Conductive holder for flash and flash assembly having same

1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to installation technology and, particularly, to a conductive holder for a flash and a flash assembly having the same.

2. Description of Related Art

Portable electronic devices, such as digital cameras, and cell phones equipped with a camera module, typically employ a flash assembly to illuminate an object in a dark environment. Generally, the flash assembly includes a flash and a circuit board. The flash includes two electrodes electrically connected to the circuit board by wires and an additional holder for fixing the flash to the circuit board. However, this configuration challenges a portability of the portable electronic device.

Therefore, what is needed is a conductive holder for the flash and a flash assembly having the same which can overcome the above-mentioned problem.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a flash assembly including a conductive holder, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an isometric schematic view of the conductive holder of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , a flash assembly 10 includes a flash 110 , a reflector 120 , a trigger electrode 130 , a circuit board unit 140 , and two conductive holders 150 . The flash 110 extends through the reflector 120 and is fixed to the circuit board unit 140 by the conductive holders 150 . The trigger electrode 130 electrically connects the reflector 120 to the circuit board unit 140 .

The flash 110 includes a tube 112 and two electrodes 114 , 116 , such as an anode 114 and a cathode 116 , protruding outwardly from opposite ends of the tube 112 . The tube 112 , the anode 114 , and the cathode 116 are cylindrical. A transparent conducting film (not shown) is coated on the tube 112 for electrically connecting the flash 110 to the reflector 120 . The diameter of the anode 114 and the cathode 116 are less than that of the tube 112 . The tube 112 may be filled with noble gas, such as xenon gas, krypton gas, and argon gas etc, and be configured to create a bright light when energized by a high voltage pulse. In this embodiment, the tube 112 is filled with xenon gas.

The reflector 120 is approximately semi-cylinder-shaped and includes a curved supporting portion 122 and a reflective portion 124 radially extending from the supporting portion 122 . Two through holes 126 are defined in two opposite sidewalls of the reflective portion 124 . The flash 110 extends through the two through holes 126 and is supported by the supporting portion 122 . The reflective portion 124 is coated with a reflective film (not shown) inside, and is configured for reflecting light beams generated by the tube 112 radially along the direction of the reflective portion 124 . The trigger electrode 130 is attached to the supporting portion 122 outside the reflector 120 and is configured for ionizing the gas inside the tube 112 .

The circuit board unit 140 includes a circuit board 142 , a number of electronic components 144 , and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) 146 . The circuit board 142 includes a first surface 142 a and a second surface 142 b opposite to the first surface 142 a . The plurality of electronic components 144 may include resistors, capacitors, and other components. The electronic components 144 are electrically disposed on the first surface 142 a of the circuit board 142 . The FPCB 146 is electrically disposed on the second surface 142 b of the circuit board 142 and configured for electrically connecting the circuit board 142 and the electronic component 144 to a portable electronic device (not shown).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the conductive holders 150 are fixed to the first surface 142 a of the circuit board 142 by welding, and are made from an elastic, and conductive metal, such as beryllium or copper. Each conductive holder 150 includes a base 152 , a first holding arm 154 , and a second holding arm 156 .

The base 152 includes a first end 152 a and an opposite second end 152 b . The first holding arm 154 and the second holding arm 156 extend from the two opposite ends 152 a , 152 b of the base 152 , respectively.

The first holding arm 154 is approximately R-shaped, and includes a first connecting portion 154 a , a first retaining portion 154 b , and a first supporting portion 154 c . One end of the first connecting portion 154 a is connected to the base 152 , and the other end of the first connecting portion 154 a is connected to one end of the first retaining portion 154 b . The other end of the first retaining portion 154 b is connected to one end of the first retaining portion 154 c.

The second holding arm 156 is approximately mirror-image-of-R-shaped, and includes a second connecting portion 156 a , a second retaining portion 156 b , and a second supporting portion 156 c . One end of the second connecting portion 156 a is connected to the base 152 , and the other end of the second connecting portion 156 a is connected to one end of the second retaining portion 156 b . The other end of the second retaining portion 156 b is connected to one end of the second retaining portion 156 c.

The first holding arm 154 and the second holding arm 156 cooperatively form a gap 158 therebetween. A maximum width of the gap 158 is smaller than the diameter of the anode 114 and the cathode 116 . The anode 114 and the cathode 116 are received in two gaps 158 of the two conductive holders 150 , respectively. The first retaining portion 154 b faces the second retaining portion 156 b to cooperatively retain the flash 110 , and the first supporting portion 154 c faces the second supporting portion 156 c to cooperatively support the flash 110 , thereby the flash 110 being fixedly held by the two conductive holders 150 . Therefore, conductivity of the flash 110 and the circuit board unit 140 can be firmly established and no additional holder is needed.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set fourth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.