Small LED holder with easy size control

Abstract

This utility model discloses a small LED bracket with easy size control, including a metal bracket and a plastic base. The metal bracket includes two horizontally arranged metal plates, each of which includes a solder pad and an embedded part. The embedded part has a material-holding recess on the front and rear sides, and a protrusion is formed on the front and rear sides of the outer end of the embedded part, respectively, located outside the material-holding recess. The top surface of the plastic base has a conical cavity that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. The inner bottom of the conical cavity has an insulating rib to separate the two solder pads. After the plastic base is injection molded onto the metal bracket, it fills the material-holding recess and seals the protrusion to form a widened part protruding from the outer end of the embedded part. The space between the two widened parts on the front and rear sides of the same end is the placement position for the mold sealing parts. A cutting is reserved on the widened part, which can relax the size control of the material-holding part of the metal bracket, eliminate the need for frequent machine adjustments, improve production efficiency, and prevent wear of the injection mold sealing parts, reducing the need for mold part repair and replacement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of LED bracket technology, and in particular to a small LED bracket that is easy to control in size, which is mainly used for but not limited to indoor lighting. Background Technology

[0002] A representative LED bracket currently available includes a metal bracket and a plastic base injection-molded and fixed to the metal bracket. The plastic base has a cup-shaped body with solder pads exposed on the inner bottom surface of the cup-shaped body. Both ends of the metal bracket extend out of the plastic base. After injection molding, this type of LED bracket requires bending the metal bracket to form solder feet, for example, bending it downwards and then inwards to the bottom of the plastic base. The bottom surface of the solder feet serves as the welding attachment surface. This type of LED bracket is relatively thick; its overall thickness must at least include the depth of the cup-shaped body and the thickness of the bottom wall of the plastic base. The bottom wall thickness of the plastic base is greater than the thickness of the metal bracket because the bottom surface of the metal bracket cannot be exposed above the bottom surface of the plastic base. Furthermore, when the solder feet of the metal bracket are bent downwards and then inwards to the bottom of the plastic base to form an attachment state, the bottom surface of the solder feet is lower than the bottom surface of the plastic base, further increasing the overall thickness of the LED bracket.

[0003] For small-size design requirements, the aforementioned LED brackets have limitations. The applicant considers using horizontal metal sheets directly as conductive sheets, eliminating the step of bending and soldering the leads, and reducing the overall thickness of the LED bracket. In existing technology, during injection molding, the bonding between the metal sheet and the plastic is generally achieved by creating filling holes on the metal sheet. Due to the setting of the filling holes, the front and rear width dimensions of the metal sheet are limited, making it difficult to further reduce its size. Moreover, this type of horizontal metal sheet directly uses the left and right protruding ends as welding points. The sealing parts of the injection molding mold seal the irregular parts of the outer end of the horizontal metal sheet, which relies on strict dimensional control of the material-holding parts of the metal sheet. For example, in the applicant's early products, because their front and rear width dimensions were large enough to accommodate the filling holes, the outer end of the metal sheet was designed with multiple stepped positions. The inner stepped surface was used for material holding. The dimensions of the outer stepped surface are very important. It must be flush with the outer end dimensions of the plastic. If the dimensions are too large, it is easy to cause wear to the sealing parts of the mold and also easy to cause product damage. If the dimensions are too small, it is easy to cause burrs. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the present invention addresses the deficiencies of the existing technology, and its main purpose is to provide a small LED bracket that is easy to control in terms of size. It can relax the size control of the hardware bracket clamping part, eliminate the need for frequent machine adjustments, improve production efficiency, prevent wear of the injection mold sealing parts, reduce the repair and replacement of mold parts, and help improve product quality.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A small LED bracket with easy size control includes a metal bracket and an injection-molded plastic base fixed to the metal bracket;

[0007] The hardware bracket includes two horizontal hardware plates arranged left and right. Each horizontal hardware plate includes a solder pad and an embedded part connected to the solder pad. The embedded part has a material-holding recess on the front and rear sides, and a protrusion located at the outer end of the material-holding recess is formed on the front and rear sides of the outer end of the embedded part, respectively.

