Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Plural light sources
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-02
2001-11-27
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Plural light sources
C362S549000, C362S265000, C362S375000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322239
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to vehicle lamps such as automotive headlamps, and more particularly to a vehicle lamp equipped with a predetermined feeder means for conducting a light source for the vehicle lamp and a power supply (a battery) for supplying power to the light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
A technique of the sort shown in
FIG. 13
has generally been employed as a means of arranging feeder cords for a light source that is disposed in a vehicle lamp, such as an automotive headlamp. Feeder members disposed on the rear back side of a lamp body
39
forming the vehicle are connected to a predetermined power supply (a battery). More specifically, the feeder cords are connected to a light source and disposed in the rear of the lamp body in such a way as to be fitted in a lamp chamber from the back side of the lamp body.
In other words, a first feeder cord
31
a
connected to a light source such as a discharge bulb (not shown in
FIG. 13
) is connected to a ballast circuit (not shown) incorporating a ballast
34
via a lighting circuit unit (not shown) and then a second feeder cord
31
b
is connected to the ballast
34
via a connector
32
before being drawn out.
Further, the terminal of the second feeder cord
31
b
is inserted into a rubber bushing
35
that is prepared beforehand and then inserted into a feeder-cord supporting hole
38
that is formed beforehand in a lamp body member (or a bushing fixing member)
37
.
The rubber bushing
35
is then forced to be fitted in the feeder-cord supporting hole
38
. A connector
33
to be connected to the power supply (battery) (not shown) is fitted to the terminal of the feeder cord
31
b
while storing the terminal portion thereof.
The lighting circuit unit is necessary for causing lighting to be started by applying high voltage to the discharge bulb (not shown) and is a unit for storing lighting circuit forming parts such as electronic parts and a transformer. The ballast circuit is a circuit indispensable to making the discharge bulb discharge electricity stably and continuously.
Although the vehicle lamp having a reflector
36
and the discharge bulb is shown in
FIG. 13
by way of example, there has also been employed, even in the case of using an incandescent bulb or a halogen bulb as a light source, the technique of inserting the bushing
35
into the first feeder cord
31
a
connected to the light source, fitting the bushing
35
in the predetermined feeder-cord supporting hole
38
and fitting the connector
33
to the terminal portion.
In the above-described vehicle lamp, however, the work of fitting the bushing
35
to the feeder cord
31
b
, inserting the terminal of the feeder cord
31
b
into the predetermined feeder-cord supporting hole
38
and fitting the bushing
35
into the feeder-cord supporting hole
38
is considerably complicated and labor intensive. Particularly in the case of a vehicle lamp having the reflector
36
and the discharge bulb, the work tends to become roundabout and troublesome because the space
40
in the rear of the light source is narrow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp having a feeder means capable of improving assembling conditions of various members relating to arranging feeder cords of the vehicle lamp such as an automotive headlamp, simplifying and facilitating the work of disposing feeder cords and increasing the certainty of the work of disposing feeder cords.
In order to accomplish the object above, the following means are employed according to the invention:
A vehicle lamp comprises a movable reflector tiltably supported by a lamp body via an aiming mechanism, wherein a back cover is detachably fitted in an opening formed in the rear back of the lamp body, and is characterized in that the back cover includes a terminal for conducting the terminal of a feeder cord so disposed as to be connected to a light source provided in the lamp body and the terminal of a power supply cord so disposed as to be connected to a power supply for supplying power to the light source.
The back cover employed according to this means acts as a relay member (a connector member) for connecting the terminal of the feeder cord to the cord terminal conducting over the power supply, thus demonstrating the function of simplifying and facilitating the work of disposing the feeder cords.
In particular, since the number of parts in the vicinity of the light source increases when the movable reflector is arranged in the lamp chamber, the area in the lamp chamber or in the rear of the light source is restricted and narrowed, and the means of connecting the feeder cord and the power supply cord via the back cover becomes more effective.
The feeder cord includes a first feeder cord connected to a discharge bulb forming a light source, and a second feeder cord drawn from a discharge circuit unit to which the first feeder cord is connected.
This means is applied to a vehicle lamp employing a discharge bulb in a metal halide lamp. In such a vehicle lamp having a unit (called a discharge circuit unit) incorporating a ballast circuit for making the discharge bulb discharge electricity stably and continuously (and also a lighting circuit indispensable to having lighting started by applying high voltage to the discharge bulb), the first feeder cord for connecting the discharge circuit unit and the discharge bulb and the second feeder cord that is connected to the discharge circuit unit and drawn therefrom are provided. Then the feeder cord and the power supply can easily be connected via the back cover by connecting the terminal of the second feeder cord to the terminal of the back cover.
A flag-type terminal formed in a direction perpendicular to the feeder cord is provided to the terminal of the feeder cord connected to the terminal of the feeder cord.
As the flag-type terminal is employed according to this means, the feeder cord is extended and easily connected to the back cover because a connector case storing the flag-type terminal portion can be directed perpendicularly to the feeder cord.
The feeder cord is connected to the terminal of the back cover via a connector case for storing the terminal of the feeder cord.
Though the work of connecting the positive and negative terminals of the feeder cord to the positive and negative terminals of the back cover has to be done twice normally, such work can be done once because it is done via the connector. Moreover, because the terminal of the feeder cord and the terminal provided to the terminal thereof is not exposed, measures to counter fire hazard can be effectively taken.
The connector case and the back cover are so arranged that the terminal of the feeder cord may be prevented from being reversely connected to the terminal of the back cover and that a reverse-fitting preventive region is provided on the outer wall of a case forming the connector case, and an area for receiving the reverse-fitting preventive region is formed in the back cover.
According to this means, the positive and negative terminals of the feeder cord can be prevented from being reversely fitted in the positive and negative terminals of the back cover.
More specifically, since the reverse-fitting preventive regions are not fitted in the predetermined respective regions of the back cover even when it is attempted to reversely insert the connector case into the back cover, the reverse-fitting is preventable. Moreover, any worker is able to instantly find the reverse-fitting.
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Nitta Kazuto
Tsukamoto Hironori
Yoneyama Masatoshi
DelGizzi Ronald E.
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
O'Shea Sandra
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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