WO2010116301A1 - Oled luminary with improved mounting means - Google Patents

Oled luminary with improved mounting means Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2010116301A1
WO2010116301A1 PCT/IB2010/051422 IB2010051422W WO2010116301A1 WO 2010116301 A1 WO2010116301 A1 WO 2010116301A1 IB 2010051422 W IB2010051422 W IB 2010051422W WO 2010116301 A1 WO2010116301 A1 WO 2010116301A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
oled
luminary
oled lamp
lamp
carrier base
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2010/051422
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Peter Visser
Original Assignee
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N. V.
Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Koninklijke Philips Electronics N. V., Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh filed Critical Koninklijke Philips Electronics N. V.
Publication of WO2010116301A1 publication Critical patent/WO2010116301A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
    • H05K3/30—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor
    • H05K3/32—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits
    • H05K3/325—Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits by abutting or pinching, i.e. without alloying process; mechanical auxiliary parts therefor
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V21/00—Supporting, suspending, or attaching arrangements for lighting devices; Hand grips
    • F21V21/08—Devices for easy attachment to any desired place, e.g. clip, clamp, magnet
    • F21V21/096—Magnetic devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
    • H10K50/00—Organic light-emitting devices
    • H10K50/80—Constructional details
    • H10K50/84—Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
    • H10K50/00—Organic light-emitting devices
    • H10K50/80—Constructional details
    • H10K50/84—Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
    • H10K50/841—Self-supporting sealing arrangements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V19/00—Fastening of light sources or lamp holders
    • F21V19/001—Fastening of light sources or lamp holders the light sources being semiconductors devices, e.g. LEDs
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
    • F21Y2105/00—Planar light sources
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
    • F21Y2115/00—Light-generating elements of semiconductor light sources
    • F21Y2115/10—Light-emitting diodes [LED]
    • F21Y2115/15—Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K1/00—Printed circuits
    • H05K1/18—Printed circuits structurally associated with non-printed electric components
    • H05K1/182—Printed circuits structurally associated with non-printed electric components associated with components mounted in the printed circuit board, e.g. insert mounted components [IMC]
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
    • H05K2201/08—Magnetic details
    • H05K2201/083—Magnetic materials
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
    • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
    • H05K2201/10—Details of components or other objects attached to or integrated in a printed circuit board
    • H05K2201/10007—Types of components
    • H05K2201/10106—Light emitting diode [LED]
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B20/00—Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps
    • Y02B20/30—Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an OLED lamp, a luminary comprising such a lamp, and to a method for joining an OLED lamp with a housing or cover.
  • OLED illumination systems are known in a variety of designs, for example in a flat design as described in the WO 2007/64115 Al . In spite of the advantageous properties of such illumination systems, some problems remain. Thus it is for example cumbersome to exchange an OLED in a luminary if it is defect.
  • the invention relates to an OLED lamp comprising the following components: a) An OLED structure that (by definition) comprises two electrode layers between which an organic electroluminescent layer is disposed.
  • the electrode layers and the organic electroluminescent layer are the essential components of an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) as it is known in the state of the art (cf. Joseph Shinar (ed.): “Organic Light Emitting Devices, A survey", Springer, 2004).
  • the organic electroluminescent layer will typically comprise several sub-layers of different composition and functionality, and that the OLED structure may optionally comprise further layers.
  • a magnetic or magnetizable component which will be called “anchor element” in the following.
  • the anchor element When being magnetic, the anchor element may comprise or completely consist of a permanent magnet.
  • the anchor element When being magnetizable, the anchor element may comprise or completely consist of e.g. a ferromagnetic metal like iron.
  • the described OLED lamp has the advantage that, due to its anchor element, it can readily be attached to a desired location by means of magnetic forces. This allows an easy assemblage of the OLED lamp with a relevant housing and, if necessary, an exchange of the OLED lamp.
  • the anchor element can be realized in a compact manner, allowing the construction of very flat illumination systems.
  • the OLED lamp also comprises contact elements for providing external electrical access to the electrode layers.
  • the contact elements may for example be disposed at an exposed location to be accessible from outside.
  • the OLED lamp may preferably comprise a cover that at least partially encloses the OLED structure.
  • the cover can protect and seal sensible components of the lamp.
  • the cover will typically be disposed opposite to the side of the OLED lamp through which light is emitted, wherein said side is usually covered by a plate of glass or transparent plastic. If the OLED lamp shall be transparent, the cover should be made from a transparent material, too.
  • the aforementioned cover may in general be made from any suitable material, for example from plastic.
  • the cover is made from a material that is magnetic or magnetizable.
  • the cover itself can embody the anchor element of the OLED lamp, and no additional component is necessary.
  • the anchor element is a component separate from the cover but attached to the latter.
  • the anchor element may for example be realized by a flat plate of a magnetizable metal that is glued to the cover.
  • the anchor element may be attached to virtually any component of the OLED lamp, for example to a protective layer (e.g. a special sealing coating or glue) at the back side of the OLED.
  • a protective layer e.g. a special sealing coating or glue
  • the invention relates to a luminary.
  • the term “lamp” shall refer to a device that comprises only the essential elements for a light source, while the term “luminary” shall represent a lighting or illumination device that is ready for use in a desired application, for example in indoor lighting.
  • a luminary according to the second aspect of the invention particularly comprises the following components: a) An OLED lamp which comprises an OLED structure with electrode layers, an organic electroluminescent layer, and optionally also contact elements for providing electrical access to the electrode layers.
  • a carrier base with a magnetic or magnetizable component which will be called “attraction element” in the following and which shall be able to interact with a magnetizable or magnetic second component, called “anchor element”, such that the OLED lamp is attached to the carrier base in an operative condition.
  • the described luminary can readily be assembled as its OLED lamp and carrier base are hold together by the magnetic force between attraction element and anchor element. This particularly allows an easy exchange of the OLED lamp, for instance if it is defect. It should be noted that at least one of the attraction element and the anchor element should be magnetic such that it can magnetize the other component when both elements approach.
  • the anchor element of the luminary may be a component separate from the OLED lamp. It might for example be a separate magnetizable ring or frame that is put onto a (conventional) OLED lamp to attach the latter to the carrier base.
  • the anchor element is however a part of the OLED lamp.
  • the OLED lamp preferably has the design described above with respect to the first aspect of the invention, including the optional embodiments disclosed above. It was already mentioned that usually either the anchor element or the attraction element is magnetic. Preferably, this is the case for the attraction element, for example by providing it with at least one permanent magnet.
  • the OLED lamp then only has to comprise a magnetizable anchor element, which can readily be realized by e.g. a low-cost ferromagnetic component. This is advantageous because the OLED lamp is usually the component with the shorter lifetime.
  • the carrier base will usually provide the desired mechanical stability and appearance of the luminary together with the electronics that is needed to drive the OLED lamp.
  • the carrier base preferably comprises two components, namely a housing as a mechanical structure and a printed circuit board (PCB) with driver and control circuits for the OLED lamp.
  • the attraction element e.g. a permanent magnet, may be comprised by any of these two components (or both).
  • the aforementioned printed circuit board preferably comprises a recess in which at least parts of the OLED lamp are disposed.
  • the components of the printed circuit board and of the OLED lamp that cannot be made thinner than a given minimal height can hence be arranged side-by-side, allowing a composite design of minimal thickness.
  • the printed circuit board optionally comprises connectors for electrically contacting contact elements of the OLED lamp.
  • the necessary electrical connections between the printed circuit board and the OLED lamp are made just when the OLED lamp is attached to the carrier base and magnetically attracted to it.
  • the magnetic attraction also presses the connectors and contact elements against each other, guaranteeing a good electrical contact.
  • the connectors and/or the contact elements may be parts of the attraction element or the anchor element, respectively, which guarantees an optimal coupling between the contacts.
  • the outer appearance of the luminary can be designed as desired.
  • the carrier base and the OLED lamp are constructed such that they constitute a common outer surface, thus providing a smooth integration of the OLED lamp into the luminary.
  • the attraction element and the anchor element need not necessarily have mechanical contact (as long as the magnetic attraction between them is strong enough to bridge intermediate material).
  • the anchor element and the attraction element will however mechanically contact each other when the OLED lamp is mounted to the carrier base, thus providing a maximal attraction and a definite, well-aligned mechanical positioning.
  • the carrier base is designed for accommodating a plurality of N > 1 OLED lamps. This can be achieved by magnetic attraction forces with the help of one or, preferably, a corresponding plurality of N anchor elements and/or N attraction elements.
  • at least two OLED lamps are disposed in a back-to-back arrangement such that they emit light in opposite directions.
  • the printed circuit board will usually be a physically separate component from the housing, which can firmly be attached to the housing by e.g. screws or a snap-in mechanism.
  • the printed circuit board is sandwiched between the OLED lamp and the housing, thus exploiting the magnetic attraction for fixing both the OLED lamp and the circuit board.
  • the invention further relates to a method for joining an OLED lamp with a carrier base, wherein the OLED lamp and the carrier base are attached to each other by magnetic forces.
  • the method comprises in general form the manufacturing steps that lead to an OLED lamp of the kind described above. Therefore, reference is made to the preceding description for more information on the details, advantages and improvements of that method.
  • Figure 1 schematically shows in an exploded view a section through a first luminary according to the present invention comprising an OLED lamp and a carrier base with a printed circuit board and a housing;
  • Figure 2 shows a top view onto a second luminary with four OLED lamps on each side;
  • Figure 3 shows a section along the line III-III of Figure 2.
  • Like reference numbers or numbers differing by integer multiples of 100 refer in the Figures to identical or similar components.
  • OLEDs are flat light sources that produce a very nice and pleasant light. Until now, OLEDs can only be made efficient on smaller surfaces, which are too small for many lighting applications. This means that multiple OLEDs must be combined together to make a complete luminary. As there are still some failure mechanisms in OLEDs, there is hence a need for an easy mounting and replacement of OLEDs inside products. Furthermore, OLEDs are currently fixed by soldering inside a housing, which makes the complete OLED tile thick. Besides that, no seamless side connections are possible.
  • the present invention therefore proposes a mounting system which makes use of the features of OLEDs in such way that OLEDs can seamlessly and in a flat way be connected into a luminary, but also be replaced individually. In such way, even square tiled concepts are possible, putting multiple OLEDs in a quadrant next to each other.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section of a first luminary 100 that is designed according to the principles of the invention.
  • the luminary 100 comprises two main components, namely an OLED lamp 110 and a carrier base 150. For clarity, these two principal components are shown in an exploded view before assemblage.
  • the OLED lamp 110 is composed of the following components:
  • an OLED structure with a layered sequence of a glass plate 111 , a transparent first electrode 112 (typically made from ITO and operated as an anode), an organic electroluminescent (multi-)layer 113, and a second electrode 114 (usually operated as a cathode); - a cover 116 for mechanically protecting and sealing of the aforementioned sensitive components;
  • the contact elements 115 may preferably be "soft core” contacts as they are known from LCD technology.
  • the OLED lamp 110 further comprises an "anchor element" 120, which is realized here by a magnetic plate glued to the outer surface of the cover 116.
  • the carrier base 150 consists of two main components, namely a printed circuit board (PCB) 160 and a housing 170.
  • the PCB comprises a plate 161 of an isolating substrate carrying electronic components 164 needed to control and drive the OLED lamp 110.
  • the PCB 160 further comprises electrical connectors 162 that mechanically and electrically contact the contact elements 115 of the OLED lamp 110 when the latter is mounted to the carrier base 150.
  • a recess or hole 163 is provided in the PCB 160 which is a little bigger than the backplane of the OLED lamp 110 such that it can incorporate this, thus allowing an extremely flat construction of the luminary 100.
  • the housing 170 comprises an opening 171 into which the OLED lamp 110 can be placed.
  • the carrier base 150 further comprises a permanent magnet 175 serving as an "attraction element" for magnetically attracting the anchor element 120 of the OLED lamp 110.
  • the attraction element 175 may be fixed to the PCB 160 or (as shown) to the housing 170, for example by gluing. By aligning the anchor element 120 with the magnet 175 inside the housing, the OLED lamp will be connected and at the same time seamlessly placed and fixed inside the housing, without any other means than the magnet. If necessary, the OLED lamp 110 can be simply replaced by taking it out with a vacuum gripper or suction pad. The magnet also makes the OLED work over the PCB board.
  • the metal plate of the anchor element 120 helps to remove heat from the OLED lamp 110 into the luminary and at the same time helps to protect the OLED cover from the back side.
  • the anchor element should either be transparent, too, or located e.g. laterally such that it does not interfere with the light emission.
  • the described luminary can be manufactured quite simply by taking a conventional OLED, attaching (e.g. with glue) some thin metal plate on its cover glass (deckle), and putting a magnet into the housing of the luminary. This magnet will fix the OLED into the housing. Also a double sided fitted OLED luminary panel can readily be realized in this way, the panel having a thickness that is the sum of two times the OLED thickness, two times the metal plate thickness, and the magnet thickness (typically about 8 mm in total). This thickness can be decreased even more if OLEDs with metal magnetic or magnetizable cover plates are used, which do not need a separate metal plate for the magnet anymore.
  • FIGS 2 and 3 illustrate a luminary 200 according to a second embodiment of the invention which comprises four OLED lamps 210 arranged in a square on its top and its bottom side.
  • OLED lamps 210 arranged in a square on its top and its bottom side.
  • other numbers of OLED lamps could be arranged in square or rectangular patterns and/or in lines, too.
  • FIG. 3 shows the luminary 200 in a section with a partially exploded view.
  • the carrier base 250 comprises a housing 270 in the form of a frame with internal bars 271 that comprise permanent magnets 275.
  • the carrier base comprises (identically designed) PCBs 260, 260', which are in a mirror-inverted manner attached to the housing 270 from the top and the bottom side, respectively.
  • the PCBs comprise an isolating plate with holes 265, connectors 262, and electronic components 264, 264'.
  • a smart distribution of the thick electronic components 264, 264' on the PCB area allows to arrange them in a common layer, hence minimizing the overall thickness of the device.
  • a typical thickness of the PCBs 260, 260' is about 1 mm, with the heights of the components 264, 264' being about 4 mm.
  • the OLED lamps 210 and 210' are mounted to the carrier base 250 from the top side and the bottom side, respectively.
  • the OLED lamps comprise on their bottom side steel disks as anchor elements 220 that fit into the holes 265 of the PCBs to contact the permanent magnets 275 in the housing and to provide a sturdy fixation of the OLED lamps.
  • the holes in the PCBs control the tolerance of the positioning of the OLED lamps such that there remains a gap of typically only 0.5 mm around the OLED lamps with respect to the housing 270.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Electroluminescent Light Sources (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to an OLED lamp (110) and a luminary (100) that comprises such a lamp and a carrier base (150), wherein said OLED lamp and said carrier base are attached to each other by magnetic forces. In a preferred embodiment, the OLED lamp (110) may comprise a magnetizable anchor element, for example a metal plate (120), that is attracted by a permanent magnet (175) in the carrier base.

Description

OLED LUMINARY WITH IMPROVED MOUNTING MEANS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an OLED lamp, a luminary comprising such a lamp, and to a method for joining an OLED lamp with a housing or cover.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
OLED illumination systems are known in a variety of designs, for example in a flat design as described in the WO 2007/64115 Al . In spite of the advantageous properties of such illumination systems, some problems remain. Thus it is for example cumbersome to exchange an OLED in a luminary if it is defect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Based on this background it was an object of the present invention to provide means for building OLED based illumination systems that are compact and easy to service.
This object is achieved by an OLED lamp according to claim 1, a luminary according to claim 5, and a method according to claim 15. Preferred embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims. According to its first aspect, the invention relates to an OLED lamp comprising the following components: a) An OLED structure that (by definition) comprises two electrode layers between which an organic electroluminescent layer is disposed. The electrode layers and the organic electroluminescent layer are the essential components of an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) as it is known in the state of the art (cf. Joseph Shinar (ed.): "Organic Light Emitting Devices, A survey", Springer, 2004). It should be noted that the organic electroluminescent layer will typically comprise several sub-layers of different composition and functionality, and that the OLED structure may optionally comprise further layers. b) A magnetic or magnetizable component, which will be called "anchor element" in the following. When being magnetic, the anchor element may comprise or completely consist of a permanent magnet. When being magnetizable, the anchor element may comprise or completely consist of e.g. a ferromagnetic metal like iron. As will be explained in more detail below, the described OLED lamp has the advantage that, due to its anchor element, it can readily be attached to a desired location by means of magnetic forces. This allows an easy assemblage of the OLED lamp with a relevant housing and, if necessary, an exchange of the OLED lamp. Moreover, the anchor element can be realized in a compact manner, allowing the construction of very flat illumination systems.
Typically, the OLED lamp also comprises contact elements for providing external electrical access to the electrode layers. The contact elements may for example be disposed at an exposed location to be accessible from outside.
The OLED lamp may preferably comprise a cover that at least partially encloses the OLED structure. The cover can protect and seal sensible components of the lamp. The cover will typically be disposed opposite to the side of the OLED lamp through which light is emitted, wherein said side is usually covered by a plate of glass or transparent plastic. If the OLED lamp shall be transparent, the cover should be made from a transparent material, too. The aforementioned cover may in general be made from any suitable material, for example from plastic. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover is made from a material that is magnetic or magnetizable. Thus the cover itself can embody the anchor element of the OLED lamp, and no additional component is necessary. In an alternative approach, the anchor element is a component separate from the cover but attached to the latter. Thus the anchor element may for example be realized by a flat plate of a magnetizable metal that is glued to the cover.
In general, the anchor element may be attached to virtually any component of the OLED lamp, for example to a protective layer (e.g. a special sealing coating or glue) at the back side of the OLED.
According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a luminary. In the context of the present invention, the term "lamp" shall refer to a device that comprises only the essential elements for a light source, while the term "luminary" shall represent a lighting or illumination device that is ready for use in a desired application, for example in indoor lighting. A luminary according to the second aspect of the invention particularly comprises the following components: a) An OLED lamp which comprises an OLED structure with electrode layers, an organic electroluminescent layer, and optionally also contact elements for providing electrical access to the electrode layers. b) A carrier base with a magnetic or magnetizable component, which will be called "attraction element" in the following and which shall be able to interact with a magnetizable or magnetic second component, called "anchor element", such that the OLED lamp is attached to the carrier base in an operative condition.
The described luminary can readily be assembled as its OLED lamp and carrier base are hold together by the magnetic force between attraction element and anchor element. This particularly allows an easy exchange of the OLED lamp, for instance if it is defect. It should be noted that at least one of the attraction element and the anchor element should be magnetic such that it can magnetize the other component when both elements approach.
The anchor element of the luminary may be a component separate from the OLED lamp. It might for example be a separate magnetizable ring or frame that is put onto a (conventional) OLED lamp to attach the latter to the carrier base. In a preferred embodiment, the anchor element is however a part of the OLED lamp. In this case the OLED lamp preferably has the design described above with respect to the first aspect of the invention, including the optional embodiments disclosed above. It was already mentioned that usually either the anchor element or the attraction element is magnetic. Preferably, this is the case for the attraction element, for example by providing it with at least one permanent magnet. The OLED lamp then only has to comprise a magnetizable anchor element, which can readily be realized by e.g. a low-cost ferromagnetic component. This is advantageous because the OLED lamp is usually the component with the shorter lifetime.
The carrier base will usually provide the desired mechanical stability and appearance of the luminary together with the electronics that is needed to drive the OLED lamp. To this end, the carrier base preferably comprises two components, namely a housing as a mechanical structure and a printed circuit board (PCB) with driver and control circuits for the OLED lamp. The attraction element, e.g. a permanent magnet, may be comprised by any of these two components (or both).
To achieve a compact arrangement, the aforementioned printed circuit board preferably comprises a recess in which at least parts of the OLED lamp are disposed. The components of the printed circuit board and of the OLED lamp that cannot be made thinner than a given minimal height can hence be arranged side-by-side, allowing a composite design of minimal thickness.
The printed circuit board optionally comprises connectors for electrically contacting contact elements of the OLED lamp. Thus the necessary electrical connections between the printed circuit board and the OLED lamp are made just when the OLED lamp is attached to the carrier base and magnetically attracted to it. The magnetic attraction also presses the connectors and contact elements against each other, guaranteeing a good electrical contact. Optionally, the connectors and/or the contact elements may be parts of the attraction element or the anchor element, respectively, which guarantees an optimal coupling between the contacts.
The outer appearance of the luminary can be designed as desired. Preferably, the carrier base and the OLED lamp are constructed such that they constitute a common outer surface, thus providing a smooth integration of the OLED lamp into the luminary.
In the assembled luminary, the attraction element and the anchor element need not necessarily have mechanical contact (as long as the magnetic attraction between them is strong enough to bridge intermediate material). Preferably, the anchor element and the attraction element will however mechanically contact each other when the OLED lamp is mounted to the carrier base, thus providing a maximal attraction and a definite, well-aligned mechanical positioning.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the carrier base is designed for accommodating a plurality of N > 1 OLED lamps. This can be achieved by magnetic attraction forces with the help of one or, preferably, a corresponding plurality of N anchor elements and/or N attraction elements. In a particular design of such a multi- OLED luminary, at least two OLED lamps are disposed in a back-to-back arrangement such that they emit light in opposite directions.
The printed circuit board will usually be a physically separate component from the housing, which can firmly be attached to the housing by e.g. screws or a snap-in mechanism. Preferably, the printed circuit board is sandwiched between the OLED lamp and the housing, thus exploiting the magnetic attraction for fixing both the OLED lamp and the circuit board.
The invention further relates to a method for joining an OLED lamp with a carrier base, wherein the OLED lamp and the carrier base are attached to each other by magnetic forces.
The method comprises in general form the manufacturing steps that lead to an OLED lamp of the kind described above. Therefore, reference is made to the preceding description for more information on the details, advantages and improvements of that method.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. These embodiments will be described by way of example with the help of the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 schematically shows in an exploded view a section through a first luminary according to the present invention comprising an OLED lamp and a carrier base with a printed circuit board and a housing; Figure 2 shows a top view onto a second luminary with four OLED lamps on each side;
Figure 3 shows a section along the line III-III of Figure 2. Like reference numbers or numbers differing by integer multiples of 100 refer in the Figures to identical or similar components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
OLEDs are flat light sources that produce a very nice and pleasant light. Until now, OLEDs can only be made efficient on smaller surfaces, which are too small for many lighting applications. This means that multiple OLEDs must be combined together to make a complete luminary. As there are still some failure mechanisms in OLEDs, there is hence a need for an easy mounting and replacement of OLEDs inside products. Furthermore, OLEDs are currently fixed by soldering inside a housing, which makes the complete OLED tile thick. Besides that, no seamless side connections are possible.
The present invention therefore proposes a mounting system which makes use of the features of OLEDs in such way that OLEDs can seamlessly and in a flat way be connected into a luminary, but also be replaced individually. In such way, even square tiled concepts are possible, putting multiple OLEDs in a quadrant next to each other.
Figure 1 shows a schematic cross section of a first luminary 100 that is designed according to the principles of the invention. The luminary 100 comprises two main components, namely an OLED lamp 110 and a carrier base 150. For clarity, these two principal components are shown in an exploded view before assemblage. The OLED lamp 110 is composed of the following components:
- an OLED structure with a layered sequence of a glass plate 111 , a transparent first electrode 112 (typically made from ITO and operated as an anode), an organic electroluminescent (multi-)layer 113, and a second electrode 114 (usually operated as a cathode); - a cover 116 for mechanically protecting and sealing of the aforementioned sensitive components;
- two contact elements 115 disposed at the bottom edges of the OLED lamp 110 which provide electrical access to the anode 112 and cathode 114, respectively. The contact elements 115 may preferably be "soft core" contacts as they are known from LCD technology.
The OLED lamp 110 further comprises an "anchor element" 120, which is realized here by a magnetic plate glued to the outer surface of the cover 116.
The carrier base 150 consists of two main components, namely a printed circuit board (PCB) 160 and a housing 170. The PCB comprises a plate 161 of an isolating substrate carrying electronic components 164 needed to control and drive the OLED lamp 110. The PCB 160 further comprises electrical connectors 162 that mechanically and electrically contact the contact elements 115 of the OLED lamp 110 when the latter is mounted to the carrier base 150. A recess or hole 163 is provided in the PCB 160 which is a little bigger than the backplane of the OLED lamp 110 such that it can incorporate this, thus allowing an extremely flat construction of the luminary 100. The housing 170 comprises an opening 171 into which the OLED lamp 110 can be placed.
The carrier base 150 further comprises a permanent magnet 175 serving as an "attraction element" for magnetically attracting the anchor element 120 of the OLED lamp 110. The attraction element 175 may be fixed to the PCB 160 or (as shown) to the housing 170, for example by gluing. By aligning the anchor element 120 with the magnet 175 inside the housing, the OLED lamp will be connected and at the same time seamlessly placed and fixed inside the housing, without any other means than the magnet. If necessary, the OLED lamp 110 can be simply replaced by taking it out with a vacuum gripper or suction pad. The magnet also makes the OLED work over the PCB board.
It should be noted that, as a side effect, the metal plate of the anchor element 120 helps to remove heat from the OLED lamp 110 into the luminary and at the same time helps to protect the OLED cover from the back side.
Moreover, it is also possible to design a transparent OLED lamp. This requires the use of two transparent electrodes (anode and cathode) and a transparent cover. Moreover, the anchor element should either be transparent, too, or located e.g. laterally such that it does not interfere with the light emission.
The described luminary can be manufactured quite simply by taking a conventional OLED, attaching (e.g. with glue) some thin metal plate on its cover glass (deckle), and putting a magnet into the housing of the luminary. This magnet will fix the OLED into the housing. Also a double sided fitted OLED luminary panel can readily be realized in this way, the panel having a thickness that is the sum of two times the OLED thickness, two times the metal plate thickness, and the magnet thickness (typically about 8 mm in total). This thickness can be decreased even more if OLEDs with metal magnetic or magnetizable cover plates are used, which do not need a separate metal plate for the magnet anymore.
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a luminary 200 according to a second embodiment of the invention which comprises four OLED lamps 210 arranged in a square on its top and its bottom side. Of course also other numbers of OLED lamps could be arranged in square or rectangular patterns and/or in lines, too.
Figure 3 shows the luminary 200 in a section with a partially exploded view. The carrier base 250 comprises a housing 270 in the form of a frame with internal bars 271 that comprise permanent magnets 275. Furthermore, the carrier base comprises (identically designed) PCBs 260, 260', which are in a mirror-inverted manner attached to the housing 270 from the top and the bottom side, respectively. The PCBs comprise an isolating plate with holes 265, connectors 262, and electronic components 264, 264'. A smart distribution of the thick electronic components 264, 264' on the PCB area allows to arrange them in a common layer, hence minimizing the overall thickness of the device. A typical thickness of the PCBs 260, 260' is about 1 mm, with the heights of the components 264, 264' being about 4 mm.
The OLED lamps 210 and 210' are mounted to the carrier base 250 from the top side and the bottom side, respectively. To this end, the OLED lamps comprise on their bottom side steel disks as anchor elements 220 that fit into the holes 265 of the PCBs to contact the permanent magnets 275 in the housing and to provide a sturdy fixation of the OLED lamps. Moreover, the holes in the PCBs control the tolerance of the positioning of the OLED lamps such that there remains a gap of typically only 0.5 mm around the OLED lamps with respect to the housing 270.
While the invention was described with respect to OLED luminaries, other applications are possible as well. For instance also walls with OLED tiles can be made with the described mounting system (architectural applications), or OLEDs could also be combined with (information) displays. Finally it is pointed out that in the present application the term
"comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, that "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality, and that a single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several means. The invention resides in each and every novel characteristic feature and each and every combination of characteristic features. Moreover, reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting their scope.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. An OLED lamp (110, 210, 210'), comprising a) an OLED structure with two electrode layers (112, 114) and an intermediate organic electroluminescent layer (113); b) a magnetic or magnetizable anchor element (120, 220).
2. The OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a cover (116) that at least partially encloses the OLED structure.
3. The OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') according to claim 2, characterized in that the cover is magnetic or magnetizable.
4. The OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') according to claim 2, characterized in that the anchor element (120, 220) is attached to the cover.
5. A luminary (100, 200), comprising a) an OLED lamp (110, 210, 210'); b) a carrier base (150, 250) with a magnetic or magnetizable attraction element (175, 275) that can interact with a magnetizable or magnetic anchor element (120, 220) such that the OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') is attached to the carrier base.
6. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 5, characterized in that the OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') is designed according to claim 1.
7. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 5, characterized in that the attraction element comprises at least one permanent magnet (175, 275).
8. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 5, characterized in that the carrier base (150, 250) comprises a housing (170, 270) and a printed circuit board (160, 260, 260').
9. The luminary (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that the printed circuit board (160) comprises a recess (163) in which at least a part of the OLED lamp (110) is disposed.
10. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 8, characterized in that the printed circuit board (160, 260, 260') comprises connectors (162, 262) for electrically contacting of the OLED lamp (110, 210, 210').
11. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 5, characterized in that a surface of the carrier base (150, 250) and a surface of the OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') are coplanar.
12. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 5, characterized in that the anchor element (120, 220) and the attraction element (175, 275) contact each other when the OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') is mounted to the carrier base (150, 250).
13. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 5, characterized in that the carrier base (150, 250) is designed for accommodating a plurality of OLED lamps (210, 210'), particularly in a back-to-back arrangement.
14. The luminary (100, 200) according to claim 8, characterized in that the printed circuit board (160, 260, 260') is sandwiched between the
OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') and the housing (170, 270).
15. A method for joining an OLED lamp (110, 210, 210') with a carrier base (150, 250), wherein the OLED lamp and the carrier base are attached to each other by magnetic forces.
PCT/IB2010/051422 2009-04-08 2010-04-01 Oled luminary with improved mounting means WO2010116301A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP09157571.2 2009-04-08
EP09157571 2009-04-08

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2010116301A1 true WO2010116301A1 (en) 2010-10-14

Family

ID=42244545

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2010/051422 WO2010116301A1 (en) 2009-04-08 2010-04-01 Oled luminary with improved mounting means

Country Status (2)

Country Link
TW (1) TW201043840A (en)
WO (1) WO2010116301A1 (en)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2012114084A (en) * 2010-11-05 2012-06-14 Semiconductor Energy Lab Co Ltd Lighting system
DE102011082209A1 (en) * 2011-09-06 2013-03-07 Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh LIGHT AND USE
EP2565955A3 (en) * 2011-08-30 2013-06-05 Silicon Works Co., Ltd. Oled tile for illumination
FR2995657A1 (en) * 2012-09-18 2014-03-21 Valeo Vision Light source for lighting and/of signaling device of vehicle, has thin support in form of plate comprising distinct electrodes or electrical contact tracks and cavity, and organic LED inserted into cavity and in contact with electrodes
EP2730841A1 (en) * 2012-11-13 2014-05-14 OSRAM GmbH Lighting device, corresponding support and corresponding method
US9816692B2 (en) 2012-02-21 2017-11-14 Philips Lighting Holding B.V. Luminaire element
EP3680549A1 (en) * 2019-01-14 2020-07-15 Societe Financiere Veron (Sofive) Luminaire in two parts with a lighting portion and an intermediate portion

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
TWI571596B (en) * 2014-12-24 2017-02-21 樹德科技大學 A magnetic connection device

