Simplified ballast transformer assembly

• US 5,510,762 A
• Filed: 04/12/1994
• Issued: 04/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal Lighting Technologies Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Magnetek Incorporated (Columbus Mckinnon Corporation)
• Inventors: Ball, James H., Carey, Steve M., VanWagener, Raymond H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kozma, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US08/226,714
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 336/105, 336/107, 336/192, 174/DIG. 2, 361/674
• US Class Current: 336/192
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/10 Ballasts, e.g. for discharge lamps
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/10 Connecting leads to windings making electric connections in general H01R43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/04 Arrangements of electric connections to coils, e.g. leads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 174/02 Ballasts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49071 by winding or coiling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor

Abstract

A leadless type ballast transformer having a connector at one end of the housing for accepting a mating connector which supplies voltage to the ballast and provides the operating voltage to the lamps controlled by the ballast. Uninsulated connection leads extending inwardly of the housing from the connector terminals to contact the lugs of a terminal board adjacent a transformer coil with the magnet wires of the transformer coils also being in contact with the terminal board lugs. The connection leads and magnet wires are permanently electrically connected to the terminal board lugs by ultrasonic welding.

Claims

1. Mounting arrangement for an inductive device comprising:

at least one coil of wire having first and second ends,

a terminal board with a plurality of individual conductive lugs all lying in substantially the same plane attached to said coil, at least one of said first and second coil wire ends engaging a terminal board lug;

a connector having a plurality of terminals to connect the device to external means;

a plurality of originally uninsulated connecting wires, each connecting wire extending from a respective connector terminal toward said terminal board and having a substantially straight portion lying in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the terminal board lugs, the end of each connecting wire engaging a terminal board lug and all of said ends of said connecting wires and said at least one coil wire end welded or soldered to said terminal board lugs for permanent connection.

2. A mounting arrangement as in claim 1 wherein all of said connecting wires and said at least one coil of wire having been permanently gang connected to said terminal board lugs at the same time.

3. A mounting arrangement as in claim 2 wherein said connecting wires and said at least one coil of wire are permanently connected to said terminal board lugs by ultrasonic welding.

4. A mounting arrangement as in claim 2 further comprising a housing having a bottom wall on which said device is mounted, said lugs and said substantially straight portions of said connecting wires extend horizontally and generally parallel to the housing bottom wall.

5. A mounting arrangement as in claim 4 wherein at least one of said connecting wires adjacent the terminal is bent generally vertically relative to the housing bottom wall to change the height of its end relative to the connector terminal from which it extends to be at a level above that of the plane of the terminal board lugs.

6. A mounting arrangement as in claim 5 further comprising a capacitor box between said terminal board and said connector, the upper part of said at least one bent connecting wire extending over said box to a terminal board lug.

7. A mounting arrangement as in claim 5 wherein said housing has an end wall generally transverse to the housing bottom wall, said connector being attached to said housing end wall.

8. A mounting arrangement as in claim 1 wherein the spacing between adjacent terminal board lugs corresponds to the spacing between adjacent connecting wires.

9. A mounting arrangement as in claim 1 wherein said terminal board lugs are substantially flat and the ends of the connecting wires overlie said flat lugs.

10. A mounting arrangement as in claim 4 wherein said terminal board lugs are substantially flat and the ends of the connecting wires overlie said flat lugs.

11. A mounting arrangement as in claim 9 further comprising at least one component having two ends with each of said two lead ends electrically connected to a connecting wire.