Combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight

Yuen, John S.;

A combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight which is simple to manufacture and assemble has a trough-shaped body member of generally rectangular section with tubular cylindrical projections at its ends and a chassis member received on the trough-shaped body member and closing the open side thereof, the chassis member mounting a bulb holder for a bulb, fluorescent tube mounting members, a printed circuit board, a switch and battery contacts such that all the electrical components requiring connection together are all provided on the chassis member which can be completely wired before being engaged on the trough-shaped body member to close the open side thereof. A cover of transparent material and of elongate arch section overlies a fluorescent tube mounted on the mounting member of the chassis member and end members, each with an aperture therethrough to receive respective ones of the tubular projections of the body portion and each have a peripheral flange overlapping the cover and the body portion and thereby retaining the cover in position on the body portion. End caps engage with integral screw threads the tubular projections of the body portion and are received each in a recess in the outer end face of the respective one of the end members thereby retaining the end members in position on the body portion. One of the end caps has a transparent end wall and a reflector therein receiving the bulb mounted in the bulb holder.

The invention relates to combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight.

Combined fluorescent lamps and spotlights have been previously proposed and comprise an elongate body portion having a part of the periphery thereof comprising one side wall and a part of each of the front and rear walls, formed of transparent material, a chassis member mounted within the body portion and having upstanding ends between which a fluorescent tube can be mounted to provide illumination through the transparent wall, end members secured by screws passing through the end members to engage in threaded apertures in the ends of the chassis member, and a switch and printed circuit board arrangement mounted on the inside of the body member with a operating portion of the switch projecting through the body member. An outer part of one of the end members is formed with a transparent end wall and a reflector and said outer part engages with ratchet teeth in the remainder of that end member. The other end member has an aperture in its end wall through which batteries can be passed into a battery compartment within the body member, the aperture being enclosed by an end cap with a bayonet-like retaining fitting.

Such combined fluorescent lamps and spotlights have proved to be very popular but have proved to be expensive to manufacture particularly due to the difficulties of connecting wiring between the chassis member mounting the fluorescent tube, a bulb holder mounted in said one of the end members and the switch and printed circuit board arrangement mounted within the body portion. From the users point of view, it is necessary, if it is necessary to replace the fluorescent tube, to remove the end members after loosening the securing screws with a screwdriver and upon reassembly hold the various components in the correct positions while the screws are started in the threaded holes and tightened to hold the components together. The exposed screws are liable to rusting if exposed to the weather.

According to the invention a combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight has a trough-shaped body member of generally rectangular section with tubular cylindrical projections at its ends; a chassis member received on the trough-shaped body member and closing the open side thereof, the chassis member mounting a bulb holder, fluorescent tube mounting members, a printed circuit board, and a switch and battery contacts; a cover of transparent material and of elongate arch section to overlie a fluorescent tube mounted on the mounting members of the chassis member; a pair of end members each with an aperture therethrough to receive a respective one of the tubular projections of the body portion and a peripheral flange to overlap the cover and the body portion and thereby retain the cover in position on the body portion; and end caps to engage with integral screw threads the tubular projections of the body portion and to be received each in a recess in the outer end face of a respective one of the end members to retain the end members in position on the body portion, one of the end caps having a transparent end wall and a reflector therein to receive a bulb mounted in the bulb holder.

Thus all the electrical components requiring connection together can be provided on the chassis member which can be completely wired before being engaged on the trough-shaped body member to close the open side thereof. Preferably the switch is slidably mounted with respect to the chassis membber such that upon engagement of the chassis member on the body member the switch can be located so that an operating portion thereof projects through an aperture in the adjacent wall of the body member, the switch sliding to its final position with respect to the chassis member as the chassis member is finally engaged on the body member.

The cooperating integral threads on the tubular projections of the body member and the end caps obviate the need for any separate screw members to secure the end members to the body member or chassis member.

Preferably the recess in the outer end face of each end member is open at opposite sides thereof so that the end cap received therein is located within the profile of the end member but force can be applied to the circumferential face of the end cap, which circumferential face is preferably knurled or provided with other means whereby it can be gripped, so that the end cap can be readily rotated to tighten or loosen its screw threaded engagement with the tubular projection of the body portion. In its fully screwed on position each end cap preferably has its outer end face flush with the outer end face of the respective end member.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a underneath plan view corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded view of the lamp of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow V of FIG. 1 with parts cutaway to show internal details;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line VI--VI of FIG. 5;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are respectively a plan view of the inner end and a perspective view of the outer end of one of two end members of the combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight of FIGS. 1 to 6; and

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of the combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight of FIGS. 1 to 6.

Referring to the drawings, a combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight has a trough-shaped body portion 1 comprising a base wall 2 and side walls 3 and 4, an upper end wall 5 with a tubular projection 6 thereon, a projecting flange 5a continuing the end wall 5 and a lower end wall 7 with a tubular projection 8 thereon. The body member is formed of an opaque plastics material by injection moulding.

A chassis member 10 has a deck portion 11 with longitudinally extending side flanges depending therefrom, the side flanges being received within the open mouth of the body portion 1 and abutting shoulders 3a, 4a on the inner face of the walls 3 and 4 thereof. Flanges 12 and 13 project from the deck 11 and form holders and mount contact members 12a, 13a for a fluorescent tube 14, an extension 11a of the deck 11 mounts a printed circuit board 15 with circuit omponents 16 thereon, further flanges 17 and 18 mount contact members to form a bulb holder for a bulb 19 and a still further flange 9 forms with the flange 18 a groove slidably to receive a switch 20 having an operating member 21 which projects through an aperture in the side wall 3 of the body portion 1. The still further flange 9 also mounts a battery contact member 22.

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An arch-shaped transparent plastics member 23 has its free longitudinal edges engaged within the side walls 3 and 4 of the body portion 1 and resting on the deck 11 of the chassis member 10 so that light from the fluorescent tube 14 can shine therethrough, an end portion 23a of the arch-shaped transparent member 23 having an opaque shield 24 lining its inner face so that the components 16 on the printed circuit board 15 are concealed from view.

Two end members 25 and 26 are of substantially, identical construction and only the construction of the end member 25 is described. The end member 25 has a peripheral flange 27 which is continuous at the inner end and, as can be seen in FIG. 7, has, at its inner edge, straight portions 28, 29 and 30 whereby it can be engaged over the respective end of the body portion 1 with the straight portions 28, 29 and 30 overlapping the walls 3, 2 and 4 respectively of the body portion 1 and the flange 27 also has a curved inner portion 31 to overlap the respective end of the transparent arch member 23. A circular aperture 32 in the end member 25 allows the tubular portion 6 of the body portion 1 to project therethrough and an outer end wall 33 of the end member 25 is in two parts with the two parts separated by a recess 34 with an integral annular flange 35 at the base of the recess 34. The recess 34 extends out of the sides of the end member 25 so that gaps 34a are formed in the outer part of the peripheral flange 27.

After the end member 25 has been engaged over the respective end of the body portion 1 so that the peripheral flange 27 retains the arch member 23 in its engaged position on the body portion 1, thereby also securing the chassis member 10 in position, an end cap 36 is engaged in the recess 34 by screwing it thereinto so that a screw thread on the inner face of a skirt of the cap 36 engages a screw thread on the tubular projection 6 of the body portion. In its fully screwed in position, the free end of the skirt of the cap 36 abuts the flange 35 and the outer end face of the cap 36 is flush with the two parts of the outer end face 33 of the end member 25. The end member 26 cooperates with an end cap 38 in similar manner to the cooperation of the end cap 36 with the end member 25. The end member 26 has an aperture in its peripheral flange 27 at a position outwardly of the curved portion 31, in which aperture the ends of a flexible loop 39, FIG. 5, can be engaged to provide a carrying handle.

In its engaged, screwed in position, the end cap 36 has knurled or grooved portions 40 of its periphery accessible through the gaps 34a in the peripheral wall 27 formed by the recess 34 to enable it to be gripped and rotated to cause the screw thread thereon to cooperate with the screw thread on the tubular extension 6 of the body portion 1. The end cap 36 has a transparent end wall 41 and on its inner face mounts a reflector 42, in which reflector 42 the bulb 19 is engaged in the fully assembled position. The end cap 38 has a copper contact disc 43 lining its end wall and a copper strip 44, FIG. 5, extends from the contact member 13a on the flange 13 of the chassis member 11 along a groove in the screw thread of the tubular portion 8 of the body portion 1 to make electrical contact with the copper contact disc 43.

The components 16 on the printed circuit board 15 comprise a capacitor 45, a transistor 46, a resistor 47, a mica capacitor 48, a ceramic capacitor 49 and a transformer 50. A reflecting layer is provided on the outer face of the deck 11 of the chassis member 10.

Batteries 51, preferably three 1.5 volt UM-2 batteries, are received within the body portion 1 and retained therein by the end cap 38.

In manufacture the printed circuit board 15 mounting the components 16, comprising the items 45 to 50 listed above, is located on the chassis member 11 and wire connections are made therefrom to the fluorescent tube contact members on the projecting flanges 12 and 13 to the battery contact 22, to the bulb contacts on the flanges 17 and 18 and to the switch 20. The chassis member 10 is then engaged in the body portion 1 with the switch 20, which is mounted between the two parallel flanges 18 and 9, in an extended position such that its switch member 21 can be engaged in the aperture in the side wall 3 of the body portion 1. The switch 20 will slide to a retracted position as the chassis member 10 is moved into full engagement with the open upper part of the trough-shaped body portion 1. The fluorescent tube 14 can then be engaged on the chassis member 10 by engaging the two pins, which it has at each end, in triangular slots in the projecting flanges 12 and 13 and then rotating the tube 14 about its longitudinal axis to engage the contact pins with the fluorescent tube contact members 12a, 13a and to lock the tube in position. The bulb 19 can then be inserted through the outer end of the tubular projection 6 of the body member 1 to engage in the bulb holder formed by the contact members on the flanges 17, 18 of the chassis member 10. The arch member 23 with the opaque liner 24 engaged therein can then be placed in position over the fluorescent tube 14 and the printed circuit components 16 and the copper strip 44 located so as to lie along the groove in the tubular projection 8. The end members 25 and 26 can then be engaged over the ends of the assembled body portion 1, chassis member 10 and arch member 23 so that the peripheral flanges 27 of the end members 25 and 26 retain the components of the assembly in position and the end caps 36 and 38 can be screwed onto the tubular projections 6 and 8 of the body portion 1. The combined fluorescent lamp and spotlight is thus completely assembled and is ready for the purchaser to remove the end cap 38 and insert the batteries 51.

FIG. 4 shows that the fluorescent tube 14 can be replaced by removing only the lower end member 26 and hinging the arch member 23 away from the body portion 1 and also that the bulb 19 can be replaced merely by removing the end cap 36.