TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a photo lighting device comprising a concealed locking device.

BACKGROUND ART

In the art of photography, the demands put on the equipment thereto is high. Equipment such as flash devices, light fixtures and similar needs to be functional and safe to use. Equipment also needs to be compact in design to not take up too much space, as well as, in a highly competitive market, preferably be visually pleasing in its design to be attractive to pick up and use as a photographer.

Furthermore, photo equipment such as a lighting device must be easy to assemble/disassemble for when maintenance is needed, but preferably such assemble/disassemble should not be performed by the end user of the product due to safety risks to said end user. There is therefore desirable to keep fasteners and devices belonging to assemble/disassemble functions as discrete and away from normal day use as possible.

Often such products are comprised of a plurality of complex electrical components housing within a casing, wherein such a casing is preferred to be able to assembly in a secure and reliable manner, and even more preferably being visually pleasing to look at. These desirable objectives may sometimes clash, as a large plurality of assembly screws or similar may take away from the end user's experience of using such a device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Despite prior art there is a need to develop a lighting device with a locking device that can lock a plurality of pieces of a casing together, while assembly parts thereof are as concealed to an end user as possible. There is also a need to develop such a lighting device with a locking device, wherein only one operation is needed for its last step of assembly.

An object of the invention is thus to provide a lighting device with a locking device that can lock a plurality of pieces of a casing together, while assembly parts thereof are as concealed to an end user as possible. Another object is to provide such a lighting device with a locking device, wherein only one operation is needed for its last step of assembly. According to a first aspect, a photo lighting device is provided. The photo lighting device comprises a casing with a front part, a middle part and a rear part. The middle part comprise a circumferential wall, extending around a longitudinal axis of the photo device. The front part comprises at least one first coupling device for removable connection to the middle part, and the rear part comprises at least one second coupling device for removable connection to the middle part. When these three parts of the casing are assembled, they enclose the internal parts of the photo lighting device (such as electronics and computer parts) and hold the device together in one piece.

The photo lighting device further comprises a locking element, movably arranged within the middle part of the casing. The locking element is configured to be moved in a direction separate from a longitudinal axis of the photo lighting device, between an open state, in which; when the front part and the rear part are mounted on the middle part; the locking element is not engaged with the first and second coupling devices, and a locked state; in which the locking element is engaged with at least the second coupling device.

This has the advantage that a photo lighting device is provided, which device has a casing that can be manufactured in parts and then be assembled to achieve a close to seamless appearance. Such a device provides a fast and simple manner of final assembly, wherein an end user and/or a professional repair/maintenance person may perform the last step of assembly, or the first step of disassembly fast and easy. The lighting device is also very sturdy and reliable with regards to its mechanical integrity, providing a safe and reliable device to use.

According to an aspect, the middle part of the casing is manufactured in one piece.

This has the advantage that even if the middle part of the casing of the lighting device is manufactured in a single seamless part, the internally positioned locking element can lock said middle part together to the front and rear part by means of a locking mechanism positioned within said single seamless part.

According to an aspect, the locking element is configured to be moved by an operable actuator.

This has the advantage that such an actuator may be made in such a manner that the device lends itself to being easy to assemble/disassemble using said operable actuator, while being close to impossible to assemble/disassemble without such an actuator. Making the device safe and reliable to handle for an end user without the correct actuator/tool for handling of the locking mechanism.

According to an aspect, the actuator is arranged to be reachable through an aperture in the circumferential wall of the middle part. This has the advantage that such an aperture may be the only point of entry for operation part of assemble/disassembly of the device, wherein a concealed locking mechanism, positioned internally in the device is able to lock the device together while providing a minimal point of entry through the circumferential wall of the middle part of the casing. This provides a safe and secure device, and at the same time a visually pleasing device for the end user thereof.

According to an aspect, the actuator may comprise a screw, wherein a head of the screw is reachable through the aperture in the circumferential wall of the middle part.

This has the advantage that a very small aperture may be required in the middle part of the casing, while still being able to provide a large force within the device, in the form or torque provided by means of the screw.

According to an aspect, the actuator comprises a nut, wherein rotation of the screw moves the nut axially on said screw, so as to move the locking element with said movement of the screw and nut.

This has the advantage that the locking element may be very precisely operated, and that the forces closing/opening the locking mechanism may transfer mechanical force from the operated screw into the locking element, holding the device closed/open by means of the mechanical integrity of the locking element itself.

According to an aspect, the first coupling device and the second coupling device may be configured to extend into the middle part when the front part respectively the rear part are mounted to the middle part.

This has the advantage that as many of parts of the locking element/mechanism as possible are kept internally in the device, and thus out of view/reach of the end user of the device.

According to an aspect, the second coupling device comprises hooks configured for engagement with the locking element in the locked state of the locking element.

This has the advantage that said hooks hold the device together by means of their mechanical strength, wherein mechanical force provided by an operator is not required to reach a certain amount so as to hold the device together by means of said force on its own.

According to an aspect, the locking element comprises a disc-like element, which when moved to the locked state engages with the second coupling device, such that the second coupling device is fixated in its position. This has the advantage that the disc-like element may spread out the forcing interacting between the ingoing mechanical components over a larger surface area, providing a more secure mechanical functionality with a lower risk of mechanical failure due to concentrated forces.

According to an aspect, the disc-like element comprises at least one aperture, wherein the second coupling device is configured to at least partly extend through said aperture.

This has the advantage that second coupling device may be securely guided into its correct position for locking the device, as the aperture may only allow the second locking device to pass through when the different parts of the device are aligned properly.

According to an aspect, the rear part comprises an electrical contact, which when the locking element fixates the rear part to the middle part, is coupled to a corresponding electrical contact situated within the middle part.

This has the advantage that the electrical, and the computer components of the device may be interconnected between the middle part and the rear part without the need for external tools, and that electrical connection between the middle and the rear part

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Below is a description of, as examples, embodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic exploded view of a photo lighting device, according to an embodiment,

Fig. 2 shows a schematic exploded view of a photo lighting device, according to an embodiment,

Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of a photo lighting device in which the locking element thereof is in its open state, and

Fig. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of a photo lighting device in which the locking element thereof is in its locked state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description of the various features, and modifications thereof, according to the disclosure will herein be described in more detail with reference to the accompanied drawings. It is thus to be understood that embodiments comprising any of the described feature or a combination of features may be assembled in accordance with the description herein.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic exploded view of a photo lighting device 1, according to an embodiment. The photo lighting device 1 comprises a casing having a front part 3, a middle part 5 and a rear part 7. The middle part 5 comprises a circumferential wall 9 extending around a longitudinal axis 11, wherein the front part 3 comprises at least one first coupling device 13 for removable connection to the middle part 5„ and the rear part 7 comprises at least one second coupling device 15 for removable connection to the middle part 5. The front part 3 further comprises a light source 17, which may be a lamp, a flash or similar. It is to be understood that the lighting device 1 further comprises electronic components therein, so as to be able to operate said light source 17. However, said electronic components will only be mention briefly herein, as such components are to be view as generic within the scope of the disclosure. The light source 17 is, as stated, arranged in the front part 3 of the device, but said light source 17 could also be positioned at the rear part 7 7 of the casing without deviating from the scope of protection described herein. The light source 17 is driven by the aforementioned electronic components of the device 1, which components are situated within the middle part 5 of the casing when the device is fully assembled. Said components may be attached to any of the parts 3, 5, 7 of the casing, or be arranged to be positioned within the middle part 5 without being fastened to any of the parts preassembly.

The photo lighting device 1 further comprises a locking element 19 movably arranged within the middle part 5, the locking element 19 being configured to be moved in a direction separate from the longitudinal axis 11 between an open state, and a locked state. In the open state, when the front part 3 and the rear part 7 are mounted to the middle part 5, the locking element 19 is not engaged with the second coupling device 15, and in the locked state, the locking element 19 is engaged with at least the second coupling device 15. The locking element 19 will be shown and explained in detail with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.

As depicted in Fig. 1, the middle part 5 of the casing may be manufactured in one piece. Thus, the degree of seams/joins is lowered compared to providing the middle part 5 by means of assembling a plurality of sub-part into an assembled middle part 5. This in turn provides a more aesthetically pleasing design, as well as a safer device to use as it is mechanically more stable and has a lower risk of failure in such seams/joins. As devices such as flashes may comprise capacitors that induce large voltages, such a component needs to be securely arranged at a position in which a user of the device is not subjected to a high risk of touching said component. Thus, a single-piece middle part 5 provides safety as well as visually pleasing design. The first coupling device 13 and the second coupling 15 device may extend into the middle part 5 when the front part 3 respectively the rear part 7 are mounted to the middle part 5, which is seen depicted for the second coupling device 15 in Fig. 1. Thus, no part of either of the two coupling devices 13, 15 are reachable from the outside of the lighting device 1 when fully assembled, providing a secure and safe coupling of the device wherein the mechanical integrity and user safety is enhanced. As should be obvious, such a solution is easy to operate when assembling the middle part 5 with a first secondary part, being the front part 3 in this embodiment. When the front part 3 is to be mounted to the middle part 5, the first coupling device 13 may be reachable through the enclosed inner volume defined by the circumferential wall 9 of the middle part 5, when the rear part 7 is not mounted the middle part 5. Thus, said first coupling device 13 may comprise a variety of different generic coupling/fastener devices such as regular screws or similar. However, when the front and middle parts 3, 5 are assembled to each other, the opening in the middle part 5 that is covered by the front part 3 is not usable for assembly of the rear part 7. The rear part 7 is then instead mounted and locked to the middle part 5, and/or the front part 3, by means of the locking element 19 and the second coupling device 15, which will be explained in more detail with reference to Fig. 3-4.

The second coupling device 15 of the photo lighting device 1 may, as depicted in Fig. 1, comprise hooks 21, configured for engagement with the locking element 19 in the locked state of the locking element 19. In Fig. 1, said hooks 21 are shown to be three in numbers, however any other number of hooks 21 may be considered without deviating from the scope of protection defined herein. It should further be understood that the above-mentioned first coupling device 13 of the front part 3 of the casing are in Fig. 1 either not shown, or are covered by the front part 3 itself as it is depicted in Fig. 1.

Turning to Fig. 2, the hooks 21 of Fig. 1 are seen to be mirrored with corresponding apertures 23 seen at an internal wall 25 situated in the middle part 5 of the casing. As should be understood, the hooks 21 of the rear part 7 are to be inserted into said apertures 23 during assembly of the rear part 7 to the middle part 5. Turing the attention to the locking mechanism and its parts, the locking element 19 may comprise a disc-like element, which when moved to the locked state engages with the second coupling device 15, such that the second coupling device 15 is fixated in its position. Furthermore, the disc-like element may comprise at least one aperture 23', wherein the second coupling device 15 is configured to at least partly extend through said aperture 23'. The previously mentioned internal wall 25 situated in the middle part 5 of the casing may thus be perceived as being either an actual inner wall of the middle part 5, or being incorporated with the herein mentioned disc-like element of the locking element 19. The rear part 7 of the casing may thus be mounted to the middle part 5, wherein the hooks 21 of the rear part 7 goes through their corresponding apertures 23 shown in Fig. 2, wherein the locking element 19 is moved to hold said hooks 21 in position, locking the assembly together. The locking mechanism will now be explained in more detail with reference to Figs. 3-4. Figs. 3-4 show internal views of the locking element 19 during assembly of the lighting device 1, wherein Fig. 3 shows the open state and Fig. 4 shows the locked state of the locking element 19. Figs. 3-4 are to be perceived as cross sectional views, said cross sections being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 11 of the lighting device 1. Said views depicts the locking element 19, situated within the middle part 5 of the casing, which is also partly seen, and parts of the rear part 7 and its second locking device 15, in this embodiment having hooks 21 as previously described. Said hooks 21, as seen in Fig. 1, are inserted in the apertures 23 seen in Fig. 2, wherein the hooks 21 are positioned as in Fig. 3, going through the apertures 23 in the internal wall 25, but are not engaged with the locking element 19.

The locking element 19 may comprise a disc-like element, which when moved to the locked state engages with the second coupling device 15, such that the second coupling device 15 is fixated in its position. In Fig. 3, such a locking element 19 is seen to be positioned to align with the apertures 23 of the internal wall 25, so that a sliding movement of the locking element 19 can engage and thus lock the hooks 21 in position for movement along the longitudinal axis 11 of the lighting device 1.

The disc-like locking element 19 may further comprise at least one aperture 23', wherein the second coupling device 15 is configured to at least partly extend through said aperture 23'. In Figs. 3-4 it is seen that the exemplary embodiment depicted therein comprises one aperture 23' in the locking element 19, and three apertures 23 situated in the internal wall 25. The one aperture 23' in the locking element 19 is made so as to align with one of the apertures 23 of the internal wall 25, ensuring a proper fit of all ingoing components when the lighting device 1 is assembled. The locking element 19 may of course be larger (compared to its depiction in Figs. 3-4), wherein additional apertures 23' in the locking element 19 provide entry points there through for the second coupling device 15 of the rear part 7 of the casing.