[0008] The top surface of the plastic base has a conical cavity that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. The inner bottom of the conical cavity has insulating ribs to separate the solder pads of the two horizontal hardware pieces. After the plastic base is injection molded onto the hardware bracket, it fills the recessed area and seals the protrusion to form a widened part protruding from the outer end of the embedded part. The space between the two widened parts on the front and rear sides of the same end is the placement position for the mold sealing parts. A cutting area is reserved on the widened part.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, after the cutting step of the widening portion is completed, the outer end of the embedded portion protrudes outside the retained part of the widening portion.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the bottom surface of the solder pad and the embedded part is exposed and flush with the bottom surface of the plastic base.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the bottom periphery of the pad is provided with a groove to form a stepped peripheral side.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the groove extends to the periphery of the bottom surface of the embedded part.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the top surface of the buried part is provided with an anti-seepage groove, which extends front and rear to penetrate the front and rear ends of the buried part.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, several anti-permeability grooves are arranged in parallel.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the downward projection area of ​​the anti-permeability groove and the groove enclosure form a square frame combined groove structure.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment, the plastic base, when viewed from above, has a left-right width greater than its front-back width, and correspondingly, the left-right width of its conical cavity is greater than its front-back width.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the outer peripheral side of the plastic base includes, from top to bottom, a first vertical surface, an inclined surface, and a second vertical surface, wherein the inclined surface is arranged in a downwardly expanding manner and connects between the lower end of the first vertical surface and the upper end of the second vertical surface, and the second vertical surface is provided with a corresponding widening portion.

[0018] Compared with existing technologies, this utility model has significant advantages and beneficial effects. Specifically, as can be seen from the above technical solution, it mainly involves injection molding a plastic base onto a metal bracket, filling the recessed area of ​​the metal bracket and sealing the protrusion to form a widened portion protruding from the outer end of the embedded part. The space between the two widened portions on the front and rear sides of the same end is the placement position for the mold sealing parts. A cutting area is reserved on the widened portion for cutting according to size requirements during the cutting step after the injection molding process. This injection molding structure design is simple and ingenious, allowing for a wider tolerance in the size of the metal bracket's clamping part, which means that the size control of the clamping part of the metal bracket can be relaxed, eliminating the need for frequent machine adjustments, improving production efficiency, and allowing direct size control during the cutting step. Moreover, compared with the original method of directly controlling the size of the left and right ends of the LED bracket during injection molding, the placement position of the mold sealing parts is simpler and more regular, preventing wear of the injection mold sealing parts and reducing the need for mold part repair and replacement. Furthermore, this injection molding structure makes it less prone to common abnormalities such as dents and burrs after product injection molding, thus improving product quality.

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the structural features and effects of this utility model, the following detailed description of this utility model is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a small LED bracket that is easy to control in size, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 Another perspective view of a small LED bracket that is easy to size control according to an embodiment of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of a small LED bracket that is easy to control in size, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 Another exploded view of a small LED bracket that is easy to size control according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a top view of a small LED bracket that is easy to control in size, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a bottom view of a small LED bracket that is easy to control in size, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 Cross-sectional view at point AA;

[0027] Figure 8 yes Figure 5 Cross-sectional view at point BB;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing the state of a small LED bracket, which is easy to control in size, before it is cut after injection molding, according to an embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 As shown, it illustrates the specific structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0031] A small LED bracket with easy size control includes a metal bracket 10 and a plastic base 20 injection-molded and fixed to the metal bracket 10. This type of LED bracket is mainly used for indoor lighting LED products.

