EP1329931B1 - Compact low pressure discharge lamp - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a compact low-pressure discharge lamp consisting of a discharge vessel with electrodes and power supply, from a discharge vessel to which the discharge vessel is attached and composed of a housing, terminals and mounting plate with ballast socket, wherein the mounting plate mounted with the ballast in the interior of the base housing is and has connections for electrical connection of the mounting plate with the power supply lines and the connection contacts.

State of the art

Such compact low-pressure discharge lamps may additionally be provided with a reflector or an enveloping bulb. At higher wattages, the discharge vessel consists of a multiply bent tube composed of one or more pieces, which is held in the housing with the aid of an elaborately designed carrier part made of plastic or metal. An example of this can be found in the EP 0 044 196 ,

The elaborately designed support member for the discharge vessel leads to a correspondingly large dimensions for the low-pressure discharge lamp and on the other hand makes a manual assembly of the lamp required. The manufacturing cost of such compact low-pressure discharge lamps are therefore relatively high.

A compact low - pressure discharge lamp consisting of a discharge vessel, electrodes, power supply lines and a mounting plate is used in the Laid-open publication US 6 008 570 A1 disclosed.

Presentation of the invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a compact low-pressure discharge lamp of the type mentioned, which has a compact structure and is simple and therefore inexpensive to manufacture.

The object is achieved in the compact low-pressure discharge lamp according to the invention by a support for the discharge vessel having a substantially H-shaped cross-section, wherein the carrier consists of a plate with extending on the edge on each side of the plate collar. On this discharge vessel support on the one hand a cover and on the other hand, the housing of the base is attached.

The cover can be designed as an envelope or as a reflector for the discharge vessel. For the design of the compact discharge lamp without enveloping bulb or reflector, this cover can also be designed as a cap for the base housing.

In the case of a circular cylindrical base housing, the plate of the H-shaped discharge vessel carrier is advantageously designed circular.

The fastening of the discharge vessel is simple if the plate of the discharge vessel carrier has two apertures or half-shell-shaped depressions for receiving the ends of the discharge vessel. The ends may then be either by a hot melt ancestor, as in US Pat EP 1 105 906 listed, or be attached in a conventional manner by means of Sockelkitt or adhesive to the plate. In the second case, the plate points advantageous around the openings or half-shell-shaped depressions around a retaining edge for receiving the Sockelkitts or adhesive, wherein the retaining edge in the case of breakthroughs advantageously mounted on the side facing the base of the plate and in the case of half-shell-shaped recesses on the cover part facing side of the plate is.

The attachment of the discharge vessel to the discharge vessel support may also be effected by means of a depression into which a part of the discharge vessel, such as a discharge vessel, is attached. a bend is made, done. This type of attachment may also be useful in addition to the fixation of the two ends of the discharge vessel, especially if it is a long and multiply bent discharge vessel.

The plate further has on the side facing the base preferably mounts for contacts for electrical connection of the power supply lines with the electrical connections of the ballast on the mounting plate. An example of a corresponding contact can be found in the EP 0 854 497 where by means of spring elements which are held in receptacles on the end cap, a cost-effective electrical connection between the power supply lines of the discharge vessel and the terminals of the ballast assembly is made on the mounting plate.

For a simple mounting of the cover to the H-shaped discharge vessel this has on the inside of its lateral surface an at least partially circumferential groove, engage in the hook-shaped formations of the cover facing the collar on the plate.

For the attachment of the base on the H-shaped support, the base housing on the inside of its lateral surface on at least partially encircling groove, in which also engage hook-shaped formations of the other, the base housing facing collar of the plate.

Each collar advantageously has between 2 and 8 hook-shaped formations. The hook-shaped formations have a width of between 1 and 30 mm, depending on the socket housing diameter, and are laterally offset relative to each other, so that the projections of the hook-shaped formations do not overlap in a plane perpendicular to the lamp axis.

In the cover and / or the socket housing facing collar one or more wider slots are incorporated, engage in the corresponding counterparts in the form of ribs on the cover and / or base housing and so produce a rotation. This avoids that arise on the action of torques about the lamp axis forces on the hook-shaped formations, which must therefore absorb only tensile forces. Canceling the hook-shaped formations or a solution of the connection is thus avoided.

The hook-shaped formations on the two collars are further divided by reaching to the plate narrow slits in several segments. This segmentation leads to a reduction in the joining force. The number and width of the segments are matched to one another in such a way that the strength values required in the relevant standards are maintained and the joining forces are within a range that is easily manageable even when mounted by hand.

On the plate openings may additionally be provided for the engagement of holding tools. Thereby, a fully automatic assembly of the equipped with the discharge vessel carrier plate with the designed as an envelope, reflector or end cap cover and the base is made possible.

