LED Tube Lamp Glass Retaining Ridges for Adhesive-Free Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional LED lamp tubes using adhesives for attaching light sources to glass tubes face issues such as uncontrolled adhesive flow, contamination of diffusive coatings, thermal expansion mismatches leading to device degradation, and misalignment of end caps due to lack of registration points, which affect manufacturing yield and long-term reliability.
Innovation Solution
A glass lamp tube with retaining ridges on its sidewall that securely hold a light source, such as a circuit board with LEDs, without adhesives, ensuring proper alignment and thermal compatibility, and using alignment tabs on end caps for precise installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If adhesives are used to attach light sources to glass tubes, then the light source can be secured to the tube, but adhesive flow becomes uncontrolled and contaminates diffusive coatings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the adhesive substance from the attachment system entirely. Instead of using adhesives to secure the light source circuit board to the glass tube, the invention uses mechanical retention features (ridges and grooves) molded directly into the glass tube structure to hold the light source in place, thereby eliminating adhesive contamination of diffusive coatings
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces retention ridges and grooves as intermediary mechanical features that mediate the attachment between the glass tube and light source. These features provide the necessary retention function without requiring adhesives, solving the contamination problem while maintaining secure attachment
2Strength
If adhesives are used to attach light sources, then the light source is secured, but thermal expansion mismatches cause device degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the adhesive material from the attachment system, eliminating the thermal expansion mismatch problem that occurs between adhesives and the glass tube/circuit board assembly. The mechanical retention system allows for thermal movement without causing degradation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the attachment mechanism from chemical bonding (adhesive) to mechanical retention (ridges and grooves). This parameter change allows the system to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction without the rigid constraints that cause adhesive bonds to fail under thermal stress
3Device complexity
If conventional glass tubes without registration points are used, then the tube structure is simple, but end caps become misaligned during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the retention function and alignment function into the same structural features (ridges). The retention ridges that hold the light source also serve as registration points for end cap alignment, eliminating the need for separate alignment features while improving precision
Solution Approach 2:
The retention ridges perform multiple functions: they secure the light source circuit board to the glass tube and simultaneously provide alignment registration points for the end caps. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity while improving manufacturing precision
4Ease of manufacture
If adhesives are used for assembly, then components are joined, but manufacturing yield decreases due to adhesive-related issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes adhesives from the manufacturing process, eliminating the curing time requirement and adhesive application complexity. The mechanical retention system allows for faster, more reliable assembly with higher yield by simply inserting the circuit board into the retention features without adhesive handling
Data Source
AI summary
A lamp tube including a glass tube body having a cross-sectional geometry that is perpendicular to a length of the glass tube body with a substantially cylindrical perimeter defined by a sidewall of the glass tube body enclosing a hollow interior for housing a light source. The sidewall of the glass tube body that defines the substantially cylindrical perimeter including at least one pair of ridges on opposing sides of the substantially cylindrical perimeter. Each ridge of the at least one pair of the ridges includes an apex extending towards the hollow interior for the glass tube body.