Patent Publication Number: US-10317024-B2

Title: LED strip light

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN201611041042.5, filed on Nov. 22, 2016. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to lighting apparatus field, with particular emphasis on an LED strip light. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In ordinary daily life, all kinds of lighting apparatus can be seen everywhere, such as fluorescent lamps, street lamps, table lamps, artistic lamps and so on. In the above-described lighting apparatus, the tungsten bulb is traditionally used as a light-emitting light source. In recent years, due to the ever-changing technology, light-emitting diode (LED) has been used as a light source. Moreover, in addition to lighting apparatus, for the general traffic signs, billboards, headlights etc., light-emitting diode (LED) has also been used as a light source. The light-emitting diode (LED) as a light source has the advantages of energy-saving and greater brightness. Therefore, it has been gradually common. 
     With the popularity of LED lamps, more and more occasions began to use LED lamps. For the increasingly common use of LED strip lights, its installation has become the focus of attention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are intended to promote a further understanding of the present invention, as follows: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an exploded structure of an LED strip light provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing the assembling structure of the LED strip light of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the LED strip light without the laminar mounting clip of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic perspective view of the LED strip with the laminar mounting clip of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the structure of a horizontal mounting clip suitable for installation in a horizontal freezer provided by the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the structure of a post mounting clip suitable for installation in a vertical freezer provided by the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view showing the structure of the LED strip light provided in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view showing the structure of the polarizing lens of the LED strip light of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application is illustrated by way of the following detailed description based on of the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that illustration to the embodiment in this application is not intended to limit the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4 , these FIGs are schematic views of the structure of an LED strip lamp  100  provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. The LED strip light  100  is used for cabinet lighting. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the inside of the cabinet may be laminates in a shelf, a vertical freezer or a horizontal freezer, which are generally used in shopping malls and stores where the LED strip light  100  is required to illuminate the sale of goods. The LED strip light  100  includes a strip-shaped lamp holder  10 , and a light-emitting module  20  disposed within the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 , a laminar mounting clip  30  provided on the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 , a lampshade  40  provided on the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 . It is contemplated that the LED strip light  100  also includes other functional modules such as a power supply module, a power plug assembly, and an end cap provided at both ends of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 , a waterproof component, etc., which are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. 
     The strip-shaped lamp holder  10  includes a first mounting surface  11  and a second mounting surface  12  which are adjacent and perpendicular to each other, and two light source slots respectively set at the radial free ends of the first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12 , a lampshade connection edge  15  perpendicular to the second mounting surface  12 , a light-barrier reflective strip  16  provided on the free side of the lampshade connection edge  15 , a first lampshade groove  17  provided on the lampshade connection edge  15 , a second lampshade groove  18  provided on the first mounting surface  11 . The strip-shaped lamp holder  10  can be made of a metal excellent in heat dissipation performance, such as an aluminum alloy or an aluminum-magnesium alloy. The first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12  are different mounting surfaces which can be respectively used when the LED strip light  100  is installed in a different environment, so that the exit light of the LED strip light  100  can be emitted to a different area through different surfaces, for example, when the LED strip lamp  100  is used on a shelf, the first mounting surface  11  is mounted in conformity with the laminates of the shelf, and when the LED strip light  100  is used for the vertical freezer, the second mounting surface  12  will be fitted to the post of the vertical freezer. The first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12  both are flat so as to facilitate installation, and the length of the cross-section of the first mounting surface  11  is greater than that of the second mounting surface  12  to assembly the light source module  20 . The first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12  are respectively provided with a mounting groove  111 ,  121  in the extending direction thereof, one of the two mounting grooves  111 ,  121  is a U-shaped groove and another is V-shaped groove. In the present embodiment, the mounting groove  111  provided in the first mounting