EP4198385A1 - Positioning and alignment of a pcb in an led lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a light comprising a light housing and at least one printed circuit board, PCB, which carries LEDs as the light source of the light, the light housing having a positioning pin and the PCB having a perforation, the perforation having an inner contour which is at least partially congruent with a The outer contour of the positioning pin is such that, for mounting the PCB in the lamp housing, the hole can be pushed onto the positioning pin in a form-fitting manner and the inner and outer contours are not circularly symmetrical, with the form-fitting blocking rotation of the PCB around the positioning pin or to an angular range of less than 360° restricted.

Description

The present invention relates to an LED lamp, e.g. an interior lamp or an exterior lamp for stationary mounting, and in particular to the positioning of a printed circuit board (PCB) containing light-emitting diodes (LED, which is understood here to mean any form of semiconductor light source) in a lamp housing the lamp.

An LED lamp of conventional design generally has a lamp housing and an LED module, or at least one printed circuit board, also referred to as a PCB, which carries LEDs. With a modular design of such lights, it can also be possible that different LED modules or PCBs can be used in the same light housing. Occasionally, the problem arises during production or final assembly of the lamp on site that undesired combinations of lamp housing and PCBs or LED modules can also be assembled, which technically do not work or are at least undesirable. It can also happen that the correct PCB is inserted into the lamp housing but misaligned within the housing.

The object of the present invention is to provide an LED light which, due to its design, simplifies the assembly of the PCB in the light housing.

The problem is solved by a lamp according to claim 1.

A special feature of the present invention consists in the combination of a positioning pin in the lamp housing and a perforation in the PCB, which have outer and inner contours that are positively matched to one another. The positive fit ensures a clear pairing between the lamp housing and the PCB when the PCB is mounted in the lamp housing. Any component of the lamp that is in principle suitable for accommodating the PCB is considered to be a lamp housing. In particular, the lamp housing can include, for example, a support plate, a lamp trough or a flat support, which are set up to receive a PCB. The locating pin has a shape suitable for mating with the perforation in the PCB, the mating being at least such that the location of the PCB relative to the lamp housing is constrained to one or more positions. The form fit between the positioning pin and the perforation is designed in such a way that the inner contour of the perforation is congruent with the outer contour of the positioning pin, at least in some areas, so that the position of the PCB relative to the luminaire housing is fixed in a plane perpendicular to the positioning pin or in several discrete positions is fixed or is limited to a rotation angle range of less than 360°, for example to a maximum of 45°. Complex shapes for the outer and inner contours, which are suitable for a unique mating between the lamp housing and the PCB, include, for example, polygons or partially rounded shapes. Simply circular contours are excluded for the at least one positioning pin, because such contours are more common in the prior art, so that unwanted confusion can result. If several positioning pins are provided, it is also possible for the further fitting pins to be circularly symmetrical, in which case the fit between the PCB and the luminaire housing is determined by the first, non-circularly symmetrical positioning pin and the several further fitting pins, which are assigned a corresponding number of Perforations interact in the PCB, is given.

According to a preferred embodiment, the inner and outer contour has a multiple discrete rotational symmetry and the PCB can be mounted in the housing in any of the positions specified by the rotational symmetry. This creates the possibility of mounting the PCB, including the lighting technology mounted on it (LEDs and possibly also lenses and/or reflectors) with a linearly selectable alignment angle in the luminaire housing. For example, if the locating pin or hole is hexagonal in shape, the PCB can be installed rotated in increments of 60°.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rotational symmetry is twofold, threefold, fourfold, sixfold or eightfold. This makes it possible to install the PCB rotated in steps of 180°, 120°, 90°, 60° or 45° in the housing. These geometric orientations are suitable for standardized luminaires because they can be adapted to typical orientations of rooms and corridors in buildings for indoor luminaires or to typical street or path courses for outdoor luminaires.

According to a preferred embodiment, the LEDs on the PCB interact with light directing devices, in particular lenses and/or reflectors, so that the PCB is set up by the light directing devices to generate a non-circularly symmetrical light distribution. Due to this light distribution, such luminaires are suitable, for example, for illuminating longitudinal corridors or paths. According to a development of this embodiment, the light distribution has less symmetry than the rotational symmetry, which is predetermined by the outer and inner contour of the at least one positioning pin or the hole. As a result, in this embodiment, the light distribution of the lamp changes depending on the mounting position of the PCB in one of the possible mounting positions in the lamp housing predetermined by the rotational symmetry. The light distribution of the luminaire can therefore be individually adapted to the course of a corridor or a path.

