Strip-shaped LED light

Abstract

The present invention provides a strip-shaped LED light comprising a strip-shaped substrate on which multiple LED elements are arranged in a longitudinal direction, a strip-shaped case that houses the strip-shaped substrate, end caps that close the front and rear open ends of the strip-shaped case, and lead wires that connect one end to the strip-shaped substrate and extend the other end out from the end cap, wherein the connection between the strip-shaped case and the end caps is improved. [Solution] The strip-shaped case (20), the end cap (30), and the adhesive used to fix the end cap (30) to the strip-shaped case (20) are made of silicone.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a strip-shaped LED light.

Background Art

[0002] The present applicant manufactures strip-shaped LED lights each formed by enclosing a strip-shaped substrate, on which a plurality of LED (Light Emitting Diode) elements are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction, in a strip-shaped case.

[0003] In this strip-shaped LED light, after inserting the strip-shaped substrate into the strip-shaped case, a fixing agent is filled into the strip-shaped case to fix the strip-shaped substrate, then end caps are attached to the front open end and the rear open end of the strip-shaped case to place the strip-shaped substrate in a sealed state (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (Figure 8)).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The above-described strip-shaped LED lights usually have a length of several meters or more, and are transported by being wound into a circular shape with a diameter of about 40 to 50 cm and stored in a packaging box or the like, or being subjected to wrapping packaging. During transportation, external forces such as vibration during transportation tend to act on the end caps at both ends of the strip-shaped LED light that are free ends, and these external forces may cause the sealing by the end caps to become incomplete.

[0006] Alternatively, when a rolled-up strip of LED light is straightened out, the end of the strip of LED light may come into contact with a surrounding wall or other object with force, or the end cap may be handled roughly by the worker, resulting in incomplete sealing by the end cap.

[0007] Therefore, through research and development aimed at improving the bonding condition between the strip-shaped case and the end cap, we have arrived at the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The strip-shaped LED light of the present invention comprises a strip-shaped substrate on which a plurality of LED elements are arranged in a line along its longitudinal direction, a strip-shaped case that houses the strip-shaped substrate, end caps that close the front and rear open ends of the strip-shaped case, and lead wires that connect one end to the strip-shaped substrate and extend the other end outwards from the end cap. The strip-shaped LED light is characterized in that the strip-shaped case, the end caps, and the adhesive used to fix the end caps to the strip-shaped case are made of silicone.

[0009] Furthermore, the strip-shaped LED light of the present invention also has the following features. (1) The fixing agent used to secure the strip-shaped substrate by filling the strip-shaped case containing the strip-shaped substrate is a silicone thermosetting adhesive. (2) The lead wires shall be covered with silicone insulating resin. (3) The end cap is made of a silicone film in the portion through which the lead wire is inserted, and an opening for inserting the lead wire can be formed in this silicone film by a perforating means. (4) The strip-shaped case has a hollow space, and the end cap is provided with a protective wall to prevent adhesive from seeping into the hollow space. (5) The adhesive shall be a two-component thermosetting adhesive or a one-component curing adhesive. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, by making the strip-shaped case of the strip-shaped LED light, the end cap, and the adhesive used to fix the end cap to the strip-shaped case from silicone, the bonding strength between the strip-shaped case and the end cap can be improved, and the intrusion of rainwater, dust, etc. from the end of the strip-shaped case can be reliably prevented by the end cap, thereby maintaining a reliable sealed state. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is an exploded view of the strip-shaped LED light of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a partially cutaway side view of the strip-shaped LED light of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the method of injecting adhesive. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the strip-shaped LED light 1 of the present invention consists of a strip-shaped substrate 10 on which a plurality of LED elements 11 are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction, a strip-shaped case 20 that houses the strip-shaped substrate 10, and end caps 30 that close the front open end 21 and the rear open end 22 of the strip-shaped case 20, respectively. Lead wires 12, with one end connected using solder, are attached to the strip-shaped substrate 10, and as shown in Figure 2, these lead wires 12 are routed out from the end caps 30.

