Patent ID: 6813443
Filing Date: 2004-11-02
Classification: G03B

Abstract:
A flash unit control circuit for a camera, comprising:a power supply; a flash unit capacitor; a voltage converter connected between the power supply and the flash unit capacitor and arranged to supply charging current from the power supply to the flash unit capacitor; a square-wave oscillator connected to the voltage converter for continuously generating a square wave, and having a control signal input that causes connection of the square-wave oscillator to the voltage converter; wherein when a micro control unit (MCU) of the camera sends a flash unit-enabling signal to the control signal input of the square-wave oscillator: a. the square wave oscillator is connected to and supplies a square wave signal to the voltage converter, and b. said voltage converter supplies an intermittent charging current from the power supply to the flash unit capacitor in response to said supply of said square wave signal, and thereby charges the flash unit capacitor.