An acrylic decorative lamp

Abstract

This invention provides an acrylic decorative light, comprising a transparent acrylic shell and a flexible light wire. The flexible light wire includes a strip-shaped flexible circuit board, multiple micro LED light-emitting chips continuously arranged on the surface of the flexible circuit board, and a covering layer encapsulating the flexible circuit board and the LED light-emitting chips. The acrylic shell has a guide channel extending along a preset shape inside; the flexible light wire is embedded in the guide channel. This invention allows for customization of any shape; the flexible light wire can be freely bent, twisted, and adapted to any small angle and complex corner. The flexible light wire uses micro LED light-emitting chips embedded and arranged to form a continuous linear light source, with a light emission quality highly similar to traditional glass neon lights. It is simple to process and has a lower cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of light-emitting devices, and more particularly to an acrylic decorative lamp. Background Technology

[0002] Neon lights are electric light sources consisting of a sealed, transparent glass tube, electrodes at both ends, and a low-pressure inert gas (neon, argon, helium, etc.) filling the tube. They emit light by applying a high-voltage electric field of several thousand volts between the electrodes, which excites the gas inside the tube to produce a glow discharge. Because the light emission originates from the uniform ionization of the gas within the glass tube, traditional neon lights can produce a uniform and soft light effect, thus they have long been widely used in commercial lighting fields such as advertising signage and architectural decoration. However, traditional neon lights, with their glass tube as the main structure, have significant drawbacks: glass has a high melting point, is difficult to mold, and its processing and shaping capabilities are limited, making it impossible to achieve small-angle bends and the fabrication of small, complex structures; at the same time, their high operating voltage poses safety hazards, and the overall manufacturing and installation costs are high, making it difficult to meet the application requirements of modern decorative lighting for lightweight, low-voltage, and complex shapes.

[0003] In existing technologies, LED light strips are often used to replace traditional neon lights to simulate their luminous effect. For example, Chinese patent CN210424838U discloses an LED simulated neon light, which uses a rigid PCB substrate to support discrete LED beads and is assembled with a pre-formed rigid plastic light trough. Neither the light strip nor the light trough has flexible bending capability, and can only achieve a fixed shape. It cannot be bent on-site or have its shape changed again, resulting in poor shape adaptability. At the same time, this solution uses a dot array of LED beads as the light-emitting unit. The arrangement of the dot array of LED beads results in a discrete and discontinuous luminous effect, making it difficult to form a uniform and soft line light source effect, which is significantly different from the continuous luminous texture of traditional glass neon lights. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide an acrylic decorative lamp.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] An acrylic decorative lamp, comprising: The flexible light line includes a strip-shaped flexible circuit board, multiple micro LED light-emitting chips continuously arranged on the surface of the flexible circuit board, and a covering layer covering the flexible circuit board and the LED light-emitting chips. The transparent acrylic shell has a guide channel extending along a pre-designed shape inside; the flexible light wire is embedded in the guide channel.

[0007] Compared to existing technologies, the acrylic decorative lamp described in this invention combines flexible light lines with an acrylic shell. Acrylic material is flexible in processing, enabling customization of any shape such as text and patterns. The flexible light lines can be freely bent, twisted, and adapted to any small angle and complex corner, solving the problems of difficult processing, inability to bend at small angles, and limited shape of traditional glass neon tubes. The flexible light lines use micro LED light-emitting chips embedded and arranged to form a continuous line light source, effectively solving the problems of scattered light output and poor continuity of traditional dot matrix LED beads. The light emission quality is highly close to that of traditional glass neon lamps.

[0008] Furthermore, the acrylic shell includes a base plate and a cover plate that overlap each other; the base plate is provided with a groove to form the guide channel.

[0009] Furthermore, the acrylic shell includes a base plate and a cover plate that overlap each other; each of the base plate and the cover plate has a groove on its opposite side; after the base plate and the cover plate are closed, the grooves of the base plate and the cover plate together form the guide channel.

[0010] Furthermore, a reflective layer is provided on the grooved surface of the base plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the reflective layer is a highly transparent acrylic resin, which is doped with at least one of nano-silica, transparent nano-mica sheets, or ultra-micro nano-titanium dioxide as a reflective filler.

[0012] Furthermore, the base plate is provided with alignment posts, and the cover plate is provided with alignment holes; when the cover plate is closed with the base plate, the alignment posts are inserted into the alignment holes.

[0013] Furthermore, the alignment post is a locking screw, and the alignment hole is threaded; the base plate is provided with a countersunk hole, which includes a large-diameter countersunk end and a small-diameter through end that are coaxially connected. The large-diameter countersunk end is located on the side of the base plate facing away from the groove, and the small-diameter through end penetrates the base plate axially; the locking screw is inserted from the side of the base plate facing away from the groove, passes through the small-diameter through end, and is inserted into the alignment hole, where it is threadedly connected to the alignment hole. After the thread is tightened, the head of the locking screw is completely sunk and housed in the large-diameter countersunk end.

[0014] Furthermore, a shim is provided between the head of the locking screw and the contact surface of the large-diameter countersunk hole end.

[0015] Furthermore, the groove of the base plate is also provided with a wire hole, through which the power cord of the flexible lamp wire is connected to an external power source.

[0016] Furthermore, a buffer layer is sandwiched between the cover plate and the bottom plate.

[0017] To better understand and implement this invention, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible lamp wire of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention after the base plate and cover plate are closed; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view along axis AA of the acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention after the base plate and cover plate are closed. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a structural embodiment of the acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention when the acrylic shell is cylindrical; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a structural embodiment of the acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention when it has a curved shape; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the splicing method of a flexible light wire in an embodiment of the acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention.

[0019] Reference numerals: 10. Acrylic shell; 11. Guide channel; 12. Base plate; 122. Alignment post; 124. Countersunk hole; 1241. Large diameter countersunk end; 1242. Small diameter through hole end; 125. Gasket; 14. Cover plate; 142. Alignment hole; 16. Groove; 18. Reflective layer; 19. Buffer layer; 20. Flexible lamp wire; 22. Flexible circuit board; 24. LED light-emitting chip; 26. Covering layer. Detailed Implementation

[0020] This invention replaces the glass tubes in traditional neon lights with an acrylic shell. Acrylic material has excellent light transmittance, plasticity, and processing performance, enabling arbitrary shapes and small-angle bending. This effectively solves the problems of difficult processing and inability to achieve small-angle twisting in traditional neon lights, such as the difficulty in processing glass tubes. At the same time, this invention has a pre-set groove on the acrylic shell, into which a thin-diameter flexible light wire is embedded. The flexible light wire contains several micro LED light-emitting chips arranged densely. The light emitted by each micro LED chip is interconnected and merged to form a continuous linear light-emitting effect, thus restoring the visual effect of uniform light emission throughout the entire neon light.

[0021] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] Please see Figure 1The acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention includes a transparent acrylic shell 10 and a flexible light wire 20. The acrylic shell 10 has a guide channel 11 extending along a preset shape inside. The flexible light wire 20 is embedded in the guide channel 11, thereby highly replicating the continuous and uniform light emission effect of traditional neon lights.

[0023] Specifically, please refer to Figure 2 The flexible light line 20 is a cylindrical strip structure, comprising a strip-shaped flexible circuit board 22, a plurality of micro LED light-emitting chips 24, and a covering layer 26. The flexible circuit board 22 has a plurality of continuously arranged chip slots (not shown) uniformly formed on one side surface along its length direction. The LED light-emitting chips 24 are correspondingly embedded and fixed in the chip slots. By increasing the spacing of the LED light-emitting chips 24, a continuous and uninterrupted linear light-emitting area is formed along the length direction of the flexible light line 20. The covering layer 26 completely encloses the flexible circuit board 22 and the LED light-emitting chips 24 inside, forming the main body of the flexible light line 20 that can be freely bent.

[0024] In this embodiment, the diameter of the flexible light line 20 is 1.5 mm, and the micro LED light-emitting chip 24 has a specification of 4×15 mil. When the length of the flexible light line 20 is 600 mm, approximately 500 LED light-emitting chips 24 can be arranged uniformly along the length direction on the flexible circuit board 22 inside it. This achieves ultra-high density arrangement while ensuring the overall flexibility of the flexible light line 20, significantly improving the continuity and uniformity of light emission. The LED light-emitting chip 24 can be selected from existing technologies such as Sanan or MTC chips, which have stable light source performance and good light emission consistency. Combined with the high-density continuous arrangement structure, it can highly reproduce the continuous line light source effect of traditional glass neon lights.

[0025] The acrylic outer shell 10 includes a base plate 12 and a cover plate 14 that overlap each other. The base plate has a groove 16, which together with the end face of the cover plate 14 facing the base plate 12 forms the guide channel 11. Further, to improve the light refraction and uniformity of the flexible light wire 20, and to enhance structural constraint and wrapping stability, in this embodiment, the base plate 12 and the cover plate 14 each have a groove 16 on their opposite sides. The groove 16 is a semi-circular arc structure. After the base plate 12 and the cover plate 14 are closed, the semi-circular arc grooves 16 on both sides interlock, together forming a circular guide channel 11 for the flexible light wire 20 to be embedded. This structural design, which features symmetrical semi-circular grooves 16 on both sides to form a closed circular guide channel 11, allows the outer diameter of the flexible lamp wire 20 to fully fit with the inner wall of the groove 16, achieving 360° omnidirectional light coupling. This effectively extends the refraction and diffuse reflection light path inside the acrylic shell 10, optimizes the light transmission and mixing path, and fully disperses and weakens the point-like direct light spot of the single LED light-emitting chip 24, avoiding the appearance of alternating bright and dark stripes. After multiple refractions and light mixing and homogenization by the acrylic shell 10, the light is emitted uniformly, significantly improving the overall light uniformity and soft luminous texture.

[0026] The flexible lamp wire 20 is snapped into the groove 16 of the base plate 12 for initial positioning. The base plate 12 has alignment posts 122, and the cover plate 14 has corresponding alignment holes 142. When the cover plate 14 is closed with the base plate 12, the alignment posts 122 are inserted into the alignment holes 142, achieving precise alignment and assembly between the base plate 12 and the cover plate 14. After the cover plate 14 and the base plate 12 are fully closed, an interference fit is formed between the flexible lamp wire 20 and the guide channel 11, tightly wrapping and limiting the flexible lamp wire 20, preventing loosening and displacement. The groove 16 of the base plate 12 also has a wire hole (not shown), through which the power cord of the flexible lamp wire 20 is connected to a 24V / 12V power supply.

[0027] After designing the structure of the acrylic decorative lamp, during the actual assembly process of embedding the flexible light wire into the groove, the applicant discovered that: due to the small overall outer diameter of the flexible light wire, it is very easy for it to twist and deflect when embedded in the groove, making it impossible to ensure that the LED light-emitting chip on the flexible light wire 20 always faces the front direction where the cover plate is located; once the flexible light wire is twisted and misaligned, it will cause the light emission angle of the LED light-emitting chip to be disordered, which will easily cause uneven overall light emission and large local differences in brightness and darkness, making it difficult to simulate the uniform light emission effect of neon lights. To address the aforementioned issues, the applicant attempted several improvement solutions. Initially, a manual alignment method was used, with the side of the flexible light wire containing the LED chip facing upwards, manually pressing it into the groove. However, due to the thin diameter of the flexible light wire and the low distinguishability of its orientation, it was difficult for humans to accurately determine the chip's orientation, making standardized alignment impossible. Assembly quality heavily relied on manual experience, resulting in poor overall product assembly consistency. Next, the applicant proposed adding a dedicated snap-fit ​​limiting structure inside the groove of the acrylic shell to mechanically constrain the flexible light wire and prevent twisting or skewing during assembly and use. However, due to the small size of the flexible light wire and the narrow space of the matching acrylic groove, there was no space to accommodate the additional snap-fit ​​limiting structure. Forcibly adding a limiting structure would require complex and precise machining of the groove, significantly increasing machining difficulty and mold development and mass production costs, hindering industrial mass production and widespread application.

[0028] To address this, the applicant shifted its focus, moving beyond simply improving the flexible light cable's structure. Instead, it optimized the guide channel structure within the flexible light cable's mounting system. By modifying the guide channel, the light emitted from the flexible light cable through it became more uniform. This design incorporates a reflective layer on the mounting groove in the base plate. When the flexible light cable is inserted, regardless of whether it twists or the orientation of the LED chips, any light emitted from LEDs not directly facing the light source is reflected by the reflective layer and emitted uniformly towards the front. This design eliminates the need for manual identification and precise alignment of the LED chips within the flexible light cable, and avoids the need for complex anti-twist locking structures within the confined space of the mounting groove. It effectively avoids the uneven light emission caused by assembly twisting of the flexible light cable, significantly simplifying the assembly process and reducing processing and labor costs.

[0029] Please see Figures 3-4A reflective layer 18 is provided on the groove 16 of the base plate 12 of the acrylic shell 10. The reflective layer 18 uses a highly transparent acrylic resin compatible with acrylic material as the film-forming matrix, and at least one of nano-silica, transparent nano-mica sheets or ultra-fine nano-titanium dioxide is doped inside it as a reflective filler. The reflective layer 18 has high light transmittance and diffuse reflection characteristics, excellent adhesion performance with acrylic material, and no risk of corrosion and cracking. Without reducing the light transmittance performance of acrylic itself, it can reflect and guide the light from the flexible light line 20 that is incident on the side and back into the groove 16 of the base plate 12 to the front and out through the cover plate 14, effectively compensating for the dark area caused by the twisting of the flexible light line 20 and improving the overall light uniformity.

[0030] Furthermore, the alignment post 122 is a locking screw, and the alignment hole 142 is threaded; the base plate 12 is provided with a countersunk hole 124, which includes a large-diameter countersunk end 1241 and a small-diameter through end 1242 coaxially connected. The large-diameter countersunk end 1242 is located on the side of the base plate 12 facing away from the groove 16, and the small-diameter through end 1242 penetrates the base plate 12 axially. The diameter of the large-diameter countersunk end 1241 is larger than the outer diameter of the locking screw, and the small-diameter through end 1242 is clearance-fitted with the locking screw, and the inner wall of the small-diameter through end 1242 is smooth and unthreaded. The locking screw is inserted from the side of the base plate 12 facing away from the groove 16. The screw head is completely sunk and housed in the large-diameter countersunk end 1241. The screw rod passes through the small-diameter through hole end 1242 and extends into the alignment hole 142 of the cover plate 14, where it is threadedly screwed into the alignment hole 142 and locked. After assembly, the base plate 12 and the cover plate 14 are tightly pressed and locked together. The locking screw is completely hidden inside the countersunk hole, and the outer surface of the base plate 12 is flat and without protrusions. Furthermore, a washer 125 is provided between the head of the locking screw and the bottom contact surface of the large-diameter countersunk hole 1241. The washer 125 is sleeved on the outside of the screw thread. By adding the washer 125, the contact bearing area can be increased, avoiding damage to the end face of the acrylic countersunk hole 124 when the locking screw is tightened. At the same time, it plays a role in buffering and shock absorption, preventing loosening and slipping, making the locking force more uniform, and the bottom plate 12 and the cover plate 14 fit together more stably and securely.

