Wire connection structure of lamp unit

• US 6,621,023 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Nagai, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): FRIEDHOFER, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US10/050,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20020096423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 200/292, 200/293, 200/51.R, 200/51.11, 362/549, 362/40, 439/449, 439/456, 439/459, 439/470
• US Class Current: 200/292
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/51 for mounting lighting devices onto vehicle interior, e.g. onto ceiling or floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/18 having only abutting contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/955 with switch operated manually and independent of engagement or disengagement of coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2425 Flat plates, e.g. multi-layered flat plates

Abstract

A lamp unit (21) for mounting in a lamp mounting window in an interior wall member includes a bulb (27), mounted on an insulating housing (25), a wire connecting conductor (29), having a wire connecting terminal portion (29) for connection to an FFC (28), installed on a vehicle body panel-side of the interior wall member, and a power supply-side bulb contact portion (29b) electrically connected to one electrode (27a) of the bulb (27), and a switch connecting conductor (33) having a switch contact portion, connected to a switch unit (31), and a grounding-side bulb contact portion (33a) electrically connected the other electrode (27b) of the bulb (27). The relative positional relation between the electrodes (27a, 27b) of the bulb (27) on the insulating housing (25) is so determined that the one electrode (27a) of the bulb (27) is disposed remote from the wire connecting terminal portion (29a).

Claims

1. A structure for connecting a wire to a lamp unit mounted to a lamp mounting window formed through an interior wall member covering a vehicle body panel, the structure comprising:

an insulating housing mounted to the lamp mounting window;

a bulb which includes a first electrode and a second electrode and is attached to the insulating housing;

a wire connecting conductor which includes a wire connecting terminal portion for connection to the wire installed on a vehicle body panel-side of the interior wall member, and a first bulb contact portion electrically connected to the first electrode; and

a switch connecting conductor which includes a switch contact portion connected to a switch unit for switching an operating condition of the bulb, and a second bulb contact portion electrically connected to the second electrode,

wherein a relative positional relation between the first electrode and the second electrode is so determined that the first electrode is disposed remote from the wire connecting terminal portion so as to increase a radiating area extending between the wire connecting terminal portion and the first bulb contact portion.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the wire connecting conductor is constituted by a first conductor including the wire connecting terminal portion, and a second conductor which is separate from the first conductor and includes the first bulb contact portion.

3. The structure according to claim 2, wherein the first conductor and the second conductor are made of materials different from each other.

4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the first bulb contact portion is a power supply-side bulb contact portion, and the second bulb contact portion is a grounding-side bulb contact portion.

5. The structure according to claim 1, wherein a length from the wire connecting terminal portion to the first bulb contact portion is longer than a length from the first bulb to the second bulb contact.

6. The structure according to claim 5, wherein a part of the wire connecting conductor extends along the bulb from the first electrode side toward the second electrode side.