FR2630060A3 - Lighting device for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

This device, designed for the internal lighting of a motor vehicle (passenger compartment, boot or engine), includes an elongate light bulb 5 with opposite terminals 6, 6' interacting with electrical connection terminals 7, 7', serving to physically support the light bulb. The said terminals 7, 7' are considerably extended by making them describe a curve defining angular strips 15, 15', and the glass 2 is provided, in a complementary way, with rear partitions 3 acting, when it is clipped onto the housing 1, on the said pins by deforming them elastically to move them closer to one another, which provides perfect fixing of the lamp at the same time as electrically connecting it; when the glass 2 is removed, the terminals 7, 7' are released, which makes it possible to move them apart easily in order to extract the lamp.

Description

Lighting device for automobiles.

 The present invention relates to a lighting device of the type of those used in motor vehicles, and more precisely of the type of those which include a housing or b ti which, completed by a transparent, forms a receptacle in which is housed a lamp or bulb with its corresponding connection edges, this assembly being recessed so that, in a normal mounting situation, only the front surface of the transparency is visible through which the light passes when the bulb is on.

 In lighting devices of this kind, cylindrical lamps or bulbs are used, the connection terminals of which are located at the ends and therefore opposite one another.

 In accordance with the type of bulb provided for said devices, we use on the frame or casing of these obviously electrically conductive metal terminals which are firmly attached to said casing, forming one of their ends; pins or plugs to the electrical circuit, pins outside the receptacle containing the bulb, while their inner ends form a sort of elastically deformable fork, the branches of which can be moved apart to allow the bulb to be embedded and blocked therein; because of their elasticity, said branches serve not only as a means of supplying electricity to the bulb, but also as a means of supporting and retaining the latter.

 I1 emerges from all of the above that the material of the terminals must be, in addition to a good electrical conductor, a material with optimal characteristics with regard to elasticity, insofar as the latter gradually decreases over time and where, therefore, both the mechanical fixing or tightening and the electrical continuity undergo progressive degradation, not to mention that the vehicle vibrations and possible sudden shocks can hinder the electrical continuity, or even project the bulb out of its housings.

 The object of the invention is to propose a lighting device for automobiles overcoming these drawbacks while giving all satisfaction.

 To do this, the invention starts from the fact that, in this type of lighting device, the transparency is provided with a posterior peripheral partition framing, in a casserole dish, the zone in which the bulb is placed. From this standard structure of the transparency, the characteristics of the invention are based on the fact that the pins of the connection terminals extend substantially within the receptacle and beyond their areas of contact with the terminals of the 'bulb and fold up forming angular blades or plates resting, via one of their branches, on the lamp and, by the other, on the corresponding sector of the posterior partition of the transparency, so that the pressure of the terminals on the bulb is obtained not only by the inherent elasticity of the branches of the fork defined by said terminals, but also thanks to said angular blades formed at the ends of said terminals, blades whose performance, due to the fact that they are many shorter, are significantly higher than those of the branches of the conventional fork.

 It should also be emphasized that these angular blades at the extreme ends of the connection terminals in no way affect the operations of fitting and removing the bulb because, obviously, such operations are carried out in the absence of the transparency and, consequently, at this time, the angular blades of the connection terminals prove to be inoperative because they are deprived of their external support provided by the peripheral partition of said transparent; the assembly or replacement operations of the bulb are therefore carried out identically and with the same ease as in the case of a conventional light of this kind, to the extent ot the improvements made in the context of invention produce their effects only when the transparency is mounted on the fire bolt and therefore when it is in service.

 To complete the present description, and with a view to making it easier to understand the characteristics of the invention, a single figure is attached, which represents, by way of illustration and not limitation, a view in side elevation and in section of a lighting device for automobiles produced in accordance with the subject of the present invention.

