LED lighting devices

Abstract

To provide an LED lighting device that is less likely to produce weak lighting even when a dimmer is connected. [Solution] The LED lighting device of the present invention is a lighting device used by connecting a dimmer, and comprises a flexible tube and a flexible wiring board housed within the tube. The flexible wiring board is provided with a rectifier circuit that rectifies AC power, a smoothing circuit that smooths the pulsating current rectified by the rectifier circuit, an LED that emits light using DC current supplied by the DC voltage smoothed by the smoothing circuit, and a resistor that reduces the current flowing to the LED when the dimmer is OFF.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an LED lighting device that uses an LED as a light source. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a known LED lighting device includes a diode that rectifies commercial AC power, a plurality of light-emitting diodes that are connected to the output side of the diode and arranged in a line and connected in series so that the diode output can be applied to light the device, and a light-transmitting tube into which the linearly arranged light-emitting diodes are inserted (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3098840 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, LED lighting devices are sometimes used with dimmers, but depending on the dimmer, a minute current may flow even when the power is turned off, and this minute current may cause the LED lighting device to continue to light slightly (weak lighting). When this happens, it is not possible to completely darken the surroundings, which is one of the reasons for the reduction in product value.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an LED lighting device that is less likely to produce weak lighting even when a dimmer is connected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The LED lighting device of the present invention is a lighting device that is used by connecting a dimmer, and comprises a flexible tube and a flexible wiring board housed within the tube. The flexible wiring board is provided with a rectifier circuit that rectifies AC power, a smoothing circuit that smooths the pulsating current rectified by the rectifier circuit, an LED that emits light using DC current supplied by the DC voltage smoothed by the smoothing circuit, and a resistor that reduces the current flowing to the LED when the dimmer is OFF. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present invention is provided with a resistor that reduces the current flowing to the LED side when the dimmer is OFF, so that weak lighting is less likely to occur even when the dimmer is connected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an LED lighting device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the LED lighting device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a flexible wiring board for an LED lighting device, and (b) shows an example of a circuit configuration diagram when a dimmer is connected to an LED lighting device. [Figure 4] (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams of the current flow when no resistor is installed. [Figure 5] (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the current flow when the power to an LED lighting device equipped with a resistor is turned off. [Figure 6] (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams of the current flow when an LED lighting device equipped with a resistor is turned on. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a reinforcing member is provided on one end side of the rear surface of a flexible wiring board, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a reinforcing member is provided on both end sides of the rear surface of a flexible wiring board. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a connection portion between a flexible wiring board and an electric wire. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an end cap. [Figure 10] (a) shows an example of a clip used to install an LED lighting device, and (b) shows another example of a clip. [Figure 11] (a) shows an example of a clip used to install an LED lighting device, and (b) shows another example of a clip. [Figure 12] (a) shows an example of an LED lighting device installed facing upwards, and (b) shows an example of an LED lighting device installed facing sideways. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Embodiment) An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The LED lighting device of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as "lighting device") is a lighting device that is used with an AC power source E (for example, a commercial power source of AC 100V or 240V) and can be used by connecting a dimmer X.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, the lighting device of this embodiment mainly comprises a tube 10 and a flexible printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to as "FPC") 20 housed in the tube 10. The lighting device can be bent in a desired direction.

[0011] The tube 10 is a flexible, elongated member. As shown in Fig. 2, the tube 10 of this embodiment has four surface portions covering all four sides, specifically, a front surface portion 11, a first side surface portion 12, a bottom surface portion 13, and a second side surface portion 14. The front surface portion 11 and the bottom surface portion 13 are positioned directly opposite each other, and the first side surface portion 12 and the second side surface portion 14 are positioned directly opposite each other.

[0012] In this embodiment, the dimensions of the front surface portion 11, first side surface portion 12, bottom surface portion 13, and second side surface portion 14 are the same or approximately the same. The front surface portion 11, first side surface portion 12, bottom surface portion 13, and second side surface portion 14 are continuous and have a square or approximately square cross section measuring approximately 22 mm long and 22 mm wide. In this embodiment, the thickness of each surface is approximately 2.5 mm. The dimensions shown here are an example, and other dimensions may be used.

