US3902842A - Lamp-ignitor means for percussive type multiflash device - Google Patents

Lamp-ignitor means for percussive type multiflash device Download PDF

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Publication number
US3902842A
US3902842A US433956A US43395674A US3902842A US 3902842 A US3902842 A US 3902842A US 433956 A US433956 A US 433956A US 43395674 A US43395674 A US 43395674A US 3902842 A US3902842 A US 3902842A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
base member
springs
flashlamps
arms
striker
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US433956A
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English (en)
Inventor
Alfred Wacker
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Westinghouse Electric Corp
Original Assignee
Westinghouse Electric Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Westinghouse Electric Corp filed Critical Westinghouse Electric Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3902842A publication Critical patent/US3902842A/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03B—APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
    • G03B15/00—Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor
    • G03B15/02—Illuminating scene
    • G03B15/03—Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units
    • G03B15/04—Combinations of cameras with non-electronic flash apparatus; Non-electronic flash units
    • G03B15/0478—Combinations of photographic apparatus with percussion type flash ignition systems
    • G03B15/0489—Means for ignition by percussion
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03B—APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
    • G03B15/00—Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor
    • G03B15/02—Illuminating scene
    • G03B15/03—Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units
    • G03B15/04—Combinations of cameras with non-electronic flash apparatus; Non-electronic flash units
    • G03B15/0478—Combinations of photographic apparatus with percussion type flash ignition systems
    • G03B15/0484—Constructional details of the flash apparatus

