LED strip lighting device and method

Abstract

A lighting device (100) includes a light emitting diode (LED) spine component (102) and a circuit board strip (120). The LED spine component (102) includes an LED (104) disposed on a first circuit board (106) including a first electrical conductor (108) coupled to the LED. The circuit board strip (120) includes a second electrical conductor (122) coupled to the first electrical conductor, where the material constituting the strip is more flexible than the first circuit board, and the LED spine component is attached at a portion (124) of a surface (126) of the strip such that a primary light emitting surface (105) of the LED spine component is at a vertical or inclined angle to the portion of the surface of the strip to which the LED spine component is attached.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to light emitting diode (LED) strip lighting and, more particularly, to LED strip lighting devices, systems and methods. Background Art

[0002] Flexible LED strip lighting, commonly referred to as LED light strips, typically consists of LEDs arranged on a flexible substrate to trace over nonlinear surfaces and provide aesthetic or general lighting thereon. The LEDs of an LED light strip are mounted on the main surface of the light strip so as to provide a hemispherical lighting pattern on the surface. However, this hemispherical light output is not always ideal for certain applications, especially where a lateral light pattern is required. To achieve such a pattern using an LED light strip, side-emitting LEDs can be used. With side-emitting LEDs, the diode emits light through a small surface area on the side of its light-emitting layer. Alternatively, a lateral light pattern can be achieved on an LED light strip by using a reflector and hemispherical lighting arranged in a typical LED light strip. Here, the light from the hemispherical lighting pattern can be reflected from an angled white surface incorporated into the product sheath. Summary of the invention

[0003] One problem with using side-emitting LEDs or reflectors to achieve a lateral emission pattern is that their optical quality is often reduced. For example, due to the limited light-emitting surface area, side-emitting LEDs produce a wall-grazing effect rather than a wall-washing effect that might be more popular. Conversely, using a reflector to provide a lateral emission pattern reduces the brightness of the device by an amount equal to the amount of light absorbed by the reflector surface.

[0004] Compared to these methods, embodiments of the present application can provide a lateral light-emitting pattern with a wall-washing effect without reducing the brightness. In addition, the configuration disclosed herein can provide space for additional electrical components and can improve the structural integrity of the optical devices provided on the LED device. These advantages can be achieved by adopting circuit boards with different flexibility. For example, a flexible circuit board strip can be used with a rigid circuit board used as a spine component. Here, the rigid circuit board supports the LED and is mounted to the flexible circuit board at a vertical or inclined angle. Therefore, in this way, for example, the device can provide a wall-washing effect with high strength while allowing electrical components to be added to the back of the rigid circuit board without affecting the flexibility of the underlying strip. In addition, the structural integrity of any optical element can be significantly improved compared to LEDs traditionally mounted on LED light strips, because the configuration disclosed herein can greatly reduce the risk of delamination of such optical elements when the underlying strip is bent.

[0005] According to an exemplary aspect of the present application, a lighting device includes a light emitting diode spine component and a circuit board strip. The LED spine component includes an LED disposed on a first circuit board, the first circuit board including a first electrical conductor coupled to the LED. The circuit board strip includes a second electrical conductor coupled to the first electrical conductor, wherein the material constituting the strip is more flexible than the first circuit board, and the LED spine component is attached to a portion of the surface of the strip such that a primary light emitting surface of the LED spine component is at a perpendicular or oblique angle to a portion of the surface of the strip to which the LED spine component is attached.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the material comprising the strip is flexible such that a first end of a six inch long strip of the material can be bent 360 degrees back to an opposite second end of the six inch long strip without breaking. Conversely, the material comprising the first circuit board is flexible such that a first end of a six inch long strip of material comprising the first circuit board cannot be bent 360 degrees back to an opposite second end of the six inch long strip of material.

[0007] In an additional exemplary embodiment, the optical element is disposed on the LED and configured to form an optical effect from light emitted by the LED. In a version of this embodiment, the first circuit board provides a degree of structural integrity to the optical element that is greater than when the optical element is disposed on a circuit board strip.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment, the first circuit board is a rigid printed circuit board and the strip is a flexible printed circuit board.

