Illumination – Light source and modifier – Ionized gas or vapor light source
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-23
2001-10-30
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Light source and modifier
Ionized gas or vapor light source
C362S546000, C362S265000, C362S516000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309089
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vehicle lamp suitably used as a head lamp, and more particularly to a vehicle lamp using a discharge bulb as a light source in which the influence of electromagnetic waves is prevented.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a study has been made to apply a discharge bulb, which is good in light-emitting efficiency, color rendering properties, and a long lifetime, as a head lamp for an automobile. However, in a lamp of this type, a high voltage is required for producing a discharge in a discharge bulb, and a lighting circuit need to be associated with the lamp in order to increase a voltage of a car-mount-type battery to a appropriate high voltage. In this lighting circuit, a high voltage is produced at its secondary side, and electromagnetic waves due to this high voltage are radiated to the exterior. The electromagnetic waves provide noises to affect various electronic equipment in an automobile, thus preventing the proper operation of these electronic equipment. For example, there is produced a so-called EMI trouble in which noises are produced in the radio or noises are included in a signal system in a microcomputer mounted on the automobile. Such electromagnetic waves are also produced in the discharge bulb supplied with the above high voltage, and the above-mentioned EMI trouble is caused by electromagnetic waves from the discharge bulb. Therefore, there has been proposed a construction in which a shield member is provided over an inner surface of a lamp body to cover the discharge bulb, or to cover the discharge bulb and a high-voltage connector connected thereto, or to cover the whole of the surrounding of a reflector with the discharge bulb, and the high-voltage connector. In this technique, the shield member suppresses the radiation of electromagnetic waves from the discharge bulb to its surroundings, so that the above EMI trouble can be dealt with.
In this conventional technique, in addition to the essential component parts of the lamp including the discharge bulb and high-voltage connector electrically connected thereto, the separate shield member for preventing the radiation of electromagnetic waves need to be prepared, and must be incorporated in the lamp, and this invites problems that the number of the component parts increases and that the time and labor required for the assembling operation increase. Moreover, the discharge bulb needs to be covered with the shield member and the reflector supporting the discharge bulb in an air-tight manner, and therefore there is required a connection structure for electronically connecting the shield member to the reflector. As a result, there are encountered problems that the construction of the lamp becomes complicated because of the provision of this connection structure and that the assembling operation is cumbersome. Since the position where the shield member and the reflector are electronically connected together is fixed, it is quite difficult to effect the electrical connection in a small space within the lamp body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp using a discharge bulb as a light source in which an electromagnetic wave-shielding effect is enhanced. Moreover, the number of component parts of the lamp is reduced, and the assembling operation is simplified.
According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle lamp comprising a reflector, a discharge bulb, a connector, and an electrically-conductive cover. The reflector includes an electrically-conductive film on a surface of the reflector and a contact terminal portion electrically connected to the electrically-conductive film. The discharge bulb is supported in the reflector. The connector is detachably connected to the discharge bulb, and the electrically-conductive cover covers the connector. In the vehicle lamp, the electrically-conductive cover is in contact with the contact terminal portion of the reflector when the connector is connected to the discharge bulb.
In other words, according to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle lamp wherein a discharge bulb is supported in a reflector, and a connector for electrical connection to feeder terminals of the discharge bulb is detachably provided. In the vehicle lamp, a contact terminal portion, electrically connected to an electrically-conductive film formed on a surface of the reflector, is provided at that portion of the reflector to which the connector is to be mounted; and an electrically-conductive cover is mounted on the connector in a unitary manner to cover the same; and in a condition in which the connector is attached to the discharge bulb, the electrically-conductive cover is contacted with the contact terminal portion. For example, in a preferred form of the invention, the reflector has a bulb mounting hole, and the discharge bulb is inserted and supported in the bulb mounting hole, and a peripheral wall is formed on that portion of the reflector surrounding the bulb mounting hole, and the connector is attached to the discharge bulb at a region within the peripheral wall, and the contact terminal portion comprises a resilient electrically-conductive member for resilient contact with a surface of the electrically-conductive cover of the connector, and is provided on a portion of the peripheral wall. The connector can be attached to and detached from the discharge bulb by rotating the connector relative to the discharge bulb, and a plurality of contact portions are formed on the electrically-conductive cover of the connector, and are spaced from one another in a direction of rotation of the connector, and the contact terminal portion is contacted with one of the contact portions.
In the present invention, when the connector having the electrically-conductive cover connected thereto in a unitary manner is fitted on a plug of the discharge bulb, the electrically-conductive cover is automatically contacted with the contact terminal portion electrically connected to the electrically-conductive film on the reflector, thereby effecting the electrical connection between the two. Therefore, the discharge bulb and its plug are covered with the electrically-conductive cover, thus providing the shield structure. Therefore, there is no need to prepare any separate shield part or member, and the radiation of electromagnetic waves from the discharge bulb is prevented. Moreover, the number of the component parts is reduced, and also the assembling operation is simplified.
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patent: 5879073 (1999-03-01), Hori et al.
patent: 5895113 (1999-04-01), Ozaki et al.
patent: 6176604 (2001-01-01), Dubrovin et al.
patent: 0 860 655 A2 (1998-08-01), None
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patent: WO 00/17570 (2000-03-01), None
Nakayama Toru
Tsukamoto Hironori
Yoneyama Masatoshi
DelGizzi Ronald E.
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
O'Shea Sandra
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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