Halogen incandescent lamps have substantial advantages, particularly when used as automotive headlights; their light is bright and intense. Halogen incandescent lamps, thus, are used increasingly. In such lamps, a lamp bulb is formed with a lamp press through which current supply leads are carried. A holder element, typically made of metal, is secured to the lamp bulb, e.g. to the lamp press. The metal holder element, in turn, is attached to a cup-shaped base sleeve which has a bottom wall. The base sleeve is used as a carrier for the base terminals to which electrical connection can be made to supply the filament within the lamp with electrical energy. The base sleeve, of course, must be apertured to permit the current supply leads and/or the terminal elements to be passed therethrough and retained therein.
Lamps of this type are described, for example, in German Utility Model Publication DE-GM No. 82 01 526. Such lamps are suitable for combination with an automotive-type headlight reflector and are arranged to be sealingly received therein, to provide a tight, sealed connection with the reflector. The plastic base sleeve, in order to obtain a tight seal, is formed with at least one groove in which a sealing ring can be inserted, for example an O-ring. The sealing ring is tightly received within an opening at the neck of the reflector, typically at an apex thereof. Current supply leads for the lamps are carried through the bottom of the base sleeve and through openings in the base contact terminals, which are in alignment with the openings in the base sleeve. The current supply leads from the lamp are welded to blade-type terminal prongs. The weld connection and the overall connection is so arranged that a hermetic seal of the bottom wall of the base sleeve with the lamp base is obtained.
It has been found that the welding process is expensive and complex, due to the close proximity of the plastic material forming the base cup or sleeve. Accordingly, it has been tried to find a construction which permits a simpler way of sealing the lamp base and lamp assembly with respect to moisture and other contaminants, and to protect the connections between the terminal prongs and the lamp current supply leads with respect to mechanical and ambient, typically atmospheric conditions, and deteriorating influences thereof.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds