POSITIONING AND ALIGNMENT OF A PCB IN AN LED LIGHT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an LED light, e.g. an indoor light or an outdoor light for stationary mounting, and in particular to the positioning of a printed circuit board (PCB) which contains light-emitting diodes (LEDs, which here are understood to be any form of semiconductor light source) in a light housing of the light.

[0002] A conventional LED light fixture typically consists of a housing and an LED module, or at least a printed circuit board (PCB) that carries the LEDs. With a modular design, it's possible for different LED modules or PCBs to be used in the same housing. Occasionally, during manufacturing or final assembly, problems arise where undesirable combinations of housings and PCBs or LED modules are assembled, which are either technically incompatible or simply undesirable. Furthermore, it can happen that the correct PCB is inserted into the housing, but incorrectly oriented within it.

[0003] CN 209 688 791 U discloses a waterproof sealing structure for an LED lamp. The waterproof sealing structure of the LED lamp comprises a heat sink, an aluminum substrate, LED lamp spheres, a first circular through-hole, a fourth circular through-hole, and a second fan grille. The left and right halves of the upper end face of the aluminum substrate are each provided with a contact plate glass lens, and each contact plate glass lens collectively consists of a lens body, a light-emitting section, and a concave positioning section.Following the waterproof sealing structure of the LED lamp, the filler adhesive is applied; the terminal plate glass lens is wrapped in the filler adhesive; the terminal plate glass lens is positioned on the aluminum substrate so that it is in contact with the aluminum substrate for sealing, while the terminal plate glass lens is firmly attached to the aluminum substrate. Screws are not required to secure the terminal plate glass lens.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an LED light which, due to its design, simplifies the mounting of the PCB in the light housing.

[0005] The problem is solved by a luminaire according to claim 1.

[0006] A special feature of the present invention is the combination of a positioning pin in the luminaire housing and a perforation in the PCB, which have interlocking outer and inner contours. This interlocking design ensures a unique pairing between the luminaire housing and the PCB when the PCB is mounted in the housing. Here, the term "luminaire housing" refers to any component of the luminaire that is fundamentally suitable for receiving the PCB. In particular, the luminaire housing can, for example, comprise a support plate, a luminaire tray, or a flat support designed to receive a PCB. The positioning pin has a shape suitable for engaging with the perforation in the PCB, the fit being configured such that the position of the PCB relative to the luminaire housing is limited to one or more positions.The positive fit between the positioning pin and the hole is designed such that the inner contour of the hole is congruent with the outer contour of the positioning pin, at least over certain areas, so that the position of the PCB relative to the luminaire housing is defined in several discrete positions in a plane perpendicular to the positioning pin. Complex shapes for the outer and inner contours, suitable for a unique pairing between the luminaire housing and the PCB, include, for example, polygons or partially rounded shapes. Simple circular contours are excluded for the at least one positioning pin because such contours are more common in the prior art, which could lead to undesirable confusion.If several positioning pins are provided, it is also possible that the further fitting pins are circularly symmetrical, in which case the fit between the PCB and the lamp housing is given by the first, non-circularly symmetrical positioning pin and the several further fitting pins, which interact with a corresponding number of holes in the PCB.

[0007] According to the invention, the inner and outer contours exhibit multiple discrete rotational symmetries, and the PCB can be mounted in the housing in any of the positions defined by the rotational symmetry. This creates a way to mount the PCB, including the lighting technology mounted on it (LEDs and, if applicable, lenses and / or reflectors), in the luminaire housing with a linearly selectable orientation angle. If the positioning pin or the perforation has, for example, a hexagonal shape, the PCB can be installed rotated in 60° increments.

[0008] According to the invention, the rotational symmetry is threefold, fourfold, fivefold, sixfold, or eightfold. This makes it possible to install the PCB rotated in the housing in increments of 120°, 90°, 72°, 60°, or 45°. These geometric orientations are suitable for standardized luminaires because they can be adapted to typical orientations of rooms and corridors in buildings for indoor luminaires, or to typical street or path layouts for outdoor luminaires.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment, the LEDs on the PCB interact with light-directing devices, in particular lenses and / or reflectors, such that the PCB is configured by the light-directing devices to produce a non-circularly symmetrical light distribution. This light distribution makes such luminaires suitable, for example, for illuminating longitudinally extending corridors or paths. According to a further development of this embodiment, the light distribution exhibits less symmetry than the rotational symmetry defined by the outer and inner contours of the at least one positioning pin or the perforation. As a result, in this embodiment, the light distribution of the luminaire changes depending on the mounting position of the PCB in one of the possible mounting positions within the luminaire housing defined by the rotational symmetry. The light distribution of the luminaire can therefore be individually adapted to the course of a corridor or path.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment, the PCB is part of an LED module which, in addition to the PCB and the LEDs, also has electrical plug contacts that can be connected to an electrical supply line in the housing in each of the mounting positions of the PCB defined by the inner and outer contours. This allows the LED module to be supplied with electricity in any mounting position.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the electrical supply line is permanently routed within the luminaire housing and has a number of mating contacts corresponding to the rotational symmetry, wherein in each of the possible mounting positions of the PCB, at least one of the mating contacts in the luminaire housing interacts with the plug-in contact on the LED luminaire module. In this embodiment, the LED module can be mounted in one of the desired mounting positions simply by plugging it into the housing. No additional wiring is required, as a corresponding mating contact is already provided in the luminaire housing for each possible mounting position of the LED module.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, several positioning pins are provided in the housing, each interacting with one of several perforations in the PCB. In the embodiments described above, a positioning pin is preferably located in a central position within the housing, or a perforation is preferably located in a central position within the PCB. However, by providing additional positioning pins, it is possible to allow or exclude further positioning options for the PCB within the luminaire housing. This increases the variety of ways the PCB can be mounted in the luminaire housing. For other applications, however, it is preferable to exclude certain undesired positions. For example, an additional positioning pin can reduce the number of rotational symmetry positions, such as from 60° increments to only 120° increments.According to further training, the additional positioning pin can also be provided with a predetermined breaking point. By breaking off the additional positioning pin, the number of rotational symmetries can be restored to the original number of rotational symmetries, which is determined by the shape of the outer contour of the first positioning pin.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the luminaire comprises several PCBs, each having at least one perforation that interacts with at least one positioning pin in a luminaire housing. This embodiment is particularly preferred with asymmetrically radiating PCBs. These can then be mounted in various positions within a luminaire to create complex light distributions. Overall, this results in a high degree of variability for generating light distributions using the same type of luminaire in conjunction with the same PCBs.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, apart from the at least one positioning pin, there are no further geometric stop points between the

[0015] The housing and the PCB are defined. No further geometric stop points are necessary to determine the position of the PCB. However, in this embodiment, the additional geometric stop points do not include devices that merely serve to hold the PCB in place within the luminaire housing. For example, clamps or screw connections may be provided which are closed to secure the PCB after it has been placed onto the at least one positioning pin in the luminaire housing.

[0016] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description, which is given in conjunction with the accompanying figures. The figures illustrate the following: Figures 1a and 1b show a top view and a side view, respectively, of a PCB and a luminaire housing in a detached state. Figure 2 shows a top view of the luminaire. Figures 1a and 1bin the assembled state. Figure 3 shows a top view of a luminaire according to an alternative embodiment. Figure 4 shows top views of various PCBs. Figures 5a, 5b and 5c show a top view of a luminaire of the Figure 2 with a PCB in three different orientations.

[0017] Referring to the Figures 1a, 1b and 2 A first embodiment of a luminaire according to the invention is described. This essentially comprises two separate elements: a housing 2 and a PCB 4, which are located in the Figures 1a and 1bThe components are shown as separate parts. It should be understood that the representation in the figures is highly abstract. In addition to the depicted planar section, the housing 2 can also include side walls, a base, and / or a cover. According to the invention, a positioning pin 3 is provided on the housing 2, which, in the illustrated embodiment, extends perpendicular to a support surface for the PCB 2. The positioning pin has a column shape, the cross-section of which, perpendicular to its longitudinal extent, is formed by an equilateral triangle in the illustrated embodiment. The PCB 2 comprises at least one or more LEDs 5 on one side, which serve as the light source for the lamp. In the illustrated embodiment, the LEDs 5 are shown as a single block. In other embodiments, however, the LEDs can also be arranged distributed over a larger surface area of ​​the PCB 4.Furthermore, PCB 4 has a perforation 6 which defines an inner contour that is adapted in shape to the outer contour of the positioning pin 3. The shapes are congruent to each other, whereby the inner contour of the perforation 6 may be slightly larger than the outer contour of the positioning pin 3, so that PCB 2 with the perforation 6 can be easily plugged onto the positioning pin 3 of the PCB. The mounted PCB 2 is in the . Figure 2 The shape of the inner and outer contours defines the position of PCB 4 relative to the housing 2, at least to a discrete selection of possible mounting positions. In the present example of an equilateral triangle, PCB 4 can be arranged in three different positions relative to the luminaire housing 2, as shown in the Figures 5a, 5b and 5cThe special shape of the inner and outer contours of the perforation and the positioning pin, respectively, offers several advantages. Firstly, a unique pairing between PCB 4 and housing 2 is defined, preventing any confusion during production with a PCB of a different design. Secondly, the installation position is defined or limited to a predetermined number of possible positions, thus preventing misalignment of PCB 4 when assembling the luminaire.

[0018] The equilateral triangle in the example of the positioning pin and the hole in the light fixture according to Figures 1a, 1b and 2 It possesses a threefold rotational symmetry, which allows the PCB to be arranged in the three different orientations according to the Figures 5a, 5b and 5cis given. In this embodiment, it is further advantageous that the LEDs on the PCB are equipped with light-guiding means, e.g., lenses and / or reflectors, which generate a non-circularly symmetrical light distribution. The symmetry of the light distribution is preferably less than the corresponding rotational symmetry of the shape of the inner or outer contour of the perforation or the positioning pin. In the example of the Figure 5 The LEDs have a main emission direction 7, which points in the direction indicated by arrow 7 relative to the center perpendicular on the PCB. The possibility of three different mounting positions for the PCB allows for three different light distributions to be created for the luminaire using the same components.

