Abstract:
A flash unit holder with an adjustable position is disclosed. In one example, the flash unit holder includes a supporting bracket mounted in the direction of the optical axis of the camera lens in front of the camera, and a shaped circular guide arranged at the end of the supporting bracket concentrically around the optical axis. A rotating cylinder shaped segment is arranged in a rotating fashion in respect to the shaped circular guide, the inner side of which is provided with at least one conductive bus. The bus is interconnected with the shoe of the flash unit on the outer side of the rotating cylinder shaped segment and with the camera. The flash unit holder also includes a locking element for locking the rotating cylinder shaped segment to the shoe in a chosen position.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a national stage application claiming priority from Czech Application No. PUV 2009-21808, filed Oct. 13, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    The present disclosure is directed towards a flash unit holder with adjustable position allowing for a movement of an external flash adapter following a curved trajectory around the axis of the camera lens and allowing at the same time locking the flash adapter in a chosen point of this trajectory. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    There has been a need when taking photographs to arrange the flash adapter in relation to the photographed object so that its light shines on the object more from one side creating on the other side a shadowed surface, which causes the photograph to seem more plastic. This need has triggered the demand to change the position of the flash adapter in relation to the axis of the camera lens. 
         [0004]    The Czech author&#39;s certificate no. 248 456 discloses a movable flash adapter holder made up by a clamping body connected with the camera housing. In the clamping body a movable bracket is placed turning in the vertical plane. At the end of the bracket there is a shoe for fixing the flash adapter. The bracket can be turned above the camera so that the flash adapter is placed above the vertical axis of the camera lens, or out of the camera, i.e. out of the vertical axis of the camera lens when the flash adapter moves in relation to the camera lens on a quadrantal trajectory in a radius equal to the length of the movable bracket. The disadvantage of this consists in the possibility of moving the flash adapter only on one side of the photographed object and only on a quadrantal trajectory. 
         [0005]    WO 98/37454 teaches a telescoping movable flash adapter holder extending the flash unit above the camera. WO 87/00305 discloses a construction of an extendable bracket allowing the extension of the flash to the side, next to the camera. There are also known other extendable or foldable flashes such as those disclosed in EP 0 336 150 or in EP 0 308 625, nevertheless the brackets thereof are too short and they serve only to eliminate the “red eye effect”. 
         [0006]    On the market there are also movable flash holders made up by jib constructions provided with movable or by articulated brackets that can be locked by means of frictional and locking connections or by means of screw connections. These constructions allow for moving the flash in a sufficient distance from the camera lens axis and in any angle, but their disadvantage is their dimensions and their weight. Besides it is complicated and lengthy to set them in the right position. 
         [0007]    Further a movable flash holder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,195 where the flash unit is mounted in the upper part of a fixed construction formed by an outer circle and is adjustable angularly. In the outer circle is retained a rotatable inner circle with a mountable bracket to mount the camera. The outer and the inner circles are provided with handles to turn mutually in relation to each other and by a screw securing the inner circle in a chosen position. In one of the handles the release operating the camera is built in. The rotation of the inner circle rotates the camera creating slant pictures on a rectangular film. The disadvantage of this apparatus lies in the fact that it is designed for mounting on a tripod and therefore practically immobile and the flash remains in relation to the photographed object in the same axial position. 
         [0008]    Finally CZ 18428 discloses a movable flash holder formed by a shaped circular guide mounted to the camera lens by a supporting bracket. The shaped circular guide is formed by a fixed and by a movable circle. The fixed circle is formed by two parts, each being provided by a guiding recess to guide the movable circle provided with a shoe for the flash and teeth for locking the flash in any position on the periphery of the shaped guide. The movable circle formed by a cylinder segment is provided on its inner side by conductive buses on which elastic contacts connected via the cable with the camera sit. The disadvantage of this is that the locking element for mounting the flash on the shaped guide is very complicated to produce, is made up by two runners and the locking is carried out by expanding the spring. The locking element is not very reliable and its service life is rather short. The main disadvantage then lies in the fact that due to clearances and the wearing out the durability of the elastic contacts sitting on the conductive buses is short. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The apparatus will be more closely described with respect to drawings in which 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective front view of the holder with adjustable position mounted to the camera, the flash unit being in the upper position, 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  shows the same view as  FIG. 1  but the flash unit is turned to a side position, 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective back view on the holder with adjustable position itself, 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  shows a vertical section of the holder with adjustable position, 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view on opened set of parts of the holder with adjustable position and 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  shows a detail of the base and of the locking element. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    It is understood that specific examples as described and depicted below, are provided only as an illustration and that they in no way limit the disclosure to such examples. One of ordinary skill in the art will find and will be able to identify through routine experimenting one or more equivalents of the examples described herein. Such equivalents shall be covered by the scope of patent claims contained herein. 
         [0017]      FIGS. 1 to 6  show a particular example of the flash unit holder with adjustable position  1  according to the present disclosure where the shaped guide is a circle. However, the examples are not limited to this shape only. 
         [0018]    In one example, a supporting bracket  6  made up by a plastic matter profile is fastened to the camera  5  by means of a screw  7 . The opposite end of the supporting bracket  6  is inserted in the insert  14  fixed within the shaped circular guide. The insert  14  is by means of a cable  22  and a connector  23  connected to the electric output of the camera  5  operating the flash unit  2 . The electric conductors of the cable  22  are interconnected in the insert  14  with the conductive buses  15 ,  16  from which they conduct signals to the connector  23 . 
         [0019]    The shaped circular guide consists of a fixed cylinder shaped segment  11  made from plastic matter, the circumference of which is formed by guiding circles  24  touching by their outer circumferences the inner circumferences of the peripheral frame  13  of the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12 . The peripheral frame  13  and the guiding circles  24  are made from plastic matter and they secure the rotating movement of the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  hindering its shifting backwards and forwards from the fixed cylinder shaped segment  11 . 
         [0020]    The rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  is interrupted on its circumference as well as the peripheral frame  13 . The interruption of the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  same as the interruption of the peripheral frame  13  can be narrowed or widened as needed. In principle, it is the extent of the interruption that allows for the rotation of the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  around the fixed cylinder shaped segment  11 . 
         [0021]    The outer circumference of the fixed cylinder shaped segment  11  is provided by a gold-coated conductive bus  15  while in the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  it is the inner circumference that is provided by the gold-coated conductive bus  16 . The permanent contact of the conductive buses  15 ,  16  in any position of the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  is thus secured. 
         [0022]    The rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  rotates around the optical axis  3  of the camera lens  4  and carries the flash adapter shoe  9 . A locking element  18  is arranged on the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  to allow the flash unit  2  in a chosen angular position in relation to the camera lens  4 . The locking element  18  is arranged on one end of the interrupted circumference and the opposite end of the interrupted circumference is inserted under the locking element  18 . 
         [0023]    The locking element  18  is made up by a shaped hole  19  cut in the locking circle  21  arranged in the base  17  of the shoe  9  and by a pin  20  placed on the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12 . The rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  as well as its conductive bus  16  and the peripheral frame  13  is interrupted and open in the area of the base  17  for the shoe  9 . The rate of the opening or locking of the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12 , peripheral frame  13  and conductive bus  16  is regulated by the locking circle  21  provided by the shaped hole  19  in which the pin  20  is placed in a fixed connection to the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12 . When the locking circle  21  is turned, the pin  20  moves in the shaped hole  19  and it draws or releases the rotating cylinder shaped segment  12  in relation to the fixed cylinder shaped segment  11 . 
         [0024]    Thus one object is to create such flash unit holder with adjustable position that would allow a shockless movement of the flash unit on the curved trajectory around the axis of the camera lens, allowing its locking in any position. The apparatus should be mobile, of small dimensions, light and easy to mount to the camera. It should especially dispose of greater reliability as for transmission of electric signals between the camera and the rotating shoe for the flash unit and it should further simplify the reliability of the locking element. 
         [0025]    This object has been solved by creating a flash unit holder with adjustable position according to this disclosure. The subject matter of the disclosure includes the fact that the shaped guide and at the same time the element securing the interconnection of conductive buses of the rotating cylinder shaped segment with the camera is made up by the fixed cylinder shaped segment being fixed to the supporting bracket. Thus any distance of the shaped guide from the camera lens can be adjusted. The fixed cylinder shaped segment is arranged co-axially within the rotating cylinder shaped segment; the outer side of the fixed cylinder shaped segment is provided with conductive buses being arranged against the conductive buses of the rotating cylinder shaped segment and being by means of a cable interconnected with the camera. Permanent communication between the buses is secured without being interrupted by the turning of the rotating cylinder shaped segment around the fixed cylinder shaped segment, which allows for an even transmission of the light from the flash unit. The fixation of the rotating cylinder shaped segment to the fixed cylinder shaped segment allows for a rotating movement and locking by means of the locking element. 
         [0026]    In one example the circumference of the rotating cylinder shaped segment is larger than the circumference of the fixed cylinder shaped segment; the rotating cylinder shaped segment is interrupted on its circumference and in the area of the interruption it is provided with a locking element to draw together the interrupted ends of the rotating cylinder shaped segment and to create a clamping connection between the rotating cylinder shaped segment and the fixed cylinder shaped segment. This interruption allows for rotating the rotating cylinder shaped segment on the circumference of the fixed cylinder shaped segment. The rotation is controlled by the locking element by means of which the position of the flash unit can be adjusted anywhere on the circumference of the fixed cylinder shaped segment. 
         [0027]    In another example the rotating cylinder shaped segment is provided by peripheral frames on both sides being interrupted in the same place as the rotating cylinder shaped segment the guiding circles arranged on the peripheries of the outer side of the fixed cylinder shaped segment snapping therein. The peripheral frames ensure compactness of the flash unit holder with adjustable position, they hold both cylinder shaped segments together and hinder them to shift backwards and forwards. 
         [0028]    In a further example the rotating cylinder shaped segment is in the area of the interruption provided by a base in which the shoe as well as the locking element is arranged. The base is carried on the rotating cylinder shaped segment on the circumference of the fixed cylinder shaped segment. By means of the locking element the base can be locked in any place on the circumference of the fixed cylinder shaped segment. The flash unit is fixed in the shoe so that it is carried together with the base and is not fixed in one position. 
         [0029]    In still another example the locking element is made up by a locking circle with a pin arranged eccentrically being fixed to one end of the interrupted rotating cylinder shaped segment, the locking element being further made up by a shaped hole in the locking circle; the pin fits in the shaped hole and the locking circle is fixed to the second end of the interrupted cylinder shaped segment. Turning of the locking circle increases or decreases the circumference of the rotating cylinder shaped segment. By decreasing the circumference the rotating cylinder shaped segment is locked in a certain position on the circumference of the fixed cylinder shaped segment. 
         [0030]    Advantages of the flash unit holder with adjustable position according to the present disclosure consist in the fact that this device is light, space saving and is easy to fix to the camera. It allows an even movement of the flash unit on the trajectory around the optical axis of the camera lens and allows a very simple locking of the flash unit in any angular position. 
         [0031]    Another advantage of the present disclosure consists in the fact that the flash unit can always be in the position of upper lighting and the camera can be freely turned, according to the composition intention of the photographer, for example when creating inclined or half turned images, applied frequently in advertising photography. Mobility and the possibility to change the position of the flash unit in very short time periods is a great advantage of the present disclosure, compared to known adjustable holders in which the change of position of the flash unit has to be carried out by loosening butterfly nuts and composing a construction of several brackets. Thanks to the possibility of rotating the flash unit by 360° the holder can be used by both left and right handed photographers without limitation when holding the camera and pressing the release button in an unnatural position. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0032]    The flash unit holder with adjustable position according to the present disclosure can be applied when taking photographs when the flash adapter needs to be set from a certain side of the camera lens in relation to the photographed object in order to create a more plastic image in the photograph. 
       OVERVIEW OF RELATION FIGURES USED IN THE DRAWINGS 
       [0000]    
       
           1  flash unit holder with adjustable position 
           2  flash unit 
           3  optical axis of the camera lens 
           4  camera lens 
           5  camera 
           6  supporting bracket 
           7  screw 
           8  rotating cylinder shaped segment interruption 
           9  flash adapter shoe 
           10  screw head 
           11  fixed cylinder shaped segment 
           12  rotating cylinder shaped segment 
           13  peripheral frame 
           14  insert 
           15  conductive bus of the fixed cylinder shaped segment 
           16  conductive bus of the rotating cylinder shaped segment 
           17  base 
           18  locking element 
           19  shaped hole 
           20  pin 
           21  locking circle 
           22  cable 
           23  connector 
           24  guiding circle