JP2005209812A - Light emitting device unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily connect a light emitting device to an external conduction path. <P>SOLUTION: In a socket body 21, an LED 10 and a pair of first connection terminals 40 connected to lead terminals 13 of the LED 10 are installed. In a frame 22, a pair of second connection terminals 50 each having a pressure welding blade 52 is installed. When the socket body 21 is set in the frame 22 and combined to each other, the first connection terminals 40 and corresponding second connection terminals 50 are connected to each other, and thereby an LED unit U is assembled in such a state that each lead terminal 13 of the LED 10 is connected to each second connection terminal 50 having the pressure welding blade 52 via the first connection terminal 40. Both pressure welding blades 52 of the LED unit U are pressure-welded and connected to coated electric wires 64 which become conduction paths, and each lead terminal 13 of the LED 10 is electrically connected to the corresponding coated electric wire 64. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a light emitting element unit such as a light emitting diode.

In recent years, some vehicle lamps have been proposed that use light emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of light bulbs such as bulbs with caps and wedge base bulbs as light sources (see, for example, Patent Document 1). More specifically, the LED arrangement structure is such that a metal substrate constituting a conductive path is accommodated in the lamp body, a plurality of LEDs are arranged at predetermined positions, and each lead terminal is laser-welded on the substrate. It has a connected structure.
JP 2000-222915 A

In short, conventionally, since the LED was connected to the conductive path by laser welding, it involved a large and troublesome work. Moreover, since the brightness of LEDs tends to vary, it is necessary to replace them appropriately. However, they cannot be easily replaced because they are welded. Furthermore, although the arrangement of the LEDs may differ depending on the vehicle type, there is a problem that the arrangement cannot be easily dealt with, such as the need to prepare a suitable metal substrate each time the arrangement changes.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the socket to which the light emitting element is attached is provided with a connection terminal connected to the lead terminal of the light emitting element, and the connection terminal is elastically pressed into an external conductive path. It is characterized in that a connectable connecting portion is provided.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the light-emitting element is detachably attached to the socket, and the lead terminal of the light-emitting element is elastic of the connection terminal with respect to the connection terminal. It is characterized by being connected by being inserted with deformation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the external conductive path is an electric wire, and the connection portion of the connection terminal is configured by a press-contact portion that can be press-contacted to the electric wire. It has the characteristics in the place.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the external conductive path is a bus bar, and at least one of the connection portion of the connection terminal and the end portion of the bus bar. However, it is characterized in that it has a structure that can be tightly fitted to the other side with elastic deformation.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the connection terminal is provided with a heat radiating plate disposed along the outer surface of the socket. Has characteristics.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the light emitting element is mounted on the socket, the lead terminal is unitized with the connection terminal provided on the socket. The light emitting element is connected to the conductive path by elastically press-fitting the connection portion of the connection terminal in the unit into the external conductive path.
The operation of electrically connecting the light emitting element to the conductive path can be easily performed because it is only necessary to press-fit the connection portion of the connection terminal of the unit to which the light emitting element is mounted into the conductive path. At the same time, since the entire unit can be pulled out from the conductive path, it can be easily replaced when the light emitting element needs to be replaced due to a failure or insufficient brightness, and the arrangement of the light emitting element can be easily changed. By being unitized, workability is excellent and parts management is easy, and the handling becomes excellent.
<Invention of Claim 2>
When the light emitting element is attached to the socket, the lead terminal is inserted while elastically deforming the connection terminal, and the connection is established. Only the light emitting element can be replaced while the socket is connected to the conductive path.

<Invention of Claim 3>
When the conductive path is an electric wire, the connection terminal of the unit is connected by press-contacting the press-contact portion provided therein to the electric wire. When the conductive path is an electric wire, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the units, that is, the light emitting elements can be expanded by appropriately bending and wiring the conductive path.
<Invention of Claim 4>
When the conductive path is a bus bar, the connection terminal of the unit is connected by elastically and tightly fitting the connection portion to the end of the bus bar. By changing the length of the bus bar passed between adjacent units or by deforming the bus bar, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the units, that is, the light emitting elements can be expanded.
<Invention of Claim 5>
The heat of the light emitting element is dissipated by the heat sink. Since the heat radiating plate is arranged along the outer surface of the socket, the entire unit can be kept compact.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a light-emitting diode 10 (hereinafter referred to as an LED 10) is used as a tail / stop lamp that also functions as a vehicle width lamp and is lit in conjunction with a brake operation, among light sources of vehicle lamps, for example, rear combination lamps. The case is illustrated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the unit U of this embodiment includes an LED 10, a socket 20, and a pair of connection terminals. The socket 20 further includes a socket main body portion 21, a frame body portion 22, and the like. In addition, each connection terminal includes a first connection terminal 40 and a second connection terminal 50, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 1, the LED 10 has a shape in which a light emitting unit 12 protrudes from the upper surface of a block-shaped main body 11, and a pair of left and right plate-like lead terminals 13 from the lower surface of the main body 11. Are protruded, and each protruding end is bent at a right angle toward the outside to form a connection plate 14. In addition, guide pins 15 protrude from the left and right side edges of the lower surface of the main body 11 at positions aligned with the root of the lead terminal 13 in the front-rear direction.

As described above, the socket 20 includes the socket main body portion 21 that is formed of a synthetic resin material and the frame body portion 22 that fits outside the socket main body portion 21. One connection terminal 40 and a pair of second connection terminals 50 are respectively attached to the frame body portion 22.
The socket body 21 is formed in a block shape that is long in the left-right direction, and as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of left and right storage chambers 23 are opened in the lower surface to store the first connection terminals 40 therein. Is formed.

The first connection terminal 40 is formed by press-molding a metal plate having excellent conductivity. As shown in FIG. 1, both connection terminals 40 have the same shape, and one of them is reversed left and right during mounting. It is designed to take a facing posture.
More specifically, in the first connection terminal 40, an insertion plate 42 rises on one side edge of the bottom plate 41, and the upper end portion of the insertion plate 42 is narrowed in a stepped shape. Further, an elastic mounting piece 43 is formed on the plate surface of the insertion plate 42 by cutting and raising downward and having a tip inclined inward. From the other side edge of the bottom plate 41, as shown in FIG. 8, it is raised to a position slightly above the center height of the insertion plate 42, then bent sideways to the vicinity of the insertion plate 42, and subsequently inserted. After being raised to a position slightly lower than the upper end of the plate 42, a curved portion 44 is formed that is bent sideways opposite to the insertion plate 42 side. An elastic contact piece 45 is folded back and formed in a chevron shape from either the front or rear edge of the middle plate 44A of the curved portion 44.

On the left and right outer walls of each storage chamber 23 in the socket main body 21, an insertion groove 24 is formed in which the insertion plate 42 of the first connection terminal 40 can be tightly inserted from below. The upper end of the insertion groove 24 is formed with a narrow width so as to contact the stepped portion 42A of the insertion plate 42, and an opening groove 25 having the same width as the narrow portion and opened to the outer surface is formed over the entire height. . In addition, an escape groove 26 (see FIG. 8) into which the bottom plate 41 is fitted is formed inside the insertion groove 24 on the lower surface of the outer wall.
That is, in the first connection terminal 40, the curved portion 44 is inserted into the storage chamber 23 from below while the insertion plate 42 is inserted into the insertion groove 24, and the stepped portion 42A of the insertion plate 42 is provided as shown in FIG. The insertion is stopped when it hits the stepped portion 24A of the insertion groove 24. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the top plate 44 </ b> B of the curved portion 44 almost reaches the ceiling surface of the storage chamber 23, and the side edge portion of the bottom plate 41 on the side where the insertion plate 42 is raised becomes the escape groove 26. It fits and fits inside the bottom surface of the socket body 21.
In addition, the elastic mounting piece 43 provided on the insertion plate 42 is elastically deformed so as to be flush with the plate surface, and the elastic force of the elastic attachment piece 43 causes the edge of the tip to bite into the wall surface of the insertion groove 24 to prevent it from coming off. The

  A pair of left and right entry grooves 27 through which the left and right guide pins 15 of the LED 10 and the root portion of the lead terminal 13 can be inserted are formed on the ceiling wall of the socket body 21 from the front surface to a position slightly ahead of the rear surface. ing. Further, a lateral hole 28 through which the connection plate 14 bent outward of the lead terminal 13 of the LED 10 can be inserted is formed in the upper part of the front wall of the socket main body 21 so as to communicate with the front end of the entry groove 27. . The lateral hole 28 penetrates through the upper portion of the storage chamber 23. More specifically, when the first connection terminal 40 is properly attached to the storage chamber 23, as shown in FIG. 44 is formed at a position corresponding to the space between the top plate 44 </ b> B and the elastic contact piece 45.

  In the LED 10, both lead terminals 13 are aligned with the horizontal holes 28 and the front ends of the entry grooves 27, and the main body 11 is pushed inward along the entry grooves 27 while sliding the upper surface of the socket main body 21. During this time, the connection plate 14 of the lead terminal 13 is split between the top plate 44B while bending and deforming the elastic contact piece 45, and is elastically clamped, so that the first corresponding to each lead terminal 13 is obtained. Electrical connection is established between the connection terminals 40. The LED 10 is stopped from being pushed when the main body 11 reaches a substantially central portion of the upper surface of the socket main body 21 in the depth direction, but may be provided with a stopper means in order to determine the stop position.

The frame body portion 22 of the socket 20 is formed in a rectangular frame shape that allows the socket main body portion 21 to be fitted inside (see FIG. 9), and on the left and right wall portions, as shown in FIG. The second connection terminal 50 is attached.
The second connection terminal 50 is formed by press-molding a metal plate that is also excellent in conductivity. As shown in the figure, both connection terminals 50 have the same shape, and one of them is reversed left and right when mounted. It is designed to take postures that face each other.

More specifically, the second connection terminal 50 includes a substrate 51 and a pressure contact blade 52 shaped like a channel material in a vertical direction, and has one edge of the substrate 51 and an upper portion of one opening edge of the pressure contact blade 52. They are connected by a connecting plate 53. On one side of the substrate 51 in the width direction, an elastic mounting piece 54 having a head portion 54A rises from a substantially central height position, and the head portion 54A is inclined to the front side (opposite to the press contact blade 52). Is formed. On the front side on the other side in the width direction, a low-profile trapezoidal elastic contact piece 55 is formed by folding back from the upper edge. Further, on the same side, an elastic locking piece 56 is formed by cutting and raising upward and having a tip inclined to the back side.
In the press contact blade 52, a press contact groove 58 opened downward is cut at a lower edge of a portion serving as a bottom plate.

On the other hand, in the left and right wall portions of the frame body portion 22, insertion grooves 30 that allow the substrate 51 of the second connection terminal 50 to be inserted from above are formed in the center in the width direction on the inner surface. An insertion groove 31 into which the connecting plate 53 of the second connection terminal 50 is inserted is formed by cutting a predetermined dimension from the upper surface at a position outside one side edge of the insertion groove 30. Further, a vertical locking groove 32 is formed at a position of the insertion groove 30 on the side where the insertion groove 31 is formed, and a locking portion 32A is formed near the upper end thereof.
A pair of vertical ribs 33 serving as spacers are formed on the outer surface side of the portion where the locking groove 32 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second connection terminal 50 is inserted from above while the substrate 51 is inserted into the insertion groove 30 of the frame body portion 22 and the press contact blade 52 is along the protruding end of the vertical rib 33, and is connected in the middle. The plate 53 is inserted into the insertion groove 31. During this time, when the elastic locking piece 56 hits the locking portion 32A and is inserted while being bent and deformed, as shown on the left side of FIG. 8, when the connecting plate 53 is stopped by hitting the groove bottom of the insertion groove 31, As shown on the right side, the tip end of the elastic locking piece 56 passes through the locking portion 32A, and moves backward to fit into the locking groove 32 and be locked to the locking portion 32A, whereby the second connection terminal 50 is attached while being prevented from coming off. At that time, the head portion 54 </ b> A of the elastic mounting piece 54 protrudes from the upper surface of the frame body portion 22.

When assembling the unit U, as described above, after the pair of first connection terminals 40 is mounted on the socket main body 21, the LED 10 is mounted, thereby corresponding to each lead terminal 13 of the LED 10. The first connection terminal 40 to be connected is connected. On the other hand, the pair of second connection terminals 50 are attached to the frame body portion 22 as described above.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the socket main body 21 is disposed above the frame body portion 22, and the head portion 54A of the elastic mounting piece 54 provided on the second connection terminal 50 escapes outward. In this state, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 8, the socket body 21 is fitted into the frame body 22 from above.
It is to be noted that a guide taper surface is appropriately provided on the lower surface of the socket main body 21 and the head portion 54A of the elastic mounting piece 54, so that the head portion 54A of the elastic mounting piece 54 is automatically released to the outside. It is also possible to fit the body part 22.

As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12, when the upper surface of the socket body 21 is pushed in until it substantially coincides with the upper surface of the frame body 22, the pushing is stopped by hitting a stopper (not shown) and the like, The head portion 54 </ b> A of the elastic mounting piece 54 is locked to the left and right end portions of the upper surface of the socket main body portion 21 and is prevented from coming off. During this time, the insertion plate 42 of the first connection terminal 40 is in sliding contact with the elastic contact piece 55 of the second connection terminal 50 while flexing and deforming, and the elastic contact piece 55 is brought into close contact with the insertion plate 42 by elastic force. Electrical connection is established between the first connection terminal 40 and the second connection terminal 50.
The assembly of the LED unit U is completed as described above, and in this LED unit U, each lead terminal 13 of the LED 10 is connected to the second connection terminal 50 having the press contact blade 52 via the first connection terminal 40. Is done.

The tail stop lamp is configured as follows. As shown in FIG. 13, the lighting unit is configured such that the LED unit U is connected between a tail stop signal input line 60 and a ground line 61 via a control circuit (not shown) including a diode, a resistor, and the like. It is connected.
In this embodiment, six LED units U are arranged side by side and mounted on a mounting board (not shown) accommodated in the lamp. In these six LED units U, three sets of two LED units U connected in parallel are constituted, and these are connected in series.

A covered electric wire 64 is used for the input line 60 and the ground wire 61 for the tail / stop signal described above, and the connecting wire 62 between the LED units U.
The covered electric wire 64 is pressed and connected to the press contact blade 52 of the second connection terminal 50. Therefore, on the mounting substrate, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, a press contact table 65 is provided so as to correspond to the mounting position of the LED unit U. The press contact base 65 is configured such that a receiving groove 66 of the covered electric wire 64 is cut into a predetermined depth position on the upper surface, and the covered electric wire 64 is prevented from coming off and stored at the bottom. Further, an insertion groove 67 into which the press contact blade 52 of the second connection terminal 50 of the LED unit U is inserted is formed in the central portion in the length direction so as to be orthogonal to both the housing grooves 66.

In order to form the lighting circuit, a covered electric wire 64 having a length corresponding to the tail stop signal input line 60, the ground line 61, and other necessary connection lines 63 is prepared. These covered electric wires 64 are wired in a predetermined circuit pattern while being accommodated in the accommodating groove 66 of the press contact table 65.
When the wiring of the covered electric wire 64 is completed, each LED unit U described above is attached to a predetermined attachment position. Accordingly, the press contact blade 52 of the second connection terminal 50 is inserted into the insertion groove 67. During the insertion, the press contact blade 52 (press contact groove 58) is pushed in while breaking the covering 64B of the covered electric wire 64, as shown in FIG. The press contact blade 52 comes into contact with the core wire 64 </ b> A of the covered electric wire 64. Thereby, the lead terminal 13 of the LED 10 in the LED unit U is electrically connected to the corresponding covered electric wire 64.

  In the lighting circuit configured as described above, for example, at night, a predetermined value of current is always supplied as a tail input signal, and the LED 10 is lit at a relatively low brightness so as to function as a tail lamp. As a stop input signal, a current several times larger than that for the tail is supplied as a stop input signal, and the LED 10 is lit with high brightness so as to function as a stop lamp.

  When replacing the LED 10 due to a failure or insufficient brightness, the elastic locking piece 54 is bent and deformed outward from the state shown in FIG. 12 to release the locking by the head 54A, and the frame 22 is left. It is possible to remove the socket body 21 by pulling the socket body portion 21 above the frame body portion 22 (see FIG. 7) and then pulling the LED 10 forward. Then, after attaching the new LED 10 to the socket main body 21 and then fitting the socket main body 21 into the frame body 22 in the manner described above, the lead terminal 13 of the new LED 10 becomes the predetermined covered wire 64. Will be connected.

As described above, according to this embodiment, as an operation of connecting the LED 10 to the covered electric wire 64 that is a conductive path, the press contact blade 52 of the second connection terminal 50 provided in the LED unit U in which the LED 10 is incorporated. Since it is only necessary to press-fit the wire into the covered electric wire 64, it can be easily performed. Moreover, when replacing | exchanging LED10, if the socket main-body part 21 which comprises the socket 20 is removed, LED10 can be pulled out continuously and can be replaced | exchanged easily. Since only the LED 10 can be replaced, it is economical.
By being unitized, the workability is good and the parts management becomes easy.

Since the conductive path is the covered electric wire 64, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the LED unit U, that is, the LED 10 can be increased by changing the length of the conductive path or by appropriately bending the wiring. Of course, each time the arrangement of the LED unit U is changed, the position of the press contact table 65 also needs to be changed. However, it is at least avoided that the arrangement of the LED unit U is restricted due to the situation on the side of the covered electric wire 64 that is a conductive path. It is done.
Moreover, the 2nd connection terminal 50 distribute | arranged to the outer surface of the socket 20 can be functioned effectively as a heat sink which dissipates the heat which LED10 emits.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this Embodiment 2, the case where a bus bar is used as a conductive path is illustrated. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, the unit Ua of the second embodiment includes an LED 70, a socket 75, and a pair of connection terminals 80A and 80B on the positive side and the negative side.
In the LED 70, a lead terminal 71 is formed in a round pin shape, and a stopper 72 having an enlarged diameter is formed at a position near its upper end.

  The socket 75 is made of a synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 19, is formed in a flat rectangular shape with a flat rectangular shape, and is slightly in the middle in the depth direction and slightly from the center in the width direction ( A pair of attachment holes 76 for attaching the connection terminals 80A and 80B are formed through the upper and lower surfaces at positions close to the left side as viewed from the front. The mounting hole 76 has a square cross section, and is formed at an interval where both lead terminals 71 of the LED 70 can be inserted together.

The connection terminals 80A and 80B are formed by press-molding a metal plate excellent in conductivity, and are provided with a pair of a positive side and a negative side as described above. As shown in FIG. 16, the positive side connection terminal 80 </ b> A is formed by a connection cylinder portion 82 rising from one side edge of a planar rectangular substrate 81 </ b> A. The connection cylinder portion 82 is formed in a square cylinder shape that can be fitted into the mounting hole 76 of the socket 75 described above, and bulges inward from one surface (surface facing the substrate 81 side) in a mountain shape. The elastic contact piece 83 is formed by being knocked out. The lead terminal 71 of the LED 70 can be inserted into the connection tube portion 82 from above.
Faston-type connecting portions 84 are projected from the side edges adjacent to the substrate 81 along the plate surface. The connecting portion 84 has a shape in which a pair of arc pieces 85 are opposed to each other from both side edges of the bottom plate 84A, and an end portion of a bus bar 87 described later is elastically sandwiched between the arc piece 85 and the bottom plate 84A. And be able to take a connection.

  One negative connection terminal 80B is formed so that the substrate 81B is about four times as large as the area ratio of the substrate 81A of the positive connection terminal 80A. This is intended to allow the substrate 81B to effectively perform the heat dissipation function. The connection cylinder portion 82 is formed to rise from one side edge of the substrate 81B, and the Faston type connection portion 84 protrudes from the adjacent side edge. However, as shown in FIG. 19, the connecting tube portion 82 and the connecting portion 84 are formed close to the corner portion of the substrate 81 </ b> B, and the connection terminals 80 </ b> A and 80 </ b> B abut each connecting tube portion 82. Are formed in such a positional relationship that the connecting portions 84 protrude in the same direction.

  A bus bar 87 is provided as a conductive path for connecting the connection terminals 80A and 80B of the adjacent LED units Ua. As shown in FIG. 17, the bus bar 87 is an elongated flat metal plate, and an elastic contact piece 88 having a contact portion 88A bent toward the tip end is provided at one end of the bus bar 87 from one side edge to the other. It is formed so as to be folded back toward the side edge, and the contact portion 88A side can be elastically deformed. The bus bar 87 is formed to have a desired length by cutting an end portion opposite to the side on which the elastic contact piece 88 is provided, or further bent in the middle.

  The unit Ua is assembled as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 15, the pair of connection terminals 80 </ b> A and 80 </ b> B are arranged in a posture with the connection tube portion 82 facing each other, and from this posture, each connection tube portion 82 is inserted into the mounting hole 76 of the socket 75. On the other hand, it is inserted from the lower surface side. Although the detailed structure is omitted, as shown in FIG. 18, when the connecting cylinder portion 82 is inserted by a predetermined amount, the insertion is stopped by the stopper means, and the connecting cylinder portion 82 is prevented from being detached by the retaining means. Retained. At this time, each of the substrates 81A and 81B is arranged in a state where it is slightly lifted from the lower surface of the socket 75 and within a region of the lower surface.

Next, both lead terminals 71 of the LED 70 are inserted into the mounting holes 76 of the socket 75 from above. Both lead terminals 71 enter the connecting cylinder part 82 held in the mounting hole 76, are pushed in while elastically deforming the elastic contact piece 83, and the stopper 72 hits the upper end of the connecting cylinder part 82 to stop the insertion. Is done. Then, the elastic contact piece 83 is elastically pinched with the opposite surface by the restoring elasticity of the elastic contact piece 83, so that the connection is taken while being prevented from coming off.
Thereby, the LED unit Ua is completed.

For example, in the case where the LEDs 70 are arranged little by little on the same plane and arranged obliquely as a whole, the following is performed.
As shown in FIG. 19, two types of long and short are prepared for the bus bar 87 as the conductive path. On the other hand, the LED unit Ua is assembled on the same plane and with a predetermined displacement. In addition, although not shown in figure, the socket 75 of both LED unit Ua is provided with the assembling means to assemble and hold in the same position.

When the LED unit Ua is assembled as described above, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the cut-side end of the longer bus bar 87L is attached to one LED unit Ua and the positive-side connection terminal 80A is connected. The other end of the bus bar 87L is inserted into the end of the substrate 81A in the connection terminal 80A on the positive side of the adjacent LED unit Ua to elastically contact the elastic contact piece 88. Connected.
Further, the cut end of the shorter bus bar 87S is inserted and connected to the connecting portion 84 of the negative connecting terminal 80B of one LED unit Ua, and the elastic contact piece 88 at the other end is connected to the adjacent LED unit. It is inserted and connected to the substrate 81B of the negative connection terminal 80B at Ua.
Similarly, the LEDs 70 are sequentially connected via the bus bars 87L and 87S.

Further, when the LED 70 is arranged with a step in the vertical direction as well, as shown in FIG. 21, the LED unit Ua is assembled in a step shape, while the adjacent connection terminals 80A and 80B have a bus bar 87 in a crank shape. It is bent and connected.
When replacing the LED 70, the LED 70 can be removed against the elastic clamping force by pulling the LED 70 upward from the state of FIG. 20 or FIG. May be inserted into the mounting hole 76 of the socket 75 and connected to the connection tube portion 82 of the connection terminals 80A and 80B.

  According to the second embodiment, as an operation of connecting the LED 70 to the bus bar 87 which is a conductive path, the end of the bus bar 87 is elastically connected to the connection terminals 80A and 80B provided in the LED unit Ua in which the LED 70 is incorporated. Since it is only necessary to plug it in, it can be done easily. Since the LED 70 can be removed by pulling it out of the socket 75 against elasticity, it can be easily replaced and it is economical because only the LED 70 can be replaced. In addition, since it is unitized, the workability is good and the parts management is easy and the handling is excellent.

  By using the bus bar 87 as the conductive path, the degree of freedom of the arrangement of the LED unit Ua, that is, the LED 70 can be increased by changing the length or by appropriately bending the conductive path. Although it is necessary to change the position of the assembling means between the LED units Ua each time the arrangement changes, it is possible to avoid that the arrangement of the LED units Ua is restricted at least due to the situation on the bus bar 87 side which is a conductive path.

  When the LED 70 is energized, it tends to generate heat particularly on the negative side. However, since the negative-side lead terminal 71 is connected to the negative-side connection terminal 80B having a large substrate 81B, heat is transmitted by the substrate 81B. Effectively dissipated. Therefore, the failure of the LED 70 can be reduced and the useful life can be extended. In addition, since the substrate 81B of the connection terminal 80B is arranged along the lower surface of the socket 75, the shape of the unit Ua can be kept compact.

<Modification>
22 and 23 show a modification of the second embodiment. When the lead terminal 71A of the LED 70 has a flat plate shape, a Y-shaped terminal 89 that includes a pair of clamping pieces 89A on the side of the connection terminal 80 instead of the connection tube portion 82 and can elastically clamp the lead terminal 71A. May be formed.
The same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained.

<Related technologies>
24 and 25 show related techniques of the present invention.
This related art shows an example suitable for connecting the LED 90 to a conductive path formed on the printed circuit board 95.
That is, the tip portion of the lead terminal 91 of the LED 90 is formed as a press fit portion 92. Specifically, a plurality of elastic contact portions 93 are formed to bulge outward in a substantially arc shape with the bending space 93 </ b> A interposed therebetween, so that they can be elastically deformed in the radial direction.

  Therefore, when the lead terminal 91 of the LED 90 is connected to the conductive path of the printed circuit board 95, the press-fit portion 92 is formed in the conductive path by pressing the overhanging portion 94 with a jig or the like from the state of FIG. Inserted into the corresponding through hole 96, elastically deformed and inserted so that each elastic contact portion 93 is closed, and is pressed against the inner periphery of the through hole 96 by the elastic force in the opening direction to prevent the elastic contact portion 93 from coming off. At the same time, the contact portion 97 of the through-hole 96, and thus the electrical connection with the conductive path is taken.

