Compact camera flash unit
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsScott B. Chase, Carl F. Leidig
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A camera flash comprises a flash light source providing light, a and a condenser lens element. The reflector is located adjacent to one side of the flash light source and has a trough with a reflective surface oriented towards the flash light source. The reflective surface partially encloses the flash light source and extends no more than 2 millimeters beyond the flash light source towards the target surface.
Claims26
A camera flash unit comprising:
- (i) a flash light source providing light;
- (ii) a reflector adjacent to one side of said flash light source and adapted to direct some of the light from said flash light source in a first direction, said reflector having a trough with a reflective surface facing said flash light source, said reflective surface partially enclosing said flash light source and not extending more than 2 millimeters beyond said flash light source in said first direction;
- and
- (iii) a lens element having an optical axis and located adjacent to another side of a said flash light source and directing the light (1) reflected by the reflector and (2) directly incident from said flash light source in said first direction, wherein said lens element and said trough define a distance d, so that d<7 millimeters, where said distance d is measured along the optical axis of said lens element, from a front vertex of said lens element to a back surface of said trough.
A camera flash unit for illumination of a target surface comprising:
- (i) a cylindrical flash light source providing light;
- (ii) a reflector adjacent to one side of said flash light source and adapted to direct some of the light from said flash light source to the target surface, said reflector having a cylindrical channel with a concave reflective surface facing said flash light source, said concave reflective surface being defined by a radius of curvature that is substantially the same as the radius of curvature of said flash light source, said reflective surface not extending more than 2 millimeters beyond said flash light source towards the target surface;
- (iii) a lens element having an optical axis and located adjacent to another side of a said flash light source and
- adapted to direct the light (1) reflected by the reflector and (2) directly incident from the light source to the associated target surface;
- and
- wherein said lens element and said cylindrical channel define a distance d, so that 2 mm<d<6 mm, where said distance d is measured along the optical axis of said lens element from a front vertex of said lend element to a back surface of said cylindrical channel.
A single use electronic flash camera comprising:
- a camera body having first and second film chambers;
- a taking lens supported by said camera body;
- a flash board supported by said camera body;
- a flash unit having a reflector, a flash lamp tube and a condenser lens element mounted in said flash board, said reflector having a trough with a reflective surface partially enclosing said flash lamp tube and not extending more than 1 millimeter beyond said flash lamp tube in a direction of said condenser lens element;
- and
- an unexposed roll of film disposed in one of said film chambers.
A method of making a single use camera with an electronic flash unit from previously used single use camera parts comprising the steps of:
- obtaining a previously used camera body assembly including
- (i) a camera body having two film chambers and a taking lens;
- (ii) a flash unit having a reflector, a flash lamp tube and a condenser lens element mounted in said flash board, and said reflector having a trough with a reflective surface partially enclosing said flash lamp tube and not extending more than 1 millimeter beyond said flash lamp tube in a direction of said condenser lens element;
- and
- loading an unexposed roll of film into the film cassette chamber of the camera body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.