Abstract:
Device for holding and for the connection of optoelectronic components, such as light-emitting diodes (LED&#39;s) of the PLCC2 and PLCC4 type, wherein said device is formed from a body  2  made of plastic on which a metal cluster  3  is disposed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a device for holding and for the connection of optoelectronic components such as light-emitting diodes (LED&#39;s) of the PLCC2 and PLCC4 type.  
         [0002]     Optoelectronic components, such as light-emitting diodes, are usually fixed onto printed circuits by means of a solder joint. However, since printed circuits designed for holding light-emitting diodes are rigid and flat, it becomes complicated and costly to produce lighting devices having a specific shape, such as a domed shape.  
         [0003]     Furthermore, when these light-emitting diodes are mounted onto the printed circuits, several operations need to be performed, namely the application of adhesive onto the circuit, the installation of the light-emitting diode, the application of tin onto the device which is then heated in the soldering oven. A check of the solder joints is then carried out at the end of the mounting process.  
         [0004]     These different constraints increase the production costs of devices using optoelectronic components, such as light-emitting diodes, in that their mounting process is long and sometimes complicated in the case of non-planar shaped devices.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The invention aims to remedy these different drawbacks by proposing a device that provides a solution for both the holding and the electrical connection of optoelectronic components, such as light-emitting diodes, while at the same time providing flexibility in terms of circuit shapes and a simplification of the mounting process.  
         [0006]     For this purpose, the subject of the present invention is a device for holding and for the connection of optoelectronic components, such as light-emitting diodes of the PLCC2 and PLCC4 type, wherein said device is formed from a body on which a metal cluster is disposed.  
         [0007]     Light-emitting diodes, denoted using the abbreviation LED&#39;s, can have various types of format. In their form PLCC2 and PLCC4, the LED&#39;s are optoelectronic components designed for surface mounting. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The invention will be better understood with reference to the appended drawings, in which:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of an LED seen from above.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a representation of an LED seen from below.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a representation of the body.  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a representation of the body after insertion of the LED.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a representation of the metal cluster.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a representation of the top side of the metal cluster when the LED is attached.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a lateral representation of the metal cluster when the LED is attached. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     The LED&#39;s  1  are composed of a light-emitting region  1   a  and of electrodes  1   b  providing the electrical connection.  
         [0017]     The device according to the invention is formed principally from a body  2  made of plastic to which a metal cluster  3  is attached. An LED  1  can be inserted into the metal cluster  3 .  
         [0018]     The metal cluster is composed of an assembly of contacts forming electrical pathways, this assembly being cut up and bent according to the shapes that are desired.  
         [0019]     This single-piece assembly is then connected together and separated by an operation called de-shunting. During this operation, bridges, or shunts, connecting the various electrical pathways are cut, thus allowing an operational electrical circuit to be obtained.  
         [0020]     Owing to its plastic composition, the body  2  could be of plane or domed shape, or of any other shape, according to the desired aesthetic appearance of the lighting system.  
         [0021]     The shape of this body  2  is such that it allows the LED  1  to be inserted and held fixed. Indeed, it is equipped with both openings  4  designed for positioning the LED&#39;s  1  to be assembled and with limit stops  5  which will stop the LED  1  when it is inserted into the body  2 .  
         [0022]     The metal cluster  3  that fixes onto the body  2  comprises a contact arm  6  and also an arm  7  designed for positioning and holding the LED&#39;s. The cluster is equipped with holes  8  allowing it to be attached to the body  2 .  
         [0023]     The contact arm  6  of the metal cluster  3  allows the electrical contact with the electrodes  1   b  situated under the LED  1  to be established. This contact arm  6  is formed from an elastic material which allows it to be spring loaded and ensures that it has a good electrical contact on the electrodes  1   b.    
         [0024]     One purpose of the positioning arm  7  of the metal cluster  3  is to provide an electrical contact on the electrodes  1   b  of the LED&#39;s. This contact is made on the side of the electrodes  1   b . Furthermore, the positioning arm  7  ensures the correct positioning of the LED  1  in its socket.  
         [0025]     On its upper part, this arm  7  is equipped with a spigot  9  that locates itself on the upper part of the electrode  1   b  of the LED  1 , thus ensuring that the latter is held in its socket and also that it pushes against the contact arm  6 .  
         [0026]     The product according to the invention allows the electrical contact to be ensured at a minimum of two points on each electrode of the LED by way of the contact arm and thanks to the spigot situated on the holding arm, both acting together in order to maintain the contact.  
         [0027]     Furthermore, each of the arms of the metal cluster plays a thermal role in that they allow heat generated by the LED to be dissipated via the electrodes.  
         [0028]     Moreover, in order to form the desired electrical circuit, the metal cluster is equipped with bridges or shunts. These will be cut during the assembly of the metal cluster onto the plastic body.  
         [0029]     The metal cluster may be equipped with one or more LED&#39;s. It can have various shapes that adjust to the shapes of the plastic body allowing three-dimensional electrical circuits to be produced.  
         [0030]     Although the invention has been described using specific means of implementation, it includes all the technical equivalents of the means described.