Description

A FLUORESCENT LAMP SOCKET

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a socket into which a terminal of a fluorescent lamp is inserted, and, in particular, to a socket for a fluorescent lamp improved for easy replacement. Background Art

[2] In general, a socket for a fluorescent lamp is a power supply inlet for supplying electricity to the fluorescent lamp, and is, at the same time, a device serving as a support for fixing the fluorescent lamp in place.

[3] Therefore, when terminal pins provided at both ends of the fluorescent lamp are inserted into terminal holes of the socket, the power supply is connected and, at the same time, the fluorescent lamp is safely fixed in place.

[4] However, in most cases, since the socket for the fluorescent lamp is installed on a ceiling of a building, the replacement of the fluorescent lamp is very annoying and produces many dangerous scenes. That is, to insert the terminal pins of the fluorescent lamp into the socket hang on the ceiling, a user has to raise the fluorescent lamp up to the ceiling by extending his arm, however, most conventional socket is constructed in such a way that the user insert terminal pins of one side of the fluorescent lamp into one terminal hole, and insert terminal pins of the other side into the other terminal hole while strongly pressing the fluorescent lamp toward the one terminal hole, then the mounting is completed. Therefore, a troublesome work is involved since, while holding the fluorescent lamp high in the air, only the pins of one side among the pins of the two sides has to be inserted at a time, and furthermore, the pins have to be inserted to the horizontal direction corresponding to the axial direction of the fluorescent lamp. In addition, there is a danger in that the user may come out of his center of gravity and fall down while staying high on a ladder or the like and exerting the force to the horizontal direction.

[5] Therefore, to overcome such problems, there is a need of a socket of novel construction enabling the replacement of the fluorescent lamp more safely and easily.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[6] The present invention is invented in consideration of the need described above, and a purpose of which is to provide a socket for a fluorescent lamp improved so that the user can perform the replacement work of inserting and removing the fluorescent lamp with considerable ease and conveniences.

[7] Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be described below and shown by means of embodiments of the present invention. Further, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be obtained through the means and combination of the means shown in the claims. Technical Solution

[8] A socket for the fluorescent lamp of the present invention for achieving the objects described above is characterized in that it comprises a socket main body formed with a slit into which terminal pins of said fluorescent lamp or like can enter and exit in vertical direction; conductive elastic supports for elastically locking said terminal pins which enter said slit; and an unlocking means for selectively releasing the locking state of the terminal pins locked by said elastic supports; wherein said terminal pins, which entered said slit, hang on shoulders provided at said elastic supports, so as to be locked not to be removed.

[9] Said unlocking means may comprise rotation levers rotatably installed on said main body close to said elastic supports, and a push bar providing a pushing force so as to push said rotation levers so that said elastic supports are deformed by the rotational displacement, thereby releasing the locking state.

[10] In addition, said elastic supports are preferably made of brass material, and said main body may be formed with wire holes for connecting the wire for inserting the wire so that the wire comes in contact with said elastic supports. Brief Description of the Drawings

[11] Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the socket for the fluorescent lamp according to the present invention,

[12] Figures 3 to 5 show the process of inserting the fluorescent lamp into the socket for the fluorescent lamp shown in figures 1 and 2, and

[13] Figures 6 to 8 show the process of removing the fluorescent lamp from the socket for the fluorescent lamp shown in figures 1 and 2. Mode for the Invention

[14] Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Before describing the embodiments, it should be pointed out that the terminologies and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to usual or lexical meaning, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical ideas of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can properly define the concepts of the terminologies to best describe his own invention.

[15] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiment described in this specification and the constructions shown in the drawings are only the most preferable

embodiment but do not present all the technical ideas of the present invention, and accordingly there can be a variety of equivalents and modified examples which can replace the most preferable embodiment at the time of filing the present invention.

[16] Figure 1 shows a condition in which the fluorescent lamp 200 is inserted into the socket 100 for the fluorescent lamp according the present invention, and figure 2 shows the socket 100 in enlarged scale.

