LED Strip Alignment Wedge Connector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED lighting systems require seams or are not removable from their mounting surface, which can lead to uneven appearances and stress on the LED strips, and there is a need for a method to securely join and align contiguously arranged linear LED light strips across gaps in mounting surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A system using a plurality of mounting clips and a wedge-shaped extrusion connector to secure and align LED light strips, providing rigidity and allowing for seamless installation across gaps, with extrusions featuring recessed grooves to guide the strips and maintain alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If LED light strips are joined using prior-art methods (gaskets, rails, brackets), then the strips can be connected to form continuous lighting arrangements, but visible seams are created and the appearance becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
A wedge-shaped connector serves as an intermediary element between adjacent LED light strip sections. This connector is inserted into recesses at the ends of the strips, mechanically joining them while maintaining alignment and creating a seamless appearance without visible seams or gaps.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting system is divided into modular sections that can be independently installed and then joined using the wedge-shaped connectors. Each section includes recesses at its ends designed to receive the connectors, allowing for easy assembly while maintaining a continuous, uniform appearance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If LED light strips are rigidly mounted to surfaces, then stable installation is achieved, but stress is applied to the LED strips causing potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system incorporates flexible mounting clips instead of rigid fixed mounts. These clips can flex and adjust to accommodate slight variations in surface flatness and strip positioning, providing stable installation while reducing stress concentration on the LED strips.
Solution Approach 2:
The design anticipates potential stress issues by incorporating flexible mounting elements and alignment features that prevent excessive force from being applied to the LED strips during installation and operation, thereby protecting strip integrity beforehand.
3Adaptability or versatility
If LED light strips are installed across gaps in mounting surfaces, then flexible mounting configurations are achieved, but alignment and rigidity become difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge-shaped connectors act as intermediary elements that span gaps between mounting surfaces. These connectors include features that engage with recesses in adjacent strip sections, maintaining precise alignment and rigidity even when installed across gaps or on uneven surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution addresses alignment issues by introducing a third dimension through the wedge-shaped geometry of the connectors. The wedges are inserted at an angle into recesses, creating mechanical interlocking that maintains alignment precision while accommodating surface variations.
Data Source
AI summary
An LED lighting kit comprises an extrusion (300), an LED strip (100), a tapered wedge (1500), and a mounting clip (1200). The extrusion itself may have a recessed linear groove of sufficient width and depth to seat the LED strip. The clip is sized and shaped to springably engage ledges (320) in a first channel (310) of the extrusion when the strip is mounted. In one aspect, two extrusions are butted end-to-end and are aligned by inserting the tapered wedge into the first channel of each extrusion prior to butting them together. The extrusion contains a second channel (315) that houses the LED strip. A translucent diffuser (900) is springably inserted into the second channel, thereby diffusing light that is emitted by the LED strip.