CA2203948C - Socket for miniature lamp - Google Patents
Socket for miniature lamp Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2203948C CA2203948C CA 2203948 CA2203948A CA2203948C CA 2203948 C CA2203948 C CA 2203948C CA 2203948 CA2203948 CA 2203948 CA 2203948 A CA2203948 A CA 2203948A CA 2203948 C CA2203948 C CA 2203948C
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- lead
- flange
- lamp
- installing hole
- miniature lamp
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
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- WABPQHHGFIMREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N lead(0) Chemical compound [Pb] WABPQHHGFIMREM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 55
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 20
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 20
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000002950 deficient Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004677 Nylon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007547 defect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920001778 nylon Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
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- Connecting Device With Holders (AREA)
Abstract
A miniature lamp socket is formed such that a tip portion is not brought into contact with the inner wall of the bottom of a lamp-installing hole, and lead-wire guide grooves communicating with lead-wire insertion holes extend in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front of a filament. The miniature lamp socket has projection pieces for improving vibration-resistance.
Description
SOCKET FOR MINIATURE LAMP
SACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a miniature lamp socket which is used for a miniature lamp device suitable for use as a light source for display of automobile instruments or the like, for instance.
Description of the Prior Art:
A description will now be given of a miniature lamp socket of this type in a prior art with reference to Fig. 15. The miniature lamp socket in the prior art has a bottomed base body 2 of a substantially cylindrical shape, a flange (collar) 3 set up around the outer wall of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, and a projection 4 projecting from the flange 3 downwards, and the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, the flange 3 and the projection 4 are formed as one body by the use of a synthetic resin. A lower portion of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 has a reduced-diameter and forms a tip-installing hole 8 for a miniature lamp 5 having a tip portion 21. Lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 are provided in the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 so as to vertically extend through the bottom thereof, and a pair of lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11 communicating with the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 are formed in alignment with each other on the lower surface of the flange 3.
After lead wires 10, 10 of the miniature lamp 5 installed in the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 are respectively inserted into the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9, and are drawn out from the lower surface of the flange 3, the drawn-out lead wires lO, 10 are further drawn out from the upper surface of the flange 3 through the lead-wire guide grooves ll, ll provided in a concave shape on both left and right sides of the flange, and are caused to pass along the upper surface of the flange 3. Thereafter, the ends of the lead wires 10, lO are fixed by means of squeezing or the like to lead-wire fixing grooves (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the flange 3.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 3-66184 has disclosed an invention, in which the bottom of a lead-wire fixing groove is inclined to make it hard to come off the end of a lead wire from the lead-wire fixing groove. According to this disclosed invention, since the lead wire is arranged such as to be bifurcated to the left and right as seen from the front of the miniature lamp, a seal portion of the miniature lamp is easily broken. Further, since the lead wire is bifurcated from the seal portion of the lamp to the left and right, the lead wire comes off from the lead-wire fixing groove due to vibrations or the like when the bifurcated portlons of the lead wire tend to be restored to its linear shape. In order to prevent such a defect, a lead-wire fixing projection is provided opposite the lead-wire fixing groove so as to stably fix the lead wire to the lead-wire fixing groove by s~ueezing the projection.
There have been demands for lamps used for a display panel such as an instrument panel to further reduce the size. Therefore, in order to meet the demands for more miniature displays, it is necessary for the miniature lamp socket in the prior art to shorten the distance from the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 to the top of a bulb as much as possible.
In this connection, the miniature lamp socket in the prior art has the following problems. One of the problems is that when a glass bulb 19 is deeply inserted into the socket l, a tip portion 21 provided on the lower end of the glass bulb 19 is brought into contact with the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, and as a result, the tip portion is broken. Another problem is that since the lead wires 10, 10 are drawn out from the seal portion 20 toward both the left and right sides, tensile force acts on the seal portion 20, and as a result, the seal portion 20 is broken. A
further problem is that since power is fed by holding a printed circuit board between the flange 3 and the projection 17, the printed circuit board and the miniature bulb device become loose so as to separate from each other through rotation depending on the conditions of use including vibrations or the like, and as a result, a defective lighting is caused.