[0032] The hardware bracket 10 includes two horizontally arranged hardware plates 11 and 12. Each horizontal hardware plate includes a pad 101 and an embedded portion 102 connected to the pad 101. The embedded portion 102 has a retaining recess 104 on both its front and rear sides, and a protrusion 1041 is formed on the front and rear sides of the outer end of the embedded portion 102, respectively, located at the outer end of the retaining recess 104. For the left horizontal hardware plate 11, the pad 101 is located to the right of the embedded portion 102, and the protrusion 1041 is to the left of the retaining recess 104. For the right horizontal hardware plate 12, the pad 101 is located to the left of the embedded portion 102, and the protrusion 1041 is to the right of the retaining recess 104. The protrusion 1041 protrudes from the inner end of the adjacent retaining recess 104, forming an S-shaped structure between the retaining recess 104 and the protrusion 1041. In this embodiment, the material-holding recess 104 is an inwardly concave arc-shaped surface, and the connection end of the horizontal hardware sheet is between the front and rear protrusions 1041 on the same end. The protruding ends of the protrusions 1041 are at least flush with the left and right ends of the material-holding recess 104, which is easy to process and ensures that the S-shaped structure can meet the material-holding requirements.

[0033] The top surface of the plastic base 20 is recessed with a conical cavity 201 that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. The inner bottom of the conical cavity 201 has an insulating rib 202 to separate the solder pads 101 of the two horizontal hardware sheets. After the plastic base 20 is injection molded onto the hardware bracket 10, it fills the material-holding recess 104 of the hardware bracket 10 and seals the protrusion 1041 (that is, during injection molding, the plastic covers the protrusion 1041, and the plastic accommodates the material-holding dimensional tolerance), so as to form a widened portion 205 protruding from the outer end of the embedded portion 102. The widened portion 205 protrudes from the four corners of the main body of the plastic base 20. The thickness of the widened portion 205 is less than the overall thickness of the plastic base 20. Typically, the thickness of the widened portion 205 extends upward from the bottom surface of the plastic base 20 to a position slightly higher than the upper surface of the horizontal hardware sheet, that is, the thickness of the widened portion 205 is slightly greater than the thickness of the horizontal hardware sheet.

[0034] It is evident that this type of small LED bracket can accommodate horizontal metal sheets with a wider tolerance range for the same product, reducing the requirements for metal processing. For products in the same series, if the main body of the cup (conical cavity 201) is consistent, and only the solder joint dimensions at both ends are slightly different, the metal can be shared. The cutting position can be slightly adjusted during the cutting step. For slightly different metal structures (such as solder pad details, material clamping recesses, and protrusions), the metal changes, but for the injection mold, the overall mold remains unchanged. Only the positions of the four bottom corners need to be slightly adjusted to obtain injection molded products with different widened part 205 dimensions. After injection molding, the cutting position can be flexibly set as needed during the cutting step, thereby controlling the size of the LED bracket.

[0035] The space between the two widened portions 205 on the front and rear sides of the same end serves as the placement position for the mold sealing parts, which is unaffected by the dimensional tolerances of the horizontal hardware sheet. A cutting area is reserved on the widened portion 205 for cutting according to dimensional requirements during the cutting step after injection molding. This injection molding structure design allows for a wider dimensional tolerance for the hardware bracket 10, meaning greater dimensional control over the material clamping area of ​​the hardware bracket 10 is possible. Frequent machine adjustments are unnecessary, improving production efficiency, as dimensions can be directly controlled during the cutting step. Furthermore, compared to the original method of directly controlling the dimensions of the left and right ends of the LED bracket during injection molding, the simpler and more organized placement of the mold sealing parts prevents wear on the injection mold sealing parts, reducing the need for mold part repair and replacement.

[0036] After the cutting step of the widened portion 205 is completed, the outer end of the embedded portion 102 protrudes beyond the retained portion 204 of the widened portion and can be used as a welding point. Since the welding pad 101103 and the embedded portion 102104 are exposed on the bottom surface of the plastic base 2020 after the injection molding process, it is no longer necessary to bend the welding feet, thus avoiding loosening caused by bending.

[0037] The bottom periphery of the solder pad 101 is provided with a groove 103 to form a stepped peripheral side. The depth of the groove 103 is 0.4-0.5 times the overall thickness of the horizontal metal sheet. This further improves the bonding strength between the horizontal metal sheet and the plastic base 20, increases the mutual restraint between the horizontal metal sheet and the plastic base 20 in the vertical direction, and prevents the separation of the plastic and the metal during punching. In this embodiment, the groove extends to the bottom periphery of the embedded part 102 to form a U-shaped groove. Furthermore, an anti-permeability groove 105 is provided on the top surface of the embedded part 102. The anti-permeability groove 105 extends front and rear to penetrate the front and rear ends of the embedded part 102. There are one or more anti-permeability grooves 105, preferably: several anti-permeability grooves 105 are arranged in parallel. The downward projection area of ​​the anti-permeability groove 105 and the groove 103 form a square frame combined groove structure, which helps to improve the bonding firmness between the hardware bracket 10 and the plastic base 20 and improve the airtightness of the product.

[0038] The plastic base 20 is rectangular in top view, with its left-right width greater than its front-back width, typically more than twice the front-back width (e.g., 2-3 times). Correspondingly, the left-right width of its conical cavity 201 is greater than its front-back width. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the plastic base 20 includes, from top to bottom, a first vertical surface, an inclined surface, and a second vertical surface. The inclined surface is arranged in a downwardly expanding manner and connects the lower end of the first vertical surface and the upper end of the second vertical surface. The first and second vertical surfaces refer to theoretical vertical surfaces; in actual design, a certain draft angle is considered, for example, a minimum of 0.5° to 1°. The second vertical surface is correspondingly widened 205. This structure balances injection molding yield control and facilitates subsequent LED bracket installation and positioning.

[0039] Furthermore, the horizontal width of the horizontal hardware sheet is greater than its front and back width. Because its front and back width is narrow and its area is small, considering the structural strength and processing deformation control, it is not necessary to add a filling hole on the embedded part 102. By using the material-clamping recess 104 and protrusion 1041 on its front and back sides, the bonding firmness between the hardware and the plastic can be improved. The material-clamping recess 104 here also serves as a filling hole.

[0040] Furthermore, at least three sides of the top surface 108 of the pad 101 are embedded in the plastic base 20, and the plastic base 20 has an upper U-shaped limiting part 206 that limits the top surface 108 of the pad 101; at the same time, the plastic filling the U-shaped groove serves as the lower U-shaped limiting part 207 that limits the bottom of the stepped surface 106 of the pad 101.

[0041] In other embodiments, the top surface of the insulating partition rib 202 can also be heightened so that it protrudes above the pad 101. By heightening the top surface of the insulating partition rib 202, on the one hand, the insulating partition rib 202 can be used to limit the top surface of the other side of the pad 101, achieving full-perimeter limitation of the top surface 108 of the pad 101. On the other hand, due to its small size, the partitioning and insulating ability of the insulating partition rib 202 can be improved. On the further hand, the left-right width of the pad 101 of the horizontal metal piece 12 on the right is significantly greater than that of the pad 101 of the horizontal metal piece 11 on the left (for example, 1.5 - 2 times). The pad 101 of the horizontal metal piece 12 is used to place the light source wafer, and the right side surface of the insulating partition rib 202 is designed as an inclined surface (extending obliquely upward to the left) for easy encapsulation.

[0042] It should be noted that the applicant has conducted a number of tests on the above-mentioned LED bracket products:

[0043] 1. Red ink test: The encapsulated product is immersed in a liquid of red ink and water with a ratio of 1:1 for 2 hours, and there shall be no leakage, and the test is qualified.

[0044] 2. Thermal shock test: The LED bracket sample is placed in a test chamber, with a low temperature of -40°C for 30 minutes and a high temperature of 150°C for 30 minutes as one cycle, and it is done for one week (150 hours) to analyze the performance of the LED bracket under temperature change conditions, and the test is qualified.

