A low profile lamp socket assembly is described in U. S. Patent No. 4,940,422. That lamp socket assembly included a molded base or housing, a body, and a contact insert. The base included a cavity into which the contact insert was placed after electrical contacts were inserted into the contact insert. The body then was inserted into the cavity and welded to the base to maintain the body and the contact insert within the cavity. Blade terminals then were inserted into the body to make an electrical connection with the contacts. Lugs spaced around the body secured the lamp socket assembly to the automobile panel, and a seal was provided between the assembly and the panel. A socket connector was connected to the base and sealed to the base by means of a resilient seal. Wires were connected and sealed to the socket connector. This resulted in the sealing of the entire internal structure of the base to protect the internal structure from moisture and corrosion.

The body of the assembly was attached to the base using ultrasonic welding. Energy directors were provided to improve the weld and provide secure attachment of the body to the base.

Summary The invention provides a low profile lamp socket assembly in which the body is connected to the base using a snap fit. Projections from one or more cantilevered arms, which may be components of the body or the base, engage corresponding openings to secure the body to the base. Use of the cantilevered arms eliminates time associated with welding during the assembly process, and

serves to eliminate defective assemblies that may result from insufficient welding stemming from temperature or humidity variations. In addition, in the event that a component of the assembly fails, the remaining components may be salvaged for reuse by releasing the snap fit. By contrast, in a welded assembly, the entire assembly is scrapped when one component fails.

In one aspect, generally, the invention features a lamp socket assembly that includes a base, a body, and a contact insert. The base includes a first cavity in which the body and the contact insert are received. The body includes a passage for receiving a lamp base and a mechanism for retaining the lamp base in the passage.

The contact insert includes a groove for receiving the lamp base. The body is secured within the base by a projection of a cantilevered arm.

Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The cantilevered arm may be a component of the body, and the base may define an opening positioned to receive the projection of the cantilevered arm to secure the body within the base.

The base may include camming lugs for retaining the assembly in a mounted position in an apertured panel of, for example, an automobile. A seal may be provided for sealing the assembly to the apertured panel.

The assembly also may include a socket connector and a socket seal for sealing the socket connector to the base. A wire seal may form a sealing connection between wires and the socket connector.

The contact insert may include a portion for receiving and retaining contacts, and the assembly may further include blade terminals interlocked with the contact insert. A shoulder located in the cavity may cooperate with retaining portions of the blade terminals

for retaining the blade terminals in their assembled positions.

The assembly may include keys that cooperate with the body and the contact insert to provide proper alignment between the body, contact insert, and base.

The body may be substantially cylindrical.

The mechanism for retaining the lamp base may be a pair of integrally molded resilient fingers for resiliently engaging a groove in the lamp base. The contact insert may include a pair of posts for receiving the lamp base.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description, including the drawings, and from the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawinqs Fig. 1 is a front view of a lamp socket assembly.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the assembly of Fig. 1 rotated 90 degrees.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of Fig. 1 taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of Fig. 1 taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the base for the socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the base of Fig. 5 taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of an upper portion of an energy director of the base of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the base of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a socket assembly with a different focal length than that of the socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a top view of a body for the socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional views of the body of Fig. 10 taken along, respectively, lines 11-11 and 12-12 of Fig. 10.

Figs. 13 and 14 are side and bottom views of the body of Fig. 10.

Figs. 15-17 are front, side and bottom views of a terminal for the lamp socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Fig. 18 is a side view of another terminal for the socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Figs. 19 and 20 are front and side views of a blade terminal for the socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Figs. 21 and 22 are top and side views of a contact insert for the socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Figs. 23-25 are cross-sectional views of the contact insert of Fig. 21 taken along, respectively, lines 23-23,24-24 and 25-25 of Fig. 21.

Fig. 26 is a top view of a flange seal for the socket assembly of Fig. 1.

Fig. 27 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the flange seal of Fig. 26 taken along line 27-27 of Fig. 26.

Figs. 28 and 29 are top and side views of a locking wedge.

Fig. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a socket assembly including the locking wedge of Fig. 28.

Fig. 31 is a cross-sectional view of a connectorless embodiment of a socket assembly.

Fig. 32 is a cross-sectional view of the socket assembly of Fig. 31 taken along lines 32-32 of Fig. 31.

Fig. 33 is a top view of a modified lamp socket assembly.

Fig. 34 is an end view of the assembly of Fig. 33.

Fig. 35 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of Fig. 33 taken along line 35-35 of Fig. 33.

Figs. 36-39 are top, front, side and bottom views of a body of the assembly of Fig. 33.

