Fixation device for flexible light emitting device

Abstract

To provide a fixation device for a flexible light emitting device which can fix a flexible light emitting device, in which end caps are provided at ends of a flexible outer covering, to a wall surface, a ceiling surface, or the like of a structure while preventing occurrence of light leakage from end cap portions and achieving good visual quality.SOLUTION: A fixation device 2 for a flexible light emitting device is used to house a flexible light emitting device 1, in which end caps are provided at ends of a flexible outer coverage, in a housing part 20 and fix the flexible light emitting device 1 and includes terminal members 6 each connected to a long fixing member 4 which forms a part of the housing part 20 and has connection holes 42 extending in a longitudinal direction, the terminal member 6 including pins 62 which are fitted in the connection holes 42 of the fixing member 4 and a housing part 60 which houses the end cap 11 and has a cross sectional area larger than a cross sectional area of the housing part 40 of the fixing member 4 as seen in its longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fixture for a flexible light-emitting device for fixing a flexible light-emitting device such as a flexible strip-shaped LED light to a wall surface, ceiling surface, or the like of a structure. [Background technology]

[0002] When multiple SMD (Surface Mount Device) type LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are mounted in a line on a circuit board and turned on, the LEDs generally emit light perpendicular to the circuit board. In this case, if the circuit board is made from an easily bendable strip-shaped FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit), a strip-shaped light-emitting module can be made that can be bent in the direction of the LED light emission. Many such products are manufactured and sold commercially as tape lights (flexible light-emitting devices) (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, for example, strip lights that can be cut to a desired length and used are fixed to the wall or ceiling of a structure using a long fixing member such as a straight resin channel and used as a lighting fixture (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example). In this case, multiple fixing members are used depending on the length of the strip light cut to the desired length to fix it to the wall or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5031011 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] “TMV Tape Light Indoor”, [online], Atex Co., Ltd., [Retrieved June 20, 2023], Internet<URL:https: / / www.atex-jp.com / list / detail / 1> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The flexible light-emitting device described in Patent Document 1 is constructed by sealing an LED-mounted substrate, etc., on which multiple LED chips are mounted at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of a strip-shaped FPC, with a flexible exterior. End caps made of soft synthetic resin are provided at the ends of the flexible exterior, and these end cap portions are thicker than the flexible exterior portion. Therefore, when the flexible light-emitting device is fixed using a fixing member, the end cap portions protrude from the fixing member, causing problems such as light leakage and poor appearance.

[0007] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a fixture for a flexible light-emitting device that can prevent light leakage from the end cap portion of a flexible light-emitting device that has an end cap attached to the end of a flexible exterior and can be fixed to the wall or ceiling surface of a structure in an aesthetically pleasing manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The flexible light-emitting device fixing device of the present invention is a flexible light-emitting device fixing device for accommodating and fixing a flexible light-emitting device having end caps attached to the ends of a flexible exterior in an accommodating section, and includes a terminating member that is a long fixing member that forms part of the accommodating section and is connected to the fixing member having a connecting hole extending in the longitudinal direction, and includes a pin that fits into the connecting hole of the fixing member, and an accommodating section that accommodates the end cap and has a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the accommodating section of the fixing member when viewed in the longitudinal direction.

[0009] According to the flexible light-emitting device fixing device of the present invention, the terminating member is placed on the end of the fixing member, and the pin of the terminating member is fitted into the connecting hole extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixing member, thereby connecting the fixing member and the terminating member in a straight line without lateral displacement. As a result, the flexible exterior is accommodated in the accommodation portion of the fixing member, and the end cap is accommodated in the accommodation portion of the terminating member, which has a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the accommodation portion of the fixing member when viewed in the longitudinal direction.

[0010] Furthermore, the flexible light-emitting device fixing device of the present invention preferably includes a cover member that covers the contact portion between the fixing member and the terminating member, thereby preventing light from the flexible light-emitting device from leaking from the contact portion between the fixing member and the terminating member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] (1) The flexible light-emitting device fixing device of the present invention can prevent light leakage from the end cap portion of the flexible light-emitting device and can be fixed to the wall or ceiling surface of a structure in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

[0012] (2) By including a cover member that covers the contact portion between the fixing member and the terminating member, it is possible to prevent light from the flexible light-emitting device from leaking from the contact portion between the fixing member and the terminating member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lighting fixture using a flexible light-emitting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting fixture of FIG. 1 fixed to a structure. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fixing member of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting member of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lighting fixture using a flexible light-emitting device in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting fixture of FIG. 1 fixed to a structure, FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fixing member of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting member of FIG. 1.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the lighting fixture according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises a flexible light-emitting device 1 having flexibility, and a flexible light-emitting device fixing device (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "fixing device") 2 for accommodating the flexible light-emitting device 1 and fixing it to a structure S (see Fig. 2). In addition, a semi-transparent cover 3 for diffusing light from the flexible light-emitting device 1 may be attached to the fixing device 2.

[0016] The flexible light-emitting device 1 may be, for example, that described in Patent Document 1. The flexible light-emitting device 1 is formed by sealing an LED-mounted substrate or the like, on which multiple LED chips are mounted at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of a strip-shaped FPC, with a flexible exterior 10. End caps 11 made of soft synthetic resin are provided at the ends of the flexible exterior 10.

[0017] The fixing device 2 is composed of a plurality of long fixing members 4, connecting members 5 that are provided between the fixing members 4 and connect the fixing members 4 together, and a terminating member 6 that is provided at the end.

[0018] The fixing member 4 is a long, linear member made of, for example, an aluminum alloy, a synthetic resin, etc. As shown in Fig. 4, the fixing member 4 has a housing portion 40 that forms part of the housing portion 20 that houses the flexible light-emitting device 1. The flexible exterior 10 of the flexible light-emitting device 1 is housed in the housing portion 40 through an opening 41.

[0019] The fixing member 4 has connecting holes 42 extending in the longitudinal direction. The connecting holes 42 are provided at multiple corners of a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, two connecting holes 42 are provided, one at each corner on the side opposite the opening 41 (the lower side in Figure 4). The connecting holes 42 are formed so as to penetrate in a straight line from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction. The fixing member 4 is cut to a desired length before use. Since the connecting holes 42 are formed so as to penetrate from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction, when the fixing member 4 is cut, the two connecting holes 42 are exposed at the cut end surface.

[0020] The fixing member 4 has a groove 43 into which the semi-transparent cover 3 is fitted. The groove 43 is formed at a position where the semi-transparent cover 3 fitted into the groove 43 covers the flexible light-emitting device 1 accommodated in the accommodation section 40, i.e., so as to close the opening 41.

[0021] The fixing member 4 is attached to the structure S by a screw 7 as shown in Fig. 2. A recess 44 is provided at the back of the storage section 40 (the lower side in Fig. 4) to accommodate the head 70 of the screw 7 so that it does not protrude into the storage section 40.

[0022] The connecting member 5 is a member made of, for example, an aluminum alloy or a synthetic resin, and has the same cross-sectional shape as the fixing member 4. As shown in Fig. 5, the connecting member 5 has a housing portion 50 that forms part of the housing portion 20 that houses the flexible light-emitting device 1. A portion of the flexible exterior casing 10 of the flexible light-emitting device 1 is housed in the housing portion 50 through an opening portion 51.

[0023] The connecting member 5 has pins 52 that fit into the connecting holes 42 of each of the multiple fixing members 4. Two pins 52 protrude from each abutment surface 55 (see FIG. 3) that abuts against the fixing member 4 to be connected.

[0024] The connecting member 5 has a groove 53 into which the semi-transparent cover 3 is fitted. The groove 53 is formed at a position where the semi-transparent cover 3 fitted into the groove 53 covers the flexible light-emitting device 1 accommodated in the accommodation section 50, i.e., so as to close the opening 51.

[0025] Since the connecting member 5 is short, it does not need to be attached to the structure S with screws 7 like the fixing member 4, but a recess 54 similar to that of the fixing member 4 is provided at the back of the storage section 50 (lower side in Figure 5).

[0026] The terminating member 6 is a member made of, for example, an aluminum alloy or a synthetic resin, and has the same cross-sectional shape as the fixing member 4. However, the terminating member 6 has a housing portion 60 with a larger cross-sectional area than the housing portion 40 of the fixing member 4 when viewed in the longitudinal direction, so that the terminating member 6 can accommodate the portion of the end cap 11 that is larger than the portion of the flexible exterior 10 of the flexible light-emitting device 1. The portion of the end cap 11 of the flexible light-emitting device 1 is accommodated in the housing portion 60 through an opening 61.

[0027] The terminating members 6 have pins 62 that fit into the connecting holes 42 of the fixing members 4. Two pins 62 protrude from each abutment surface 65 (see FIG. 1) that abuts against the fixing members 4 to be connected.

[0028] The terminating member 6 has a groove 63 into which the semi-transparent cover 3 is fitted. The groove 63 is formed at a position where the semi-transparent cover 3 fitted into the groove 63 covers the end cap 11 of the flexible light-emitting device 1 housed in the housing section 60, i.e., so as to close the opening 61. In addition, a recess 64 similar to the fixing member 4 is provided at the back of the housing section 60.

[0029] Further, a fixing plate 66 for attaching to the structure S with screws is provided to protrude from the terminating member 6. The fixing plate 66 is provided with openings 67 through which the screws pass.

[0030] This embodiment also includes a cover member 8 that covers the contact portions between the multiple fixing members 4 and the connecting members 5 and the contact portions between the fixing members 4 and the terminating member 6. The cover member 8 is formed, for example, from a spring material, and is fitted from the outside into the contact portions between the fixing members 4 and the connecting members 5 and the terminating member 6 to cover the gaps in these contact portions. The cover member 8 can also be formed from a rubber material or the like, and can be fixed with double-sided tape. It is also possible to sandwich a rubber seal between the fixing members 4 and the connecting members 5 and the terminating member 6.

[0031] Next, a procedure for attaching the flexible light-emitting device 1 to the structure S using the fixing tool 2 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described.

[0032] (1) Temporary placement The fixing device 2 is temporarily placed on the structure S using double-sided tape in the following order: terminating member 6 → fixing member 4 → connecting member 5. At this time, the multiple pins 62 of the terminating member 6 are inserted into and fitted to the multiple connecting holes 42 at one end of the fixing member 4. Also, the multiple pins 52 at one end of the connecting member 5 are inserted into and fitted to the multiple connecting holes 42 at the other end of the fixing member 4.

[0033] (2) Screw fixing After the temporary fastening, the fixing device 2 is fixed to the structure S with the screws 7. At this time, the terminating member 6, fixing member 4, and connecting member 5 have multiple pins 52, 62 fitted into multiple connecting holes 42, so the terminating member 6, fixing member 4, and connecting member 5 are positioned perfectly in a straight line. Note that the fixing member 4, which requires length adjustment, is not yet fixed.

[0034] (3) Adjusting the length of the fixing member 4 The flexible light-emitting device 1 is temporarily fitted into the fixing fixture 2, and the cutting position of the fixing member 4 where length adjustment is required is marked and then cut straight using a cutting tool. Note that, because the end cap 11 portion of the flexible light-emitting device 1 is housed in the housing portion 60 of the terminating member 6, the cutting position of the fixing member 4 is an inner position taking into consideration the length from the end of the flexible light-emitting device 1 to the end cap 11 portion. In addition, the cut end surface of the fixing member 4 is deburred to prevent scratches on the flexible light-emitting device 1, and lightly chamfered with a drill or the like to prevent the connection hole 42 exposed on the cut end surface from being blocked.

[0035] (4) Screwing the fixing member 4 and the terminating member 6 after length adjustment The fixing member 4 and the terminating member 6 whose lengths have been adjusted are fixed to the structure S with screws 7. Thereafter, the flexible light-emitting device 1 is fitted into the fixing fixture 2 permanently.