The H-shaped support is made of plastic, wherein the material is advantageously transparent.

The cover part is preferably made of plastic, wherein in a design of the cover as an envelope this can consist of a glass bulb with an attached plastic edge.

The optional design of the cover as envelope, reflector or end cap allows in production a simple change from compact low-pressure discharge lamps without enveloping pistons to the same lamp type with enveloping bulb or reflector. The pure plug and snap connections a very simplified and fully automated assembly of the lamp is possible.

Brief description of the drawings

Figur 1

eine teilweise schematisch dargestellte, geschnittene Seitenansicht der erfindungsgemäßen Niederdruckentladungslampe mit Hüllkolben;

Figur 2

eine teilweise schematisch dargestellte, geschnittene Seitenansicht der erfindungsgemäßen Niederdruckentladungslampe mit Reflektor;

Figur 3

eine teilweise schematisch dargestellte, geschnittene Seitenansicht der erfindungsgemäßen Niederdruckentladungslampe mit Abschlusskappe

Further details, features, embodiments and advantages will become apparent from the following description of several illustrative embodiments of the subject invention:
Show

FIG. 1

a partially schematically illustrated, sectional side view of the low-pressure discharge lamp according to the invention with enveloping pistons;

FIG. 2

a partially schematically illustrated, sectional side view of the low-pressure discharge lamp according to the invention with reflector;

FIG. 3

a partially schematically illustrated, sectional side view of the low-pressure discharge lamp according to the invention with end cap

Preferred embodiments of the invention

In FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of a compact low-pressure discharge lamp 1 according to the invention with a designed as an envelope 2 plastic cover. The lamp has a multiply wound discharge vessel 3 with an amalgam filling. The ends of the discharge vessel are inserted into openings in the circular plate 4 of an H-shaped discharge vessel carrier 5 made of plastic and fastened by Sockelkitt (not visible here) in the bead-shaped retaining edge 6 to the openings. Via power supply lines 7, the electrodes melted into the ends of the discharge vessel 3 are connected to contacts which are fastened by means of holders 8 to the H-shaped discharge vessel carrier 5.

The H-shaped discharge vessel carrier 5 has at the edge of its plate 4 in the direction of enveloping envelope 2 extending collar 9 with hook-shaped formations 10 which engage in an at least partially circumferential groove 11 on the inner wall of the enveloping piston 2. As a result, a non-detachable connection between the H-shaped discharge vessel carrier 5 and outer bulb 2 is created. By the intermeshing of four hook-shaped formations 10 of the collar 9 in corresponding groove sections 11 in the region of the neck of the enveloping piston 2, an anti-rotation between the enveloping piston 2 and the discharge vessel carrier 5 is realized. This causes that under the influence of torques no forces on the mechanical connection ensuring hook-shaped formations arise and they are thus protected from damage. Grooves and hook-shaped formations are arranged in a 90 ° symmetry. This ensures that after placing the Hüllkolbens 2 at the latest after a 90 ° rotation both parts are in the joining position and are then connected together by applying the joining force. This is an advantage during assembly.

The low-pressure discharge lamp 1 also has a substantially cylindrical base 12 with a housing 13 and connection contacts 14 shown schematically. Inside the housing 13 is a mounting plate 15 perpendicular to the lamp longitudinal axis, which is designed as a circuit board. On the discharge vessel 3 side facing the board tracks are formed and on the discharge vessel 3 side facing away from the circuit elements of a ballast 16 (shown schematically) attached.

The housing 13 of the base 12 is connected to the discharge vessel 5 via hook-shaped formations 17 of the further annular collar 18, likewise not detachable to the layman, on the side of the plate 4 facing the base 12, the hook-shaped formations 17 being in an at least partially encircling annular groove 19 engages in the inner wall of the lateral surface of the housing 13. Both collars 9, 18 have parallel to the axis of symmetry of the H-shaped support 5 a plurality of circumferentially distributed narrow slots 20 which extend to the plate 4 and wider slots 21, in the corresponding ribs 22 on the inner circumferential surface at the neck of the enveloping piston 2 and engage the base housing 13. The narrow slots serve to segment the hook-shaped formations and to reduce or adjust the joining force. The wide slots are used in conjunction with the ribs also to realize an anti-rotation between Base 12 and discharge vessel support 4 and the correct alignment of the contact elements in the brackets 8 to the corresponding contacts on the top of the mounting plate 15th

In the embodiment of the discharge vessel carrier 5 according to the invention, the hook-shaped formations on the collar 9 and 18 are realized in such a way that their projection onto the plane perpendicular to the lamp axis has no overlap. This has the advantage that a slider-less tool for spraying the discharge vessel carrier 5 can be used.

