WO1993013453A1

WO1993013453A1 - Controller for photographic lighting

Info

Publication number: WO1993013453A1
Application number: PCT/GB1992/002386
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sam Liu
Original assignee: Sam Liu
Priority date: 1991-12-24
Filing date: 1992-12-23
Publication date: 1993-07-08
Also published as: DE69222321T2; GB2262819A; GB9127380D0; CN1075017A; EP0619033B1; GB2262819B; ATE158420T1; AU3169193A; KR940704012A; KR100218861B1; JPH07507149A; DE69222321D1; EP0619033A1

Abstract

A controller is provided for controlling the operation of a number of lamps used by a photographer to illuminate an object for photographing. The controller is programmed and adjustable to control the lamps to operate a different number of times, at different intervals and some or all together as required.

Description

Controller for photographic lighting

The invention relates to controllers for photographic lighting.

For normal photography fairly simple illumination may be required from time to time to enhance or make it possible to take a picture satisfactorily. For more complex situations, a photographer may require especial lighting to show one side of an object more brightly than another, to take a number of related sequence pictures or to expose the same film frame a number of times and so on.

At the present time operation of lighting arrangements have generally or always to be carried out "by hand", often requiring the photographer to employ assistants or take a great deal of time for each picture. Further, conventional flash lamps requires re-charging periods of say one to five seconds between each flash, and this has to be catered for. This may represent a special problem for "location" pictures as the photographers will transport only relatively small capacity or small output lamps and will need to flash them twice or several times for each exposure so that the film is exposed to sufficient light.

According to the invention there is provided a programmable controller for photographic lighting including a housing, a microcomputer inside the housing programmed to provide a plurality of output signals for initiating operation of a number of different flash lamps, manually operable buttons mounted to the housing for selecting the number, sequence and relative timing of the output signals, in which the controller is arranged to cause a number of lights to be turned on automatically and selectively to illuminate an object to be photographed.

Five different output signals may be arranged for turning on respective different lights.

The controller may be arranged to produce a camera operating signal for synchonising automatically the operation of a camera and the turning on of the lights.

A controller according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the front of the controller;

Figure 2 is an elevation of a rear of the controller;

Figure 3 is a flow diagram for setting a mode of operation of the controller;

Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a mode 1 operation; Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a mode 2 operation; and

Figure 6 is a flow diagram of a mode 3 operation; and

Figure 7 is a schematic circuit of the controller.

Referring to the drawing, in Figures 1 and 2 a housing 10 is provided with a number of five control buttons 11, fiv display lamps 12 and a start button 13. A socket 14 is provided for connecting the controller to a camera so that the camera can be operated automatically, under control of the controller, in synchronism with operation of flas lamps. Five outlet sockets 15 are provided (see Figure 2), which correspond respectively to the lamps 12, fo connecting the controller output signals to five different flash lamp drive circuits (not shown). The housing 1 contains electrical circuits (see Figure 7) and microcomputer programmed to provide the various output signals as required to control the camera and the operation of up to five flash lamps. The output signals are i practice arranged to close respective relays in the housin so as to initiate the operation of the lamp and camera, as required. The flash lamp drive ciruits and camera are connected by electrical cables (not shown) to the sockets 15 and 14 respectively.

The controller also has a display 16 and 17 to respectivel display the time interval set between each operation of th lamps and the number of cycles remaining in each sequenc of operation of the controller. The control buttons 11 ca be set to any number from 0 to 99 and are used in Mode and 2 (see below) to set the number of times a respectiv lamps flash in each cycle. In Mode 3 the buttons 11 ar used to set the interval, or time from the start of sequence, between each operation of the lamps.

In Figure 3, a sequence for selecting one of three possibl modes is shown. These modes have been chosen as offerin the most likely three types of requirements for professional photographer.

In mode 1, outputs can be provided at each or selected one of the five outputs, with a re-cycle facility. Thus, afte possibly an initial chosen delay from a start, selecte flash lamps, corresponding to the five outputs, will b turned on. The same lamps or some of the lamps will b turned on again for each cycle thereafter. The interval between cycles may be quite short (except this must not b less than the minimum re-charging time of any of th selected lamps) and can be set at up to 10 minutes.

In mode 2, the outputs signals are provided at the outputs in sequence. The delays between each lamp may be quite short, say five hundredth of a second, or up to ten minutes. The delays or internals between each lamp are equal and the same sequence and same delays may be provided But similarly to Mode 1, some of the lamps may be turned on more times than others.

In mode 3, the output signals are provided in sequence and the intervals between each signal can be different. The sequence cannot be re-cycled automatically.

The controller enables a photographer to set up a number of lamps, in the described arrangement five lamps, to illuminate an object, or person, to be photographed. The photographer may flash each lamp separated, or together and measure the intensity of light produced in order to set the aperture stop and generally arrange his camera settings as required. Without the need thereafter to reach or touch the lamps or their own switches, the photograph can be taken by operation of the controller. Importantly, intervals can be set between the operation of each lamp and re-cycling of the lamp operation, as required, arranged. Thus careful and subtle illumination can be provided for each picture, and where only relatively small capacity lamps are available, each lamp, or selective some of the lamps, may be turned on several times for exposure of a single frame of a film.

It has been possible in the past to use automatic trigger switches to cause a number of flash lamps to operate at, or almost, the same time. Such switches are light sensitive so that if one lamp flashes, the others are automatically triggered to flash. However, it has not ben possible t have a controllable interval and/or sequence between th flashes as now provided by the described controller.

Claims

1. A programmable controller for photographic lightin including a housing, a microcomputer inside the housin programmed to provide a plurality of output signals fo initiating operation of a number of different flash lamps manually operable buttons mounted to the housing fo selecting the number, sequence and relative timing of th output signals, in which the controller is arranged t cause a number of lights to be turned on automatically an selectively to illuminate an object to be photographed.

2. A controller according to claim 1, in which fiv different output signals can be arranged for turning o respective differnt lights.

3. A controller according to claim lor 2, in which th controller is arranged to produce camera operating signa for synchonising automatically the operation of a camer and the turning on of the lights.

4. A controller substantially as herein described wit reference to the accompanying drawings.