Abstract
A socket assembly for receiving a lamp with a pinch seal and a connecting pin led out therethrough is provided having an outer housing part with an essentially cylindrical cavity which is accessible from outside via a slotted opening extending in a longitudinal direction of the outer housing part, an inner part mounted for rotation about a rotation axis (R) inside the outer housing part and including a free space which is configured for receiving the pinch seal and the connecting pin and is accessible from outside, and two opposed leaf springs for fixation of the pinch seal in the free space.
Claims
1. A socket assembly for receiving a lamp having a pinch seal and a connecting pin led out therethrough, comprising: an outer housing part with an essentially cylindrical cavity which is accessible from outside via a slotted opening extending in a longitudinal direction of the outer housing part, an inner part mounted for rotation about a rotation axis (R) inside the outer housing part and including a free space which is configured for receiving the pinch seal and the connecting pin and which is accessible from outside, and two opposed leaf springs for fixation of the pinch seal in the free space, wherein each of the leaf springs is bent from a metal strip such that a linear resting face is formed which is adjoined on both sides by leg portions that are angled relative to the resting face and that are adjoined, at their ends distant from the resting face, by base portions running towards one another, said base portions turning into shaft portions that extend away from the resting face, wherein said leaf springs are attached to the inner part in the region of the shaft portions and the resting faces face each other and are essentially parallel to one another.
2. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein the leg portions extend at an obtuse angle an angle () in the range from 110 to 160 to the resting face.
3. The socket assembly according to claim 2, wherein said angle () is equal for both leg portions of at least one of the leaf springs.
4. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein the leaf springs are mirror-symmetrical with respect to a central plane (E) perpendicular to the rotation axis (R) and have a mushroom-like contour shape.
5. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein the leaf springs are attached to the inner part only in their region of the shaft portion that is distant from the respective resting face such that their regions projecting over the respective shaft portion are deformable towards the shaft region.
6. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein free ends of the shaft portions are bent towards one another and end regions of the shaft portions are slipped into complementary grooves formed in the inner part.
7. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein a contact spring with an essentially U- or V-shaped body is mounted in a free space at a support projection of the outer housing part protruding into the free space and is configured to be connected to an external voltage source, wherein an electrical contact with a contact surface of a current collector rail that extends between the legs of the contact spring, is attached to the inner part and is rotatable therewith is established when the inner part is moved through rotation about the rotation axis (R) from an open position in which the free space is accessible via the slotted opening of the outer housing part to a closed position in which the free space is no longer accessible via the slotted opening, and in which the connecting pin bears against the current collector rail thereby forming an electrical contact.
8. The socket assembly according to claim 7, wherein a lateral projection is provided on at least one external side of a leg of the contact spring, wherein a sidewall region delimiting the free space rests against said projection when the inner part is in a closed position, so that the legs are pressed against one another thereby establishing a contact with the contact surface of the current collector rail.
9. The socket assembly according to claim 7, wherein the current collector rail has a channel-shaped region extending parallel to the rotation axis (R) and two contact surfaces extending on both sides of the channel-shaped region and parallel to one another in the direction of an arching of the channel-shaped region.
10. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the following properties applies: a circumferential portion of the essentially cylindrical cavity has, at least in regions in the direction of the rotation axis (R), a diameter which is reduced relative to a circular cross-section; a circumferential portion of the inner part has, at least in regions in the direction of the rotation axis (R), a diameter which is enlarged relative to a circular cross-section, wherein the change in diameter is such that, upon rotation of the inner part about the rotation axis (R) from an open position in which the free space is accessible via the slotted opening of the outer housing part to a closed position in which the free space is no longer accessible via the slotted opening, the free space is reduced at least in the region of the leaf springs and/or the contact spring.
11. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein the outer housing part and/or the inner part are made of a plastic material.
12. The socket assembly according to claim 11, wherein the outer housing part and/or the inner part are made of polybutylene terephthalate.
13. The socket assembly according to claim 11, wherein the outer housing part and/or the inner part are made of glass-fiber reinforced polybutylene terephthalate.
14. The socket assembly according to claim 11, wherein the outer housing part and/or the inner part are made of injection-molded part.
15. The socket assembly according to claim 1, wherein the leg portions extend at an obtuse angle an angle () in the range from 130 to 150 to the resting face.
