US3290454A

US3290454A - Lamp firing switch with improved singly actuated mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3290454A
Application number: US430951A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hubert Gustav
Original assignee: ULTRA VIOLET PRODUCTS Inc
Current assignee: ULTRA VIOLET PRODUCTS Inc
Priority date: 1965-02-08
Filing date: 1965-02-08
Publication date: 1966-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-06

Description

Dec. 6, 1966 G. HUBERT LAMP FIRING SWITCH WITH IMPROVED SINGLY ACTUATED MECHANISM Filed Feb. 8, 1965 JA/VE/VfOR.

@0672: 1/ .HZ/SEPZ By Ms lQffOR/VEQ/C .H ipmg fd/Emg, Husseu. $559M United States Patent 3,290,454 LAMP FIRING SWITCH WITH IMPRQVED SHNGLY ACTUATED MECHANISM Gustav Hubert, San Gabriel, Calif., assignor to Uitra- Violet Products, Inc, San Gabriel, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Feb. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 430,951 7 Claims. (Cl. 200-) This invention relates to fluorescent lights and, in particular, to a new and improved switch structure for controlling lights.

Conventional fluorescent lamps utilize hot cathodes which must be heated to incandescence in order to initially fire these lamps into operation. In conventional room lighting fixtures, starter units are utilized to provide initial heating of the lamps. In small lights where space is limited, special switches are utilized in place of the conventional starter.

In starting up a fluorescent light, one switching action must connect the main power supply to the lamp and maintain the connection as long as operation of the lamp is desired. Another switching action must connect power to the lamp cathodes to produce the initial heating. As soon as suflicient ionization is present within the lamp to fire the lamp, the lamp heater circuit may be broken. The lamp is extinguished by opening the circuit to the power supply. In conventional lights, a special switch is utilized which gives the combination action necessary. The switches are either tumbler or push button type and in either case in the on position the push button or actuating lever has an overtravel to close a momentary contact. This momentary contact is in a circuit to conduct current to the main cathodes for heating. When the manual actuating pressure is released, the momentary contact is broken while the switch stays in the normal on position keeping the lamp burning. When the switch is moved to the off position, the lamp is extinguished.

Several disadvantages are encountered with the conventional switches. The push button type is relatively simple and trouble free but does not provide any indication whether in the on or off positions. The tumbler type switches do provide an indication of the switch position but are more complex in design and not as reliable in operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a switch construction particularly adapted for use with small fluorescent lights and which is reliable, simple, trouble free and inexpensive. An additional object is to provide such a switch construction which requires only a single manual operation for lamp starting and one which will provide an indication of the off or on condition of the switch.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a switch construction for a fluorescent lamp utilizing separate switches for the power off-on control and the lamp heater control with the switches incorporated in a structure permitting actuation by a single manual operation.

It is an object of the invention to provide in a fluorescent light incorporated in a housing, a manually operable onoif electrical switch, first means for mounting the off-on switch in the housing for sliding movement relative to the housing, a push button electrical switch biased to the open position and including a base element and a button element, and second means for mounting the push button switch with one of the elements engageable with the housing and the other of the elements engageable with the first means, with sliding movement of the off-on switch in the housing produced by manual actuation thereof causing relative movement of the push button switch elements to actuate the push button switch. An additional object is to provide such a structure including means for connecting the push-button switch into the lamp heater circuit of the light and means for connecting the oif-on switch into the power supply circuit of the light.

it is an object of the invention to provide a fluorescent light having a housing, a switch carrier mounted in the housing for reciprocating movement, a first push-to-close electrical switch spring loaded to the open position and mounted in the carrier and having a push button member engageable with the housing, with movement of the carrier in said housing actuating the first switch, and a second oif-on electrical switch mounted in the carrier and having an actuating member manually movable between off and on positions, with a manual force on the second switch member moving the second switch to an on position and moving the carrier in the housing to move the first switch to the closed position. An additional object is to provide such a switch structure incorporating indicator means for visually indicating when the oil-on switch is in the on position.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. The drawing merely shows and the description merely describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention which is given by way of illustration or example.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view through a fluorescent light incorporating the switch structure of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the light of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the switches and switch carrier of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 illustrating the operation of the switches; and

FIG. 6 is an electrical schematic of a fluorescent light illustrating the use of the two switches.