[0019] The PCB 4 is connected to a power supply terminal in the housing 2 to provide electrical power to the LEDs 5. This can be done, for example, using plug-in devices (not shown in the figures), which even allow contact in any of the specified mounting positions by simply plugging them in.

[0020] The Figure 3 Figure 1 shows another embodiment of a luminaire, which in principle corresponds to the embodiment described above. In this example, however, the inner and outer contours are defined by a regular hexagon. The hexagon has sixfold rotational symmetry, so that the PCB 4 can be arranged in six different mounting positions on the housing 2. While the embodiment in the equilateral triangle allows rotation in 120° increments, in the embodiment shown... Figure 3 Rotation in 60° increments is possible.

[0021] However, other geometric shapes are also possible for the congruent contour between the positioning pin 3 and the hole 6. Figure 4 The figure shows a selection of different possible shapes, whereby only the shapes with threefold, fourfold, fivefold, sixfold, or eightfold rotational symmetry represent embodiments of the invention. The examples in the first row of the Figure 4They exhibit multiple, threefold, fivefold, or twofold rotational symmetry. Some of the other exemplary shapes do not exhibit rotational symmetry. In these examples, the position of the PCB relative to the luminaire housing is fixed to a single mounting position. The bottom row shows examples with multiple perforations for a corresponding number of positioning pins. The one or more additional positioning pins reduce the number of possible mounting positions of the PCB in the luminaire housing. In these embodiments, one or more of the additional positioning pins may be provided with a predetermined breaking point to allow their removal within the housing. This increases the number of mounting positions again.

[0022] In the preceding examples, the luminaire comprises only one PCB in a luminaire housing. However, it is also possible to arrange multiple PCBs in a single luminaire housing. For this, a corresponding number of positioning pins, i.e., at least one positioning pin per PCB, are required in the luminaire housing. In these embodiments as well, the PCBs can be mounted in multiple orientations.

[0023] It is clear from the preceding description that the solution according to the invention provides a clear assignment of the PCB to the luminaire housing and, if necessary, a discrete selection of installation positions. This prevents mix-ups. For example, different shapes can be used for master and slave PCBs to avoid confusion during production. However, circular cross-sections are generally not provided for the at least first positioning pin because these are so common in the prior art that mix-ups are still possible. Furthermore, a single positioning pin with a circular cross-section would define continuous rotational symmetry around 360°, thus preventing clear positioning of the PCB. Reference symbol list

[0024] 2 Luminaire housing 3 Positioning pin 4 PCB 5 LEDs 6 Hole 7 Preferred direction of light distribution

Claims

1. Luminaire comprising a luminaire housing (2) and at least one printed circuit board, PCB, (4) which carries LEDs (5) as lighting means of the luminaire, wherein the luminaire housing (2) has a positioning pin (3) and the PCB (4) has a hole (6), wherein the hole (6) has an inner contour which is at least partially congruent with an outer contour of the positioning pin (3), so that, for mounting the PCB in the luminaire housing (2), the hole (6) can be plugged onto the positioning pin (3) in a form-fitting manner and the inner and outer contours are not circularly symmetrical, wherein the form-fitting locking blocks a rotation of the PCB (4) about the positioning pin, wherein the inner and outer contours have a multiple discrete rotational symmetry and the PCB (4) can be mounted in the luminaire housing (2) in each of the positions predetermined by the rotational symmetry, characterized in that the rotational symmetry is three-fold, four-fold, five-fold, six-fold or eight-fold.

2. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the LEDs (5) on the PCB (4) interact with light-directing devices, in particular asymmetrical lenses and / or reflectors, so that the PCB is set up by the light-directing devices to generate a non-circularly symmetrical light distribution (7).

3. Luminaire according to Claim 2, wherein the non-circularly symmetrical light distribution (7) has a lower symmetry than the rotational symmetry which is predetermined by the inner and outer contours of the at least one positioning pin (3) and the hole (6).

4. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the PCB (4) is part of an LED module which, apart from the PCB (4) and the LEDs (5), also has electrical plug contacts which can be connected to an electrical supply line in the luminaire housing (2) in each of the installation positions of the PCB (4) in the luminaire housing (2) predetermined by the inner and outer contours.

5. Luminaire according to Claim 4 with reference back to Claim 2 or a claim dependent thereon, wherein the electrical supply line is laid firmly in the luminaire housing (2) and has a number of mating plug contacts corresponding to the rotational symmetry, wherein in each of the possible installation positions of the PCB (4) in each case at least one of the mating plug contacts in the luminaire housing interacts with the plug contact on the LED luminaire module.

6. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of positioning pins (3) are present in the housing which each interact with one of a plurality of holes (6) in the PCB.

7. Luminaire according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the luminaire has a plurality of PCBs (4) which each have at least one hole (6) which interacts with at least one positioning pin (3) in a luminaire housing (2).

8. Luminaire according to Claim 1, wherein, apart from the at least one positioning pin (3), no further geometric abutment points are defined between the luminaire housing (2) and the PCB (4).