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US 6,480,679 B1Granted
Strobe device for image capturing apparatus, camera and lens fitted film unit, and reflector of strobe light
AssigneeKonica Corporation
InventorsKen Ishida, Takuro Masuda, Nobuyoshi Mori, Takao Hosaka
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is described a strobe device particularly suited for image capturing apparatus equipped with wide-angle lens. The strobe device includes a reflector to reflect a strobe light, a light-emitting tube to emit the strobe light and an optical panel to transmits the strobe light. In the strobe device embodied in the present invention, a maximum luminous intensity of the strobe light, illuminated by the strobe device, is arranged in a direction being different from a direction of a strobe light axis.
Claims29
A strobe device, comprising:
- a reflector to reflect a strobe light;
- a light-emitting tube, mounted in an interior of said reflector, to emit said strobe light;
- and
- an optical panel, mounted in front of said light-emitting tube, to transmit said strobe light,
- wherein a curve of luminous intensity of said strobe light exhibits a first peak luminous intensity and a second peak luminous intensity in a distribution characteristic of luminous intensity, which is established on a plane including a strobe light axis in respect to said strobe light emitted from said strobe device, and said first peak luminous intensity exists in a left-side region of said distribution characteristic of luminous intensity in a direction inclined to said strobe light axis, while said second peak luminous intensity exists in a right-side region of said distribution characteristic of luminous intensity in another direction inclined to said strobe light axis;
- and
- wherein the following conditional equation is fulfilled,
- (4/3)×A≧KP≧(1/5)×A
- where:
- A is a half viewing angle of a photographic lens, which is incorporated in an image capturing apparatus equipped with said strobe device, and Kp is an illumination angle for either said first peak luminous intensity or said second peak luminous intensity with reference to said strobe light axis.
7 more elements
An image capturing apparatus, comprising:
- a photographic lens;
- and
- a strobe device, which comprises a reflector to reflect a strobe light forward, a light-emitting tube, mounted in an interior of said reflector, to emit said strobe light, and an optical panel, mounted in front of said light-emitting tube, to transmit said strobe light,
- wherein a curve of luminous intensity of said strobe light exhibits a first peak luminous intensity and a second peak luminous intensity in a distribution characteristic of luminous intensity, which is established on a plane including a strobe light axis in respect to said strobe light emitted from said strobe device, and said first peak luminous intensity exists in a left-side region of said distribution characteristic of luminous intensity in a direction inclined to said strobe light axis, while said second peak luminous intensity exists in a right-side region of said distribution characteristic of luminous intensity in another direction inclined to said strobe light axis;
- and
- wherein the following conditional equation is fulfilled,
- (4/3)×A≧KP≧(1/5)×A
- where:
- A is a half viewing angle of a photographic lens, which is incorporated in an image capturing apparatus equipped with said strobe device, and KP is an illumination angle for either said first peak luminous intensity or said second peak luminous intensity with reference to said strobe light axis.
6 more elements
A reflector employed for a strobe device, comprising:
- a concave reflection surface;
- and
- a side reflection surface arranged at each side of said concave reflection surface,
- wherein said side reflection surface is inclined to a light-emitting tube, which emits a strobe light in an interior of said concave reflection surface, at such an angle that said side reflection surface reflects said strobe light, so as to emit said strobe light toward a direction of being apart from a strobe light axis and toward a direction of not crossing said strobe light axis.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.