Method for automatic exposure control for photographs with flash and mixed light and camera arrangement for such method

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 in a photographic camera with a changeable diaphragm aperture, including the step of setting a predetermined foreground distance from said camera manually and thereby setting, simultaneously and automatically by the flash automatic exposure control system the diaphragm to an aperture corresponding to the foreground distance adjustment of said camera for properly illuminated flash exposures.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 2, in a camera with changeable diaphragm aperture, including the step of setting a predetermined foreground distance manually and thereby also setting by means of gearing, a. if said foreground distance is large, the diaphragm aperture corresponding to the foreground distance, while the flash output remains unchanged at its normal value, b. if the foreground distance is small, the flash output corresponding to the adjusted foreground distance while the diaphragm aperture remains unchanged at a value corresponding to the preset foreground distance, the transition from step (a) to step (b) and vice versa being performed automatically by said gearing when said preset foreground distance is passed through during said manual adjustment of the foreground distance.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 1 in a photographic camera with unchangeable diaphragm aperture, including as the first step the manual setting of a predetermined foreground distance from said camera and thereby setting, simultaneously and automatically, the flash intensity to a degree corresponding to the foreground distance adjustment of said camera for properly illuminated flash exposures.

Claim 6

An automatic exposure control arrangement in a photographic camera for taking exposures in combined day light and flash light comprising, in combination, a daylight automatic exposure control system in said camera for exposures under day light conditions, a flash automatic exposure control system for exposures under flash conditions, and means for manually setting on the camera a predetermined foreground distance for a foreground object to be illuminated by flash light and for actuating the flash light exposure control system simultaneously with the setting of the foreground distance whereby to establish a combination of flash light output and an aperture of a diaphragm means, said day light automatic exposure control system having brightness measuring means for measuring the prevailing day-light intensity and means for setting the exposure time as a function of said prevailing daylight intensity and the diaphragm aperture, said diaphragm aperture being a common factor of both, the day light automatic exposure control system and the flash automatic exposure control system.

Claim 7

An automatic exposure control arrangement in a photographic camera for taking exposures in combined day light and flash light comprising, in combination, a daylight automatic exposure control system in said camera for exposures under day light conditions, a flash automatic exposure control system for exposures under flash conditions, and means for manually setting on the camera a predetermined foreground distance for a foreground object to be illuminated by flash light and for actuating the flash light exposure control system simultaneously with the setting of the foreground distance whereby to establish a combination of flash light output and an aperture of a diaphragm means, said day light automatic exposure control system having brightness measuring means for measuring the prevailing day-light intensity and means for setting the exposure time as a function of said prevailing daylight intensity and the diaphragm aperture, said diaphragm aperture being a common factor of both, the day light automatic exposure control system and the flash automatic exposure control system.

Claim 8

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 5 and including auxiliary foreground distance setting means for setting desired foreground distances independent of the focusing means for focusing the camera to take a sharp picture.

Claim 9

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 6 and including releasable coupling means between said auxiliary distance setting means and said focussing means.

Claim 10

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 7 and including safety switching means in the flash ignition circuit, said switching means being closed by actuation of said foreground distance setting means, and a locking device released by the shutter upon closure after an exposUre.

Claim 11

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 8 and including a focussing scale means for indicating the setting of correct focus, auxiliary distance scale means for indicating the setting of said predetermined foreground distance, and coupling means for coupling said focusing scale means to said auxiliary foreground scale means when their indications are identical, said scale means being marked at identical intervals.

Claim 12

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 9 wherein said safety switching means in the flash ignition circuit is actuated by said coupling means for coupling said focussing distance scale means to said auxiliary foreground distance scale means.

Claim 13

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 10 including stop means cooperating with said foreground setting means, for limiting the setting of said foreground setting means beyond a certain distance and thereby to limit the maximum size of the aperture of said diaphragm means to prevent too short exposure time, said diaphragm means being adjustable.

Claim 14

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 11 including exposure time setting means set by said daylight automatic exposure control system as a function of the prevailing daylight intensity, said diaphragm aperture being set by said flash automatic control means, said diaphragm aperture being variable under the control of the flash light exposure control system automatically when the means for setting the foreground distance are manually actuated.

