Abstract:
A light emitting diode lamp, includes a pair of contacts for the electrical connection of the light emitting diode, wherein the pair of contacts includes two crimp contacts separated electrically from one another, each crimp contact including a conducting input including a conducting crimping skirt and a clinching zone intended to receive by clinching an electrical contact of the light emitting diode.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to so-called LED (“Light Emitting Diode”) lamps. More particularly, the invention relates to such a lamp which is intended to be mounted in a motor vehicle light. It will be noted however that no departure from the scope of the invention is involved if the LED lamp is intended for the interior lighting of a motor vehicle or for the lighting of a property. 
     2. Description of the Relevant Art 
     Currently, the lights of a motor vehicle have complex and varied geometries and the integration of LED lamps or conventional bulb lamps requires the use of electrical power supply supports for the lamps which are sufficiently flexible. 
     LED lamps exist which comprise two electrical contacts for powering the LED. These contacts may be simple electrical stems, or lugs, which make it possible to link the LED to a power supply circuit by welding. These power supply circuits are printed circuit boards, or PCBs, but these circuits are rigid. 
     There also exist flexible circuits incorporating LEDs of SMC, or surface mounted component, type, but the methods of mounting these LEDs on these flexible circuits are expensive. 
     French Patent Application FR 2 876 965 may moreover be cited, which describes an LED support comprising two conducting tracks for joining by welding with said LEDs. However, this type of support is not sufficiently flexible to adapt to the current geometries of vehicle lights. Furthermore, this document describes a linking of the LEDs to the circuit by welding which requires the addition of further materials such as solder paste or tin. 
     Other LED lamps have electrical contacts which have a plane form and which are intended to be clinched to conducting tracks suitable for clinching. Clinching consists in permanently joining two metal sheets by stamping the two sheets placed between a punch and a die. Moreover, current clinched LEDs are mounted on rigid circuits. 
     Moreover, Canadian Patent Application CA 2 562 357 may be cited, which describes a metal circuit supporting light emitting diodes, but this support circuit is rigid and does not offer sufficient freedom of arrangement of the LEDs. Furthermore, this document describes an LED having contacts in the form of stems which are crimped to conducting wires. However, this crimping process is not suitable for other types of LED such as, for example, clinched LEDs. Furthermore, the conducting wires used do not allow sufficient dissipation of the heat of the LEDs. 
     A requirement therefore exists to provide an LED lamp which can address the various problems mentioned above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment is directed to providing a clinch-type LED lamp which can be easily connected to conducting wires of a standard type. 
     Furthermore, this LED lamp may be configured to allow effective thermal dissipation for correct operation of the LED. 
     Additionally, such an LED lamp should be able to be fabricated automatically with the aid of a method which is simple and inexpensive so as to address the economic constraints of fabricating motor vehicles. 
     A requirement also exists for a lighting device which uses conducting wires of a standard type and which is particularly suitable for the lights of a motor vehicle having complex geometries, thereby requiring that the lamps of one and same circuit be placed at very diverse spatial positions. 
     In one embodiment, a light emitting diode lamp, includes a pair of contacts for the electrical connection of the light emitting diode, in which the pair of contacts includes two crimp contacts separated electrically from one another, each crimp contact including a conducting input including a conducting crimping skirt and a clinching zone intended to receive by clinching an electrical contact of the light emitting diode. 
     Such a lamp may be easily crimpable to conducting wires of standard type and thus ensure simple and direct connection with the conducting wires. Crimping is used in place of welding so as to protect the conducting wires of the support and the electrical components of the LED from exposures to high temperatures which could damage or impair its performance. 
     It should be noted that the crimping skirts each make it possible to fix a conducting wire to power the LED, but also a pair of conducting wires so as to ensure a restoral of electrical conductivity in order to supply other LED lamps. 
     Each crimp contact may include a conducting output including a power supply tab coupled electrically to said conducting input. 
     By virtue of two additional conducting outputs, the LED lamps may easily be mounted in parallel so as to provide a flexible electrical circuit. 
     It may also be noted that the size of the power supply tabs may be adapted as a function of the quantity of heat that one wishes to dissipate according to the technical characteristics of the LEDs. 
     This light emitting diode lamp may be intended to be mounted on a support, and each crimp contact includes a means of fixing to the support intended to cooperate with a complementary means of fixing to the support provided on said support. 
     Each means of fixing to the support may include a plane face extending in a zone under the light emitting diode, the plane face being substantially perpendicular to the clinching zone and forming an obtuse angle with respect to the clinching zone, said plane face being situated opposite the clinching zone and situated at a distal end with respect to a central and vertical axis of the lamp. 
     This plane face makes it possible to fix the LED lamp in a suitable support, and also makes it possible to offer a heat exchange surface for improving the thermal dissipation of the LED. 
     Furthermore the arrangement of the plane face with respect to the main axis of the LED makes it possible to clear the clinching zone so as to leave a free passage for the instruments dedicated to the clinching, namely a punch and a die. 
     Advantageously, each plane face includes two bends which are substantially perpendicular to the clinching zone and which form two additional plane faces curved towards the interior of the lamp so as to form a housing in the zone under the light emitting diode and opposite the clinching zone. 
     These additional plane faces increase the heat exchange surface for the LED and their arrangement with respect to the LED also makes it possible to leave a passage free of any obstacle for the instruments dedicated to the clinching, because the plane face prolonged by two additional plane faces forms a housing so as to leave a free passage. 
     This light emitting diode lamp may further include a plastic retaining cap furnished with latching means adapted for cooperating with complementary latching means provided on said crimp contacts. 
     Such a cap ensures retention of the two crimp contacts side by side, but without contact between them, so as to avoid stressing the LED mechanically once the contacts have been crimped. 
     This retaining cap may include two retaining orifices for the conducting outputs, said retaining orifices being intended to be traversed respectively by one of said conducting outputs. 
     These orifices make it possible to electrically separate the conducting outputs from one another. These orifices also ensure guidance of the conducting wires intended to be connected to said conducting outputs. Furthermore, these orifices allow better thermal dissipation under the LED. 
     This retaining cap may also include two additional lateral orifices situated respectively opposite the clinching zones. 
     These additional lateral orifices make it possible to facilitate the thermal dissipation of the LED. Advantageously, the size of these lateral orifices may be adapted so as to leave a free passage for the instruments dedicated to the clinching since, by allowing a free passage to the clinching instruments, it is possible to mount the retaining cap on the crimp contacts before the LED is mounted by clinching to said contacts. 
     According to yet another characteristic of the light emitting diode lamp, the latter furthermore includes a pair of conducting wires, each conducting wire being crimped at its first end with the conducting input of the crimp contact of said lamp and being crimped at its second end with a conduction means able to cooperate with a power supply tab. 
     Such an LED lamp may be easily manufactured with the aid of an automatic cutting and crimping machine. 
     According to another aspect, there is proposed a lighting device, in particular for motor vehicle, including a support furnished with a plurality of niches intended to each receive a light emitting diode lamp and in which said light emitting diode lamps are linked together by conducting wires so that the conducting wires of a light emitting diode lamp are linked respectively with power supply tabs of a neighboring light emitting diode lamp. 
     According to another aspect, there is proposed a reel for automatic cutting and crimping machine including an edging strip, said edging strip being able to fix several light emitting diode lamps, each crimp contact being linked to the edging strip by said conducting input so that the crimp contact constitutes a prolongation of said edging strip. 
     Such a reel makes it possible to package the LED lamps by coiling with a view to being used by an automatic cutting and crimping machine. This reel therefore makes it possible to facilitate the automatic fabrication of the LED lamps. Furthermore this reel can be easily fabricated automatically with the aid of a follow-on tool. 
     According to another aspect, there is proposed a method of fabricating a light emitting diode lamp. 
     This method includes a step of fabricating a pair of crimp contacts and a step of clinching in which each electrical contact of said light emitting diode is clinched to one of said crimp contacts. 
     Advantageously, a crimp contact can be fabricated from a metal plate so that the various parts of which it is composed are obtained through successive bends so that the crimp contact forms just a single component. 
     According to one mode of implementation, a mounting step is performed, where a retaining cap is mounted on said pair of crimp contacts, said mounting step being performed after the clinching step. 
     According to another mode of implementation, the step of mounting the retaining cap is performed before the clinching step. 
     According to another aspect, there is proposed a method of fabricating a reel for automatic cutting and crimping machine comprising an edging strip, including:
         fabricating, from a metal plate, a plurality of pairs of crimp contacts, each crimp contact including a conducting input and a clinching zone, and in which each crimp contact is linked to the edging strip by said conducting input so that the crimp contact constitutes a prolongation of the edging strip; and   clinching each electrical contact of a light emitting diode to said clinching zone of one of said contacts of a pair of crimp contacts.       

     According to one mode of implementation, a mounting step is performed in which a retaining cap is mounted on each pair of crimp contacts, said mounting step being performed after the clinching step. 
     According to another mode of implementation, the step of mounting the retaining cap is performed before the clinching step. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will become apparent on examining the detailed description of modes of implementation and embodiments, which are in no way limiting, and of the appended drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  schematically illustrates an embodiment of an LED lamp; 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a process for clinching an LED onto a pair of contacts; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic view of an LED clinched onto a pair of contacts; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the mounting of a retaining cap on an LED lamp; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic view of a retaining cap mounted on an LED lamp; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a lighting device comprising a plurality of LED lamps; 
         FIG. 7  is a view from above of the lighting device described in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a reel for automatic cutting and crimping machine; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a mode of manual fabrication of an LED lamp; and 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a mode of automatic fabrication of an LED lamp on the basis of a reel for automatic cutting and crimping machine. 
     
    
    
     While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The drawings may not be to scale. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Represented in  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an LED lamp  1 . The LED lamp  1  comprises a clinch-type LED  2  and a pair of contacts  3 . Also represented is a central and vertical axis A of the LED lamp  1 . 
     The clinch-type LED  2  comprises two electrical contacts  4  and  5  which have a plane shape and which are intended to be clinched onto conducting surfaces suitable for clinching, that is to say the surfaces exhibit a sufficient thickness to be clinched to said electrical contacts  4  and  5 . 
     The pair of contacts  3  comprises two crimp contacts  6  and  7  which make it possible to power the LED  2  electrically. 
     The crimp contacts  6  and  7  respectively comprise two conducting inputs  8  and  9 , two clinching zones  10  and  11 , two conducting outputs  12  and  13 , two means of fixing  14  and  15  to a support, as well as two means for retaining the conducting wires  16  and  17 . Said support will be described later in  FIG. 6 . 
     The conducting inputs  8  and  9  respectively comprise two conducting crimping skirts  18  and  19  intended to be crimped onto the conducting part of one or more conducting wires. The conducting inputs  8  and  9  are linked respectively to the clinching zones  10  and  11  by two intermediate input tabs  20  and  21 . 
     The two clinching zones  10  and  11  are plane faces substantially perpendicular to the central and vertical axis A and have a surface suitable for the clinching of the electrical contacts of the LED  2 . 
     The conducting outputs  12  and  13  are power supply tabs for other LED lamps so as to mount the latter in parallel. Indeed, the conducting outputs  12  and  13  are linked electrically to the clinching zones  10  and  11  respectively and thus allow the restoral of the electrical conductivity originating from the conducting inputs  8  and  9 . 
     The retaining means for the conducting wires  16  and  17  respectively comprise two retaining crimping skirts  22  and  23  intended to be crimped onto an insulating part of the conducting wire or wires crimped respectively to the conducting inputs  8  and  9 . The retaining means for the conducting wires  16  and  17  are linked respectively to the clinching zones  10  and  11  by two intermediate output tabs  24  and  25 . 
     The means for fixing to the support  14  and  15  respectively comprise two plane faces  26  and  27 . The two plane faces  26  and  27  are linked electrically to the clinching zones  10  and  11  respectively. These two plane faces  26  and  27  are substantially parallel to the central and vertical axis A and extend in a zone  28  under the LED  2  so that they form an obtuse angle with respectively the clinching zones  10  and  11 . 
     The plane face  26  comprises two bends  29  and  30  which are substantially perpendicular to the clinching zone  10 . These two bends  29  and  30  are situated at the respective ends of the plane face  26  and make it possible to form two additional plane faces  31  and  32  from said plane face  26 . By virtue of the first bend  29  it is possible to curve the first additional plane face  31  towards the interior of the lamp, that is to say in the direction of the central and vertical axis A of the lamp, so that this additional plane face  31  lies behind and against the intermediate input tab  20 . By virtue of the second bend  30  it is possible to curve the second additional plane face  32  towards the interior of the lamp so that this second additional plane face  32  lies in front of and against the intermediate output tab  24 . 
