ILLUMINATION APPARATUS AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS

• US 20100061102A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Idera, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,147,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/296.70
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0503 Built-in units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0578 Flashtube mounting
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0592 installed in front of light emitter

Abstract

The illumination apparatus includes a light source, an optical member configured to at least transmit therethrough light from the light source, and a reflective member configured to include a reflective portion which extends closer to the optical member than the light source and reflects the light from the light source to cause the light to enter the optical member. A concave portion is formed, on a light entrance side surface of the optical member, in an outside area located outside a light entrance area where the light reflected by the reflective portion reaches. The concave portion includes a refractive surface refracting light, which is part of the light from the light source and enters the concave portion without being reflected by the reflective portion, toward an exit surface of the optical member.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus comprising:

a light source;

an optical member configured to at least transmit therethrough light from the light source; and

a reflective member configured to include a reflective portion which extends closer to the optical member than the light source and reflects the light from the light source to cause the light to enter the optical member,

wherein, on a light entrance side surface of the optical member, a concave portion is formed in an outside area located outside a light entrance area where the light reflected by the reflective portion reaches, and

wherein the concave portion includes a refractive surface refracting light, which is part of the light from the light source and which reaches the concave portion without being reflected by the reflective portion, toward an exit surface of the optical member.

2. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reflective member is configured to include as the reflective portion a first reflective portion and a second reflective portion each of which extends closer to the optical member than the light source and reflects the light from the light source to cause the light to enter the optical member, and to include between the first and second reflective portions an aperture through which the light passes, and

wherein the light entrance area is an area facing the aperture.

3. The illumination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion includes a reflective surface reflecting light, which is part of the light from the light source and which reaches the concave portion without being reflected by the reflective portion, toward the exit surface of the optical member.

4. An image pickup apparatus capturing an image of an object illuminated with light from an illumination apparatus, the image pickup apparatus comprising:

the illumination apparatus which comprises;

a light source;

an optical member configured to at least transmit therethrough light from the light source; and

a reflective member configured to include a reflective portion which extends closer to the optical member than the light source and reflects the light from the light source to cause the light to enter the optical member,

wherein, on a light entrance side surface of the optical member, a concave portion is formed in an outside area located outside a light entrance area where the light reflected by the reflective portion reaches, and

wherein the concave portion includes a refractive surface refracting light, which is part of the light from the light source and reaches the concave portion without being reflected by the reflective portion, toward an exit surface of the optical member.