In case of using a miniature lamp of a wedge base type (See Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 3-274657, for instance) structured such that a receiving terminal is arranged along the outer surface of a squeezed seal portion as shown in Figs. 16 to 19, the following problems are posed. Namely, when such a miniature lamp is installed in the socket as shown in Fig. 18, the receiving terminal is moved in a horizontal direction to cause a defective contact. Otherwise, the lamp sometimes falls off from the socket in case of installing the lamp in the socket.
Further, the miniature lamp socket as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 3-66184 is defective in that since the lead wires are fixed to the read-wire fixing grooves by squeezing the projections, such a squeezing operation produces the vibration of the socket.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to reduce restoring force of lead wires by arranging the lead wires in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front of a lamp, and to enable the lead wires to be stably fixed to lead-wire fixing grooves by bending the lead wires and then causing the bent lead wires to extend along the bottom of the read-wire fixing grooves without squeezing projections or the like.
According to the present invention in a broad : '~'' ',support portions are provided between a lamp-installing hole and a tip-installing hole, which are provided in a cylindrical bottomed base body, so as to prevent a tip portion from being brought into contact with the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body when a miniature lamp having a tip is installed.
Further, a bulb is supported by the support portions such that the tip portion is located above the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body, and lead wires and a flange are connected without using a connection piece including a metal member or the like.
According to the present invention in a ~l~f~
' ,lead-wire guide grooves communicating with lead-wire insertion holes are provided in a concave shape on the lower surface of the flange in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other such that the lead wires drawn out from the lower surface of the flange are disposed in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other. The lead wires are passed through the lead-wire guide grooves, and are fixed in a bent state to recess grooves provided on the edge of the flange.
According to the present invention in a ~f~f~t~
: ' ''V~n~, projection pieces including an elastic member are mounted on the flange of the miniature lamp device so as to prevent the miniature lamp device from getting loose relatively to a printed circuit board, since the projections on the flange are restored to their original positions and are placed in the locked state after the projections are bent, in a case where the miniature lamp device is mounted on the printed circuit board by rotating the miniature lamp device in a certain direction.
According to the present invention in a preferred : ' 'i~nt~ each lead-wire fixing groove provided on the lower surface of the flange has an inclined bottom which gradually becomes deeper from the side of an outer edge of the flange.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a miniature lamp socket;
Fig. Z is a sectional view taken along a line I-I
in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along a line II-II in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a front view showing a miniature lamp installed in a miniature lamp socket:
Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4 Fig. 6 is a bottom view of Fig. 4:
Fig. 7 is a right side view of Fig. 4 Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line III-III in Fig. 5 Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along a line IV-IV in Fig. S:
Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an essential portion of a lead-wire fixing groove:
Fig. 11 is a view for explaining a projection piece:
Fig. 12 is a front view showing a miniature lamp device mounted on a printed circuit board:
Fig. 13 is a right side view of Fig. 12:
Fig. 14 is a graph showing the distribution of the breaking strength of a seal portion on the basis of the drawing direction of lead wires:
Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a prior art;
Fig. 16 is a view for explaining a lamp of wedge base type in a prior art;
Fig. 17 is a side view of Fig. 15;
Fig. 18 is a view for explaining the lamp of wedge base type of Fig. 15 installed in a socket; and Fig. 19 is a plan view showing an essential portion of a lamp-installing hole of a miniature lamp socket in a prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A lamp socket 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 13 comprises a bottomed base body 2 of a substantially cylindrical shape, a flange 3 set up around the outer edge of the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, and a projection 4 projecting from the lower side of the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 downwards. The cylindrical bottomed base body 2, the flange 3 and the projection 4 are formed as one body by the use of a thermoplastic and insulating synthetic resin.
The cylindrical bottomed base body 2 has a lamp-installing hole 6 having an open top so as to install a miniature lamp 5 into the cylindrical bottomed base body. The upper end of the lamp-installing hole 6 is larger in inner diameter than the other portion.
Circular arc-shaped support portions 7, 7 are provided along a wall of a lower portion of the lamp-installing hole 6, and are structured such that portions of a concave shape confront each other and the inner wall surface forms a step portion as seen from the side. A
portion below the support portions 7, 7 has a reduced-diameter, and forms a tip-installing bottomed hole 8 of a circular plane.
Lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 are provided in the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 1 so as to vertically extend through the bottom thereof. Lead-wire guide grooves ll, ll for guiding lead wires lO, lO
toward the outer edge of the flange 3 are provided in a concave shape on the projection 4 so as to communicate with the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9. The lead wire guide grooves 11, 11 are positioned in parallel to each other so as to respectively extend from openings of the lower ends of the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 toward the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other.
The flange 3 is integrally provided on the outer wall of the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 1 so as to extend at right angles with the outer wall thereof. Recess grooves 12, 12 are formed by recessing the flange 3 from its peripheral edge toward the outer ends of the lead-wire guide grooves ll, ll so as to have point-symmetrical relation with each other. Projection pieces 13, 13 including an elastic member such as nylon, for instance, are respectively mounted on the walls of the recess grooves 12, 12 so as to extend slightly upwards and also to face in the same circumferential direction, as shown in Fig. 11.
Lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14 are formed in the vicinity of the recess grooves 12, 12 by slightly recessing the flange 3 toward its inner side. Lead-wire fixing grooves 15, 15 parallel to the lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11 are formed on the lower surface of the flange 3 so as to communicate with the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16. ~he bottoms of the lead-wire fixing grooves 15, 15 are respectively inclined so as to gradually become deeper from the side of the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16, as shown in Fig. 10.
Projections 17, 17 are provided on an outer wall of an upper portion of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 so as to extend in the same direction as the lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11, and a printed circuit board 1 may be held by the flange 3 and the projections 17, 17.
A description will now be given of a method for installing a miniature lamp in the miniature lamp socket described above. Firstly, the miniature lamp 5 having a tip portion 21 extending from a seal portion 20 provided on the lower end of a bulb 19 is installed in the lamp-installing hole 8 provided inside the cylindrical bottomed base body 2. Subsequently, the lead wires 10, 10 are inserted into the lead wire insertion holes 9, 9 from their upper openings, i.e., the inside openings of the bottom, and are drawn out from the openings of the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 on the outer side of the bottom toward the lower side of the flange 3. The drawn-out lead wires 10, 10 are bent forward and rearward as seen from the front of a filament 22, and are passed through the lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11. Then, the lead wires 10, 10 are bent from the front and rear edges of the lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14, which are formed by recessing the projections 4, toward both the left and right sides.
After the bent lead wires 10, 10 are caused to extend along the outer walls of the projections 4 toward the lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14, the lead wires 10, 10 are drawn out from the upper surface of the flange 3 through the lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14.
Further, the lead wires 10, 10 are caused to extend along the upper surface of the flange 3 toward the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16, and are then inserted into the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16. The inserted lead wires 10, 10 are drawn out from the lower surface of the flange 3, and are bent. Then, the bent lead wires 10, 10 are fixed to the bottom of the lead-wire fixing grooves 15, 15 so as to be brought into contact therewith.
When the miniature lamp device installed in the lamp socket is inserted into a socket mounting hole of the printed circuit board 18 and are rotated in the mounting direction, the printed circuit board 18 is held by the flange 3 and the projections 17, 17. The miniature lamp device is mounted on the printed circuit board 18 by rotating the miniature lamp device from the base portion of the projection piece 13 toward its upper end. Since the projection pieces 13 are directed not to separate from the printed circuit board, the lamp socket 1 is not rotated in the reverse direction after the miniature lamp device is mounted on the printed circuit board. Thus, the lamp socket may be fitted to the printed circuit board 18 without falling off therefrom.
The lead wires 10, 10 mounted across the flange 3 are brought into contact with a conductive layer of the printed circuit board 18, and power is fed to the lead wires to turn on the miniature lamp 5.
Fig. 14 shows the breaking strength of a bulb seal portion on the basis of the drawing direction of the lead wires. In Fig. 14, a solid line shows the distribution of the tensile strength of a miniature bulb in case of drawing the lead wires in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front of the filament, and a dotted line shows the distribution of the tensile strength of a miniature bulb in case of drawing the lead wires in the left and right directions as seen from the front of the filament.