FIG. 2 shows a low-pressure discharge lamp according to the invention, with a reflector 21. Here, the cover is not designed as an enveloping bulb, but as a reflector 21. The other ingredients and the nature of the connection of these parts are in accordance with FIG. 1 illustrated low-pressure discharge lamp with enveloping pistons.

In FIG. 3 is a low-pressure discharge lamp according to the invention with only one end cap 22 is shown. The cover is in this case designed as end cap 22. All other parts and connections are the same.

Claims (22)

1. Compact low-pressure discharge lamp (1) comprising

   - a discharge vessel (3) with electrodes and power supply leads (7)

   - a discharge vessel mount (5) on which the discharge vessel (3) is mounted

   - a cap (12), which comprises a housing (13), connecting contacts (14) and a mounting plate (15) with a ballast apparatus (16), with the mounting plate (15) being fitted with the ballast arrangement (16) in the interior of the cap housing (13), and having connections for electrical connection of the mounting plate (15) to the power supply leads (7) and to the connecting contacts (14),

   characterized in that

   - the discharge vessel mount (5) has an essentially H-shaped cross section and comprises a plate (4) with collars (9, 18) running on the edge of each side of the plate,

   - a cover part is mounted on the H-shaped discharge vessel mount (5), and

   - the housing (13) of the cap (12) is mounted on the H-shaped discharge vessel mount (5).
2. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cover part is in the form of an enveloping bulb (2) for the discharge vessel (3).
3. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cover part is in the form of a reflector (21) for the discharge vessel (3).
4. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cover part is in the form of a closure cap (22) for the cap housing (13).
5. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) is circular.
6. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) has apertures for holding the ends of the discharge vessel (3).
7. Low-pressure discharge vessel according to Claim 1, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) has depressions, in the form of half shells, for holding the ends of the discharge vessel (3).
8. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) has at least one trough for fixing a part of the discharge vessel (3).
9. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) has holders (8), on the side facing the cap (12), for contacts for electrical connection of the power supply leads (7) to the electrical connections of the ballast arrangement (16) on the mounting plate (15).
10. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) has apertures for holding tools to engage in.
11. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 6, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) has a holding edge (6), around the apertures for holding the ends of the discharge vessel (3), on the side of the plate (4) facing the cap (12).
12. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 7, characterized in that the plate (4) of the H-shaped mount (5) has a holding edge (6), around the depressions which are in the form of half shells for holding the ends of the discharge vessel, on the side of the plate (4) facing the cover part.
13. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cover part has an at least partially circumferential groove (11) on the inner face of its casing surface, in which groove (11) formed-out regions (10), in the form of hooks, on the collar (9) (facing the cover part) of the plate (4) engage in order to mount the cover part on the H-shaped mount (5).
14. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cover part is composed of plastic.
15. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the cover part is in the form of an enveloping bulb comprising a glass bulb with a plastic neck fitted to it.
16. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cap housing (13) has an at least partially circumferential groove (19) on the inner face of its casing surface, in which groove (19) formed-out regions (17), in the form of hooks, of the collar (18) (facing the cap housing (13)) of the plate (4) engage in order to mount the cap housing (13) on the H-shaped mount (5).
17. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 13 and/or 16, characterized in that the formed-out regions (10), in the form of hooks, on the collar (9, 18), which are associated with the cover part and/or the cap housing (13), of the plate (4) are subdivided into a number of segments by narrow slots (20) which extend as far as the plate.
18. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 13 and/or 16, characterized in that the formed-out regions (10), in the form of hooks, on the collars (9, 18) (associated with the cover part and/or the cap housing) of the plate (4) have a width of between 1 and 30 mm.
19. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 13 and/or 16, characterized in that the formed-out regions (10), in the form of hooks, on the collar (9, 18) (associated with the cover part and the cap housing (13)) of the plate (4) are offset laterally with respect to one another, such that the projections of the formed-out regions (10), in the form of hooks, do not overlap in a plane at right angles to the lamp axis.
20. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 13 and/or 16, characterized in that the collar (9) which is associated with the cover part and/or the collar (18) which is associated with the cap housing (13) of the plate (4) has/each have 2 to 8 formed-out regions (10) in the form of hooks.
21. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the two collars (9, 18) on the H-shaped mount (5) have a number of broader slots (21), which are distributed around the circumference, parallel to the axis of symmetry of the H-shaped mount (5), which slots (21) extend as far as the plate and in which ribs (22), which are fitted on the inner casing surface of the cover part and/or of the cap housing, engage when the lamp is in the assembled state.
22. Low-pressure discharge lamp according to Claim 1, characterized in that the H-shaped mount (5) is composed of plastic.

Images