[0045] 3. Temperature and humidity sensitivity test (constant temperature and humidity test): After the bracket is encapsulated, it is hygroscopic in a double 85RH% 85°C high temperature and high humidity test machine for 2 hours, and after passing through the reflow soldering (260°C) 3 times, there is no delamination phenomenon between the plastic seat 20 and the metal bracket 10, and the test is qualified.

[0046] In addition, a number of other tests such as sulfurization test, bracket mechanical strength test, salt spray test, silver layer adhesion test, tin dipping test, high temperature test, drop test, and dispensing test have also been carried out. Since these tests have little relevance to the main technical solution of this patent, they will not be elaborated here.

[0047] The key design feature of this invention lies in its method of injection molding the plastic base 20 onto the metal bracket 10, filling the material-holding recess 104 of the metal bracket 10 and sealing the protrusion 1041 to form a widened portion protruding from the outer end of the embedded portion 102. The space between the two widened portions on the front and rear sides of the same end serves as the placement position for the mold sealing parts. A cutting area is reserved on the widened portion for cutting off according to size requirements during the cutting step after the injection molding process. This injection molding structure design is simple and ingenious, allowing for a wider tolerance in the material-holding dimensions of the metal bracket 10. This means that the size control of the material-holding part of the metal bracket 10 can be relaxed, eliminating the need for frequent machine adjustments and improving production efficiency. The size can be directly controlled during the cutting step. Moreover, compared to the original method of directly controlling the size of the left and right ends of the LED bracket during injection molding, the simpler and more regular placement position of the mold sealing parts prevents wear on the injection mold sealing parts and reduces the need for repair and replacement of mold parts.

[0048] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and does not constitute any limitation on the technical scope of the present utility model. Therefore, any minor modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A small LED bracket with easy size control, comprising a metal bracket and a plastic base injection-molded and fixed to the metal bracket, characterized in that: The hardware bracket includes two horizontal hardware plates arranged left and right. Each horizontal hardware plate includes a solder pad and an embedded part connected to the solder pad. The embedded part has a material-holding recess on the front and rear sides, and a protrusion located at the outer end of the material-holding recess is formed on the front and rear sides of the outer end of the embedded part, respectively. The top surface of the plastic base has a conical cavity that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. The inner bottom of the conical cavity has insulating ribs to separate the solder pads of the two horizontal hardware pieces. After the plastic base is injection molded onto the hardware bracket, it fills the recessed area and seals the protrusion to form a widened part protruding from the outer end of the embedded part. The space between the two widened parts on the front and rear sides of the same end is the placement position for the mold sealing parts. A cutting area is reserved on the widened part.

2. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the cutting step of the widening part is completed, the outer end of the embedded part protrudes outside the reserved part of the widening part.

3. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom surface of the solder pad and the embedded part is exposed and flush with the bottom surface of the plastic base.

4. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom periphery of the pad is provided with a groove to form a stepped peripheral side.

5. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 4, characterized in that: The groove extends to the periphery of the bottom surface of the embedded part.

6. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 5, characterized in that: The top surface of the buried part is provided with an anti-seepage groove, which extends forward and backward to penetrate the front and rear ends of the buried part.

7. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 6, characterized in that: Several anti-permeability grooves are arranged in parallel.

8. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 6, characterized in that: The downward projection area of ​​the anti-permeability groove and the surrounding groove form a square frame combined groove structure.

9. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 1, characterized in that: When viewed from above, the plastic base is wider from left to right than from front to back; correspondingly, the width of its conical cavity is wider from left to right than from front to back.

10. The small LED bracket with easy size control according to claim 9, characterized in that: The outer peripheral side of the plastic base includes, from top to bottom, a first vertical surface, an inclined surface and a second vertical surface. The inclined surface is arranged in a downward and outward manner and connects between the lower end of the first vertical surface and the upper end of the second vertical surface. The second vertical surface is provided with a corresponding widening portion.

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