Low-Profile LED Board Retention Clips for Unobstructed Light Emission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED boards attached to substrates using mechanical fasteners often obstruct light emission due to the protrusion of fastener heads and metallic clips, creating shadows and affecting the aesthetics of lighting fixtures.
Innovation Solution
The use of low-profile retention members, such as clips with retention features like protrusions and flanges, that span the LED board and attach to the substrate, ensuring the LED board is securely held without obstructing light emission by being flush with the LED board and substrate surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical fasteners or metallic clips are used to attach LED boards to substrates, then the LED board is securely retained, but the fastener heads and clips extend above the LEDs to block light and create shadows
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastening function from traditional protruding mechanical fasteners and relocates it to retention features integrated into the substrate. The retention features include recesses or cavities that receive corresponding protrusions on the LED board, allowing secure attachment without any components extending above the LED surface to block light emission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a protruding fastening approach (extending above the LED surface in the vertical dimension) to a flush or recessed fastening approach. The retention features are formed within the substrate plane or recessed below it, changing the dimensional arrangement so that fastening occurs in the same plane as or below the LED surface, eliminating light obstruction.
2Reliability
If mechanical fasteners are used to secure LED boards, then secure retention is achieved, but the fastener components create shadows and affect aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the shadow-causing protruding fastener components from the system and replaces them with retention features that are either flush with or recessed into the substrate surface. The retention features include matched protrusion-recess pairs that secure the LED board without creating visible shadows or aesthetic defects.
3Illumination intensity
If low-profile retention members are used to prevent light obstruction, then unobstructed light emission is achieved, but secure retention must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the retention system into multiple distributed retention features across the substrate surface. Each retention feature consists of a recess with a corresponding protrusion on the LED board. This segmentation allows the use of low-profile individual features that don't obstruct light, while the collective arrangement of multiple features provides secure overall retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses retention features that are recessed into or flush with the substrate surface rather than protruding above it. This dimensional change ensures that no retention component extends above the LED surface to block light, while the recessed structure provides mechanical interlocking for secure retention through the protrusion-recess engagement.
Data Source
AI summary
Retention members for securing LED boards to substrates while permitting light from the LEDs to be emitted unobstructed. The present retention members may be in the form of clips that are designed to span an LED board and attach to a substrate so as to trap the LED board between a retention member and the substrate. The retention members described herein may include one or more retention features that may interface with a corresponding mounting feature formed on the substrate to secure the retention member and thus the LED board to a substrate.