MECHANICAL INTEGRATION OF FLEXIBLE LED STRIPS

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lighting device, in particular to a flexible LED strip, to a lighting arrangement comprising the lighting device and to a method of manufacturing the lighting device.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Flexible light emitting diode (LED) strips have become popular for exterior and interior automotive lighting applications as their flexibility allows mounting the strips e.g. in line with curved surfaces of a car body part or in line with curved boundaries of lamp bezels. In addition, use of such LED strips enables lighting of various colors, dynamic animation and pleasant uniform appearance. Thereby, flexible LED strips may be employed for displaying information or as decorative element emphasizing exterior and / or interior areas of a car interior and / or exterior. In the future, such flexible LED strips may become in particular advantageous for applications in combination with autonomous and / or electrical vehicles.

[0003] US 2005 / 213342 A1 discloses a lighting apparatus for receiving an elongated light source.

[0004] US 2012 / 147610 A1 relates to a device for mounting a strip of light emitting diodes.

[0005] JP 2016 066449 A discloses a light emitting device which can be detachably attached to the receiving groove provided for the mounting object.

[0006] US 2015 / 330584 A1 relates to a lighting device including a strip-like carrier.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] While LED strips have been incorporated in existing vehicular designs, mechanical integration of such LED strips in particular in a vehicular body still remains an issue. However, a suitable mechanical integration of flexible LED strips is important e.g. for exact position referencing, for prevention of displacement of a mounted LED strip, and for maintaining a desired curved shape of the flexible LED strip.

[0008] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a lighting device, in particular a flexible LED strip, that allows for improved mechanical integration into a mounting component such as a part of a vehicle body or a lamp bezel, that enables a more efficient production and that enables an enhanced design freedom.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a lighting device is provided comprising a flexible housing which extends along a length direction of the lighting device; and at least two light emitting elements arranged along the length direction of the lighting device and mounted to the flexible housing; the flexible housing comprising an inner surface configured to reflect light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements; the lighting device further comprising at least one mounting member for mounting the lighting device and being an integral component of the flexible housing, the mounting member extends continuously along the length of the lighting device and comprises a base section and a sequence of mounting sections, the sequence of mounting sections extends along the length direction of the lighting device, each mounting section extends from the base section of the at least one mounting member and at least two mounting sections are mutually separated by a recess.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a lighting arrangement is provided comprising a mounting component and the lighting device according to the first aspect, the at least one mounting member is removably or fixedly mounted to a corresponding portion of the mounting component.

[0011] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a lighting device, in particular according to the first aspect, is provided, the method comprising producing a flexible housing extending along a length direction of the lighting device; and arranging at least two light emitting elements along the length direction of the lighting device and mounting the at least two light emitting elements to the flexible housing; the flexible housing is produced such that an inner surface of the flexible housing is configured to reflect light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements; the method further comprising: producing at least one mounting member for mounting the lighting device; the at least one mounting member is produced as an integral component of the flexible housing, in particular the flexible housing and the at least one mounting member are produced in a single step, in particular via extrusion; the at least one mounting member comprises a bases section and a sequence of mounting sections, the sequence of mounting sections extends along the length direction of the lighting device, each mounting section extends from the base section of the at least one mounting member and at least two mounting sections are mutually separated by a recess.

[0012] Exemplary embodiments of the first, the second and the third aspect of the invention may have one or more of the properties described below.

[0013] The at least one mounting member being an integral component of the flexible housing is to be understood such that the at least one mounting member and the flexible housing are one component. In general, the flexible housing and the at least one mounting member may be produced by stamping and / or by extrusion. However, in an exemplary embodiment, the flexible housing and the at least one mounting member are produced in a single step via extrusion. Extrusion is in particular advantageous for producing an object of a fixed cross-sectional profile and is therefore ideal for producing components of a flexible LED strip. Thereby, a material (e.g. silicone with dispersed TiO 2 particles) is pushed through a die of the desired cross-section. This method is advantageous in that complex cross-sections may be formed, and an excellent surface finish can be achieved.

[0014] By providing the mounting member as an integral component of the flexible housing, additional parts for mounting the lighting device to a mounting component such as a vehicle body, for example holders or the like, are no longer required. Mounting the lighting device is thus facilitated while at the same time, mounting precision and stability are improved. Further, additional necessary steps for mounting a lighting device first to a separate holder before mounting the corresponding assembly to a car body can be avoided, as well as additional production steps for producing such holder. Still further, space that in conventional designs relying on dedicated holders has to be saved for such holder can in case of a lighting device according to the first aspect be advantageously used for the lighting device. In other words, a lighting device according to the first aspect is in particular efficient in terms of space requirements and a particularly small dimension of an LED strip with one or more necessary mounting members can be achieved.

[0015] The flexible housing of the lighting device extends in the length direction, which in an exemplary embodiment, is a direction along the longest extension of the lighting device. Thereby, in an exemplary embodiment, in which the lighting device is a flexible light emitting diode (LED) strip, the length direction is the direction along the strip. In other words, as for example such flexible LED strip is bendable and can be mounted e.g. to a car body part or e.g. to a lamp bezel in a bent and / or a curved configuration, the length direction may correspond to a curved or bent path following said longest extension of the lighting device.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible housing extends along at least 80% of the length, in particular along the entire length, of the lighting device. Thus, while the flexible housing may extend along the entire length of the lighting device, it is similarly conceivable that for example end portions (for example conductor portions or the like) of the lighting device may extend beyond a length extension of the flexible housing. Thereby, it is noted that extending along at least 80% of the length, in an exemplary embodiment, at least one portion of the flexible housing may continuously extend along 80% of the length (or the entire length), or a sequence of individual flexible housing portions may extend along 80% of the length (or the entire length).

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment, each of the at least two light emitting elements comprises or corresponds to a light emitting element (LED), in particular to an LED die. The at least two light emitting elements are arranged along the length direction of the lighting device and may in an exemplary embodiment, thus from a longitudinal arrangement of LEDs along the length direction (e.g. one or more lines or stripes of LEDs placed beside each other along the length direction).

[0018] The light emitting elements are directly or indirectly mounted to the flexible housing. In an exemplary embodiment, the at least two light emitting elements are mounted inside of the flexible housing onto an inner mounting surface of a base portion of the flexible housing. The inner surface of the flexible housing that is configured to reflect light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements may in an exemplary embodiment, correspond to at least one inner surface of at least one corresponding side portion of the flexible housing extending from the base portion. The at least one side portion extends in an exemplary embodiment, along a main lighting direction of the at least two light emitting elements, whereby in case that the at least two light emitting elements each correspond to an LED die, the main lighting direction is essentially perpendicular to a light emitting surface of the LED die (a surface at which light exits from the LED die). While for certain applications, the inner surface of the flexible housing may be configured to cause a specular reflection of light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements, in an exemplary embodiment, the inner surface of the flexible housing is configured to cause a diffuse reflection of the light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements. Thereby, "diffuse reflection" is to be understood as a reflection of light from the inner surface such that light incident on the inner surface is scattered at many angles rather than at just one angle as in the case of the specular reflection. In this way, the inner surface advantageously contributes to a desirable homogeneous light distribution emitted from the lighting device. As explained further herein, in an exemplary embodiment, at least part of the inner surface forms a forms a mixing box for light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements. In particular in this embodiment, it is of advantage to provide the inner surface (e.g. the respective inner surfaces of the side portions of the flexible housing described further herein) configured for diffuse reflection as in particular in this case, improved performance in terms of light output and homogeneity can be achieved.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one mounting member is configured for mounting the lighting device to a part of a vehicle (e.g. a car) body (vehicle body part) and / or to a lamp bezel. To this end, the at least one mounting member may be provided in a suitable shape, in a suitable dimension and / or from a suitable (e.g. sufficiently strong) material.

