Modular LED Christmas Tree Wiring With Spring-Loaded Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing artificial Christmas trees with incandescent lights pose safety hazards due to heat emission and require complex wiring, whereas artificial trees with LED lights are more convenient but lack efficient power distribution systems for easy assembly and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An artificial Christmas tree design featuring modular trunk sections with parallel electrical connections and spring-loaded connectors for secure power transmission, allowing for easy assembly and replacement of LED light strings, while using printed circuit boards to convert AC power to safe, low-voltage DC for safe operation and aesthetic control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If incandescent lights are used in artificial Christmas trees, then the lighting effect is bright and warm, but the tree emits significant heat and poses safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from incandescent lighting to LED lighting, fundamentally changing the illumination parameter. LEDs provide sufficient brightness while emitting minimal heat, thereby resolving the contradiction between illumination intensity and heat emission. The patent specifies that LED lights do not emit significant heat compared to incandescent bulbs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs LED lights which have significantly longer lifespan than incandescent bulbs, eliminating the need for frequent replacement. This principle addresses the safety hazard by using durable, low-maintenance lighting that reduces the risk of failure and heat-related incidents.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If LED lights are used in artificial Christmas trees, then safety hazards are reduced, but the wiring system becomes complex and difficult to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the Christmas tree into modular trunk sections, each containing integrated wiring and power distribution systems. This segmentation allows for simplified assembly where pre-wired modules are connected together, reducing the overall wiring complexity while maintaining safety standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces spring-loaded electrical connectors as intermediary components between trunk sections. These connectors automatically establish electrical contact when sections are assembled, simplifying the wiring process and reducing complexity by eliminating manual wire connections.
3Ease of operation
If modular trunk sections are used, then assembly is simplified, but the electrical connection reliability between sections may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates spring-loaded connectors that maintain constant electrical pressure between modular trunk sections. The spring mechanism compensates for assembly tolerances and mechanical wear over time, ensuring reliable electrical connections are maintained throughout the product lifecycle while preserving ease of assembly.
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 provides a safe, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing artificial Christmas tree with easy assembly and maintenance, ensuring reliable LED lighting and reducing the risk of electrical hazards through modular and secure power distribution.
Implementation Method 1
the spring connectors comprising springs that are compressed by connector plates when the trunk sections are assembled, to provide a solid electrical connection to conduct the electrical power to the plurality of trunk sections
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments of an artificial tree that is lit by LEDs. Individual trunk modules are provided on trunk sections that provide individual control of LED strings disposed on branches on each of the trunk sections. Remote control devices and smart devices connected to the Internet can control the trunk modules. Spring-loaded flat connectors between the trunk sections, and also between the branches in the trunks, provide a solid electrical connection, which has a low susceptibility to failure. Plastic injection molded branches having injected molded sockets are provided for connecting LEDs that can be plugged directly into sockets on the trunk sections. The LEDs can be driven with an AC or DC electrical power supply.