Electronic flash assemblage with reflector to circuit board connection

An electronic flash assemblage comprising a circuit board having an exposed electrically conductive patch, and an electrically conductive flash reflector adapted to be attached to the circuit board, is characterized in that the flash reflector has a resilient electrically conductive extension which protrudes from the flash reflector to cause it to be deformed against the conductive patch when the flash reflector is attached to the circuit board, whereby the resilient extension will be inherently biased against the conductive patch to make an electrical connection between the conductive patch and the flash reflector.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in 
particular to an electronic flash assemblage for a camera. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Most modern electronic flash units use a triggering electrode method of 
flash firing. In this type of circuit, a main capacitor is connected 
permanently across two terminals of a glass flash tube filled with inert 
xenon gas. The resistance of the gas in the flash tube is normally too 
high to permit a direct discharge. For firing the flash unit there is a 
third electrode--for example, a coil of wire wound around the outside of 
the flash tube. An instantaneous triggering voltage of about 5000 volts 
applied to the coil of wire ionizes the gas in the tube, thus lowering the 
resistance of the gas and allowing the main capacitor to discharge its 
energy through the tube in the form of a intense flash of light. The 
triggering voltage is usually supplied by a trigger or ignition coil 
connected to a small capacitor. 
Instead of winding the coil of wire around the outside of the flash tube, 
the tube can be supported with its outside directly against the inner wall 
of an electrically conductive flash reflector that is connected to the 
trigger coil as mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,597, issued Dec. 16, 
1969, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,203, issued Feb. 11, 1986. In this instance, 
the flash reflector serves as a light reflector and as a triggering 
electrode. Typically, a piece of wire or metal tape has one end soldered 
to a circuit board, which includes the trigger coil, and another end 
secured to the flash reflector. Ways are continuously being devised to 
simplify manufacture and design of the flash unit. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the invention, an electronic flash assemblage comprising a 
circuit board having an exposed electrically conductive patch, and an 
electrically conductive flash reflector adapted to be attached to the 
circuit board, is characterized in that: 
the flash reflector has a resilient electrically conductive extension which 
protrudes from the flash reflector to cause it to be deformed against the 
conductive patch when the flash reflector is attached to the circuit 
board, whereby the resilient extension will be inherently biased against 
the conductive patch to make an electrical connection between the 
conductive patch and the flash reflector. Thus, a simpler arrangement 
without the need for soldering as in the prior art is achieved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is disclosed as being embodied preferably in an electronic 
flash unit for a camera. Because the features of an electronic flash unit 
are generally known, the description which follows is directed in 
particular only to those elements forming part of or cooperating directly 
with the disclosed embodiment. It is to be understood, however, that other 
elements may take various forms known to a person of ordinary skill in the 
art. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, an electronic flash 
assemblage 10 is shown to have several components that can be assembled to 
form a flash unit. A printed circuit board 12 has an electrically 
conductive patch which is an exposed metal strip 14. A known trigger or 
ignition coil 16 has four identical mounting pins 18 which are intended to 
be inserted through four corresponding pin-holes 20 in the circuit board 
12 and to be held fast by respective solder caps 22, to attach the trigger 
coil to the circuit board. One of the solder caps 22 is located on one end 
24 of the metal strip 14 to electrically connect the trigger coil 16 to 
the metal strip. An electrically conductive flash reflector 26 is intended 
to be placed in a rectangular opening 28 in the circuit board 12 and a 
pair of integral hooks 30 of the flash reflector fit into respective holes 
32 in the circuit board, to attach the flash reflector to the circuit 
board. The flash reflector 26 has a pair of resilient, i.e. springy, 
electrically conductive, integral extensions 34 which protrude from the 
flash reflector to cause them to be deformed against another end 36 of the 
metal strip 14 when the flash reflector is attached to the circuit board 
12. See FIG. 2. Thus, the pair of resilient extensions 34 will be 
inherently biased or urged against the end 36 of the metal strip 14 to 
make an electrical connection to that end without the need for soldering. 
Preferably, the pair of resilient extensions 34 have respective flat 
contact ends 38 and respective curved flexure (deformable) joints 40. 
A transparent flash cover 42 is intended to be placed over the flash 
reflector 26, and attached to the circuit board 12 by inserting a pair of 
integral hooks 44 of the flash cover into respective cut-outs 46 in the 
circuit board. See FIGS. 1 and 2. An integral resilient finger 48 of the 
flash cover 42 is adapted to firmly press the contact ends 38 of the 
resilient extensions 34 firmly against the end 36 of the metal strip 14 as 
shown in FIG. 2. 
After the flash reflector 26 is attached to the circuit board 12, a known 
glass flash tube 50 filled with inert xenon gas is positioned with its 
outside directly against an inner concave side of the flash reflector as 
shown in FIG. 2. A pair of resilient electrically conductive supports 52 
each have one end 54 soldered to the circuit board 12 and another end 56 
soldered to respective terminals or leads 58 of the flash tube 50. The 
ends 54 are electrically connected to a main capacitor, not shown, and the 
ends 56 serve to urge the flash tube 50 into intimate contact with the 
inner concave side of the flash reflector 26. 
The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. 
However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be 
effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from 
the scope of the invention. 
TS LIST 
10. flash assemblage 
12. circuit board 
14. metal strip 
16. trigger coil 
18. mounting pins 
20. pin-holes 
22. solder cap 
24. strip end 
26. flash reflector 
28. rectangular opening 
30. hooks 
32. holes 
34. resilient extensions 
36. strip end 
38. contact ends 
40. flexure joints 
42. flash cover 
44. hooks 
46. cut-outs 
48. resilient finger 
50. flash tube 
52. resilient supports 
54. support end 
56. support ends 
58. terminals