Claims
- 1. A compact camera comprising a camera body, a multi-lamp flash unit supported for movement relative to said camera body to advance respective flash lamps successively to a flash illumination position for illuminating a subject being photographed, and a drive assembly actuated in engagement with said flash unit to move the flash unit to advance said flash lamps to the flash illumination position in coordination with film movement to advance respective unexposed film sections successively to an exposure position in said camera body, is characterized in that:
- said flash unit is supported for movement to a folded position collapsed to said camera body for compactness and to an unfolded position extended from the camera body to be used; and
- said drive assembly remains in engagement with said flash unit during movement of the flash unit between its folded and extended positions.
- 2. A compact camera as recited in claim 1, wherein said flash unit includes a flash wheel rotatable to advance said flash lamps and having a circular array of engageable elements, and said drive assembly includes a rotatable drive member having respective engagement elements that engage said engageable elements to cause rotation of said drive member to rotate the flash unit when said drive member is rotated.
- 3. A compact camera as recited in claim 2, wherein said rotatable drive member is a helical worm gear arranged to be tangent to said circular array of engageable elements when said flash unit is in its unfolded and folded positions.
- 4. A compact camera as recited in claim 2, wherein said rotatable drive member is rotatable about an axis of rotation, and said flash unit is swingable to its folded and unfolded positions about a pivot axis common with the axis of rotation of said rotatable member.
- 5. A compact camera comprising a camera body, a flash holder configured to support a multi-lamp flash unit for rotation relative to said camera body to advance respective flash lamps successively to a flash illumination position for illuminating a subject being photographed, and a drive assembly actuated in engagement with the flash unit to rotate the flash unit to advance the flash lamps to the flash illumination position in coordination with film movement to advance respective unexposed film sections successively to an exposure position in said camera body, is characterized in that:
- said flash holder is supported for movement to a folded position collapsed to said camera body for compactness and to an unfolded position extended from the camera body to be used; and
- said drive assembly remains in engagement with the flash unit during rotation of the flash unit between its folded and extended positions.
- 6. A compact camera as recited in claim 5, wherein said drive assembly includes a rotatable drive member having respective engagement elements that can engage individual mating elements of the flash unit to cause rotation of said drive member to rotate the flash unit when said drive member is rotated.
- 7. A compact camera as recited in claim 6, wherein said rotatable drive member is rotatable about an axis of rotation, and said flash holder is swingable to its folded and unfolded positions about a pivot axis common with the axis of rotation of said rotatable member.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
Reference is made to commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 08/891, 929, entitled COMPACT CAMERA WITH FLIP-UP MULTI-LAMP FLASH WHEEL and filed Jul. 14, 1997 in the names of Joel S. Lawther and Ralph M. Lyon.
US Referenced Citations (5)