Figs. 40-42 are cross-sectional views similar to Fig. 35.

Detailed Description An embodiment of the lamp socket assembly is described with respect to Fig. 33-42 and comprises a modification of the lamp socket assemblies of Figs. 1-32.

For ease of illustration, the lamp socket assemblies of Figs. 1-32 are discussed first.

Figs. 1-4 illustrate a lamp socket assembly 10 that includes a base or housing 12, a body 14, and a bulb or lamp 16 shown as a two-filament lamp. The lamp socket assembly can accommodate lamps with different numbers of filaments. The lamp includes a lamp base 17 which is inserted into lamp socket assembly 10. A flange seal 18 is provided for sealing the lamp socket assembly 10 to a panel, such as an automobile panel. Flange seal 18 is seated on a mounting flange 24 and seals the lamp socket assembly to an automobile panel.

A socket connector 20, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is inserted into a socket 22. Socket connector 20 includes electrical connector terminals (not shown) which are connected to wires (not shown) for connecting the lamp socket assembly to a source of electric power.

The socket assembly may be used with a sealed light assembly, such as an automobile tail light assembly. Such assemblies include a lens and a base, with the lens being sonically welded to the base. Thus, moisture cannot enter the assembly except through the access hole into which the socket assembly is inserted.

By providing proper sealing of the socket assembly access hole, the entire light assembly is sealed. Thus, the lamp or light bulb will be internal to the light assembly and will be completely sealed as described below. The socket assemblies may be used in applications other than

for tail lights for automobiles (e. g., turning lights or running lights). Furthermore, such assemblies also may be used in other vehicles, such as, for example, boats.

Base 12 includes a socket cavity 25 in which a contact insert 26 is received. Contact insert 26 includes contacts 28. The number of contacts 28 may vary depending upon whether the lamp socket assembly is intended for a single or double filament lamp. Contact insert 26 is captured in socket cavity 25 by means of body 14. Body 14 is sonically welded or secured in some other suitable fashion to base 12 as described below.

Body 14 includes locking lugs 36a, 36b and 36c.

The locking lugs 36 are used to lock the entire socket assembly to a panel. The panel has only a relatively small opening that includes cut-out portions to accommodate locking lugs 36. Each of the locking lugs 36 has a different shape so that the assembly is keyed to the opening in the panel and cannot be inserted incorrectly. The entire lamp socket assembly is inserted into the panel aperture and, in the case of an automobile tail light, is inserted with the assembly base 12 extending into the trunk space and the glass envelope of the lamp 16 extending outside the trunk space into the sealed tail light assembly. Seal 18 provides a moisture barrier for the aperture of the tail light assembly.

Lamp 16 is retained in lamp socket assembly 10 by means of retaining fingers 38 which are integrally molded with body 14 and are resiliently and hingedly connected to the main part of body 14. Lamp base 17 includes a pair of grooves 39a and 39b. Retaining fingers 38 which have matching projections for engaging grooves 39a and 39b retain the lamp 16 securely in the lamp socket assembly.

When the lamp assembly 10 is installed in a tail light assembly, the panel is captured between the bottom surfaces of lugs 36 and the top of flange seal 18. The

assembly may be sealed against moisture by compressing seal 18 to a predetermined pressure per square inch.

The focal length of the lamp socket assembly can be varied by changing the portion of body 14 which extends up from lugs 36, as shown in Fig. 1. The focal length is the distance between the bottom of lugs 36 and the location of the lamp filament (shown as"a"in Fig.

1). An advantage of the lamp socket design is that the focal length of the entire assembly can be varied while retaining the same base 12 by simply changing the length of the body 14 and the length of the contact insert 26.

Body 14 includes a passage 42 into which the lamp base 17 and the contact insert 26 are received. As shown in Fig. 2, the contact insert 26 includes a pair of contact insert posts 40, as described below, between which lamp base 17 is received. Lamp base 17 includes contact wires 44 for contacting electrical contacts 28 to provide electric power to the lamp filaments. Blade terminals 46 contact electrical contacts 28 to provide the electrical connection between the contacts 28 and the wires leading up to the socket. Blade terminals 46 are captured in socket cavity 25 by means of struck out tabs 48 in the blade terminals and shoulder 50 in cavity 25 of base 12. Thus, once the blade terminals 46 have been inserted into the assembly and capture contacts 28 therein, the blade terminals 46 cannot be retracted or pulled out.

The entire assembly includes further seals for preventing moisture that could corrode the contacts from reaching the interior of socket cavity 25. As best seen in Fig. 3, wire seal 56 is provided in a cavity 57 of socket connector 20. The wire seal includes wire apertures through which the individual wires may extend.