16. The socket assembly according to claim 15, wherein said angle () is equal for both leg portions of at least one of the leaf springs.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings relate to preferred embodiments of the present invention without limiting the present invention to these embodiments. The figures are purely schematic and like parts are designated by like reference numerals, although not all parts are designated by reference numerals in all drawings. In the schematic drawings:
(2) FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a socket assembly according to the present invention and a lamp for installation in the socket assembly;
(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the socket assembly according to the present invention in an assembled state seen from the lamp side;
(4) FIG. 3 shows the socket assembly of FIG. 2 seen from the side facing away from the lamp;
(5) FIG. 4 shows the socket assembly of FIG. 2 with the outer housing part shown transparent;
(6) FIG. 5 shows the socket assembly of FIG. 3 with the outer housing part shown transparent;
(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an inner part with internals, with the inner part shown transparent and partly cut away;
(8) FIG. 7 illustrates the internals of FIG. 6 separately without the inner part;
(9) FIG. 8 shows the socket assembly of FIG. 2 with inserted lamp in an open position;
(10) FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the socket assembly of FIG. 8 along line X-X;
(11) FIG. 10 shows the socket assembly of FIG. 8 in a closed position;
(12) FIG. 11 shows the socket assembly of FIG. 9 in a closed position;
(13) FIG. 12 shows the internals of the socket assembly of FIG. 11 with inserted lamp but without the inner part and the outer housing part;
(14) FIGS. 13 to 15 are various perspective views of the outer housing part;
(15) FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the inner part seen from the lamp side;
(16) FIG. 17 shows the inner part of FIG. 16 seen from the side facing away from the lamp;
(17) FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a current collector rail;
(18) FIG. 19 is a side view of the current collector rail of FIG. 18;
(19) FIG. 20 is a top view of the right end face of the current collector rail of FIG. 18;
(20) FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a leaf spring;
(21) FIG. 22 is a side view of the leaf spring of FIG. 21; and
(22) FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a contact spring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(23) FIG. 1 shows a socket assembly 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention and a partial view of a lamp 2 which is to be inserted into the socket assembly 1. The socket assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an outer housing part 3 with an essentially cylindrical cavity 30 which is accessible from outside via a slotted opening 31 extendingwith the exception of a faceplate 33over the entire length of the outer housing part. The cavity 30 is adapted for insertion of an inner part 4 which has an essentially cylindrical external surface 42 that bears at least regionally against the wall 34 of the outer housing part 3 surrounding the cavity 30 in a form-closed manner. The outer housing part 3 is shown partly cut away so as to enable a view to the inside and support pin 32. FIG. 2 shows the inner part 4 inserted into the cavity 30. In this state, the inner part 4 is rotatable both clockwise and counterclockwise inside the outer housing part 3 about a rotation axis R extending in the direction of longitudinal extension of the inner part and the outer housing part.
(24) In FIG. 4, which essentially corresponds to FIG. 2, except for the transparency of the outer housing part 3 to better illustrate the arrangement of the inner part 4 inside the outer housing part, the rotatability of the inner part is suggested by the double-headed arrow. FIGS. 3 and 5 show the socket assembly seen from the side facing away from the lamp with a view onto the faceplate 33, the outer housing part again being shown transparent and partly cut away in FIG. 5. The outer housing part 3 and the inner part 4 have been injection-molded from glass-fiber reinforced PBT.
(25) In each of FIGS. 1 to 5, the socket assembly is shown in an open position. In this position, the free space 40 in the interior of the inner part 4, which serves to receive the pinch seal 20 of the lamp 2 as well as the connecting pin 21 led out of the pinch seal 20 for electrically contacting the lamp, is accessible from outside via the slotted opening 31 and the gap 400 leading from the free space 40 to the external surface 42. The pinch seal 20 and the connecting pin 21 can thus be inserted into the free space 40 inside the inner part 4 through the slotted opening 31 and the gap 400 in a manner known per se. The insertion is facilitated by the inwardly beveled surfaces 43 and 43, which can be seen better in the enlarged illustrations of the inner part 4 in FIGS. 16 and 17 and are arranged such that the connecting pin 21 is inserted into the free space 40 in linear direction and oriented in the direction of the rotation axis. The gap 400 is widened towards the lamp side to be able to receive the pinch seal 20. FIGS. 8 and 9 show the pinch seal 20 and the connecting pin 21 after insertion into the socket assembly. Both Figures show the socket assembly in an open position in which the gap 400 and the slotted opening 31 are superimposed and the lamp 2 can be removed from the socket assembly.