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a multiflash device for photographic cameras and, more particularly, to an improved device of this type that contains mechanicallyignitable photoflash lamps.
  • Multiflash units which contain a plurality of percussive type photoflash lamps are well known in the art.
  • a unit presently being marketed that contains four such flashlamps and is known in the art as a magicube.
  • Such units are of cubical configuration and comprise a transparent plastic cover that is fastened to a plastic plate or base member and contains four reflectors and a corresponding number of mechanieally-ignitable flashlamps.
  • the flashlamps are mounted on the base member and have metal tubes which project from the respective lamps and contain a percussively-ignitable material.
  • the base member has four openings through which suitable trigger means on the camera extend to effect the release of prestressed springs that are also secured to the base member. When these springs are released they strike the ignitor tubes of the associated flashlamps and actuate the percussive material which, in turn, fires the lamps.
  • the present invention provides a simple but very reliable spring and spring-holder assembly for igniting the percussive lamps of such multiflash units.
  • the springs are of spiral configuration and are seated in the four corners of the base member on pins that protrude from the base member and are surrounded by recesses which accommodate the springs.
  • One arm of each spring is held in a groove provided in the base member that ends in the associated recess and the other arm of the respective springs serves as the striker arm and it is held in prestressed position by a metal disk that is secured to another set of pins provided on the base member.
  • the striker arm when released by the trigger means of'the camera, flips from its prestressed position into its rest position thereby striking the ignitor tube of the associated flashlamp sideways and tiring the lamp in a very positive and reliable manner.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multiflash unit according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the base component and the spring assembly employed in the multiflash unit shown in FIG. I;
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the base member and spring assembly taken along line A-B of FIG. 2.
  • a multiflash unit 16 is :shown in FIG. 1.
  • the unit is of cubical shape and comprises a transparent protective cover 1 I which enclosesa member 2 that defines four reflectors and is seated on a base member 3.
  • the protective cover I and basemember 3 are fabricated from suitable plastic and are joined together along their edges.
  • Four mechanicalIy-ignitable flashlamps 4 are mounted on the base member 3 and the latter has a jack holder 5 which is designed to engage and interlock with a suitable socket on the camera and hold the unit 16 in proper position.
  • the base member 3 is square-shaped and is preferably made by injection molding the plastic to provide the structural features depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3.
  • the base member 3 has four blind holes 6 that are located in four cams 7 which are used to support the ignitor tubes (not shown) of the respective flashlamps 4. These tubes are inserted into the holes 6 so that the flashlamps are held in upstanding spaced position on the base member 3 in the usual manner.
  • the base member 3 has four openings 8 which define spaced passageways that permit entry of the trigger means of the camera on which the flash unit 16 is mounted.
  • Pins 9 that are each surrounded by a recess 11 are integrally molded with the respective corners of the base member 3 and a spiral wire spring 10 is seated on each of these pins.
  • the spiral medial portion of the springs 10 consist of several turns the diameter of which is adapted to the diameter of the pins 9.
  • Each spring has two laterally-extending arms 10' and 10 of approximately the same length which are slightly bent at the points where they join the spring turns.
  • Arm l0 constitutes the striker arm that ignites the percussive material which is contained in the hollow metal tubes of the respective flashlamps 4.
  • the recesses 11 are of such depth and shape that they accommodate the spiral medial portions of the wire springs 10.
  • the arms 10" of the respective springs 10 are held in grooves 11 which extend along the edges 12 of the base member 3 and end in the respective recesses 11.
  • the borders of the grooves are provided with pinches 15 (see FIG. 2) which close the respective grooves and lock the arms 10' in place.
  • the striker arms 10' of the four springs 10 are each held in prestressed or cocked position by metal disks 13 that are seated on a second set of four pins 14 provided on the base member 3.
  • the portions of the pins 14 which project beyond the metal disks 13 can be welded or flat-pressed to lock the disks in place.
  • the striker arms 10 abut the side walls of the metal disks 13 in prestressed position (as shown in FIG. 2) and the thickness of disks is adapted to the diameter of the spring wire.
  • the disks 13 thus serve as stop means for the striker arms 10 which hold them in the proper position for hitting the respective ignitor tubes and firing the associated flashlamps 4.
  • the two springs 10 located in the uppermost half of the base member 3 are shown in their prestressed or cocked condition and the remaining two springs are shown in their unstressed or released positions.
  • Ignition of the flashlamps 4 is achieved when the trigger means of the camera is actuated and passes through the opening 8 associated with the flashlamp 4 which is to be ignited and engages the striker arm 10' of the spring 10 which is associated with that flashlamp.
  • trigger means moves the striker arm until it is released and flips into its rest position by sliding over the top of the associated metal disk 13.
  • the striker arm 10' hits the exposed part of metal tube of the associated flashlamp that is seated in the blind hole 6 and ignites the percussive material in the tube which, in turn, ignites the combustible material in the flashlamp and produces the desired flash of light.
  • a multiflash device that includes a plurality of mechanieally-ignitable flashlamps which are each terminated at one end by a hollow metal tube that contains percussively-ignitable material, an improved means for igniting said flashlamps comprising the combination of;
  • a unitary base member of plastic material that has a plurality of holes therein, the hollow tubes of said flashlamps being seated in said holes and the latter being so disposed that the flashlamps are held in upstanding predetermined spaced relationship on said base member,
  • each of said springs having a spiral medial portion that is seated on a pin that projects from the base member and the ends of said springs extending laterally and constituting a pair of substantially straight arms,
  • each of said springs being retained in a groove defined by said base member and the other arm of each of said springs constituting a striker arm that is held in prestressed cocked condition by a stop means which is secured to the plastic base member and is located adjacent an exposed part of the ignitor tube of the associated flashlamp,
  • each of said stop means comprising a metal member of disk-like configuration that is seated on a pin that is anchored to said base member, said metal stop members being of such height and being so oriented relative to the associated spring and flashlamp that the striker arm, when moved upwardly, is released from its cocked position and slides over the associated stop member and hits the exposed part of the hollow tube of the adjacent flashlamp with sufficient force to ignite the percussive material within said tube.
  • said multiflash device contains four flashlamps and is of generally cubical configuration
  • said plastic base member is substantially square shaped
  • the spiral medial portions of the respective springs are disposed at the corners of the base member within inwardly-extending recesses defined by the surrounding parts of the base member.
  • plastic base member comprises an injection-molded component and the spiral medial portions of said springs are seated on pins that constitute integrally-molded parts of said base member.
  • the cocked striker arms of said springs are accessible from the outside of the device through a series of spaced openings in the base member,
  • said grooves extend along the side edges of said base member
  • each of said disk-like metal stop members are so disposed that the striker arms of the associated springs are in pressured engagement with the arcuate peripheries of said stop members when said striker arms are in cocked condition.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Stroboscope Apparatuses (AREA)
  • Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
US433956A 1973-02-08 1974-01-16 Lamp-ignitor means for percussive type multiflash device Expired - Lifetime US3902842A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE7304837 1973-02-08

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3902842A true US3902842A (en) 1975-09-02

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ID=6636730

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US433956A Expired - Lifetime US3902842A (en) 1973-02-08 1974-01-16 Lamp-ignitor means for percussive type multiflash device

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3902842A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE810768A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2217713A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1442712A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
IT (1) IT1004722B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3537805A (en) * 1968-10-14 1970-11-03 Sylvania Electric Prod Z-shape striker spring for percussionignitable,multilamp flash units
US3737643A (en) * 1970-08-05 1973-06-05 Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh Multiflash device, particularly flashcube, with mechanical striking mechanism
US3776686A (en) * 1970-09-08 1973-12-04 Sylvania Electric Prod Photographic flashlamp unit

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3537805A (en) * 1968-10-14 1970-11-03 Sylvania Electric Prod Z-shape striker spring for percussionignitable,multilamp flash units
US3737643A (en) * 1970-08-05 1973-06-05 Patent Treuhand Ges Fuer Elektrische Gluehlampen Mbh Multiflash device, particularly flashcube, with mechanical striking mechanism
US3776686A (en) * 1970-09-08 1973-12-04 Sylvania Electric Prod Photographic flashlamp unit

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1442712A (en) 1976-07-14
BE810768A (fr) 1974-05-29
IT1004722B (it) 1976-07-20
FR2217713A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-09-06

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