As described in detail above, claim 1 is as follows.
According to the described invention, since the reflector and the light collector are in contact with each other before and after the discharge tube, the respective distances between the reflector and the light collector with respect to the discharge tube can be accurately positioned, so that stable operation can be achieved. The obtained light collecting characteristics are obtained. Also, convex cylindrical
After placing the cull lens in contact with the front of the discharge tube,
Can be made shallower, and the compactness can be improved.
I can do it. Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the convex silicon
Since the cylindrical lens has the same width as the diameter of the discharge tube,
Focus the direct light emitted from the discharge tube toward the subject
Can be

[0034] Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, concave
A cylindrical lens is sandwiched by a convex cylindrical lens.
Since the light is provided on the upper and lower sides, the light reflected by the reflector together with the convex cylindrical lens can be uniformly converged toward the subject, and the compactness can be further improved. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the holding member is connected to the trigger electrode.
Since it is also used as a pole, cost is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an end view of a light emitting unit.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the strobe device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the film unit with a lens.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a strobe device.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a discharge tube.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a light emitting unit.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a light emitting unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Strobe device 17 Light emitting unit 13 Light collector 14 Reflector 15 Discharge tube 50 Convex cylindrical lens 51-54 Concave cylindrical lens

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A disconnector arranged with its opening facing the front.
A U-shaped reflector and a U-shaped bottom section
Between the discharge tube and the reflector
A convex cylindrical covering and projecting toward the discharge tube
Condenser with integrated lens and convex cylindrical lens
With the tip of the lens in contact with the front of the discharge tube,
And a plate that holds the discharge tube between them.
A strobe device comprising a flexible holding member . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the convex cylindrical lens is a discharge tube.
To direct the light emitted from the camera toward the subject
In addition, the width is the same as the diameter of the discharge tube.
The strobe device according to claim 1. 3. The condensing plate has a convex cylindrical lens
Direct the light reflected by the reflector up and down
A concave cylindrical lens for collecting light
3. The strike according to claim 1, wherein
Robo equipment. 4. The holding member according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is configured to output a trigger signal
A trigger electrode plate to be applied to the
The strobe device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.