[0020] According to the invention, the at least one mounting member is an integral component of the flexible housing. Thereby, integral component is to be understood such that the flexible housing and the at least one mounting member are formed as one single component. It is noted that the at least one mounting member may serve both for alignment of the lighting device with respect e.g. to a vehicle body part or with respect to a lamp bezel as well as for fixing (removably or fixedly) the lighting device to the vehicle body part or the lamp bezel. Thus, in case of a lighting device according to the first aspect, alignment features and fixation points are comprised integrally by the flexible housing of the lighting device in form of the at least one mounting member. By providing the at least one mounting member as integral component of the flexible housing, for example holders which may have to be specifically designed for a given vehicle body part can be avoided. Contrarily, a lighting device according to the first aspect may be advantageously produced to be compatible e.g. with various differently shaped vehicle body parts or lamp bezels. In an exemplary embodiment, in particular the flexible housing and the at least one mounting member can be integrally formed in an incomplex manner e.g. by extrusion and / or stamping.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one mounting member and the flexible housing are formed from a common flexible material. In other words, in an exemplary embodiment, the flexible housing and the at least one mounting member comprise or are formed of a silicone host matrix in particular further comprising inorganic particles such as TiO 2 particles. It is noted that use of a material of the silicone family (e.g. methyl and / or phenyl based members of the silicone family) for the host matrix turned out to be advantageous in particular in terms of thermal stability. Thus, using in particular silicone as host matrix material enables advantageous flexibility and stability of the lighting device. The inorganic particles, in particular the TiO 2 particles, advantageously enable the above-mentioned light scattering and thus a diffuse reflection of light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements. Thereby, while different inorganic materials such as Al 2 O 3 or ZrO 2 may be used as particle material, TiO 2 (in particular including any family member such as its rutile and / or anatase variants) turned out to be an advantageous choice in terms of reflectivity performance.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment not covered by the claims, the at least one mounting member extends along at least 80% of the length of the lighting device. According to the invention, the at least one mounting member extends continuously along the length of the lighting device. Thus, while the at least one mounting member may extend along the entire length of the lighting device, it is similarly conceivable that for example end portions (for example conductor portions or the like) of the lighting device may extend beyond a length extension of the at least one mounting member. Thereby, it is noted that extending along at least 80% of the length, in an exemplary embodiment not covered by the claims, at least one portion of the at least one mounting member may continuously extend along 80% of the length (or the entire length), or a sequence of individual mounting members may extend along 80% of the length (or the entire length).

[0023] In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one mounting member comprises an elongated cross-section protruding outwardly from an outer surface of the flexible housing and extends along the length direction of the lighting device. For example, the at least one mounting member may comprise an essentially rectangular cross-section protruding outwardly from an outer surface of the flexible housing. Thereby, "essentially" is to be understood as covering typical fabrication tolerances which may lead to an imperfect rectangular shape. In this case, in an exemplary embodiment, an aspect ratio (a ratio of the longer side to the shorter side) of the essentially rectangular cross-section is in between 1 to 20, in particular in between 5 to 15, in particular in between 8 to 13. In other words, in an exemplary embodiment, the at least one mounting member is an essentially flat member protruding from a face of the flexible housing and extending along the length direction of the lighting device.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one mounting member comprises at least two neighboring mounting sections, e.g. fixing lugs, wherein each one of the at least two mounting sections is provided with at least one mounting feature for mounting the lighting device, and wherein the at least two mounting sections are mutually separated by a recess. Thus, according to the invention, the at least one mounting member comprises a sequence of mounting sections, each mounting section protruding from the flexible housing, the sequence extending along the length direction of the lighting device, wherein each two mounting sections of respective pairs of mounting sections are separated by a corresponding recess. In a further exemplary embodiment, the sequence of mounting sections extends along at least 80% of the length, in particular along the entire length, of the lighting device. In this exemplary embodiment, the sequence of mounting sections extends from a base section of the at least one mounting member which extends continuously along at least 80% of the length, in particular along the entire length, of the lighting device.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment, the recess separating the at least two mounting sections is open on one side and extends in a direction essentially perpendicular to the length direction of the lighting device. Further, in an exemplary embodiment, the recess separating the at least two mounting sections may extend from the base section of the at least one mounting member.

[0026] Such recess is in particular advantageous in that it facilitates bending of the lighting device. For example, in a case in which the at least one mounting member extends from the flexible housing in at least one corresponding lateral direction (with respect to the main lighting direction of the at least two light emitting elements), the recess facilitates bending of the lighting device in a plane comprising the lateral direction. Similarly, in a case in which the at least one mounting member extends from the flexible housing in a direction opposing the main lighting direction of the at least two light emitting elements, the recess facilitates bending of the lighting device in a plane comprising the main lighting direction.

[0027] While it is noted that the at least one mounting member may be connected to a corresponding mounting portion of a mounting component e.g. by gluing, in an exemplary embodiment, the at least one mounting feature is an opening for receiving a screw. While different mounting features may be employed, it turned out that such opening is advantageous in that mounting using screws enables use of corresponding washers, which in turn allows to suitably adjust a mounting force to the thickness and flexibility of the at least one mounting member.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment, the lighting device further comprises at least one mounting feature, in particular the described mounting feature, for mounting the lighting device and at least one corresponding cut-out arranged in between the at least one mounting feature and the flexible housing. It turned out that such cut-out (e.g. an opening, an elongated opening, a recess, a through hole) is of particular advantage as it allows the flexible housing to expand in reaction to heat generated by the at least two light emitting elements in operation and to contract thereafter while it at the same time reduces the risk of damage to the at least one mounting feature caused by such thermal expansion and contraction.

[0029] In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible housing comprises a base portion (the above described base portion) onto which the at least two light emitting elements are mounted, and two mutually opposing side portions (the at least one side portion described above) respectively extending from the base portion, wherein the at least one mounting member protrudes from the base portion and extends along the length direction of the lighting device and / or wherein the at least one mounting member protrudes from at least one of the two side portions and extends along the length direction of the lighting device. Thereby, in an exemplary embodiment, the at least one mounting member protrudes from the base portion in a direction opposing a main lighting direction of the lighting device (in a depth direction) and / or protrudes from at least one of the two side portions in a direction essentially perpendicular to a main lighting direction of the lighting device (laterally).

[0030] It turned out that the case in which the at least one mounting member extends in a depth direction is in particular advantageous for mounting the lighting device to a lamp bezel, in which case space is often limited along a lateral direction. In this case, the lamp bezel may for example be provided with a suitable (elongated) mounting recess for receiving the at least one mounting member for mounting the lighting device to the lamp bezel. The case where the at least one mounting member protrudes horizontally turned out to be of particular advantage, e.g. in case that the lighting device is to be mounted to a vehicle body part. In this case, the flexible housing may e.g. be received at least partially within a mounting channel of the vehicle body part, while the at least one mounting member may suitably be mounted to a mounting shoulder adjacent to the mounting channel. It turned out that by receiving the at least one mounting member at least partially by the mounting recess of the lamp bezel, and by receiving at least part of the flexible housing by the mounting channel of the vehicle body part, a particularly beneficial stability and mounting precision can be achieved.

[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, the lighting device further comprises a flexible light-guiding structure, which extends along the length direction of the lighting device and which is arranged inside of the flexible housing. Thereby, the light-guiding structure may in particular be arranged on respective light emission portions of the at least two light emitting elements, e.g. on light emitting surfaces of LED dies, and may thus be arranged to receive, in particular at least part of, light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements. Thereby, the light-guiding structure comprises at least one locking protrusion protruding into a corresponding recessed section of a corresponding one of the at least two side portions of the flexible housing for locking the light-guiding structure to the flexible housing. The light-guiding structure is thereby firmly and tightly locked inside of the flexible housing which advantageously enhances optical coupling between the at least two light emitting elements and the light-guiding structure. Provision of the light-guiding structure is advantageous in that on the one hand, the light-guiding structure suitably guides light emitted from the at least two light-emitting elements, while it on the other hand contributes to an advantageous stability of the lighting device. In an exemplary embodiment, the light-guiding structure is or comprises a silicone light guide, which is advantageous in terms of its light guiding properties and in terms of flexibility and stability.

[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, the inner surface comprises at least respective inner surfaces of the side portions of the flexible housing such that the flexible housing forms a mixing box for light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements. Such mixing box advantageously guides light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements along the main lighting direction and thus advantageously enhances efficiency of the lighting device. In other words, by providing the mixing box, light rays emitted from the at least two light emitting elements that may otherwise be absorbed by the side portions have a strongly increased probability to eventually exit the lighting device, potentially after plural reflections within the mixing box.

[0033] In an exemplary embodiment, the lighting device comprises at least one optical diffusor element extending along the length direction of the lighting device and opposing respective light emission portions of the at least two light emitting elements. Thereby, the at least one optical diffusor element is arranged to receive light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements. In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one optical diffusor element extends along at least 80% of the length, in particular along the entire length, of the lighting device. Thus, while the at least one optical diffusor element may extend along the entire length of the lighting device, it is similarly conceivable that for example end portions (for example conductor portions or the like) of the lighting device may extend beyond a length extension of the at least one optical diffusor element. Thereby, it is noted that extending along at least 80% of the length, in an exemplary embodiment, at least one portion of the at least one optical diffusor element may continuously extend along 80% of the length (or the entire length), or a sequence of individual diffusor elements may extend along 80% of the length (or the entire length).

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one optical diffusor element is made of or comprises transparent silicone with dispersed TiO 2 particles, such that light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements is scattered and emitted from the lighting device as diffuse light. Thus, providing the at least one optical diffusor element advantageously contributes to a desirable homogeneous illumination offered by the lighting device. In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one optical diffusor element is received by a gap formed by an upper surface of the light guiding-structure on a side of the light guiding-structure facing away from the at least two light emitting elements and the two side portions of the flexible housing. This arrangement is of particular advantage as it allows for a particularly stable construction and an advantageous optical coupling between the light guiding structure and the at least one optical diffusor element.

[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, each of the at least two light emitting elements comprises or is a light emitting diode (LED). Thereby, the lighting device is a flexible LED strip.

[0036] According to the second aspect a lighting arrangement is provided comprising a mounting component and the lighting device as described above. Thereby, the at least one mounting member is removably or fixedly mounted to a corresponding portion of the mounting component. In an exemplary embodiment, the mounting component is a part of a vehicle body (vehicle body part), a part of a lamp bezel, or a part of a vehicle grill, whereby in an exemplary embodiment, the vehicle body part may be a part of a body of a car, of a motorcycle, of a water vehicle such as a vessel, a boat, a yacht, or of an air plane. It is noted that a lighting arrangement, where the mounting component is a car grill, e.g. a front grill, is advantageous in that the flexible LED strip mounted to the front grill may help to increase the crush-collapsible zone and may thus help protecting passengers in case of an accident.

[0037] The features and example embodiments of the invention described above may equally pertain to the different aspects according to the present invention. In particular, with the disclosure of features relating to the lighting device according to the first aspect, also corresponding features relating to the lighting arrangement according to the second aspect and to the method of manufacturing the lighting device according to the third aspect are disclosed.

[0038] It is to be understood that the presentation of embodiments of the invention in this section is merely exemplary and non-limiting.

[0039] Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale and are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Examples of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1Aexemplarily illustrates a lighting device according to an exemplary embodiment; Fig. 1Bexemplarily illustrates components of a lighting device according to an exemplary embodiment; Fig. 2Aexemplarily illustrates a lighting device according to a further exemplary embodiment; Fig. 2Bexemplarily illustrates the lighting device of Fig. 2A and a corresponding mounting component; Fig. 2Cexemplarily illustrates the lighting device of Fig. 2A and a corresponding mounting component; Fig. 3exemplarily illustrates a lighting device according to a further exemplary embodiment; Fig. 4exemplarily illustrates the lighting device according to Fig. 2A and a further example of a mounting component; Fig. 5exemplarily illustrates a lighting device according to a further exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0041] Figs. 1A and 1B show a light emitting diode (LED) strip 100 (an example of the lighting device according to the first aspect) according to an exemplary embodiment. LED strip 100 includes a flexible housing 10 which extends along a length direction 70. As visible in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 1B, the flexible housing includes a base portion 11 from which two side portions 13 extend along a main lighting direction 80 of light emitting elements, which are mounted to the base portion 11 but not shown in the figures for conciseness purposes. The main lighting direction 80 is for example a direction perpendicular to light emitting surfaces of LED dies mounted to the base portion 11.

[0042] LED strip 100 further includes a light guide 30 (an example of a light guiding structure) which extends along the length direction 70 being arranged in between side portions 13 inside the flexible housing 10. It is noted that the light guide 30 is arranged in optical contact with light emitting surfaces e.g. of LED dies arranged on the base portion 11, which are not shown in the schematic illustration of Figs. 1A and 1B. Being arranged in this way, the light guide 30 is arranged to receive and guide light emitted from the LED dies.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 1B, the light guide 30 comprises two locking protrusions 31 with respective locking features 31A, 31B, the locking protrusions 31 respectively protruding into corresponding recessed sections 19 of the corresponding side portions 13 of the flexible housing 10 for firmly locking the light guide to the flexible housing 10. As shown, in an exemplary embodiment, the base portion 10 and the side portions 30 at least partly surround the flexible light-guiding structure 30. In this exemplary embodiment, each of the two side portions 30 comprises a locking element 15 with corresponding locking features 15A and 15B in engagement with a corresponding locking portion of the flexible light-guiding structure 30 for locking the flexible light-guiding structure 30 to the flexible housing 10.

[0044] LED strip 100 further comprises an optical diffusor element 20 extending along the length direction 70 opposing respective light emission portions of LEDs which are not shown in the figures. Optical diffusor element 20 is thus arranged to receive light emitted from such LED mounted to the base portion 11. As shown, optical diffusor element 20 is received by a gap formed by upper surface 34 of light guide 30 and the two side portions 13 of flexible housing 10.

[0045] Fig. 1A further shows a mounting member 40 which is formed as an integral component of the flexible housing 10, i.e. mounting member 40 and flexible housing 10 are one component. In the configuration of Fig. 1, mounting member 40 protrudes from the base portion 11 and extends along the length direction 70. Mounting member 40 further protrudes from base portion 11 in a direction opposing main lighting direction 80 (in a depth direction). As shown, in an exemplary embodiment (in combination with all embodiments of the first aspect), the main lighting direction is essentially perpendicular to the base portion of the flexible housing. As mentioned, it turned out that such configuration of mounting member 40 and flexible housing 10 is advantageous in particular for mounting LED strip 100 to a lamp bezel (an example of a mounting component in accordance with the second aspect). Thereby, in an exemplary embodiment of a lighting arrangement according to the second aspect, the mounting component, e.g. the lamp bezel, comprises a mounting recess and the mounting member integrally formed with the flexible housing protruding from the base portion in a direction opposing the main lighting direction is at least partially received by the mounting recess and removably or fixedly mounted to the mounting recess.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 1A, mounting member 40 includes mounting features 43 in form of through holes for receiving corresponding screws when mounting the LED strip 100 to a corresponding mounting component. The mounting features 43 are provided on respective mounting sections 41 which are mutually separated by recesses 45 extending from a base section 42 and being open on one side. As explained above, recesses 45 are in particular advantageous as they suitably allow for bending of the LED strip 100, in case of Fig. 1 in particular within a plane of the mounting member 40 when mounting the LED strip 100 to a curved portion e.g. of a Lamp bezel.

[0047] As further shown in Fig. 1A, mounting member 40 further comprises cut-outs 47 respectively arranged in between corresponding mounting feature 43 and the flexible housing 10. As mentioned, such cut-outs 43 advantageously enable thermal expansion and contraction e.g. of flexible housing 10 and base section 42 due to operation and non-operation of LEDs of LED strip 100 while mounting sections 41 are fixed to a mounting component. A risk of damage caused by such thermal expansion and contraction is thus greatly reduced.

[0048] Figs. 2A to 2C show a further embodiment of an LED strip 100' (a further example of a lighting device according to the first aspect) according to an exemplary embodiment. It is noted that flexible housing 10, optical diffusor element 20 and light guide 30 of Figs. 2A to 2C correspond to flexible housing 10, optical diffusor element 20 and light guide 30 of Figs. 1A and 1B. As sown in Figs. 2A to 2C, in case of LED strip 100', two mounting members 40 (each one corresponding to mounting member 40 of Figs. 1A and 1B), protrude from opposing side portions 13 of flexible housing 10 and extend along the length direction of LED strip 100'. Thereby, mounting members 40 protrude from the respective side portions 13 in directions essentially perpendicular to main lighting direction 80 (laterally).

[0049] As mentioned, this configuration of mounting members 40 and flexible housing 10 is advantageous in particular for mounting LED strip 100' to a vehicle body part 50 (an example of a mounting component in accordance with the second aspect) as shown in Figs. 2B and 2C. The vehicle body part may for example correspond to a portion of a car body positioned such that LED strip 100' may be employed for interior or exterior illumination of a car. As can be taken from Figs. 2B and 2C, vehicle body part 50 comprises a longitudinal mounting channel 51 and two mounting shoulders 53 respectively arranged on corresponding sides of the longitudinal mounting channel 51 adjacent to the longitudinal mounting channel. Each mounting member 40 is arranged in contact with a corresponding mounting shoulder to be mounted to vehicle body part 50 e.g. using screws to be received by mounting features 43. As shown in Fig. 2C, washers 63 may be used in combination with the screws to suitably distribute a mounting force of the screws and thereby adjust the mounting force to the material and geometry of the mounting members 40. As can further be taken from Figs. 2B and 2C, recesses 45 advantageously facilitate bending of the flexible LED strip 100' in particular within a plane of the mounting members in accordance with a shape of the vehicle body part 50.

[0050] Figs. 2B and 2C further illustrate that flexible housing 10 of LED strip 100' is partially received by mounting channel 51. As shown, in an exemplary embodiment, a gap 65 is arranged at least in between one side portion 13 of the flexible housing 10 and a corresponding side wall 52 of the longitudinal mounting channel 52 and / or in between the base portion 11 of the flexible housing 10 and a corresponding face of the longitudinal mounting channel 51. As mentioned above, it turned out that such configuration of the flexible LED strip 100' and the vehicle body part 50 allows for a beneficial stability and mounting precision to be achieved. At the same time, providing the gap 65 (e.g. an air gap) allows for thermal expansion of the flexible housing upon operation of the LEDs, thereby reducing a risk of damage. In addition, such gap may advantageously help to compensate for different indices of thermal expansion of the LED strip 100' and the vehicle body part 50.

[0051] It is noted that a thickness of the mounting members 40 is a suitable parameter for defining a stiffness of the portion connecting the vehicle body part and the flexible LED strip 100'. This thickness may thus be suitably adjusted e.g. to increase the stiffness of the part connecting the vehicle body part to the flexible LED strip 100' and to reduce for example an impact of vibration upon later operation.

[0052] Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of an LED strip 100''. While in case of LED strip 100' illustrated in Figs. 2A to 2C, the mounting members 40 protrude from a distal end of side portions 13, mounting members 40 of LED strip 100' protrude from a portion of the side portions 13 adjacent to base portion 11. This configuration allows for an alternative mounting configuration with respect to a mounting component according to which the flexible housing may e.g. be fully received by a corresponding mounting channel of the mounting component, which is open for light to be emitted from the LED strip 100''. Such configuration may provide advantages in terms of stability, mounting precision and stability. An additional advantage of this configuration may be that a light emitting area (e.g. the optical diffusor element 20) of flexible LED strip 100'' is at the same vertical level as the car body part and e.g. heads of screws used for mounting LED strip 100" are hidden.

[0053] Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of a vehicle body part 50' which in addition to the components of body part 50 shown in Figs. 2B and 2C includes a sealing shoulder 55' which extends from mounting shoulder 53 and allows for mounting of a sealing member 61. Sealing member 61 may correspond to or comprise for example a transparent protective foil, a plastic member or a glass member in combination with suitable sealing parts. The transparent protective foil 61 may be laminated or glued on the car body part 50'.

[0054] Fig. 5 shows a further exemplary embodiment of LED strip 100‴ (a further example of the lighting device according to the first aspect) according to a further exemplary embodiment. As compared e.g. to LED strip 100 of Fig. 1A, LED strip 100‴ comprises cut-outs 47'of larger size and different shape. While cut-outs 47 of LED strip 100 shown in Fig. 1 are advantageous for cases where a small total size of the product is desirable, cut-outs 47' are advantageous as they may even further support release of thermal stress and as they may even further support bending of LED strip 100‴. It turned out that for example an oval or elliptical cross-section with a strong aspect ratio enables tuning such properties of LED strip 100‴.LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS:

[0055] Lighting device100, 100', 100''. 100‴Flexible housing10Base portion11Side portion13Locking element15Inner surface17Recessed section19Optical diffusor element20Light-guiding structure30Locking protrusion31Locking portion33Upper surfaceMounting member40Mounting section41Base section42Mounting feature43Recess45Cut-out47, 47'Part of a vehicle body, vehicle body portion50, 50'Mounting channel51Side wall52Mounting shoulder53Sealing shoulder55'Sealing member61 Washer63Air gap65Length direction70Main lighting direction80Air gap65Length direction70Main lighting direction80

Claims

1. A lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100"') comprising a flexible housing (10) which extends along a length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100", 100''') ; and at least two light emitting elements arranged along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') and mounted to the flexible housing (10); the flexible housing (10) comprises an inner surface (17) configured to reflect light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements; the lighting device (100, 100', 100", 100''') further comprising at least one mounting member (40) for mounting the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') and being an integral component of the flexible housing (10), the mounting member (40) extends continuously along the length of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') and comprises a base section (42) and a sequence of mounting sections (41), characterized in that the sequence of mounting sections (41) extends along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100", 100‴), each mounting section (41) extends from the base section (42) of the at least one mounting member (40) and at least two mounting sections (41) are mutually separated by a recess (45).

