AU647284B2

AU647284B2 - Lamp holder

Info

Publication number: AU647284B2
Application number: AU18674/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Keith James Aldridge; Peter James Aldridge
Original assignee: ALDRIDGE ELECTRICAL IND AUST P
Current assignee: ALDRIDGE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES (AUST) PTY Ltd
Priority date: 1991-06-28
Filing date: 1992-06-29
Publication date: 1994-03-17
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-29
Also published as: AU1867492A

Description

,a 6 pOC11 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Original 55555 TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT o NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR(S): ALDRIDGE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES (AUST) PTY. LIMITED (ACN 001 678 557) PETER JAMES ALDRIDGE and KEITH JAMES ALDRIDGE S *i ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: INVENTION TITLE: DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO(S): Peter Maxwell Associates Blaxland House, Suite 10, 5 Ross Street, NORTH PARRAMATTA NSW 2151 LAMP HOLDER PK 6932 28/06/1991 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it know to me:- -2- The present invention relates to a lamp holding assembly and particularly to such an assembly when used for holding a lamp in a traffic signal reflector.

Conventionally, the on-site installation or removal of a lamp from a traffic signal reflector has required the operator to use both hands to effect such operation. This poses dangers for the operator who is often elevated from the ground on a ladder and may become unbalanced during the operation. Ideally, such operation would be safer if the 10 operator had one hand free to maintain balance whilst the other was engaged in the desired operation.

Another shortcoming of the installation or removal of a lamp from a traffic signal reflector has been that prior art lamp holding assemblies have not always ensured correct alignment of the filament of the lamp globe to the cooperating optical system. This has led to uneven lighting in the traffic signal reflector which may pose dangers for the traffic.

It is an object of the present inverntion to overcome or at least substantially ameliorate the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a lamp holding assembly adapted so that the lamp may be installed or removed by single handed operation and the lamp so installed has the filament of its globe correctly aligned to the co-operating optical system.

According to the invention there is provided a holding assembly for a lamp having a globe mounted on electrical wire attachment means, said lamp holding assembly comprising:- -3a housing for the lamp, said housing including a passageway within which the electrical wire attachment means of the lamp is adapted to be mounted, an opening of said passageway through which the said globe is adapted to be passed so that, in use, it may be located within a reflector, and means for securing the housing to the 10 reflector, and (ii) clamp means which, when in a first position, secures the electrical wire attachment means of the lamp in the passageway and, when in a second position, allows access of the lamp to or from o" 15 the passageway.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the passageway of the housing includes a male keyway and the electrical wire attachment means includes a female lockway, the arrangement being such that the male keyway is adapted to receive the female lockway for mounting the electrical wire attachment means in the passageway.

Preferably, the housing is adapted to be secured to the outside of the reflector and the passageway is formed in a tube that projects from the housing and is adapted to pass through a hole in the reflector so that, in use, the globe may be located in the reflector.

It is also preferred that the clamp means controls access of the lamp to or from the passageway by pressing against the electrical wire attachment means when mounted in the passageway.

Preferably, the clamp means is a spring controlled hinge clamp in which the clamp is mounted pivotally on the housing and the spring is anchored at one of its ends to the housing and at the other of its ends to the clamp, the arrangement being such that the spring is under tension when the clamp is in the said first position and is relaxed when the clamp is in the said second position.

10 It is also preferred that the housing include channel means through which any wiring connecting the electrical wire attachment mea..s to A- i\electrical control system may pass.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lamp holding assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and a lamp that may be held thereby, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lamp holding assembly of Fig. 1 and an exploded perspective view of a reflector into which the assembly may be secured.

The lamp holding assembly 10 shown in exploded view in Fig. 1 consists of a housing 11, a clamp 12, a spring 13 and a shaft 14. The lamp 55 also shown in Fig. 1 consists of a globe 56 mounted on electrical wire attachment means 57 Shaving connecting wiring 58.

The housing 11 has a pair of shaft supporting members and 16 each having holes 17 and 18 respectively therein through which the shaft 14 may be supported.

The clamp 12 has a pair of opposed plate members 30 and 31 each having holes 19 and 20 respectively therein through which the shaft 14 may be passed.

The clamp 12 is pivotally hinged to the housing 11 by the positioning of the clamp holes 19 and 20 on the outside of the housing holes 17 and 18 respectively and by passing the shaft 14 through the two opposed pairs of holes. The shaft 14 may then have its ends flattened and widened so as not to slide out through the holes.

The spring 13 is a generally U-shaped wire having inturned free ends 21 and 22. The spring 13 has a linearly 15 shaped middle portion 23.

The housing 11 has a pair of spring supporting members 24 and 25 each having holes 26 and 27 respectively therein that receive the free ends 21 and 22 of the spring 13.

The clamp 12 has an opening 28 cut out from the plate connecting member 32 and into which projects a tab 29.

The free ends 21 and 22 of the spring 13 pass through holes 26 and 27 respectively of the housing 11 and the linear middle portion 23 of the spring 13 is positioned underneath the tab 29. The tab 29 is then bent into an arcuate shape, 275 by means such as a screwdriver, so as to retain the spring 13. With this arrangement, the extent to which the clamp 12 may be pivoted about shaft 14 away from housing 11 is -6controlled by the linear middle portion 23 of the spring 13 pressing against the tab 29.

The clamp 12 has a lever 33 for manipulation by the operator.

The housing 11 has opposed flanges 34 and 35 that are continuous with a forwardly projecting tube 36 having a passageway 37. The tube 36 has an annular restricting forward wall 38 to leave a forward opening of smaller diameter than the diameter of the tube 36. The rearward opening of the tube 36 is defined by the inner semi-circular surfaces of the opposed flanges 34 and 35. Extending from •the upper flange 35 is a tab 62 used as a quick connection for earthing wiring.

In use, the lamp 55 is passed globe first through the 15 passageway 37 from the rearward to the forward opening so that the globe 56 projects through the forward opening into a concave reflector (shown in Fig. 2) and the flange 59 of the electrical wire attachment means 57 presses snugly against the forward wall 38.

The lamp 55 may be secured in that position by pressing the clamp 12 about its pivoting shaft 14 towards the flange 59 of the electrical wire attachment means 57 so that the pair of opposed abutting members (only abutting member 39 shown) on the plate members 30 and 31 will abut against the flange 59 with force supplied by tension in the spring 13.

The tube 36 has a male keyway 40 adapted to slidingly receive a corresponding female lockway 60 of the flange 59 of -7the electrical wire attachment means 57. Positioning of the flange 59 in the housing 11 in this way ensures correct alignment of the lamp globe filament 61 in the concave reflector (shown in Fig. 2).

The housing 11 has a channel 41 defined between a pair of opposed walls 42 and 43. The channel 41 is adapted to receive therethrough the wiring 58 from the electrical wire attachment means 57 of the lamp 55, which wiring 58 may then pass to the electrical control system (not shown).

10 When the clamp 12 is in its closed position over the *erearward opening to the passageway 37, the lever 33 is positioned closely across the free ends of the opposed walls 42 and 43, thereby restricting the wiring 58 to within the channel 41.

15 The housing 11 has securing holes 44 and 45 to secure the housing 11 to the reflector outer surface. This is shown in Fig 2, where a concave reflector 46 has an opening 47 (only partly shown) about its apex and the tube 36 of the

S

housing 11 may be passed through the opening 47. The housing 11 may be secured to the outer surface 48 of the reflector 46 by passing rivet pins 49 and 50 through the housing securing holes 44 and 45 and corresponding holes (only hole 51 shown) in the reflector 46. The reflector 46 may be correctly located or aligned in the door of the traffic signal apparatus (not shown) by the locator 54.

Fig. 2 also shows an optical system within the reflector 46 consisting of a vertical septum 52 and a horizontal septum 53 constructed so that they may fit snugly -8into the concave reflector 46 and divide the light transmitted from the globe into four compartments. The septa 52 and 53 have opposed outer tabs 63 and 64 respectively that are adapted to fit into correspondingly located apertures (only apertures 65 and 66 shown) in the reflector 46. The septa 52 and 53 also have opposed inner cut-away portions 67 and 68 respectively that are adapted to fit into correspondingly located opposed projecting grooves 69 and integrally formed on the outside of the tube 36.

This optical system, once fitted, is advantageous in cutting down on diffuse light wastage and so strengthens the intensity of light emanating from the reflector 46.

With the lamp 55 mounted in the holding assembly 10 of Figs. 1 and 2, and with the holding assembly 10 itself 15 mounted on the reflector 46, the changing of the lamp b5 may be carried out by single handed operation, The operatc- may .press the palm of his hand against the outside surface of the reflector 46 to provide the leverage against which he may move his thumb rearwardly against the lever 33 of the clamp 12 and open the passageway 37.

