GB2070220A - Battery lamps with external connection provision - Google Patents

Abstract

A lamp has a casing 50 housing batteries 26, 27 and positive and negative contact members 15, 23 for battery contact. The contact members 15, 23 extend adjacent a side wall of the casing 50, in which holes 39 and 40 are provided. Thus, contact portions of a plug may pass through the holes 39 and 40 to contact the contact members 15, 23 respectively, whereby, for example, battery condition may be monitored, or the batteries may be charged. Advantageously, the casing 50 is of plastics. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Lamps The invention relates to lamps and particularly to battery operated lamps.

The invention provides a battery operated lamp comprising a casing for housing at least one battery, and positive and negative contact members for contacting positive and negative terminals respectively of a battery or batteries housed in the casing, the casing being formed with at least one hole through which two contact portions of a plug may pass to contact said positive and negative contact members respectively.

The arrangement may be such that the contact portions merely touch the contact members, for example, so that a battery tester may be temporarily connected to the contact members to check the state of the battery or batteries.

Alternatively the arrangement may be such that the contact portions can be engaged with the contact members for a prolonged period of time, for example, to connect the battery or batteries to a battery charger.

The contact members may for example each have a hole therein to receive one of the contact portions.

Preferably one contact member comprises a metal plate, the other contact member comprising a metal strip mounted on the plate but electrically insulated therefrom.

The metal plate may extend substantially perpendicular to a side wall of the casing, the side wall having said at least one hole therein, and the plate and the strip having an edge portion bent into a plane parallel to the plane of the side wall adjacent to the hole or holes to receive contact portions.

The plate may have a flange bent into the plane parallel to the plane of the said side wall, and the strip may extend down the inside of the flange and then part of the way up the outside of the flange, leaving an area of the outside of the flange clear to receive one of the contact portions and there being a strip of insulation material between the strip and the flange.

There may be a first passage extending through a hole in the end of the strip lying on the outside of the flange, then through a hole in the insulation, then through a hole in the flange, then through another hole in the insulation, and finally through another hole in the strip, the hole in the flange being larger than the holes in the strip so that a contact member inserted into the first passage only makes electrical contact with the strip.

There may be a second passage extending through the clear portion of the outside of the flange, then through the insulation, then through a hole in the metal strip, the hole in the metal strip being larger than the hole in the flange, so that a contact portion inserted in the second passage only makes contact with the flange.

By way of example, specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view in cross section of an embodiment of lamp according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front view in cross section of the lamp shown in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of contact members thereof comprising a metal plate, a metal strip, and a strip of insulation therebetween; Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of the metal plate; Figure 5 is a perspective view of part of the insulation; Figure 6 is a perspective view of part of the metal strip; and Figures 7 and 8 are views corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, but showing an embodiment with a plastics casing.

The illustrated embodiments relate to traffic lamps for use as warning lamps, for example around roadworks, on roads, motorways and the like.

The lamp of Figs. 1 to 6 comprises a generally rectangular metal casing 10 which is open at its lower end. The side faces 11 and 1 2 each have a circular aperture therein housing a lens 1 3. Within the casing, in each of the four corners thereof, there is a projecting metal tag 14 to form location points for a rectangular metal plate 1 5 inserted into the casing through the open lower end. The plate 1 5 carries an upwardly projecting bracket 1 6 which supports an electric bulb 1 7. The outer contact area of the bulb 1 7 is electrically connected to the plate 1 5 via the bracket 1 6.

The lower contact 1 8 of the bulb is electrically connected to a switch 1 9 via an insulated contact 20 and a lead 21. The switch 19 has a second contact which is connected via circuitry 22 to a metal strip 23, by means not shown. The metal strip 23 is mounted on the plate 1 5 but is electrically insulated therefrom by an insulation strip 24.

The circuitry 22 merely ensures that when batteries are inserted in the lamp and the lamp is switched on, the bulb 1 7 flashes at regular intervals. The circuitry 22 does not form part of the invention and will not therefore be described in detail.

The lamp is arranged to be powered by two batteries 26 and 27, each battery having a generally square cross section. At one end of each battery there is a first central contact 28 in the form of a spring, and a second off-set contact 29 in the form of a second spring.

Each contact 29 lies between the contact 28 of the associated battery and a corner of the battery.

