TWM485353U - Cover assembly - Google Patents

Description

Cover assembly

The present invention relates to the field of light emitting diode (LED) illumination.

The function of LEDs for general illumination is well known. Recent advances have been made to increase the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of LEDs, and it is likely that LEDs will soon become the primary source of illumination. Although the performance characteristics of LEDs have been continuously improved, sometimes LEDs are still problematic in some applications. For some applications, an improved system for powering and holding LEDs will be appreciated.

The holder is sometimes used to hold the LED in place. A holder can help hold an array of LEDs in place, however, existing holders do not always provide all of the functionality required, and therefore, some people will appreciate further improvements in the holder.

A holder includes a power connector and a plurality of terminals configured to engage a plurality of contacts on a top surface of an array of LEDs. A plurality of traces on the bottom side of the holder can be used to electrically connect the power connector to the plurality of terminals. If desired, an integrated circuit can be placed on a bottom side of the cover to help control the function of the LED. Thus, in addition to the function of the holding seat, the holding seat also provides a A cover that supports additional features.

The novel cover assembly includes a cover having an opening and a bottom surface disposed to be spaced apart from a support surface; a controller mounted on the bottom surface; a first flexible terminal and a second a flexible terminal, the first flexible terminal and the second flexible terminal are supported by the cover; a connector mounted to the cover, the connector comprising two terminals; a first pair of traces Extending between the two terminals and the controller; a second pair of traces extending between the controller and the two flexible terminals, the first pair of traces and the second The trace is arranged to provide electrical energy from the connector to the flexible terminal via the controller.

The cover body includes a vertical wall, and the vertical wall is disposed to position the bottom surface above the support surface

The two terminals are electrically connected to the first pair of traces and the flexible terminals are electrically connected to the second pair of traces.

The flexible terminal is soldered to the cover.

The connector has a side opening that is configured to receive a pair of connectors in a direction parallel to the support surface.

The cover assembly also includes an array of LEDs located within the aperture and held by two retention elements.

The controller is coupled to an antenna and is configured to receive a wireless signal.

The cover includes at least three surfaces that are arranged to align an array of LEDs with the aperture.

10‧‧‧ cover

11‧‧‧ bottom surface

12‧‧‧立立

25‧‧‧reflecting elements

28‧‧‧ fastener holes

27‧‧‧Light opening

30‧‧‧Retaining components

31, 33‧‧‧ feet

32, 34‧‧‧ shoulder

31a, 32a, 33a, 34a‧‧‧ surface

41, 42‧‧‧Flexible terminals

44, 45‧‧‧ second pair of traces

46, 47‧‧‧ first pair of traces

50‧‧‧ Controller

60‧‧‧Connector

60a‧‧‧ side opening

61‧‧‧Shell

62‧‧‧ terminals

63‧‧‧ pads

70‧‧‧LED array

75‧‧‧ base

80‧‧‧Antenna

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation of the drawings in the drawings Stereo picture.

Fig. 2 shows another perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 shows a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of a cover.

Figure 4 shows another perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows a bottom perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure 3.

The detailed description below describes a plurality of exemplary embodiments and is not intended to be limited to such specifically disclosed combinations. Accordingly, the various features disclosed herein can be combined together to form additional multiple combinations that are not shown for the sake of clarity.

1 through 5 illustrate various features of a cover 10 having a light transmissive opening 27 that allows light to pass through the cover 10. The cover 10 includes one or more retention elements 30 (such as the foot 31, the shoulder 32, the foot 33, and the shoulder 34) that assist in positioning an array of LEDs 70 through the surfaces 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a, respectively.

The LED array 70 can be configured as a on-wafer (COB) LED array located on a base 75. The base 75 can be formed of aluminum and has an insulating coating as is known in the art of COB-type LED arrays. LED array 70 can include one or more LEDs in a pattern and the LEDs will be electrically coupled to a negative electrode and a positive electrode. The flexible terminals 41, 42 are held by the cover 10 and are configured to deform when they are engaged with the negative and positive contacts of the LED array 70, thereby providing electrical energy to the LED array 70.

A controller 50 is mounted on a bottom surface 11 of the cover 10 and the controller 50 can include a bridge rectifier and other control circuitry (such as an amplifier) and communication functions, receiving input electrical energy and providing electrical energy to the respective LED array. Of course, additional circuitry can be added to suit a given application and the required power input (AC and DC, etc.). Moreover, as is known, the circuit can be separated to provide two or more discrete components. Therefore, the design of the controller 50 can be changed as needed.

It will be appreciated that the cover 10 can be configured to engage differently shaped LED arrays and can include built-in light shaping features (such as a reflective element 25) and also include securely mounting the cover 10 to a support surface (not shown). The fasteners are used with holes 28. If further light shaping control is required, the cover 10 can also include a lens (not shown).

The illustrated cover 10 includes a connector 60 having a housing 61 that holds a plurality of terminals 62. The illustrated connector 60 includes a side opening 60a that is configured to receive a pair of connectors that are inserted in a direction that is considered to be parallel to the support surface (not shown). Of course, the support surface may not actually be flat, so the insertion direction may actually be parallel to the actual support surface, but this may still be considered parallel to the support surface. Alternatively, the connector 60 can include an opening that is configured to abut the pair of connectors in a direction perpendicular to a support surface. In order to fix the connector 60 to the cover 10, the plurality of terminals 62 may be soldered to a plurality of pads 63 formed on the bottom side of the cover 10. The plurality of pads 63 may be coupled to a first pair of traces 46, 47 formed on the bottom side of the cover 10 and electrically coupled to the controller 50. a second pair of traces 44, 45 thereby the controller 50 is connected to the flexible terminals 41, 42 held by the cover 10. Preferably, the flexible terminals 41, 42 are soldered to one of the second pair of traces 44, 45, respectively. Thus, the first pair of traces 46, 47 extend between the connector 60 and the controller 50 and the second pair of traces 44, 45 extend between the controller 50 and the flexible terminals 41, 42. It will be appreciated that additional features and elements may be provided on the plurality of traces 44, 45, 46, 47 if discrete components are desired.

It should be noted that the cover 10 can also include an antenna 80 coupled to the controller 50 that can be configured to receive and transmit wireless signals by including a transceiver (or electrically coupled to a transceiver). This configuration will enable the cover 10 to function wirelessly by receiving/transmitting wireless signals. The antenna 80 can be located on the bottom surface 11, or, if provided as shown, the antenna 80 can be located on a vertical wall 12 of the cover 10. It will be appreciated that the height of the upright wall 12 can be used to determine the thickness of the cover element. Because of the upright wall 12, the bottom surface 11 of the cover 10 can be spaced apart from a support surface.

It should be noted that the plurality of traces may be formed on the cover in an electroless manner. Thus, the cover can be formed using existing laser direct structuring (LDS) processes. However, other methods of forming traces on plastic are also suitable, and the use of LDS is not intended to be limiting.

The application provided herein illustrates various features in its preferred exemplary embodiments. Numerous other embodiments, modifications, and variations of the scope and spirit of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

30‧‧‧Retaining components

41, 42‧‧‧Flexible terminals

44, 45‧‧‧ second pair of traces

46, 47‧‧‧ first pair of traces

50‧‧‧ Controller

60‧‧‧Connector

Claims (8)

A cover assembly includes: a cover having an opening and a bottom surface disposed to be spaced apart from a support surface; a controller mounted on the bottom surface; a first flexible terminal and a first a second flexible terminal, the first flexible terminal and the second flexible terminal are supported by the cover; a connector is mounted on the cover, the connector comprises two terminals; a first pair of tracks a wire extending between the two terminals of the connector and the controller; and a second pair of traces extending between the controller and the two flexible terminals, the first pair The trace and the second pair of traces are arranged to provide electrical energy from the connector to the flexible terminal via the controller. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover includes a vertical wall, the vertical wall being configured to position the bottom surface above the support surface. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the two terminals of the connector are electrically connected to the first pair of traces, and the flexible terminals are electrically connected to the second pair of traces. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible terminal is welded to the cover. The cover member of claim 1, wherein the connector has a The side opening is configured to receive the pair of connectors in a direction parallel to the support surface. The cover assembly of claim 1, further comprising: an LED array located in the opening and held by the two holding members. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller is coupled to an antenna and is configured to receive a wireless signal. The cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises at least three surfaces, the at least three surfaces being arranged to align an array of LEDs with the aperture.