Patent Publication Number: US-7594738-B1

Title: LED lamp with replaceable power supply

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to an LED lamp, and in particular, to an LED lamp with replaceable power supply. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Application of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in illumination have become increasingly popular in recent years. As compared to the common fluorescent lamps, for example, LED lamps are more compact in size, consumes less power, have longer lamp life and are more environmentally friendly. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an LED lamp with LED light sources, which includes a tubular body  10   a , a light module  20   a , a power supply  30   a , and two power connectors  40   a . Light module  20   a  is deposed within tubular body  10   a . Light module  20   a  includes a circuit board  21   a  and a plurality of LEDs  22   a . LEDs  22   s  are disposed on the bottom side of circuit board  21   a  and are electrically coupled thereto. Power supply  30   a  is disposed within tubular body  10   a  on the top side of circuit board  21   a . Power supply  30   a  is soldered on circuit board  21   a  for electrical connection. Two power connectors  40   a  are also soldered—to power supply  30   a —for electrical connection, and are sealed to the two ends of tubular body  10   a.    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, the invention features an LED lamp with replaceable power supply that includes a tubular body, a light module, a power supply, and two power connectors. The light module is disposed within the tubular body. The light module includes a circuit board and a plurality of LEDs. The LEDs are electrically coupled to the circuit board and are disposed on the bottom side of the circuit board. The power supply is replaceably disposed on the light module and is electrically coupled to the circuit board. The two power connectors are respectively coupled to the two ends of the tubular body and are electrically coupled to the power supply. 
     Embodiments may include one or more of the following advantages. The configuration of the LED lamp with replaceable power supply allows easy access to the inside of the tubular body of the LED lamp, whereupon the power supply replaceably coupled to the light module can be easily removed and replaced from the tubular body. Accordingly, when the power supply of the LED lamp dies out after its typical 20,000 hours of use, for example, a user can simply replace the defective component power supply, rather than having to retire the whole LED lamp entirely, thereby maximizing use of all electrical components and reducing operation costs. 
     The LED lamp with replaceable power supply further allows the light module replaceably disposed within the tubular body of the LED lamp to be easily replaced. Accordingly, when the light module is defective, for example, a user can simply replace the defective component light module, rather than having to retire the whole LED lamp entirely, thereby maximizing use of all electrical components and reducing operation costs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, which describes an exemplary embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional view of an LED lamp; 
         FIG. 2  is a three-dimensional exploded view of an LED lamp with replaceable power supply; 
         FIG. 3  is a three-dimensional assembly view of an LED lamp with replaceable power supply; 
         FIG. 4  is a  4 - 4  cross-sectional view of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an operational diagram of an LED lamp with replaceable power supply; 
         FIG. 6  is a exploded view of an LED lamp with replaceable power supply; and 
         FIG. 7  is an assembled view of  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In cooperation with attached drawings, the technical contents and detailed description of the present invention are described thereinafter according to a preferable embodiment, being not used to limit its executing scope. Any equivalent variation and modification made according to appended claims is all covered by the claims claimed by the present invention. 
       FIGS. 2-4  show an LED lamp with replaceable power supply that includes a tubular body  10 , a light module  20 , a power supply  30 , and two power connectors  40 . 
     Tubular body  10  is made of thin, transparent, and light-transmittable PVC or acrylic materials. Tubular body  10  includes a plurality of venting holes. Venting holes  11  are disposed in a spatial arrangement. The two ends of tubular body  10  are each defined a connecting section  12 . Connecting sections  12  each includes two open grooves  121  and a lock hook  122  defined between two open grooves  121 . 
     Light module  20  is replaceably disposed within tubular body  10 . Light module  20  includes a circuit board  21 , a plurality of LEDs  22 , and a first power socket  23 . LEDs  22  are electrically coupled to circuit board  21  and are disposed in a spatial arrangement on the bottom side of circuit board  21 . First power socket  23  is disposed on circuit board  21  and is electrically coupled to electric circuit  21 . Generally, LEDs  22  have a lamp life of about 50,000 hours, and can be yellow LEDs  22 , white LEDs  22 , blue LEDs or red LEDs, but are not limited thereto. Power supply  30  is replaceably disposed on light module  20  and is disposed on circuit board  21 . Power supply  30  has two second power sockets  32  and a power supply plug  31 . Power supply plug  31  is adapted to insert in first power socket  23  of light module  20  for electrically coupling to electric circuit  21 . Generally, the service life of power supply  30  is about 20,000 hours, shorter than LEDs  22 &#39;s lamp life of 50,000 hours. Two power connectors  40  are removably coupled to the two ends of tubular body  10  respectively and are electrically coupled to power supply  30 . Two power connectors  40  each includes an annular body  44  and lock slots  41 . Lock slots  41  are defined on annular body  44  and correspond to lock hook  122  of connecting sections  12 . Locks slots  41  adapted to engage with lock hook  122  in a locking configuration. LED lamp with replaceable power supply further includes two power sink plugs  42  that are electrically coupled to two power connectors  40  respectively. Two power sink plugs  42  are adapted to insert in two second power sockets  32  of power supply  30  respectively. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , to assemble an LED lamp with replaceable power supply, power supply  30  is first displaced on circuit board  21  of light module  20 . Power supply plug  31  of power supply  30  is then inserted in first power socket  23  located on circuit board  21 . Next, light module  20  and power supply  30  are both disposed within tubular body  10 . Then, two power sink plugs  42  of two power connectors  40  are respectively inserted in second power sockets  32  of power supply  30 . Finally, two power connectors  40  are respectively coupled to the two ends of tubular body  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , to disassemble an LED lamp with replaceable power supply, two power connectors  40  are first removed from tubular body  10 . Two power sink plugs  42  of two power connectors  40  are next unplugged from two second power sockets  32 . Next, light module  20  and power supply  30  are removed from within tubular body  10 . Lastly, power supply plug  31  of power supply  30  is unplugged from first power socket  23  located on circuit board  21 . 
     Accordingly, when inoperable, power supply  30  or LEDs  22  of light module  20  can be removed for repair or replacement and then re-assembled according to the aforementioned methods. Such ability to replace inoperable LED lamp components provides an alternative to conventional approach where the entire LED lamp has to be replaced, thereby greatly reducing operation costs. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , to operate an LED lamp with replaceable power supply, an assembled LED lamp with replaceable power supply is installed in lamp fixture  60 . Lamp fixture  60  includes a lamp housing  61  and two electrical sockets  62  disposed within lamp housing  61 . Next, two power connectors  40  of LED lamp with replaceable power supply is inserted in two electrical sockets  62  of light fixture  60 , whereupon LEDs  22  are powered and provide illumination. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  respectively show an exploded diagram and an assembly diagram of an LED lamp with replaceable power supply according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the LED lamp with replaceable power supply further includes a nut  70 . Nut  70  has a lock groove  71  and an internal thread abutting  72  the lock groove  71  defined therein. Power connectors  40  each has a lock ring  43  on its outer edge adapted to fit within lock groove  71 . The two ends of tubular body  10  each has an external thread  13  adapted to mate with internal thread  72  of nut  70 . Through nut  70 , power connectors  40  are thereby coupled to tubular body  10 . 
     Accordingly, when power supply  30  or light module  20  is inoperable, embodiments of the LED lamp with replaceable power supply allow either component to be repaired or replaced, as opposed to having to dispose the whole LED lamp entirely, thereby significantly reducing operation costs and maximizing use of all electrical components.