The clamp 12 will stably remain in its opened position by the natural resilience of the spring 13 so as to allow the operator to freely change lamps.

Correct alignment of the newly installed lamp within the reflector 46 may also be achieved by single handed operation due to the predetermined alignment provided by the keyway 40, and the channel 41.

Upon completion of this operation, the operator may press his thumb forwardly on the lever 33 against the tension supplied by the spring 13 and close the clamp 12 over the rearward opening of the passageway 37. The clamp 12 is stably maintained in this closed position by the tension in the spring 13 and the lamp 55 is held securely in place in the holding assembly 10 by the pressure applied by the abutting members (only member 39 shown) of the clamp 12 against the flange 59 of the lamp 10 Various modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope or ambit of *eieto •the invention.

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Claims

1. A holding assembly for a lamp having a globe mounted on electrical wire attachment means, said lamp holding assembly comprising:- a housing for the lamp, said housing including a passageway within which the electrical wire attachment means of the lamp is adapted to be mounted, an opening of said passageway through which the said globe is adapted to be passed so that, in use, it may be located within a reflector, and means for securing the housing to the reflector, and (ii) clamp means which, when in a first position, secures the electrical wire attachment means of the lamp in the passageway and, when in a second position, allows access of the lamp to or from the passageway.

2. The holding assembly of claim 1 wherein the passageway of the housing includes a male keyway and the electrical wire attachment means includes a female lockway, the arrangement being such that the male keyway is adapted to receive the female lockway for mounting the electrical wire attachment means in the passageway.

3. The holding assembly of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the housing is adapted to be secured to the outside of the reflector and the passageway is formed in a tube that -11- projects from the housing and is adapted to pass through a hole in the reflector so that, in use, the globe may be located in the ireflector.

4. The holding assembly of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the clamp means controls access of the lamp to or from the passageway by pressing against the electrical wire attachment means when mounted in the passageway. The holding assembly of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the clamp means is a spring controlled hinge clamp in which the clamp is mounted pivotally on the housing and the 6 spring is anchored at one of its ends to the housing and at 0 the other of its ends to the clamp, the arrangement being such that the spring is under tension when the clamp is in the said first position and is relaxed when the clamp is in

9. the said second position. 6. The holding assembly of any one of claims 1 to

90.9 wherein the housing includes channel means through which any wiring connecting the electrical wire attachment means to/lhe electrical control system may pass. 7. The holding assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the means for securing the housing to the reflector comprise rivet pins. 8. The holding assembly of claim 5 wherein the housing has a pair of spaced apart elongated members, each member having a first aperture adapted to receive a shaft therethrough, and the hinge clamp has a pair of spaced apart plate members, each plate member having a second aperture adapted to receive a shaft therethrough, the pair of elongated members being -12- adapted to overlap the pair of plate members so that the first apertures become aligned with the second apertures and a shaft may be passed through the pair of aligned apertures so as to enable the hinge clamp to pivot about the housing. 9. A holding assembly for a lamp substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. DATED this 29th day of June, 1992. 6:00 0 ALDRIDGE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES (AUST) PTY LIMITED *f By their Patent Attorneys of PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES 92 1 066 to S ro S 50 ABSTRACT A lamp (55) having a globe (56) mounted on electrical wire attachment means (57) is held in an assembly (10, 11, 12, 13 and 14) that is adapted for location in a reflector such as a traffic signal reflector. The lamp holding assembly (10) includes a housing (11) for the lamp and a clamp (12) for releasably securing the lamp (55) in the housing The housing (11) includes a passageway (37) within which the electrical wire attachment means (57, 59) is :o :Soo* adapted to be mounted. There is an opening in the passageway o* (37) through which the globe (56) is adapted to be passed so Geese: that, in use, the globe is located within the reflector (46). The housing (11) is secured to the reflector (46) by such means as rivet pins (49, The clamp (12) operates to secure the lamp (55) in the passageway (37) of the housing (11) by pressing against the electrical wire attachment means (57, 59). The pressure is the result of tension exerted by a spring (13) acting through .0 the clamp To remove the lamp (55) from the passageway (37) and housing pressure is applied against a lever (33) so as to overcome the spring pressure and the clamp is then released from its engagement against the electrical wire attachment means (57, 59).