LAMP SOCKET ASSEMBLY

Abstract: A lamp socket assembly for retaining a wedge base bulb (8) and being configured to be insert mounted into the aperture (151) of a rigid support panel (150) so as to capture and make contact with exposed conductors (252,262) on an intermediate flexible printed circuit layer (250). The socket assembly (10,13,30) is further configured to be removable from the opposite side of the support panel (150) from its original insertion.

Description: The present invention relates to a lamp socket assembly. It is commonplace to find wedge base electric lamps used for illumination of display panels such as in the instrument panels of automotive vehicles. The socket assemblies use to support the replaceable lamps are, for the most part, insertable into an aperture of a rigid support panel containing an overlay of a flexible printed circuit layer with exposed portions of electrical conductors adjacent the aperture so that the corresponding electrical contacts on the socket assembly will be compressibly mated when the socket is properly inserted into the aperture and latched therein. U.S. Patent Nos. 3,909,096 and 4,227,760 illustrate typical socket assemblies which are utilized in conjunction with flexible printed circuit layers. In each case, the sockets are inserted through aligned apertures in the printed circuit layer and the rigid support panel. Latching is achieved by rotating the socket assembly a prescribed amount after it is fully inserted so that locking shoulders extending from the forward portion of the socket assembly will latch to the opposite surface of the rigid support panel. Open notches are included in the periphery of the panel aperture in order to allow the locking shoulder to pass during insertion and prior to latching rotation. British Patent Specification 1,454,509 illustrates a common type of socket assembly that is ideally suited for automated assembly since the socket is inserted into the aperture of the rigid panel and is latched therein without further rotation of the socket. That device employs a flexible printed circuit layer having exposed conductor portions which extend over the aperture formed in the support panel so that insertion of the lamp socket causes the exposed conductors to be wiped down into and against the internal sidewalls of the aperture. Electrical contacts of the socket are biased outwardly and compress the electrical conductors against the aperture sidewalls to maintain electrical contact. Removal of the socket device is achieved by pushing or pulling the socket in the reverse direction of its insertion so as to overcome the friction fit of the conductors and adjacent resilient members. In each of the prior art examples cited above, the flexible printed circuit layer is located on the same side of the rigid support panel as the lamp socket assembly is inserted into the panel aperture. Likewise, removal of the socket assembly is achieved by gaining access to the same side of the rigid panel in which the flexible printed circuit layer is located in order to release the locking mechanism and withdraw the assembly. As a result, when rear panel access is desired to allow removal of the lamp socket assembly, the flexible printed circuit layer must also be located on the rear surface of the rigid support panel. During an investigation of automatic assembly methods for illuminated instrument panels, it was determined that a very efficient way of achieving such assembly was to utilize the rigid support panel (housing for the instrument panel) in a single orientation in order to layer and install all components from a single side of the panel. The components layered and installed into that housing including the flexible printed circuit layer, the lamp socket assemblies, the instrument interconnectors and the instruments prior to being sealed with a transparent lens assembly. However, it was discovered that prior art wedge base socket assemblies would not allow for subsequent service replacement from the rear of the rigid support panel housing if they were originally inserted from the front, with the lamps oriented towards the front... The present invention derived from the necessary objective of allowing for front panel insertion and rear removal of a lamp socket asembly in a rigid panel aperture. According to the present invention, there is provided a panel-insertable lamp socket assembly for providing electrical interconnection between exposed conductors (252,262) of a flexible printed circuit panel (250) overlaying an insertion aperture (151) formed between the surfaces of a rigid panel (150) and a light emitting lamp (8) mounted in said assembly, the assembly comprising a cylindrical body extending along a central axis, having a first open end portion (14) for receiving said lamp (8), a second tapered end portion (13) and an intermediate portion (10) between said first and second end portions (13,14) for contacting the exposed conductors (252,262) of the flexible printed circuit panel, a locking means (20) mounted on said body having a first resilient arm (23) extending from said second end portion (13) of said body towards said intermediate portion (10), wherein said arm (23) has a first end portion (27) normally biased to overlap the aperture (151) in said rigid panel (150) when said assembly is inserted therein, means (11,12) on said intermediate portion (10) and extending therefrom to overlap said aperture (151 for limiting the axial insertion of said assembly into said aperture (151), and means (15,16) within said intermediate portion (10) for making electrical contact with the exposed conductors (252,262) of said flexible printed circuit panel overlaying the insertion aperture. The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is perspective view of the wedge base lamp socket assembly of the present invention. Figure 1a is a plan view of the resilient arm element employed in the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the front surface of the rigid support panel. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front surface of the rigid support panel overlayed with the flexible printed circuit layer. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lamp socket assembly properly oriented for axial insertion through the front side of the aperture of the rigid support panel. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the lamp socket assembly inserted into the aperture of the rigid support panel. Figure 6 is a perspective rear view of the rigid support panel and the inserted lamp socket assembly. Figure 7 illustrates the first step in manual removal of the lamp socket assembly from the rear of the rigid support panel. Figure 8 represents the second step involved in removing the lamp socket assembly from the rear of the rigid support panel. Figure 9 illustrates the rotation and withdrawal steps used to remove the lamp socket assembly from the rear of the rigid support panel. The lamp socket assembly of the present invention is shown in Figure 1 as having a main body formed of an insulative material, being of generally cylindrical shape and having a defined axis along its length. A first open end 14 of the main body is shown as containing a wedge base lamp 8, fully inserted therein. An intermediate portion 10 of the body is adjacent the first open end 14 and supports a pair of lugs 11 and 12. The lugs 11 and 12 respectively contain outwardly biased electrical contracts 15 and 16, which are internally connected to clamping contacts of a conventional type for providing mechanical and electrical connection to the wedge base and filament leads of the lamp 8. (The internal connections to the wedge base lamp are conventional in nature and are not shown or claimed as part of this invention.) The body of the lamp socket assembly contains a second end portion 13 which is somewhat tapered from the intermediate portion 10 to serve as a guide when the lamp socket assembly is inserted into its panel aperture. A tab means 30 is connected to the second end portion 13 and provides a manual gripping surface for the lamp socket assembly. A locking means 20 extends from the second end portion 13 back towards lugs 11 and 12 on the intermediate portion 10 of body. The locking means contains a pair of resilient arms 22 and 23 and the arms contain respective ends 27 and 28 that are spaced apart but opposed to the end surfaces 17 and 18 of the lugs 11 and 12. The end surfaces 17 and 18 of the lugs 11 and 12 serve to limit the amount of insertion of the plug assembly into the aperture of the panel, described later. The end surfaces 27 and 28 of the locking means 20 provide retrorse retention of the assembly after it is fully inserted into the panel aperture. Figure 1A shows a detail plan view of the locking means 20 which, in this case, is formed as a unitary element of a relatively resilient material such as nylon. The locking means 20 has a support tab 26 centrally located with a pair of mounting apertures 24 and 25. A slot is formed in the second end portion 13 of the lamp plug assembly body and somewhat overlaps into the intermediate portion 10. A retaining pin 29 is inserted through the second end portion 13 so as to extend through apertures 24 and 25 of the locking means 20 and secure it in place. The "front" side of a rigid support panel 150 is shown in Figure 2. The support panel contains an aperture 151 into which the lamp socket assembly is intended to be mounted and retained so that the lamp 8 will be interconnected to an electrical power supply and provide illumination on the front side of the panel 150. The aperture 151 is generally circular in configuration, is slightly larger than the intermediate portion 10 of the socket assembly body, but small enough to prevent passage of the lugs 11 and 12. A pair of notches 152 and 160 are diametrically opposed and are intended to receive the lugs 11 and 12 when the socket assembly is inserted into the aperture from the front side. The notches 152 and 160 are open to the front surface and contain recessed stop surfaces 158 and 168. Sidewalls 156, 157 and 159 provide a guideway to the stop surface 158 in notch 152. Likewise, sidewalls 166, 167 and 169 provide a guideway to the stop surface 168 in notch 160. A second pair of diametrically opposed notches 170 and 180 are formed in the panel 150 and are open at both the front and rear surfaces of the panel. The notches 170 and 180 are equally spaced from notches 152 and 160 and are sufficiently large enough to pass the lugs 11 and 12 when the lamp socket assembly is rotated so that the lugs are aligned therewith. Figure 3 illustrates the use of a flexible printed circuit layer 250 overlaying the front surface of the rigid support panel 150. The flexible printed circuit layer 250 is shown with an aperture 271 formed therein and positioned to be coincident with the aperture 151. Electrical conductors 255 and 265 are showing having respective exposed portions 252 and 262 overlaying the notches 152 and 160. In this case, the exposed conductors 252 and 262 are cut to form barbed edges 254/256 and 264/266 that are wider than the width of the notches 152 and 160. Therefore, when the lamp socket assembly is inserted into the aperture 151 of the rigid panel 150, the lugs 11 and 12 will wipe the exposed electrical conductors 252 and 262 into the closed notches and the barbed edges will act as retrorse retainers to hold the exposed conductors in place even if the lamp socket assembly is subsequently removed. In Figure 4, the lamp socket assembly is shown in a correct rotational orientation so as to be linearly inserted with its tab 30 first along its axial length through the front surface of the panel 150 and into the aperture 151. In the proper alignment, the lugs 11 and 12 are aligned with the notches 152 and 160 and the edges of the tab 30 are aligned with notches 170 and 180. As can be seen in Figure 5, the lamp socket assembly is inserted through the front of the panel 150 and lugs 11 and 12 have caused the exposed conductors 252 and 262 to be wiped into the notches 152 and 160. During insertion, the outer edge of the resilient arms 22 and 23 of the locking means 20 were cammed against the inner most edge of the stop surfaces 158 and 168 of the notches 152 and 160. Figure 6 illustrates the rear view of the panel 150 with the resilient arm 23 positioned so that its locking end 27 abuts the locking surface 167. When the locking edges 28 and 27 on the resilient arms 22 and 23 were inserted past the recessed stop surfaces, they returned to their normal positions to abut the rear locking surfaces 155 (Fig. 2) and 167 opposite the stop surfaces 158 and 168. Since the limiting surfaces 17 and 18 of the lugs 11 and 12 are also abutting the stop surfaces 168 and 158 respectively, the lamp socket assembly is securely retained within the aperture 151. In utilizing the present invention, it is now possible to complete the assembly of a display panel even in a configuration which would prevent ready access for replacement of a burned out lamp from the front surface of the panel. In this case, access for removal and replacement service may be made from the back surface of the panel 150 by utilizing the method steps illustrated in Figures 7-9. In Figure 7, the first step of removing the lamp socket assembly from the aperture 151 of the panel 150 is shown. The tab 30 is gripped between the fingers and the resilient arms 22 and 23 of the locking means 20 are compressed until the locking surfaces 27 and 28 are below the edge of the locking surfaces 167 and 155. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 8, the lamp socket assembly is pushed forward in a direction opposite its original insertion direction until the lugs 11 and 12 have cleared the front surface of the panel 150. At that time, as shown in Figure 9, the lamp socket assembly is continued to be gripped by the tab 30 and rotated 90° in either direction until the lugs 11 and 12 are aligned with slots 170 and 180. Upon reaching such rotational alignment, the lamp socket assembly may be withdrawn from the rear side of the panel 150 for replacement or inspection. In order to reinsert the lamp socket assembly or its replacement, steps shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9 are reversed and completed when the lamp socket assembly is pulled into its retain position as shown in Figure 7.

Claims: A panel-insertable lamp socket assembly for providing electrical interconnection between exposed conductors (252,262) of a flexible printed circuit panel (250) overlaying an insertion aperture (151) formed between the surfaces of a rigid panel (150) and a light emitting lamp (8) mounted in said assembly, the assembly comprising a cylindrical body extending along a central axis, having a first open end portion (14) for receiving said lamp (8), a second tapered end portion (13) and an intermediate portion (10) between said first and second end portions (13,14) for contacting the exposed conductors (252,262) of the flexible printed circuit panel, a locking means (20) mounted on said body having a first resilient arm (23) extending from said second end portion (13) of said body towards said intermediate portion (10), wherein said arm (23) has a first end portion (27) normally biased to overlap the aperture (151) in said rigid panel (150) when said assembly is inserted therein, means (11,12) on said intermediate portion (10) and extending therefrom to overlap said aperture (151) for limiting the axial insertion of said assembly into said aperture (151), and means (15,16) within said intermediate portion (10) for making electrical contact with the exposed conductors (252,262) of said flexible printed circuit panel overlaying the insertion aperture. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said resilient arm of said locking means is cantilever supported at said second end portion of said body and is compressible to force said end portion of said arm into a position which is not overlapping the aperture in said rigid panel. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said resilient arm of said locking means is mounted within said second tapered end portion of said body and is partially exposed along its length so that when its first end is compressed to its nonoverlapping position the arm is substantially flush with the surface of said tapered end portion. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said limiting means is opposing to and separated from said first end of said resilient arm by a predetermined distance. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said locking means includes a pair of commonly mounted resilient arms opposingly supported at said second tapered end portion of said body and said limiting means is opposing and separated from the first end of each resilient arm by a predetermined distance. An assembly as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said resilient arms of said locking means are cantilever supported at said second end portion of said body and are compressible to force said end portions of said arms into positions which are not overlapping the aperture in said rigid panel. An assembly as claimed in Claim 6, wherein said second tapered end portion of said body includes a tab means extending therefrom in a direction opposite to that of said first open end, for manual gripping of said assembly. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said insertion aperture contains a pair of diametrically opposed notch extensions on its periphery being open to a first surface of the rigid panel, extending through the panel for a predetermined distance and defining a stop surface that is parallel to said panel surfaces, and said limiting means contains surfaces which extend radially from said intermediate portion in diametrically opposite directions for abutting said stop surface in each notch extension when said assembly is inserted into said insertion aperture from the side of said first surface of said panel. An assembly as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the thickness of the rigid panel at the stop surfaces in of said notch extensions is less than the predetermined distance between said limiting means and said first end of each resilient arm and said first end of each resilient arm abuts the opposite side of the rigid panel corresponding to said stop surface when said assembly is inserted into said insertion aperture. An assembly as claimed in Claim 9, wherein each notch extension has a defined depth dimension measured from said first panel surface to said stop surface and a defined width dimension measured along a tangent to the aperture periphery and said limiting means also contains electrical contact elements that extend into said notch extensions when said assembly is inserted into said insertion aperture. An assembly as claimed in Claim 10, wherein said insertion aperture contains a pair of diametrically opposed second notches that extend through, are open to both surfaces of said rigid panel and are of sufficient size to allow said limiting means to pass through when said assembly is rotationally oriented into axial alignment therewith. An assembly as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said tab is oriented in a plane having a normal that is generally parallel to a radial extension of said stop surfaces and has width dimension that runs normal to the axial length of the assembly which is greater than the diameter of the aperture and less than the diametric distance between said second notches. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said resilient arms are integrally formed with each other and have outer edges that extend above and along said tapered end.

Inventors: MARSHALL, JAMES EDWARD
Applicants: FORD FRANCE SOCIETE ANONYME, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1987
Main classification: H01R33
IPC codes: H01R33, H05K1, H01K1, H05K3