LED strip with a connecting element

Abstract

System comprising a light-emitting diode strip (1) and a connecting element (2, 16), wherein the light-emitting diode strip (1) has an elongated, channel-shaped profile (8) with a bottom wall (12) having a bottom surface (14) and side walls (11) extending laterally from the bottom wall (12) and each having a top surface (15), and an inner recess (19) formed between the bottom wall (12) and the side walls (11), and has an elongated light-emitting diode strip (5) arranged in the inner recess (19), wherein the light-emitting diode strip (5) has a plurality of light-emitting diodes (9) arranged in the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting diode strip (5), and elongated contacting means (6, 30) are arranged on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting diode strip (5) in the inner recess (19), which are configured to supply the light-emitting diodes (9) with electrical energy, and the inner recess (19) is provided with potting compound (7),wherein the connecting element (2, 16) has at least one contact means (23) which is configured for mechanical or mechanical and electrical contact with the contacting means (6, 30), and the connecting element (2, 16) has a base body (17) which has side edges (21) with a longitudinal extent and a lateral extent, and the base body (17) is provided with at least one recess (22) extending through the base body (17) which is configured for the passage of the contact means (23), characterized in that the base body (17) has a planar form with an upper (18) and a lower (20) body surface.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a system comprising a light-emitting diode strip and a connecting element, wherein the light-emitting diode strip has an elongated, channel-shaped profile with a bottom wall having a lower side and side walls extending laterally from the bottom wall and having a respective cover surface, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] The aforementioned LED strip can be a flexible LED strip, which is intended, for example, for lighting purposes in a building, a piece of furniture, or on a vehicle. Such an LED strip can have a considerable longitudinal extension, which means that situations may arise in which intermediate feeds for the current or voltage supply of the LEDs may be necessary. An LED strip that appears to the observer to be continuous or one-piece can also be composed of multiple LED strips, so that there is a need to provide a connecting element between the individual LED strips, wherein the connecting element can optionally simultaneously supply the LED strips with current or voltage via the connection point.There is also a need to provide a connection element to enable an initial feed of current or voltage into a first or individual LED strip.

[0003] A light-emitting diode strip, as mentioned above, often has two or more copper tracks or copper layers extending along the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting diode strip, which are provided on a flexible printed circuit board, on which the light-emitting diodes are arranged, for example by means of chip-on-board (COB) technology.

[0004] Such a light-emitting diode strip has become known, for example, from the applicant's publication EP 3 872 931 B1. The light-emitting diode strip with connecting element described therein has proven highly successful in practice, but at the same time still has room for improvement.

[0005] Furthermore, the applicant has disclosed a system known as “slim-free-cut” comprising a light-emitting diode strip and a connecting element, which has also proven to be very successful in practice, but at the same time also has room for improvement.

[0006] The connection element described therein can establish electrical and mechanical contact with the aforementioned copper tracks of the LED strip by means of insulation displacement contacts. The LED strip has a longitudinal extension that is significantly greater than the widthwise extension of the LED strip perpendicular to the longitudinal extension and is also significantly greater than the heightwise extension perpendicular to the longitudinal extension.

[0007] If the known connection element is attached to the LED strip by means of an insulation displacement connection, the LED strip is received in a U-shaped recess of the connection element. The connection element attached to the LED strip has a width transverse to the longitudinal direction of the LED strip that is greater than the width of the LED strip.

[0008] As already mentioned above, the known LED strip can be used, among other things, to be fixed, for example, to a piece of furniture for illuminating the interior of the piece of furniture. Also, for example, it is possible to arrange the LED strip on a skirting board of a room to illuminate the floor. The LED strip is usually arranged in a receptacle of the aforementioned skirting board or also of the piece of furniture, which can be a longitudinal groove. The LED strip is pressed into the longitudinal groove and clamped therein with a clamping seat.

[0009] The width of the longitudinal groove largely corresponds to the width of the LED strip to ensure a permanent clamp fit. In such an installation situation, it is often desirable that the longitudinal groove should not be wider than necessary to accommodate the LED strip.

[0010] Based on this, the present invention is based on the object of creating a system with a LED strip and a connecting element that can be easily arranged, for example, in a longitudinal groove of a piece of furniture or another receptacle, without requiring any special machining of the longitudinal groove to accommodate the connecting element. A method for providing such a system is also to be created.

[0011] The invention created to solve this problem has the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments thereof are described in the further claims.

[0012] The invention provides a system with a light-emitting diode strip and a connection element, wherein the light-emitting diode strip has an elongated, channel-shaped profile with a bottom wall having a bottom side and side walls extending laterally from the bottom wall and having a respective cover surface, and an inner recess formed between the bottom wall and the side walls, and has an elongated light-emitting diode strip arranged in the inner recess, wherein the light-emitting diode strip has a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged in the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting diode strip, and elongated contacting means are arranged in the inner recess on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting diode strip, which contacting means are designed to supply the light-emitting diodes with electrical energy, and the inner recess is provided with a potting compound, wherein the connection element has at least one contact means,which is designed for mechanical and / or electrical contact with a contacting means, and the connecting element has a base body which has side edges with a longitudinal extension and a width extension and the base body is provided with at least one recess which passes through the base body and is designed for the passage of the contact means, wherein the base body has a flat design with an upper and a lower body surface.

[0013] The invention thus provides a system which comprises a light-emitting diode strip and a connection element.

[0014] The possibility of a mechanical and / or electrical connection of the connection element to the LED strip makes it possible to physically connect the connection element to the LED strip, which is, for example, pulled off a roll at the installation site and simply cut or trimmed to length, without the need to carry out further work on the LED strip to prepare the LED strip.

[0015] This physical connection ensures that the LED strip, which is already held or fastened at the installation or connection location by means of a holding device, also simultaneously holds or fastens the connection connecting element, without it having to be held or fastened separately at the connection or installation location by means of a separate holding device.

[0016] This creates the possibility of mechanically connecting the connecting element to the LED strip at the mounting location or connection location in situ and, since the connecting element is also designed to electrically contact the LED strip to supply it with current and / or voltage, at the same time providing the supply of electrical energy to the LED strip.

