Replaceable LED Plug Assembly for Composite Board Sockets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting fixtures with LEDs do not allow easy replacement of LEDs, as they typically outlive the fixtures, making individual LED replacement advantageous for applications where LEDs have varying lifetimes.
Innovation Solution
A plug with a bottom and top connection element, a circuit board, and an assembly component that allows easy mounting and removal from a composite board socket, enabling electrical connection between conducting layers and an electronic component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If LEDs are permanently mounted in lighting fixtures, then the fixture structure remains simple and stable, but the LEDs cannot be easily replaced even when they fail
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the lighting system into separate modular components: a replaceable plug containing the LED and a socket mounted in the fixture. This segmentation allows the LED to be easily replaced by simply removing and replacing the plug, without affecting the fixture structure. The plug itself is further segmented into a body, connection elements, and circuit board that can be independently manufactured and assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a dynamic, reversible connection mechanism between the plug and socket using spring elements that provide automatic electrical contact when the plug is inserted. This dynamic connection allows for easy insertion and removal of the plug, enabling LED replacement without permanent mounting. The spring elements ensure reliable electrical contact while allowing the plug to be easily detached when needed.
2Reliability
If the entire lighting fixture is replaced when an LED fails, then reliability is maintained, but cost and resource waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the LED from the fixture structure and places it in a separate, removable plug. This allows the functional LED component to be independently replaced while the fixture housing, socket, and other components remain in use. Only the small plug containing the failed LED needs to be discarded and replaced, significantly reducing material waste compared to replacing the entire fixture.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables selective discarding of only the failed LED component within the plug, while recovering and continuing to use the majority of the fixture components including the housing, socket, wiring, and other functional elements. This selective replacement approach minimizes resource waste and reduces the environmental impact of LED failures.
3Ease of manufacture
If connection elements are directly exposed, then electrical connection is simple, but safety hazards increase due to exposed conductors
Solution Approach 1:
The invention nests the electrical connection elements within the insulated plug body, creating a hierarchical structure where conductors are contained within insulating material. The plug body acts as an outer insulating shell that encloses the circuit board and connection elements, preventing direct exposure while maintaining electrical functionality through designated contact points at the plug ends.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug body serves as an intermediary insulating element between the exposed external environment and the internal electrical connection elements. This intermediary structure provides electrical insulation and safety protection while still enabling electrical connection through controlled contact points, resolving the conflict between connection simplicity and safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A plug for mounting in a socket that includes bottom and top connection sites. The plug includes a bottom connection element complementary to the bottom connection site and having a bottom inner surface and a bottom contact interface; a top connection element complementary to the top connection site and having a top inner surface and a top contact interface; an assembly component separating the bottom connection element from the top connection element; a circuit board positioned between the bottom connection element and the top connection element, which circuit board has a first surface and an electrically conducting second surface and which circuit board carries an electronic component on the first surface or the electrically conducting second surface; and the electrically conducting second surface being in electric connection with the bottom inner surface and the first surface being in electric connection with the top inner surface.