According to a preferred embodiment, the PCB is part of an LED module which, in addition to the PCB and the LEDs, also has electrical plug contacts which can be connected to an electrical supply line in the housing in each of the installation positions of the PCB in the housing specified by the inner and outer contours . This means that the LED module can be supplied with electricity in any installation position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the electrical supply line is permanently laid in the lamp housing and has a number of mating plug contacts corresponding to the rotational symmetry, with at least one of the mating plug contacts in the lamp housing interacting with the plug contact on the LED lamp module in each of the possible installation positions of the PCB. In this embodiment, the LED module can be installed in one of the desired installation positions by simply plugging it into the housing. It is no longer necessary to install wiring later, as there is already a corresponding mating plug contact for every possible installation position of the LED module in the luminaire housing.

According to a preferred embodiment, there are several positioning pins in the housing, each of which cooperates with one of several holes in the PCB. In the embodiments described above, a positioning pin is preferably provided in a central position of the housing or a hole in a central position of the PCB. By providing more However, using positioning pins it is possible to allow or exclude further positioning of the PCB in the luminaire housing. The variety of variants for mounting the PCB in the lamp housing can be increased. For other applications, however, it is preferred that certain non-desired layers are excluded. An additional positioning pin can be used, for example, to reduce the number of rotational symmetries, for example from positioning in 60° increments to positioning in only 120° increments. According to a development, it can also be provided that the additional positioning pin is provided with a predetermined breaking point. By breaking off the additional positioning pin, the multiplicity of the rotational symmetry can be increased again to the original multiplicity of the rotational symmetry, which is predetermined by the shape of the outer contour of the first positioning pin.

According to a preferred embodiment, the positive fit between the perforation and the at least one positioning pin is set up in such a way that a limited rotation through an angular range of less than 360°, e.g. a maximum of 180°, 90° or 45°, is possible. In this embodiment, there is still the possibility of making an adjustment during final assembly of the PCB in the lamp housing. For example, a central pin in the form of a semicircle and a central hole in the form of a three-quarter circle can be provided, so that the PCB can still be rotated by a quarter circle. Alternatively or additionally, another positioning pin can also be provided, which runs in a slot in order to limit the rotation to a desired angular range through the length of the slot. The term positive locking generally refers to the fact that the perforation and the at least one positioning pin match at least over a portion of their inner and outer contours, so that rotation of the PCB relative to the lamp housing is either blocked or limited to a defined maximum rotation angle.

According to a preferred embodiment, the lamp has a plurality of PCBs, each of which has at least one hole that interacts with at least one positioning pin in a lamp housing. This embodiment is particularly preferred with asymmetrically radiating PCBs. These can then be installed in different installation positions within a luminaire in order to create a complex light distribution. Overall, this results in a high Variability for the generation of light distributions by always using the same type of luminaire in connection with the same PCBs.

According to a preferred embodiment, apart from the at least one positioning pin, no further geometric stop points are defined between the housing and the PCB. Additional geometric attachment points are not necessary to determine the position of the PCB. However, such devices are not provided as further geometric attachment points in this embodiment, which are only specified for holding down the PCB in the lamp housing. For example, clamps or screw connections can be provided, which are closed in order to secure the PCB in the lamp housing after it has been pushed onto the at least one positioning pin.

Figuren 1a und 1b

zeigen eine Aufsicht bzw. eine Seitenansicht eines PCB bzw. eines Leuchtengehäuses einer Leuchte im getrennten Zustand.

Figur 2

zeigt eine Aufsicht auf die Leuchte der Figuren 1a und 1b im montierten Zustand.

Figur 3

zeigt eine Aufsicht auf eine Leuchte gemäß einer alternativen Ausführungsform.

Figur 4

zeigt Aufsichten auf verschiedene Ausführungsformen von PCBs.