[0009] Additionally, in one embodiment, the LED spine component is included in a plurality of LED spine components that are attached to respective portions of the strip surface such that primary light emitting surfaces of the plurality of LED spine components are perpendicular or at an oblique angle to the respective portions of the strip surface. In one version of this embodiment, each LED spine component in the plurality of LED spine components is independent relative to each other LED spine component in the plurality of LED spine components.

[0010] In another version of this embodiment, the strip is a first strip, wherein the lighting device further comprises a second strip, the second strip being attached to the first strip vertically or obliquely, and the plurality of LED spine components being disposed on the second strip. The material constituting the second strip may be more flexible than the first circuit board. In addition, the second strip may be a reflector.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, the LED spine component includes a coupler having a first surface and a second surface perpendicular or at an oblique angle to the first surface, wherein the first circuit board is disposed on the first surface and a portion of the strip surface is disposed on the second surface.

[0012] According to another aspect, a method of producing a lighting device includes forming an LED spine component by fabricating an LED on a first circuit board such that a first electrical conductor of the first circuit board is coupled to the LED. In addition, the method includes attaching the LED spine component to a circuit board strip such that a second electrical conductor of the strip is coupled to the first electrical conductor, wherein the material comprising the strip is more flexible than the first circuit board, and the LED spine component is attached to a portion of the strip surface such that a primary light emitting surface of the LED spine component is at a perpendicular or oblique angle to the portion of the strip surface to which the LED spine component is attached.

[0013] According to one embodiment, connecting includes soldering the LED spine component to the surface of the strip. In additional embodiments, processing includes connecting the LED to the first circuit board. In an alternative embodiment, processing includes building the LED on the first circuit board.

[0014] For purposes of this disclosure, the term "LED" should be understood to include any electroluminescent diode or other type of carrier injection / junction-based system that is capable of generating radiation in response to an electrical signal. Thus, the term LED includes, but is not limited to, various semiconductor-based structures that emit light in response to an electric current, light-emitting polymers, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), electroluminescent strips, and the like. Specifically, the term LED refers to all types of light-emitting diodes (including semiconductors and organic light-emitting diodes) that can be configured to generate radiation in one or more of various portions of the infrared spectrum, the ultraviolet spectrum, and the visible spectrum (typically including radiation wavelengths from about 400 nanometers to about 700 nanometers). Some examples of LEDs include, but are not limited to, various types of infrared LEDs, ultraviolet LEDs, red LEDs, blue LEDs, green LEDs, yellow LEDs, amber LEDs, orange LEDs, and white LEDs (discussed further below). It should also be understood that LEDs can be configured and / or controlled to generate radiation of various bandwidths (e.g., full width at half maximum or FWHM) with a given spectrum (e.g., narrow bandwidth, wide bandwidth), as well as various dominant wavelengths within a given general color classification.

[0015] For example, one embodiment of an LED (e.g., a white LED) configured to produce substantially white light may include multiple dies that each emit a different electroluminescent spectrum that is combined to mix to form substantially white light. In addition, each die may be individually addressed by a controller to be turned on or off, or to emit a specific intensity of light to produce a variety of colors or color temperatures when used alone or in combination with other dies. In another embodiment, a white light LED may be associated with a fluorescent material that converts electroluminescence having a first spectrum to a different second spectrum. In one example of this embodiment, electroluminescence having a relatively short wavelength and narrow bandwidth spectrum "pumps" the fluorescent material, which in turn radiates longer wavelength radiation having a slightly wider spectrum.

[0016] It should also be understood that the term LED does not limit the physical and / or electrical packaging type of the LED. For example, as described above, an LED can refer to a single light emitting device having multiple dies that are configured to emit different radiation spectra (e.g., individually controllable or not). In addition, an LED can be associated with a phosphor that is considered an integral part of the LED (e.g., certain types of white LEDs). In general, the term LED can refer to packaged LEDs, non-packaged LEDs, surface mount LEDs, chip-on-board LEDs, T-package mount LEDs, radial package LEDs, power package LEDs, LEDs that include some type of housing and / or optical elements (e.g., a diffuser lens), etc.

[0017] A given LED can be configured to generate electromagnetic radiation within the visible spectrum, outside the visible spectrum, or a combination of both. Therefore, the terms "light" and "radiation" are used interchangeably herein. In addition, the LED may include one or more filters (e.g., color filters), lenses, or other optical elements as integral components. In addition, it should be understood that the light source can be configured for a variety of applications, including but not limited to indication and / or illumination. The LED devices described herein can be particularly configured to generate radiation with sufficient intensity to effectively illuminate an interior or exterior space. In this case, "sufficient intensity" refers to sufficient radiant power in the visible spectrum generated in a space or environment (the unit "lumen" is typically used to represent the total light output from a light source in all directions, expressed in radiant power or "luminous flux") to provide ambient lighting (i.e., light that can be perceived indirectly, and, for example, can be reflected from one or more of various intermediate surfaces before being perceived in whole or in part).

[0018] The term "spectrum" should be understood to refer to one or more frequencies (or wavelengths) of radiation produced by one or more light sources. Thus, the term "spectrum" refers not only to frequencies (or wavelengths) in the visible range, but also to frequencies (or wavelengths) in the infrared, ultraviolet, and other regions of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In addition, a given spectrum may have a relatively narrow bandwidth (e.g., a FWHM with substantially few frequency or wavelength components) or a relatively wide bandwidth (several frequency or wavelength components with various relative intensities). It should also be understood that a given spectrum may be the result of a mixture of two or more other spectra (e.g., mixing radiation emitted separately from multiple light sources).

[0019] For purposes of this disclosure, the term "color" is used interchangeably with the term "spectrum." However, the term "color" is often used primarily to refer to the properties of radiation that are perceptible to an observer (although this usage is not intended to limit the scope of the term). Thus, the term "different colors" implicitly refers to multiple spectra with different wavelength components and / or bandwidths. It should also be understood that the term "color" can be used with both white light and non-white light.

[0020] The term "color temperature" is often used herein in relation to white light, but such usage is not intended to limit the scope of the term. Color temperature essentially refers to the specific color content or hue (e.g., reddish, bluish) of white light. The color temperature of a given radiation sample is often characterized in terms of the temperature (measured in Kelvin (K)) of a blackbody radiator that has substantially the same radiation spectrum as the radiation sample in question. The color temperature of a blackbody radiator typically ranges from about 700 degrees K (generally considered the first color temperature visible to the human eye) to over 10,000 degrees K; white light is typically perceived at color temperatures above 1500-2000 degrees K.

[0021] Lower color temperatures generally indicate that white light has a more pronounced red component or a "warmer feel," while higher color temperatures generally indicate that white light has a more pronounced blue component or a "colder feel." For example, a flame has a color temperature of about 1800 degrees K, a traditional incandescent light bulb has a color temperature of about 2848 degrees K, early morning sunlight has a color temperature of about 3000 degrees K, and the sky at noon on an overcast day has a color temperature of about 10,000 degrees K. A color image viewed under white light with a color temperature of about 3000 degrees K has a relatively reddish hue, while the same color image viewed under white light with a color temperature of about 10,000 degrees K has a relatively bluish hue.

[0022] Additionally, the lighting devices described herein are optionally associated with (e.g., include, are coupled to, and / or packaged together with) various other components (e.g., control circuitry) related to the operation of the LEDs. A "multi-channel" lighting device refers to or includes at least two LEDs that are each configured to generate a different spectrum of radiation, where each different source spectrum can be referred to as a "channel" of the multi-channel lighting unit.

[0023] According to an exemplary embodiment, each lighting device described herein may be controlled by a controller. The term "controller" is generally used herein to describe various devices related to the operation of one or more lighting devices. The controller can be implemented in a variety of ways (e.g., using dedicated hardware) to perform the various functions described herein. A "processor" is an example of a controller that uses one or more microprocessors that can be programmed using software (e.g., microcode) to perform the various functions described herein. The controller may be implemented with or without a processor, or may be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware to perform certain functions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuits) to perform other functions. Examples of controller components that may be used in various embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0024] In various implementations, a processor or controller may be associated with one or more storage media (collectively referred to herein as "memory", such as solid-state drives (SSDs), volatile and non-volatile computer memory, such as RAM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM, floppy disks, optical disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes, etc.). In some implementations, the storage media may be encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and / or controllers, perform at least some of the functions discussed herein. The various storage media may be fixed within the processor or controller, or may be removable so that one or more programs stored thereon may be loaded into the processor or controller to implement various aspects of the invention discussed herein. The term "program" or "computer program" is used herein in a general sense to refer to any type of computer code (e.g., software or microcode) that can be used to program one or more processors or controllers.

[0025] As used herein, the term "addressable" refers to a device (e.g., a general LED, or lighting fixture, a controller or processor associated with one or more LEDs or lighting fixtures, other non-lighting related devices, etc.) that is configured to receive information (e.g., data) intended for multiple devices (including itself) and selectively respond to specific information intended for itself. The term "addressable" is often used in conjunction with a networked environment (or "network" discussed further below), in which multiple devices are coupled together via some communication medium or media.

[0026] In one network implementation, one or more devices coupled to a network may act as controllers for one or more other devices coupled to the network (e.g., in a master / slave relationship). In another implementation, a networked environment may include one or more dedicated controllers configured to control one or more devices coupled to the network. Typically, multiple devices coupled to a network may each access data on a communication medium or media; however, a given device may be "addressable" in that it is configured to selectively exchange data with (i.e., receive data from and / or transmit data to) the network, e.g., based on one or more specific identifiers (e.g., "addresses") assigned to it.

[0027] The term "network" as used herein refers to any interconnection of two or more devices (including controllers or processors) that facilitates the transmission of information (e.g., for device control, data storage, data exchange, etc.) between any two or more devices and / or multiple devices coupled to the network. As should be readily understood, various implementations of networks suitable for interconnecting multiple devices may include any of a variety of network topologies and employ any of a variety of communication protocols. Additionally, in various networks according to the present disclosure, any one connection between two devices may represent a dedicated connection between two systems, or a non-dedicated connection. In addition to carrying information for the two devices, such a non-dedicated connection may also carry information that is not necessarily intended for either of the two devices (e.g., an open network connection). In addition, it should be readily understood that the various device networks discussed herein may employ one or more wireless, wired / cable, and / or fiber optic links to facilitate information transmission across the network.

[0028] According to exemplary embodiments, the lighting device described herein can be controlled by a user interface. The term "user interface" as used herein refers to an interface between a human user or operator and one or more devices that enables communication between the user and the device. Examples of user interfaces that may be employed in various implementations of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, switches, potentiometers, buttons, dials, sliders, mice, keyboards, keypads, various types of game controllers (e.g., joysticks), trackballs, display screens, various types of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), touch screens, microphones, and other types of sensors that may receive some form of artificial stimulus and generate signals in response thereto.

[0029] It should be understood that all combinations of the above concepts and additional concepts discussed in more detail below (provided that these concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are considered part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. Specifically, all claimed subject combinations appearing at the end of this disclosure are considered part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It should also be understood that terms explicitly used herein may also appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference, and these terms should be given the meaning most consistent with the specific concepts disclosed herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to the same components throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

[0031] Figure 1 shows a side view of a lighting device 100 including an LED spine component and a circuit board strip according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0032] Figure 2shows a top view of a lighting device 100 including an LED spine component and a circuit board strip according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0033] Figure 3 Shown include Figure 1-Figure 2 An example LED strip lighting device 300 of an LED spine component;

[0034] Figure 4 A close-up view of a subset of the LED spine components of the LED strip lighting device 300 is shown;

[0035] Figure 5 An LED strip lighting device 500 is shown according to an alternative exemplary embodiment;

[0036] Figure 6 shows a flexible LED strip lighting device 500 according to an exemplary embodiment; and

[0037] Figure 7 A high-level flow chart of a method 700 of producing a lighting device is shown according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Exemplary embodiments of the present application are directed to flexible lighting strips that can provide lateral light effects. Specifically, the embodiments described herein can be configured to produce a high intensity wall wash effect while providing additional space for electrical components without affecting the flexibility of the underlying strip. In addition, embodiments can provide enhanced structural integrity for any optical devices applied to the device and reduce the risk of delamination due to strip bending.

[0039] Reference now Figure 1 and Figure 2 , shows a lighting device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 A side view of the device 100 is provided, and Figure 2 A top view of the lighting device 100 is provided. Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the lighting device 100 includes an LED spine component 102 and a circuit board strip 120. The circuit board strip 120 includes a conductor 122 disposed on a top surface 126 of the strip 120 and can be composed of any material used in LED light strips. For example, the strip 120 can be a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) or printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) composed of polyamide and a metal tracer (e.g., copper) as the conductor 122, which can be coupled to a power source to power the lighting device 100. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom surface 128 of the strip can be configured to include an attachment device for mounting to a surface. For example, the bottom surface 128 can include an adhesive or a mechanical clip for attaching to a surface such as a wall, floor, or ceiling. In particular, the flexibility of the strip enables the strip to be attached to non-linear surfaces and track non-linear surfaces, such as corners. The LED spine component 102 may include an LED 104 disposed on a circuit board 106, which may be a rigid PCB or PCBA, which includes a conductor 108 composed of, for example, copper, which is coupled to and powers the LED 104. As understood in the art, the rigid PCB or PCBA may be a laminate structure having conductive and insulating layers composed of resin (e.g., epoxy) and fiber (e.g., glass) fillers that is more rigid / less flexible than the strip 120. Here, the LED 104 is mounted on the strip 120 so that the main light emitting surface 105 of the LED spine component 102 is at a perpendicular or oblique angle to the portion 124 of the strip surface to which the LED spine component is attached. The surface 105 is preferably disposed between 80°-100° relative to the surface portion 124 of the strip 120, and most preferably the surface 105 is perpendicular to the surface portion 124 of the strip 120. However, the LED spine component 102 can be attached to the strip 120 such that the surface 105 is disposed at any oblique angle relative to the surface portion 124 of the strip 120. According to one embodiment, the LED spine component 102 is soldered to the strip 120 in a manner similar to the manner in which LEDs are soldered to a flexible substrate in a conventional LED light strip, as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Here, the solder 110 provides a coupling 112 between the conductor 108 of the LED spine component 102 and the conductor 122 of the strip 120.

[0040] As described above, configuring the lighting device so that the light emitting surface 105 is at a vertical or inclined angle relative to the surface 124 of the strip 120 can achieve a full wall wash lighting effect, which can provide a significant visual improvement compared to side-emitting LEDs or devices that rely on reflectors to emit light in a lateral direction. In addition, this configuration allows optional electrical components 118 to be added to the back of the circuit board 106, which cannot be achieved with traditional LED light strip designs. Some examples of electrical components include, but are not limited to, buck / boost (DC-DC) circuits, sensors, RGBW (red, green, blue and white) control, microcontrollers, etc. In addition, one or more optical elements 116 may be included above the LED 104 to provide optical effects for the light emitted by the LED 104. The optical elements may include reflectors with or without lenses, transparent total internal reflection (TIR) ​​optics, and / or refractive optics. They can be discrete optical elements that control each LED individually, or if extruded from a flexible material, they can be extruded profiles that bend with the rest of the assembly. Here, due to the relatively high degree of rigidity of the circuit board 106 compared to the flexible strip 120, the structural integrity of the optical element 116 is improved over that of using a conventional LED light strip. As described above, the circuit board 106 can be a rigid PCB or PCBA, and the strip 120 can be a flexible PCB or PCBA, wherein the material constituting the strip 120 is more flexible than the circuit board 106. For example, the flexibility of the material constituting the flexible PCB or PCBA is such that the first end of a six-inch (or 15.24 cm) long strip of such material can be bent 360 degrees back to the second end of the six-inch long strip without breaking. Conversely, the material constituting the rigid PCB or PCBA is such that the first end of a six-inch long rigid PCB or PCBA cannot be bent 360 degrees back to the second end of the six-inch long component without breaking. In fact, a rigid PCB or PCBA (e.g., which can be composed of FR4) will break when bent less than 90 degrees. However, a rigid PCB or PCBA requires significantly higher loads to bend a few degrees than a flexible PCB or PCBA. The combination of the circuit board 106 and the ribbon 120 in the configuration described herein ensures that the risk of delamination and / or breakage of the optical element 116 when the ribbon 120 is bent is significantly reduced, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown.

[0041] Figure 3 An LED strip lighting device 300 is shown, which includes a plurality 302 of LED spine components 102, which are arranged in the manner described above with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Here, the strip lighting device 300 can be attached to a non-linear surface and track a non-linear surface, as described above, without stressing any optical elements 116 disposed on the LEDs 104 of the plurality 302 of spine components. Figure 3 As shown, due to the configuration of the spine component 102, which is mounted so that the primary light emitting surface 105 is perpendicular or inclined relative to the surface portion 124 of the strip 120, and includes a relatively rigid circuit board, flexure of the strip 120 does not exert stress on any of the optical elements 116, because the spine component 102 is free standing relative to each other in the plurality of LED spine components 102, simply moving toward or away from each other during flexure, similar to the vertebrae of a spine. Thus, in this manner, the configuration of the spine component 102 on the strip 120 provides a degree of structural integrity to the optical elements 116 that is greater than the structural integrity of the optical elements 116, which would be susceptible to delamination of the optical elements during flexure if the optical elements 116 were disposed on a circuit board strip 120 as in conventional LED light strips. Figure 4 An enlarged view of a portion of the plurality 302 LED spine component 102 viewed from the back side of the component 102 is provided.

[0042] Figure 5 Another embodiment of an LED light strip lighting device 500 is shown, which includes a circuit board strip 512 and an LED spine component 502. The LED spine component 502 includes an LED 104 mounted on a circuit board 506, which in turn is mounted on a surface 509 of a coupler 504. Here, as opposed to using soldering or other similar mounting methods, the LED 104 and circuit board 506 are mounted to the circuit board strip 120 via a coupler 504, and the coupler 504 can be attached to the circuit board strip 512 by mechanical means, such as a snap-on coupler that includes a protrusion on the coupler 502 for insertion into a corresponding groove provided on the strip 512. Here, the bottom surface 510 of the coupler 504 can be mounted on a portion 514 of the top surface of the strip 512, so that electrical conductors in the top surface 514 and electrical contact conductors pass through the coupler 504 to the LED 104 to provide power to the LED 104. In addition, the lighting device 500 also includes a second strip 518 that is attached to the back side 508 of the coupler 504 by, for example, an adhesive or by mechanical means. The second strip 518 can be a reflector for enhancing the lateral light emission of the LED 504. The surfaces 508 and 509 of the coupler 504 are at a perpendicular or oblique angle to the surface portion 514 of the strip 512 and the bottom surface 510 of the coupler 504, so that the primary light emitting surface of the LED 104 is at the same perpendicular or oblique angle to the surface portion 514 of the strip 512 to which the LED spine component 502 is attached. As described above, the circuit board 506 is disposed on the surface 509 of the coupler 504, and the surface portion 514 of the strip is disposed on the surface 510 of the coupler 504.

[0043] Both the coupler 504 and the circuit board 506 can be more rigid / less flexible than the material that makes up the strip 512 and the second strip 518. For example, the circuit board 506 can be a rigid circuit board as described above, while the strip 512 can be a flexible circuit board as described above. Both the strips 512 and 518 are flexible so as to be able to be attached to and track along non-linear surfaces. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Similar to the described embodiment, the underside 522 of the strip 512 can be configured to include an attachment means for mounting to a surface, such as an adhesive or a mechanical clip. In addition, due to the structural configuration of the coupler 504, the second strip 518 is attached to the first strip 512 vertically or obliquely.

[0044] like Figure 5-Figure 6 As shown, the LED strip lighting device 500 includes a plurality 520 of LED spine components 502. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Similar to the described embodiments, due to the configuration of the spine component 502 and the flexibility of the strip 518, the bending of the strip 512 does not impose significant stress on any optical element applied to the LED 104 of the spine component 502, thereby greatly reducing the risk of delamination and / or breakage of the optical element and enhancing the structural integrity of the optical element.

[0045] Reference now Figure 7 , a high-level flow chart of a method 700 for producing a lighting device is shown. Method 700 and optional variations of method 700 may be employed to produce the lighting devices 100, 300, or 500 described above. At step 702, an LED spine component 102 or 502 may be formed. For example, at step 704, an LED 104 may be formed in step 704 by attaching the completed LED to a circuit board 106 or 506 at step 706, or by constructing the LED 104 on the circuit board 106 or 506 at step 708. For example, the cladding and active layers of the LED may be deposited on the circuit board 106 or 506. Step 702 may be repeated to form a plurality 302 or 520 of LED spine components 102 or 502. Preferably, step 704 is performed in which the LED 104 is attached / soldered to a rigid PCBA using standard practices and cut into discrete components including one or more LEDs forming the LED element 104. At optional step 710, electrical components 118 may be added to the back of the LED spine component 102 or 502. Additionally, at optional step 711, LEDs 104 may be connected to the back of the LED spine component 102 or 502. At step 712, optical elements 116 may be added to the LED elements 104 of the LED spine component 102 or 502. At step 714, the LED spine component 102 or 502 may be attached to the circuit board strip 120 or 512. For example, as described above with respect to Figure 1-Figure 4 As described above, the LED spine component 102 can be soldered to the circuit board strip 120. Preferably, the discrete components of the rigid PCBA cut in step 704 are soldered to the flexible PCBA in the same locations and in a similar manner as conventional LED light strips. Alternatively, in step 714, the LED spine component 502 can be attached to the circuit board strip 512 using the coupler 504, as described above with respect to Figure 5-Figure 6 described.

[0046] Although several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily conceive of various other means and / or structures for performing functions and / or obtaining results and / or one or more advantages described herein, and each of these changes and / or modifications is considered to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are intended to be examples, and that actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on the specific application for which the invention is taught. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, or be able to determine many equivalents of the specific inventive embodiments described herein using only routine experiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented only by way of example, and within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the inventive embodiments may be implemented in a manner different from that specifically described and required. The inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods (if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and / or methods are not mutually contradictory) is included within the scope of the invention disclosed herein.

[0047] All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

[0048] The indefinite articles "a" and "an" as used in this specification and claims, unless expressly stated otherwise, should be understood to mean "at least one".

[0049] The phrase "and / or" used in the specification and claims should be understood to mean "either or both" of the connected elements, i.e., elements that exist connected in some cases and separated in other cases. Multiple elements listed with "and / or" should be interpreted in the same manner, i.e., "one or more" connected elements. In addition to the elements explicitly identified in the "and / or" clause, other elements may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to the elements explicitly identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, when used in conjunction with open language such as "including", a reference to "A and / or B" may refer to only A (optionally including elements other than B) in one embodiment; to only B (optionally including elements other than A) in another embodiment; to both A and B (optionally including other elements) in yet another embodiment; and so on.

[0050] As used in this specification and claims, "or" should be understood to have the same meaning as "and / or" above. For example, when separating items in a list, "or" or "and / or" should be interpreted as inclusive, that is, including at least one of a plurality or a group of elements, but also including a plurality, and optionally, including other items not listed. Only when the opposite term is clearly indicated, such as "only one" or "exactly one", or when used in the claims, "consisting of...", will it refer to including exactly one element of a plurality or a group of elements. In general, the term "or" used in this article should be interpreted as indicating an exclusive alternative (i.e., "one or the other but not both") only when it is preceded by an exclusive term (e.g., "any", "one of them", "only one" or "exactly one"). "Substantially consisting of..." when used in the claims should have its ordinary meaning used in the field of patent law.

[0051] As used herein in the specification and claims, the phrase "at least one" when referring to a list of one or more elements should be understood to refer to at least one element selected from any one or more elements in the list of elements, but does not necessarily include at least one of each element specifically listed in the list of elements, nor does it exclude any combination of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that in addition to the elements specifically identified in the list of elements referred to by the phrase "at least one", elements may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to the specifically identified elements. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or equivalently, "at least one of A or B", or equivalently, "at least one of A and / or B") may refer to at least one, optionally including more than one A, without B (and optionally including elements other than B) in one embodiment; to at least one, optionally including more than one B, without A (and optionally including elements other than A) in another embodiment; to at least one, optionally including more than one A, and at least one, optionally including more than one B (and optionally including other elements) in yet another embodiment; and so on.

[0052] It should also be understood that in any method claimed herein that includes multiple steps or actions, the order of the method steps or actions is not necessarily limited to the order in which the method steps or actions are described unless explicitly stated to the contrary.

[0053] In the claims and the foregoing description, all transitional phrases, such as "comprises," "comprising," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," "maintaining," "consisting of," etc., shall be understood as open-ended, i.e., meaning including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases "consisting of" and "consisting essentially of" shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in Section 2111.03 of the U.S. Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedure.

Claims

1. A lighting device (100), comprising: A light emitting diode (LED) spine assembly (102) comprising an LED (104) disposed on a first circuit board (106), the first circuit board comprising a first electrical conductor (108) coupled to the LED; as well as A circuit board strip (120) comprising a second electrical conductor (122) coupled to the first electrical conductor, wherein the material comprising the strip is more flexible than the first circuit board, and wherein the LED spine component is attached to a portion (124) of a surface (126) of the strip such that a primary light emitting surface (105) of the LED spine component is at a perpendicular or oblique angle to the portion of the surface of the strip to which the LED spine component is attached, wherein the LED spine component comprises a coupler (504) having a first surface (508) and a second surface (510) at a perpendicular or oblique angle to the first surface, wherein the first circuit board is disposed on the first surface and the portion of the surface of the strip is disposed on the second surface.

2. The lighting device of claim 1 , wherein the flexibility of the material comprising the strip is such that a first end of a six inch (15.24 cm) long strip of the material can be bent 360 degrees back to an opposite second end of the six inch long strip without breaking, while the material comprising the first circuit board is such that a first end of a six inch (15.24 cm) long sheet of the material comprising the first circuit board cannot be bent 360 degrees back to an opposite second end of the six inch long sheet.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein an optical element (116) is arranged on the LED and is configured to form an optical effect according to the light emitted by the LED.

4. The lighting device of claim 3, wherein the first circuit board provides a degree of structural integrity to the optical element that is greater than the degree of structural integrity of the optical element if disposed on the circuit board strip.

5. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the first circuit board is a rigid printed circuit board (PCB) and the strip is a flexible PCB.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the LED spine component is included in a plurality of LED spine components (402) attached to corresponding portions of the surface of the strip, so that the main light-emitting surfaces of the plurality of LED spine components are at a perpendicular or inclined angle to the corresponding portions of the surface of the strip.

7. The lighting device of claim 6, wherein each LED spine component of the plurality of LED spine components is independent relative to each other LED spine component of the plurality of LED spine components.

8. The lighting device of claim 6, wherein the strip is a first strip, wherein the lighting device further comprises a second strip (518) vertically or obliquely attached to the first strip, and wherein the plurality of LED spine components (520) are disposed on the second strip.

9. The lighting device of claim 8, wherein the material comprising the second strip is more flexible than the first circuit board.

10. The lighting device of claim 8, wherein the second strip (518) is a reflector.

11. A method (700) for producing a lighting device, comprising: forming (702) a light emitting diode (LED) spine component by fabricating an LED on a first circuit board such that a first electrical conductor of the first circuit board is coupled to the LED; as well as The LED spine component is attached (714) to a circuit board strip such that a second electrical conductor of the strip is coupled to the first electrical conductor, wherein the material constituting the strip is more flexible than the first circuit board, and wherein the LED spine component is attached at a portion of a surface of the strip such that a primary light emitting surface of the LED spine component is at a perpendicular or oblique angle to the portion of the surface of the strip to which the LED spine component is attached, wherein the LED spine component includes a coupler (504) having a first surface (508) and a second surface (510) at a perpendicular or oblique angle to the first surface, wherein the first circuit board is disposed on the first surface and the portion of the surface of the strip is disposed on the second surface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said attaching comprises soldering said LED spine component to said surface of said strip.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the fabricating comprises attaching (706) the LED to the first circuit board.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the fabricating comprises constructing (708) the LED on the first circuit board.

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