The locking element 19 may be, as depicted in Figs. 3-4, configured to be moved by an operable actuator 27. The actuator 27 may then be arranged so as to be reachable through an aperture 29 in the circumferential wall 9 of the middle part 5 of the casing. Such a solution positions said actuator 27 within the middle part 5 of the casing, away from interaction during normal use of the lighting device 1.

For a simple embodiment of such a feature, the actuator 27 may be a mechanically rigid part of the locking element 19, wherein a suitable tool may be used to engage and move the locking element 19 through the aperture 29 in the circumferential wall 9. The actuator 27 may further, as also depicted, comprise a screw 31 31, wherein a head 33 of the screw 31 is reachable through the aperture (10) in the circumferential wall 9 (4) of the middle part 5 (2). Thus, a suitable screw 31driver that fits said head 33 of the screw 31 may be using to control the actuator 27 and thus the locking element 19. The locking element 19 may then correspondingly comprises a nut 35, wherein rotation of the screw 31 moves the nut 35 axially on said screw 31, so as to move the locking element 19 with said rotation of the screw 31 and displacement of the nut 35.. By means of holding the nut 35 in a fixed position at the locking element 19, the locking element 19 may be moved back and forth along the extension of the screw 31.

The internal wall 25 may fixed into the middle part 5 of the casing, it may be an additional free component, designed to be inserted in the middle part 5, or it may be a part of the front part 3 of the casing. The internal wall 25 is arranged to be positioned within the middle part 5 of the casing and its main purpose is to, during assembly of the lighting device 1, hold the locking element 19 in its correct position so as to line up the actuator 27 and the apertures 23 so that they can interact with each other as intended. Thus, there are many variations how to achieve the intended functionality without deviating from the scope of protection of the general concept described herein. For certain embodiments of the lighting device 1, the internal wall 25 may be removed altogether as well. The first coupling device 13 of the front part 3 of the casing may comprise hooks 21 similar to those of the rear part 7, wherein such similar hooks 21' can extend into the interior of the middle part 5 so that the hooks 21, 21' of the first and second coupling devicesl2, 15 overlap each other partly. Such hypothetical hooks 21' are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The locking element 19 may then be arranged within the overlap of said hooks 21, so that moving the locking element 19 into its locked position engages and holds both coupling devices 13, 15 in place, and thus holding the parts of the casing together.

The internal wall 25 may also be fastened in place when the front part 3 and the middle part 5 of the casing are coupled together, either by coupling thereof to the middle part 5, parts of the front part 3 extending into the internal volume of the middle part 5, or both the middle and said parts of the front part 3. The locking element 19 may thus be utilized as the last operation for assembly of the lighting device 1, locking the rear part 7 to the already assembled first and middle part 5.

Turning the attention back to Figs. 1-2, the rear part 7 of the casing may further comprise an electrical contact 37, which when the locking element 19 fixates the rear part 7 to the middle part 5, is coupled to a corresponding electrical contact 37' situated within the middle part 5. By means of such an electrical coupling, electrical components may be positioned at the rear part 7, without the need of also having a power source therein. Further, such electrical components may also be coupled to electronics and/or a power source within the middle part 5 of the casing, without any need for wiring work there between. Even further, as the locking mechanism with its parts are designed to only work properly when the second coupling device 15 is aligned properly with respect to the middle and the front part 3 of the casing, such alignment ensures a reliable electrical coupling simultaneously with the mechanical coupling of the middle and the rear part 7 of the casing. Thus, the electrical coupling of the two electrical contacts 37, 37' and the mechanical coupling of the second coupling device 15 may aid each other in aligning their individual components correctly, as it is impossible to fit one of the couplings without fitting the other as well. The foregoing description of the embodiments has been furnished for illustrative and descriptive purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive, or to limit the embodiments to the variations described. Many modifications and variations will obviously be apparent to one skilled in the art. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explicate principles and practical applications, and to thereby enable one skilled in the arts to understand the invention in terms of its various embodiments and with the various modifications that are applicable to its intended use. The components and features specified above may, within the framework of the disclosure, be combined between different embodiments specified.