The invention relates to a strobe unit for cameras.
A strobo unit for cameras is adapted to be mounted on an accessory shoe which is located at a given position along the exterior of the camera, thereby allowing it to be ready for an illumination by merely turning on a power switch. However, it will be appreciated that the mere mounting of the strobo unit on the camera cannot provide an external indication of whether or not the flashlight operation is possible unless a special indicator lamp or the like is provided. If an indicator lamp is provided, a risk is still involved of triggering a shutter release at an undue time. In addition, the inconvenience of portable use of such camera will be appreciated if one considers the physical projection of the strobo unit which is mounted on the camera. In view of these considerations, it will be appreciated that it will be highly desirable from the standpoint of portable use that both the camera and the strobo unit be constructed such that they can be located with respect to each other and can be integrally assembled together when not in use.
On the other hand, a camera capable of both an automatic exposure mode and a flashlight mode of photographing is provided with a changeover switch which switches between these modes, and the switch must be thrown to the flashlight mode whenever it is desired to take a picture under the flashlight illumination. Thus, it will be seen to be highly advantageous if the strobo unit can be constructed such that its movement relative to the camera between the conditions of use and non-use can be utilized to cause a switching to the flashlight mode.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds