Embodiments of the present invention relates to automotive lighting systems and more particularly to a bulb socket assembly for vehicle turn signal Lamp.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The lighting systems are one of the most important aspects of vehicles. The lighting systems of vehicles are affected by many factors like the size of an electric bulb, size of electric contact, positioning between electric contact and electric bulb and shape and size of socket. The lighting system is used for the various function of vehicles. For example, an electric lighting system may be one of the headlamps, auxiliary lamps, parking lights in front, taillights in the rear, rear registration plate lamp, turn signal lamps, and the like. The turn signal lamps provide an important safety feature to the vehicle drivers. The turn signal lamps indicate a change in direction and deceleration of the vehicles. The turn signal lamps make the vehicle more visible to other road users when it is dark or during poor visibility.
For a turn signal lamp, bulb socket assembly plays a key role. Bulb position needs to be set in the lamp to meet the photometric regulation requirement. The photometric regulation for the bulb directly depends on the socket assembly. But many factors affect the socket assembly such as socket shape deforms during tightening with housing, less contact surface due to smaller shape of socket, holder alignment leads to improper inside socket, grommet does not fit properly and shifting of wires & sealing issue. These are the factors that affect the socket assembly which cause the bulb to move from its desired position. Due to the false positioning of the bulb, the photometry of the lamp is affected.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a bulb socket assembly for vehicle turn signal Lamp that does not suffer from above-mentioned deficiencies and provide an effective and viable solution.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a bulb socket assembly for vehicle turn signal Lamp.
Another object of the present invention is to provide socket assembly which restricts deformation during tightening with housing.
Yet another object of the present invention is to modify the shape of the socket assembly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide better alignment of a holder inside the socket assembly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide socket assembly to restrict the shifting of seal wire.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide socket assembly to fix a grommet properly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide ground wire in place of earth terminal for earthing & controlling of alignment.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide alignment of bulb with holder by using pimple shape profile.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide alignment in the socket by using guiding channel profile.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide better aesthetic appearance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simple manner, which is further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject matter, nor to determine the scope of the invention.
Embodiments of the present invention aim to provide a bulb socket assembly for vehicle turn signal Lamp. According to an aspect of the present invention, the bulb socket for vehicle turn signal lamp, comprises a holder housed inside the socket, one or more bulbs mechanically supported and electrically connected with the socket, one or more slots disposed on the socket, configured to provide fix and stable position to the holder with the help of a pimple disposed on the holder, and control filament orientation of the one or more bulbs, a grommet adapted to accommodate wires connected with the one or more bulbs to power the one or more bulbs, one or more strengthening ribs, provided at inner wall of the socket, configured to provide mechanical strength to the socket, a plurality of guiding ribs configured to provide alignment of the holder and reduce gap between the holder and the socket, and one or more funnel shape seal wire areas configured to seal a ground wire at fix position and restrict upward and downward movement of the ground wire inside the socket. Further, the grommet is configured to protect and seal wires passing through from mechanical and chemical effects.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the assembly comprises a grommet fitment area, disposed in lower area of the socket, configured to provide a fix and air-tight connection between a wire terminal and the socket.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the holder housing a disc, having a terminal, configured to provide a connection between the grommet and one or more bulbs, a spring connected between the washer and the disc, configured to provide support to the disc, a washer, connected between the grommet and the spring, configured to provide uniform pressure of the spring over the grommet, and one or more gaskets, disposed around top area of the socket, configured to protect and seal the vehicle turn signal lamp.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the assembly comprises a plug attached in back portion of the socket with the help of the grommet, configured to provide electric power to the one or more bulbs.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the assembly comprises one or more connecting fins and increased socket holding area to provide more torque while rotation to tighten or loosen the holder.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the assembly comprises collar faces of the holder matching with the socket to limit the dislocation of filament of the one or more bulbs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular to the description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
These and other features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following text figure, with like reference numbers referring to like structures across the views, wherein:
Fig. 1 illustrates an inner view of bulb socket assembly for vehicle turn signal Lamp, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 illustrates the bulb socket for vehicle turn signal Lamp, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3A illustrates a prior art of bulb socket for vehicle turn signal Lamp where socket connecting fins and socket holding area are smaller in size; and
Fig. 3B illustrates the bulb socket assembly for vehicle turn signal Lamp having large size connecting fins and large holding area, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the present invention is described herein by way of example using embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of drawing or drawings described and are not intended to represent the scale of the various components. Further, some components that may form a part of the invention may not be illustrated in certain figures, for ease of illustration, and such omissions do not limit the embodiments outlined in any way. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
As used throughout this description, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense, (i.e., meaning must). Further, the words "a" or "an" mean "at least one” and the word “plurality” means “one or more” unless otherwise mentioned. Furthermore, the terminology and phraseology used herein is solely used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as limiting in scope. Language such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," or "involving," and variations thereof, is intended to be broad and encompass the subject matter listed thereafter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not recited, and is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.
Likewise, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the terms "including" or "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in the specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.
The present invention is described hereinafter by various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein reference numerals used in the accompanying drawing correspond to the like elements throughout the description. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, the embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, numeric values and ranges are provided for various aspects of the implementations described. These values and ranges are to be treated as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In addition, a number of materials are identified as suitable for various facets of the implementations. These materials are to be treated as exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates an inner view of the bulb socket assembly (100) for vehicle turn signal Lamp, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in figure 1, the vehicle turn signal Lamp assembly (100) comprises a socket (102), a holder (104), a grommet (106), and one or more bulbs (108). The socket (102) is configured to house the holder (104). The socket (102) may be made of a material selected from a group comprising, but not limited to, thermoplastic polymer, Polyamide (PA66), Polyamide (PA6). The socket (102) is configured to provide mechanical support and proper electrical connection to the one or more bulbs (108).
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the socket assembly (100) comprises one or more strengthening ribs (202), one or more slots (204), a plurality of guiding ribs (206) and one or more funnel shape seal wire areas (118) as shown in figure 1. The one or more strengthening ribs (202) are provided at the inner wall of the socket (102) assembly. The one or more strengthening ribs (202) are configured to provide mechanical strength to the socket (102) assembly. The thickness of the inner wall of the socket (102) assembly is increased to 1.5 mm. The increased thickness of the inner wall and the one or more strengthening ribs (202) restrict the deformation of the socket (102) assembly during tightening with the mating parts or the holder (104).
In accordance with an embodiment, the holder (104) comprises a pimple shape POKAYOKE at the outer surface. The pimple shape POKAYOKE is adapted to be received in the one or more slots (204) of the socket (102). The one or more slots (204) disposed on the socket (102) are configured to provide fix and stable position to the holder (104) with the help of pimple shape POKAYOKE disposed on the holder, and control filament orientation of the one or more bulbs (108). The one or more slots (204) are configured to provide fix and stable position to the holder (104) and restrict the movement of the holder (104). The holder (104) fixes in one or more slots (204) to control filament orientation of the one or more bulbs (108). The plurality of guiding ribs (206) is provided at the inner surface of the socket (102) assembly.
The plurality guiding ribs (206) is configured to provide better alignment of the holder (104). The better alignment of the holder (104) reduces the gap between the holder (104) and the socket (102). The stable connection between the holder (104) and the socket (102) limits position shifting of the one or more bulbs (108). The one or more funnel shape seal wire areas (118) are configured to seal the ground wire at the fix position. The one or more funnel shape seal wire areas (118) are configured to restrict the upward movement and downward movement of ground wire inside the socket (102) assembly.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the socket (102) assembly further comprises a grommet fitment area, a washer (110), a spring (112), a disc (114), and one or more gaskets (116) as shown in figure 2. The grommet fitment area is provided in the lower area of the socket (102). The grommet fitment area is configured to provide a fix and air-tight connection between the grommet (106) and socket (102). The grommet fitment area limits the movement of the grommet (106). Further, the grommet (106) may be adapted to accommodate wires connected with the one or more bulbs (108) to power the one or more bulbs (108).
The holder (104) is configured to house the washer (110), the spring (112), the disc (114), and the one or more bulbs. The washer (110) is connected between the grommet (106) and the spring (112). The washer (110) is configured to provide uniform pressure of the spring (112) over the grommet (106). The washer (110) also prevents the grommet (106) from the damage. The spring (112) is connected between the washer (110) and the disc (114). The spring (112) is configured to provide support to the disc (114). The disc (114) may have a dome-like structure. The disc (114) having a terminal is configured to provide a connection between the wire and one or more bulbs (108).
The gaskets (116) is configured around the Socket (102) top area to protect and seal the vehicle turn signal Lamp from weather conditions, dust, water. The gaskets (116) may be made of a material selected from a group comprising, but not limited to, rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile rubber, fiberglass, polytetrafluoroethylene, plastic polymer polypropylene, polybutylenes terephthalate, nylon, poly carbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polypropylene (PP), Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) etc and the like.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the Plug is attached in the back portion of the socket (102) assembly with the help of the grommet (106). The plug is configured to provide electric power to the one or more bulbs (108). The grommet (106) is configured to protect and seal the wire passing through it from the mechanical and chemical effects. The material of grommet (106) may be, but not limited to, rubber, metal, polypropylene, polybutylenes terephthalate, nylon, poly carbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polypropylene (PP), Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) etc.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the socket (102) assembly comprises one or more connecting fins and socket (102) holding area. The size of the one or more connecting fins and socket (102) holding area is large as shown in figure 3B. As shown in figure 3B the socket (102) assembly height & flange holding area are also increased to provide more contact surface. Whereas the prior art socket (102) assembly comprises small-sized connecting fins and holding area is shown in figure 3A. The small-sized connecting fins and socket (102) holding areas require more torque while rotation on the operator's hands.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the socket (102) comprises the ground wire. The ground wire is used for the earthing. The ground wire is configured to improve the alignment of the holder (104). The improve alignment of the holder (104) limit the movement of one or more bulbs (108) and provide stable position to the one or more bulbs (108).
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the collar faces of the holder (104) and socket (102) are matched at the same level. The matching of the collar faces of the holder (104) and socket (102) lead to limit the dislocation of filament of the one or more bulbs (108) from its original position.
The present invention provides several advantages. Firstly, a bulb socket (102) assembly for the vehicle turn signal Lamp of the present invention solves the problem of the prior art by using one or more strengthening ribs (202), one or more slots (204), a plurality of guiding ribs (206) and one or more funnel shape seal wire areas (118). The present invention uses one or more strengthening ribs (202) to restrict the deformation of the socket (102) assembly. The one or more slots (204) are provided for stable and fix connection between holder (104) and socket (102).
The plurality of guiding ribs (206) is provided for better alignment between holder (104) and socket (102). The one or more funnel shape seal areas are provided to restrict upward and downward movement of the ground wire. The use of one or more strengthening ribs (202), one or more slots (204), a plurality of guiding ribs (206) and one or more funnel shape seal wire areas (118) in the present invention provide mechanical strength to the socket (102) assembly, stable position to the one or more bulbs (108), restrict the deformation of the socket (102) assembly. The improved design of the socket (102) assembly of the present invention provides improve photometry solution to the problems of the prior art.
Various modifications to these embodiments are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and the accompanying drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments described herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown along with the accompanying drawings but is to be providing broadest scope of consistent with the principles and the novel and inventive features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, the invention is anticipated to hold on to all other such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims.

We claim:

1.A bulb socket assembly (100) for vehicle turn signal lamp, the assembly (100) comprising:
a holder (104) housed inside a socket (102);
one or more bulbs (108) mechanically supported and electrically connected with the socket (102);
one or more slots (204) disposed on the socket (102), configured to provide fix and stable position to the holder (104) with the help of a pimple disposed on the holder, and control filament orientation of the one or more bulbs (108);
a grommet (106) adapted to accommodate wires connected with the one or more bulbs (108) to power the one or more bulbs (108);
one or more strengthening ribs (202), provided at inner wall of the socket (102), configured to provide mechanical strength to the socket (102);
a plurality of guiding ribs (206) configured to provide alignment of the holder (104) and reduce gap between the holder (104) and the socket (102);
one or more funnel shape seal wire areas (118) configured to seal a ground wire at fix position and restrict upward and downward movement of the ground wire inside the socket (102); and
wherein the grommet (106) is configured to protect and seal wires passing through from mechanical and chemical effects.
2. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a grommet fitment area, disposed in lower area of the socket (102), configured to provide a fix and air-tight connection between the terminal and the socket (102).
3. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holder (104) housing:
a disc (114) having a terminal, configured to provide a connection between the wire and the one or more bulbs (108);
a spring (112) connected between the washer (110) and the disc (114), configured to provide support to the disc (114);
a washer (110), connected between the grommet (106) and the spring (112), configured to provide uniform pressure of the spring (112) over the grommet (106); and
one or more gaskets (116), disposed around top area of the socket (102), configured to protect and seal the vehicle turn signal lamp.
4. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plug attached in back portion of the socket (102) with the help of the grommet (106), configured to provide electric power to the one or more bulbs (108).
5. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising one or more connecting fins and increased socket (102) holding area to provide more torque while rotation to tighten or loosen the holder (104).
6. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising collar faces of the holder (104) matching with the socket (102) to limit the dislocation of filament of the one or more bulbs (108).