Seal 56 also includes ribs 64 to provide a positive moisture seal. Thus, no moisture can leak into the

socket cavity past the connecting wires. A ring seal 58 is provided around socket connector 20 to seal the socket connector 20 in socket 22 of base 12. Ribs 66 are provided to insure a positive seal. Socket wire seal 56, ring seal 58, and flange seal 18 may be manufactured of a resilient and flexible material such as, for instance, silicone. The three seals 18,56, and 58 seal the interior of cavity 23 and prevent moisture from entering socket cavity 25 from the automobile trunk space.

Figs. 5-8 illustrate the base or base 12 of the socket assembly. In particular, Fig. 5 shows that energy directors or ribs are provided on the bottom surface of the socket cavity 25. As shown in Fig. 7, triangular portions 72 are provided on the top surfaces of the energy directors 70. Energy directors 70 are used in welding the body 14 to base 12 by means of sonic welding.

The energy directors 70 ensure secure attachment of the body to the base.

As further illustrated in Fig. 1, the space between the bottom surface of lugs 36 and the top surface of mounting flange 24 must be closely held during the assembly of body 14 to base 12 to achieve the proper compression of seal 18 in the mounting of the lamp socket assembly in a panel (not shown). By selecting the proper height, thickness, spacing and number of energy directors, this space for accommodating the panel thickness can be closely controlled.

Base 12 also includes a key 74 used for properly orienting body 14 with regard to base 12. Two contact insert keys 76 are provided in cavity 25 along with a locating projection 82 to properly locate contact insert 26 in cavity 25. Socket 22 includes a pair of windows or apertures 78 for securing a pair of fingers (not shown) which are part of socket connector 20 and which lock socket connector 20 to base 12.

As shown in Figs. 10-14, body 14 includes a passage 42 and a pair of ribs 90 within the passage. The ribs guide lamp base 17 when it is inserted into the passage 42. Retaining fingers 38 are molded integrally with body 14 and are hinged at 106. Fingers 38 are therefore resiliently connected and are biased inwardly into passage 42 so that they firmly grasp a lamp base 17.

The fingers can move outwardly into spaces 92 located directly behind fingers 38. Slots 93 are located immediately adjacent to fingers 38. A key slot 94 is provided in body 14 to cooperate with key 74 in socket cavity 25 to properly orient body 14 during assembly of body 14 to base 12. A further slot 96 is provided in the lower portion of body 14 for accommodating contact insert 26 during assembly. One or more ribs 98 are provided on the bottom of body 14 for cooperating with energy director 70 and for welding body 14 to base 12. Some of the energy directors 70 also contact bottom surface 100 of body 14 for securing the base to the bottom surface by sonic welding.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 13, lugs 36 include camming surfaces 102 that enable the lamp socket assembly to be properly assembled to an automobile panel or tail light housing by camming over the surface of the automobile panel or tail light housing to provide sufficient pressure between flange seal 18 and the panel or housing to form a proper seal. Shoulders 104 are provided in passage 42 to accommodate and guide a lamp base 17 during its insertion into passage 42.

Base 12, body 14, contact insert 26 and socket 20 may be molded from a suitable insulating material such as, for instance, glass-filled nylon. This material is sufficiently rigid to cooperate properly with flexible resilient seals 18,56 and 58 to properly seal the structure against moisture as described above.

Figs. 15-18 illustrate electrical contacts 28 for the lamp socket assembly 10. The contacts are constructed of a suitable conductive material, such as brass. The contacts include U-shaped bent portions 114 having windows 116 for insertion of blade terminals 46 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The contacts 28 include a contacting portion 118 and a bent portion 119 for contacting lamp contact wires 44. U-shaped bent portion 114 includes a bottom leg 124 and an upper leg 126.

Upper leg 126 includes a struck out protrusion 122 for providing proper contact with blade terminal 46 during insertion of the upper leg into the assembly.

Figs. 15-17 show a terminal for the assembly, while Fig. 18 shows a ground terminal for the assembly.

The ground terminal has an offset portion 128 that permits insertion of the terminal into the contact insert in one lateral location with the main body of the termi- nal being offset from that location for proper contact.

Figs. 19 and 20 show a blade terminal 46 that is a planar terminal having two end portions 142,144 which are somewhat thinner than central portion 146. Central portion 146 includes a struck out tab 48 for preventing blade terminal 46 from being pulled out of the socket assembly once it has been assembled therein. End portion 144 is inserted into the base 12 through a window 116 of a contact 28 as further explained hereinafter. End portion 142 extends into socket 22 for contacting a terminal (not shown) in socket connector 20.

