Watertight LED Arrangement with Segmented Sheath and Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED arrangements for wet environments face challenges in manufacturing, including limited economic production length, difficulties with end caps, inconsistent surface quality, and visual appearance issues due to protruding cables and end caps affecting light color.
Innovation Solution
An LED arrangement with a sheath applied directly to the underside of the LED board, featuring a cavity between the board and the light emission wall, and a cable positioned underneath the sheath for a watertight seal, allowing for improved light propagation and uniformity, with a two-part sheath design for easy insertion and customizable materials for aesthetic integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the LED board is encapsulated in an extruder with plastic material, then the surface quality of the light emission wall is improved, but the production length is limited to several thousand meters and end caps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath is divided into two parts: a first sheath region (6a) formed by extrusion that defines the light emission wall with high surface quality, and a second sheath region (6b) formed by casting that seals the ends. This segmentation allows the extrusion process to be used only for the critical light-emitting portion, while the casting process handles the end sealing, enabling production of arbitrary lengths without end caps.
Solution Approach 2:
The end cap function is extracted and integrated into the second sheath region formed by casting. This eliminates the need for separate end caps that protrude from the cover, allowing the LED arrangement to be inserted into profiles flush with the surface and maintaining uniform light color throughout.
2Reliability
If end caps are used to seal the LED arrangement, then watertight sealing is achieved, but the end caps protrude from the cover and interfere with visual appearance and light color uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function previously performed by separate end caps is merged into the second sheath region (6b) that is cast as an integral part of the overall sheath structure. This unified design eliminates protruding elements and maintains uniform light color across the entire light emission wall, while still providing reliable watertight sealing.
3Ease of manufacture
If the LED board is embedded directly in the sheath material, then manufacturing is simplified, but the color temperature shifts depending on the layer thickness of material above the LEDs
Solution Approach 1:
A cavity (7) is created between the upper side of the LED board (3) and the light emission wall (5) of the first sheath region (6a). This local modification ensures that the distance between the LEDs and the light emission wall remains constant, maintaining uniform color temperature and light quality along the entire longitudinal direction, while still allowing for simplified manufacturing processes.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the second sheath region is cast to seal the ends, then arbitrary lengths can be produced without end caps, but the surface quality of the light emission wall becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath is segmented into two functional regions: the first sheath region (6a) formed by extrusion that defines the high-quality light emission wall, and the second sheath region (6b) formed by casting that provides end sealing and watertight protection. This segmentation allows each process to be optimized for its specific function, maintaining surface quality consistency in the light-emitting portion while enabling arbitrary production lengths.
Data Source
AI summary
A watertight LED arrangement (1) is provided that extends in a longitudinal direction (L). A strip-shaped LED board (3) is provided with a multiplicity of LEDs (2) on its upper side and at least one cable (4) is electrically connected to the LED board (3). A one-piece, elastically formed watertight sheath (6) surrounds the LED board (3) and defines a light emission wall (5) at least on its upper side opposite the LEDs (2), the sheath (6) receiving the LED board (3) in a form-fitting manner. A cavity (7) extends in the longitudinal direction (L) between the upper side of the LED board (3) and the light emission wall (5). At least a portion of a sealing element (10a) extends from the LED board (3) toward the light emission wall (5) and defines an edge of the cavity (7).