As is apparent from this drawing, the miniature lamp in case of drawing the lead wires in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front of the filament is lower in load applied to the seal portion, and shows low breaking strength.
_ 13 -The present invention shows the following effects. Namely, since the support portions are provided on the inner wall between the lamp-installing hole and the tip-installing hole to support the bulb such that the tip portion is located above the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body without being brought into contact with the bottom thereof, it is possible to provide a miniature lamp device, which may not occur the breakage of the tip portion, and reduces a variation of filament position on the printed circuit board.
In addition, since the lead wires are bent at a predetermined distance from the seal portion in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other, and the ends of the lead wires are only bent for fixing, there is no possibility that the seal portion is broken to fall off a miniature lamp from the socket.
Besides, it is possible to provide a miniature lamp, which may be arranged at a low position, and enables to easily fix the lead wires without using any metal connection piece.
Further, since the projections are provided on the flange, there is no possibility that the miniature lamp device is rotated so as to separate from the printed circuit board to result in defective conduction of electricity from the printed circuit board, and therefore, it is possible to improve vibration-resistance.
Furthermore, since the present invention is applied to an already-existing display, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, and to provide an economical miniature bulb device, which shows satisfactory efficiency of production,
SACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a miniature lamp socket which is used for a miniature lamp device suitable for use as a light source for display of automobile instruments or the like, for instance.
Description of the Prior Art:
A description will now be given of a miniature lamp socket of this type in a prior art with reference to Fig. 15. The miniature lamp socket in the prior art has a bottomed base body 2 of a substantially cylindrical shape, a flange (collar) 3 set up around the outer wall of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, and a projection 4 projecting from the flange 3 downwards, and the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, the flange 3 and the projection 4 are formed as one body by the use of a synthetic resin. A lower portion of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 has a reduced-diameter and forms a tip-installing hole 8 for a miniature lamp 5 having a tip portion 21. Lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 are provided in the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 so as to vertically extend through the bottom thereof, and a pair of lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11 communicating with the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 are formed in alignment with each other on the lower surface of the flange 3.
After lead wires 10, 10 of the miniature lamp 5 installed in the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 are respectively inserted into the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9, and are drawn out from the lower surface of the flange 3, the drawn-out lead wires lO, 10 are further drawn out from the upper surface of the flange 3 through the lead-wire guide grooves ll, ll provided in a concave shape on both left and right sides of the flange, and are caused to pass along the upper surface of the flange 3. Thereafter, the ends of the lead wires 10, lO are fixed by means of squeezing or the like to lead-wire fixing grooves (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the flange 3.
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 3-66184 has disclosed an invention, in which the bottom of a lead-wire fixing groove is inclined to make it hard to come off the end of a lead wire from the lead-wire fixing groove. According to this disclosed invention, since the lead wire is arranged such as to be bifurcated to the left and right as seen from the front of the miniature lamp, a seal portion of the miniature lamp is easily broken. Further, since the lead wire is bifurcated from the seal portion of the lamp to the left and right, the lead wire comes off from the lead-wire fixing groove due to vibrations or the like when the bifurcated portlons of the lead wire tend to be restored to its linear shape. In order to prevent such a defect, a lead-wire fixing projection is provided opposite the lead-wire fixing groove so as to stably fix the lead wire to the lead-wire fixing groove by s~ueezing the projection.
There have been demands for lamps used for a display panel such as an instrument panel to further reduce the size. Therefore, in order to meet the demands for more miniature displays, it is necessary for the miniature lamp socket in the prior art to shorten the distance from the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 to the top of a bulb as much as possible.
In this connection, the miniature lamp socket in the prior art has the following problems. One of the problems is that when a glass bulb 19 is deeply inserted into the socket l, a tip portion 21 provided on the lower end of the glass bulb 19 is brought into contact with the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, and as a result, the tip portion is broken. Another problem is that since the lead wires 10, 10 are drawn out from the seal portion 20 toward both the left and right sides, tensile force acts on the seal portion 20, and as a result, the seal portion 20 is broken. A
further problem is that since power is fed by holding a printed circuit board between the flange 3 and the projection 17, the printed circuit board and the miniature bulb device become loose so as to separate from each other through rotation depending on the conditions of use including vibrations or the like, and as a result, a defective lighting is caused.
In case of using a miniature lamp of a wedge base type (See Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 3-274657, for instance) structured such that a receiving terminal is arranged along the outer surface of a squeezed seal portion as shown in Figs. 16 to 19, the following problems are posed. Namely, when such a miniature lamp is installed in the socket as shown in Fig. 18, the receiving terminal is moved in a horizontal direction to cause a defective contact. Otherwise, the lamp sometimes falls off from the socket in case of installing the lamp in the socket.
Further, the miniature lamp socket as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 3-66184 is defective in that since the lead wires are fixed to the read-wire fixing grooves by squeezing the projections, such a squeezing operation produces the vibration of the socket.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to reduce restoring force of lead wires by arranging the lead wires in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front of a lamp, and to enable the lead wires to be stably fixed to lead-wire fixing grooves by bending the lead wires and then causing the bent lead wires to extend along the bottom of the read-wire fixing grooves without squeezing projections or the like.
According to the present invention in a broad : '~'' ',support portions are provided between a lamp-installing hole and a tip-installing hole, which are provided in a cylindrical bottomed base body, so as to prevent a tip portion from being brought into contact with the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body when a miniature lamp having a tip is installed.
Further, a bulb is supported by the support portions such that the tip portion is located above the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body, and lead wires and a flange are connected without using a connection piece including a metal member or the like.
According to the present invention in a ~l~f~
' ,lead-wire guide grooves communicating with lead-wire insertion holes are provided in a concave shape on the lower surface of the flange in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other such that the lead wires drawn out from the lower surface of the flange are disposed in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other. The lead wires are passed through the lead-wire guide grooves, and are fixed in a bent state to recess grooves provided on the edge of the flange.
According to the present invention in a ~f~f~t~
: ' ''V~n~, projection pieces including an elastic member are mounted on the flange of the miniature lamp device so as to prevent the miniature lamp device from getting loose relatively to a printed circuit board, since the projections on the flange are restored to their original positions and are placed in the locked state after the projections are bent, in a case where the miniature lamp device is mounted on the printed circuit board by rotating the miniature lamp device in a certain direction.
According to the present invention in a preferred : ' 'i~nt~ each lead-wire fixing groove provided on the lower surface of the flange has an inclined bottom which gradually becomes deeper from the side of an outer edge of the flange.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a miniature lamp socket;
Fig. Z is a sectional view taken along a line I-I
in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along a line II-II in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a front view showing a miniature lamp installed in a miniature lamp socket:
Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4 Fig. 6 is a bottom view of Fig. 4:
Fig. 7 is a right side view of Fig. 4 Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along a line III-III in Fig. 5 Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along a line IV-IV in Fig. S:
Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an essential portion of a lead-wire fixing groove:
Fig. 11 is a view for explaining a projection piece:
Fig. 12 is a front view showing a miniature lamp device mounted on a printed circuit board:
Fig. 13 is a right side view of Fig. 12:
Fig. 14 is a graph showing the distribution of the breaking strength of a seal portion on the basis of the drawing direction of lead wires:
Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a prior art;
Fig. 16 is a view for explaining a lamp of wedge base type in a prior art;
Fig. 17 is a side view of Fig. 15;
Fig. 18 is a view for explaining the lamp of wedge base type of Fig. 15 installed in a socket; and Fig. 19 is a plan view showing an essential portion of a lamp-installing hole of a miniature lamp socket in a prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A lamp socket 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 13 comprises a bottomed base body 2 of a substantially cylindrical shape, a flange 3 set up around the outer edge of the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2, and a projection 4 projecting from the lower side of the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 downwards. The cylindrical bottomed base body 2, the flange 3 and the projection 4 are formed as one body by the use of a thermoplastic and insulating synthetic resin.
The cylindrical bottomed base body 2 has a lamp-installing hole 6 having an open top so as to install a miniature lamp 5 into the cylindrical bottomed base body. The upper end of the lamp-installing hole 6 is larger in inner diameter than the other portion.
