Lamp caps are used for mounting a lamp element such as a burner on a lamp holder. The lamp element generally comprises a light source for generating light disposed within a bulb of transparent material. The lamp cap can be made of metal and/or plastic material and includes connection means for engaging with the lamp holder. The lamp cap is generally provided with electric contacts which engage with corresponding electrical contacts of the lamp holder for supplying electrical power to the lamp element of the lamp.
A lamp assembly comprising a lamp cap and a burner can be used, for example in the headlight of a vehicle. The lamp burner can be fixed at a predetermined position with respect to the reflector of the headlight to ensure that light from the light source illuminates the reflector to form a beam in the required direction for driving the vehicle. Accurate positioning of the lamp relative to the reflector is important for obtaining an optimal reflection of the light radiated by the lamp.
Typically, some types of lamp cap are manufactured by thermosetting processes. The use of thermo-set materials, however, suffers from the drawback that the processing times and production yields are not optimised. In addition, the availability of these thermo-set materials is limited and prices are rising, and the processing time of thermo-set materials is longer. Moreover, the thermo-set materials used in the manufacturing process have negative environmental effects.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds