WO2014040828A1

WO2014040828A1 - Illuminating device and lamp comprising the illuminating device

Info

Publication number: WO2014040828A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/067322
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yuanyuan He; Yaojun Feng; Hua Wang; Zhian Li
Original assignee: Osram Gmbh
Priority date: 2012-09-14
Filing date: 2013-08-20
Publication date: 2014-03-20
Also published as: CN103672532B; CN103672532A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an illuminating device (100) comprising at least two light emitting modules (1) and an electrical connector (2) including at least one connecting segment (3) connecting the two light emitting modules (1), characterized in that the connecting segment (3) is designed to be deformed in any direction on a plane perpendicular to a height direction (h) of the light emitting module (1) in the case where a distance between the two light emitting modules (1) is smaller than a length of the connecting segment (3). The present invention further relates to a lamp comprising the illuminating device.

Description

Illuminating Device and Lamp Comprising the Illuminating Device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an illuminating device and a lamp comprising the illuminating device.

Background Art Nowadays, illuminating technology, in particular, an illuminating device comprising an LED as a light source, has been rapidly developed, and more and more illuminating devices are applied in different situations for, for example, decorative illumination or signage illumination. A plurality of light emitting modules can be connected by, for example, wires or cables to form a flexible lamp chain, the flexible lamp chain has a characteristic of being bendable, and thus can be con^¬ figured in various shapes according to the actual require^¬ ments . For example, when such a flexible lamp chain is wound to form a predetermined pattern, the light emitting modules may be subjected to a pressing force from the outside, and a dis^¬ tance between two light emitting modules may be changed, and for example, may be smaller than a normal distance in a state where no force is applied. This case is shown in Fig. 1, in which a distance between two light emitting modules 1 is smaller than a length of a connecting segment 3 of a cable 2 connecting the two light emitting modules 1. Since the cable 2 generally has a circular vertical section, the connecting segment 3 is deformed by a pressing force from both ends thereof, and the direction where the connecting segment 3 is deformed is parallel to a height direction h of the light emitting module 1 shown in the figure. The connecting segment 3 formed in an arc shape between two light emitting modules 1 obviously affect the illuminating effect of the light emitting modules 1 on both sides thereof. That is, the arched connecting segment 3 will block or ob^¬ struct an optical path of each of the light emitting modules 1 in a side direction. This case is particularly visible in a large decorative illuminating device or signage illuminating device .

Summary of the invention

To solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a novel illuminating device, in particular, an illu^¬ minating device for forming a flexible lamp chain. The illuminating device has the advantages that it has a simple structure, has an excellent illuminating effect, and can be easily configured into a predetermined pattern. The objective of the present invention is achieved by an il^¬ luminating device comprising at least two light emitting modules and an electrical connector including at least one con^¬ necting segment connecting the two light emitting modules, characterized in that the connecting segment is designed to be deformed in any direction on a plane perpendicular to a height direction of the light emitting module in the case where a distance between the two light emitting modules is smaller than a length of the connecting segment.

When the connecting segment having both ends connected to two light emitting modules is pressed in a direction of the con^¬ nection, the connecting segment is deformed only in a plane perpendicular to a height direction of the light emitting module. For example, when the light emitting module has a rectangular profile, a light beam passing through a top surface, i.e., a light emitting surface, of the light emitting module is emitted perpendicularly or inclinedly with respect to the tope surface. That is, an optical axis of light emit^¬ ted from the light emitting module is parallel to the height direction of the light emitting module. The phrase "a plane perpendicular to a height direction of the light emitting module" herein refers to a plane that is parallel to a plane defined by a length and a width of the light emitting module, and the plane is parallel to the top and bottom surfaces of the light emitting module and is perpendicular to an optical axis of the light emitting module. Hence, the connecting seg^¬ ment having, for example, a certain thickness (which is smaller than the height of the light emitting module) is de^¬ formed in a space defined by both planes where the top and bottom surfaces of the light emitting module are placed, and the connecting segment bent in an arc shape in the space does not affect the optical path of the light beam emitted from the light emitting surface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connecting segment has a strip-shaped vertical section whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the height direc^¬ tion. Thus, when the connecting segment is subjected to a pressing force, a deformation force generated in the inside of the connecting segment in the longitudinal direction is smaller than a deformation force generated in a horizontal direction. Hence, it is ensured that the connecting segment is deformed only in a predetermined plane. Preferably, a length of the strip-shaped vertical section is greater than three times a width of the strip-shaped vertical section.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connecting segment comprises a conductive core composed of at least one conductor, and an insulating shell enclosing the conductive core, the conductive core is circular and the insulating shell is strip-shaped when viewed in the vertical section, and the conductive core and the insulating shell are arranged coaxially. Since the conductive core which can be made of, for example, metal wire is located at the center of the insulating shell made of, for example, a plastic mate^¬ rial, the direction of deformation of the entire connecting segment depends only on the vertical section-shape of the in^¬ sulating shell.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two side walls of each of the light emitting modules are opened with at least one pair of openings each having a ver^¬ tical section matching that of the connecting segment. The pair of openings are placed, as an input terminal and an out^¬ put terminal, on different side surfaces of the light emit- ting modules, and allow the connecting segment to enter the inside of the light emitting module with the shape of the connecting segment matching that of the opening. Of course, the light emitting module can be opened with two or more pairs of openings. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening is positioned in a first region of the side wall that is away from a light emitting surface of the light emit^¬ ting module. Since the opening is positioned in the bottom region of the light emitting module to make a distance be- tween the connecting segment and the light emitting surface as long as possible, it is further avoided that the optical path of the light emitted from the light emitting module be blocked by the connecting segment in a side direction.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two side walls are opposite to each other. The light emitting modules each having a plurality of openings posi^¬ tioned in opposite side walls thereof can be connected to form a line shape.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two side walls are adjacent to each other. The light emitting module having openings positioned in adjacent side walls thereof can be used as a corner module to connect light emitting modules upstream and downstream thereof and form a right angle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connector passes through the openings into the light emitting module. In this case, the electrical connector only serves, for example, as the connecting segment to elec^¬ trically connect the respective light emitting modules in a plug manner. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connector extends through the light emitting module. In this case, the electrical connector is, for exam^¬ ple, a cable passing through the respective light emitting modules . According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connector is a pair of conductive leads. The electrical connector may be connected to each of a positive input terminal and a negative input terminal of an electronic device in the light emitting module to supply a driving cur- rent to the light emitting module.

Further, the present invention relates to a lamp comprising an illuminating device described above. The lamp can be con^¬ figured into various patterns and has an excellent illuminat- ing effect.

It is to be understood that the features of the various exem^¬ plary embodiments described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

Brief Description of the Drawings The drawings constitute a portion of the Description for fur^¬ ther understanding of the present invention. These drawings illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and ex^¬ plain the principle of the present invention together with the Description. In the drawings, the same part is repre- sented by the same reference sign. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a prior illuminat^¬ ing device;

Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a lamp according to the present invention which comprises a plurality of illumi- nating devices according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional view of the illuminating de^¬ vice shown in Fig. 2 in a direction of connection;

Fig. 4 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a connecting segment shown in Fig. 2. Detailed Description of the Embodiments In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, direc- tional terminology, such as "top", "bottom", etc., is used reference to the orientation of the Figure (s) being de^¬ scribed. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional termi^¬ nology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may made with^¬ out departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a lamp according to the present invention. The lamp 200 is, for example, an ad^¬ vertising lamp or a signage lamp formed by winding a plurality of illuminating devices 100 connected in series to one another. Each of the illuminating devices 100 is composed of two light emitting modules 1 and an electrical connector 2 designed, for example, as cables or wires, wherein the elec^¬ trical connector not only supplies power to each light emit^¬ ting module 1, but also structurally connects two light emit^¬ ting modules 1, and a segment between the two light emitting modules 1 is a connecting segment 3 of the electrical connec- tor 2.

The light emitting modules 1 of each of the illuminating de- vices 100 has an initial distance in a case where they are not affected by an external force, but, to form a lamp 200 having a particular pattern, it is necessary to apply a pressure to the light emitting modules 1 of the illuminating de- vices 100 in a direction where they are connected. As a re^¬ sult, in the case shown in the figure, a distance between two light emitting modules 1 is smaller than the initial distance and is also smaller than a length of a pair of connecting segments 3 between the two light emitting modules 1, thus the connecting segment 3 is pressed to be deformed. According to the present invention, the connecting segment 3 is deformed only in a plane parallel to the paper plane. That is, the connecting segment 3 is designed to be deformed in any direc^¬ tion on a plane parallel to a height direction of the light emitting module 1. Hence, the connecting segment 3 bent in an arc shape on the plane parallel to the paper plane does not affect the illuminating effect of the illuminating device 100 emitting a light beam in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane. Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional view of the illuminating de^¬ vice shown in Fig. 2 in a direction of connection. As is clear from the figure, the connecting segment 3 has a strip- shaped vertical section extending in a height direction h of the light emitting module 1. The connecting segment having a noncircular vertical section tends to be deformed only to^¬ wards a horizontal direction of the vertical section when both ends thereof are subjected to pressing forces opposite to each other, and it can be seen with reference to Fig. 3 that the connecting segment 3 can be bent and deformed only in a side region of the light emitting module 1 that is be^¬ tween a top surface and a bottom surface of the light emit^¬ ting module 1. This is because a deformation force generated in the inside of the connecting segment 3 in a longitudinal direction, i.e., the height direction h, is smaller than a deformation force generated in the horizontal direction. In the most preferred case, a height H of the connecting segment 3 is greater than three times a width W of the connecting segment 3.

Moreover, the light emitting module 1 is provided with two pairs of openings 4 matching the vertical sectional shape of the connecting segments 3. These openings 4 are respectively positioned, as input openings and output openings, in two side walls of the light emitting module 1 which are arranged opposite to each other, thus the connecting segments 3 are allowed to extend through the inside of the light emitting module 1 and be electrically connected to positive and nega^¬ tive electrodes of an electronic device in the light emitting module 1.

Furthermore, in order to avoid an optical path of light emit^¬ ted from the light emitting module 1 from being blocked by the connecting segment 3 in a side direction which is a di^¬ rection perpendicular to the height direction h, the openings are preferably arranged in a first region of a lower half of the side wall of the light emitting module 1 so that the con^¬ necting segments 3 can be away from a light emitting surface of the light emitting module 1.

In an embodiment not shown, the openings can be positioned in two side walls of the light emitting module which are adja^¬ cent to each other. Two illuminating devices so designed can be connected to form a right-angled lamp chain segment.

In an embodiment not shown, the electrical connector only serves, for example, as the connecting segment to electri- cally connect the respective light emitting modules in a plug ₁

manner .

In an embodiment not shown, a pair of wires can be, for example, integrated into a single electrical connector having two pair of connecting terminals on both ends thereof. Thus, each of the two side walls of the light emitting module can be provided with only one strip-shaped opening for the electri^¬ cal connector. Hence, the production cost of the illuminating device can be reduced.

Fig. 4 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the connecting segment shown in Fig. 2. The electrical connector 2 with the connecting segment 3 comprises a conductive core 31 and an insulating shell 32 enclosing the conductive core 31 therein, and the conductive core 31 is circular and the insulating shell 32 is strip-shaped when viewed in the vertical section. The conductive core 31 is formed of, for example, one or more metal fibers, and the insulating shell 32 is made of an elastic plastic. It is preferred that the conductive core 31 and the insulating shell 32 are arranged coaxially so as to ensure that the direction of deformation of the connecting segment 3 depends only on the vertical sec^¬ tional shape of the insulating shell 32.

As shown in Fig. 3, the strip-shaped electrical connector 2 is very easy to bend or deform in a width direction of the vertical section thereof, thus it is avoided that the elec- trical connector 2 is arched in a height direction thereof.

In addition, while a particular feature or aspect of an embodiment of the invention may have been disclosed with re^¬ spect to only one of several implementations, such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other features or as- pects of the other implementations as may be desired and ad- vantageous for any given or particular application.

The above is merely preferred embodiments of the present in^¬ vention but not to limit the present invention. For the per^¬ son skilled in the art, the present invention may have vari- ous alterations and changes. Any alterations, equivalent sub^¬ stitutions, and improvements, within the spirit and principle of the present invention, should be covered in the protection scope of the present invention.

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List of reference numerals

1 light emitting module

2 electrical connector

3 connecting segment

31 conductive core

32 insulating shell

4 opening

100 illuminating device

200 1amp

h height direction

H height of the opening/connecting segment

W width of the opening/connecting segment

Claims

An illuminating device (100) comprising at least two light emitting modules (1) and an electrical connector (2) including at least one connecting segment (3) connecting the two light emitting modules (1), character^¬ ized in that the connecting segment (3) is designed to be deformed in any direction on a plane perpendicular to a height direction (h) of the light emitting module (1) in the case where a distance between the two light emit^¬ ting modules (1) is smaller than a length of the connecting segment (3) .

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting segment (3) has a strip-shaped vertical section whose longitudinal direc^¬ tion is parallel to the height direction (h) .

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a length of the strip-shaped ver^¬ tical section is greater than three times a width of the strip-shaped vertical section.

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the connecting segment (3) com^¬ prises a conductive core (31) composed of at least one conductor, and an insulating shell (32) enclosing the conductive core (31), the conductive core (31) is circu^¬ lar and the insulating shell (32) is strip-shaped when viewed in the vertical section, and the conductive core (31) and the insulating shell (32) are arranged coaxi- ally .

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that two side walls of each of the light emitting modules (1) are opened with at least one pair of openings (4) each having a vertical section matching that of the connecting segment (3) .

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the opening (4) is positioned in a first region of the side wall that is away from a light emitting surface of the light emitting module (1) .

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the two side walls are opposite each other.

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the two side walls (S2) are adj cent to each other.

The illuminating device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the electrical connector (2) passes through the openings into the light emitting mod ule (1) .

10. The illuminating device (100) according to claim 5,

characterized in that the electrical connector (2) ex^¬ tends through the light emitting module (1) .

11. The illuminating device (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that the electrical connector (2) is a pair of conductive leads. 12. A lamp (200) characterized in comprising an illuminating device (100) according to any of claims 1-11.