Flashlight with light emitting diodes

摘要

A battery operated flashlight having a light emitting diode (LED) as its light source. At least one LED is mounted on a plate of an insulating material having a pair of contacts on a surface thereof. Each of the LED's has a pair of terminals with one terminal being electrically connected to one contact on the plate and the other terminal being electrically connected to the other contact on the plate. The plate is mounted in the open end of a housing of the flashlight which also contains at least one battery and a contact strip extending from the open end of the housing to the closed end of the housing where it contacts a terminal of the battery. A cylindrical spacer of an insulating material is within the housing and extends between the plate and the open end of the housing. A cup shaped cap is threaded onto the open end of the housing. When the cap is threaded onto the housing it is adapted to contact the spacer and press it against the plate. This presses the plate against the contact strip and a terminal of the battery so as to electrically connected the LED across the battery and turn on the LED. When the cap is threaded in a direction off of the housing the plate is allowed to move away from the contact strip and the battery so as to turn off the LED.