Claim 15

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 12 including a first setting ring in said auxiliary diaphragm setting means, a second ring for setting the film speed and adjacent said first setting ring and a third setting ring concentric with said first setting ring and rotatably displaceable in relation to the latter, said third setting ring being set with correction factors comprising flash light output and reflector effectiveness.

Claim 16

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 13 including a linear foreground distance indicating scale, a non-linear diaphragm setting scale, and interconnecting means for interconnecting the markings on said linear foreground distance scale with the marking on said diaphragm setting scale.

Claim 17

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 12 including foreground distance adjusting means and means for setting the diaphragm aperture and including light index coupling means between the foreground distance adjusting means and the setting of the diaphragm aperture, said diaphragm aperture being set as a function of the desired foreground distance.

Claim 18

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 15 wherein the flash light exposure system sets the diaphragm means and the flash intensity depending on the set foreground distance.

Claim 19

An automatic exposure control according to claim 16 including means for limiting the closing of said diaphragm to below a predetermined opening, and reducing the flash output to compensate for said minimum predetermined opening for shorter foreground distances.

Claim 20

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 16 including a manually actuated foreground distance adjusting ring for setting the diaphragm aperture for larger foreground distances, an auxiliary ring coupled with said foreground distance adjusting ring, a control arm attached to said auxiliary ring for controlling the flash output at smaller foreground distances, releasable locking means coupling said auxiliary ring with said diaphragm ring, said locking means being locked and released respectively when in both directions said foreground distance setting means pass though a predetermined foreground distance mark thereby switching from diaphragm aperture control to flash output control and vice versa, said locking means being thereupon released.

Claim 21

An automatic exposure control according to claim 5 including a lens with a fixed diaphragm aperture, the flash light automatic exposing control system setting the flash output in accordance with the set foreground distance automatically when the means for setting the foreground distance is manually actuated, the exposure time being set by said light automatic exposure control system as a function of the prevailing daylight intensity and said diaphragm aperture.

Claim 22

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 19 including an auxiliary ring coupled with the foreground distance setting ring and, attached to said auxiliary ring, and a control arm for controlling the flash output in accordance with the adjusted foreground distance.

Claim 23

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 5 including flash bulb means comprising a plurality of flash bulbs interconnected for ignition selectively, and switch arm means automatically positioned by said attached foreground distance setting means for selecting the number of flash bulbs to be ignited together simultaneously for taking an exposure.

Claim 24

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 21 including strip-like means for mounting said plurality of flash bulbs thereon, conducting rail means along said supporting means and electrically connected by sliding to one terminal of each of said flash bulbs, and stationary contact means for contacting the other terminal of said flash bulbs for selectively igniting said flash bulbs, each of said flash bulbs being associated with an individual reflector cooperating with an elongated substantially larger overall reflector.

Claim 25

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 22 and including reel means for storing said supporting means with unused flash bulbs to be fed into said overall reflector and other reel means for collecting the flash bulbs burnt during the exposures, and means for leading said supporting means with bulbs from one of said reel means through the foci of the reflectors to the other reel means.

Claim 26

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 20 including electronic means in the flash automatic exposure control system for regulating the flash light output, and contact means set as a function of said predetermined foreground distance and actuating electronic means for reducing the flash output.

Claim 27

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 24 including an electronic flash device comprising a plurality of electrical capacitors for firing the electronic flash bulb, said plurality of electric capacitors being connected in parallel, and switch arm means automatically positioned by said foreground distance setting means for selecting the number of capacitors to be discharged together for giving the desired flash intensity output.

Claim 28

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 24 including means actuating the electronic means for reducing the flash intensity output by reducing the duration of the flash.

Claim 29

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 26 including electric flash bulb means, capacitor means connected to said bulb means, resistance capacitance network means in said electronic means, switch arm means associated with said adjusting means and setting the time constant of said resistance-capacitance networks, magnetic interrupting means for interrupting the ignition circuit of said flash bulb means in accordance with the time constant, and transistor means connected to said magnetic interrupting means for actuating the same as a function of said time constant.

Claim 30

An automatic exposure control arrangement according to claim 27 including electronic means in the day light automatic exposure control system for setting the shutter exposure time, the flash light intensity of the electrical flash bulb being automatically regulated by electronically decreasing the duration of the flash.