The batteries are inserted through the lower end of the casing 10 and are pressed slightly to compress the springs 28 and 29 to make good contact. No matter what orientation each battery has whenit is inserted into the lamp, the central contact 28 of the battery always makes contact with the metal strip 23, and the off-set contact 29 always makes contact with the plate 1 5.

An L-shaped bracket 30 is then inserted into the casing and the bracket is secured in position by a bolt 31 which passes through a hole in the face 1 2 of the casing and then into a nut 32 fastened to the bracket 30.

There is sufficient space between the batteries for the bolt to pass therebetween.

It will be seen from Fig. 2 that the plate 1 5 and the metal strip 23 lie substantially in a plane which is perpendicular to the side walls 33 and 34 of the casing. However it will be seen that at one end the plate 1 5 and metal strip 23 are bent into a plane parallel to the plane containing the wall 34. The bent portions of the plate 15, the strip 23, and the interposed insulation strip 24, are shown in more detail in Figs. 4 to 6.

One end of metal plate 1 5 is bent downwardly to form a flange 35. The corresponding end of the metal strip 23 is bent downwardly to provide a portion 36 which, in the finished lamp, extends down the inside of the flange 35, and there is then a portion 37 bent upwardly to extend up the outside of the flange 35. However as seen in Fig. 6, the portion 37 is shorter than the portion 36, so that an upper portion 38 (Fig. 3) of the flange 35 is left clear.

The interposed insulation strip 24 has a similar configuration to the strip 23, as shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 2, the wall 34 has a pair of holes 39 and 40 therein. A two-pin plug can be inserted through these holes. The upper pin of the plug, after passing through the hole 39, will pass through a hole 48 (Fig.

4) in the plate 15, then through a hole 41 (Fig. 5) in the insulation, and finally through a hole 42 (Fig. 6) in the metal strip 23. The hole 42 is much larger than the hole 48 and so the pin only makes electrical contact with the plate 15.

The lower pin, after passing through the hole 40, passes through a hole 43 (Fig. 6) in the strip 23, then through a hole 44 (Fig. 5) in the insulation, then through a hole 45 (Fig.

4) in the metal plate 15, then through another hole 46 (Fig. 5) in the insulation, and finally through another hole 47 (Fig. 6) in the strip 23. The hole 45 in the metal plate 1 5 is much larger than the holes 43 and 47 in the metal strip 23 and so the pin only makes electrical contact with the metal strip 23.

The two-pin plug can thus be used to connect a battery tester across the batteries, for example the battery tester described in our co-pending British Patent Application No.

79341 56. Alternatively the plug may be used to connect a battery charger to the batteries, if the lamp is used with rechargeable batteries.

When the lamp has a metal case, as is the case with this example, the holes 39 and 40 may be of such a size that the pins do not in fact contact the metal case themselves, as this would of course provide a short circuit across the plug. Alternatively the holes 39 and 40 may be provided with bushes of electrical insulating material.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is generally similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 6, where like reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts. However, in Figs. 7 and 8, the lamp comprises a casing 50 moulded in one piece from plastics material, and comprising an upper portion 51 which houses the lenses 13, and a lower portion 52 which houses the batteries 26 and 27. It may be seen that the upper portion 51 is of somewhat smaller cross-section than the lower portion 52, and where the two portions meet, there are defined shoulders 54 which serve the function of the lugs 14 in Figs. 1 and 2-namely, to support or locate the plate 1 5.

To close the casing 50 there is provided a base member 60, which is also moulded of plastics material, and which is secured in position by means of a bolt 31. Alternatively, a base member such as 60 may be provided, which clips into the bottom of the casing 50 in a snap-fitting manner.

Another difference of the embodiment shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is that the circuitry 22 is mounted on the bracket 1 6. Then, the switch 1 9 and circuitry 22 are connected in series between the insulated contacts 20 and the plate 1 5 by means of wires 57, 58 and 59. The circuitry 22 is, of course, mounted on the bracket 1 6 in an insulated manner.

It may be seen that holes 39 and 40 for the insertion of a two-pin plug are provided in the appropriate wall of the lower portion 52.