[0017] Thus, the inventive design of the connecting element achieves functional integration, since it realizes both the mechanical connection of the connecting element for the electrical energy supply of the LED strip on site, i.e. in situ at the connection location or assembly location, and an element or component, namely the connecting element for the electrical energy supply of the LED strip.

[0018] This makes it possible to transport an LED strip, which is manufactured without a connection option for the electrical power supply, for example wound on a roll to the connection location or assembly site and to provide it there in situ with a connection means via which the electrical power supply is provided at the connection location or assembly site. Therefore, no preparatory work whatsoever is required on the LED strip wound on a roll for the subsequent electrical power supply at the assembly or connection site, since the mechanical connection of the connection connecting element to the LED strip simultaneously establishes the electrical contact between the connection connecting element and the LED strip, so that electrical energy can then be fed into the LED strip via the connection connecting element, which is provided with connection means, for example.

[0019] This procedure has the advantage that the LED strip can be pulled off the roll and cut to any length at the installation or connection location without having to carry out any connection work on the LED strip beforehand to attach a component to provide electrical power to the LED strip.

[0020] This procedure considerably facilitates the quick and error-free connection of such a component to provide electrical power to the LED strip at the connection or installation location and therefore also represents a very cost-effective solution for connecting such a component to the LED strip.

[0021] The connecting element according to the present invention is characterized by its flat, planar configuration and its upper and lower body surfaces. The flat, planar configuration of the connecting element allows it to be releasably secured, for example, to the underside of a U-shaped, elongated, channel-like profile of the LED strip.The base body of the connecting element therefore rests, for example, with the lower body surface on the underside of the channel-shaped profile and, since the base body is flat, i.e. has no extensions, side walls, bulges or the like extending from the side edges in the vertical axis direction of the base body, the base body therefore only contributes insignificantly to the vertical extension of the channel-shaped profile of the LED strip, can be integrated together with the LED strip into a receiving groove of a piece of furniture or a side wall of a skirting board or the like.

[0022] The base body of the connecting element has a longitudinal and / or lateral extension such that the base body arranged on the channel-shaped profile of the LED strip does not extend beyond the width of the LED strip. This also contributes to the fact that the LED strip with the connecting element arranged thereon can be easily inserted into a receiving groove of a piece of furniture or the like without the need to enlarge or widen the receiving groove in the width direction in the area of ​​the connecting element.

[0023] This creates a system with an LED strip and a connecting element that can be easily inserted into a receiving groove on site, for example at the installation site, and secured there, without the receiving groove having to be machined differently to accommodate the connecting element than for the LED strip itself. The receiving groove therefore does not have to be specially machined to accommodate the connecting element, for example, it does not have to be widened in width.

[0024] This design of the LED strip with a connecting element ensures that the receiving groove in the piece of furniture or skirting board, for example, can be easily created during production, for example, with a continuous milling process, without having to provide a specific receiving area that is wider than the groove to accommodate the connecting element. This simplifies the process for producing the receiving groove and also makes it more cost-effective.

[0025] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided, in particular, that the base body is free of a side wall extending away from a side edge of the base body. Thus, the base body does not have a side wall extending away in the vertical axis direction of the base body and therefore, when the base body is arranged on the U-shaped profile of the LED strip, does not increase the height of the U-shaped profile.

[0026] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the base body has a thickness that is smaller than the width or length of the base body. The overall height or thickness of the base body is measured in the vertical axis direction of the base body. In a preferred embodiment of the base body in the form of a PCB board, this is, for example, 0.3 millimeters to 0.4 millimeters. The U-shaped profile of the LED strip has, for example, a height of 8 millimeters, so that the height of the base body is approximately five percent relative to the height of the LED strip and the system with LED strip and connection element can be easily inserted into a receiving groove in a piece of furniture, which is milled ten millimeters deep during manufacture of the piece of furniture.

[0027] The LED strip including the connecting element is then simply pushed into the receiving groove of the piece of furniture and therefore does not protrude above the surface of the plane in which the receiving groove was manufactured.

[0028] According to a further development of the invention, the recess passing through the base body has a cross-sectionally particularly conical depression on the body surface of the base body intended for the passage of the contact means.

[0029] This configuration has the advantage that a simple screw with a self-tapping thread can be used as the contact means, which is inserted into the recess and can then be introduced into the LED strip by means of a simple tool in the form of a screwdriver and in the process penetrates the potting compound arranged in the interior of the LED strip and also penetrates the contact means, which can be a copper track, for example, so that when the screw has reached its predetermined position, the underside of the screw head lies in the conical recess and the upper side of the screw head does not protrude beyond the body surface of the base body on which the conical recess has been formed.

[0030] This configuration is particularly advantageous because the flush fit of the screw head with the body surface of the base body having the recess, such that the screw head does not protrude above the surface of the body surface, allows the LED strip with the attached connection element to be inserted into the aforementioned receiving groove without the overall height of the system comprising the LED strip and connection element increasing due to the contact means. This, in turn, leads to the advantage that the receiving groove does not have to be deeper than necessary to accommodate the LED strip with the connection element.

[0031] According to a further development of the invention, it is provided that the base body is a printed circuit board, the recess of which is provided for the passage of the contact means and has an area designed for contact with the contact means, which area is designed to be electrically conductive.

[0032] The circuit board can be a cost-effective PCB board that can be provided with one or more recesses to accommodate one or more contact elements. For example, if there are four recesses, four contact elements can be inserted into the recesses. Such a circuit board can be used, for example, to connect two elongated LED strips together. The two LED strips are brought into contact with each other with their respective end faces. The circuit board is then attached to the respective underside of the bottom wall of the channel-shaped profile of the respective LED strip, and the contact elements are then inserted into the recesses.In a next step, the contact means can then, for example by means of a screwing movement, penetrate the underside of the channel-shaped profile, which is made of an elastic polyurethane material, for example, and penetrate the copper tracks arranged on both sides of the LED strip and penetrate into the potting compound and are thus mechanically fixed.

[0033] The configuration thus formed, consisting of two LED strips lying against one another at their respective end faces, is mechanically connected to the connection element in this way and can also establish an electrical connection between the two LED strips with the correct polarity via the contact means, namely recesses that are electrically connected to one another.

[0034] In this way, the connecting element provides both a mechanical and electrical connection with and between the LED strips. To prevent the connecting element from slipping when mounting the connecting element on an LED strip or when connecting two LED strips to each other, a section of double-sided adhesive tape can be applied or positioned on the body surface of the connecting element, which is to be brought into contact with the underside of the channel-shaped profile or profiles. This also prevents the connecting element from slipping during the installation of the contact element or contact elements.

[0035] According to a further development of the invention, it is provided that the underside of the profile has a width extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the profile and the base body arranged on the underside has a longitudinal extent and / or width extent such that the base body does not protrude laterally in the width direction of the underside.

[0036] This configuration means that the base body, together with the LED strip, can be inserted into a receiving groove of an object to be illuminated, for example a piece of furniture or a panel or another component, without the receiving groove having to be made wider in the width direction of the LED strip at the location intended for the arrangement of the base body than is already necessary to accommodate the LED strip.

[0037] The base body can, for example, be square, with a side edge length of, for example, twelve millimeters. In such a case, the LED strip also has a width of twelve millimeters in the width direction of the U-shaped receiving profile, so that the base body can be arranged, for example, on the underside of the bottom wall of the elongated, channel-shaped, U-shaped profile without the base body protruding beyond the width of the LED strip when viewed in the width direction of the LED strip. The square design of the connection element or the base body of the connection element has, among other things, the further advantage that electrical connection lines, with which electrical energy is fed to the connection element, can be arranged both in the longitudinal direction of the LED strip and in the transverse direction of the LED strip relative to the LED strip.

[0038] The longitudinal direction has the advantage that the connecting cables can be arranged together with the connecting element and the LED strip in the receiving groove of the object to be illuminated and thus can be hidden, while the arrangement of the electrical connecting cables transverse to the longitudinal direction of the LED strip can be used if the receiving groove is provided with a transverse bore through which the electrical connecting cables then pass.

[0039] This means that the LED strip can be easily inserted into a receiving groove together with the connection element, as already explained above.

[0040] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the respective side wall of the profile has the cover surface opposite the base wall, which has a width extension corresponding to the thickness of the side wall and forms a common longitudinal edge with the outer surface of the side wall opposite the inner recess, and the width extension of the profile determined between the two longitudinal edges of the profile is greater than or equal to the longitudinal extension and / or width extension of a base body arranged on the cover surfaces.

[0041] This configuration has the advantage that the base body can be arranged both on the underside of the bottom wall of a channel-shaped profile of the LED strip and can thus be arranged invisibly for the observer in a receiving groove of an object to be illuminated and can also be arranged on the channel-shaped profile from above and in both cases does not protrude laterally beyond the width of the LED strip.

[0042] The arrangement of the connecting element with the base body on the channel-shaped profile from above, i.e. resting on the cover surfaces of the side walls, is advantageous, for example, when the LED strip is arranged in a receiving groove which is spanned at the front by a cover wall and the base body together with the channel-shaped profile of the LED strip is arranged in the area below the cover wall and is therefore also not visible at the attachment location.

[0043] As already mentioned above, a contact means can be inserted into the recess of the base body, which on the one hand creates a mechanical connection between the base body and the LED strip and optionally on the other hand also creates a mechanical and electrical connection between the base body and the LED strip.

[0044] The invention therefore also provides a system with a light-emitting diode strip and a connection element as well as a contact means passing through the recess, wherein the contact means is located in the contact means designed as an electrically conductive copper track.

[0045] The connection element can, for example, be provided with two electrical connecting lines, which are electrically connected to two recesses in the base body, for example, by means of a respective conductor track on the base body designed as a printed circuit board. Electrically conductive contact means in the form of, for example, the countersunk screws mentioned above are then inserted into the two recesses of the base body and, using a simple tool, are brought into engagement with the potting compound and the contact means in the form of a respective copper track.

[0046] A supply voltage can then be applied to the two copper tracks of the LED strip via the connecting cables and the electrically conductive countersunk screws, thus supplying the LEDs of the LED strip with electrical energy.

[0047] According to a further development of the invention, the contact means has an elongated configuration and a complementary contact surface designed for contact with an electrically conductive surface of the recess of the base body.

[0048] The contact means may be a countersunk head screw, as described above merely by way of example, or a contact pin, a bolt, a rivet or another electrically conductive contact means.

[0049] The recess in the base body has an electrically conductive contact surface; the base body itself is preferably not electrically conductive to avoid the risk of an electrical short circuit. The base body can therefore have, for example, one, two, or even four recesses, each of which is provided with an electrically conductive contact surface, for example, with an electrically conductive metallic coating.

[0050] The contact element, in the form of a countersunk screw, for example, is inserted into the recess, and the conical underside of the countersunk screw head comes into contact with the conductive contact surface of the recess. The contact surface of the recess can be connected to an external electrical connection line via a conductor track or an electrically conductive wire connection in order to supply the contact surface of the recess and thus also the contact element with electrical voltage. The contact element is in mechanical and electrical connection with the contact element of the LED strip, for example, a copper track, so that the electrical voltage is also applied to the copper track, and the copper track thus forms, for example, a negative pole.

[0051] Similarly, the second copper track forms a positive pole, so that the LEDs of the LED strip are supplied with electrical energy.

[0052] According to a further development of the invention, it is provided that the contact means is designed as a countersunk head screw with a cutting screw thread, wherein the underside of the screw head is designed to be complementary in shape and surface to the contact surface of the recess of the base body.

[0053] If the contact means is arranged in the recess of the base body, the countersunk head screw in the recess of the base body transmits the electrical voltage present to the copper track, as already explained above.

[0054] The electrical energy supply to the LEDs of the LED strip can be achieved via two recesses in the base body and countersunk screws arranged therein.

[0055] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the base body has a square configuration with more than one recess and has a respective conical depression on the body surface designed for the entry of the contact means into the respective recess, which depression is designed to receive a head section of the contact means in such a way that the head section can be received largely completely in the depression.

[0056] If, for example, a countersunk screw is inserted into the recess described, the frustoconical underside of the countersunk screw rests on the conical depression of the recess, so that the top side of the countersunk screw, i.e. the screw head, is largely flat or flush with the top side of the body surface having the recesses.

[0057] If the thus formed base body is recorded together with the LED strip in the receiving groove of an object to be illuminated, then the screw head is largely within the frustum-shaped recess of the recess, and thus the receiving groove in the area of the receiving area of the base body does not have to be formed deeper than along the area of the receiving groove in which only the LED strip is received. The receiving groove can thus be simply produced with a continuous depth of the groove.

[0058] According to a further development of the invention, it is provided that the base body has at least two recesses which have a respective electrically conductive region and the base body is provided with two connecting lines, of which a respective connecting line is connected to an electrically conductive region in such a way that a contact means arranged in the recess and in contact with the contacting means is set up to provide electrical energy for the light-emitting diodes via the connecting lines.

[0059] The electrical energy supply of the LEDs of the LED strip of the LED band can therefore be ensured via the at least two recesses of the base body.

[0060] According to a further development of the invention, it is also provided that the base body has a rectangular configuration with a longitudinal extension which is greater than the width extension or has an L-shaped configuration.

[0061] A base body with a rectangular configuration, whose longitudinal extent is greater than its width, can be used, for example, for the mechanical connection of two LED strips with their respective end faces adjacent to one another. Such a base body can have two or more recesses spaced apart from one another on both sides of a longitudinal central axis along its longitudinal extent, each of which is designed to receive a contact means.

[0062] On the side of the base body opposite the longitudinal central axis, two or more recesses spaced apart from one another can also be provided, which are designed to receive a respective contact means.

[0063] In such a configuration, the contact means are used as mechanical connecting means between the two LED strips that are adjacent to one another with their respective end faces. If the spaced-apart recesses on the respective side of the longitudinal center axis have a respective electrical connection to one another, the contact means can be used as mechanical and electrical connecting means between the two LED strips that are adjacent to one another with their respective end faces, and thus a second LED strip can also be supplied with electrical energy provided by the first LED strip via the connecting element and the contact means.

[0064] An L-shaped configuration of the base body serves, for example, to connect two LED strips in an L-shaped arrangement. This L-shaped arrangement can, for example, be in one plane, so that the two connected LED strips lie in the same plane, or it can be configured such that a first LED strip lies in one plane and the second LED strip connected to the first LED strip lies in a plane rotated 90 degrees to this plane. In this way, a mechanical or mechanical and electrical connection of two LED strips can be made at a 90-degree angle to each other.

[0065] The invention also provides a procedure for forming a system according to one of the preceding claims, which is characterized by the following steps: - Providing a LED strip - Arranging a base body with the lower contact surface on the profile aligned with the underside or the top surfaces of the side walls of the profile - Introducing at least one contact agent into at least one recess of the base body - Establishing a mechanical or mechanical and electrical connection of the contact means with a contact means of the LED strip.

[0066] In this way, a light-emitting diode strip with an elongated, channel-shaped profile and a light-emitting diode strip which is arranged in the inner recess of the profile and has contacting means in the form of, for example, copper tracks on both sides of its long side and in which potting compound is also arranged in the inner recess, which encloses the light-emitting diodes of the light-emitting diode strip, can be connected to a connection connecting element designed according to the invention, specifically to bring about a mechanical connection of the connection connecting element with the light-emitting diode strip or a mechanical and also electrically conductive connection of the contact means with the light-emitting diode strip.

[0067] According to a further development of the procedure according to the invention, it is provided that the base body is fixed to the underside or the cover surfaces by means of a double-sided adhesive tape and the contact means is guided into the recess by means of a tool arranged on the base body.

[0068] The tool can, for example, be an assembly template which has through-holes through which contact means in the form of the countersunk screws already mentioned, for example, are inserted in a centered and guided manner into the recess of the base body and screwed in a centered and guided manner into the LED strip.

[0069] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, which shows: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a known system with a light-emitting diode strip and a terminal connecting element; Fig. 2 a perspective view of a light-emitting diode strip of the system according to the invention; Fig. 3 a sectional view of the LED strip according to Fig. 2 according to section II-II; Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a terminal connecting element according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a system according to another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of a contact means according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention with electrical connection lines arranged on the base body; Fig. 9 a representation similar to that according to Fig. 8, with an electrical energy supply from the side; Fig. 10 is a plan view of a terminal connecting element; Fig. 11 is a plan view of a modified terminal connecting element; Fig. 12 is a plan view of a terminal connecting element according to another embodiment; Fig. 13 is a plan view of a terminal connecting element according to another embodiment; Fig. 14 is a view with several representations of a light-emitting diode strip with a terminal connecting element arranged thereon; Fig. 15 is a view with two representations showing two different electrical energy feeds; Fig. 16 a view showing the connection of two LED strips with a connection element according to the invention; Fig. 17 a representation of two LED strips that are connected to the connection element at a 90-degree angle; Fig. 18 a representation similar to that according to Fig. 17, which shows two LED strips connected to each other at a 90-degree angle; Fig. 19 a perspective view of a tool for easily mounting the connection element on the LED strip; Fig. 20 a schematic representation of a base body according to an alternative embodiment, with electrical connection lines arranged thereon; Fig. 21 a representation similar to that according to Fig. 20, which shows an installation situation of the base body according to Fig. 20 with lateral feeding; and Fig. 22 a representation similar to that according to Fig. 6, which shows the system according to the invention with LED strip and connecting element in a receiving groove of a piece of furniture.

[0070] Fig. Figure 1 of the drawing shows a known system with a light-emitting diode strip 1 and a connecting element 2 arranged thereon. In the known system shown, the connecting element 2 has a connector element 3 with which the light-emitting diode strip 1 can be received in a recess of the connector element 3. The connecting element 2 has a greater width in the direction of the width extension B of the light-emitting diode strip 1 than the light-emitting diode strip 1 itself. Fig. The system shown in Figure 1 originates from the applicant and has already proven itself in practice, but still has room for improvement.

[0071] Fig. 2 of the drawing shows a schematic perspective view of a light-emitting diode strip 1 with a base profile 4, a light-emitting diode strip 5 and electrical contacting means 6 in the form of continuous copper tracks 30 and potting compound 7 arranged in the base profile 4.

[0072] The light-emitting diode strip 1 has an elongated channel-shaped profile 8, which is designed as an elastic base profile 4, which has a channel-shaped interior 19, in which the light-emitting diode strip 5 is arranged with a plurality of light-emitting diodes 9 provided at a slight distance from one another.

[0073] The LED strip 5 can be a Fig. 3 of the drawing have a flexible conductor track 10 and the Fig. 3 The light-emitting diodes 9 shown only schematically can be mounted on the conductor track 10 using chip-on-board (COB) technology.

[0074] Fig. 3 of the drawing shows a schematically illustrated magneto-operative device 48 in the form of, for example, a ferromagnetic band or ferromagnetic strip, which are arranged in the inner recess 19 of the base profile 4 in the region of the inner sides of the side wall 11 and the inner side of the bottom wall 12.This configuration has the advantage that a light-emitting diode strip 1 provided with the magneto-operative device 48 can be arranged on a carrier profile in the form of, for example, a carrier rail or a carrier frame or the like and can be releasably fixed to the carrier rail or the carrier frame or the carrier profile by means of permanent magnets provided on the carrier profile or the carrier rail or the carrier frame and thus no intervention in the structure of the carrier rail or the carrier frame or the carrier profile has to be carried out, as is carried out, for example, when the carrier has to be provided with drill holes in order to be able to fasten receptacles for the arrangement and fixing of the light-emitting diode strip to the carrier.

[0075] With the COB arrangement, it is possible to arrange the LEDs at such a small distance from each other that the LEDs produce a uniform light for the viewer, i.e. the viewer does not perceive individual points of light, but sees a continuous, one-piece or one-piece LED strip with a homogeneous radiation of the light.

[0076] The base profile 4 can be an elastic profile with a trough-shaped or channel-shaped cross-section, which is made, for example, of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), in particular a urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPU), or also of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material or also of an elastic thermosetting material.

[0077] The base profile 4 of the LED strip 1, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, in the embodiment shown, has two side walls 11 which are formed integrally with the bottom wall 12 of the LED strip 1 and extend in the longitudinal direction “L” according to the double arrow Fig. 1 have a longitudinal rib 13 on both sides of the respective side wall, which on the one hand increases the rigidity of the base profile 2 and also increases the preload when the LED strip is arranged in a receiving groove of a piece of furniture or the like, as can be seen schematically from Fig. 22 of the drawing.

[0078] Predetermined markings may be provided on the bottom wall 12 of the LED strip 1, which represent cutting lines or positioning aids for the user, at which the user can cut or position the LED strip 1.

[0079] Fig. 3 of the drawing also shows that the bottom wall 12 of the base profile 4 has a bottom side 14 and the two side walls 11 of the base profile 4 each have an upper cover surface 15.

[0080] Like it Fig. As shown in Figure 3, electrical contacting means 6 in the form of the aforementioned copper tracks 30 are provided on both sides of the longitudinal direction L of the LED strip 5. The copper tracks 30 can be used to provide electrical energy for the LEDs 9 of the LED strip 5.

[0081] The inner recess 19 or the interior 19 of the base profile 4 is provided with casting compound 7.

[0082] Fig. 5 of the drawing shows a sectional view of the LED strip 1 with a terminal connecting element 16 in a representation which schematically shows the mounting of the terminal connecting element 16 on the LED strip 1.

[0083] The connecting element 16 has a base body 17, which can also be designed, for example, by means of Fig. 4 of the drawing. As can be seen from the Fig. As can be seen in Figure 4, the base body 17 according to the embodiment shown has a square design and is flat.

[0084] The base body 17 has a longitudinal extension L1 and a width extension B1. In the square configuration of the base body 17, it has dimensions of, for example, 12 millimeters in both the longitudinal and width directions.

[0085] The base body 17 has a dimension in the vertical direction which is considerably smaller than in the direction of the width or in the direction of the length. This planar formation results in a planar configuration of the base body 17, which ensures that the base body 17, as can be seen from Fig. 22 of the drawing, can be inserted into a receiving groove of a piece of furniture or the like together with the LED strip 1, without the overall height of the system comprising the LED strip and the connecting element being significantly increased by the base body 17 arranged on the LED strip 1.

[0086] Fig. 5 of the drawing shows that the base body 17 has an upper body surface 18 and also has a lower body surface 20. The base body 17 also has side edges 21, which can also be identified, for example, by Fig. 4 of the drawing. No side walls extend from the side edges or side surfaces 21 of the base body 17 in the vertical direction H of the base body 17. The base body 17 is therefore free of side walls which extend in the vertical direction H of the base body away from the upper body surface 18 or the lower body surface 20 and have a greater extent than that determined by Fig. 6 of the drawing shows the thickness D of the base body 17.

[0087] By this configuration of the base body 17 with the flat, planar design in such a way that no side walls extend upwards or downwards from the lower body surface 20 and the upper body surface 18, a base body 17 is created which can be simply and easily inserted into a receiving groove of a piece of furniture or the like together with the LED strip, without the depth of the receiving groove or the width of the receiving groove having to be increased in order to receive the connection element 2 with the base body 17.

[0088] Fig. 5 of the drawing also shows that the base body 17 has recesses 22 which are designed for the passage of a respective contact means 23, which in the illustrated embodiment are formed by simple countersunk screws 24 which can be inserted into the recesses 22 and then screwed in by means of a simple tool in the form of, for example, a screwdriver, so that they penetrate the casting compound 7 of the LED strip 1 and with the cutting tip 25, which will also be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 7 of the drawing, penetrate the copper tracks 30 and thus create an electrically conductive connection between the contact means 23 and the contacting means in the form of the copper tracks 30.