[0013] In this embodiment, the area above the storage position of the FPC 20 of the tube 10, specifically the front surface 11, part of the first side surface 12 and part of the second side surface 14, is made of a milky translucent area, and the other areas, specifically the bottom surface 13, parts of the first side surface 12 other than the milky translucent area and parts of the second side surface 14 other than the milky translucent area, are made of a white opaque area.

[0014] Here, "milky translucent" means a state or color that is whitish enough to allow an object placed behind it to be seen through, and "white opaque" means a state or color that is whitish enough to prevent an object placed behind it from being seen through.

[0015] The tube 10 can be manufactured by various methods, such as extrusion two-color molding, etc. The tube 10 can be manufactured from silicone or other resin materials.

[0016] The surface of each face portion is flat and without any irregularities, but the bottom portion 13 has a plurality of bottom grooves 13a formed along its longitudinal direction. The bottom grooves 13a are formed in parallel at intervals in the width direction of the bottom portion 13.

[0017] When installing a lighting device, the bottom surface 13 may come into close contact with the installation surface, making it difficult to move the lighting device. In this regard, by providing bottom grooves 13a on the bottom surface 13, the bottom grooves 13a do not come into close contact with the installation surface, making it easier to move the lighting device during installation. Similar grooves can also be provided on the first side surface 12 and the second side surface 14.

[0018] Inside the tube 10, there are provided multiple spaces, specifically, a substrate accommodating section (first accommodating section) 15 in which the FPC 20 is accommodated, a core material accommodating section (second accommodating section) 16 in which the core material 31 is accommodated, and a diffusion space 17 that reflects and diffuses the light emitted from the LED 23.

[0019] In this embodiment, a dotless design (where the LEDs 23 do not appear as dots when viewed from the outside) is achieved by ensuring a distance of approximately 15 to 16 mm from the LEDs 23 to the surface (light-emitting surface) of the front surface 11. The dimensions shown here are an example, and other dimensions may also be used.

[0020] The substrate accommodating section 15 is located near the center of the thickness direction of the tube 10, the core material accommodating section 16 is located on the back side of the substrate accommodating section 15, and the diffusion space 17 is located on the front side of the substrate accommodating section 15. In this embodiment, the volume of the diffusion space 17 is larger than the volume of the substrate accommodating section 15, and the volume of the core material accommodating section 16 is smaller than the volume of the substrate accommodating section 15.

[0021] The FPC 20 housed in the board housing portion 15 is a member on which various electronic components including LEDs 23 are mounted. Fig. 3(a) shows an example of the FPC 20, and Fig. 3(b) shows an example of a circuit configuration diagram when a dimmer is connected to a lighting device. As shown in Figs. 3(a) and 3(b), the FPC 20 of this embodiment is equipped with a rectifier circuit 21, a smoothing circuit 22, multiple LEDs 23, and a resistor 24.

[0022] The rectifier circuit 21 is a circuit that rectifies an AC 100V AC power supply E. In this embodiment, the rectifier circuit 21 is a diode bridge (bridge rectifier) ​​in which four bridge-connected diodes D1, D2, D3, and D4 are packaged together.

[0023] The four diodes D1, D2, D3, and D4 are connected in the following manner: the anode of diode D1 is connected to the cathode of diode D2, the cathode of diode D1 is connected to the cathode of diode D3, the anode of diode D3 is connected to the cathode of diode D4, and the anode of diode D4 is connected to the anode of diode D2.

[0024] The connection point between diode D1 and diode D2 is the input terminal (hereinafter referred to as the "first input terminal") T in1 The connection point between the diode D1 and the diode D3 is an output terminal (hereinafter referred to as the "first output terminal") T out1 The connection point between the diodes D3 and D4 is the input terminal (hereinafter referred to as the "second input terminal") T in2 The connection point between the diode D4 and the diode D2 is the output terminal (hereinafter referred to as the "second output terminal") T out2 It functions as:

[0025] First input terminal T in1 is one AC line (hereinafter referred to as "first AC line") of AC power supply E AC1 and the second input terminal T in2 is the other AC line (hereinafter referred to as the "second AC line") L of the AC power supply E AC2 is connected to.

[0026] First output terminal T out1 is the DC line (hereinafter referred to as the "first DC line") L DC1 and the second output terminal T out2 is a DC line (hereinafter referred to as the "second DC line") L to which the LED 23 is connected in series. DC2 is connected to.