Figs. 21-25 show a contact insert 26. Contact insert 26 includes a base 150 which is generally planar.

A pair of walls 152 are integrally formed with base 150 and extend upwardly therefrom to form a groove 153 there- between. Key slots 154 are provided at either end of base 150 for cooperating with keys 76 in socket cavity 25 of base 12 for properly orienting the contact insert 26

during assembly thereof to base 12. Additionally, a key aperture 160 is provided centrally of base 150 for proper orientation of the contact insert 26 during assembly to base 12. Base 150 includes a plurality of windows 156 and slots 159 for accommodating contacts 28 and blade terminals 46. Posts 40 are formed integrally with and extend upwardly from base 50 for properly guiding a lamp base 17 into groove 153.

Figs. 26 and 27 show the flange seal 18. The flange seal includes a flange 168 with a pair of upstanding ribs 164 at the outer perimeter of the flange.

An aperture 166 is provided in the flange seal for accommodating body 14.

Referring again to Figs. 1-3, the lamp socket assembly is assembled by assembling the molded contact insert 26 with a set of contacts 28. The U-shaped bent portion 114 of each contact is inserted into the appropriate slot 158 of base 150 of the contact insert with the rounded portion 118 of the contact facing groove 153. Since the material from which the contact insert 28 is made is somewhat resilient, the contacts are resiliently retained in slots 158. Contact insert 26 then is inserted into cavity 25 of base 12. Improper assembly of the contact 26 in base 12 is prevented by the location of keys 76 and 82.

Next, body 14 is inserted into socket cavity 25 and is properly oriented in the cavity by means of key 74 and key slot 94. Body 14 captures contact insert 26 in cavity 25 by engagement of contact insert base 50 in contact insert slot 96 of body 14. Thus, the contact insert is properly captured and is immovably fixed in socket cavity 25. The assembly then is subjected to sonic welding or another suitable welding technique which is applied to bottom 80 of base 12. The provision of energy directors 70 with upstanding triangular ribs 72

focuses the energy applied by the sonic welding process to provide melting of portions 72 to secure of body 14 to base or housing 12. The energy directors are axially oriented with respect to the cavity 25 and body 14.

Thus, as the body and base are welded together, the energy directors will melt and the body 14 will enter the cavity 25. Sonic welding will be stopped when the distance between the bottom surface of lugs 36 and the top surface of mounting flange 24 is within prescribed limits. By proper design of axial energy directors 70, the strength and uniformity of the sonic weld will be within acceptable tolerances.

Next, an appropriate number of blade terminals 46 are inserted through windows 47 of base 12, windows 156 of contact insert 26, and windows 116 of contacts 28 to capture the contacts 28 firmly in contact insert 26 and the contact insert in base 12. Blade terminals 46 are retained in the assembly by means of tabs 48 which interlock with blade retaining shoulder 50 of base 12. A socket insert 20 is provided with seals 56 and 58 and with appropriate wires and contact terminals (not shown).

Socket 20 is inserted into socket 22 to complete the assembly. The entire assembly forms a sealed structure to prevent contamination and corrosion of the electrical contacts by moisture. Furthermore, the portion of the socket assembly extending into the trunk space of an automobile, namely base or housing 14 is very small. The typical extension of the base 12 into the trunk area is one-half inch or less.

Referring now to Fig. 9, assemblies with different focal lengths may be provided utilizing the same basic socket assembly design. By referring to the focal length "a"of Fig. 1 and comparing this to the focal length"b" of Fig. 9, it can be seen that they are different. The focal length is defined as the distance from the bottom

of lugs 36 to the filament location. The body 14 of the assembly of Fig. 9 has a higher extension"c"extending beyond the top surface of lugs 36 than the body 14 illustrated in Fig. 1. Therefore, the focal length of the assembly of Fig. 9 is different and longer than the focal length of the assembly of Fig. 1. By varying the distance"c", the focal length of the structure can be changed in a very simple manner. Base 12 of the assembly of Fig. 9 is identical to the base 12 of the assembly of Fig. 1. Thus, the longer focal length of the assembly of Fig. 9 is accompanied by an identical extension of base 12 into the trunk space of the automobile. The assembly of Fig. 9 also utilizes a different contact insert 26 and contacts 28 than the assembly of Fig. 1 in order for the lamp base 17 to be able to reach contacts 28. The contacts 28 of Fig. 9 also have longer extensions as can be seen by comparing the contacts 28 of Figs. 3 and 9.

Thus, the structure can be adjusted for a variety of focal lengths by the simple provision of a different body 14, contact insert 26, and contacts 28. The extension of the assembly into the useable trunk space remains the same.