[0089] How this can be seen from Fig. 5 of the drawing, the recesses 22 each have frustoconical depressions 26 facing the upper body surface 18, which are electrically conductive, while the connection element 16 is formed, for example, with an electrically non-conductive circuit board or printed circuit board 27, so that the risk of a short circuit between the respective electrically conductive areas 28, which in Fig. 5 of the drawing is avoided.

[0090] The circuit board 27 itself can be electrically non-conductive; it can also be insulated, for example, on the upper body surface 18 and also the lower body surface 20 with a solder resist.

[0091] Fig. 5 and also Fig. 6 of the drawing show that the width extension B1 of the base body 17 is dimensioned such that the base body 17 does not protrude laterally, i.e. in the direction of the width extension B of the light-emitting diode strip 1, beyond the outer dimensions of the light-emitting diode strip 1 in the direction of its width extension.

[0092] Fig. 5 of the drawing also shows that a double-sided adhesive tape 29 is arranged on the lower body surface 20 of the base body 17, which facilitates the arrangement of the base body 17 on the respective upper cover surface 15 of the side wall 11. With the adhesive tape 29, the base body 17 can be arranged and temporarily fixed on the cover surfaces 15, so that the base body 17 cannot shift relative to the cover surfaces 15 during the screwing-in movement of the countersunk screws 24.

[0093] Fig. 6 of the drawing shows a similar configuration of the arrangement of the base body 17 on the base profile 4 of the LED strip 1.

[0094] The base body 17 is again arranged on the base profile 4 with an optional adhesive tape 29 in between, namely in the Fig. 6 of the drawing, on the underside 14 of the bottom wall 12 of the base profile 4.

[0095] The width dimension B1 of the base body 17 is dimensioned such that the base body 17 does not protrude laterally in the direction of the width direction B of the LED strip 1 beyond the width dimension of the LED strip 1. This achieves the advantage already explained above that when the LED strip 1 is arranged together with the connection element comprising the base body 17 in the Fig. 22, the receiving groove for receiving the connecting element 16 does not need to be widened in the width direction. Since the base body 17 has a very small thickness D, which in Fig. 6 of the drawing, the receiving groove for receiving the base body 17 does not have to be widened or made deeper in the depth direction than is already necessary for receiving the light-emitting diode strip 1.

[0096] The underside 14 of the base profile 4 thus has a width extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the profile 4, and the base body 17 arranged on the underside has a longitudinal extent and / or width such that the base body does not protrude laterally in the width direction of the underside. The base body is preferably square in shape, so that the base body can be easily mounted due to the square shape of the base body in a connection of two LED strips, for example, which are arranged face to face and mechanically coupled to one another using the connecting element according to the invention.

[0097] Fig. 7 of the drawing shows the countersunk head screw 24 with its cutting tip 25 and the truncated cone-shaped screw head underside 31, which is designed to be complementary in shape and area to the truncated cone-shaped depression 26 of the recess 22 of the base body 17 and thus comes into contact with the electrically conductive region 28 of the base body 17 and can be used to provide electrical energy for the light-emitting diodes 9 of the light-emitting diode strip 5.

[0098] Fig. Figure 8 of the drawing shows a perspective view of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention with electrical connection lines arranged on the base body 17. In the Fig. 8 of the drawing, the base body is arranged on the respective cover surfaces 15 of the LED strip 1, whereby for the sake of ease of illustration Fig. 8 of the drawing the contact means 23 are not shown. Fig. 8 of the drawing serves to illustrate that the base body 17, due to its square design, can be arranged on the LED strip 1 in such a way that the electrical connection lines 32 run in the longitudinal direction of the LED strip 1, while the Fig. The configuration shown in Figure 9 of the drawing shows an arrangement of the base body with a so-called side feed. The electrical connection lines to the base body 17 run in the direction of the side wall 11, as can be seen from the Fig. 9 of the drawing.

[0099] Fig. 10 of the drawing shows a plan view of the base body 17 with electrical connection lines and a total of four recesses 22, which are arranged at a distance A from each other, which corresponds to the clear distance A of the copper tracks 30 from each other, as can be seen from Fig. 5 of the drawing. This allows the Fig. 10 of the drawing shown power supply board in both of the Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 of the drawing are arranged on the LED strip 1.

[0100] Fig. 11 shows a top view of a modified connection connecting element 1. The Fig. The base body 17 shown in Figure 11 has a longitudinal extension with a dimension that corresponds largely to twice the width of the base body. This embodiment of the base body can, for example, be used for the Fig. 16 of the drawing. Fig. Figure 16 of the drawing shows two LED strips 1, which are connected to each other with their respective end faces adjacent to each other. The connection is achieved via the base body 17 arranged on the respective underside 14 of the LED strip 1. The recesses 22 arranged on the base body show the respective location for receiving a respective countersunk head screw 24, which in the Fig. 16 is not shown. Four countersunk head screws 24 are inserted into the recesses 22 in such a way that the respective screw head tops do not protrude beyond the upper body surface 18 of the base body 17. By means of Fig. 11 of the drawing, an electrical connection can also be provided between the LED strips 1 such that the supply voltage applied to one LED strip is also used to supply the other LED strip with electrical energy. The connecting lines 34 are optional, so that respective base bodies 17 are possible with and without connecting lines.

[0101] Fig. 12 of the drawing shows an embodiment of the base body with an L-shaped configuration.

[0102] This embodiment of the base body 17 serves for the arrangement and connection of two light-emitting diode strips 1 according to the Fig. 17 shown configuration.

[0103] The Fig. Figure 17 shows two LED strips connected to the connector element at a 90-degree angle. The L-shaped base body 17 thus serves to arrange two LED strips 1 at a 90-degree angle to each other.

[0104] Fig. 13 shows a plan view of a terminal connecting element according to another embodiment.

[0105] This basic body is a configuration in which a partial surface 36 is folded out of the plane of the partial surface 35 by a 90 degree angle. This configuration serves to form the Fig. 18 shown arrangement of two light-emitting diode strips 1 to each other.

[0106] Fig. 14 shows a view with two representations of a light-emitting diode strip 1 with a connection element 2 arranged thereon and serves to illustrate that the connection element 2 can be arranged on the cover surfaces 15 of the side walls 11 of the light-emitting diode strip 1 or on the underside 14 of the bottom wall 12, as already explained above.

[0107] Fig. Figure 15 of the drawing shows a view with two representations showing two different electrical energy feeds.

[0108] Both illustrations show a so-called side feed, in which the base body 17 is arranged relative to the LED strip 1 in such a way that the connecting lines 32 run at an angle to the respective side wall 11, wherein it is again shown that the base body 17 can be arranged on the cover surfaces 15 of the side walls 11 or on the underside 14 of the bottom wall 12.

[0109] Fig. 19 of the drawing shows a perspective view of a tool 37 for easy assembly of the connection element 2 on the LED strip 1.

[0110] The tool 1 has a configuration corresponding to the shape of the base body 17, for example a square configuration, as shown in Fig. 19 of the drawing. The tool 37 is advantageously transparent, so that the user can see the holes 38 of the tool overlapping with the holes shown, for example, in Fig. 10 of the drawing can arrange and align the recesses 22 of the base body 17.

[0111] The base body 17 is arranged, for example, on the underside 14 of the base wall 12 of the LED strip using a double-sided adhesive tape 29. The user can then place the tool 37 at the installation location, i.e. in situ on the base body 17, and insert the pin-shaped contact means in the form of, for example, the aforementioned countersunk screws 24 through the bores 38. Since the tool is transparent, the user can visually monitor the impact of the cutting tips 25 of the countersunk screws 24 in the recesses 22 and then screw in the screws 24, for example using a simple hand tool in the form of a screwdriver. The bores 38 guide the screws 24 so that they penetrate into the base wall 12 at right angles to it, penetrate it, and are screwed in at right angles to the copper tracks 30, thus establishing a mechanical and electrical connection.

[0112] Fig. Figure 20 of the drawing shows a schematic representation of a base body according to an alternative embodiment, with electrical connection lines arranged thereon.

[0113] The base body 17 has a square configuration and comprises two connecting leads 32, which are color-coded to indicate to the user the positive and negative poles of the connecting leads 32. The user can use the base body 17 for electrically contacting the copper tracks 30 of the LED strip 1 in either of the Fig. 14 and in one of the positions shown in Fig. 15 corresponding configuration. Via a corresponding, not shown color coding of the connecting cables 32, the user receives information as to which cable is the positive pole and which cable is the negative pole. The connecting cable 39 represents a connection between the two connection fields corresponding to the negative pole. The user can Fig. 20 shown base body 17 for both longitudinal feed and lateral feed according to the configuration according to Fig. Use 21.

[0114] The Fig. 21 shows a representation similar to that of Fig. 20, which shows an installation situation of the base body 17 according to Fig. 20 with side feed.

[0115] Fig. 22 shows a representation similar to that of Fig. 6, which shows the system according to the invention with LED strip 1 and connecting element 2 in a receiving groove 40 of a piece of furniture.

[0116] The receiving groove 40 is formed with a predetermined depth in the direction of the vertical axis H of the side wall 41 of a piece of furniture (not shown in detail). The LED strip 1 is inserted into the receiving groove 40 together with the connecting element 2, which can be done using a rolling tool (not shown in detail). During the insertion movement of the LED strip 1 together with the connecting element 2 in the direction of arrow 42 into the receiving groove 40, the wedge-shaped ribs 13 of the base profile 4 of the LED strip 1 deform and thus establish a frictional connection with the inner wall 43 of the receiving groove 40. The LED strip 1, together with the connecting element 2, is thus securely received in the receiving groove 40 of the piece of furniture.

[0117] Due to the small thickness D (see Fig. 6) of the base body 17, the receiving groove 40 for receiving the connecting element only needs to be as deep as is required for receiving the LED strip 1 anyway.

[0118] The system according to the invention has the advantage that the connecting element connected to the LED strip can be fully integrated into a receiving groove of an object to be illuminated. The object to be illuminated can be, for example, a piece of furniture, a panel, a wooden strip, the interior of a room in a building, or any other object.

[0119] The receiving groove does not need to be designed with additional receiving areas for the connecting element to accommodate the connection element, which is arranged on the LED strip and can also have connecting cables for the electrical power supply of the LEDs of the LED strip. The receiving groove can be easily formed continuously, for example, by means of a milling process on a side wall of a piece of furniture, without the receiving groove having to be expanded in width and / or depth along its longitudinal direction to accommodate the connection element. The system according to the invention is characterized by simple and problem-free installation in the receiving groove and makes it easier for the manufacturer of the object to be manufactured and illuminated to form and manufacture the receiving groove.

[0120] The connection element can, for example, be designed as a cost-effective PCB or printed circuit board and has a number of recesses corresponding to the number of required contact elements, which can be easily formed on the board. The board can, for example, be configured to accommodate cost-effective countersunk head screws, which are in contact with the electrically conductive recess in the board via the underside of the respective screw head. The other surface areas of the board can be electrically insulated, which can be achieved, for example, by applying solder resist, thus preventing any risk of an electrical short circuit.

[0121] The top side of the countersunk head screws can also be coated with an insulating solder mask after the screws have been positioned in the recess of the circuit board.

[0122] The circuit board, which has a square configuration with a respective side edge length of twelve millimeters, can be fixed by a user at the installation site by means of a simple and inexpensive double-sided adhesive tape on the underside of the bottom wall of the U-shaped profile of the LED strip, so that slipping of the circuit board relative to the U-shaped profile or base profile of the LED strip is reliably prevented.

[0123] The contact means in the form of the countersunk head screw mentioned above, for example, penetrates through the bottom wall of the base profile into the interior of the base profile and establishes a mechanical or mechanical and electrical connection with the contact means of the LED strip in the form of a copper track, for example.

[0124] Similarly, the circuit board can also be arranged on the top or cover side of the U-shaped base profile of the LED strip and secured using double-sided adhesive tape. The contact elements, in the form of the countersunk screw mentioned above, penetrate the potting compound and cut through the copper tracks of the LED strip with their cutting tips, creating a mechanical or mechanical and electrical connection between the copper tracks and the countersunk screws. Instead of countersunk screws, other contact elements, such as pins, bolts, rivets, or the like, can of course also be used.The base body of the connection element, in the form of the aforementioned printed circuit board or circuit board, has a low thickness, so that the base body can be arranged together with the LED strip in the receiving groove of an object to be illuminated, without the base body itself being visible. As already mentioned, the receiving groove for the arrangement of the base body or connection element does not need to be designed differently in depth or width than the receiving groove for the arrangement of the elongated LED strip.

[0125] This simplifies the creation of the mounting groove and also facilitates the installation of the system with the LED strip and the connecting element in the mounting groove. The connecting element has a width measured in the longitudinal direction of the LED strip that is no greater than the LED strip itself and thus does not protrude beyond the LED strip in the lateral direction, i.e., in the direction of the width of the LED strip.

[0126] The connecting element can be used as a mechanical connection element between two interconnected LED strips. It can also be used as a power supply for the LEDs and can also be used to supply electrical power to interconnected LED strips. This allows for the creation of a configuration of multiple interconnected LED strips with a number of intermediate power supplies corresponding to the respective requirements profile.

[0127] With regard to features of the invention not explained in detail above, reference is expressly made to the claims and the drawings. List of reference symbols 1 LED strip 2 connection element 3 connector element 4 Basic profile 5 LED strips 6 electrical contacting agent 7 Potting compound 8 Profile 9 LEDs 10 flexible circuit boards 11 Side wall 12 floor wall 13 rib 14 Bottom 15 deck area 16 Connection element 17 basic bodies 18 upper body surface 19 Interior 20 lower body surface 21 Side edge 22 Recess 23 contact agents 24 countersunk head screw 25 cutting tip 26 Deepening 27 circuit board 28 electrically conductive area 29 Adhesive tape 30 Copper Railway 31 Bottom of screw head 32 connecting cable 34 connecting line 35 subarea 36 subareas 37 tools 38 holes 39 connecting line 40 mounting groove 41 Side wall 42 Arrow 43 Interior wall 48 magnetooperative facilities A distance D Thickness H Altitude direction B Width direction L longitudinal direction L1 longitudinal extension B1 Width QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 3 872 931 B1

[0004]

Claims

[1] System comprising a light-emitting diode strip (1) and a connecting element (2, 16), wherein the light-emitting diode strip (1) has an elongated, channel-shaped profile (8) with a bottom wall (12) having a bottom side (14) and side walls (11) extending laterally from the bottom wall (12) and having a respective cover surface (15), and an inner recess (19) formed between the bottom wall (12) and the side walls (11), and has an elongated light-emitting diode strip (5) arranged in the inner recess (19), wherein the light-emitting diode strip (5) has a plurality of light-emitting diodes (9) arranged in the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting diode strip (5), and elongated contacting means (6, 30) are arranged in the inner recess (19) on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the light-emitting diode strip (5), which contacting means are designed to supply the light-emitting diodes (9) with electrical energy. and the inner recess (19) is provided with casting compound (7),wherein the connection element (2, 16) has at least one contact means (23) which is designed for mechanical or mechanical and electrical contact with the contacting means (6, 30), and the connection element (2, 16) has a base body (17) which has side edges (21) with a longitudinal extension and a width extension and the base body (17) is provided with at least one recess (22) which passes through the base body (17) and is designed for the passage of the contact means (23), , characterized by that the base body (17) has a flat design with an upper (18) and a lower (20) body surface. [2] System according to claim 1, characterized by that the base body (17) is free of a side wall extending away from a side edge (21) of the base body (17). [3] System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the base body (17) has a thickness (D) which is smaller than the dimension of the base body (17) in width or length. [4] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the recess (22) passing through the base body (17) has a cross-sectionally particularly conical depression (26) on the body surface (18, 20) of the base body (17) provided for the passage of the contact means (23). [5] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the base body (17) is a printed circuit board (27), the recess (22) of which is provided for the passage of the contact means (23) has a region (28) designed for contact with the contact means (23), which region is designed to be electrically conductive. [6] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the underside (14) of the profile (8) has a width extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the profile (8) and the base body (17) arranged on the underside (14) has a longitudinal extent and / or width extent such that the base body (17) does not protrude laterally in the width direction of the underside. [7] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the respective side wall (11) of the profile (8) has the cover surface (15) opposite the base wall (12), which has a width extension corresponding to the thickness of the side wall and forms a common longitudinal edge with the outer surface of the side wall (11) opposite the inner recess (19), and the width extension of the profile (8) determined between the two longitudinal edges of the profile (8) is greater than or equal to the longitudinal extension and / or width extension of a base body (17) arranged on the cover surfaces (15). [8] System according to one of the preceding claims and with a contact means (23) passing through the recess (22), characterized by that the contact means (23) is in engagement with the contacting means (6) designed as an electrically conductive copper track (30). [9] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the contact means (23) has an elongated configuration and has a complementary contact surface designed for contact with an electrically conductive surface (28) of the recess (22) of the base body (17). [10] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the contact means (23) is designed as a countersunk head screw (24) with a cutting screw thread, wherein the underside of the screw head is designed to be complementary in shape and surface to a contact surface of the recess (22) of the base body (17). [11] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the base body (17) has a square configuration with more than one recess (22) and has a respective conical recess (26) on the body surface (18, 20) designed for the entry of the contact means into the respective recess (22), which is designed to receive a head section of the contact means (23) in such a way that the head section can be received largely completely in the recess (26). [12] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the base body (17) has at least two recesses (22) which have a respective electrically conductive region (28) and the base body (17) is provided with two connecting lines (32), of which a respective connecting line (32) is connected to an electrically conductive region (28) in such a way that a contact means (23) arranged in the recess (22) and in contact with the contacting means (6, 30) is set up to provide electrical energy for the light-emitting diodes (9) via the connecting lines (32). [13] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the base body (17) has a rectangular configuration with a longitudinal extent which is greater than the width extent or has an L-shaped configuration.

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