WO1999008346A1

WO1999008346A1 - Electrical assemblies and fasteners

Info

Publication number: WO1999008346A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/002365
Authority: WO
Inventors: Barry Allen Marchini; Andrew Thomas Black; Colin Crossman
Original assignee: Starpoint Electrics Limited
Priority date: 1997-08-06
Filing date: 1998-08-06
Publication date: 1999-02-18
Also published as: GB0002549D0; AU8639998A; GB2343064B; GB2343064A

Abstract

An electrical assembly comprises a pair of electrical terminals (12) formed in such a manner that a first electrical component (14) can be accepted in a first orientation between first contacts (40) of the electrical terminals whereas a second electrical component (16) can be accepted in a second orientation between second contacts (42) of the electrical terminals, with the electrical assembly being locatable with a fastener including a lampholder body (206), and abutment (208) and a flange (210) all formed of plastics material, the body (206) being insertable into an aperture (202) in a panel member (204) such that, in use, the abutment (208) overlaps one face of the panel member (204) and the flange (210) overlaps the other face of the panel member (204), with an end part (218) of the flange (210) inclined generally towards the abutment (208) contacting an inner surface of the aperture (202) in the panel member (204).

Description

Electrical Assemblies and Fasteners

The present invention relates generally to electrical assemblies and fasteners and is more especially but not exclusively concerned with improvements to our GB-A-2301493 in which an electrical terminal can be electrically connected to a diode as well as to electrical wiring for use with a lampholder body.

Such electrical terminals are used in pairs for electrical connection with so-called wedge based lamps but only one of the electrical terminals in each pair needs to be provided with the diode.

Wedge based lamps have two filament lead wires which emerge from glass to allow direct electrical contact of the filament lead wires with respective ones of the two electrical terminals.

Such wedge based lamps are currently available in two sizes, 10 mm and 5 mm, and it would be convenient if those different sizes could be easily interchanged without needing to change either of the electrical terminals.

A first aim of the present invention is thus to provide electrical assemblies in which the same electrical terminals are capable of use at different times with different electrical components. According to a first aspect of the present invention, an electrical assembly comprises a pair of electrical terminals formed in such a manner that a first electrical component can be accepted in a first orientation between first contacts of the electrical terminals whereas a second electrical component can be accepted in a second orientation between second contacts of the electrical terminals.

Preferably, the first and second orientations are perpendicular to one another, and the first and second electrical components are of the same character but of different dimensions. In addition to the contacts for enabling electrical connection to the first and second electrical components, each of the electrical terminals may include further contacts for enabling electrical connection to further electrical components.

Preferably, the first and second contacts are for enabling electrical connection to wedge based lamps whereas the further contacts are for enabling electrical connection to a diode and electrical wiring. In a particularly preferred arrangement, each of the electrical terminals is formed in one piece to a channellike outline with tongues for locating with a lampholder body, with a pair of slotted flanges which project from opposed sides of a gap in a base portion, and with side portions having breakable parts for alignment with associated holes in the lampholder body.

A second aim of the present invention is to enable such an electrical assembly, or indeed any other workpiece, to be fastened with respect to a panel member in a particularly convenient manner.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a fastener comprises a body, an abutment and a flange all formed of plastics material, the body being insertable into an aperture in a panel member such that, in use, the abutment overlaps one face of the panel member and the flange overlaps the other face of the panel member, with an end part of the flange inclined generally towards the abutment contacting an inner surface of the aperture in the panel member. With such a construction, particularly if the body is annular or is at least inwardly reεiliently deformable, the fastener can be fixed into the aperture by a push-in action and can be removed from the aperture by a twist-out action.

The twist-out action is facilitated by the fact that the end part of the flange is already in contact with the inner surface of the aperture in the panel member. The fact that the end part of the flange is already in contact with the inner surface of the aperture in the panel member also facilitates a friction fit of the fastener with different thicknesses of the panel member. It should be noted that it is merely necessary for the abutment and the flange to overlap the panel member although the abutment and/or the flange may in fact be in contact with the panel member.

Preferably, the body is of hollow generally cylindrical form with a pair of longitudinally extending slots.

Preferably, there are two similar abutments and two similar flanges, with each of the abutments being associated with one of the slots and with each of the flanges being associated with one of the body bifurcations between the slots.

It will be appreciated that the protection also extends to the fastener in combination with a panel member or an electrical assembly and a panel member wherein the electrical assembly is in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention.

An electrical assembly, and a fastener, in accordance with the present invention, will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the electrical assembly including a 10 mm wedge based lamp;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, different side views of just one of the electrical terminals of the electrical assembly;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the electrical assembly including a 5 mm wedge based lamp;

Figure 6 is a transverse section through Figure 5; Figure 7 is an end view of the fastener;

Figure 8 is a side view of the fastener taken in the direction of the arrow A of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a side view of the fastener taken in the direction of the arrow B of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is an enlarged partial section taken along the line X-X of Figure 7 (i.e. the upper part of Figure 1) ; and

Figure 11 is an enlarged partial section taken along the line Xl-Xl of Figure 7 (i.e. the upper part of Figure 5).

An electrical assembly 10, in accordance with the present invention, is shown in Figures 1 to 6 , wherein a pair of electrical terminals 12 are formed in such a manner that they can accept, at different times, different wedge based lamps 14,16.

The terminals 12 are the same. Each is formed in one piece of phosphor bronze to a channel-like outline with tongues 18 for locating with a plastics lampholder body 20. Moreover, each is formed with a pair of slotted flanges 22 which project from opposed sides of a gap 24 in a base portion 26. Side portions 28 of each terminal 12 are formed with a respective breakable parts 30 for alignment with associated holes 32 in the lampholder body 20.

A diode 34 may be electrically connected to just one of the terminals 12 by securing its leads 36 to the slots in the slotted flanges 22. One end of each terminal 12 is formed with slits 38 for enabling electrical wiring to be connected thereto by localised removal of insulation from the electrical wiring.

The other end of each terminal 12, as disclosed in our GB-A-2301493 , is formed with a pair of legs 40 which together form a resiliently deflectable connection for a lamp (lamp 14) .

The advance of the present invention is that each terminal 12 is formed with an additional leg 42 which allows connection with an alternative lamp (lamp 16). It will be appreciated that the wedge based lamps 14, 16 are of similar construction but of different size, lamp 14 being 10 mm and lamp 16 being 5 mm. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the base of the lamp 14 (the bulb having been omitted) is formed of glass with a central bulbous part 44 between two longitudinal flanges 46. The bulbous part 44 is longer than the two flanges 46, having a rounded end 48, and each of the two flanges 46 is formed with a pair of transverse locating grooves 50. A separate filament wire 52 extends longitudinally within each of the two flanges 46 and emerges from the glass at the bottom. Each filament wire 52 is shaped as a loop 54 before its free end is again embedded within the associated one of the two flanges 46. The loops 54 are bent to lie against opposite faces of the base of the lamp 14 in a conventional manner.

In use, the lamp 14 is received in a first orientation between the two terminals 12 such that one of the legs 40 of each of the terminals 12 is brought into electrical contact with a respective one of the loops 54 of the lamp 14 in a conventional manner.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the base of the lamp 16 (the bulb having been shown in phantom) is again formed of glass with a central bulbous part 44 between two longitudinal flanges 46. The bulbous part 44 is longer than the two flanges 46, having a rounded end 48, but each of the two flanges 46 is here formed with only a single transverse locating groove 50. Moreover, although a separate filament wire 52 extends longitudinally within each of the two flanges 46, and emerges from the glass at the bottom, the filament wires 52 do not re-enter the glass but are merely laid against opposite faces of the base of the lamp 16 in a conventional manner.

In use, in what is a significant departure from the prior art, the lamp 16 can be received in a second orientation between the two terminals 12 such that the leg 42 of each of the terminals 12 is brought into electrical contact with a respective one of the filament wires 52 of the lamp 16. It will be appreciated that the lamps 14 and 16 could be easily interchanged without needing to change either of the electrical terminals 12.

The accompanying drawings show, in Figures 7 to 11, a fastener 200 which is capable of being inserted into an aperture 202 in a panel member 204 and fastened thereto.

The fastener 200 includes a body 206, a pair of similar abutments 208 and a pair of similar flanges 210, all formed of plastics material such as by known integral moulding techniques.

The body 206 has a hollow cylindrical portion 212 which is circumferentially continuous apart from at a pair of relatively wide slots 214a and a number of relatively thin slots 214b. All of the slots 214a and 214b are parallel to longitudinal axis 0. Each of the abutments 208 extends outwardly from a closed end of a respective one of the slots 214a. Each of the flanges 210 extends circumferentially of the hollow cylindrical portion 212 between open ends of the slots 214a with the flanges 210 being rotationally symmetrical.

An end part 216 of each flange 210 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 0 - however, an end part 218 of each flange 210 is inclined generally towards an adjacent one of the abutments 208. In use, it will be appreciated that the body 206 can be inserted into the aperture 202 in the panel member 204 with a push-in action. The body 206 is resiliently inwardly deflected, facilitated by the slots 214b, which allows the flanges 210 to enter the aperture 202. By the time that the abutments 208 contact one face of the panel member 204, the end parts 216 of the flanges 210 have emerged from the aperture 202 and at least overlap the other face of the panel member 204. The end parts 218 of the flanges 208 remain in the aperture 202. Initially, this helps the fastener 200 be a friction fit with different thicknesses of the panel member 204. It also helps subsequent removal of the body 206 from the panel member 204 by a twist-out action.

Claims

1. An electrical assembly comprising a pair of electrical terminals formed in such a manner that a first electrical component can be accepted in a first orientation between first contacts of the electrical terminals whereas a second electrical component can be accepted in a second orientation between second contacts of the electrical terminals.

2. An electrical assembly according to claim 1, in which the first and second orientations are perpendicular to one another.

3. An electrical assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the first and second electrical components are of the same character but of different dimensions.

4. An electrical assembly according to any preceding claim, in which each of the electrical terminals includes further contacts for enabling electrical connection to further electrical components.

5. An electrical assembly according to claim 3 and claim 4 , in which the first and second contacts are for enabling electrical connection to wedge based lamps whereas the further contacts are for enabling electrical connection to a diode and electrical wiring.

6. An electrical assembly according to claim 5, in which each of the electrical terminals is formed in one piece to a channel-like outline with tongues for locating with a lampholder body, with a pair of slotted flanges which project from opposed sides of a gap in a base portion, and with side portions having breakable parts for alignment with associated holes in the lampholder body.

7. A fastener comprising a body, an abutment and a flange all formed of plastics material, the body being insertable into an aperture in a panel member such that, in use, the abutment overlaps one face of the panel member and the flange overlaps the other face of the panel member, with an end part of the flange inclined generally towards the abutment contacting an inner surface of the aperture in the panel member.

8. A fastener according to claim 7, in which the body is inwardly resiliently deformable.

9. A fastener according to claim 8, in which the body is of hollow generally cylindrical form with a pair of longitudinally extending slots.

10. A fastener according to claim 9, in which there are two similar abutments and two similar flanges, with each of the abutments being associated with one of the slots and with each of the flanges being associated with one of the body bifurcations between the slots.

11. A fastener according to any one of claims 7 to 10 in combination with a panel member.

12. A fastener according to any one of claims 7 to 10 in combination with an electrical assembly and a panel member wherein the electrical assembly is in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 6.