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2001167875A (en) * 1999-12-07 2001-06-22 Toyota Motor Corp Absorbent holding structure of organic electroluminescent element
WO2004114429A1 (en) * 2003-06-20 2004-12-29 Schott Ag Organic light emitting diode
WO2006132407A1 (en) * 2005-06-07 2006-12-14 Showa Denko K.K. Organic electro-luminescence light-emitting device and process for producing the same
WO2007064115A1 (en) * 2005-11-30 2007-06-07 Namotek Co., Ltd. Display cosisting of socket type oleds and method for manufacturing of the same
EP1901406A1 (en) * 2005-05-25 2008-03-19 Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. Socket for electronic part
DE202007018020U1 (en) * 2006-12-29 2008-04-03 Bothhand Enterprise Inc. Circuit board with a composite structure
WO2008099306A1 (en) * 2007-02-12 2008-08-21 Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh Modular electric system

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2001167875A (en) * 1999-12-07 2001-06-22 Toyota Motor Corp Absorbent holding structure of organic electroluminescent element
WO2004114429A1 (en) * 2003-06-20 2004-12-29 Schott Ag Organic light emitting diode
EP1901406A1 (en) * 2005-05-25 2008-03-19 Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. Socket for electronic part
WO2006132407A1 (en) * 2005-06-07 2006-12-14 Showa Denko K.K. Organic electro-luminescence light-emitting device and process for producing the same
WO2007064115A1 (en) * 2005-11-30 2007-06-07 Namotek Co., Ltd. Display cosisting of socket type oleds and method for manufacturing of the same
DE202007018020U1 (en) * 2006-12-29 2008-04-03 Bothhand Enterprise Inc. Circuit board with a composite structure
WO2008099306A1 (en) * 2007-02-12 2008-08-21 Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh Modular electric system

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2012114084A (en) * 2010-11-05 2012-06-14 Semiconductor Energy Lab Co Ltd Lighting system
EP2565955A3 (en) * 2011-08-30 2013-06-05 Silicon Works Co., Ltd. Oled tile for illumination
US8536772B2 (en) 2011-08-30 2013-09-17 Silicon Works Co., Ltd. OLED tile for illumination
DE102011082209A1 (en) * 2011-09-06 2013-03-07 Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh LIGHT AND USE
US9341361B2 (en) 2011-09-06 2016-05-17 Osram Opto Semiconductors Gmbh Light-emitting means and use
US9816692B2 (en) 2012-02-21 2017-11-14 Philips Lighting Holding B.V. Luminaire element
FR2995657A1 (en) * 2012-09-18 2014-03-21 Valeo Vision Light source for lighting and/of signaling device of vehicle, has thin support in form of plate comprising distinct electrodes or electrical contact tracks and cavity, and organic LED inserted into cavity and in contact with electrodes
EP2730841A1 (en) * 2012-11-13 2014-05-14 OSRAM GmbH Lighting device, corresponding support and corresponding method
EP3680549A1 (en) * 2019-01-14 2020-07-15 Societe Financiere Veron (Sofive) Luminaire in two parts with a lighting portion and an intermediate portion
FR3091746A1 (en) * 2019-01-14 2020-07-17 Societe Financiere Veron (Sofive) Two-part luminaire with lighting and intermediate sections

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
TW201043840A (en) 2010-12-16

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
WO2010116301A1 (en) Oled luminary with improved mounting means
KR101692568B1 (en) Oled lighting devices including electrodes with magnetic material
US8421340B2 (en) Organic light emitting device
US8686635B2 (en) Organic light emitting diode lighting apparatus
JP5581029B2 (en) Lighting module
JP4793075B2 (en) Lighting device
JP5308274B2 (en) Light emitting device
US9013096B2 (en) Light emitting module
US8330053B2 (en) Optoelectronic device and method for producing an optoelectronic device
EP2634480B1 (en) Light emitting apparatus and illuminating apparatus
JP2006228457A (en) Electroluminescent light source body and electroluminescent light source device
KR20170020082A (en) Lighting apparatus
KR101092339B1 (en) Pcb and oled module using the same
KR20140035743A (en) Oled lighting module
JP6292940B2 (en) Light emitting module and light emitting module mounting structure
JP2014086196A (en) Luminaire
KR101100376B1 (en) Apparatus for power supply to multiple lighting
JP6101458B2 (en) Organic EL module and laying structure of organic EL module
KR101236952B1 (en) Oled module, base panel, method of manufacturing oled module and base panel
RU2372671C2 (en) Thin-film light-emitting diode device with possibility of surface mounting
JP2013183139A (en) Planar light emitter and lighting device
KR20140035802A (en) Oled lighting module
CN112802941A (en) Display panel
CN114882801A (en) Display module and splicing display device
JP5293910B1 (en) lighting equipment

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 10714085

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 10714085

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1