Circular arc-shaped support portions 7, 7 are provided along a wall of a lower portion of the lamp-installing hole 6, and are structured such that portions of a concave shape confront each other and the inner wall surface forms a step portion as seen from the side. A
portion below the support portions 7, 7 has a reduced-diameter, and forms a tip-installing bottomed hole 8 of a circular plane.
Lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 are provided in the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 1 so as to vertically extend through the bottom thereof. Lead-wire guide grooves ll, ll for guiding lead wires lO, lO
toward the outer edge of the flange 3 are provided in a concave shape on the projection 4 so as to communicate with the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9. The lead wire guide grooves 11, 11 are positioned in parallel to each other so as to respectively extend from openings of the lower ends of the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 toward the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other.
The flange 3 is integrally provided on the outer wall of the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body 1 so as to extend at right angles with the outer wall thereof. Recess grooves 12, 12 are formed by recessing the flange 3 from its peripheral edge toward the outer ends of the lead-wire guide grooves ll, ll so as to have point-symmetrical relation with each other. Projection pieces 13, 13 including an elastic member such as nylon, for instance, are respectively mounted on the walls of the recess grooves 12, 12 so as to extend slightly upwards and also to face in the same circumferential direction, as shown in Fig. 11.
Lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14 are formed in the vicinity of the recess grooves 12, 12 by slightly recessing the flange 3 toward its inner side. Lead-wire fixing grooves 15, 15 parallel to the lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11 are formed on the lower surface of the flange 3 so as to communicate with the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16. ~he bottoms of the lead-wire fixing grooves 15, 15 are respectively inclined so as to gradually become deeper from the side of the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16, as shown in Fig. 10.
Projections 17, 17 are provided on an outer wall of an upper portion of the cylindrical bottomed base body 2 so as to extend in the same direction as the lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11, and a printed circuit board 1 may be held by the flange 3 and the projections 17, 17.
A description will now be given of a method for installing a miniature lamp in the miniature lamp socket described above. Firstly, the miniature lamp 5 having a tip portion 21 extending from a seal portion 20 provided on the lower end of a bulb 19 is installed in the lamp-installing hole 8 provided inside the cylindrical bottomed base body 2. Subsequently, the lead wires 10, 10 are inserted into the lead wire insertion holes 9, 9 from their upper openings, i.e., the inside openings of the bottom, and are drawn out from the openings of the lead-wire insertion holes 9, 9 on the outer side of the bottom toward the lower side of the flange 3. The drawn-out lead wires 10, 10 are bent forward and rearward as seen from the front of a filament 22, and are passed through the lead-wire guide grooves 11, 11. Then, the lead wires 10, 10 are bent from the front and rear edges of the lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14, which are formed by recessing the projections 4, toward both the left and right sides.
After the bent lead wires 10, 10 are caused to extend along the outer walls of the projections 4 toward the lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14, the lead wires 10, 10 are drawn out from the upper surface of the flange 3 through the lead-wire insertion grooves 14, 14.
Further, the lead wires 10, 10 are caused to extend along the upper surface of the flange 3 toward the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16, and are then inserted into the lead-wire insertion grooves 16, 16. The inserted lead wires 10, 10 are drawn out from the lower surface of the flange 3, and are bent. Then, the bent lead wires 10, 10 are fixed to the bottom of the lead-wire fixing grooves 15, 15 so as to be brought into contact therewith.
When the miniature lamp device installed in the lamp socket is inserted into a socket mounting hole of the printed circuit board 18 and are rotated in the mounting direction, the printed circuit board 18 is held by the flange 3 and the projections 17, 17. The miniature lamp device is mounted on the printed circuit board 18 by rotating the miniature lamp device from the base portion of the projection piece 13 toward its upper end. Since the projection pieces 13 are directed not to separate from the printed circuit board, the lamp socket 1 is not rotated in the reverse direction after the miniature lamp device is mounted on the printed circuit board. Thus, the lamp socket may be fitted to the printed circuit board 18 without falling off therefrom.
The lead wires 10, 10 mounted across the flange 3 are brought into contact with a conductive layer of the printed circuit board 18, and power is fed to the lead wires to turn on the miniature lamp 5.
