Abstract:
A light emitting diode (LED) lamp structure ( 100 ) of the present invention includes a housing body ( 102 ), a LED lamp module ( 500 ), and an electronic module ( 700, 700 ′). The housing body ( 102 ) includes a lamp base ( 200 ), a module base ( 400 ), a connecting ring ( 300 ) connecting the lamp base ( 200 ), and at least one clasping member ( 104 ) connecting the module base ( 400 ). The LED lamp module ( 500 ) connects the connecting ring ( 300 ) and is disposed on the lamp base ( 200 ). The electronic module ( 700, 700 ′) connects the clasping member ( 104 ) and is disposed on the module base ( 400 ). Thereby, assembling, disassembling and replacing can be achieved without any tools. Meanwhile, the entrance of moisture is also prevented, so that a life span of an electronic device is prolonged.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a lamp structure and, in particular, to a light emitting diode (LED) lamp structure in a modular design. 
     2. Related Art 
     Conventional road lighting equipments utilize a mercury lamp or a sodium lamp as a light source which illuminates a wider illumination zone but consumes more power, cannot be recycled, and therefore is not environmentally friendly. In recent years, the technology of a light emitting diode (LED) is increasingly developed. The LED has advantages such as high luminance, power-saving, environmental friendliness, a long life span, so has been widely used for lamp lighting and then used for road lighting. 
     When a street lamp malfunctions, it has to be repaired immediately in order to protect safety of passers-by. In general, a repairman has to use an elevated work platform (such as a cherry picker) in order to replace or repair the street lamp. However, most malfunction conditions of conventional street lamps are scenarios in which a power supply device or a sensor controlling on-and-off of the LED street lamp is damaged or malfunctioning. The repairman has to remove a lampshade or a housing of an LED street lamp, and then disassemble the said lamp to check and repair components one by one. Even worse, a whole set of the street lamp structure has to be replaced. Therefore, such a maintenance method not only wastes time but also increases maintenance costs. 
     Furthermore, since there are various street lamp structures in which the structures are complicated and do not have a unified standard. If the original manufacturers do not produce some component, it will cause problems and inconveniences in the repairing and maintenance of the street lamps. 
     In view of the foregoing, the inventor made various studies to improve the above-mentioned problems to realize the improvements by inventing a LED lamp structure and a street lamp utilizing the same. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a light emitting diode (LED) lamp structure, in which assembling, disassembling and replacing can be achieved without any tools, and meanwhile, the entrance of moisture is also prevented, so that a life span of an electronic device is prolonged. 
     Accordingly, the present invention provides a LED lamp structure comprising a housing body, a LED lamp module, and an electronic module. The housing body includes a lamp base, a module base, a connecting ring connecting the lamp base, and at least one clasping member connecting the module base. The LED lamp module connects the connecting ring and is disposed on the lamp base. The electronic module connects the clasping member and is disposed on the module base. 
     The present invention also has the following effects: after the LED lamp module is in alignment with the lamp base, it only requires inserting the LED lamp module into the lamp base and rotating the LED lamp module by a small angle, and then the assembly can be achieved fast and stably. Therefore, even an ordinary consumer can finish assembling or disassembling in a simple and efficient way. Furthermore, the preset invention has a wide application field which including the street lamp structure but not limited thereto. The application field of the electronic module of the present application includes a power-and-signal supply device, a wireless inductive module, and other electronic products requiring fast assembling and disassembling. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a partially exploded view of a light emitting diode (LED) lamp structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a partially enlarged view of a LED lamp module shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic exploded view of the LED lamp module according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view illustrating an assembled state of the LED lamp module according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view illustrating the assembled state, from another viewing angle, of the LED lamp module according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view illustrating assembling the LED lamp module. 
         FIG. 7  is another assembly operational view illustrating assembling the LED lamp module. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view illustrating the assembled state in which the LED lamp module is assembled to a lamp base according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic assembly operational view illustrating disassembling the LED lamp module from the lamp base according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is another operational view of  FIG. 10 , which is a schematic view illustrating a state that conductive terminals of the LED lamp module are partially detached from the lamp base. 
         FIG. 12  is a partially enlarged view of the LED lamp structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of one of electronic modules shown in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state that the electronic module is not yet assembled to a module base according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state that the electronic module is assembled to the module base according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Detailed descriptions and technical contents of the present invention are illustrated below in conjunction with the accompany drawings. However, it is to be understood that the descriptions and the accompany drawings disclosed herein are merely illustrative and exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the present invention provides a light emitting diode (LED) lamp structure  100  which comprises a housing body  102 , a LED lamp module  500  and an electronic module  700 ,  700 ′. The electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ is preferably a power-and-signal supply device, supplying power and signals, and/or a wireless smart inductive appliance (not illustrated) controlling on-and-off, brightness, or an illumination time of an LED light source (not illustrated). The wireless smart inductive appliance herein needs to be used with a monitor host (not illustrated). A user operates the monitor host to transmit a wireless signal to the wireless inductive appliance to control the LED lamp module  500  of the foregoing embodiment. 
     In the present embodiment, the housing body  102  has a lamp base  200 , a module base  400 , a connecting ring  300  connecting the lamp base  200 , and at least one clasping member  104  connecting the module base  400 . The connecting ring  300  includes a plurality of press portions  310  and a plurality of notches  320  spaced apart from one another and respectively disposed between each two adjacent press portions  310 . A guiding groove  312  is formed on an outer surface of each of the press portions  310 . The LED lamp module  500  is disposed on the lamp base  200  and corresponding to the connecting ring  300 . The LED lamp module  500  has a light source  510  and a rotatable ring  530  enclosing the light source  510 . An inner wall of the rotatable ring  530  has a sliding block  532  correspondingly and rotatably engaged with the guiding groove  312 . The electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ is disposed on the module base  400  and corresponding to the clasping member  104 , and this structure will be described later. 
     The related structure of the LED lamp module  500  of the present embodiment will be described hereinafter with reference to  FIG. 2 . Preferably, the connecting ring  300  is ring-shaped, consists of plastic or metal, and is positioned and fixed on the housing body  102  by screws (not illustrated). Each of the notches  320  and the press portions  310  is equidistant from one another on the connecting ring  300 . In another preferable embodiment, the connecting ring  300  can be integrally formed with the housing body  102 . According to the present embodiment, each of the notches  320  and the press portions  310  divides the connecting ring  300  into 6 parts, and each part substantially has a central angle of 60 degrees. However, in different embodiments, each of the notches  320  and the press portions  310  divides the connecting ring  300  into 4 parts, and each part substantially has a central angle of 90 degrees. 
     It should be noted that, the connecting ring  300  of the present embodiment consists of plastic or metal and is fixed to the lamp base  200  by screws or other components. If the connecting ring  300  is damaged or malfunctions accidentally, the connecting ring  300  can be detached and replaced fast, thus facilitating repairing or assembling of the LED lamp module  500 . Furthermore, in order to conduct heat generated by the LED lamp module  500  to outside the lamp base  200 , the housing body  102  further includes a plurality of radiating fins  106  disposed around the lamp structure  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a guiding groove  312  is formed on an outer surface of each of the press portions  310 , and the guiding groove  312  is adjacent to each of the notches  320 , the guiding groove  312  and a surface of the housing body  102  together include an inclined angle A. An inclination direction of the inclined angle A is from away from a surface of the housing body  102  gradually toward the surface of the housing body  102 . That is to say, the direction of the guiding groove  312  is inclined from upper right to bottom left. Furthermore, the notch  320  similarly has the inclined angle A, thereby making the LED lamp module  500  be easily in alignment with the notch  320  and quickly guided into the guiding groove  312 . On the contrary, to disassemble the LED lamp module  500  from the lamp base  200 , the notch  320  having the inclined angle A can successfully make the LED lamp module  500  detached from the lamp base  200  in a vertical direction. Thereby, the assembly and disassembly operation can prevent damaging an electric signal connector (i.e. a conductive terminal  512 ) of the LED lamp module  500 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 , the LED lamp module  500  includes the light source  510  and the rotatable ring  530  enclosing the light source  510 . According to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the light source  510  consists of the conductive terminal  512 , an LED  514 , a plastic cup  516 , a lens  518 , related circuits (not illustrated), and other components. The related components belong to conventional techniques, and thus a repetitive description thereof is omitted herein. 
     The LED lamp module  500  further includes a joining ring  520  and an elastic positioning portion  522 . The joining ring  520  is hollow and has some integrally-formed fastening portions  524  to engage corresponding recesses  517 , so as to position and fix the joining ring  520  on the light source  510 . The joining ring  520  has some hook portions  528  on the other lateral edge opposite to the fastening portions  524 . Each hook portion  528  hooks an inner edge of an open hole of the rotatable ring  530 , so as to restrict a movement of the rotatable ring  530  along an axial direction. The elastic positioning portion  522  elastically reciprocate on a circular-arc-shaped surface of the joining ring  520 , which allows visual inspection of the rotatable ring  530  to determine whether it is rotated to a locked state. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5 , an outer surface of the rotatable ring  530  further forms a plurality of openings  534 , and the elastic positioning portion  522  is disposed corresponding to the opening  534 . When the rotatable ring  530  rotates, the hook portion  528  restricts the movement of rotatable ring  530  along the axial direction, but does not affect the rotation of the rotatable ring  530 . Furthermore, when the rotatable ring  530  rotates, the elastic positioning portion  522  moves from one of the openings  534  to engage an adjacent or corresponding one of the openings  534 . The location of each opening  534  is designed according to a rotation distance of the guiding groove  312  on the press portion  310 , which is for example 90 degrees or 60 degrees and varies according to requirements or designs. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6 to 9 , detailed descriptions are provided hereinafter to explain how the LED lamp module  500  is assembled to the lamp base  200 . To assemble the LED lamp module  500 , at first a repairman makes the LED lamp module  500  be in alignment with the lamp base  200 . In other words, each conductive terminal  512  of the light source  510  is inserted into a corresponding slot  210  of the lamp base  200  in order to make an electrical connection, as shown in  FIG. 9 . At this point, the sliding block  532  of the rotatable ring  530  enters into a corresponding one of the notches  320 . When the rotatable ring  530  rotates, the sliding block  532  slides along the guiding groove  312  and rotates by an angle B to make the LED lamp module  500  positioned on the lamp base  200  at last. 
     According to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , an end surface of the guiding groove  312  further has a protruding portion  314  for engagement with the sliding block  532 . The angle B hereinbefore is preferably 60 degrees. In other words, a central angle of each press portion  310  (i.e. the guiding groove  312 ) on the connecting ring  300  is around 60 degrees. However, in different embodiments, the angle B can be around 90 degrees, namely a central angle of each press portion  310  on the connecting ring  300  is around 90 degrees. Since the angle B is very small, even an ordinary user can assemble the LED lamp module  500  to the lamp base  200  fast and efficiently without any tools. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , to disassemble the LED lamp module  500  from the lamp base  200 , the repairman rotates the rotatable ring  530  at first, to make the sliding block  532  of the rotatable ring  530  detached from the protruding portion  314  of the guiding groove  312 , until the sliding block  532  slides to the notch  320  of the connecting ring  300  (i.e. rotating by the angle B). When the sliding block  532  of the rotatable ring  530  gradually slides to the highest of the notch  320 , owing to the design of the inclined angle A of the notch  320 , the LED lamp module  500  is gradually detached from the lamp base  200  in a vertical direction. Referring to  FIG. 11 , the conductive terminal  512  of the LED lamp module  500  is removed by the connecting ring  300  from the lamp base  200  of the housing body  102  in a vertical direction. Finally, the conductive terminal  512  of the LED lamp module  500  is entirely detached from the slot  210  of the lamp base  200  to complete the disassembly operation. 
     Therefore, to disassemble the LED lamp module  500 , the angle B by which the rotatable ring  530  rotates to disassemble the LED lamp module  500  is very small. Thus, the repairman can disassemble the LED lamp module  500  from the lamp base  200  fast and efficiently without any tools, thereby further preventing damaging the conductive terminals  512  of the LED lamp module  500 . 
       FIG. 12  is a partially enlarged view of a second embodiment of the present invention, namely a partially enlarged view of between the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ and the module base  400 . The electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ includes a casing  710  and a fastening implement  720  connected to the casing  710 . The fastening implement  720  has at least one elastic locking element  730 , and the elastic locking element  730  is provided for engagement with the clasping member  104 . The module base  400  is disposed inside the housing body  102 , and a first plate  410  is protrudingly disposed on the module base  400 . According to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 12 , there are preferably two clasping members  104 , respectively disposed at two sides of the module base  400  of the housing body  102 . Furthermore, the module base  400  further includes at least one power-and-signal socket  430 . The aforesaid power-and-signal socket  430  is preferably a three-pin socket, but not limited thereto. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ comprises at least one casing  710 , a fastening implement  720  connected to the casing  710 , and a power-and-signal plug  780 . The fastening implement  720  includes at least one elastic locking element  730  and a second plate  740 . The elastic locking element  730  is provided for engagement with the clasping member  104 . According to the present embodiment, the elastic locking element  730  further comprises a press portion  732 , a pivoting portion  734 , and a hook portion  736 . The press portion  732  and the hook portion  736  are disposed on two ends of the pivoting portion  734 , respectively. The pivoting portion  734  and the fastening implement  700  can either be integrally formed or be assembled and fixed together by screws (not illustrated) and etc. However, in a different preferable embodiment, the elastic locking element  730  can be integrally formed with or assembled to the casing  710  of the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ respectively. An end of the press portion  732  is disposed away from the casing  710 . The hook portion  736  is disposed corresponding to the clasping portion  104  and provided for engaging the same. 
     A length from the press portion  732  to the pivoting portion  734  is greater than a length from the hook portion  736  to the pivoting portion  734 . Therefore, when pressing the press portion  732 , the press portion  732  rotates around the pivoting portion  734 , and thus the hook portion  736  is moved toward a direction away from the second plate  740 . Consequently, the hook portion  736  is detached from the clasping member  104 , so as to make the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ disassembled from the module base  400 . Similarly, when assembling the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ on the module base  400 , the operation is alike. 
     It should be noted that, the appearances, levels, sizes, and kinds of the power-and-signal socket  430  and the power-and-signal plug  780  vary from country to country, and a repetitive description thereof is omitted herein. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 14 and 15 , the module base  400  further includes a third plate  420 . A top end of the third plate  420  contacts against an inner surface of the housing body  102 , and a height of the third plate  420  is preferably greater than a height of the first plate  410 . However, in different embodiments, the height of the third plate  420  can be equal to the height of the first plate  410 . The housing body  102  further includes an inner recess  108  contacting against the third plate  420  of the module base  400 , and thereby moisture is not easy to get into the inside of the housing body  102 . 
     It is preferable that the elastic locking element  730 , the second plate  740 , and the fastening implement  720  are integrally formed and consist of a material including plastic but not limited thereto. However, in another preferable embodiment, the second plate  740  can be integrally formed with the casing  710  of the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′. Furthermore, the fastening implement  720  is preferably fixed to a bottom of the casing  710  of the electronic module  700  by a screw (not illustrated) or other components. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15 , the second plate  740  preferably protrudes toward the first plate  410  and contacts against the first plate  410 . In the present embodiment, the first plate  410 , the second plate  740 , and the third plate  420  are preferably an elliptical ring shape in appearance. However, in different embodiments, the first plate  410 , the second plate  740 , and the third plate  420  may be in a circular shape, a triangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, a polygonal shape, or any other suitable shape. 
     It should be noted that, a wall thickness T of the first plate  410  connected to a surface of the module base  400  is thicker than a wall thickness t of the first plate  410  away from the surface of the base  400 . A wall thickness D of the second plate  740  connected to a surface of the fastening implement  720  is thicker than a thickness d of the second plate  740  away from the surface of the fastening implement  720 . Therefore, when assembling the second plate  740  toward the first plate  410 , assembling is easily done for the reason that the thinner wall thicknesses t and d of the first and second plates  410  and  740  produce a guiding effect therebetween. Furthermore, in a assembling process in which the second plate  740  and the first plate  410  are getting closer for assembly, the thicker the wall thicknesses T and D of the first and second plates  410  and  740  are, the more compact the assembly of the first and second plates  410  and  740  is. As shown in  FIG. 15 , preferably, the first plate  410  is contained within a space confined by the second plate  740  and makes in contact against the same, and thereby moisture is not easy to get into the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′. 
     A lateral side of the hook portion  736  of the elastic locking element  730  has a chamfer angle (not labelled in the drawings), and, a lateral side of the clasping member  104  corresponding to the above-mentioned chamfer angle also has a chamfer angle (not labelled in the drawings). Therefore, it only requires an external force to engage the hook portion  736  with the clasping member  104 . More specifically, to assemble the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ to the module base  400 , a repairman or a user only needs to make the second plate  740  of the fastening implement  720  be in alignment with and then assembled to the first plate  410  of the module base  400 , and then the elastic locking element  730  can engage with the clasping member  104 . To disassemble/replace the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′, it only requires pressing the elastic locking element  730  of the fastening implement  720  to detach the hook portion  736  from the clasping member  104 , so as to disassemble the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ from the module base  400 . 
     Since a structure of the elastic locking element  730  itself has certain elasticity, assembling or replacing can be done without assistance of any other components/tools. Moreover, the simple structure and convenient operation can effectively reduce a repair/maintenance time and a repair/maintenance cost. The standardized fastening implement  720  is suitable for use on any product with the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′. Therefore, it is unnecessary to worry about problems such as the products may be pulled off production line, or manufacturing is not easy. 
     In order to prevent moisture from getting into the structure of the present invention, there are many waterproof designs such as the close contact between the housing body  102  and the third plate  420 , the close contact and engagement between the first plate  410  and the second plate  740 , and a rubber piece  750  disposed between the power-and-signal plug  780  and the power-and-signal socket  140 . As shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , the rubber piece  750  can prevent water from entering into or outside the power-and-signal plug  780  and the power-and-signal socket  430 , prevent the moisture from entering into the electronic module  700 ,  700 ′ along an inner surface of the second plate  740 , and protect the power-and-signal plug  430  from deformation or damage by an external force, thereby prolonging life spans of the power-and-signal socket  430 , the power-and-signal plug  780 , and other electronic components. 
     In summary, the light emitting diode lamp structure of the present invention certainly can achieve the anticipated objects and improve the defects of conventional techniques, and has novelty and non-obviousness, so the present invention completely meet the requirements of patentability. Therefore, a request to patent the present invention is filed according to patent laws. Examination is kindly requested, and allowance of the present application is solicited to protect the rights of the inventor.