[0027] Here, a packaged diode bridge (bridge rectifier) ​​is used as the rectifier circuit 21 as an example, but the rectifier circuit 21 can also be configured by arranging four unpackaged diodes.

[0028] The smoothing circuit 22 is a circuit that smoothes the pulsating current rectified by the rectifying circuit 21. In this embodiment, a smoothing capacitor is used as the smoothing circuit 22. The smoothing capacitor is connected to the output side of the rectifying circuit 21, specifically, to the first DC line L DC1 and the second DC line L DC2 The smoothing circuit 22 is connected in parallel with the LED 23. The smoothing circuit 22 may be configured to use something other than a smoothing capacitor.

[0029] The LED 23 is connected to the first DC line L DC1 The LEDs 23 are connected in series and emit light by a direct current smoothed by a smoothing circuit 22. The LEDs 23 are connected in series. The LEDs 23 may be a so-called bullet-type LED or an LED chip.

[0030] 3(a) and 3(b), in order to prevent damage to the LEDs 23 due to excessive current flow, multiple current limiting resistors 25 are connected in series with the LEDs 23. Note that if a constant current driver that stably supplies a specific current is used, the current limiting resistors 25 can be omitted.

[0031] The resistor 24 reduces the minute current that occurs when a dimmer X (especially a dimmer X with a switch (firefly switch) that has a lamp X1 that lights up when the switch is turned off so that the switch position can be seen even in the dark) is connected, specifically, the current that flows through the LED 23 when the dimmer X is turned off.

[0032] The resistor 24 is located downstream of the rectifier circuit 21 and upstream of the LED 23, in other words, between the two DC lines (first DC line L DC1 and the second DC line L DC2 ) and is connected in parallel with the LED 23.

[0033] The resistor 24 can have a usable voltage of 100V or more and a resistance value that can eliminate weak lighting when connected to the dimmer X, specifically, a resistance of about 100 to several hundred kΩ, such as 110 kΩ, 220 kΩ, or 470 kΩ.

[0034] In this embodiment, the resistor 24 is one that can reduce the current flowing through the LED 23 when the dimmer is OFF to a level at which the LED 23 does not light up (in other words, one that can reduce the current to less than the minimum current value required to light the LED 23).

[0035] As shown in Figure 4(a) and (b), the first DC line L DC1 and the second DC line L DC2 If resistor 24 is not connected between the first and second DC lines L and L, a minute current for lamp X1 flows through the first DC line L when the power supply to dimmer X is turned off. DC1 This minute current may cause the LED 23 to emit light. In this case, the LED 23 will remain lit even though the power is off.

[0036] In contrast, as shown in Fig. 5(a) and (b), the first DC line L DC1 and the second DC line L DC2 When a resistor 24 is connected between the LED 23 and the power supply 24, a minute current flows to the resistor 24 side, thereby reducing the amount of minute current flowing through the LED 23 to a level at which the LED 23 does not light up, and the LED 23 can be prevented from lighting up when the power supply is turned off.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 6(a) and (b), the first DC line L DC1 and the second DC line L DC2 If a resistor 24 is connected between the LED 23 and the resistor 24, when the power is turned on, a current will flow not only to the LED 23 but also to the resistor 24. However, the current flowing to the resistor 24 is very small and does not affect the lighting of the LED 23.

[0038] A plurality of electrodes 20a (FIG. 3(b)) are provided on the chip mounting surface of the FPC 20 at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the FPC 20. The electrodes 20a are provided on both outer sides in the width direction of the FPC 20, and two electrodes 20a arranged side by side form a pair, one of which is used as a positive electrode and the other as a negative electrode.

[0039] 7(a) and 7(b), a reinforcing member 26 harder than the FPC 20 is provided on the rear surface side of the longitudinal end portion of the FPC 20, specifically, the portion including the electric wire connection portion provided on both longitudinal ends of the FPC 20. By providing the reinforcing member 26 on the rear surface side of the FPC 20, damage or breakage (disconnection) of the electric wires 27 can be prevented.

[0040] The reinforcing member 26 can be made of a thin plate material harder than the FPC 20, such as an FR4 (Flame Retardant Type 4) board. The FR4 board is made by impregnating glass fiber cloth with epoxy resin and subjecting it to a heat-curing treatment to form it into a plate shape.

