Abstract: Plastic housing and base construction, especially for compact fluorescent lamps and operating units thereof comprising a housing (1) which is a cup-like body and a base (2) having a metal base shell (26) and at least one metal central (3) or end contact part (4, 5). The base shell (26) is electrically insulated from the central (3) or end contact parts (4, 5). The base (2) also includes a plastic insert body (20) which is open at its upper end and closed at least partially at its lower end. The diameters of the plastic insert body (20) decrease in at least one step and it has a cylindrical or slightly conical mantle portion (24) in the region of its upper end. The base shell (26) includes a thread-free opening portion (27) the inner diameter of which fits to the mantle portion (24) of and is pulled over and fixed to the plastic insert body (20).

Abstract: The discharge lamp has a discharge tube filled with a fill gas and sealed in a gas-tight manner and a cap part made to be suitable for connection to a socket. This cap part has a housing made by a shell and a closing member fixed thereto, and electrical contact components. The shell has openings for receiving the end portions of the discharge tube legs into the housing and the shell is made to be suitable for supporting the discharge tube mechanically. The electrical contact components are embedded in the housing and connected in the inner space of the housing to the electrodes of the discharge lamp and protrude from the cap part. The cap part contains mechanical support component(s) for fixing the discharge lamp in the socket.

Abstract: The fixing component has a groove for accepting an adhesive material, which groove is fixed to the housing of the light source and extends along a circle, The essential feature of the invention is that in the wall (8) of the groove (6) being at the side closer to the housing (1a), openings (9) are formed that enable the adhesive material (4) to flow to the surface of the housing (1a).

Abstract: A junction component fixed on a PCB (13) has a slot (4) suitable for accepting the electrical leads (10) protruding from the electrical unit and also has a base part (11) and a connection part (12). The base part (11) is embedded into the PCB (13) and is connected with its corresponding output. The leads of the electrical unit are connected to a connection part (12). At the place of connection, the orientation of the electrical leads is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the PCB (13). The direction in which the electrical leads are connected to the connection part (12) is substantially parallel to the plane of the PCB (13). The base part (11) comprises a base plate (1) and tabs(s) (8a-8c) bending out from it. The tab(s) protrude(s) into openings (17) formed in the PCB (13) and is (are) embedded there in a way also ensuring electrical contact to the PCB (13).

Abstract: The invention relates to the discharge tube of a compact fluorescent lamp which discharge tube, being sealed hermetically and provided with appropriate fill, comprises at least two tube portions connected with each other, and electrodes are placed at the ends of the first and last tube portions, and lead wires protrude through the glass wall of the discharge tube to the electrodes. The invention also relates to a method for closing at least one of the tube portions forming a part of the discharge tube of a compact fluorescent lamp. The essential feature of the discharge tube according to the invention is that at least one of these tube portions is closed by a curved surface having tangents which, starting from the axis of the tube portion and extending to the cylindrical wall thereof, make a monotonously decreasing angle with the axis of the tube portion.

Abstract: A cap for securing a plurality of discharge tubes to a discharge lamp assembly includes a pair of ribs formed on a base plate of the cap. The ribs guide adhesive towards openings in the base plate through which the tubes extend. Adhesive is kept away from the base plate perimeter, which may include a rim, such that assembly of the cap with a housing does not upset the adhesive bond securing the discharge tubes to the cap. Similarly, an assembly method for the cap involves the step of forming a pair of ribs on the base plate of the cap.

Abstract: The invention relates to a single-ended discharge lamp having a lamp envelope comprising at least two tube legs, and a housing portion designed for mechanical and electrical connection to a lamp socket, which housing portion consists of a tube supporting part, a connection part and a screw base, which parts are linked together. Holes are made in the tube supporting part into which holes the legs of the lamp envelope are placed and the ends of the legs of the lamp envelope being inside the housing portion are fixed with a bonding material applied to the outside lamp envelope portion of the tube supporting part which portion surrounds the lamp envelope.The essential feature of the invention is that the ends of the tube legs of the lamp envelope being inside the housing portion are fixed to the tube supporting part with a bonding material being also applied to the inside portion of the tube support part, which inside portion is bordered by the tube legs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a single-ended discharge lamp with circuitry in its housing base. The discharge lamp includes a discharge tube and a housing. The discharge tube is provided with electrodes containing a fill and sealed in a gas-tight manner. The housing base contains circuitry mounted on a circuit board and providing for the operation of the discharge tube. The housing base is built from two parts, a base and a cap, fixed to each other. The housing base is formed in a way suitable for mechanical and electrical connection to a lamp socket on one part, and for mechanically fixing the discharge tube and connecting the output terminals of the circuitry to the electrode inleads of the discharge tube on the other part. The circuit board is inserted between supports formed in the inside of and protruding from one part of the housing base. One feature of the invention is that longitudinal ribs are formed on the support and protrude from the support.

Abstract: The cap according to the invention has a base plate and a side wall and in the base plate, openings are formed for accepting the glass body or bodies of the lamp envelope. Optionally, a partition is placed between the side wall and these openings. The essential feature of the invention is that the cap has, in its inner space bordered by the side wall, or optionally by the partition, components extending to at least one opening and bordering a smaller space at its side, the smaller space being intended to accept an adhesive and is also bordered by some portion of the base housing.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp includes a lamp tube having first and second ends and containing fill materials for causing light generation when provided with electrical power. The lamp further includes first and second power-transferring means at the first and second ends of the lamp tube, respectively, for providing the fill materials in the lamp tube with electrical power. Also included is a thermal heat shield separating the first power-transferring means from ballast circuitry which supplies power to the first power-transferring means and which has a lifetime that becomes substantially less as its operating temperature increases. The thermal heat shield is constructed so that it reflects back to the first power-transferring means and any adjacent portion of the lamp tube sufficient radiant energy to reduce the operating temperature of the ballast circuitry by more than about one degree Celsius compared with the absence of the heat shield.

Abstract: A lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect is provided in combination with a lamp having elongated cathodes and ballast circuitry for supplying power to the cathodes. The lamp cathode-to-ballast interconnect comprises a plurality of conductive clips connected to the ballast circuitry. Each clip has a generally flat portion connected at a first end to ballast circuitry and has a pinching groove formed through the flat portion and extending to a cathode-receiving opening at a second end. The interconnect further comprises a loom for holding the lamp cathodes. The loom comprises, for each cathode, a pair of cathode-receiving support grooves separated by a space in which a second end of an associated conductive clip is to be received. Walls of each of the pair of cathode-receiving support grooves grip therein-received portions of the cathode with sufficient force to enable a gas-tight contact to be made with its associated conductive clip when the cathode is received within the pinching groove of the clip.

Abstract: A single-ended low pressure discharge lamp having an Edison base includes at least one U-shaped fluorescent tube having electrode leads which are connected to a ballast arrangement disposed in a housing base. The housing base has an upper part on which the fluorescent tubes are mounted, a connecting part on which a threaded base is mounted and a supporting part formed between the upper part and the connecting part. Lead-in wires are connected from the ballast arrangement to the threaded base in a manner to facilitate automated assembly of the lamp. A first lead in wire connects to the central portion of the threaded base whereas a second lead-in wire connects to the sleeve portion after first passing through a guided opening formed in the housing base between the supporting part and the connecting part.