Thus, by making the lead terminal 91 of the LED 90 into a press-fit shape, it can be connected to the conductive path of the printed circuit board 95 simply by being inserted into the through hole 96, and soldering is required as in the conventional case. Compared to the case, the connection work can be simplified, and since the LED 90 is not heated, there is no risk of lowering the brightness. Even when the LED 90 breaks down or the brightness is reduced, the LED 90 can be easily replaced only by insertion and removal.
Note that the lead terminal 91 provided with this type of press-fit portion 92 is connected by being inserted into a connection hole opened in the bus bar, or a connection tube of the connection terminal 80 provided in the unit Ua as in the second embodiment. It can also be applied to plugging in and connecting to a portion (in this case, no elastic contact piece is required).

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the LED is detachable from the socket is exemplified, but the LED may be detachably attached to the socket. Included in the scope. In this case, when replacing the LED, the unit is replaced.
(2) The connection terminal may be attached to the socket by insert molding.

(3) In Embodiment 1, a bare electric wire without covering may be used for the conductive path instead of the covered electric wire. In that case, it is good to form the press-contact part which does not have a cutting function but functions only by elastically pinching a bare electric wire instead of a press-contact blade in the 2nd connection terminal.
(4) In the first embodiment, the socket can be formed as a single piece without being divided into two.
(5) In the first embodiment, the connection terminal can also be formed as an integral object.

The exploded perspective view by the side of the socket body part concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention An exploded perspective view of the frame body side Longitudinal sectional view showing the state before the LED is mounted on the socket body Vertical section after installation Side view Plan view Perspective view before the socket body is fitted to the frame Cross section Plan view when unit assembly is complete Perspective view before connection to wiring Perspective view after connection Cross section Plan view showing the arrangement of units The partial perspective view The exploded sectional view of the unit concerning Embodiment 2. Perspective view of connection terminal Perspective view of bus bar as conductive path Sectional view when unit assembly is complete Bottom view showing connection status of connection terminals Sectional view showing the connection between units Sectional view showing the connection when the unit is assembled in steps Front view showing connection structure of LED and connection terminal according to modification Side view Cross-sectional view before assembly of LEDs according to related technology Sectional view after assembly

Explanation of symbols

U ... LED unit 10 ... LED (light emitting element)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Lead terminal 20 ... Socket 21 ... Socket main-body part 22 ... Frame body part 40 ... 1st connection terminal 45 ... Elastic contact piece 50 ... 2nd connection terminal 52 ... Pressure contact blade (pressure contact part: Connection part)
64 ... covered wire (conductive path)
64A ... Core wire 64B ... Coating Ua ... LED unit 70 ... LED (light emitting element)
71, 71A ... Lead terminal 75 ... Socket 80A, 80B ... Connection terminal 81B ... Substrate (heat sink)
83 ... Elastic contact piece 84 ... Connection part 87 ... Bus bar (conductive path)
88 ... Elastic contact piece 89 ... Y-shaped terminal

Claims (5)

The socket to which the light emitting element is mounted is provided with a connection terminal connected to the lead terminal of the light emitting element, and this connection terminal is provided with a connection portion that can be connected to an external conductive path by elastic press-fitting. A light emitting element unit characterized by being provided. The light emitting element is detachably attached to the socket, and a lead terminal of the light emitting element is connected to the connection terminal by being inserted with elastic deformation of the connection terminal. The light emitting element unit according to claim 1. 3. The light emitting element unit according to claim 1, wherein the external conductive path is an electric wire, and the connection portion of the connection terminal is configured by a press contact portion that can be press contacted with the electric wire. The external conductive path is a bus bar, and at least one of the connection portion of the connection terminal and the end portion of the bus bar has a structure that can be tightly fitted to the other side with elastic deformation. The light emitting element unit according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element unit is provided. The light emitting element unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connection terminal is provided with a heat radiating plate disposed along the outer surface of the socket.

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