(26) In contrast to this, FIGS. 10 and 11 show the arrangement of FIGS. 8 and 9 in a closed position. This position is reached through rotation of the lamp 2 together with the inner part 4 through 90 about the rotation axis R. In the example shown, the rotation was performed counterclockwise. However, a clockwise rotation would likewise result in a closed position in which the gap 400 and the slotted opening 31 are no longer congruent. In the closed position, the slotted opening 31 is closed by a portion of the external surface 42 of the inner part 4. The gap 400, which enables access to the free space 40, is likewise covered by the wall 34 of the outer housing part. In the closed position, the lamp 2 can thus no longer be removed from the socket assembly. In order to ensure rotation of the lamp and the inner part from the open position to a defined closed position, stop members, which are not shown here, may be provided which limit the rotation of the inner part 4 inside the outer housing part 3, in the shown example to 90.
(27) The fixation of the pinch seal 20 in the socket assembly is achieved using the two leaf springs 5, 5 which are attached in the end face region of the inner part 4 facing the lamp 2. The two leaf springs are configured identically and arranged such that their head regions face each other. FIGS. 21 and 22 show enlarged illustrations. The leaf springs will now be described in more detail using the first leaf spring 5 as an example. The respective reference numerals for the second leaf spring 5 are indicated in brackets. The leaf spring is formed from a strip of spring steel such that a mushroom-like contour is obtained when seen in a side view (FIG. 22). In the head region, the leaf spring 5 has a flat resting face 50 adjoined on both sides by leg portions 51, 51. Said leg portions are angled relative to the resting face 50 by an obtuse angle of preferably 110 to 160, more preferably 130 to 150, and in the present case 140. At the ends of the legs 51, 51 distant from the resting face, the metal strip is bent again to form base portions 52, 52 which run towards one another and slightly towards the resting face 50 in an inward direction. At the inner ends of the base portions, the metal strip is bent again such that the base portions are adjoined by shaft portions 53, 53 which extend away from the resting face 50 and open up in an outward direction. The outermost ends 530, 530 of the shaft portions, which at the same time constitute the free ends of the metal strip, are bent over in an inward direction relative to the shaft portions 53, 53 and run towards one another parallel to the resting face 50. This results in a leaf spring that is mirror-symmetrical with respect to the central plane E, with an approximately trapezoidal head region and a shaft region defined by the shaft portions 53, 53, 530, 530 which, in the shown example, has a contour shape of an approximate isosceles triangle.
(28) The leaf spring 5 is attached to the inner part 4 in its shaft region, which is achieved by an arrangement in which the shaft portions 53, 53, 530, 530 are slipped into a complementary, approximately triangular groove 41 in the end face region of the inner part 4 adjacent to the lamp 2. As can be taken, in particular, from FIG. 16, said groove 41 is located in a projection of the inner part 4 which tapers towards the free space 40. The head region of the leaf spring 5 protruding beyond the shaft region, i.e., the base portions 52, 52, the leg portions 51, 51, and the resting face 50, can therefore deform relatively freely, for example tilt relative to the shaft region or back away towards the shaft region, so that the distance between the resting faces 50 and 50 of the opposed leaf springs can increase when the pinch seal 20 is inserted into the gap between the leaf springs 5 and 5. This facilitates the insertion of the pinch seal into the socket assembly and reduces the pressure applied thereon during attachment, so that the risk of damage is significantly reduced. Similar to the beveled surfaces 43, 43 of the inner part 4, the leg portions 51 to 51 of the two leaf springs 5, 5, which protrude outward in a V-like manner, serve as guide faces and further facilitate the insertion of the pinch seal 20 into the free space 40 of the inner part 4. Once the pinch seal 20 has been fully inserted into the free space 40, the leaf springs 5 and 5 bear with their resting faces 50, 50 against its surfaces across nearly the complete width of the pinch seal 20 on both sides and secure it without creating a very high pressure per unit area at any location. The described arrangement also allows a removal of the lamp from the socket assembly without application of large forces.