Referring now to Figs. 28-30, there is shown a further embodiment that includes a locking wedge which locks together base 12 and body 14. The locking wedge is inserted into a slot 172 of the socket connector 20. The locking wedge includes a planar tab portion 176 having a pair of shoulders 178a and 178b which are keyed with respect to slot 172 so that the locking wedge can only be inserted in a desired orientation. Tab 176 includes a U- shaped slot 180 which forms a wedge locking tab 182 and which is so molded as to extend resiliently upwardly as shown in Fig. 30. Thus, wedge locking tab 182, upon insertion of locking wedge 174 into slot 172, will snap into place to prevent the locking wedge from being pulled

out of connector 20. Stops 184 abut against connector 20 to prevent locking wedge 174 from being inserted too far into slot 172. The purpose of the locking wedge is to prevent the resilient fingers 196 of connector 20 from being displaced upwardly and to ensure that locking tabs 188 of fingers 186 will engage with the connectors (not shown) to provide proper contact thereof with blade terminals 46.

Locking wedge 174 also includes a snout or protrusion 190 which, upon insertion of connector 20 into socket 22, will be inserted into aperture 192 of base 12 and aperture 192 of body 14. Apertures 192 and 194 are aligned so that the snout 190 may be simultaneously inserted into the apertures. Snout 190 ensures that body 14 will be locked in place, even if the weld connecting body 14 to base 12 should fail. Thus, upon insertion of the socket connector 20, the entire socket assembly is locked together. While the protrusion 190 is located on the locking wedge, it should be noted that it could be placed elsewhere on the socket connector.

Figs. 31 and 32 illustrate a connectorless socket assembly in which wires 198 are directly crimped to blade terminals 202 by means of crimps 200. Alternatively, the wires could be soldered to the blade terminals. The wires are sealed in socket 22 of base 12 by means of a wire seal 56. During assembly, the blade terminals are crimped to wires 198 and a seal 56 is slipped over the blade terminals and wires 198. The blade terminals 202 then are inserted into the socket assembly and the seal is placed in socket 22 to seal the wires 198. In this version, a connector would be placed downstream of wires 198, and several socket assemblies could be connected to a single connector. For instance, in a tail light assem- bly of an automobile, several socket assemblies might be

used with a single connector connecting the socket assemblies to the wiring harness of the automobile.

Figs. 33-35 illustrate a snap-fit low-profile lamp socket assembly 300, and Figs. 36-40 illustrate a body 305 of the assembly. The body 305 is modified relative to the body 14 illustrated in Figs. 10-14. Unlike the body 14, the body 305 includes a pair of cantilevered arms 310. The arms are spaced from each other by 180°, and, as discussed below, are used to secure the body to the base 315 of the assembly 300. For this purpose, each arm 310 includes a latching projection 320 having a ramped leading edge 325 that eases insertion of the body and a transverse trailing edge 330 that engages a surface 335 of an opening 340 in the base 315.

Like the body 14, the body 305 includes a passage 42 and a pair of ribs 90 within the passage. The ribs guide a lamp base when the lamp base is inserted into the passage 42. Retaining fingers 38 are molded integrally with body 305. Fingers 38 are resiliently connected and are biased inwardly into passage 42 so that they firmly grasp an inserted lamp base. The fingers can move outwardly into spaces 92 located directly behind fingers 38.

Unlike body 14, body 305 does not include mounting lugs for attaching the socket assembly to, for example, an automobile panel. Instead, mounting lugs 345 extend from the base 315. Wall thicknesses of the base 315 in the vicinity of the lugs 345 are increased relative to those of the base 12 to account for stresses associated with the lugs 345. To account for the increased wall thickness of the base, the wall thicknesses of corresponding regions of the body 305 are reduced.

Operation of the cantilevered arms 310 during insertion of the body 305 into the base 315 is illustrated in Figs. 41-43. Initially, as shown in Fig.

41, when the body 305 is inserted into the base 315, the arms 310 are uncompressed. Eventually, the ramped leading edge 325 of the projection 320 of each arm 310 reaches and engages an interior surface 350 of the base 310. Further insertion of the body 306 into the base 315 compresses the cantilevered arms 315 until, as shown in Fig. 42, the entire leading edge 325 of each projection 320 is located within the base. The arms remain compressed until trailing edges 330 of the projections reach upper surfaces 335 of openings 340 in the walls of the base 315. At that point, as shown in Fig. 42, the projections 320 enter the openings 340 and permit the arms to decompress. When the projections 320 are within the openings, engagement of the trailing edges 330 of the projections 320 with the surfaces 335 of the openings 340 prevent removal of the body 305 from the base 315.

Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is: