Abstract:
A method and apparatus is provided for an integrated light pipe. In one embodiment, the apparatus may include a light pipe with a cavity positioned at a first end of the light pipe. The apparatus may further include a light emitting diode (LED) coupled to the light pipe within the cavity. The apparatus may further include, the light emitted from the LED is directed through the light pipe. The apparatus may also include a first and second conductive mount coupled to the LED and extending out of the cavity.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments described herein generally relate to light generating and directing devices, and more specifically to light pipes and LEDs. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Indicator lights are used for many types of devices. One type of device that indicator lights may be used on is electronic devices. Indicator lights on electronic devices may be used to communicate to users the status of aspects of the electronic equipment. The light for indicator lights for electronic equipment may be created by a light emitting diode (LED). The light from a LED may be transported by a light pipe to a location on the device that is visible to the user. 
     SUMMARY 
     A method of manufacture and apparatus for an integrated light pipe is provided. In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing may include a light pipe with first and second ends, and a cavity in the first end. The method may further include providing a light emitting diode (LED) within the cavity. The method may further include, providing a first and second conductive mounts. The method may further include, the coupling of the LED to the light pipe within the cavity such that light emitted from the LED is directed through the light pipe from the first end to the second end of the light pipe. The method may also include, positioning the first and second conductive mounts to couple with, and provide power to, the LED and to extend out of the cavity. 
     In one embodiment, the apparatus may include a light pipe with a cavity positioned at a first end of the light pipe. The apparatus may further include a light emitting diode (LED) coupled to the light pipe within the cavity. The apparatus may further include, the light emitted from the LED is directed through the light pipe. The apparatus may also include a first and second conductive mount coupled to the LED and extending out of the cavity 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional side view of an integrated light pipe, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional side view of an integrated light pipe, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional side view of an integrated light pipe, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view of an integrated light pipe, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     In the Figures and the Detailed Description, like numbers refer to like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In electronic devices indicator lights are often used to communicate information to users. For example, indicator lights may be used to communicate power or readiness of a system. Often the indicator lights use a light emitting diode (LED) as a source of the light. LEDs are often used in conjunction with a light pipe to direct the light from the LEDs to specific locations for observation by users. The use of light pipes may allow for the LED, which may be delicate, to remain safely inside a housing or enclosure that may protect them from physical or elemental dangers. While commonly used in electronic devices, it is contemplated that a combination of LED and light tube may have uses elsewhere. 
     The type of light pipe most commonly used in the electronics industry may be molded plastic light pipes. Light pipes may also be known as light tubes. For example, it is common that light pipes may be used to direct illumination from LEDs on a circuit board to indicator symbols or buttons. These light pipes typically take on a highly complex shape that uses either gentle curving bends as in an optic fiber or have sharp prismatic folds, which reflect off the angled corners. 
     The use of light pipes for indicators may make electronics cheaper to manufacture since the alternate way would be to mount a tiny lamp into a small socket directly behind the spot to be illuminated. This may often requires extensive hand-labor for installation and wiring. Light pipes may permit all lights to be mounted on a single flat circuit board, but the illumination can be directed up and away from the board wherever it is required. 
     A LED is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting. Appearing as practical electronic components in 1962, early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but modern versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness. 
     When a LED is forward-biased (switched on), electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is called electroluminescence and the color of the light (corresponding to the energy of the photon) is determined by the energy gap of the semiconductor. An LED may often be small in area (less than 1 mm 2 ), and integrated optical components may be used to shape its radiation pattern. LEDs may present many advantages over incandescent light sources including lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved physical robustness, smaller size, and faster switching. 
     Currently, the combining of LEDs with light pipes may require the LED to be mounted, for example to a circuit board. The light tube may then be mounted over the LED. In doing it this way the LED and light tube use separate mounting hardware for the surface the LED is mounted on. Due to variance in manufacturing tolerances the alignment of the two may be difficult and require a much larger footprint on a mounting surface than mounting of the LED itself. This variance may also result in a large amount of space between mounted LEDs to prevent interference from each other. In various embodiments of the invention the footprint of the combined LED and light tube may be reduced saving space in size of mounting surface required. This may also improve install times and cost by improving ease of installation in reducing the mounting hardware required. It may also reduce bleed affects that may occur in standard LED and light pipe use. A bleed affect is the loss of light from an LED not entering the appropriate light pipe. The bleed affect may result in inefficiencies of the system and in some cases the lighting of an improper light pipe when multiple LEDs with multiple light pipes are mounted close to each other. 
       FIG. 1  is a cross sectional side view of an integrated light pipe  100 , according to an embodiment of the invention. The integrated light pipe  100  combines a light pipe  105  and LED  110 . The light pipe  105  may be positioned so that light  150  created by the LED  110  passes through the light pipe  105  to exit as shown. The light pipe  105  has a cavity  107  for installation of the LED  110 . The cavity  107  may be large enough that the entire LED  110  body fits within the light pipe  105 . The LED  110  may be coupled with the light pipe  105  and installed within the cavity  107  using a translucent adhesive  120 . In the illustrated embodiment, the translucent adhesive  120  is used as a coupling agent between LED  110  and the light pipe  105 . In various embodiments, the translucent adhesive may be epoxy, silicone, or glue. Other translucent adhesives  120  are also contemplated as possibly being used so long as they do not interfere with the operation of the LED  110 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the translucent adhesive  120  is shown encompassing the LED  110 . In other embodiments the an adhesive may only encompass part of the LED  110  so as to create coupling between the LED  110  and the light pipe  105 . In various embodiments, the adhesive may pass light in varying degrees. For example, in an embodiment where the adhesive only couples the sides of LED  110  with the light pipe  105  the adhesive may be opaque. In other embodiments, the LED  110  may be coupled with the light pipe  105  using mechanical connectors. For examples, the LED  110  may be coupled to the light pipe  105  using pins or screws. It is contemplated that, a variety of coupling means may possibly be used and be within the scope of the invention. In various embodiments where adhesive is used, the adhesive may be nonconductive or an insulator. 
     The illustrated embodiment includes conductive mounts in the form of conductive mounting pins  130 . The conductive mounting pins  130  are coupled with the LED  110  and extend from the LED  110  inside the light pipe  105  to outside the cavity  107 . The conductive mounting pins  130  may allow for the integrated light pipe  100  to be mounted and electrically connected to a body. In various embodiments, the body the integrated light pipe  100  may be mounted and electrically connected to may be a circuit board. The conductive mounting pins  130  may provide electrical power to the LED  110 . In various embodiments the conductive mounting pins  130  may be coupled to the LED  110  as part of the manufactured LED  110  or they may be added to the LED  110  during assembly of the integrated light pipe  100 . In various embodiments, the conductive mounting pins may be coupled to the LED  110  by solder, press fit connections, clamp connections, or other connection types that may allow for the conductive mounting pins  130  and the LED  110  to have an electrical connection. The conductive mounts, shown here as conductive mounting pins  130 , may provide part of the mounting hardware for mounting the integrated light pipe  100  to a surface. For example, the conductive mounting pins  130  may mount to a circuit board with receptors for the conductive mounting pins  130 . For example, the receptors may be holes designed to receive the conductive mounting pins  130 . In various embodiments, the conductive mounts may provide partial or complete support for the integrated light pipe  110  and power for the LED  110 . The use of a nonconductive or insulating material for the translucent adhesive may prevent shorts as the conductive mounting pins  130  transfer power to the LED  110 . 
     In various embodiments, the mounting pins  130  may be pins for mounting using through-hole technology (also spelled “thru-hole”). Through-hole mounting refers to a mounting scheme that may be used for electronic components that involves the use of leads on the components that are inserted into holes in printed circuit boards (PCB) and soldered to pads on the opposite side. In other embodiments, the conductive pins  130  may also be a press fit or snap fit type of mounting pin. These embodiments are examples of circuit boards having receptors for the mounting pins  130 . 
       FIG. 2  is a cross sectional side view of an integrated light pipe  200 , according to an embodiment of the invention. The integrated light pipe  200  combines a light pipe  105  and LED  110 . The light pipe  105  may be positioned so that light  150  created by the LED  110  passes through the light pipe  105  to exit as shown. The light pipe  105  has a cavity  107  for installation of the LED  110 . The cavity  107  is large enough that the entire LED  110  body fits within the light pipe  105 . The LED  110  is coupled to the light pipe  105  within the cavity  107  using translucent adhesive  120 . The translucent adhesive  120  is used as a coupling agent between LED  110  and the light pipe  105 . Two conductive plates  210  may be coupled with and extend from the LED  110  inside the light pipe  105  to outside the cavity  107 , and pass through shield  220 . The conductive plates  210  may allow for the integrated light pipe  200  to be mounted and electrically connected to a body. In various embodiments, the body the integrated light pipe  200  may be mounted and electrically connected to may be a circuit board. The shield  220  may protect the integrated light pipe  200  during mounting that includes soldering. 
     The conductive plates  210  are an example of a surface-mount technology (SMT) mount type. SMT mounts may be used for mounting devices or components directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs). A device or component using such mounts may also be called a surface-mount device (SMD). In various embodiments, SMT mounts may have short pins or leads of various styles, flat contacts, a matrix of solder balls (BGAs), or terminations on the body of the component. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the conductive plates  210  are used as an example of the use of SMT mounts as conductive mounts. In various embodiments, the conductive plates  210  may act similar to the conductive mounting pins  130  in  FIG. 1 . They may be couple to the LED  110  by either being part of the LED  110  or connected to the LED  110  as described for the conductive mounting pins  130 . In various embodiments, the conductive plates  210  may also be used to provide an electrical connection to the LED  110 . While conductive plates  210  are illustrated it is contemplated that many other forms or shapes of SMT mounts may be used as a conductive mount used with a shield  220 . 
     In various embodiments, the shield  220  may be used to protect the light pipe  105 , translucent adhesive  120 , or LED  110  from damage or harm caused by soldering the conductive plates  210  to a surface. For example, soldering the conductive plates to a circuit board as is common in SMT component mounting. In various embodiments, the shield  220  may be smaller and protect only a single element of the integrated light pipe  200  from harm during soldering. In other embodiments, the shield  220  may extend to protect several elements of the integrated light pipe  200 . For example, in the illustrated embodiment the shield  220  may protect the light pipe  105  and translucent adhesive  120  during the soldering process. In other embodiments, the shield  220  may extend up and around part of the light pipe  105 . 
     The shield  220  may be connected to using a variety of means including adhesive and mechanical. For example, in various embodiments the shield  220  may be attached with screws or pins. In other embodiments, the shield  220  may be press fit to either the conductive mounting pins  130  or the light pipe  105 . In other embodiments, the shield  220  may be attached with adhesive. It is contemplated that, a variety of means for attaching the shield  220  may possibly be used and be within the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross sectional side view of an integrated light pipe  300 , according to an embodiment of the invention. The integrated light pipe  300  combines a light pipe  105  and LED  110 . The light pipe may be positioned so that light  150  created by the LED  110  passes through the light pipe  105  to exit as shown. The light pipe  105  has a cavity  107  for installation of the LED  110 . The cavity  107  is large enough that the entire LED  110  body fits within the light pipe  105 . The LED  110  may be coupled with the Led  110  within the cavity  107  using translucent adhesive  120 . The translucent adhesive  120  is used as a coupling agent between LED  110  and the light pipe  105 . A resistor  310  may be installed in electrical connection with the LED  110 . The pins  130  extend from the LED  110  and the resistor  310  inside the light pipe  105  to outside the cavity  107 . The pins  130  may allow for the integrated light pipe  100  to be mounted and electrically connected to a body. In various embodiments, the body the integrated light pipe  300  may be mounted and electrically connected to may be a circuit board. 
     In various embodiments, the resistor  310  may be used in series with the LED  110  may be a specification for the LED  110  called the characteristic forward voltage or recommended voltage. The characteristic forward voltage may have to be reached to turn ‘on’ the LED  110 , but as the characteristic forward voltage is exceeded, the LED&#39;s  110  resistance may quickly drop off. Therefore, the LED  110  may begin to draw extra current and in some cases burn out. A resistor  310  may be used in series with the LED  110  to keep the current at a specific level called the characteristic forward current or recommended current. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross sectional side view of an integrated light pipe  400 , according to an embodiment of the invention. The integrated light pipe  400  combines a light pipe  105  and LED  110  using a base  410 . The light pipe  105  may be positioned so that light  150  created by the LED  110  passes through the light pipe  105  to exit as shown. The LED  110  may be positioned within the base  410 . The base  410  may also be connected to the light pipe  105 . The pins  130  are coupled to and extend from the LED  110  inside the base  410  to outside the base  410 . The pins  130  may allow for the integrated light pipe  400  to be mounted and electrically connected to a body. In various embodiments, the body the integrated light pipe  400  may be mounted and electrically connected to may be a circuit board. 
     In various embodiments, the base  410  may be made of a single element or a combination of elements. For example, in an embodiment the base  410  may be a single molded plastic piece. The LED  110  may be positioned within the base  410  by molding into it during manufacture. The plastic may be translucent to allow light from the LED  110  to reach and enter the light pipe  105 . In other embodiments, the base  410  may have a cavity filled with an adhesive, in some cases the same as translucent adhesive  120 . The LED  110 , light pipe  105 , and pins  130  may be positioned to be either partially or fully contained in the translucent adhesive  120 . The pins  130  may extend out of the cavity and through the base  410  for mounting the integrated light pipe  400 . 
     In various embodiments, the base  410  may be coupled with the light pipe  105  by use of mechanical means or adhesives. For example, if the base  410  was of a molded plastic type the light pipe  105  may be connected with either an adhesive, such as epoxy, or mechanical means such as screws or pins. Other embodiments may use a press fit type of connection to couple the base  410  and light pipe  105 . It is contemplated that, a variety of coupling means may possibly be used and be within the scope of the invention. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes” and/or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. In the previous detailed description of exemplary embodiments, reference was made to the accompanying drawings (where like numbers represent like elements), which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the embodiments may be practiced. These embodiments were described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments, but other embodiments may be utilized and logical, mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. In the previous description, numerous specific details were set forth to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments. But, embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure embodiments.