JPH01237531A - Flash device built-in camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively utilize a flash device of a miniature camera by installing a camera in a hot shoe of other camera, and also, inputting a synchro signal from other camera through its connecting means. CONSTITUTION:A lens shutter camera 11 which has contained a flash device is provided with a flash light emitting part 12, a shutter button 13, a shoe bracket part 14 and a flash light emitting part 12. Also, a single-lens reflex camera 15 is provided with a shutter button 16 and a hot shoe part 17, and in this case, a flash light emitting device is not provided. In this state, the shoe bracket part 14 of the lens shutter camera 11 is inserted into the hot shoe part 17 of the single-lens reflect camera 15, and the lens shutter camera 11 is installed mechanically in the single-lens reflex camera 15. As a result, they are connected electrically, as well, and a synchro signal, etc. from the other camera 15 can be transferred to the flash device through the hot shoe 17 and the connecting means 14. In such a way, the camera which has contained the flash device can be used as the flash device of the single-lens reflex camera.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a camera with a built-in flash device attached to another camera and the flash device of this camera used as an illuminator for the other camera.

"Prior Art" A small camera with a built-in flash device is widely known as a lighting device for photographing.

FIG. 5 is a front external view showing an example of this type of small camera, a so-called lens shutter camera.

This camera 27 has a flash emitting mechanism built into the camera body together with the camera mechanism, and is provided with a flash emitting section 28 on the upper right side of the front surface.

The flash lighting mechanism uses DC-DC to boost the battery power source.
It consists of a converter, a main capacitor charged by the boosted voltage of this converter, a flash discharge tube that converts the electrical energy of this main capacitor into light energy and emits a flash from the flash light emitting section, and a trigger circuit that triggers the flash discharge tube. ing.

In such a flash mechanism, by pressing down the shutter button 29 of the camera mechanism and opening the shutter, a synchronization signal generated in response to the opening of the shutter is input to the trigger circuit and the number of flashes is 1! Start the tube to emit light.

"Problems to be Solved by the Invention" The above-mentioned conventional cameras with built-in flash devices have the advantage of being small and lightweight and can easily take pictures, but they do not have the advanced functions of a single-lens reflex camera with an interchangeable lens. Not yet.

For this reason, the above-mentioned small camera is often carried along with a single-lens reflex camera as a sub-camera, and the two cameras are used selectively depending on the shooting situation.

For example, a standard to telephoto zoom lens is often attached to a reflex camera for taking pictures, and a small camera with a lens shutter is used to take pictures using a wide-angle lens.

In addition, few -eye reflex cameras have a built-in flash device, and it is necessary to install a separately prepared flash device for night photography.

Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to enable effective use of the flash device of a small camera that is carried along with the camera when taking pictures with a single-lens reflex camera or the like that does not have a built-in flash device.

"Means for Solving the Problem" In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a camera with a built-in flash device, a connecting means for attaching the camera to the hot shoe of another camera, and a connecting means for attaching the camera to the hot shoe of another camera. proposes a camera with a built-in flash device, characterized in that it is equipped with terminal means for inputting at least a synchronization signal from the other camera mentioned above and transmitting it to the flash device.

``Operation'' The connecting means of a camera with a built-in flash device is attached to the hot shoe of another camera such as a single-lens reflex camera.

As a result, the camera with a built-in flash device is mechanically and electrically connected to another camera, and a synchronization signal sent from another camera can be transmitted to the flash device via the hot shoe and the connecting means.

When the other camera is released in a connected state in this manner, the flash device of the camera with a built-in flash device emits light, and flash photography can be performed with the other camera.

Also, if the other camera has a built-in flash device, the flash device of this other camera and the flash device of the connected camera with a built-in flash device will both emit light, so the lighting for multiple flashes will be It can be used as a container.

"Example" Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front external view showing an embodiment in which a lens shutter camera with a built-in flash device is attached to a single-lens reflex camera as another camera.

In this figure, 11 is a lens shutter camera with a built-in flash device, and 12 is a flash light emitting unit.

Reference numeral 13 indicates a shutter button, and 14 indicates a shoe bracket portion constituting a connecting means. In response to a pressing operation of the shutter button 13, the camera 11 emits a flash from a flash light emitting unit 12 of a flash device.

Further, 15 is a known single-lens reflex camera, 16 is a shutter button, and 17 is a part of a hot shoe.This camera 15 is not equipped with a flash light emitting device.As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a lens shutter camera 11 The lens shutter camera 11 is mechanically attached to the single-lens reflex camera 15 by inserting the shoe bracket part 14 provided therein into the hot shoe part 17 of the single-lens reflex camera 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shoe bracket part 14 of the lens-shutter camera 11 is provided in a recess formed on the bottom left side of the camera body, and this is located between the seat plate part 14a and the foot part 14.
b is an electrically insulating material integrally formed with the seat plate portion 14.
A synchro terminal 14c is provided on the lower surface of the foot 14a, and a ground terminal 14d in the form of a leaf spring with a protruding force is provided on the side surface of the foot portion 14b.

In addition, the synchro terminal 14c and the ground terminal 14d are the fourth
As shown in the figure, it is connected to the trigger circuit 25 of the flash device in parallel to the synchro switch 18 of the lens-shutter camera 11. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing the mounting portion of the lens shutter camera 11 and the single-lens reflex camera 15 configured as described above.

