The invention relates to a contact-making assembly, in particular for making contact with a gas discharge lamp, having a housing made of a dielectric material, having a central contact and an outer contact.

In order to make contact with gas discharge lamps, the gas discharge lamp is plugged into a housing and turned. Two lugs on the base of the gas discharge lamp engage behind a bead on the housing and secure it. An outer contact and a central contact are required for making contact with the gas discharge lamp. Since high voltage is required for operating these lamps, it is important that this voltage is not already present across the contacts when a gas discharge lamp has not yet been inserted, in other words that it is ensured that a person cannot reach into a holder for such a lamp and be injured.

Other assemblies are also possible in which it is necessary to make contact with a part which is supplied with a high voltage in these assemblies the high voltage should not be present across the contacts as long as the part is not inserted.

The object of the invention is to specify a contact- making assembly, in particular for making contact with a gas discharge lamp, which is safe in operation even in the absence of part with which contact is to be made, in particular in the absence of a gas discharge lamp.

The object is achieved by means of an assembly having the features of patent claim 1 or 6. Advantageous developments are specified in the subclaims.

A contact-making assembly, in particular for making contact with a gas discharge lamp, is specified which has an integrated switch. The arrangement can be used to make contact with any desired part which has a base with lugs.

The use for a gas discharge lamp is particularly advantageous. The switch ensures that high voltage is

present across the contacts of the holder only when the gas discharge lamp is inserted. This can be achieved by virtue of the fact that a resilient tab is actuated by radial plugging of the gas discharge lamp and a switch is actuated as a result. However, it is also possible to provide, in the housing of the holder, a rotatable sleeve which is rotated by at least one of the lugs on the outer periphery of the base of the gas discharge lamp. On this rotatable sleeve, it is possible to provide a tongue by which a switch is actuated or an electrical circuit is interrupted or closed again. Such an arrangement with a rotatable sleeve additionally oversees that the gas discharge lamp is screwed into the holder and secured there, rather than just being plugged into said holder. Instead of a rotatable sleeve, it is also possible to use a linearly movable slide, which iε moved by the introduction of the part with which contact is to be made and actuates a switch.

It is particularly important for the switch provided in the arrangement to be proof against a voltage of 1000 V. This can be achieved, for example, by virtue of the fact that the tongue which is fastened to the rotatable sleeve and is produced from a dielectric material is brought between two parts of the electrical circuit. It is particularly advantageous for parts of the electrical circuit to be of a resilient design in order to facilitate the introduction of the tongue between the spring and the further contact.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a partial view with a partial cross section of a base of a gas discharge lamp;

Figure 2 shows a plan view of an assembly according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a section according to the section line DD in Figure 2 ;

Figure 4 shows a view from below of the assembly

according to the invention without the cover having been put on;

Figure 5 shows a section along the section line CC in Figure 2;

Figure 6 shows a section along the section line AA in Figure 2;

Figure 7 shows a section along the section line BB in Figure 2; Figure 8 shows a diagrammatic illustration of the sleeve;

Figure 9 shows a diagrammatic illustration of the open switch;

Figure 10 shows a diagrammatic illustration of the closed switch;

Figure 11 shows a diagrammatic illustration of the contact-making in the second exemplary embodiment;

Figure 12 shows a plan view of an assembly according to the second exemplary embodiment; Figure 13 shows a section along the section line DD in Figure 12;

Figure 14 shows a section along the section line CC in Figure 12;

Figure 15 shows a view from below of the housing without the cover having been put on;

Figure 16 shows a section along the section line AA in Figure 12 ; and

Figure 17 shows a section along the section line BB in Figure 12. Figure 1 shows a partial view of a base of a gas discharge lamp 13 having lugs 14 fitted on the outer periphery, and having a central contact 15.

Figures 2-10 illustrate a first exemplary embodiment of the invention with a rotatable sleeve. Figure 2 shows a plan view of the housing 1. The housing essentially consists of a cylindrical part having a housing base and a part which projects radially or axially from this

cylindrical part and through which the supply lead into the housing is introduced. The way in which the supply lead is introduced can be seen particularly easily in Figure 5, in which a cable 21 is illustrated using dashed lines. It is also easy to see the housing 1 and the housing cover 15, which is put onto the housing from below, that is to say from the side facing away from the gas discharge lamp. In Figure 2, four openings 16 into which the lugs 14 of the holder of the gas discharge lamp can be introduced can clearly be seen. Furthermore, the central contact 2 and the outer contact 3 can be seen. The outer contact 3 consists of two resilient tongues. It is evident from Figure 3 that the housing 1 has a cover 15 and left between the two is a through opening 17 for the introduction of the cable. Furthermore, the central contact 2 and the outer contact 3 can be seen in Figure 3. It is also possible to see the link 18, in which the lugs 14 of the gas discharge lamp 13 are guided. Furthermore, it is possible to see a seal 19 which is inserted between the gas discharge lamp and the housing in order to protect the central contact and reliably retain the gas discharge lamp. The rotatable sleeve 4 with the tongue 5 fitted thereon can be seen for the first time in Figure 4. In addition, the contact-making strip 24 originating from the outer contact 3 is clearly visible. Said strip is shown with a dot-dashed line in Figure 2 and is also visible in Figure 3. Figure 5 shows the rotatable sleeve 4 with the tongue 5 particularly clearly. The cutout 6 into which the lug 14 of the gas discharge lamp 13 can be introduced can easily be seen. In addition, the way in which the triaxial lead 21 is introduced into the housing can be seen in this illustration. The inner conductor 20 is connected to the central contact 2. There are also two contact-making regions 22 and 23, one for the outer conductor and one for the center conductor of the coaxial lead 21. The sections in Figures 6 and 7 once again clearly show the structure of the entire housing.

Figures 8-10 again illustrate diagrammatically the method of operation of the arrangement with an exemplary switching function. Figure 8 shows the sleeve having the cutouts 6 and an opening 8 in the tongue 5. It can clearly be seen here that the sleeve does not have to be a cylindrical one, but rather that a rotatable part, such as a sleeve section, for example, is completely sufficient. A resilient metal tab 25 is shown for making contact with a part of a cable 24. If the lamp is not introduced, then the resilient metal tab is situated in a depression 26 in the tongue 5 of the rotatable sleeve 4. If a lamp is plugged in and the rotatable sleeve 4 is turned, then the spring 25 reaches through the opening 8 in the tongue and makes contact with the cable 24. The switching function can also take place the other way round, that is to say the switch is open when the lamp is introduced, and is otherwise closed.

Figures 11-17 illustrate a second exemplary embodiment of the invention. In this case, plugging in the gas discharge lamp causes a lug in the base of the housing to be pressed downwards and a switch to be opened as a result. In the figures, the same reference symbols as in Figures 2-7 denote the same parts. Figure 12 illustrates the resilient tab 11 in the housing base 10. it can also be seen in Figure 13. A lug 27, which can be seen in Figures 12, 13 and 16, has been fitted to the resilient tab. By being plugged onto the gas discharge lamp, the resilient tab is pressed downwards on account of the projecting lug 27 and opens a contact, as illustrated in Figure 11.