Electrical connectors – With contact preventer or retractable cover part – Movably mounted
Patent
1996-12-19
1998-10-20
Abrams, Neil
Electrical connectors
With contact preventer or retractable cover part
Movably mounted
439336, H01R 1344
Patent
active
058238069
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
(FIELD OF THE INVENTION)
The present invention relates to a lamp socket for lighting bulbs such as, for example, automobile headlight lamps or projector lamps in industrial equipments.
(DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART)
To illuminate a target a substantial distance away from the source of light, a high-intensity lamp capable of emitting a high-radiant beam is generally employed. A halogen lamp is generally well known one of high-intensity lamps, but a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp is now developed over the world. As compared with the halogen lamp, the HID lamp is effective to provide a high illumination and also to accomplish an energy saving.
However, the HID lamp requires the use of an illumination control circuit including a voltage stabilizer and an ignitor for applying a high voltage to the lamp to initiate discharge within the lamp envelope when the lamp is desired to be turned on. In view of the necessity of application of the high voltage to the HID lamp, the lamp socket for use with the HID lamp must have a substantial electrical insulation.
When it comes to automobile headlights, lamps therefor must be of a type capable of emitting a high-radiant beam so that an area of the road surface spaced a substantial distance away from the automobile in consideration of the braking distance can be illuminated. Attempts have been made to use the HID lamp in an automobile headlights, an example of which is shown in FIGS. 15 to 17. FIG. 15 is a schematic side sectional representation of one automobile headlight system including a headlight housings H formed in front left and right portions of an automobile front body structure and below a bonnet B. The headlight housing H includes a generally bowl-shaped reflector R opening forwardly of the automobile front body structure and a lamp holder or socket S installed at the bottom of the reflector R opposite to the opening thereof. The lamp socket S has electrodes electrically connected with an electric power source through an ignitor IG and an invertor INV.
The details of the lamp socket S shown in FIG. 15 and the HID lamp L ready to be mounted in the lamp socket S are best shown in FIG. 16. As shown therein, the HID lamp L includes a light emitting tube 103, a generally cylindrical mouthpiece 105 formed integrally with a radially outwardly extending collar 104 adjacent the light emitting tube 103, a center contact point 106 extending coaxially outwardly from the end of the mouthpiece 105 remote from the collar 104 and surrounded by a cylindrical protective skirt 105a, a peripheral contact point 107 formed on the mouthpiece 105 so as to encircle the center contact point 106, and at least two bayonet mounting pins 108 protruding radially outwardly from the mouthpiece 105. This type of HID lamp is well known in the art.
The lamp socket S is so designed as to receive and support the HID lamp L when the HID lamp L is mounted with the mouthpiece 105 oriented towards it. For this purpose, the known lamp socket S includes, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a generally cylindrical casing 110 having a lamp mounting opening 109 defined at one end and also having the opposite end closed by an end wall. The interior of the casing 110 communicated with the lamp mounting opening 109 has accommodated therein a center electrode 111 and a peripheral electrode 112 are arranged for electric connection with the center contact point 106 and the peripheral contact point 107, respectively. A cylindrical end wall of the casing 110 adjacent the lamp mounting opening 109 is formed with at least one pair of bayonet mounting grooves 114 of a generally L-shaped configuration defined therein, although in FIG. 16 two pairs of the grooves 114 are shown. These bayonet mounting grooves 114 are used to receive the corresponding bayonet mounting pins 108 rigid with the mouthpiece 105 when the HID lamp L is mounted in the lamp socket S with the mouthpiece 105 inserted into the lamp mounting opening 109. Reference numeral 113 represents lead lines utilized to connect the center electrode 111 and the
REFERENCES:
patent: 3387255 (1968-06-01), Earleywine
An English Language Abstract of JP 53-55976.
An English Language Abstract of JP 56-97979.
An English Language Abstract of JP 6-38190.
An English Language Abstract of JP 6-76902.
An English Language Abstract of JP 55-109384.
An English Language Abstract of JP 61-162981.
Hamada Hideki
Ichikawa Masaaki
Kato Nobuo
Kimura Yasuhiro
Nagase Haruo
Abrams Neil
Matsushita Electric & Works Ltd.
Patel T. C.
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