Figuren 5a, 5b und 5c

zeigen eine Aufsicht auf eine Leuchte der Figur 2 mit einem PCB in drei verschiedenen Ausrichtungen.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description given in connection with the attached figures. The figures show the following:

Figures 1a and 1b

show a top view and a side view of a PCB and a lamp housing of a lamp in the separated state.

figure 2

shows a top view of the lamp Figures 1a and 1b in assembled condition.

figure 3

shows a plan view of a lamp according to an alternative embodiment.

figure 4

shows plan views of various embodiments of PCBs.

Figures 5a, 5b and 5c

show a top view of a lamp figure 2 with a PCB in three different orientations.

Referring to the Figures 1a, 1b and 2 a first embodiment of a lamp according to the invention is described. This essentially comprises two separate elements: a housing 2 and a PCB 4, which in the Figures 1a and 1b are shown as separate components. It is to be understood that the representation in the figures is highly abstract. The housing 2 can be flat other than that shown Construction phase also have side walls, a base and / or a cover. According to the invention, a positioning pin 3 is provided on the housing 2, which in the illustrated embodiment extends perpendicularly to a bearing surface for the PCB 2. The positioning pin has a columnar shape, the cross section of the column perpendicular to the longitudinal extension being formed by an equilateral triangle in the illustrated embodiment. On one side, the PCB 2 comprises at least one or more LEDs 5, which serve as illuminants for the lamp. In the illustrated embodiment, the LEDs 5 are illustrated as one block. In other embodiments, however, the LEDs can also be distributed over a larger surface portion of the PCB 4 . Furthermore, the PCB 4 has a perforation 6 which defines an inner contour which is adapted in shape to the outer contour of the positioning pin 3 . The shapes are congruent to one another, with the inner contour of the hole 6 being slightly larger than the outer contour of the positioning pin 3 so that the PCB 2 with the hole 6 can be easily attached to the positioning pin 3 of the PCB. The assembled PCB 2 is in the figure 2 shown. The position of the PCB 4 relative to the housing 2 is fixed at least to a discrete selection of possible installation positions by the shape of the inner and outer contours. In the present example of an equilateral triangle, the PCB 4 can be arranged in three different positions relative to the lamp housing 2, as shown in FIGS Figures 5a, 5b and 5c is shown. The special shape of the inner and outer contour of the hole or the positioning pin has several advantages. On the one hand, an unambiguous pairing between the PCB 4 and the housing 2 is defined, so that confusion during production with a PCB of a different design cannot occur. Furthermore, the installation position is defined or restricted to a predetermined number of possible installation positions, so that misalignment of the PCB 4 can be prevented when the lamp is assembled.

The equilateral triangle in the example of the positioning pin and the perforation of the lamp according to Figures 1a, 1b and 2 has a three-fold rotational symmetry, whereby the arrangement of the PCB in the three different construction positions according to the Figures 5a, 5b and 5c given is. In this embodiment, it is also advantageous that the LEDs on the PCB are set up with light directing means, eg lenses and/or reflectors, which produce a non-circularly symmetrical light distribution. The symmetry of the light distribution is preferably less than the corresponding rotational symmetry of the shape of the inner or outer contour of the hole or the positioning pin. In the example of figure 5 the LEDs have a main emission direction 7, which points from the perpendicular bisector on the PCB in a direction shown by arrow 7 . Due to the possibility of three different installation positions of the PCB, three different light distributions of the lamp can be generated with always the same components.

The PCB 4 is connected to a supply connection in the housing 2 for the electrical supply of the LEDs 5 . This can be done, for example, by means of plug-in devices (not shown in the figures), which even enable contact to be made in any of the specified installation positions by simply plugging in.

The figure 3 shows a further embodiment of a lamp, which corresponds in principle to the embodiment described above. In this example, however, the inner and outer contours are defined by a regular hexagon. The hexagon has six-fold rotational symmetry, so that the PCB 4 can be arranged on the housing 2 in six different installation positions. While the embodiment in the equilateral triangle allows rotation in 120° steps, in the embodiment according to FIG figure 3 rotation in 60° steps is possible.