However, as the casing 50 is of plastics material, there is no need to ensure clearance between the pins of the two-pin plug and the casing 50. Indeed, a friction fit therebetween may be of assistance in securing a plug in position. In Figs. 7 and 8, there are not provided any holes in the plate 15, strip 23 or insulation 24, the pins of a plug merely making electrical contact respectively with the metal plate 1 5 and the metal strip 23 after they have passed through the holes 39 and 40.

As an alternative to the illustrated embodi- ments, the casing 10 or the casing 50 may be provided with a single hole instead of the pair of holes 39 and 40. This hole can then receive a coaxial plug, jack plug or the like, carrying contact portions for making electrical contact with suitably shaped portions of the plate 15 and strip 23.

The casing 10 or 50 may be circular rather than rectangular, or any other suitable shape -e.g. conical.

Claims (27)

1. A battery operated lamp comprising a casing for housing at least one battery, and positive and negative contact members for contacting positive and negative terminals respectively of a battery or batteries housed in the casing, the casing being formed with at least one hole through which two contact portions of a plug may pass to contact said positive and negative contact members respectively.

2. A lamp according to Claim 1, wherein the casing is formed with two holes through which two pins of a plug may pass respectively to contact said contact members.

3. A lamp according to Claim 1, wherein said contact members are arranged to contact respective contact portions of a coaxial plug, jack plug or the like, and said casing is formed with a single hole through which said contact portions may pass.

4. A lamp according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said contact members are arranged for simple touch contact with said contact portions.

5. A lamp according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said contact members are provided with means for engaging said contact members.

6. A lamp according to Claim 5, wherein said means comprises an apertured portion on at least one of said members.

7. A lamp according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of said contact members comprises a strip conductor.

8. A lamp according to Claim 7, wherein said contact members comprise respective strip conductors assembled together with an electrically insulative material therebetween.

9. A lamp according to Claim 8, wherein one of said contact members is narrower than the other contact member, upon which it is superposed with the interposition of said electrically insulative material.

10. A lamp according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein said contact members extend at an angle to a side wall of the casing, and have respective edge portions which extend substantially parallel to said side wall, adjacent to said hole or holes.

11. A lamp according to Claim 1 0, wherein said angle is substantially a right angle.

1 2. A lamp according to claim 10 or 11 as appendant to Claim 9, wherein the edge portion of said one contact member extends at least partially along the outside of the edge portion of the other contact member, to present both of said edge portions towards said hole or holes.

1 3. A lamp according to Claim 12, wherein the edge portiorlof said one contact member extends along the inside and only partially along the outside of the edge portion of the other contact member.

14. A lamp according to Claim 6 or to any of Claims 7 to t3 as appendant thereto, wherein one of said contact members has at least one aperture aligned with an aperture on the other contact member, the apertures being so arranged that a contact portion of a plug passing therethrough contacts only one of said contact members.

15. A lamp according to Claims 2 and 14, wherein each contact member is provided with two apertures each in register with a respective one of the two apertures in the other contact member, each pair of registering apertures being so arranged that a respective pin of a plug passing therethrough contacts only one of said contact members.

16. A lamp according to any preceding claim, wherein the casing is of metal.

17. A lamp according to Claim 16, provided with electrically insulative bushings in or around the or each said hole.

18. A lamp according to any one of Claims 1 to 15, wherein said casing is of electrically insulative plastics material.

1 9. A lamp according to any preceding claim, wherein said casing is provided or formed with support means for supporting or locating a contact plate or component mounting plate within the casing.

20. A lamp according to any preceding claim, wherein said casing has an upper portion housing a lens, and a lower portion, of larger cross-section than the upper portion, for housing the or each battery.

21. A lamp according to Claims 19 and 20, wherein said support means is afforded by shoulders defined at the junction of said upper and lower portions.

22. A lamp according to any preceding claim, including circuitry for controlling flashing of a bulb, in use.

23. A battery operated lamp substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

24. A battery operated lamp substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6, as modified by Figs. 7 and 8, of the accompanying drawings.

25. A battery operated lamp according to any preceding claim, in combination with a plug having contact portions adapted to pass through said hole(s) to contact said contact members.

26. A combination according to Claim 25, further including battery testing means connected to said plug.

27. A combination according to Claim 25 or Claim 26, further including battery charging means connected to said plug.