Illuminating apparatus

• US 6,827,467 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tenmyo, Yoshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAYNE, SHARON E
• Application Number:
  US10/358,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20030156414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 362/268, 362/3, 362/16, 362/17, 362/18, 362/30, 362/560, 362/223, 362/224, 362/277, 362/296, 362/297, 362/308, 362/311, 362/319, 362/327, 362/328, 362/331, 362/337, 362/309
• US Class Current: 362/268
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/045 the lens having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0047 for use with a light source G02B19/009, G02B19/0095 take precedence; details of lighting devices in general F21V; non-semiconductor lasers having optical devices external to the laser cavity H01S3/005
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0507 Pop-up mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0592 installed in front of light emitter

Abstract

An illuminating apparatus having a light source, an optical unit disposed on the object side of the light source having a lens portion having positive refractive power in the central portion thereof, incidence surfaces on which light from the light source is incident and reflecting surfaces for totally reflecting the incident light, on both sides of the lens portion, and an emergence surface from which the light reflected by the reflecting surfaces emerges, wherein a beam emerging from the lens portion and a beam emerging from the emergence surface intersect with each other substantially at the same place in their condensed state, and a second optical unit having a plurality of prism portions, wherein the relative interval between the optical unit and the second optical unit are changed to vary an irradiation angle.

Claims

1. An illuminating apparatus comprising:

a light source;

a first optical unit disposed on the object side of the light source;

the first optical unit being provided with a lens portion having positive refractive power in the central portion thereof, incidence surfaces on which light from the light source is incident and reflecting surfaces for totally reflecting the light incident on the incidence surfaces, on both sides of the lens portion, and an emergence surface from which the light reflected by the reflecting surfaces emerges, wherein a beam emerging from the lens portion and a beam emerging from the emergence surface are condensed substantially at one point on the optical axis of the first optical unit; and

a second optical unit disposed on the object side of the first optical unit, the second optical unit including a second lens portion having positive refractive power in the central portion thereof, and a plurality of prism portions having their convexity facing the object side on both sides of the second lens portion.

2. An illuminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second optical unit is provided with a second reflecting surface for totally reflecting some of beam emerging from the first optical unit by the side thereof, and directing it to the plurality of prism portions, and the light reflected by the second reflecting surface of the second optical unit and directed to the plurality of prism portions travels in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis of the second optical unit.

3. An illuminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the angle formed by the optical axis side surface of the plurality of prism portions with respect to the optical axis is defined as θ

, the following condition is satisfied;

4. An illuminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a cylindrical light emitting tube, and the lens portion of the first optical unit is of a cylindrical lens shape of which the lengthwise direction is the same direction as the lengthwise direction of the light emitting tube.

5. An illuminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a cylindrical light emitting tube, and the lens portion of the first optical unit is of a cylindrical lens shape of which the lengthwise direction is the same direction as the lengthwise direction of the light emitting tube, and the second lens portion of the second optical unit also is of a cylindrical lens shape of which the lengthwise direction is the same direction as the lengthwise direction of the light emitting tube, and further, an apex of each of the prism portions of the second optical unit is parallel to the lengthwise direction thereof.

6. An illuminating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a member disposed at a location on the light source which is opposed to the first optical unit for reflecting the light from the light source.