[0041] In this embodiment, the reinforcing member 26 is a rectangular thin plate approximately 16 mm wide and 55 mm long, with one end formed in a straight line and the other end formed in an arc. The dimensions and shape shown here are merely examples, and other dimensions and shapes may be used.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 8, the reinforcing member 26 is disposed so that one end thereof protrudes outward beyond the end face of the FPC 20, and in this state, is integrally connected together with the FPC 20 and the electric wire 27 by soldering.

[0043] By providing a reinforcing member 26 on the back side of the FPC 20 and connecting the FPC 20, the reinforcing member 26 and the electric wire 27 together by soldering, the risk of the electric wire 27 breaking can be reduced, and the safety of the lighting device using an AC 100V power supply can be ensured.

[0044] A thin plate-like core material 31 is accommodated in the core material accommodation portion 16 of the tube 10 to suppress elastic deformation of the tube 10 to a certain extent. The core material 31 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the tube 10 over the entire length of the tube 10.

[0045] A thin plate made of various resins such as PET resin (polyethylene terephthalate resin) can be used for the core material 31. When the tube 10 is extruded and integrally molded, the core material 31 can be extruded and integrally molded together with the tube 10.

[0046] A side cap 32 that closes the end face is attached to the end of the tube 10 that houses the FPC 20, reinforcing member 26, core material 31, etc. The side cap 32 can be fixed to the end face of the tube 10 with an adhesive or the like.

[0047] 9 has a square end surface 32a and a rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall 32b rising from the end surface 32a. To prevent light from being attenuated in the area where the side cap 32 is attached, a transparent material (transparent resin) such as polycarbonate can be used for the side cap 32.

[0048] Ribs 32c are protruding from the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 32b. A plurality of ribs 32c are provided at intervals. By providing the ribs 32c, adhesive is filled between adjacent ribs 32c, thereby increasing the adhesive strength. In addition, the side cap 32 is textured on the portions other than the light-transmitting portion, which also increases the adhesive strength.

[0049] A recessed space 32d is provided in the peripheral wall 32b of the side cap 32 in a portion (bottom surface 13 side) where the electric wire 27 is located. The surface of the peripheral wall 32b on the bottom surface 13 side is longer than the other portions of the peripheral wall 32b to ensure a wide adhesive area. This improves the adhesive strength of the electric wire 27 accommodated in the space 32d and prevents the electric wire 27 from accidentally falling off.

[0050] Although the lighting devices of this embodiment are designed to be connectable in the longitudinal direction, there is no need to attach side caps 32 to the connecting portions. In this case, instead of attaching side caps 32, a cylindrical transparent cover or the like can be provided on the connecting portions.

[0051] The lighting device configured as described above can be used, for example, as indirect lighting (cove lighting, cornice lighting, etc.). In this case, clips 33 as shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b) and 11(a) and 11(b) can be used to install the lighting device.

[0052] 10(a) has a clip bottom 33a and two standing pieces 33b and 33c rising from the clip bottom 33a. A tube storage section 33d is formed inside the clip bottom 33a and the two standing pieces 33b and 33c, and can store the tube 10 in any orientation.

[0053] A side standing piece 33e stands upright on the outer side of one standing piece 33b. An electric wire accommodating portion 33f for accommodating the electric wire 27 is provided inside the side standing piece 33e, the standing piece 33b adjacent to the side standing piece 33e, and the clip bottom portion 33a. The electric wire accommodating portion 33f can accommodate and fix the electric wire 27 (prevent the electric wire 27 from slack) when connecting the lighting device in the longitudinal direction.

[0054] The clip 33 shown in FIG. 10(b) is an elongated version of the clip 33 in FIG. 10(a), and its basic configuration is similar to that of the clip 33 in FIG. 10(a).

[0055] 11(a) has a clip bottom 33a and two standing pieces 33b and 33c rising from the clip bottom 33a. The two standing pieces 33b and 33c have protruding parts 33g protruding inward on their inner surfaces.

[0056] A tube accommodating section 33d capable of accommodating the tube 10 in any orientation is provided at a position above the protruding sections 33g of the two standing pieces 33b, 33c. The tube accommodating section 33d can accommodate the tube 10 in any orientation.

[0057] Between the clip bottom 33a and the portions of the two standing pieces 33b and 33c below the protruding portions 33g, there is provided a wire accommodating portion 33f for accommodating the wire 27. The wire accommodating portion 33f can accommodate and fix the wire 27 (prevent the wire 27 from slack) when connecting the lighting device in the longitudinal direction.

[0058] The clip 33 shown in FIG. 11(b) is an elongated version of the clip 33 in FIG. 11(a), and its basic configuration is similar to that of the clip 33 in FIG. 11(a).

[0059] The lighting device of this embodiment has light-emitting surfaces on three sides, and can be installed with the bottom surface 13 in contact with the installation location, or with a part of the first side surface 12 or the second side surface 14 in contact with the installation location. When the lighting device of this embodiment is installed in the former manner, three-sided light emission is ensured, and when installed in the latter manner, two-sided light emission is ensured.

[0060] By configuring the device to emit light from two or three sides, it can be suitably used as a lighting device for indirect lighting such as cove lighting for illuminating a ceiling or cornice lighting for illuminating a wall. Note that, in the lighting device of this embodiment, the outer periphery of the tube 10 is square or approximately square, so the various clips 33 described above can be used regardless of the installation orientation (FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b)).

[0061] (Other embodiments) The configuration of the above embodiment is merely an example, and the configuration and various numerical values ​​of the lighting device of the present invention are not limited to those of the above embodiment. The lighting device of the present invention can be appropriately modified, such as by adding, replacing, or omitting components, as long as the intended purpose can be achieved.

[0062] For example, in the above embodiment, the resistor 24 is connected downstream of the rectifier circuit 21, but the resistor 24 may also be connected upstream of the rectifier circuit 21 and the LED 23.

[0063] The embodiments disclosed in this application are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes equivalents to the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0064] The present invention can be suitably used as a lighting device used together with a dimmer X, and in particular as a lighting device used together with a dimmer X equipped with a firefly switch. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10 tubes 11 Front part 12 First side part 13 Bottom part 13a Bottom groove 14 Second side part 15 Substrate accommodation section (first accommodation section) 16 Core material storage section (second storage section) 17 Diffusion Space 20 Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) 20a electrode 21 Rectifier circuit 22 Smoothing circuit 23 LED 24 resistor 25 Current limiting resistor 26 Reinforcing member 27 Electric wire 31 Core material 32 Side cap 32a End face part 32b Peripheral wall part 32c Rib 32d space 33 clips 33a Bottom of clip 33b, 33c standing piece 33d Tube storage section 33e Side standing piece 33f Wire housing section 33g protruding part D1~D4 Diodes E AC power supply L AC1 AC Line (First AC Line) L AC2 AC line (second AC line) L DC1 DC line (first DC line) L DC2 DC line (second DC line) T in1 Input terminal (first input terminal) T out1 Output terminal (first output terminal) T in2 Input terminal (second input terminal) T out2 Output terminal (second output terminal) X dimmer X1 lamp

Claims

1. In an LED lighting device used with a dimmer, a flexible tube; a flexible wiring board accommodated in the tube; The flexible wiring board is provided with a rectifier circuit that rectifies AC power, a smoothing circuit that smoothes the pulsating current rectified by the rectifier circuit, an LED that emits light using a DC current supplied by the DC voltage smoothed by the smoothing circuit, and a resistor that reduces the current flowing through the LED when the dimmer is turned off. An LED lighting device characterized by:

2. The LED lighting device according to claim 1, The resistor is connected upstream of the LED. An LED lighting device characterized by:

3. The LED lighting device according to claim 1, A diode bridge is used as a rectifier circuit, a resistor connected between the two DC lines of the diode bridge; An LED lighting device characterized by:

4. The LED lighting device according to claim 1, A reinforcing member harder than the flexible wiring board is provided on both longitudinal ends or one longitudinal end of the flexible wiring board. An LED lighting device characterized by:

5. The LED lighting device according to claim 4, The flexible wiring board, the reinforcing member, and the electric wire are connected by soldering. An LED lighting device characterized by:

6. The LED lighting device according to claim 1, the tube has a front surface portion covering four sides of the flexible wiring board, a first side surface portion, a second side surface portion, and a bottom surface portion; Light can be emitted from three surfaces: the front surface, the first side surface, and the second side surface. An LED lighting device characterized by:

7. The LED lighting device according to claim 1, The tube is provided with a first storage section and a second storage section that is a separate space from the first storage section, The first housing section houses a flexible wiring board, A core material is accommodated in the second accommodation section. An LED lighting device characterized by:

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