2. The lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') according to claim 1, the at least one mounting member (40) and the flexible housing (10) are formed from a common flexible material.

3. The lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) according to any of claims 1 or 2, the at least one mounting member (40) comprises an elongated cross-section protruding outwardly from an outer surface of the flexible housing (10) and extends along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴).

4. The lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) according to any of the preceding claims, the at least one mounting member (40) comprises at least two neighboring mounting sections (41), each one of the at least two mounting sections (41) is provided with at least one mounting feature (43) for mounting the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴), and the at least two mounting sections (41) are mutually separated by the recess (45).

5. The lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one mounting feature (43) for mounting the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') and at least one corresponding cut-out (47, 47') arranged in between the at least one mounting feature (43) and the flexible housing (10).

6. The lighting device (100, 100', 100", 100‴) according to any of the preceding claims, the flexible housing (10) comprises a base portion (11) onto which the at least two light emitting elements are mounted, and two mutually opposing side portions (13) respectively extending from the base portion (11), the at least one mounting member (40) protrudes from the base portion(11) and extends along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) and / or the at least one mounting member (40) protrudes from at least one of the two side portions (13) and extends along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''').

7. The lighting device (100, 100', 100", 100''') according to claim 6 further comprising a flexible light-guiding structure (30), which extends along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) and which is arranged inside of the flexible housing (10); the light-guiding structure (30) comprises at least one locking protrusion (31) protruding into a corresponding recessed section (19) of a corresponding one of the at least two side portions (13) of the flexible housing (10) for locking the light-guiding structure (30) to the flexible housing (10).

8. The lighting device (100, 100', 100", 100‴) according to any of claims 6 or 7, the inner surface (17) comprises at least respective inner surfaces of the side portions (13) such that the flexible housing (10) forms a mixing box for light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements.

9. The lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one optical diffusor element (20) extending along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) and opposing respective light emission portions of the at least two light emitting elements.

10. The lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴) according to any of the preceding claims, each of the at least two light emitting elements comprises or is a light emitting diode, LED, and wherein the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') is a flexible LED strip.

11. Lighting arrangement comprising a mounting component and the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one mounting member (40) is removably or fixedly mounted to a corresponding portion of the mounting component.

12. The lighting arrangement according to claim 11 when dependent on claim 6, the mounting component comprises a longitudinal mounting channel (51) and two mounting shoulders (53) respectively arranged on corresponding sides of the longitudinal mounting channel (51) adjacent to the longitudinal mounting channel (51); the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') comprises at least two mounting members (40) integrally formed with the flexible housing (10) and protruding from respective ones of the two opposing side portions (13) of the flexible housing (10), each of the at least two mounting members (40) being removably or fixedly mounted to a corresponding one of the two mounting shoulders (53) of the mounting component; the flexible housing (10) is at least partially received by the mounting channel (51).

13. The lighting arrangement according to any of claims 11 to 12 when dependent on claim 6, the mounting component comprises a mounting recess; the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') comprises a mounting member (40) integrally formed with the flexible housing (10) and protruding from the base portion (11) of the flexible housing (10), the mounting member (40) being received at least partially by the mounting recess and removably or fixedly mounted to the mounting recess.

14. A method of manufacturing a lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴),in particular according to any of claims 1 to 10, the method comprising: - producing a flexible housing (10) extending along a length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴); and - arranging at least two light emitting elements along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100''') and mounting the at least two light emitting elements to the flexible housing (10); the flexible housing (10) is produced such that an inner surface (17) of the flexible housing (10) is configured to reflect light emitted from the at least two light emitting elements; the method further comprising: - producing at least one mounting member (40) for mounting the lighting device (100, 100', 100'', 100‴); the at least one mounting member (40) is produced as an integral component of the flexible housing (10), in particular the flexible housing (10) and the at least one mounting member (40) are produced in a single step, in particular via extrusion, the at least one mounting member (40) comprises a base section (42) and a sequence of mounting sections (41), characterized in that the sequence of mounting sections (41) extends along the length direction (70) of the lighting device (100, 100', 100", 100‴), each mounting section (41) extends from the base section (42) of the at least one mounting member (40) and at least two mounting sections (41) are mutually separated by a recess (45).