Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Minolta Camera Co., Ltd.

Minolta Camera K.k.

Hiroshi Hosomizu

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Masaaki Nakai

Takanobu Omaki

Kenji Tsuji

Tokuji Ishida

Makoto Kamiya

Masatake Niwa

Minoru Sekida

Toru Inoue

Tsutomu Ichikawa

Masatoshi Yoneyama

Kenzi Tuzi

Keiji Yamazaki

Yoshiharu Ohta

Norio Ishikawa

Masayoshi Sahara

Masayuki Nakasa

Yukio Miki

Tatsuro Izumi

Mamoru Katsuragi

Mikio Naya

Masaaki Makai

A flash device comprising a power source; a main capacitor adapted to be charged by the power source; a flash firing unit operable to consume charge stored in the main capacitor to emit a flash light; a switching unit disposed in a discharge loop for the main capacitor through the flash firing unit; a trigger circuit for exciting the flash firing unit in response to a flash firing command; a pulse output unit, which is operable to output some kinds of pulses, the duty factors of the pulses being different from each other, for inputting a selecting command and For outputting one of the pulses in accordance with the selecting command; and a control unit for causing the switching unit to be switched on and off repeatedly in response to the pulse outputted from the pulse output unit.

Flash device

A flash device comprising a power source; a main capacitor adapted to be charged by the power source; a flash firing unit operable to consume charge stored in the main capacitor to emit a flash light; a switching unit disposed in a discharge loop for the main capacitor through the flash firing unit; a trigger circuit for exciting the flash firing unit in response to a flash firing command; a pulse output unit, which is operable to output some kinds of pulses, the duty factors of the pulses being different from each other, for inputting a selecting command and for outputting one of the pulses in accordance with the selecting command; and a control unit for causing the switching unit to be switched on and off repeatedly in response to the pulse outputted from the pulse output unit.

A flash photographing system includes a camera body, a flash controller connected to the camera body and three flash devices: the first flash device is directly mounted on the camera body; the second flash device is mounted on the flash controller; and the third flash device is connected through a suitable cord to the flash controller. A microcomputer is provided in the camera body and also in each of the flash devices so as to control the three flash devices in various different modes of operations, such as simultaneous flash mode, sequence flash mode, and yet providing an appropriate amount of light for the proper exposure.

Flash photographing system

A mounting device on a camera has a mounting member to fit with an accessory so as to mount the accessory on the camera by sliding it. The mounting member which is molded out of plastic in one piece has eaves-like portions overhanging from an upper portion thereof in opposite directions intersecting perpendicularly to a mounting direction of the accessory, thus having a generally T-shaped cross section. The mounting member has a groove running in the mounting direction at a top central portion for receiving a projecting portion of the accessory so as to determine a horizontal (lateral) position of the accessory relative to the camera. The eaves-like portions receive mating members of the accessory thereunder so as to determine a vertical position of the accessory relative to the camera. The groove is narrower at the front end than at the back end where an insertion opening for the accessory mounting is provided, where the projecting portion of the accessory is similarly narrower at the front end from which the accessory is inserted into the groove.

Mounting devices for removably mounting an accessory on a camera

An accessory shoe for mounting an electronic flash device on a camera, which is provided at a top portion of the camera and has a plurality of terminals for circuitry of the camera arrayed in a direction in which the electronic flash device is inserted into the accessory shoe. Of the plurality of terminals, a terminal which leads to an X contact and outputs a signal indicative of a situation of the X contact is located at a position closest to an insertion opening of the accessory shoe and is connected to a terminal on an electronic flash device for inputting the signal at the end of a mounting procedure of the electronic flash device.

Electronic flash device for a camera and accessory shoe for mounting an

A flash photography system which comprises a photographic camera and an electronic flash device; said photographic camera comprising

Flash photography system

A flash device for use in association with a camera is disclosed. The camera provides focal length data representing a focal length of a lens mounted on the camera to the flash device. The flash device comprises a body portion, a flash head pivotally mounted on the body portion, a xenon tube provided in the flash head for emitting a flash light, and a lens is provided in front of the light emitting means movably to change the angle of the cone of the flash light. A driving circuit, controlled by a microcomputer, is provided for driving the lens in response to the focal length data to set the angle of the cone of the flash light correspondingly to the focal length. A pivot detector is provided for detecting the pivotal movement of the flash head. When the pivotal movement is detected, the microcomputer controls the driving circuit so as not to drive the lens but to maintain the lens, during and after the pivotal movement, in the same position as it was before the pivotal movement.

Flash device for use in photography

An improved flash device which is characterized in the provision of a power source, a main capacitor adapted to be charged by the power source, a flash firing unit operable to consume charge stored in the main capacitor to emit a flash light, a trigger circuit for exciting the flash firing unit in response to a flash firing command, an insulated gate bipolar transistor disposed in a discharge loop for the main capacitor through the flash firing unit, and a control circuit for applying a voltage to a gate of the insulated gate bipolar transistor in response to the flash firing command and for interrupting the application of the voltage to the insulated gate bipolar transistor in response to a flash terminating command.

A flash photography system which comprises a photographic camera and an electronic flash device;

A close-range lighting flash device comprising an electronic flash unit including a plurality of xenon tubes, an illuminator unit provided integrally in the flash unit and including a plurality of illuminator lamps, a light-transmitting panel arranged in front of both of the xenon tubes and the illuminator lamps, and a control device for energizing the illuminator unit. The light-transmitting panel has first and second portions aligned respectively with the xenon tubes and the illuminator lamps, the second portions having a light diffusing density smaller than that of the first portions.

Close-range lighting flash device

A flash photography system with a camera body and an electronic flash device incorporates first to third terminals in the camera body which are connectable to fourth through sixth terminals in the flash device. A signal is produced to distinguish between first and second modes wherein data is transmitted to the electronic flash device and data from the electronic flash device is transmitted to the camera body, respectively, and connected to the first terminal. Clock pulses control the data transmission and data is read from the electronic flash device and transmitted to the electronic flash device through the second terminal in response to the clock pulses. An initiating signal to cause production of artificial illuminating light from the electronic flash device is provided at the third terminal. In response to the distinguishing signal, selection is made between the first and second modes via the fourth terminal. The electronic flash device provides via the fifth terminal serial data to the camera body in response to the clock pulses through the fourth terminal. Data is read to the electronic flash device through the fifth terminal in response to pulses from the fourth terminal. The electronic flash device provides artificial illuminating light in response to the initiating signal through the sixth terminal.

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Nara, Japan

Hiroshi Hosomizu