Lamp socket and light appliance thereof

A lamp socket includes connection terminal bodies including connection terminals provided in sides of the lamp socket to contact with connection pins of the lamp, and connection terminal recesses into which the connection terminals are inserted, and connection caps to slide to press and fix the connection pins when the connection pins contact with the connection terminals.

This application claims priority to PCT International Application No. PCT/KR2007/003270 filed on Jul. 5, 2007, now International Publication No. WO 2008/004825 A1, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 20-2006-0018210 filed on Jul. 5, 2006, and Korean Patent Application No. 20-2006-0019298 filed on Jul. 18, 2006, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a lamp socket and a light appliance thereof, and more particularly, to a lamp socket in which a lamp is mounted and separated to and from a light appliance by sliding a connection cap of the lamp socket when the lamp is placed in the light appliance without rotation and pressure with respect to the light appliance so that the lamp is easily and conveniently mounted and separated to and from the light appliance, and a light appliance having the lamp socket.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, light appliances in which fluorescent lamps are installed are grouped into a ballast built-in type light appliance installed with ballast and a ballast separation type light appliance without ballast.

Moreover, the light appliances are grouped into an integrated type light appliance in which the fluorescent lamp is integrally formed and a separated type light appliance in which the fluorescent lamp is installed and separated to and from the light appliance.

In a ballast built-in and separated type light appliance, a technology for preventing a fluorescent lamp from being separated from the light appliance is disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-32619, filed on May 10, 2004, by this applicant.

According to aspects of the conventional light appliance for a fluorescent lamp disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-32619, when terminal pins of a fluorescent lamp enter supporting holes along entrance holes, the terminal pins elastically contact connection terminal such that ballast is electrically connected to the fluorescent lamp. Thus, electric power can be supplied from the ballast to the fluorescent lamp.

Moreover, since the terminal pins of the fluorescent lamp are stably placed in the lower ends of the supporting holes and their rotations are prevented by lockers formed in the lower ends of the supporting holes, the fluorescent lamp is prevented from being separated from a socket installed in the light appliance.

However, in the conventional light appliance for a fluorescent lamp, when the fluorescent lamp is installed and separated to and from the socket of the light appliance, the fluorescent lamp is broken when the fluorescent lamp is pressed during the contact and separation of the connection pins of the fluorescent lamp to and from the connection terminal formed in the socket of the light appliance.

Moreover, when elastic force of the connection terminals installed in the socket of the light appliance is inferior, the fluorescent lamp that is coupled with the socket of the light appliance is separated from the socket and is broken.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a lamp socket in which, when a lamp is placed in a light appliance by connection caps of a socket that are provided to slide at lateral ends of the light appliance, the lamp is fixed and connected to the socket and the connection is released by the slide of the connection caps so that pressure against the lamp during the installation and the separation of the lamp is excluded to prevent the lamp from being broken during the installation and the separation of the lamp, and a light appliance having the lamp socket.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a lamp socket in which a lamp is placed in a light appliance to be fixed and connected and released to and from a socket by connection caps of the socket that are provided to slide at lateral ends of the light appliance so that installation of the lamp coupled with the socket of the light appliance can be improved, and a light appliance having the lamp socket.

Technical Solution

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a lamp socket provided in a light appliance to fix a lamp with connection pins comprising: connection terminal bodies including connection terminals provided in sides of the lamp socket to contact the connection pins of the lamp and connection terminal recesses into which the connection terminals are inserted; and connection caps for sliding to press and fix the connection pins when the connection pins contact the connection terminals.

Moreover, the connection terminal bodies comprise guide recesses, formed at lateral sides of the connection terminal bodies, along which the connection caps slide, and the connection caps comprise guide protrusions inserted into the guide recesses.

Preferably, the connection caps comprise connection protrusions protruded from inner sides of the connection caps such that the connection protrusions press the connection pins to increase contacting force against the connection terminals when the connection caps slide.

The lamp socket further comprises safety protrusions protruded from sides of the connection caps to prevent an electric shock due to the connection pins when the connection pins of the lamp are coupled in the connection terminal recesses and safety engaging recesses formed in the central regions of the connection caps to allow the connection pins to penetrate therethrough.

Preferably, an elastic member is installed in the connection terminal recesses and the connection terminals are inserted into the upper sides of the elastic member so that the contacting force between the connection terminals and the connection pins is increased when the connection caps slide.

The lamp socket further comprises supporting protrusions protruded from sides of the connection terminal bodies to support the lamp when the connection terminals contact the connection pins.

Moreover, each of the connection terminal bodies further comprises: an insertion unit having a side with a cross section corresponding to the hollow housing to be inserted into the housing; and a locking unit protruded over the insertion unit to be locked by the housing due to the insertion of the insertion unit; insides of the insertion unit and the locking unit are hollow such that electric wires for electrical connection of the connection terminals pass therethrough.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a light appliance to which a lamp is installed, comprising: a housing as a case in which an electronic ballast and electronic components to drive the lamp are installed; and the lamp socket according to any one of claims1to6connected to the housing.

Preferably, the connection terminals of the lamp socket inwardly face each other or are outwardly spaced apart from each other corresponding to a direction where the lamp socket is coupled with the connection pins.

Advantageous Effects

As described above, according to the lamp socket of the present invention and a light appliance having the same, since the lamp is fixed and connected to the socket and the connection is released by the slide of the connection caps when the lamp is placed in the light appliance by the connection caps of the socket that are provided to slide at lateral ends of the light appliance, the lamp can be conveniently installed without applying pressure to the lamp and the lamp can be prevented from being broken during the installation and the separation of the lamp.

Moreover, according to the lamp socket of the present invention and a light appliance having the same, since the lamp is placed in the light appliance to be fixed and connected and released to and from the socket by the connection caps of the socket that are provided to slide at lateral ends of the light appliance and the lamp is installed and separated to and from the light appliance due to the slide of the connection caps, the installation and separation of the lamp can be promptly carried out in convenient and easy fashion.

BEST MODE

Firstly, in the drawing, it should be noticed that same reference numerals are assigned to same components and parts. In the following description of the present invention, if the detailed description of the already known structure and operation may confuse the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, preferred embodiment of the present invention having the above-mentioned basic concept for the lamp socket and the light appliance having the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 5illustrate a lamp socket according to an embodiment of the present invention and a light appliance having the same.

As illustrated in the drawings, a lamp socket300according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured such that a side of the lamp socket300is inserted into and fixed to a hollow cylinder housing200in which connection terminals20connected to connection pins11of a lamp10(SeeFIG. 5) and a substrate (not shown) having ballast and various electric wires are installed on an inner bottom of the housing200so that the lamp socket300is electrically connected and separated to and from the connection pins11when the connection pins11are pressed and released.

The lamp10includes several parallel main tubes12, two auxiliary tubes13having the connection pins11, and several connection tubes14to vertically connect the main tubes12to the auxiliary tubes to seal the lamp10.

The ballast is an electronic type, it includes electric components such as a resistor, a capacitor, a transformer, and the like, which are mounted in the substrate, and controls lightning on and off of the lamp10.

Moreover, the electronic ballast may be electrically connected to a controller to regulate illuminance and color temperature of the lamp10.

Hereinafter, the lamp socket300according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

The socket300includes a connection terminal body310having an end inserted into the housing200, and a connection cap320coupled with the connection terminal body310to slide thereon and to cover the upper side and lateral sides of the connection terminal body310.

The connection terminal body310is made in the form of a single body such that a part of the connection terminal body310is inserted into and is connected to the housing200.

In other words, the connection terminal body310includes an insertion unit311having a side with a cross section corresponding to the hollow housing200to be inserted into the housing200and a coupling hole (not shown) formed in the lower side to be fixed to the housing200by a screw, a locking unit312protruded over the insertion unit311to be locked by the housing200due to the insertion of the insertion unit311, and a connection unit having connection terminal recesses314spaced apart from each other on the upper side to be connected to the connection pins11when the lamp10is installed to other side of the locking unit312.

On the bottoms of the connection terminal recesses314, as illustrated inFIG. 3, when the connection caps320slide for the installation of the lamp10, elastic members330are installed to increase contacting force against the connection pins11by providing elastic force to the connection terminals20.

The elastic members330are implemented by one selected from coil springs and plate springs.

Moreover, insides of the insertion unit311and the locking unit312are hollow such that electric wires for electrical connection of the connection terminals20pass therethrough.

The lateral sides of the connection unit313are formed with guide recesses315to slide and insert both ends of the connection cap320into the connection unit313.

Respective outer sides of the connection terminal body310of the socket300have outwardly protruded supporting protrusions316to steadily support both ends of the lamp10such that the lamp10is prevented from vibrating when the lamp10is installed.

Moreover, installation holes317penetrate lateral bottoms of the connection terminal body310to fix a light appliance100on the ceiling or a wall.

The connection cap320of the socket300is provided to the connection unit313of the connection terminal body310to slide so that the lamp10can be easily installed and separated to and from the light appliance100.

In other words, the connection cap320has an approximate reversed “U”-shaped  cross section to cover the upper side and lateral sides of the connection terminal body310and guide protrusions322to slide along the guide recesses315, and connection  protrusions321formed on the inner bottom to lock and release the connection pins11when the lamp10is installed to the connection terminals20provided in the connection  terminal recesses314.

On the other hand, as illustrated inFIG. 4, a safety protrusion325is protruded from a side of the connection cap320to prevent an electric shock due to the connection pins11when the connection pins11of the lamp10are coupled in the connection terminal recesses314and has safety engaging recess324formed in the central region of the connection cap320to allow the connection pins11to penetrate.

Slide prevention protrusions324are protruded from outer lateral sides of the connection cap320to prevent the connection cap320from slipping when the connection cap320slides.

Hereinafter, configuration of the light appliance having the lamp socket according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The light appliance100includes the socket300, and the single body hollow housing200to insert and fix an end of the socket300to both ends of the housing200.

In other words, the housing200is formed in the form of a hollow cylinder such that the connection terminals20to connect a power cord for supplying electric power to the connection pins of the lamp10and the ballast can be installed without exposure, and has fixing holes210formed in both ends of a bottom to fix the housing200to the connection terminal body310of the socket300by screws.

Although the housing200is implemented by the single hollow body, it is not limited to this but the housing may be divided into an upper part and a lower part about the central portion.

On the other hand,FIGS. 6 and 7are views illustrating a lamp socket according to still another embodiment of the present invention and a light appliance having the same.

In other words, as illustrated inFIG. 6, a light appliance1000is configured such that socket1300, which respectively has connection terminal bodies1310provided to expose the connection terminals and connection caps1320provided to slide forward and backward in a predetermined direction on the connection terminal bodies1310to lock and release the connection pins of the lamp due to the sliding, are provided at lateral ends to face each other, and housings1200respectively provided to the connection terminal bodies1310of the socket1300. Moreover, as illustrated inFIG. 7, a light appliance1000′ is configured such that socket1310′ is provided at side ends of the light appliance1000′ to be spaced apart from each other corresponding to positions of connection pins of a lamp10′ in the form of a single tube with the connection pins formed at lateral sides thereof. Since these configurations are identical except for the lamps provided at the positions of the socket, the detailed description thereof is omitted.

Mode for Invention

As such, when the light appliance having a lamp socket according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed to mount the lamp, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 3, andFIG. 5, the light appliance is fixed to a desired place where the lamp10is installed by fastening screws through the installation holes317formed in the lateral bottoms of the connection terminal body310of the socket300.

In order to install the lamp10in the light appliance100fixed as described above to be turned on, the connection caps320are slid backward such that the connection terminals20are provided in the connection terminal recesses314formed in the upper sides of the connection units313of the socket300.

As such, when the connection terminals20are exposed, the connection pins11of the lamp10are installed in the connection terminal recesses314.

After that, when the connection caps320slide forward, the connection caps320slide along the guide recesses315formed in the lateral sides of the connection units313of the connection terminal body310.

When the connection caps320slide, the connection protrusions321protruded from the lower sides of the connection caps320press the connection pins11of the lamp10connected to the upper sides of the connection terminals20elastically supported in the connection terminal recesses314by the elastic members330.

Thus, the connection terminals20and the connection pins11are more securely connected to each other by the connection protrusions321and the elastic members330and the installation of the lamp10is completed.

Moreover, the ends of the lamp10are supported by the supporting protrusions316formed at sides of the connection units313of the connection terminal body310so that the lamp10can be more steadily installed.

As described above, the lamp can be conveniently and stably installed in correspondence to the sliding of the connection caps provided in the socket of the light appliances.