Flash apparatus

• US 6,150,770 A
• Filed: 02/16/1999
• Issued: 11/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Photo & Lighting Co. Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.), West Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Hirata, Shinji, Kondo, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Chuc
• Application Number:
  US09/251,195
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 354/141, 315/241 P, 315/151, 315/241 B, 315/241 S, 315/232, 315/240, 315/173, 315/419, 315/132, 315/237
• US Class Current: 315/241.00P
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/34 to provide a sequence of flashes

Abstract

In a flash apparatus capable of making high-speed repeating light emission, a self-maintaining switch element provided for various purposes is prevented from erroneously operating due to the high-speed repeating light emission, by providing a circuit element which reverse-biases a control electrode of the self-maintaining switch element.

Claims

1. A flash apparatus comprising:

a main capacitor;

a flash tube;

a first discharge path disposed between said main capacitor and said flash tube and including a self-maintaining switch element having a high-potential-side electrode connected to said main capacitor and a low-potential-side electrode connected to said flash tube;

a second discharge path formed through the flash tube, disposed in parallel with said discharge path and having an impedance value different from that of said first discharge path;

a control circuit which selects one of said first discharge path and said second discharge path by turning on or off said self-maintaining switch element in emitting flash light and which causes electric charge accumulated in said main capacitor to be discharged through the selected one of said first discharge path and said second discharge path; and

a bias circuit which, when said first discharge path is selected, allows said control circuit to turn on said self-maintaining switch element by applying a control signal to a control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element, and which, when said second discharge path is selected, reverse-biases the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element.

2. A flash apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bias circuit includes a first resistor connected between the control electrode and the low-potential-side electrode of said self-maintaining switch element, and a second resistor connected in series with said first resistor and connected between the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element and a low-potential-side terminal of said main capacitor.

3. A flash apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a capacitor connected in parallel to said first resistor.

4. A flash apparatus comprising:

a plurality of current-limiting elements, disposed in series between a high-potential-side electrode of said main capacitor and a flash tube and forming a current discharge path for said main capacitor through said flash tube;

a self-maintaining switch element connected to two ends of one of said plurality of current-limiting elements in a forward direction with respect to the discharge loop; and

reverse-bias means for constantly reverse-biasing a control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element.

5. A flash apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said reverse-bias means is a resistor connected between the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element and a low-potential-side terminal of said main capacitor.

6. A flash apparatus comprising:

a current-limiting element disposed within a discharge loop for a main capacitor through a flash tube;

a self-maintaining switch element connected to two ends of said current-limiting element in a forward direction with respect to the discharge loop, one of a first discharge path in which said current-limiting element is not included and a second discharge path in which said current-limiting element is included being selected by turning on or off said self-maintaining switch element in emitting flash light; and

reverse-bias means for reverse-biasing a control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element when the second discharge path is selected.

7. A flash apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said reverse-bias means is a resistor connected between the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element and a low-potential-side terminal of said main capacitor.

8. A flash apparatus comprising:

a main capacitor;

a flash tube having a positive electrode connected to a positive electrode of said main capacitor;

a control element which is connected to a negative electrode of said flash tube and which repeats turning-on and turning-off operations to cause said flash tube to make repeating light emission;

a trigger capacitor;

a self-maintaining switch element having a high-potential-side electrode connected to one of electrodes of said trigger capacitor and a low-potential-side electrode connected directly to the negative electrode of said flash tube;

a trigger generating circuit which generates a trigger signal to be applied to a control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element which said control elements turns on for the first time; and

a bias circuit which, when said trigger generating circuit generates the trigger signal, allows the trigger signal to be supplied to the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element to trigger said flash tube by discharging electric charge of said trigger capacitor through said self-maintaining switch element and said control element, and which, when said control element is in an off-state, reverse-biases the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element.

9. A flash apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said bias circuit includes a first resistor connected between the control electrode and the low-potential-side electrode of said self-maintaining switch element, and a second resistor connected in series with said first resistor and connected between the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element and a negative electrode of said main capacitor.

10. A flash apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a capacitor connected in parallel to said first resistor.

11. A flash apparatus according to one of claims 8 to 10, wherein said flash tube makes the repeating light emission in such a manner that light emission for the first time is made through a discharge loop including said trigger capacitor, said control element and said self-maintaining switch element and light emission for the second and subsequent times is made in response to the turning-on and turning-off operations of said control element.

12. A flash apparatus comprising:

a main capacitor;

a flash tube;

a control element which performs turning-on and turning-off operations, said flash tube and said control element being connected in series to said main capacitor;

a trigger circuit which includes a self-maintaining switch element having a low-potential-side electrode connected directly to a connection point between said flash tube and said control element, and which excites said flash tube by causing electric charge accumulated in a trigger capacitor to be discharged through said self-maintaining switch element, said control element and a trigger transformer, in response to the turning-on operation of said self-maintaining switch element; and

reverse-bias means for reverse-biasing between a control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element and the low-potential-side electrode thereof when said control element is in an off-state.

13. A flash apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said reverse-bias means is a resistor connected between the control electrode of said self-maintaining switch element and a low-potential-side terminal of said main capacitor.