[17] As shown in the drawings, a slit 111 is formed at a bottom side of a socket main body 110 of the socket 100 for the fluorescent lamp 200 so that terminal pins 210 of the fluorescent lamp 200 can be satisfactorily inserted in the vertical direction, that is, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fluorescent lamp 200. A pair of elastic support 120 made of brass are installed further inward than the slit 111. Each elastic support 120 is installed in such a way that its middle part can be elastically deformed and restored under the condition in which both ends of the elastic support 120 are fixed at the main body 110. At the middle part of each elastic support 120, a shoulder 121 is provided to support the terminal pins 210 by hanging it. That is, when the terminal pins 210 enter the slit 111, the terminal pins 210 push the elastic supports 120 outwards so as to widen the spacing between the elastic supports 120. Then, when the terminal pins 210 are further pushed to come over the shoulder 121, the elastic support 120 are elastically restored and the terminal pins 210 are hung on the shoulder 121. Detailed engaging process thereof will be described later.

[18] Between the pair of the elastic supports 120, a pair of rotation levers 131 are installed so as to rotate around a hinge axis 131a, and below the rotation levers 131, a push bar 132 for rotating the rotation levers 131 by pushing it is installed. These are elements of an unlocking means for releasing the locking state of the terminal pins 210 by means of the elastic support 120. That is, when removing the previously engaged fluorescent lamp 200 to replace the fluorescent lamp 200, if the push bar 132 is pushed, then the push bar 132 rotates the rotation levers 131, and accordingly, the spacing between the shoulders 121 of the pair of elastic supports 120 is widened so that the terminal pins 210 come down.

[19] Reference number 101 represents wire holes through which wires 300 can be pushed in for connecting a power supply. If the wires 300 are pushed in through the wire holes 101, the end of the naked wires 300 abuts the elastic support 120 so as to directly connect the power supply.

[20] The operation for inserting and removing the fluorescent lamp 200 into and from the socket 100 of the fluorescent lamp having the structure described above is performed as follows.

[21] First, when inserting the fluorescent lamp 200, the terminal pins 210 of the fluorescent lamp 200 are vertically inserted into the slit 111 of the socket 100, as

shown in figure 3. At this time, it is not necessary to insert the terminal pins 210 in the horizontal direction which is axial direction of the fluorescent lamp 200 as in the conventional technology, but the insertion can be accomplished just by raising the fluorescent lamp 200 in vertical direction, so that the operation is simple, and the risk is reduced of the user coming out of his center of gravity, since he does not have to exert his force in horizontal direction.

[22] The terminal pins 210, which came into the slit 111 in this way, proceed widening the spacing between the elastic supports 120 as shown in figure 4. On the moment the terminal pins 210 pass the shoulders 121, the elastic supports 120 are elastically restored so as to be hung on the shoulders 121 as shown in figure 5. Thereafter, the terminal pins 210 are supported on the shoulders 121 so as not to come out of the shoulders 121, thereby the stable fixing state is maintained. Therefore, since the engagement is accomplished only by the operation of raising the fluorescent lamp 200 and pushing the terminal pins 210 into the slit 111, the operation is considerably simple and can be rapidly performed.

[23] Reversely, when removing the fluorescent lamp 200, the push bar 132 is pushed as shown in figure 6. Then, the rotation levers 131 are rotated by means of the pushing force of the push bar 132 so as to widen the spacing between the pair of the elastic supports 120 as shown in figure 7. Accordingly, the locking state of the terminal pins 210, which have been hung on the shoulders 121, is released as shown in figure 8, so that the terminal pins 210 come downwards by means of the gravity. In other words, just pushing the push bar 132 from below enables the fluorescent lamp 200 to come out of the socket 100. Therefore, the replacement operation of inserting and removing the fluorescent lamp 200 is totally easy and convenient, and can be performed safely. Industrial Applicability

[24] The socket for the fluorescent lamp according to the present invention as described above presents the following effects;

[25] First, the engagement is completed only by simple operation of raising the fluorescent lamp, and the release of the engagement is completed only by the operation of pushing the push bar, therefore, the operation of replacing the fluorescent lamp is very simple and convenient, and can be rapidly performed.

[26] Secondly, since it is not necessary for the user to clime up to a high place and exert the force to the horizontal direction, the danger in that the user may come out of his center of gravity and fall down is decreased so as to present effects on the improvement in safety.

[27] As described above, although the present invention has been described based on the limited embodiments and the drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and

it is of course that the person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make a variety of modification and alteration within the technical idea of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims to be described below.