As shown in this figure, the hot shoe portion 17 of the above-mentioned single-lens reflex camera 15 that is normally provided for mounting an external flash device is used as is. As is widely known, this hot shoe part 17 has a conductive receiver at the center of the metal fitting 17a and an electrically insulated synchro terminal 17b.
When the shoe bracket part 14 is attached, the synchro terminals 14c and 17b are brought into contact with each other, and the ground terminal 14d and the metal fitting 17a are brought into contact with each other to be electrically connected. Note that the bracket 17a and the synchro terminal 17b are connected to a synchro switch 19 of the single-lens reflex camera 15, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a simplified circuit diagram for explaining the operation of the above embodiment.

When performing flash photography with the single-lens reflex camera 15, the lens shutter camera 11 is
Attach it to 5. In this case, the synchro switch 18 of the lens shutter camera 11 and the synchro switch 19 of the single-lens reflex camera 15 are formed as a parallel circuit.

When the power switch 20 is turned on, the DC-DC converter 21 boosts the DC voltage of the battery power source 22 and charges the main capacitor 23. When the capacitor 23 reaches a predetermined voltage, the neon lamp 24 lights up and is ready to emit light. Display that everything is in order.

Here, when the shutter button 13 of the -eye reflex camera 15 is pressed to move to the shirt release, the synchro switch 19 closes in response to the shutter operation, and this switch 1
A synchronization signal generated by the opening of the lens 9 is transmitted from the single-lens reflex camera 15 to the lens shutter camera 11 via the electrical connection between the hot shoe part 17 and the shoe bracket part 14.

That is, the synchronization signal of the -eye reflex camera 15 is sent to the trigger circuit 25 included in the flash device of the lens-shutter camera 11 through the synchronization terminals 14c and 17b, the ground terminal 14d, and the metal fitting 17a.

Therefore, the flash discharge tube 26 emits light by a known operation of the trigger circuit 25, and the single-lens reflex camera 15 performs flash photography using the illumination light from the flash light emitting section 12.

Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can also be implemented as follows.

(1) Shoe bracket part 14 and hot shoe part 17
In addition to the synchronization terminal, another electrical connection terminal is provided in each terminal, and the single-lens reflex camera 15 is configured to send a charging start signal to the lens-shutter camera 11 via this electrical connection terminal. That is, the power switch 2o is automatically closed by mounting the shoe bracket part 14.

However, in this case, it is necessary to configure the power switch 2o as a semiconductor switch, and to provide the eye reflex camera 15 with a signal source for starting charging.

(2) The shoe bracket portion 14 may be provided to be detachably attached to the lens shutter camera.

If implemented in this manner, there is no need to integrally form the shoe bracket portion 14 with the camera body.

There is no need to change the design of the conventional camera body shape, and the shoe bracket part 14 can be removed so that it does not get in the way when the lens shutter camera is used alone.

(3) When using the lens-shutter camera 11 alone, do not touch the electrical terminal of the shoe bracket part 14 with your hands,
In order to prevent the bracket part 14 from becoming an obstacle, a cover may be provided to cover the shoe bracket part 14. .

(4) The lens shutter camera 11 can be used by attaching a flash device to a single-lens reflex camera.

When used in this way, the flash units of both cameras will emit light, creating the effect of multiple lights.

(5) The present invention is not limited to the lens-shutter camera 11, but can be applied to a small camera with a built-in flash device, and other cameras equipped with this small camera include a single-lens reflex camera and a hot flash It can be attached to and used for general cameras equipped with.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, the camera with a built-in flash device according to the present invention can be attached to another camera and emit light in response to the shutter operation of the other camera.

Therefore, this camera with a built-in flash device can be used as a sub-camera and a flash device for a single-lens reflex camera, which is very convenient since there is no need to carry a separate external flash device.

Furthermore, although some recent single-lens reflex cameras have a built-in flash device, the amount of light emitted is generally small and the photographic range is limited. By using the camera, the flash devices of both cameras can be made to emit light in response to the shutter release of the -eye reflex camera, and flash photography with an increased amount of light emission can be expected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front external view showing an embodiment of a lens-shutter camera with a built-in flash device according to the present invention attached to a single-lens reflex camera as another camera, and Fig. 2 is a view of the lens-shutter camera described above from below. FIG. 3 is a perspective view and a partially enlarged view showing how the lens shutter camera and single-lens reflex camera are attached. FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram for explaining the operation of the above embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an external view of a lens shutter camera with a built-in flash device shown as a conventional example. 11...Lens shutter camera with built-in flash device 12...Flash light emitting section 14...Shoe bracket section 14c...Synchro terminal 14d...Ground terminal 15...-Eye reflex Camera 17...Hot shoe part 18...Lens shutter Camera synchro switch 19... - Eye reflex camera synchro switch Patent applicant Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] A camera with a built-in flash device is provided with a connecting means for attaching the camera to the hot shoe of another camera, and at least a synchronization signal is inputted to the connecting means from the other camera and transmitted to the flash device. A camera with a built-in flash device, characterized in that it is equipped with terminal means for