WO2014056984A1

WO2014056984A1 - Illuminating device

Info

Publication number: WO2014056984A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/071057
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qihui Zhang; Hongwei Zhang; Xiaoyu Chen; Yusheng MING
Original assignee: Osram GmbH
Current assignee: Osram GmbH
Priority date: 2012-10-10
Filing date: 2013-10-09
Publication date: 2014-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 2015-04-10
Also published as: CN103727413A

Description

Description Illuminating Device Technical Field

The present invention relates to an illuminating device. Background Art

As everyone knows, LED illumination has irreplaceable advan^¬ tages, such as energy saving, low power consumption, and electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency near to 100%. It can save no less than 80% energy and has a longer service lifetime compared with the traditional light source with the same illuminating efficiency. In view of the above advan^¬ tages, the LED is used more and more as a light source such as a lot of LED retrofit lamps in the market. Such LED retro^¬ fit lamps have the same appearance and profile as the tradi^¬ tional light source such as incandescent lamp, thus they can be more applicable to the existing illuminating systems as a light source. The prior LED retrofit lamp usually has a heat sink, a light engine arranged at one side of the heat sink, a driver hous^¬ ing and a driver arranged in the driver housing. The heat sink forms an accommodation cavity at the other side, and the driver housing is inserted in the accommodation cavity. In order to fix the driver housing on the heat sink in the accommodation cavity, connection modes such as glue bonding, hook or screw joint are usually used in the prior art. In the modes of the glue bonding and hook joint, it is hard to break up the driver housing and the heat sink without breaking the illuminating device itself. Especially for the LED retrofit lamp, the service lifetime of the driver is shorter than that of the LED engine, and the driver should be replaced after the driver fails, for this reason the LED retrofit lamp needs to be disconnected. For instance, in the mode of the hook joint, in order to release the connection, a bulb firstly should be removed. But sometimes, the bulb itself is also connected to the heat sink through hook joint or glue bond^¬ ing, and then the bulb should be broken to contact the hook connection between the driver housing and the heat sink. The screw connection between the driver housing and the heat sink obviously increases the number of parts of the LED ret^¬ rofit lamp, which reduces the assembling efficiency.

Summary of the Invention

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an illuminating device. The illuminating device according to the present invention can be simply dissembled without breaking the illuminating device itself, and also has a low cost and a simple structure.

The object of the present invention is accomplished via an illuminating device. The illuminating device comprises a heat sink, a light engine arranged at one side of the heat sink, a driver housing, and a driver arranged in the driver housing, the heat sink forms an accommodation cavity at the other side, and the driver housing is inserted in the accommodation cavity, wherein a first rotational locking structure is formed in the accommodation cavity, and a second rotational locking structure is formed on the driver housing, wherein the first rotational locking structure and the second rota^¬ tional locking structure are locked together by rotating the driver housing and/or the heat sink after the driver housing is inserted in the accommodation cavity. The illuminating device according to the present invention uses a special con^¬ nection structure between the driver housing and the heat sink, and the two can be simply and reliably connected and locked together, or unlocked and disconnected, just by rotat^¬ ing the driver housing and/or the heat sink. Such connection mode avoids the dissembling manner of breaking the illuminat^¬ ing device itself for removing the driver housing.

According to the present invention, the first rotational locking structure and the second rotational locking structure are configured as structures capable of being locked or unlocked through rotation. Since the driver housing is inserted in the accommodation cavity, an operator can lock and connect the driver housing with the heat sink just by rotat- ing the driver housing or the heat sink in one direction, and can release the locked connection between the driver housing and the heat sink just by rotating the driver housing or the heat sink in the opposite direction, which greatly simplifies the assembling process. Preferably, the first rotational locking structure is config^¬ ured as internal thread formed in an inner wall defining the accommodation cavity, the second rotational locking structure is configured as external thread formed on an outer periph^¬ eral surface of the driver housing and capable of being screwed in the internal thread. The internal thread and the external thread can be formed just through a simple process, and the threaded connection can assure more reliable connec^¬ tion between parts. Besides, such threaded connection struc^¬ ture does not increase the number of parts of the illuminat- ing device, reducing the manufacturing cost and improving the assembling efficiency. Optionally, the first rotational locking structure is config^¬ ured as an L-shape groove formed in the inner wall of the ac^¬ commodation cavity, wherein the L-shape groove comprises a first section extending from an opening end of the accommoda- tion cavity to interior of the accommodation cavity and a second section extending perpendicular to the first section, and the second rotational locking structure is configured as a protrusion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the driver housing, and the protrusion can be inserted in the ac- commodation cavity along the first section and slide into the second section through rotational movement. Such type of locked connection manner further simplifies the connection process between the driver housing and the heat sink. In practical assembling process, the locked connection between the driver housing and the heat sink can be realized just by aligning the protrusion of the driver housing with the first section of the L-shape groove to be inserted in the heat sink along the first section, and then to rotationally slide into the second section, and the locked connection between the driver housing and the heat sink can be released by executing a reverse procedure. This further simplifies the assembling complexity .

According to one preferred solution of the present invention, the illuminating device further comprises a electrical cable, through which the driver is in electrical connection with the light engine. Prior to lockedly connecting the driver housing with the heat sink, the electrical cable can be welded in ad^¬ vance to the driver and the light engine. The electrical ca^¬ ble can be relatively long for facilitating welding in a situation that the driver housing and the heat sink are sepa^¬ rated. The electrical cable can be rolled in the driver hous^¬ ing after the driver housing and the heat sink have been locked and connected together. According to another preferred solution of the present invention, the light engine and the driver realize electrical con^¬ nection by connecting the driver housing to the heat sink through rotational movement. Advantageously, the driver hous- ing is provided with a first electrical connector in electri^¬ cal connection with a first output of the driver, and the light engine is provided with a second electrical connector in electrical connection with a first input of the light en^¬ gine and passing through the heat sink to protrude into the accommodation cavity, and the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are in electrical connection after the driver housing and the heat sink have been locked and connected by rotational movement. In addition, the first rotational locking structure is configured as a third elec- trical connector in electrical connection with a second input of the light engine, the second rotational locking structure is configured as a fourth electrical connector in electrical connection with a second output of the driver, and the third electrical connector and the fourth electrical connector are in electrical connection after the driver housing and the heat sink have been locked and connected by rotational move^¬ ment. Besides, the third electrical connector and the fourth electrical connector are electrically insulated from the first electrical connector and the second electrical connec- tor, respectively. Such structure further reduces the number of parts of the illuminating device, avoids electrical con^¬ nection manner by means of electrical cable welding, improves the electrical connection reliability between parts of the illuminating device, and also decreases the assembling com- plexity.

Further according to the present invention, the illuminating device further comprises a bulb or a lens arranged on the one side of the heat sink. The bulb or the lens can protect an LED lighting engine accommodated therein against external in^¬ vasion, and also can perform secondary treatment on light emitted from the LED lighting engine to achieve expected op^¬ tical effect. Preferably, the light engine comprises a circuit board and at least one LED chip (23) arranged on the circuit board. The LED chip has the advantages of long service lifetime, high lighting efficiency and environmental friendliness.

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 accompanying drawings constitute a part of the present Description and are used to provide further understanding of the present invention. Such accompanying drawings illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and are used to de^¬ scribe the principles of the present invention together with the Description. In the accompanying drawings the same compo^¬ nents are represented by the same reference numbers. As shown in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of a first embodiment of an illuminating device according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section diagram of the illuminating device shown in Fig. 1 in an assembled state; Fig. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of a second embodi^¬ ment of the illuminating device according to the present in^¬ vention; and Fig. 4 is a cross section diagram of the illuminating device shown in Fig. 3 in an assembled state.

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 "upper", "lower", "one side", "the other side", is used in reference to the orientation of the figures being described. Because components of embodi^¬ ments of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology 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 without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following de^¬ tailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limit^¬ ing sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Fig. 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of a first embodiment of an illuminating device 100 according to the present invention. It can be seen from the figure that the illuminating device 100 comprises a heat sink 1, a light engine 2 arranged at one side of the heat sink 1, a driver housing 3, and a driver 4 arranged in the driver housing 3, wherein the heat sink 1 forms an accommodation cavity 11 at the other side, and the driver housing 3 is inserted in the accommodation cavity 11, wherein a first rotational locking structure 12 is formed in the accommodation cavity 11, and a second rota- tional locking structure 31 is formed on the driver housing 3, and wherein the first rotational locking structure 12 and the second rotational locking structure 31 are locked to^¬ gether by rotating the driver housing 3 and/or the heat sink 1 after the driver housing 3 is inserted in the accommodation cavity 11. The first rotational locking structure 12 and the second rotational locking structure 31 are configured as structures that can be locked or unlocked through rotation.

In the present embodiment, the first rotational locking structure 12 is configured as internal thread formed in an inner wall defining the accommodation cavity, the second ro- tational locking structure 31 is configured as external thread formed on an outer peripheral surface of the driver housing 3 and capable of being screwed in the internal thread. Since the driver housing 3 is inserted in the accom^¬ modation cavity 11, an operator can lock and connect the driver housing 3 with the heat sink 1 just by rotating the driver housing 3 or the heat sink 1 in one direction, and can release the locked connection between the driver housing 3 and the heat sink 1 just by rotating the driver housing 3 or the heat sink 1 in the opposite direction, which greatly sim- plifies the assembling process. Fig. 2 is a cross section diagram of the illuminating device shown in Fig. 1 in an assembled state. It can be seen from the figure that the driver housing 3 and the heat sink have been locked and connected together by screwing the external thread in the internal thread.

Besides, it can be seen further from Fig. 1 that the illuminating device 100 further comprises a bulb 5—of course, it also can be other optical parts such as lens—arranged at the one side of the heat sink 1. In addition, in one solution of the present invention, the light engine 2 comprises a circuit board 22 and at least one LED chip 23 arranged on the circuit board 22. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a electrical cable (not shown in the figures) is provided in order to realize electrical connection between the driver 4 and the light engine 2. Prior to lockedly connecting the driver housing 3 with the heat sink 1, the electrical cable can be welded in advance to the driver 4 and the light engine 2. The electri^¬ cal cable can be relatively long for facilitating welding in a situation that the driver housing 3 and the heat sink 1 are separated. The electrical cable can be rolled in the driver housing 3 after the driver housing 3 and the heat sink 1 have been locked and connected together.

In another possible embodiment of the present invention, the first rotational locking structure 12 is configured as an L- shape groove (not shown in the figures) formed in the inner wall of the accommodation cavity 11, wherein the L-shape groove comprises a first section extending from an opening end of the accommodation cavity 11 to interior of the accommodation cavity 11 and a second section extending perpendicu^¬ lar to the first section, and the second rotational locking structure 31 is configured as a protrusion (not shown in the figures) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the driver housing 3, wherein the protrusion can be inserted in the accommodation cavity 11 along the first section, and slides into the second section through rotational movement. Such type of locked connection manner further simplifies the con^¬ nection process between the driver housing 3 and the heat sink 1. In practical assembling process, the locked connec^¬ tion between the driver housing 3 and the heat sink 1 can be realized just by aligning the protrusion of the driver hous- ing 3 with the first section of the L-shape groove to be in^¬ serted in the heat sink 1 along the first section, and then to rotationally slide into the second section, and the locked connection between the driver housing 3 and the heat sink 1 can be released by executing a reverse procedure. This fur^¬ ther simplifies the assembling complexity.

Fig. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of a second embodi^¬ ment of the illuminating device 100 according to the present invention. The illuminating device 100 shown in Fig. 3 has no essential difference in structure from the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1. The slight difference lies in that the elec^¬ trical connection through electrical cable is eliminated from the illuminating device 100 shown in Fig. 3, and a special manner is used. In the illuminating device 100 shown in Fig. 3, the driver housing 3 is provided with a first electrical connector 32 in electrical connection with a first output of the driver 4, and the light engine 2 is provided with a sec^¬ ond electrical connector 21 in electrical connection with a first input of the light engine 2 and passing through the heat sink 1 to protrude into the accommodation cavity 11. In addition, the first rotational locking structure 12 (internal thread) is configured as a third electrical connector in electrical connection with a second input of the light engine 2, the second rotational locking structure 31 (external thread) is configured as a fourth electrical connector in electrical connection with a second output of the driver 4, and the third electrical connector and the fourth electrical connector are electrically insulated from the first electri- cal connector 33 and the second electrical connector 21, re^¬ spectively.

Fig. 4 is a cross section diagram of the illuminating device 100 shown in Fig. 3 in an assembled state. It can be seen from the figure that the third electrical connector (internal thread) and the fourth electrical connector (external thread) are engaged with each other and form the electrical connec^¬ tion. The first electrical connector 32 and the second elec- trical connector 21 are also in mutual contact to form the electrical connection. Such structure further reduces the number of parts of the illuminating device 100, avoids elec^¬ trical connection manner by means of electrical cable weld- ing, improves the electrical connection reliability between parts of the illuminating device 100, and also decreases the assembling complexity.

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, improvements, within the spirit and principle of the present invention, should be covered in the protection scope of the present invention.

List of reference signs

I heat sink

II accommodation cavity

12 first rotational locking structure 2 light engine

21 second electrical connector

22 circuit board

23 LED chip

3 driver housing

31 second rotational locking structure

32 first electrical connector

4 driver

5 bulb

100 illuminating device

Claims

Patent claims

An illuminating device (100), comprising a heat sink (1), a light engine (2) arranged at one side of the heat sink (1), a driver housing (3) for accommodating the driver (4) , the heat sink (1) defined an accommodation cavity (11) at the other side, and the driver housing (3) being inserted in the accommodation cavity (11), characterized in that a first rotational locking struc^¬ ture (12) is formed in the accommodation cavity (11), and a second rotational locking structure (31) is formed on the driver housing (3) , wherein the first rotational locking structure (12) and the second rotational locking structure (31) are locked together by rotating the driver housing (3) and/or the heat sink (1) after the driver housing (3) is inserted in the accommodation cavity (11) .

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first rotational locking structure (12) and the second rotational locking struc^¬ ture (31) are configured as structures capable of being locked or unlocked by rotation.

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first rotational locking structure (12) is configured as internal thread formed in an inner wall defining the accommodation cavity, the second rotational locking structure (31) is configured as external thread formed on an outer peripheral surface of the driver housing (3) and capable of being screwed in the internal thread.

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first rotational locking structure (12) is configured as an L-shape groove formed in an inner wall of the accommodation cavity (11), the L-shape groove comprises a first section extending from an opening end of the accommodation cavity (11) to inte^¬ rior of the accommodation cavity (11) and a second sec^¬ tion extending perpendicular to the first section, and the second rotational locking structure (31) is config^¬ ured as a protrusion formed on an outer peripheral sur^¬ face of the driver housing (3) , and the protrusion is capable of being inserted in the accommodation cavity (11) along the first section and sliding into the second section through rotational movement.

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the illuminating device (100) fur^¬ ther comprises an electrical cable, through which the driver (4) is in electrical connection with the light engine (2 ) .

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the light engine (2) and the driver (4) realize electrical connection by connecting the driver housing (3) to the heat sink (1) through rotational movement.

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 6, characterized in that the driver housing (3) is provided with a first electrical connector (32) in electrical connection with a first output of the driver (4), and the light engine (2) is provided with a second electri^¬ cal connector (21) in electrical connection with a first input of the light engine (2) and passing through the heat sink (1) to protrude into the accommodation cavity (11), and the first electrical connector (32) and the second electrical connector (21) are in electrical con^¬ nection after the driver housing (3) and the heat sink

(1) have been locked and connected by rotational move^¬ ment .

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 7, characterized in that the first rotational locking structure (12) is configured as a third electrical con^¬ nector in electrical connection with a second input of the light engine (2), the second rotational locking structure (31) is configured as a fourth electrical con^¬ nector in electrical connection with a second output of the driver (4), and the third electrical connector and the fourth electrical connector are in electrical con^¬ nection after the driver housing (3) and the heat sink (1) have been locked and connected by rotational move^¬ ment .

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 8, characterized in that the third electrical connector and the fourth electrical connector are electrically insu^¬ lated from the first electrical connector (33) and the second electrical connector (21), respectively.

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the illuminating device (100) fur^¬ ther comprises a bulb (5) or a lens arranged on the one side of the heat sink (1) .

The illuminating device (100) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the light engine (2) comprises a circuit board (22) and at least one LED chip (23) ar^¬ ranged on the circuit board (22) .