(29) Once the pinch seal 20 has been inserted to the desired position inside the socket assembly, the connecting pin 21 comes to rest in the channel-shaped region 71 of the current collector rail 7, which is in turn arranged on a support projection 44 protruding into the free space 40 of the inner part 4 (see FIG. 17). The details of the current collector rail 7 are best seen in FIGS. 18 to 20. The current collector rail 7 consists of an electrically conductive material, in particular a metal, and serves to establish an electrical contact between the connecting pin 21 and thus the lamp 2 and the current-carrying elements of the socket assembly, which in turn has an external voltage source, which is not shown here, connected to it. The current collector rail 7 is in this case configured such that an electrical contact is established only in a closed position of the socket assembly but not in the open position. In the open position, the current collector rail 7 is arranged on the holding projection 44 such that the lateral contact surfaces 70, 70, which extend on both sides of the channel-shaped region 71 and parallel to one another in the direction of the channel arching, face away from the slotted opening 31 and the gap 400. The projections 72 to 72 as well as the barb 73 serve to fix the position of the current collector rail 7 on the support projection 44. When the lamp 2 is rotated inside the socket assembly from the open position to a closed position to secure it, the inner part 4 rotates inside the outer housing part 3 together with the holding portion 44 with the current collector rail 7 arranged thereon. The contact surfaces 70, 70, which have ends 700, 700 that are bent at right angles towards one another, thus also pivot through 90. As a result, they come into contact with the contact spring 6, which is mounted at a support projection in the form of a support pin 32 inside the cavity 30 of the outer housing part 3.
(30) Details of the contact spring 6 are best seen in FIGS. 7, 12 and 23. It has an essentially U-shaped body made of an electrically conductive material, for example a metal sheet. The legs 60, 60, which are connected by a rounded connecting section and extend parallel to one another, have at their free ends end regions 62, 62 that are flared outwards and can provide lateral support for the contact spring 6 in the free space 40 of the inner part 4, which is in this region cylindrical. A cable terminal 63 which can be connected to an electric cable, which is omitted here, is arranged in a lower region of the leg 60. This electric cable is led outside through the opening 35 in the faceplate 33 of the outer housing part 3 and connected to an external voltage source, which is also omitted. The contact spring 6 further has four openings 64 to 64m. These openings serve to attach an open spring ring 61. The two ends of the spring ring 61 are in this case inserted into the upper openings 64, 64 and attached therein, while the ring is led through the lower openings 64, 64m. The spring ring 61 holds, on the one hand, the contact spring 6 on the support pin 32, additionally preloads the contact spring and forms lateral projections on the external sides of the legs 60, 60 which aid in compressing the contact spring 6 when the socket assembly is moved to a closed position.
(31) As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the current collector rail 7 is already arranged between the legs 60, 60 of the contact spring 6 when the socket assembly is still in the open position, however without contacting the spring. The contact surfaces 70, 70, which extend parallel to the legs 60, 60, as well as the inwardly bent ends 700, 700 are spaced from the contact spring 6. Therefore, there is no flow of current from the contact spring 6 via the current collector rail 7 and the connecting pin 21 to the lamp in the open position. If, however, the lamp 2 is rotated through 90 about the rotation axis R (FIGS. 10 to 12), the contact surfaces 70, 70 come to rest orthogonally to the legs 60, 60, and the bent end regions 700, 700 bear against one of the legs, in the shown example the leg 60. Now, a current can flow via the contact spring 6 and the current collector rail 7 to the connecting pin 21 and on to the lamp 2.
(32) As already described above, the socket assembly may be configured such that the free space 40 is reduced upon rotation from the open position to a closed position to thereby compress the various springs used in the socket assembly. In a first variant, this causes exertion of pressure on the contact spring 6, in the shown example specifically the parts of the spring ring 61 which protrude beyond the external sides of the legs 60, 60. In the shown example, this is achieved through the fact that the cavity 30 is not exactly cylindrical but is slightly oblate on the side of the slotted opening 31 and the side opposite said side, so that it has a smaller diameter in these regions than in the regions shifted by 90 with closed wall 34. As a result, upon rotation from the open position to a closed position shifted by 90, the inner part 4 is somewhat compressed from the side of the slotted opening 31 and the opposite side. This causes a reduction of the distance between the wall 45 of the inner part 4, which surrounds the free space 4, and the legs 60, 60 of the contact spring 6. The wall 45 abuts the lateral projections of the spring ring 61 and compresses the contact spring 6, so that the contact between the internal side of the leg 60 and the ends 700, 700 of the contact surfaces 70, 70 is increased.
(33) The reduction of the free space 40 also has a similar effect on the leaf springs 5, 5. When the inner part 4 is rotated to a closed position, the resting faces 50, 50 are brought closer together, so that they bear against the pinch seal 20 with increased pressure and thus fix it particularly reliably. Upon rotation of the socket assembly back to the open position, the free space 40 widens again, the pressure on the springs is reduced, and the lamp can be removed from the socket assembly more easily. This also reduces the risk of damage to the pinch seal 20.
(34) While the present invention present has been illustrated by description of various embodiments and while those embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of Applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such details. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The present invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of Applicants' invention.
