LED Socket Spring Finger Clamping and Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED lighting systems face issues with LED package failure due to excessive or insufficient force applied by socket housings, leading to fracture or vibration, which compromises the secure holding and thermal management of the LED packages.
Innovation Solution
A socket assembly that includes a clamp with spring fingers to apply a controlled clamping force to the LED PCB, ensuring secure engagement with the support structure while preventing fracture, and an isolator frame for electrical isolation, facilitating thermal management and vibration prevention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the socket housing applies force to the LED package to hold it in engagement with the support structure, then the LED package is securely held, but the LED package may fracture due to excessive force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a spring mechanism that provides dynamic, elastic force to the LED package. The spring can compress and expand, maintaining consistent contact pressure without exceeding fracture thresholds. This dynamic compliance allows the socket to adapt to thermal expansion and manufacturing tolerances while securing the LED package reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the force application parameter from fixed rigid contact to variable elastic force through the spring mechanism. The spring's force-displacement characteristics allow the system to maintain optimal holding force across different operating conditions, preventing both insufficient engagement and excessive force that could cause fracture.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the socket housing applies force to the LED package to prevent vibration, then the LED package is securely held, but the LED package may fracture due to excessive force
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism provides dynamic damping characteristics that absorb vibration energy. When the LED package experiences vibrational forces, the spring compresses and expands, dissipating energy and reducing peak forces transmitted to the LED package, thereby preventing fracture while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism acts as a pre-configured cushioning element that is already in place before vibration occurs. The elastic properties of the spring are designed to absorb and mitigate vibrational shocks before they can cause damage to the LED package, providing protective cushioning in advance of potential harm.
3Reliability
If a rigid socket housing is used to securely hold the LED package, then the LED package is firmly engaged, but thermal management is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the socket housing into separate functional components: a rigid structural frame for mechanical support and engagement, and a compliant spring element for force application. This segmentation allows the rigid portions to provide structural integrity and thermal pathways, while the spring portion provides secure engagement without thermal interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism serves as an intermediary between the rigid socket housing and the LED package. It transmits the necessary holding force while maintaining thermal management pathways, as the spring's elastic deformation does not significantly impede heat flow from the LED package to the heat sink.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents LED package failure by applying a controlled clamping force and ensuring secure engagement with the support structure, while maintaining thermal efficiency and electrical isolation, thus enhancing the reliability and performance of LED lighting systems.
Implementation Method 1
a spring finger extending from the base, the spring finger applying a clamping force to the LED PCB
Data Source
AI summary
A socket assembly is disclosed. The socket assembly includes a light emitting diode (LED) package having an LED printed circuit board (PCB), a base frame, an isolator frame, and an electrical contact. The base frame has a base mounted to a support structure and a spring finger extending from the base, the spring finger applying a clamping force to the LED PCB that acts in a direction toward the support structure. The isolator frame is mounted to the support structure. The electrical contact is electrically connected to the LED PCB and disposed within the isolator frame, such that the isolator frame electrically isolates the base frame from the electrical contact.