     The plane face  26  and the two additional plane faces  31  and  32  are substantially perpendicular to the clinching zone  10  and are situated at the ends of the latter so as to form a housing  33  situated in the zone  28  under the LED and opposite said clinching zone  10 . 
     The plane face  27  comprises two bends  34  and  35  which are substantially perpendicular to the clinching zone  11 . These two bends  34  and  35  are situated at the respective ends of the plane face  27  and make it possible to form two additional plane faces  36  and  37  from said plane face  27 . By virtue of the third bend  34  it is possible to curve the third additional plane face  36  towards the interior of the lamp so that this additional plane face  36  lies behind and against the intermediate input tab  21 . By virtue of the fourth bend  35  it is possible to curve the fourth additional plane face  37  towards the interior of the lamp so that this fourth additional plane face  37  lies in front of against the intermediate output tab  25 . 
     The plane face  27  and the two additional plane faces  36  and  37  are substantially perpendicular to the clinching zone  11  and are situated at the ends of the latter so as to form a housing  38  situated in the zone  28  under the LED and opposite said clinching zone  11 . 
     Represented in  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a mode of clinching of an LED  2  onto a crimp contact  6  of a pair of contacts  3  of an LED lamp  1  such as described in  FIG. 1 . Certain references described in the previous figure have been carried over to  FIG. 2 . 
     The crimp contacts  6  and  7  are made of a conducting metal, for example copper, and the various elements of which they consist participate in the thermal dissipation of the LED. The various elements which constitute each crimp contact are: the two conducting inputs  8  and  9 , the two clinching zones  10  and  11 , the two conducting outputs  12  and  13 , the two means for fixing  14  and  15  to a support, as well as the two retaining means for the conducting wires  16  and  17 . 
     The LED lamp just described makes it possible to provide a crimp-type LED lamp. 
     Also represented in  FIG. 2  are two clinching instruments, namely a punch  40  and a die  41 . In  FIG. 2 , the punch  40  is placed in the zone  28  under the LED  2  and the die  41  is placed in a zone  42  on the LED  2 . 
     To clinch the LED  2  onto the crimp contact  6 , the electrical contact  4  of the LED  2  is placed on the clinching zone  10  of the crimp contact  6 , then said punch  40  is placed in the housing  33  and the die  41  is placed on said electrical contact  4 , so that the electrical contact  4  of the LED  2  and the crimp contact  6  are placed between the punch  40  and the die  41 . 
     Represented in  FIG. 3  is a schematic view of an LED  2  clinched onto a pair of contacts  3 . This view is a view from below with respect to the LED  2 . Certain references described in the previous figures have also been carried over to this  FIG. 3 . Represented are two clinched zones  43  and  44  which are, respectively, the result of the clinching of the electrical contact  4  with the crimp contact  6  and the result of the clinching of the electrical contact  5  with the crimp contact  7 . 
     Represented in  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a mode of mounting a retaining cap  50  on an LED lamp  1  such as described in the previous figure. Certain references described in the previous figures have also been carried over to this  FIG. 4 . 
     The retaining cap  50  is made of plastic so as to prevent electrical contact between the crimp contacts  6  and  7 , when the retaining cap is mounted on said crimp contacts  6  and  7 . 
     This retaining cap  50  is furnished with latching means, not represented in the figure, adapted for cooperating with complementary latching means, respectively  51  and  52 , provided on said crimp contacts  6  and  7 . 
     The latching means  51  and  52  may comprise, for example, “clips” respectively  53  and  54 . These “clips”  53  and  54  are latching tabs emanating respectively from the intermediate input tab  20  and from the intermediate output tab  25 . These latching tabs  53  and  54  are bent towards the interior of the LED lamp  1  and are able to clip the retaining cap  50  by cooperating with the latching means of said cap  50 . 
     The retaining cap  50  also comprises two retaining orifices  55  and  56  for the conducting outputs  12  and  13  respectively, as well as additional lateral orifices  57  and  58 . 
     Represented in  FIG. 5  is a retaining cap  50  mounted on the LED lamp  1 . Certain references described in the previous figures have also been carried over to this  FIG. 5 . 
     When the retaining cap  50  is mounted on the LED lamp  1 , it improves the retention of the two crimp contacts  6  and  7  side by side and thus avoids stressing the LED  2  mechanically. 
     This retaining cap  50  also strengthens the cohesion between the crimp contacts  6  and  7  and the LED  2  when a pair of conducting wires  60  are crimped onto said crimp contacts  6  and  7 . 
     Conducting wires  61  and  62  are intended to power the LED lamp  1 . These conducting wires  61  and  62  respectively comprise two first ends  63  and  64 , two second ends  65  and  66 , two intermediate parts  67  and  68 , as well as two conduction means  69  and  70 . 
     The conduction means  69  and  70  respectively comprise two conducting crimping skirts  71  and  72 , and two contacts for tab  73  and  74  which are each able to cooperate with a power supply tab. 
     The ends  63  to  66  are conducting stripped parts. 
     The first ends  63  and  64  are crimped respectively to the conducting crimping skirts  18  and  19  of the crimp contacts  6  and  7 . 
     The two ends  65  and  66  are crimped respectively to the two conducting crimping skirts  71  and  72  of the conduction means  69  and  70 . 
     The two intermediate parts  67  and  68  are insulating non-stripped parts and are crimped respectively to the retaining crimping skirts  22  and  23  of said crimp contacts  6  and  7 . The retaining crimping skirts  22  and  23  each make it possible to immobilize the conducting wires  61  and  62  so as to preclude possible breakages of copper strands of said conducting wires at the level of their first stripped ends  63  and  64 . 
     The additional lateral orifices  57  and  58  make it possible to promote the thermal dissipation of the LED  2 . 
     Moreover these additional lateral orifices  57  and  58  are situated respectively opposite the clinching zones  10  and  11 . Furthermore these orifices  57  and  58  may be adapted so as to leave a passage for the clinching punch  40  so as to clinch the LED  2  onto the crimp contacts  6  and  7  once the retaining cap  50  has been mounted on said crimp contacts  6  and  7 . 
     Furthermore, the two retaining orifices  55  and  56  are traversed respectively by the conducting outputs  12  and  13  and make it possible to separate the conducting outputs  12  and  13 , so as to prevent them from coming into contact the one  12  with the other  13 . This electrical separation is achieved with the aid of a separation  59  placed between the two retaining orifices  55  and  56 . 
     Additionally, when it is desired to mount several LED lamps in parallel, the pair  60  of conducting wires which are crimped to an LED lamp are linked with the power supply tabs  12  and  13  of another neighboring LED lamp. 
     The retaining orifices  55  and  56  also make it possible to guide the conducting wires  60  and  61  so as to connect them respectively to the conducting outputs  12  and  13 . 
     Represented in  FIG. 6  is a lighting device  80  comprising a plurality of LED lamps  1 . Certain references described in the previous figures have also been carried over to this  FIG. 6 . 
     The lighting device  80  comprises a support  81  which is furnished with a plurality of niches  82 . Each niche  82  is intended to receive an LED lamp  1  and each niche  82  comprises complementary means for fixing to the support  83 . These complementary means for fixing to the support  83  cooperate with the means for fixing to the support  14  and  15  of said LED lamp  1 . 
     In this lighting device  80 , a plurality of LED lamps are mounted in parallel so that the conducting wires  61  and  62  of an LED lamp L 1  are linked by their conduction means  69  and  70  with respectively the power supply tabs of a neighboring LED lamp L 2 . 
     The great flexibility of curvature of the conducting wires which link the LED lamps together makes it possible for several LED lamps to be easily mounted in parallel. This mounting makes it possible to position the LED lamps at different spatial positions, it is therefore well suited to a support having a complex geometry. 
     Represented in  FIG. 7  is another view of the lighting device  80 . This view is a view from above, the varied positions of the LEDs  2  may be noted. 
     Represented in  FIG. 8  is a reel  90  for automatic cutting and crimping machine. Certain references described in the previous figures have also been carried over to this  FIG. 8 . 
     The reel  90  comprises an edging strip  91  which is able to fix several LED lamps  1 . The LED lamps  1  are fixed to the edging strip  91  by way of respective conducting inputs  8  and  9  of the crimp contacts  6  and  7 , so that the crimp contacts  6  and  7  constitute a prolongation of said edging strip  91 . 
     The expression prolongation of the edging strip  91  is understood to mean that the crimp contacts  6  and  7  form just a single metal component with the edging strip  91  of the reel  90 . Indeed, the crimp contacts  6  and  7  extend in the direction of an axis B which is perpendicular to the main axis C of the edging strip. 
     The reel  91  has the property of being able to coil up. Furthermore, the reel  91  can coil up on a coiling axis  92  of a support cylinder  93 . Furthermore, the support cylinder  93  can comprise a flexible protective plate  94  placed on the LEDs  2  and intended to protect the LED lamps  1  when the reel  90  is coiled into the support cylinder  93 . This flexible plate  94  can be made of synthetic foam so as to absorb the knocks during the movement of said cylinder  93 . 
     Represented in  FIG. 9  are the main steps of a mode of manual fabrication of an LED lamp. 
     This method of fabricating an LED lamp comprises a first step of fabricating a pair of free crimp contacts  100 . In this step  100  the pair of contacts is fabricated from a metal plate which is made to undergo successive bends so as to obtain the various constituent elements of each crimp contact. 
     Next, a second clinching step  101  is performed in which an LED  2  is clinched onto the pair of crimp contacts. 
     Thereafter a third mounting step  102  is performed in which a retaining cap  50  is mounted on the pair of crimp contacts. As a variant it will be possible to perform the mounting step  102  before the clinching step  101 . 
     Furthermore, a fourth crimping step  103  is performed in which the first stripped ends  63  and  64  of the conducting wires  61  and  62  are crimped respectively onto conducting crimping skirts  18  and  19  of the crimp contacts. 
     In a fifth crimping step  104 , the second stripped ends  65  and  66  of the conducting wires  61  and  62  are crimped respectively onto conducting crimping skirts  71  and  72  of two conduction means  69  and  70 . 
     This fabrication method may also be implemented automatically. 
     Represented in  FIG. 10  are the main steps of a method of automatic fabrication of an LED lamp on the basis of a reel for automatic cutting and crimping machine. 
     The method of automatically fabricating an LED lamp comprises a first step of fabricating a plurality of pairs of crimp contacts on an edging strip  200 . In this step  200  said pairs of crimp contacts are fabricated from a metal plate which is made to undergo successive bends to obtain an edging strip  91  prolonged by the pairs of crimp contacts. The various constituent elements of each crimp contact are obtained by virtue of the successive bends, the crimp contacts being fixed to the edging strip. 
     Next, a second clinching step  201  is performed in which an LED  2  is clinched onto each pair of crimp contacts. 
     Thereafter, a third mounting step  202  is performed in which a retaining cap  50  is mounted on each pair of crimp contacts. As a variant it will be possible to perform the mounting step  202  before the clinching step  201 . 
     Steps  200  to  202  make it possible to fabricate a reel for automatic cutting and crimping machine. These steps  200  to  202  may be implemented with the aid of a follow-on tool. 
     Furthermore, a fourth step of packaging the LED lamps as a reel  203  is performed in which the edging strip furnished with the LED lamps is coiled up into a reel support cylinder. During this packaging step, a flexible protective plate  94  can also be inserted, between a coiling axis  92  of the support cylinder  93  and the reel  90 , so as to prevent any knocks on the LED lamps. 
     Next, a fifth crimping step  204  is performed in which the first stripped ends  63  and  64  of the conducting wires  61  and  62  are crimped respectively onto the conducting crimping skirts  18  and  19  of the crimp contacts. 
     In a sixth crimping step  205 , the second stripped ends  65  and  66  of the conducting wires  61  and  62  are crimped respectively onto conducting crimping skirts  71  and  72  of conduction means  69  and  70 . 
     In a seventh cutting step  206 , each LED lamp is detached from the edging strip by a cutting operation. 
     Steps  204  to  206  may be implemented with the aid of an automatic cutting and crimping machine. 
     Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the general manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, parts and processes may be reversed, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention. Changes may be made in the elements described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.