The electrical schematic of FIG. 6 illustrates a typical circuit for operation of a fluorescent lamp 10. The lamp is energized from the secondary winding of a transformer 11. The primary winding of the transformer is a part of a multivibrator circuit 12 incorporating

transistors

13, 14. The multivibrator is energized from a DC. source such as a battery connected to terminals 15, 16 and provides an A.C. voltage for operation of the lamp 10. An ofif-on switch 20 serves to connect the power source in circuit with the multivibrator. A normally open push button switch 21 serves to connect the

lamp heaters

22, 23 in series across the secondary of the transformer 11 to provide a heating current through the heaters or cathodes before the lamp fires.

In order to turn the lamp on, the switch 20 is moved to the on or closed position and the switch 21 is also moved to the on or closed position. The switch 21 is ordinarily spring biased to the ofl position and must be manually held closed. After the switch 21 has been closed for a few seconds, the lamp cathodes will be heated sufficiently to fire the lamp and the switch 21 may be released. The switch 20 remains closed and the lamp remains on. When it is desired to turn off the lamp, the switch 29 is opened or moved to the off position.

Referring now to FIGS. 14, the lamp 10 is mounted in a pair of sockets 25 supported in the lamp housing 26. Electrical circuitry, including the transistors, is mounted in the housing. A battery 27 is also mounted within the housing to provide a self-contained unit. The switches 2t), 21 may be mounted in a switch carrier 29 which in turn is slidably mounted in a cup 30 formed in the housing. The bottom of the cup 30 faces upward in the view of FEG. 1 and has an opening 31 through which the manual actuating member 32 of the switch 20 extends.

The lower end of the cup faces downward and is partially closed by a U-shaped unit held in place by screws 36. A socket 37 is formed in the member 35 for receiving the actuating member or button 38 of the switch 21. A compression spring 39 may be positioned around the button 38 between the switch 21 and the member 35 for aiding the bias spring of the switch 21. The opening 31 and the member 32 may be disposed in a recess 40 formed in the housing 30 to protect the switch and reduce the possibility of accidental actuation of the switch. A gasket 41 may be positioned about the member 32 between the switch 20 and the bottom of the cup to reduce the possibility of entry of moisture and dirt into the interior of the housing.

The carrier 29 typically may be molded of an'insulating plastic or the like. A receptacle formed by wall members 50, 51 provides for receiving the switch 20 at the upper end. A space 52 below the upper receptacle provides space for the switch terminals and the associated wiring. A similar receptacle defined by wall members 53, 54 provides for receiving the switch 21 at the lower end of the carrier, with a space thereabove for the terminals and wiring. A plate 55 provides an electrical insulation barrier between the two switches.

In assembly, the wiring connections ordinarily are first made to the switch terminals. Then the ofi-on switch 20 is slid downward into the switch carrier and the push-button switch is slid upward into the switch carrier. The switch carrier with assembled switches is then slid into the cup 30 with the member 32 projecting through the bottom opening of the cup. The member 35 is then installed and fixed in place by the screws 36. The legends off and on may be provided on the exterior surface of the cup bottom as seen in FIG. 2.

With the switch structure in the condition as shown in FIG. 1, both switches are in the off or open circuit condition. The light is turned on by manually moving the member 32 of the switch 20 from the off position of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 to the on position as shown in FIG. 5. Typically this would be by a thumb action. The manual force exerted on the switch member 32 will actuate the switch 20 and also will cause a sliding movement of the switch carrier 29, downward as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 5. This downward movement will move the member 38 of the switch 21 relative to the base of the switch,

closing the switch. The switch structure is held in the position of FIG. 5 for a few seconds and then is released. On release, the switch 21 is again opened by the spring action of the switch which moves the carrier upward to the position of FIG. 1. However, the switch 20 remains in the on position. The lamp will be fired and the light will be in normal operation. When it is desired to turn off the light, the switch 20 is moved from the on position to the off position by the reverse manual motion.