 The device or object of the invention consists, in a conventional manner, of a box 1 completed by a transparent 2 provided with a posterior peripheral partition 3 and mating, via the free edge of the latter, to the opening of the case 1 by inserting a seal 4 therein; the assembly defines a receptacle closed with a view to housing the lamp 5 therewith its terminals 6-6 ′ opposite one another and in coaxial alignment t said terminals receive the connection terminals 7-7 'which form, inside the aforementioned receptacle 14 a fork or bar for connection and mechanical fixing of the lamp 5, and-, after having passed through a sector 8 of the case on which they are fixed, connection pins 9 to electric supply circuit. The transparent 2 comprises, near its periphery and outside the rear partition 3, a hook 10 for snapping onto an edge area of a window 11 formed on the surface 12 of implantation of the device d 'lighting ; in the opposite zone, it comprises means for fixing a clip or rod 13 which, as can be seen perfectly in the figure, once the hook or pawl 10 is snapped onto an edge of the window 11, ensures the fixing to the opposite edge of said window by simple pressure.

 In addition to this conventional basic structure, the lamp according to the invention has characteristics focused on the fact that the branches of the fork or bar defined by the terminals 7-7 'within the receptacle 14 where the bulb is housed, extend beyond the zones of contact with the terminals 6 and 6 'of said bulb, while forming an outward bend which defines angular blades 15-15' whose external and free branch rests on the internal surface of the posterior peripheral partition 3 of the transparency 2. This forces said angular blades 1515 'to reduce the dihedral angle which they form and results in a pressure of the terminals 7-7' against the terminals 6-6 'of the lamp 5, which s 'adds to that of said pins or branches of the fork or bar, pressure of greater magnitude and more stable over time. I1 results not only a perfect fixing of the lamp 5 within the receptacle 14, via the electrical connection terminals, in a conventional manner, but also a reliability of the connection, and more precisely the electrical continuity in the direction of each lamp terminal, over time.

 Furthermore, this very special configuration of the connection terminals 7-7 ', and in particular of their terminal strips 15-15', poses no problem during the operations of mounting and replacing the bulb 5, insofar as these operations are carried out once the transparent 2 is disengaged from the housing 1, of which said terminals 7-7 ′ are integral.

Thus, when mounting or replacing the bulb 5, the angular blades 15-15 'are not damaged by the posterior peripheral partition 3 of the transparency, and therefore, the deformability of the fork or bar formed by said terminals is similar. to that of a conventional lamp of this kind, said angular blades 15 15 ′ remaining out of service as long as the transparency 2 is not coupled to the housing 1, which obviously only occurs when the bulb 5 has been mounted or replaced.

 The materials, the shape, the dimensions and the arrangement of the elements of the device described may undergo variations insofar as this does not affect the essence of the invention.

Claims (1)

 1. Lighting device for motor vehicles of the type which comprises a housing (1) and a transparency (2), forming a closed receptacle (14), provided with means for fixing to the vehicle, and inside which is housed a bulb. (5) at the opposite coaxial terminals (6, 6 ') whose mechanical fixing within said receptacle (14) is carried out using the same electrical connection terminals (7, 7') thereof, these terminals ( 7, 7 ') being produced by metal pins integral with the housing itself (1) and emerging outside of it to be electrically connected, while inside they form a bar or fork between the branches of which the bulb (5) is fitted, the transparent (2) comprising a rear peripheral partition (3) by means of which it fits onto the housing (1), characterized in that said connection terminals extend substantially within the receptacle (14) where the lamp is housed and beyond the points of physical contact with the latter, while forming a bend towards the inside in the form of angular blades (15, 15 ') resting on the posterior peripheral partition (3) of the transparent 2j, the whole so that in situation normal mounting of the transparent (2) on the housing (1), said angular blades (15, 15 ') tend to close the branches of the bar formed by the connection terminals (7, 7') while, when said transparency (2) is no longer secured to the housing (1), that is to say at the time of fitting or replacing the bulb (5), the angular blades (15, 15 ') do not make more contact and remain out of service.