[0013] The strip-shaped substrate 10 is made up of a flexible substrate that is long in one direction. In this flexible substrate, the central part in the shorter direction is designated as the mounting area 10a, and the LED element 11 is mounted on the LED element mounting area provided in this mounting area 10a, and the LED element 11 is made energizable.

[0014] In the flexible substrate of this embodiment, the left and right sides of the mounting area 10a are designated as wiring areas 10b, and electrical wiring for desired current flow is provided therein. In particular, as shown in Figure 1, the wiring area 10b is folded at the boundary with the mounting area 10a, and the back surfaces of the two are overlapped to form a T-shape in side view. By folding the flexible substrate to form a T-shape in side view, the strip substrate 10 is made easier to bend in the left and right directions perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the strip substrate 10.

[0015] In this embodiment, an external connection pad 13 for soldering one end of a lead wire 12 is provided in the wiring area 10b at one end of the elongated strip substrate 10, and the lead wire 12 is soldered to it.

[0016] The strip-shaped case 20 is a long strip in one direction when viewed from the side, and as shown in Figure 1, it is a hollow cylindrical shape, separated by a partition wall 23 inside into a substrate housing space 24 for housing the strip-shaped substrate 10 and a hollow space 25 that promotes the diffusion of light from the light-emitting LED element 11.

[0017] In this embodiment, the substrate housing space 24 is configured such that a strip-shaped substrate 10, which is T-shaped in side view, is inserted into it, and the LED elements 11 of the strip-shaped substrate 10 are directed toward the hollow space 25 across the partition wall 23. The strip-shaped substrate 10 housed in the substrate housing space 24 is fixedly mounted inside the strip-shaped case 20 by filling the wiring area 10b with a fixing agent (not shown). The fixing agent is a silicone thermosetting adhesive, and it is cured by filling the substrate housing space 24 with the fixing agent and applying heat treatment with a heater (not shown).

[0018] The upper surface of the strip-shaped case 20, which is in contact with the hollow space 25, is formed of a light-diffusing material, thereby homogenizing the light irradiated into the hollow space 25 and causing it to emit light.

[0019] The end caps 30 respectively closing the front open end 21 and the rear open end 22 of the belt-shaped case 20 each have a cap structure that can be fitted onto the front open end 21 and the rear open end 22. That is, the end cap 30 is composed of a closing wall 30a that closes the front open end 21 or the rear open end 22, and a peripheral wall 30b provided along the outer peripheral edge of the closing wall 30a.

[0020] In particular, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the closing wall 30a is provided with a protective wall 31 that can be inserted into the hollow space 25 of the belt-shaped case 20 when mounted to the front open end 21 or the rear open end 22.

[0021] The end cap 30 is made of silicone, and as shown in FIG. 2, is provided with a lead penetration region 32 formed of a silicone film that is thinner than the surroundings. That is, instead of providing a through hole for passing the lead wire 12 through, by providing the lead penetration region 32 that facilitates the formation of the through hole, the same end cap 30 can be used regardless of the presence or absence of the lead wire 12, and only one type of mold for producing the end cap 30 is required, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0022] When passing the lead wire 12 through the end cap 30, an opening for inserting the lead wire 12 is formed in the silicone film of the lead penetration region 32 by a punching means. Here, the punching means may specifically be any sharp instrument such as a needle or an awl.

[0023] In the belt-shaped LED light 1 configured as described above, the belt-shaped LED light of the present invention is characterized by the following points.

[0024] The strip-shaped case 20, the end cap 30, and the adhesive used to fix the end cap 30 to the strip-shaped case 20 are all made of silicone. In other words, by attaching the silicone end cap 30 to the silicone strip-shaped case 20 using a silicone adhesive, the bonding strength between the strip-shaped case 20 and the end cap 30 can be improved, and the end cap 30 can reliably prevent rainwater, dust, and other debris from entering from the end of the strip-shaped case 20, thereby maintaining a secure seal.