Fig. 14 shows the breaking strength of a bulb seal portion on the basis of the drawing direction of the lead wires. In Fig. 14, a solid line shows the distribution of the tensile strength of a miniature bulb in case of drawing the lead wires in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front of the filament, and a dotted line shows the distribution of the tensile strength of a miniature bulb in case of drawing the lead wires in the left and right directions as seen from the front of the filament.
As is apparent from this drawing, the miniature lamp in case of drawing the lead wires in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front of the filament is lower in load applied to the seal portion, and shows low breaking strength.
_ 13 -The present invention shows the following effects. Namely, since the support portions are provided on the inner wall between the lamp-installing hole and the tip-installing hole to support the bulb such that the tip portion is located above the bottom of the cylindrical bottomed base body without being brought into contact with the bottom thereof, it is possible to provide a miniature lamp device, which may not occur the breakage of the tip portion, and reduces a variation of filament position on the printed circuit board.
In addition, since the lead wires are bent at a predetermined distance from the seal portion in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other, and the ends of the lead wires are only bent for fixing, there is no possibility that the seal portion is broken to fall off a miniature lamp from the socket.
Besides, it is possible to provide a miniature lamp, which may be arranged at a low position, and enables to easily fix the lead wires without using any metal connection piece.
Further, since the projections are provided on the flange, there is no possibility that the miniature lamp device is rotated so as to separate from the printed circuit board to result in defective conduction of electricity from the printed circuit board, and therefore, it is possible to improve vibration-resistance.
Furthermore, since the present invention is applied to an already-existing display, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, and to provide an economical miniature bulb device, which shows satisfactory efficiency of production,
Claims (4)
1. A miniature lamp socket including a cylindrical bottomed base body provided with a lamp-installing hole having an open top to install a miniature lamp therein, and a tip-installing hole formed below said lamp-installing hole so as to communicate therewith, a flange set up around the outer wall of the bottom of said cylindrical bottomed base body, a pair of lead-wire insertion holes communicating with said lamp-installing hole 6, lead-wire guide grooves formed on the lower surface of said flange so as to communicate with said lead-wire insertion holes, and lead-wire fixing grooves formed on the lower surface of said flange, characterized by providing support portions for supporting a bulb of the miniature lamp to the inner wall of the bottom of said lamp-installing hole;
wherein said support portions are formed such that a tip portion is positioned above the bottom of the tip-installing hole when the miniature lamp is installed in the lamp-installing hole; and lead wires and the flange are connected without using a connection piece including a metal member or the like.
wherein said support portions are formed such that a tip portion is positioned above the bottom of the tip-installing hole when the miniature lamp is installed in the lamp-installing hole; and lead wires and the flange are connected without using a connection piece including a metal member or the like.
2. A miniature lamp socket according to claim 1, wherein the lead-wire guide grooves are formed so as to extend in the forward and rearward directions opposite to each other as seen from the front, and the lead wires are passed through the lead-wire guide grooves and are fixed in a bent state to recess grooves provided on the edge of the flange.
3. A miniature lamp socket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein recess grooves are provided at opposite positions of the outer edge of the flange, and projection pieces including an elastic member are provided on the walls of said recess grooves such that the leading end of each projection piece is directed slightly upwards.
4. A miniature lamp socket according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the lead-wire fixing grooves are formed such as to become gradually deeper from the side of the outer edge of the flange.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9714866A GB2318223B (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1997-07-15 | Socket for miniature lamp |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP8-011671 | 1996-10-09 | ||
| JP1996011671U JP3037624U (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1996-10-09 | Small lamp socket |
| US08/784,717 US5927998A (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1997-01-16 | Socket for miniature lamp |
| US08/784-717 | 1997-01-16 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2203948A1 CA2203948A1 (en) | 1998-04-09 |
| CA2203948C true CA2203948C (en) | 2000-04-11 |
Family
ID=26347144
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2203948 Expired - Fee Related CA2203948C (en) | 1996-10-09 | 1997-04-29 | Socket for miniature lamp |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2203948C (en) |
-
1997
- 1997-04-29 CA CA 2203948 patent/CA2203948C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2203948A1 (en) | 1998-04-09 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKLA | Lapsed |