The structure as illustrated provides for operation of both switches with a single manual movement. The structure also provides an indication of the condition of the off-on switch so that the light operator will know that the power is turned on even though for some reason the lamp is not on. The particular structure illustrated provides a very simple assembly of the switches without requiring that the switches be fixed in placed. The compression forces which provide for operation of the pushbutton switch also provide for holding the switches in place in the carrier. While it is preferred to mount the push-button switch in the switch carrier, it should be noted that the push-button switch could be mounted in the housing or on the member 35 with the push button or member 38 of the switch engaging the switch carrier while achieving the same relative motion.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and discussed, it will be understood that other applications of the invention are possible and that the embodiment disclosed may be subjected to warious changes, modifications and substitutions without necessarily departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fluorescent light, the combination of:

a housing;

a switch carrier mounted in said housing for reciprocating movement along an axis between first and second positions,

a first push-to-close electrical switch spring loaded to the open position and mounted in said carrier and having a push-button member engageable with said housing, with movement of said carrier in said housing along said axis to said second position moving said first switch to the closed position and with movement of said carrier to said first position per- -mitting spring return of said first switch to the open position;

a second ofiF-on electrical switch mounted in said carrier and having an actuating member manually movable between off and on positions, with a manual force on said second switch member moving said second switch to the on position and moving said carrier in said housing to said second position and with removal of the manual force permitting return of said carrier to said first position;

circuit means for connecting said first switch into the lamp heater circuit of the light; and

circuit means for connecting said second switch into the power supply circuit of the light.

2. In a fluorescent light, the combination of:

a housing;

a switch carrier mounted in said housing for reciprocating movement along an axis between first and sec ond positions;

a first push-to-close electrical switch spring loaded to the open position and mounted in said carrier and having a push button member engageable with said housing, with movement of said carrier in said housing along said axis to said second position moving said first switch to the closed position and with movement of said carrier to said first position permitting spring return of said first switch to the open position;

a second off-on electrical switch mounted in said carrier and having an actuating member manually movable between off and on positions, with a manual force on said second switch member moving said second switch to the on position and moving said carrier in said housing to said second position and with removal of the manual force permitting return of said carrier to said first position;

indicator means for visually indicating when said second switch is in the on position;

3. In a fluorescent light, the combination of:

a housing;

a switch carrier mounted in said housing for reciprocating movement along a first axis between first and second positions;

a first push-to'close electrical switch spring loaded to the open position and mounted in said carrier and having a push button member engageable with said housing, with movement of said carrier in said housing along said first axis to said second position moving said first switch to the closed position and with movement of said carrier to said first position permitting spring return of said first switch to the open position;

a second off-on electrical'switch mounted in said carrier and having an actuating member manually slidable between oif and on positions along a second axis normal to said first axis, with a manual force on said second switch member moving said second switch to the on position and moving said carrier in said housing to said second position and with removal of the manual force permitting return of said carrier to said first position;

4. In a fluorescent light, the combination of:

a housing having a switch member receiving socket;

a switch carrier mounted in said housing for reciprocating movement toward and away from said socket between first and second positions;

a first push-to-close electrical switch spring loaded to the open position and mounted in said carrier and having a push button member disposed in said socket, with movement of said carrier in said housing to said second position moving said first switch to the closed position and with movement of said carrier to said first position permitting spring return of said first switch to the open position;

spring means positioned between said first switch and socket for urging said switch away from said socket;

a second oif-on electrical switch mounted in said carrier and having an actuating member manually movable between off and on positions, with a manual force on said second switch member moving said second switch to the onposition and moving said carrier in said housing toward said socket to said second position to compress said spring means and move said first switch to the closed position and with removal of the manual force permitting return of said carrier to said first position;

5. In a fluorescent light, the combination of:

a housing having a cup for receiving a switch carrier,

with an opening at the bottom of said cup;

a switch carrier slidably mounted in said cup for movement toward and away from the open top thereof between first and second positions;

a closure member mounted in said housing for at least partially closing the top of said cup and having a socket facing said cup bottom;

a first push-to-close electrical switch spring loaded to the open position and mounted in one end of said carrier and having a push button member disposed in said socket, with movement of said carrier in said housing to said second position moving said first switch to the closed position and with movement of said carrier to said first position permitting spring return of said first switch to the open position;

a second off-on electrical switch mounted in the other end of said carrier and having an actuating member projecting through said cup bottom opening and manually slidable between off and on positions, with .a manual force on said second switch member moving said second switch to the on position and moving said carrier in said cup to said second position and with removal of the manual force permitting return of said carrier to said first position;

6. In a fluorescent light, the combination of:

a housing having a cup for receiving a switch carrier,

with an opening at the bottom of said cup;

a switch carrier slidably mounted in said cup for movement along an axis toward and away from the open top of said cup between first and second positions and having switch receptacles at opposing ends of said carrier;

a closure member mounted in said housing for at least partially closing the top of said cup and having a socket for receiving said cup bottom;

a first push-to-close electrical switch spring loaded to the open position and installed in the receptacle at one end of said carrier by sliding along said axis and having a push button member disposed in said socket, with movement of said carrier in said cup along said axis to said second position moving said first switch to the closed position and with movement of said carrier to said first position permitting spring return of said first switch to the open position;

a second off-on electrical switch installed in the receptacle at the opposite end of said carrier by sliding along said axis and having an actuating member manually movable between oil and on positions, with a manual force on said second switch member moving said second switch to the on position and moving said carrier in said cup to said second position and with removal of the manual force permitting return of said carrier to said first position;

circuit means for connecting said first switch intothe lamp heater circuit of the light; and

7. In a fluorescent light, the combination of:

a housing;

a manually operable ofi-on electrical switch;

first means for mounting said oil-on switch in said housing for sliding movement relative to said housing between first and second positions;

a push button electrical switch biased to the open position and including a base element and a button element; and

second means for mounting said push button switch with one of said elements engageable with said housing and the other of said elements engageable with said first means, with sliding movement of said offon switch in said housing to said second position produced by manual actuation of said ofi-on switch causing relative movement of said push button switch elements moving said push button switch to the closed position and with removal of the manual actuating force permitting spring induced return of said off-on switch to said first position in said housing and return of said push button switch to the open position.

References (lited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,372.541 3/1945 Beal 200-5 2,524,215 10/1950 Wegehoft 200 159 X 2,908,827 10/ 1959 Hickman 200-16 X 3,188,406 6/1965 Scribner 200-16 X ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

J. R. SCOTT, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A FLUORESCENT LIGHT, THE COMBINATION OF: A HOUSING; A SWITCH CARRIER MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT ALONG AN AXIS BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS, A FIRST PUSH-TO-CLOSE ELECTRICAL SWITCH SPRING LOADED TO THE OPEN POSITION AND MOUNTED IN SAID CARRIER AND HAVING A PUSH-BUTTON MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID HOUSING, WITH MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIER IN SAID HOUSING ALONG SAID AXIS TO SAID SECOND POSITION MOVING SAID FIRST SWITCH TO THE CLOSED POSITION AND WITH MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIER TO SAID FIRST POSITION PERMITTING SPRING RETURN OF SAID FIRST SWITCH TO THE OPEN POSITION; A SECOND OFF-ON ELECTRICAL SWITCH MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIER AND HAVING AN ACTUATING MEMBER MANUALLY MOVABLE BETWEEN OFF AND ON POSITIONS, WITH A MANUAL FORCE ON SAID SECOND SWITCH MEMBER MOVING SAID SECOND SWITCH TO THE ONE POSITION AND MOVING SAID CARRIER IN SAID HOUSING TO SAID SECOND POSITION AND WITH REMOVAL OF THE MANUAL FORCE PERMITTING RETURN OF SAID CARRIER TO SAID FIRST POSITION; CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FIRST SWITCH INTO THE LAMP HEATER CIRCUIT OF THE LIGHT; AND CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID SECOND SWITCH INTO THE POWER SUPPLY CIRCUIT OF THE LIGHT.