[0025] The adhesive can be either a two-component thermosetting adhesive or a one-component curing adhesive. If a heating device is available at the work site where the end cap 30 is attached to the strip-shaped case 20, a two-component thermosetting adhesive can be used. If a heating device is not available, a one-component curing adhesive can be used, thus enabling work in either location.

[0026] When attaching the end cap 30 to the strip-shaped case 20, as shown in Figure 3, the end cap 30 is temporarily attached to the strip-shaped case 20 before applying the adhesive. By bending the end cap 30, a gap is created between the strip-shaped case 20 and the end cap 30. The nozzle 41 of the syringe 40 is then inserted into this gap to inject the adhesive. By rotating the strip-shaped case 20, the nozzle 41 of the syringe 40 moves along the peripheral wall 30b of the end cap 30, completing a full rotation of the outer surface of the strip-shaped case 20, thereby uniformly injecting the adhesive. In this embodiment, the syringe 40 is operated by a pneumatic dispenser (not shown) using a foot switch (not shown) to ensure a uniform discharge volume.

[0027] In this way, when injecting adhesive between the strip-shaped case 20 and the end cap 30, the hollow space 25 of the strip-shaped case 20 is closed by the closing wall 30a provided on the end cap 30, thus suppressing the penetration of adhesive into the hollow space 25. By suppressing the penetration of adhesive into the hollow space 25, it is possible to prevent the uniformity of light diffusion from being hindered by the adhesive that has penetrated into the hollow space 25.

[0028] Furthermore, the adhesive injected between the strip-shaped case 20 and the end cap 30 can also seal the through-holes provided in the silicone film of the lead penetration region 32 of the end cap 30 through which the lead wires 12 pass. In particular, by using silicone for the insulating resin coating of the lead wires 12, the bonding properties with the adhesive can be improved, and rainwater, dust, and other debris can be prevented from entering through the through-holes through which the lead wires 12 pass. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 1. Strip-shaped LED light 10 Strip-shaped substrate 10a Implementation area 10b Wiring area 11 LED elements 12 Lead wires 13 External connection pad 20 Strip-shaped cases 21 Front opening end 22 Rear open end 23 Partition wall 24 Circuit board housing space 25 Hollow space 30 End Caps 30a Blocking wall 30b Peripheral wall 31 Protective Wall 32 Lead penetration area 40 syringes 41 nozzles

Claims

1. A strip-shaped substrate on which multiple LED elements are arranged in a line along its length, A strip-shaped case for housing the aforementioned strip-shaped substrate, End caps that close the front and rear open ends of the aforementioned strip-shaped case, A lead wire is connected to the strip-shaped substrate at one end and the other end is pulled out from the end cap to the outside. In a strip-shaped LED light having, A strip-shaped LED light in which the strip-shaped case, the end cap, and the adhesive used to fix the end cap to the strip-shaped case are made of silicone.

2. The strip-shaped LED light according to claim 1, wherein the fixing agent used to secure the strip-shaped substrate by filling it into a strip-shaped case containing the strip-shaped substrate is a thermosetting adhesive made of silicone.

3. The strip-shaped LED light according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lead wires are coated with a silicone insulating resin.

4. The strip-shaped LED light according to claim 3, wherein the end cap is made of a silicone film in the portion through which the lead wire is inserted, and an opening for inserting the lead wire can be formed in the silicone film by a perforating means.

5. The aforementioned strip-shaped case has a hollow space, The strip-shaped LED light according to claim 3, wherein the end cap is provided with a protective wall to suppress the seepage of the adhesive into the hollow space.

6. The strip-shaped LED light according to claim 3, wherein the adhesive is a two-component thermosetting adhesive or a one-component curing adhesive.

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