LAMP HOLDER

Description

[0001] Assembly of a lamp holder and a support of a lighting unit for conductively fitting a lamp, of the low-voltage halogen-type, provided with two conductive pins, in which the conductive parts of the lamp holder themselves constitute the lamp holder and are separated from each other by an insulator - in other words, the entire body of the lamp holder, except for the insulator, is conductive - and are conductively fixed to the support of a lighting unit, means being provided in or on the two conductors for the conductive and firm fixing in or on these conductors of the conductors of the lamp to be fitted, in which one conducting lamp pin is smaller than the other and is - preferably entirely - enclosed in the other conductor of the lamp holder, and that the support of a lighting unit is attached to - or partially attached within - the large conductor, and the conductors of the support of a lighting unit are - preferably in the lamp holder - conductively connected to the conductive parts of the lamp holder and thus provide a good conductive contact with the lamp,
An assembly of this type is known from US-A-2 101 277.

[0002] This assembly has a number of practical disadvantages.
These disadvantages are connected to the fitting of the conductors of the lamp holder, which is the more a problem when the lamps are changed or interchanged. The object of the invention is to remove these disadvantages and provide an assembly of the type described in the preamble, which can be easily changed or interchanged.

[0003] This object is reached by the invention, in that for attaching the two conductors of the lamp holder to each other, one conductor (the small one) fits very tightly, with a so-called interference fit, in the insulator, which encloses the conductor and fits very tightly, with a so-called interference fit, in the other, large conductor, which fully encloses the insulator, thus there is no need to use any other fixation and/or locking materials.

[0004] According to a preferential embodiment of a support of a lighting unit for the use in the assembly of claim 1, for low voltage lamps, the body of the support of the lighting unit is one of the two conductors, and the other conductor passes through that body, preferably in the form of a live wire insulated from the body. The opening in the large conductor, which is intended for accommodating the small conductor which is equipped with the insulator or the small conductor, or both is (are) provided with a beveled edge at the edges closest to the other conductor, such that the distance between the two conductors is at least as large as the standards laid down for this (IEC 598, inter alia so-called creepage distances).

[0005] Advantages of the invention are the following:

• Fixing the two conducting parts together can be done without making use of fixing and/or locking materials;
• The lamp holder does not present problems connected with the coefficient of expansion of the insulator being different from that of the other material of the lamp holder;
• The lamp holder can be made of the same material as the support of a lighting unit
• The lamp holder itself can form an external part of the support of a lighting unit
• The lamp holder permits the lamp to be fitted perpendicular to the support of a lighting unit instead of in line with it;
• Production of the lamp holder is simple, as it has only three main parts, and these are also the conductors;
• The lamp holder can be used for a support of a lighting unit of which the body itself is one of the conductors, and can be rotatably fixed on such support of a lighting unit;
• The lamp holder permits all the conductors to be firmly connected, which is very important for low-voltage systems;
• The lamp holder complies with the international legal requirements in this area (SELV), inter alia with those governing the distance between conductors, whilst the insulator can still be thinner than that distance, because the two parts of the lamp holder have bevelled edges and need not be insulated from each other but through the insulator and the distance provided by the bevelled edge.

[0006] A description will now be given of an embodiment of the present invention for a low-voltage (halogen) lamp with a bi-pin base (for instance, type GX 5.3) which is to be fitted at right angles to the support of a lighting unit. Figure 1 shows the lamp holder described in section and figure 2 in perspective. The figures 3 and 4 are a plan view and a side view of a possible application of the lamp holder described in combination with a support of a lighting unit of special shape.

[0007] The lamp holder consists of two conductors (1, 2) and an insulator (3), and for fixing one to the other there is no need to use any fixation and/or locking materials, because one conductor (2) is smaller than the other (1) and fits entirely and very tightly in the insulator (3), which fully encloses the conductor (2) and fits entirely and very tightly in the other conductor (1), which fully encloses the insulator (3), in such a way that the two ends of all three components coincide precisely, without any of them projecting more than the other two. To minimize the dimensions, the ends of the hole in the conductor (1) can be provided with a bevelled edge (14), as a result of which the distance between the end of the insulator (3) and the end of the conductor (1) is equal to the thickness of the insulator, so that the legal requirements with regard to the distance between the two conductors is complied with, whereas the insulator can be thinner than that distance, and yet the two conductors (1, 2) need not be insulated from each other in some other way.

[0008] For the conducting fixation of the conducting lamp pins (5) of the lamp (4) the lamp holder has certain provisions, which here have the form of a socket (6) in each conductor (1, 2) of the lamp holder. The lamp pins (5) are locked in the sockets (6) with the aid of screws for which provisions have been made in the lamp holder (7). The presence of the locking screws ensures a secure and conducting accommodation of the lamp (4) in the lamp holder. The length of the screws used is determined by the thickness of the small conductor (2): the screw must not connect up with the other conductor (1) and must have sufficient material in the small conductor (2) to be securely fixed.

[0009] The lamp holder is attached to a support of a lighting unit, of which the body (8) is one of the conductors. The other conductor (9) of the support of a lighting unit passes throught the body (8) and is separated therefrom by an insulation (10), for instance copper wire with an insulating sheath. In the present case the lamp holder has been mounted perpendicular to the support of a lighting unit. To this end the two conducting parts of the lamp holder (1 and 2) are provided with an opening (11 and 12, respectively) to accommodate the conductors of the support of a lighting unit (8 and 9, respectively). For the same reasons, both of them are locked in position with the aid of, for instance, screws, for which provisions (13) have been made in the holder. The live connection between the small conductor (2) and the wire (9) is effected by the screw (13), which locks the wire (9) by turning it through the insulation (10).

[0010] Attachment and locking of the lamp holder on the support of a lighting unit is effected by means of the attachment and locking means used for the live connection (13 on 8 and possibly 13 on 9). To ensure the good conductive contacts that are so important in this type of lighting it is advisable to make the fits as tight as is practically possible, which also applies, where necessary, to all the other attachments, so that firm contacts are ensured. Of course, this is also true of any other means of attachment.

[0011] If the lamp is to be placed in line with the support of a lighting unit, the fitting openings (11, 12) and their means of attachment (13) change places, and the small conductor (2) of the lamp holder and the insulator (3) need not extend through the entire length of the large conductor (1), but only, for instance, to a point halfway.

[0012] If it is desired to keep the dimensions of the entire lamp holder as small as possible, then the small conductor (2) is probably best mounted excentrally in the large conductor (1). Further alternatives can, of course, be found in the shape (six-angled, square, etc.), the exact location of the possibly present bevelled edge (on both halves of the holder or on one of the two, or on neither, or on only one of the ends of the lamp holder), the way in which the large conductor encloses the small one (entirely, one of them projecting from the other, the small conductor being enclosed only partially in the large one, etc.) etc.

[0013] When the locking mechanism (13) of the lamp holder on the body (8) is extended to a point outside the holder, there is obtained a positioning rod (16), which can be manipulated with the fingers and repeatedly locked, and with which the locking can be temporarily removed, so that the holder can be turned round the body (8), provided that the fit of the holder on the body (8) permits this. For this lastmentioned purpose use can be made of a cylindrical holder clamp (15), which is clamped round the end of the body and fits tightly in the holder. It is provided with a groove round its exterior surface at the locking means (13 or 15), and also serves as an extra lock when the holder is turned, because the locking remains within the groove when the lock is partially removed, and it is impossible for the holder to come off the body (8).

[0014] If the body (8) is bent at a point (17) just before the lamp holder, the holder can be fastened in line with the body and still have a point of attachment which is perpendicular to the main direction of the body (8). In addition to having an aesthetic advantage, this shape ensures that the support of a lighting unit - for instance, when used horizontally - is suspended in equilibrium when the shape of the body is a downwardly bent one (for instance, the holder is to be positioned lower than the point of attachment of the entire support of a lighting unit): since the holder extends in line with the body (8), the support of a lighting unit will not sag under the influence of gravity, as happens with a horizontal attachment without bend (17), in which case the support of a lighting unit may sag down on the side where the lamp holder is attached.

[0015] The bend (17), in cooperation with the positioning rod (16) also prevents the holder from getting turned round further and further (for in that case the wire in the support of a lighting unit might break); when the positioning rod (16) is turned round, it hits the body (8) and is blocked in its way, so that the holder can turn through an angle of just under 360°.

Claims

1. Assembly of a lamp holder (7) and a support of a lighting unit for conductively fitting a lamp (4) of the low-voltage halogen-type and provided with two conductive pins (5), in which the electrical conductive parts (1,2) of the lamp holder (7) themselves constitute the lamp holder (7) and are separated from each other by an insulator (3) and are conductively fixed to the support of a lighting unit (8), means being provided in or on the two conductive parts (1,2) for the conductive and firm fixing of the conductive pins of the lamp, in which one conductive part (2) is smaller than the other (1) and is - preferably entirely - enclosed in the other larger conductive part (1) of the lamp holder (7), and that the support of a lighting unit is attached to the large conductive part (1), and the conductors of the support of a lighting unit are conductively connected to the conductive parts of the lamp holder (7) and thus provide a good conductive contact with the lamp (4),
characterized in that for attaching the two conductive parts (1,2) of the lamp holder (7) to each other, the smaller one fits very tightly, with a so-called interference fit, in the insulator (3), which encloses the conductive part (2) and fits very tightly, with a so-called interference fit, in the larger conductive part (1), which fully encloses the insulator (3).

2. The Assembly of claim 1, wherein, for low voltage lamps, the body (8) of the support of the lighting unit constitutes one of the two conductors for the lamp (4) and that the second conductor passes through that body, preferably in the form of a live wire insulated from the body and wherein either the opening in the larger conductive part (1), which is intended for accommodating the smaller conductive part (2) which is equipped with the insulator (3) or the smaller conductor (2), or both is (are) provided with a beveled edge (14) at the edges closest to the other conductor, such that the distance between the two conductors is at least as large as the standards laid down for this (IEC 598, inter alia so-called creepage distances).

3. Assembly of a lamp holder (7) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the locking means for the lamp holder (7) on the support of a lighting unit body (8) is extended to a point outside the lamp holder (7) and the locking and removing holder (7) on the support of a lighting unit body (8) can be effected without tools and in a repeatable manner.

4. Assembly of a lamp holder (7) according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized in that on and around the end of the support of a lighting unit there is provided and locked a part that serves as point of attachment, turning point and locking point of the lamp holder (7) on the support of a lighting unit body (8), because round this part, in the exterior surface thereof, there is provided a groove in which the locking means for the lamp holder (7) (intended to lock the lamp holder (7) on the support of a lighting unit (4) body) falls, in such a manner that the locking can be removed, whilst the locking means still project to some extent into the groove, so that the lamp holder (7) cannot undesirably come off the support of a lighting unit (4) body when the locking is removed, but can be turned round the point of attachment.

5. Support of a lighting unit (4) body according to claim 2,
characterized in that the support of a lighting unit body (8) is provided with a bend just before the lamp holder (7), in such a manner that the lamp holder (7) lies in the continuation of the main direction of the support of a lighting unit (4) body and yet is so attached transverse to the end of the support of a lighting unit (4) body that turning of the lamp holder (7) around this point of attachment means turning it in the main direction of the support of a lighting unit (4) body.

Ansprüche

1. Anordnung einer Lampenfassung (7) und eines Leuchtenträgers zum leitfähigen Einbau einer Lampe (4) eines Halogen-Types mit Niedrigstrom, welche mit zwei leitfähigen Stiften (5) versehen ist, in welcher die elektrisch leitfähigen Teile (1, 2) der Lampenfassung (7) selbst die Lampenfassung (7) darstellen und voneinander durch einen Isolator (3) getrennt sind und an dem Leuchtenträger (8) leitfähig befestigt sind, wobei Elemente in oder an den zwei leitfähigen Teilen (1, 2) für das leitfähige und feste Anbringen der leitfähigen Stifte der Lampe vorgesehen sind, wobei ein leitfähiger Teil (2) kleiner ist als der andere (1) und - bevorzugt als ganzes - von dem anderen grösseren leitfähigen Teil (1) der Lampenfassung (7) umschlossen ist, und wobei der Leuchtenträger an dem grossen leitfähigen Teil (1) angeordnet ist, und die Leiter des Leuchtenträgers mit den leitfähigen Teilen der Lampenfassung (7) leitfähig verbunden sind und somit einen günstigen leitfähigen Kontakt mit der Lampe (4) ausbilden, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass zum Befestigen der beiden leitfähigen Teile (1, 2) der Lampenfassung (7) aneinander, der kleinere sehr genau, mit einer sogenannten Presspassung, in den Isolator (3) passt, welcher den leitfähigen Teil (2) einschliesst und sehr genau, mit einer sogenannten Presspassung, in den grösseren leitfähigen Teil (1) passt, welcher den Isolator (3) vollständig einschliesst.

2. Anordnung nach Anspruch 1, wobei für Niedrigstrom-Lampen der Körper (8) des Leuchbenträgers einen der beiden Leiter für die Lampe (4) bildet, und wobei der zweite Leiter durch den Xörper, bevorzugt in der Form eines stromführenden Drahtes, welcher von dem Körper isoliert ist, hindurch führt, und wobei entweder die Öffnung in dem grossen leitfähigen Teil (1), welche dazu geeignet ist, den kleineren leitfähigen Teil (2) aufzunehmen, der mit dem Isolator (3) ausgerüstet ist, oder der kleinere Leiter (2), oder beide mit einer schrägen Kante (14) an der Kante, die am nächsten zu dem anderen Leiter angeordnet ist/sind, verschweisst ist so dass der Abstand zwischen den beiden Leitern zumindest so gross ist wie die Standards, die für diesen niedergelegt sind (IEC 598, unter anderem sogenannte Kriechstromabstände).

3. Anordnung einer Lampenfassung (7) nach einem der vorgenannten Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass sich die Halteelemente für die Lampenfassung (7) an dem Körper (8) des Leuchtenträgers zu einer Stelle ausserhalb der Lampenfassung (7) erstrecken und die Festlegung und Lösung der Lampenfassung (7) an dem Körper (8) des Leuchtenträgers ohne Werkzeuge und in wiederholbarer Weise bewirkt werden kann.

4. Anordnung einer Lampenfassung (7) nach einem der vorgenannten Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass an und/oder um das Ende des Leuchtenträgers ein Teil vorgesehen und festgelegt ist, welches als Anschlusstelle, Drehpunkt und Haltestelle für die Lampenfassung (7) an dem Körper (8) des Leuchtenträgers dient, da um dieses Teil, auf seiner äusseren Oberfläche, eine Nut vorgesehen ist, in welche die Halteelemente für die Lampenfassung (7) (dazu geeignet, die Lampenfassung (7) an dem Körper des Leuchtenträgers zu halten) eingreifen, in solch einer Weise, dass die Halterung aufgehoben werden kann, während die Halteelemente noch immer in einem gewissen Ausmass in die Aussparung hineinragen, so dass die Lampenfassung (7) nicht unerwünscht von dem Körper des Leuchtenträgers abfallen kann, wenn die Halterung aufgehoben wird, sondern um die Anschlusstelle herum gedreht werden kann.

5. Trägers für einen Leuchtkörper (4) nach Anspruch 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Leuchtkörperträger (8) mit einer Biegung direkt vor der Lampenfassung (7) in solch einer Weise versehen ist, dass die Lampenfassung (7) in der Fortsetzung der Hauptrichtung des Leuchtkörperträgers liegt und so quer zu dem Ende des Leuchtkörperträgers befestigt ist, dass das Drehen der Lampenfassung (7) um diese Anschlusstelle das Drehen in die Hauptrichtung des Leuchtkörperträgers bedeutet.

Revendications

1. Assemblage constitué d'un dispositif de fixation de lampe (7) et d'un support d'une unité d'éclairage pour la fixation avec une liaison conductrice d'une lampe (4) à basse tension qui est du type à halogène et qui est munie de deux broches conductrices (5), dans lequel les pièces électriquement conductrices (1, 2) du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) constituent elles-mêmes le dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7), sont séparées l'une de l'autre par une pièce isolante (3) et sont fixées avec une liaison conductrice sur le support (8) d'une unité d'éclairage, des moyens étant prévus dans ou sur les deux pièces conductrices (1, 2) pour la fixation solide et avec une liaison conductrice des broches conductrices de la lampe, dans lequel l'une des pièces conductrices (2) est plus petite que l'autre (1) et est - de préférence entièrement - enfermée dans la plus grande pièce conductrice (1) du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) et dans lequel le support d'une unité d'éclairage est fixé sur la plus grande pièce conductrice (1) et les conducteurs du support d'une unité d'éclairage sont reliés avec une liaison électrique aux pièces conductrices du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) et fournissent ainsi un bon contact conducteur avec la lampe (4), caractérisé en ce que, pour fixer les deux pièces conductrices (1, 2) du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) l'une avec l'autre, la plus petite s'adapte de manière très serrée, avec ce que l'on appelle une adaptation à ajustement serré, dans la pièce isolante (3) qui comprend la pièce conductrice (2) et qui s'adapte de manière très serrée, avec ce que l'on appelle une adaptation à ajustement serré, dans la pièce conductrice la plus grande (1) qui entoure complètement la pièce isolante (3).

2. Assemblage selon la revendication 1, dans lequel, pour des lampes à basse tension, le corps 8 du support de l'unité d'éclairage constitue un des deux conducteurs pour la lampe (4), dans lequel le second conducteur passe à travers ce corps, de préférence sous la forme d'un fil sous tension isolé du corps, et dans lequel soit l'ouverture ménagée dans la pièce conductrice la plus grande (1), qui est prévue pour s'adapter à la pièce conductrice la plus petite (2) qui est munie de la pièce isolante (3), soit la pièce conductrice la plus petite (2), soit les deux est (sont) munis d'un bord chanfreiné (14) sur les bords les plus proches de l'autre conducteur de telle manière que la distance entre les deux conducteurs soit au moins aussi grande que les valeurs normalisées prévues à cet effet (norme de la C.I.E. 598, entre autres ce que l'on appelle les distances de fuite).

3. Assemblage d'un support de lampe (7) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que les moyens de verrouillage du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) sur le corps (8) du support de l'unité d'éclairage sont prolongés jusqu'à un point se trouvant à l'extérieur du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) et en ce que l'enlèvement du dispositif de fixation (7) du corps (8) du support de l'unité d'éclairage peut être effectué sans outils et de manière reproductible.

4. Assemblage d'un support de lampe (7) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, caractérisé en ce que sur et autour de l'extrémité du support d'une unité d'éclairage, on prévoit et on verrouille une pièce qui sert de point de fixation, de point de pivotement et de point de verrouillage du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) sur le corps (8) du support de l'unité d'éclairage parce que, autour de cette pièce, dans la surface extérieure de cette dernière, on prévoit une rainure dans laquelle pénètrent les moyens de verrouillage du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) (destinés à verrouiller le dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) sur le corps du support d'une unité d'éclairage (4)), d'une manière telle que le verrouillage peut être supprimé alors que les moyens de verrouillage continuent à pénétrer, dans une certaine mesure, dans la rainure de telle sorte que le dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) ne peut pas être enlevé, de manière involontaire, du corps du support d'une unité d'éclairage (4) lorsque le verrouillage est supprimé, mais peut être pivoté autour du point de fixation.

5. Support du corps d'une unité d'éclairage (7) selon la revendication 2, caractérisé en ce que le corps (8) du support de l'unité d'éclairage présente, juste avant le dispositif de fixation de la lampe(7) , une courbure de telle manière que le dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) se trouve dans l'alignement de la direction principale du corps du support de l'unité d'éclairage (4) et y est encore fixé transversalement par rapport à l'extrémité du corps du support de l'unité d'éclairage (4) de telle manière que le pivotement du dispositif de fixation de la lampe (7) autour de son point de fixation signifie son pivotement dans la direction principale du corps du support de l'unité d'éclairage (4).

Drawing