[0031] Furthermore, a buffer layer 19 is sandwiched between the cover plate and the base plate. The buffer layer 19 is disposed on the surface of the base plate 12 or the cover plate 14 and is positioned away from the groove 16. The buffer layer 19 is made of ultra-thin transparent silicone material. The buffer layer 19 has both excellent elastic cushioning and sealing and water-proofing properties. After assembly and locking, it can fill the tiny assembly gaps between the mating surfaces of the base plate 12 and the cover plate 14, achieving a waterproof, dustproof, and seepage-proof sealing and protection effect. At the same time, it uses its own elasticity to achieve cushioning and shock absorption, relieve assembly compression stress, prevent the acrylic plate surface from being deformed or cracked under pressure, and compensate for assembly plane errors, making the two fit more tightly and evenly.

[0032] The manufacturing and assembly process of the acrylic decorative lamp of the present invention is as follows: First, according to the usage and customization requirements, the customized design of the shape scheme such as text and pattern is completed with the help of computer; according to the overall length of the design shape, flexible light wires 20 of appropriate specifications are selected for arrangement and combination, and the combination of single wires or fewer segments is preferred to minimize the number of splicing joints of flexible light wires 20 and reduce the risk of circuit failure; after completing the shape and light wire selection, the processing and preparation of acrylic shell 10 is carried out. CNC high-speed engraving combined with fine grinding process is used to process the base plate 12 and cover plate 14 of acrylic shell 10 respectively. On the relatively mating end face of the base plate 12 and cover plate 14, grooves 16 extending continuously along the preset shape trajectory are simultaneously engraved and processed. A wire hole for the power wire of flexible light wire 20 to pass through and be connected to the external power supply is processed on the groove 16 of the base plate. At the same time, a matching hole 142 for thread locking is formed on the cover plate 14, and a countersunk head for inserting locking screws is correspondingly processed on the base plate 12. Hole 124 ensures the accuracy of subsequent alignment, assembly, and locking. Then, a reflective layer 18 is sprayed onto the inner wall of the groove 16 in the base plate 12, and a buffer layer 19 is laid on the mating surfaces of the base plate 12 or cover plate 14. After the reflective layer 18 is completely cured and dried, the flexible lamp wire 20 is embedded into the groove 16 of the base plate 12 using a snap-fit ​​assembly method. This allows the flexible lamp wire 20 to bend and bend along the preset contour of the groove 16, tightly fitting against the inner wall of the groove 16, thus completing the initial positioning and fixing of the flexible lamp wire 20. The cover plate 14 and the base plate 12 are aligned and fitted together, so that the two side grooves 16 enclose and form a closed and continuous guide channel 11. The assembly is further completed by tightening screws. A washer is fitted onto the screw rod. The screw is inserted from the side of the base plate 12 facing away from the groove 16, with the screw head completely recessed and housed inside the countersunk hole 124. The screw rod extends through the countersunk hole 124 and into the alignment hole 142 of the cover plate 14. The base plate 12 and the cover plate 14 are tightly locked together by screwing. After assembly, the outer periphery of the flexible light wire 20 is interference-fitted with the inner wall of the groove 16, and the entire assembly is fixed within the guide channel 11. The reflective layer 18 on the inner wall of the groove 16 reflects and homogenizes stray light, allowing the light emitted by the flexible light wire 20 to diffuse evenly and stably through the acrylic shell, effectively ensuring the overall uniformity of light emission and decorative effect of the product. Meanwhile, the buffer layer 19 between the mating surfaces can fill the assembly gaps and buffer the locking stress, achieving both sealing, waterproofing, dustproofing, and seepage prevention, while also preventing the acrylic sheet from deforming or cracking under pressure, further improving the product's assembly precision and structural stability. Finally, the power cord of the flexible light wire 20 is connected to an external 24V / 12V power supply through the wire hole to form a complete power supply circuit.

[0033] Compared to existing technologies, the acrylic decorative light of this invention combines a flexible light line with an acrylic shell. The acrylic shell is integrally formed using CNC engraving, allowing for flexible processing. The flexible light line can be freely bent and twisted, adapting to any small angle and complex corners, completely solving the defects of traditional glass neon tubes, such as high brittleness, inability to bend at small angles, and limited shape. Simultaneously, the flexible light line of this invention uses a high-density arrangement of embedded micro-LED light-emitting chips, forming a continuous and uninterrupted uniform line light source, effectively solving the problems of scattered light output and poor continuity in traditional dot-matrix LED beads, resulting in a light emission quality highly similar to traditional glass neon lights. Furthermore, a reflective layer is added to the groove on the base plate, allowing the flexible light line to... During the embedding process, regardless of whether the LED chip twists or not, the light emitted through the guide channel tends to be uniform, effectively avoiding the uneven light output caused by the twisting of the flexible light wire during assembly. Furthermore, the alignment post uses a locking screw with threads machined in the alignment hole and a countersunk hole machined in the base plate. The locking screw passes through the countersunk hole and is inserted into the alignment hole, and is locked by screwing. After locking, the head of the locking screw is completely sunk and stored in the countersunk hole, and the outer surface of the base plate is flat without protrusions. Furthermore, the acrylic decorative light of the present invention only requires 24V / 12V low-voltage DC power supply, without the high-voltage electric drive of traditional neon lights, making it safer to use, with lower energy consumption and stronger stability.

[0034] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in the embodiments and claims of this application are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that, unless otherwise stated, “a plurality” means two or more; the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are used only to distinguish and not to describe a particular order or sequence, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. The term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items. When the above description relates to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0035] This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. If any modifications or variations to this invention do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention, and if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims and equivalent technologies of this invention, then this invention also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An acrylic decorative lamp, characterized in that, include: The flexible light line includes a strip-shaped flexible circuit board, multiple micro LED light-emitting chips continuously arranged on the surface of the flexible circuit board, and a covering layer covering the flexible circuit board and the LED light-emitting chips. A transparent acrylic shell with guide channels extending along a pre-designed shape inside; The flexible light wire is embedded in the guide channel.

2. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The acrylic shell includes a base plate and a cover plate that overlap each other; the base plate has a groove to form the guide channel.

3. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The acrylic shell includes a base plate and a cover plate that overlap each other; each of the base plate and the cover plate has a groove on the opposite side; after the base plate and the cover plate are closed, the grooves of the base plate and the cover plate together form the guide channel.

4. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 3, characterized in that: The grooved surface of the base plate is provided with a reflective layer.

5. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 4, characterized in that: The reflective layer is a highly transparent acrylic resin, which is doped with at least one of nano-silica, transparent nano-mica sheets, or ultra-fine nano-titanium dioxide as a reflective filler.

6. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 4, characterized in that: The base plate is provided with an alignment post, and the cover plate is provided with an alignment hole; when the cover plate is closed with the base plate, the alignment post is inserted into the alignment hole.

7. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 6, characterized in that: The alignment post is a locking screw, and the alignment hole is threaded. The base plate is provided with a countersunk hole, which includes a large-diameter countersunk end and a small-diameter through end that are coaxially connected. The large-diameter countersunk end is located on the side of the base plate opposite to the groove, and the small-diameter through end passes through the base plate axially. The locking screw is inserted from the side of the base plate opposite to the groove, passes through the small-diameter through end, and is inserted into the alignment hole, where it is threadedly connected. After the thread is tightened, the head of the locking screw is completely sunk and housed in the large-diameter countersunk end.

8. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 7, characterized in that: A shim is provided between the head of the locking screw and the contact surface of the large-diameter countersunk hole.

9. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 7, characterized in that: The base plate is also provided with a wire hole in the groove, through which the power cord of the flexible lamp wire is connected to an external power source.

10. The acrylic decorative lamp according to claim 8, characterized in that: A buffer layer is also sandwiched between the cover plate and the bottom plate.

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