Vehicle lamp with discharge bulb

• US 5,906,428 A
• Filed: 04/29/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Endo, Hirokazu, Hori, Takashi, Takeda, Hitoshi, Yoneyama, Masatoshi, Suehiro, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Quach, Y.
• Application Number:
  US08/848,658
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 362/263, 362/265, 362/510, 362/546, 362/293, 362/467
• US Class Current: 362/265
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/007 via a removable cap
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0094 Arrangement of electronic circuits separated from the light source, e.g. mounting of housings for starter circuits for discharge lamps arrangements being part of the light source holder F21V17/06, F21S43/195
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/17 Discharge light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/192 Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 25/00 Safety devices structurally associated with lighting devices gas- tight or water-tight arrangements F21V31/00; in general F16P; protective circuit arrangements per se H02H7/00

Abstract

A reflector 11 to which a discharge bulb 16 is attached is made of a conductive material, and a casing (turn-on circuit casing 30) made of a conductor is attached to a rear-side opening portion of a lamp body enclosing the reflector so that the opening is closed. A grounded shielding tube 21 is provided to enclose the discharge bulb 16, and a grounded extension reflector 3B is disposed at the opening of the reflector 11. At least the reflector 11 and the casing 30 are collectively grounded so that it becomes possible to suppress the electromagnetic waves radiated from the discharge bulb 16 to its circumference.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp with a discharge bulb, said vehicle lamp comprising:

a lamp body in which the discharge bulb is disposed;

a reflector made of a conductive material mounted inside said lamp body for reflecting light from the discharge bulb; and

a casing attached to said lamp body at a position behind the discharge bulb, wherein said casing and said reflector are electrically connected with each other.

2. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 1, wherein said casing is made of a conductive material, and said casing and said reflector both are electrically grounded.

3. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 2, wherein said lamp body has an opening portion behind the discharge bulb, said casing cover the opening portion.

4. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 1, further comprising a shielding member made of a conductive material disposed between said reflector and said lamp body around the discharge bulb, said shielding member being electrically connected to said reflector.

5. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 4, wherein said shielding member is disposed at a rear end portion of said reflector so as to prevent interference between said reflector and said shielding member when a reflecting position of said reflector is adjusted.

6. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 4, further comprising a filter made of a conductive material disposed between said shielding member and said reflector.

7. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 6, wherein said filter has a plurality of elongate shielding portions that project radially out from a central circular portion of said filter.

8. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 7, wherein said elongate shielding portions elastically contact an inner surface of said shielding member, and wherein said central circular portion of said filter is fixed to a bulb insertion hole portion of said reflector, so that said shielding member is electrically connected to said reflector by said filter.

9. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 7, wherein adjacent ones of said elongate shielding portions are separated by a narrow gap.

10. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 4, wherein said shielding member is shaped like a tube with an increasing diameter towards a front side of the vehicle lamp.

11. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 1, further comprising a lens holder made of a conductive material attached to a front surface opening portion of said reflector and electrically connected to said reflector.

12. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 1, further comprising an extension reflector made of a conductive material and disposed in said lamp body to at least partially close a gap between said reflector and said lamp body, said extension reflector being electrically connected to said reflector.

13. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 1, further comprising a socket holder for attaching the discharge bulb to said reflector, and a terminal secured to a portion of said reflector adjacent said socket holder.

14. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 13, further comprising a ground wire for electrically connecting said terminal to said casing.

15. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 13, wherein said casing covering said scoket holder is electrically grounded to said terminal.

16. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a shielding member made of a conductive material disposed between said reflector and said lamp body around the discharge bulb;

a lens holder made of a conductive material attached to and contacting a front surface opening portion of said reflector so as to be electrically connected to said reflector; and

an extension reflector made of a conductive material and disposed in said lamp body to at least partially close a gap between said reflector and said lamp body, wherein

said shielding member and said extension reflector are electrically connected to said reflector with first and second grounding wires, respectively, and said reflector is electrically connected to said casing with a third grounding wire.

17. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 1, wherein said casing comprises separate upper and lower casings that are attached to each other.

18. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 17, further comprising a starter circuit disposed in said lower casing.

19. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 18, further comprising a primary distribution cord for supplying electrical power to said starter circuit.

20. A vehicle lamp as recited in claim 19, wherein outer conductors of said primary distribution cord electrically connect said casing with a ground terminal of a vehicle in which the vehicle lamp is secured.