Watertight LED Arrangement with Segmented Sheath
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LED arrangements for wet environments face challenges in manufacturing, including limited economic production lengths, difficulties with end caps, inconsistent surface quality, and visual disruptions due to end caps and cable placement.
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, allowing for improved light propagation and uniformity, and a cable arrangement that ensures a watertight seal without visible interruptions, along with a two-part sheath design for easy insertion and customizable materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the LED board is fully embedded in plastic using an extruder, 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: an upper sheath produced by extrusion for high surface quality, and a lower sheath produced by casting for flexibility in length. This segmentation allows each part to be manufactured optimally while eliminating the need for end caps.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper and lower sheath parts are combined to form a complete watertight enclosure. The joining process integrates the extruded upper sheath with the cast lower sheath, achieving both high surface quality and unlimited production length without requiring end caps.
2Reliability
If end caps are used to seal the LED arrangement, then watertight sealing is achieved, but the arrangement cannot be easily inserted into profiles and the light color is changed in the end cap region
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function previously performed by separate end caps is merged into the integrated sheath structure. The sheath is formed as a continuous watertight enclosure that combines upper and lower parts, eliminating the need for protruding end caps while maintaining sealing reliability and enabling easy insertion into profiles.
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 above the LEDs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of embedding LEDs directly in the sheath material (zero-dimensional contact), the invention creates a one-dimensional light propagation path through a cavity. The LEDs are mounted on a board that is positioned within the sheath, allowing light to propagate through a controlled path length before reaching the light emission wall, thereby ensuring uniform color temperature.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the second manufacturing method is used with casting mould, then various lengths can be produced directly to size without end caps, but the surface quality of the light emission wall is inconsistent due to climatic environments
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath is segmented into an upper part produced by extrusion (which provides consistent surface quality regardless of climatic conditions) and a lower part produced by casting (which allows flexible length production). This segmentation resolves the contradiction by assigning each manufacturing method to the portion where it excels.
Data Source
AI summary
A watertight LED arrangement is provided that extends in a longitudinal direction (L). The arrangement includes a strip-shaped LED board (3) provided with a multiplicity of LEDs (2) on its upper side and at least one cable (4) electrically connected to the LED board (3). A one-piece, elastically formed watertight sheath (6) which surrounds the LED board (3) and defines a light emission wall (5) at least on its upper side opposite the LEDs (2) receives the LED board (3) in a form-fitting manner. The sheath bears directly against the underside of the LED board (3), and a cavity (7) extending in the longitudinal direction (L) is provided between the upper side of the LED board (3) and the light emission wall (5).