However, other geometric shapes for the congruent contour between the positioning pin 3 and the hole 6 are also possible. The figure 4 shows a selection of different possible shapes. The examples in the first row of the figure 4 have a multiple, three-fold, five-fold or two-fold rotational symmetry. Some of the other exemplary shapes do not have any rotational symmetry. In these examples, the position of the PCB relative to the lamp housing is fixed to an installation position. The lower row shows examples with several holes for a corresponding number of positioning pins. The one or more additional positioning pins reduce the number of possible mounting positions of the PCB in the lamp housing. In these embodiments it can be provided that one or more of the additional positioning pins is/are provided with a predetermined breaking point in order to also be able to remove it(s) in the housing. As a result, the number of installation positions can be increased again.

In the previous examples, the lamp comprises only one PCB in a lamp housing. However, it can also be provided that several PCBs are arranged in a lamp housing. A corresponding number of Locating pins, ie at least one locating pin per PCB, required in the luminaire housing. Provision can also be made in these embodiments for the PCBs to be mountable in a number of installation positions.

It is clear from the preceding description that the solution according to the invention prescribes a clear assignment of the PCB to the lamp housing and, if necessary, a discrete selection of installation positions. This can avoid confusion. For example, different molds can be used for master and slave PCBs to avoid confusion in production. In general, however, circular cross-sections are not provided for at least the first positioning pin because they occur so frequently in the prior art that confusion is possible. In addition, a single positioning pin with a circular cross-sectional shape would define a continuous rotational symmetry through 360°, which means that there is no longer a clear positioning of the PCB.

Reference List

2

lamp housing

3

positioning pin

4

PCB

5

LEDs

6

perforation

7

Preferred direction of a light distribution

Claims (11)

Luminaire comprising a luminaire housing (2) and at least one printed circuit board, PCB, (4) which carries LEDs (5) as illuminants of the luminaire, the luminaire housing (2) having a positioning pin (3) and the PCB (4) having a perforation ( 6), wherein the perforation (6) has an inner contour which is at least partially congruent with an outer contour of the positioning pin (3), so that for mounting the PCB in the lamp housing (2) the perforation (6) has a positive fit on the positioning pin ( 3) can be plugged on and the inner and outer contours are not circularly symmetrical, with the positive fit blocking rotation of the PCB (4) around the positioning pin or limiting it to an angular range of less than 360°. Lamp according to claim 1, wherein the inner and outer contour has a multiple discrete rotational symmetry and the PCB (4) can be mounted in each of the positions specified by the rotational symmetry in the lamp housing (2). Luminaire according to claim 2, wherein the rotational symmetry is two-fold, three-fold, four-fold, six-fold or eight-fold. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, in which the LEDs (5) on the PCB (4) interact with light directing devices, in particular asymmetrical lenses and/or reflectors, so that the PCB is set up by the light directing devices to produce a non-circularly symmetrical light distribution (7) to create. Luminaire according to claim 4 with reference back to claim 2 or 3, wherein the non-circularly symmetrical light distribution (7) has less symmetry than the rotational symmetry which is predetermined by the inner and outer contour of the at least one positioning pin (3) and the perforation (6). is. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the PCB (4) is part of an LED module which, in addition to the PCB (4) and the LEDs (5), also has electrical plug contacts which are in each of the through the inner and outer contour predetermined installation positions of the PCB (4) in the lamp housing (2) can be connected to an electrical supply line in the lamp housing (2). Luminaire according to Claim 6 with reference back to Claim 2 or a claim dependent thereon, in which the electrical supply line is permanently installed in the luminaire housing (2) and has a number of mating plug contacts corresponding to the rotational symmetry, in each of the possible installation positions of the PCB (4). at least one of the mating plug contacts in the lamp housing interacts with the plug contact on the LED lamp module. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, in which there are a plurality of positioning pins (3) in the housing, each cooperating with one of a plurality of perforations (6) in the PCB. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the form fit between the perforation (6) and the at least one positioning pin (3) is set up in such a way that a limited rotation through an angular range of a maximum of 180°, 90°, 60°, 45° or 30 ° is possible. Lamp according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lamp has a plurality of PCBs (4) which each have at least one hole (6) which cooperates with at least one positioning pin (3) in a lamp housing (2). Lamp according to Claim 1, in which, apart from the at least one positioning pin (3), no further geometric stop points are defined between the lamp housing (2) and the PCB (4).

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