[0036] (5) Attaching the milk half cover 3 The milk half cover 3 is placed on the fixing device 2 starting from the end. The unnecessary part of the milk half cover 3 is cut straight with a mole cutter or the like to adjust the length.

[0037] According to the fixing device 2 of the present embodiment, connecting members 5 are disposed between multiple fixing members 4, and pins 52 of the connecting members 5 are fitted into connecting holes 42 extending in the longitudinal direction of the multiple fixing members 4, thereby connecting the multiple fixing members 4 in a straight line via the connecting members 5. Furthermore, when the fixing members 4 are cut to a desired length, the connecting holes 42 extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixing members 4 are exposed at the cut end surfaces, and the pins 52 of the connecting members 5 are fitted into these exposed connecting holes 42, thereby connecting the multiple fixing members 4 in a straight line via the connecting members 5. Therefore, according to this fixing device 2, it is possible to easily connect multiple long fixing members 4 that are cut to a desired length and used without lateral displacement, to form a linear lighting fixture.

[0038] Furthermore, in the fixing device 2 of this embodiment, the terminating member 6 is placed at the end of the fixing member 4, and the pin 62 of the terminating member 6 is fitted into the connecting hole 42 extending in the longitudinal direction of the fixing member 4, thereby connecting the fixing member 4 and the terminating member 6 in a straight line without any lateral displacement. As a result, the flexible exterior 10 is housed in the housing portion 40 of the fixing member 4, and the end cap 11 is housed in the housing portion 60 of the terminating member 6, which has a larger cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of ​​the housing portion 40 of the fixing member 4 when viewed in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent light leakage from the end cap 11 portion of the flexible light-emitting device 1, and to fix the flexible light-emitting device 1 to the wall or ceiling surface of a structure in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

[0039] In addition, the fixing device 2 can prevent light from the flexible light-emitting device 1 from leaking from the contact points between the multiple fixing members 4 and the connecting members 5 and the terminating member 6 by covering the contact points between the multiple fixing members 4 and the connecting members 5 and the terminating member 6 with the cover member 8.

[0040] In this embodiment, the connecting holes 42 penetrate from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction, but they do not have to penetrate all the way from one end to the other. In short, they only need to extend in the longitudinal direction so that the pins 52 of the connecting member 5 can be fitted into them. Also, in this embodiment, the connecting member 5 has a configuration in which two pins 52 are provided facing each side of the multiple fixing members 4 to be connected, but it is also possible to have one pin provided facing each side of the multiple fixing members 4. [Industrial Applicability]

[0041] The present invention is useful as a fixing device for fixing flexible light-emitting devices such as flexible strip-shaped LED lights to the wall or ceiling surfaces of structures, and is particularly suitable as a fixing device that can prevent light leakage from the end caps of flexible light-emitting devices that have end caps on the ends of their flexible exteriors and can be fixed to the wall or ceiling surfaces of structures in an aesthetically pleasing manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Flexible light-emitting device 2 Fixing tools 3. Half breast cover 4 Fixing parts 5 Connecting parts 6 Ending members 7 screws 8 Cover member 10 Flexible outer shell 11 End cap 20, 40, 50, 60 storage compartment 41, 51, 61 Openings 42 Connection hole 43, 53, 63 Groove 44,54,64 recesses 52,62 pin 66 Fixing plate 70 head

Claims

1. A flexible light emitting device fixing tool for fixing a flexible light emitting device having an end cap provided at an end of a flexible exterior in a housing, the flexible light emitting device including: a termination member that is connected to a fixing member that is an elongated fixing member that forms a part of the accommodating portion and has a connecting hole extending in the longitudinal direction, the termination member having a pin that fits into the connecting hole of the fixing member, and an accommodating portion that accommodates the end cap and has a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the accommodating portion of the fixing member when viewed in the longitudinal direction; A flexible light-emitting device fixing tool comprising:

2. 2. The fixture for a flexible light-emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a cover member for covering a contact portion between the fixing member and the terminating member.

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