surface  11  is a U-shaped groove, and the mounting groove  121  provided in the second mounting surface  12  is a V-shaped groove. The two light source slots  13  are provided for inserting the light source module  20 , and the structure is a groove for inserting the following circuit board  21  included in the light source module  20 . The angle between the light source mounting surface formed by the two light source slots and the first mounting surface being an acute angle θ between 30 and 40 degrees. The light source mounting surface formed by the two light source slots  13  is the plane in which the circuit board  21  is located, and the angle between the plane and the first mounting surface  11  is an acute angle. In order to apply the LED strip light  100  to a special environment, i.e., cabinet lighting, the angle between the plane and the first mounting surface  11  should be limited to between 30 degrees and 40 degrees, then excellent light distribution effect can be achieved. In order to protect the light source module  20  and to achieve a certain light effect such as a polarizing or line light source, the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  is provided with the lampshade connection edge  15  extending vertically from the second mounting surface  12  so that the lampshade connection edge  15 , the lampshade  40 , and the first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12  may form an inner cavity to set and protect the light source module  20 . The lampshade connection edge  15  serves to increase the cross-sectional area of the inner cavity. When the length of the cross-section of the first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12  is large enough, the shade connection side  15  may not be used. The light-barrier reflective strip  16  is provided on the free side of the lampshade connection edge  15 , and the length of the cross section of the first mounting surface  12  is larger than the length of the cross section of the second mounting surface, and the angle between the light source mounting surface and the first mounting surface  11  is between 30 and 40 degrees, so that the exit light of the light source module  20  can be is emitted toward the second mounting surface  12 . In order to prevent glare, the light-barrier reflective strip  16  needs to keep out the glare to avoid discomfort the glare into the human eye and then avoid discomfort. The angle between the light-barrier reflective strip  16  and the first mounting surface  11  is an acute angle β less than 25 degrees. Since the angle θ between the light source mounting surface and the first mounting surface  11  is between 30° and 40° and the LED strip light  100  is used for cabinet lighting, when the angle β between the light-barrier reflective strip  16  and the first mounting surface  11  is less than 25 degrees, then most of the glare can be prevented. No matter what the user observe the goods displayed within the cabinet from any perspective, the glare can&#39;t enter into the human eye and then shopping experience can be improved for people. The first lampshade groove  17  is provided on side of the free end of the lampshade connection edge  15  and the second lampshade groove  18  is provided on one side of the free end of the first mounting surface  11 , the first and lampshade grooves  17 ,  18  are used to insert the lampshade  40 , and it is conceivable that the first and lampshade grooves  17 ,  18  should be respectively located on outside of the two light source slots  13 . 
     The light source module  20  includes a circuit board  21  and a plurality of LED chips  22  arranged in an axially spaced arrangement along the lamp holder. The circuit board  21  is well known in the art for electrically connecting with the plurality of LED chips  22 . The circuit board  21  includes various functional wires and even some electronic components such as transistors, diodes, resistors, etc., so that the plurality of LED chips  22  can operate normally. The LED (Light Emitting Diode) chip  22  serves as a light source for emitting light. It is contemplated that each LED chip  22  is a point light source for uniform lighting at the exit angle formed by the primary encapsulation of the LED chip. In the present embodiment, the LED chips  22  are arranged in a plurality of rows and equally spaced and the LED chips  22  are provided on the circuit board  21 . 
     Please also referring to  FIG. 4 , the laminar mounting clip  30  is adapted to be mounted on laminates of the shelf, which includes a laminar U-shaped groove engaging portion  31  and a laminar V-shaped groove engaging portion  32 , a laminar mounting abutment plate  33  connecting to the laminar U-shaped groove engaging portion  31  and the laminar V-shaped groove engaging portion  32 , a laminar connecting portion  34  connecting with the laminar V-shaped groove engaging portion  32  and the laminar mounting abutment plate  33 . The laminar U-shaped groove engaging portion  31  includes a laminar transition portion  311  vertical to the laminar mounting abutment plate  33  and an L-shaped structure  312  connecting with the laminar transition portion  311 . One side of the L-shaped structure  312  is connected to the laminar transition portion  312  and the other is inserted into the U-shaped groove. It is conceivable that the height of the laminar transition portion  312  may be set according to actual requirements such as the thickness of the first mounting surface  11  and the like. In addition, since the laminar U-shaped groove engaging portion  31  is clamped into the U-shaped groove, a support function may be provided. Since the laminar V-shaped groove engaging portion is clamped into the V-shaped groove, a buckle function may be provided. It is also possible to adjust the angle of the first mounting surface  11  with respect to the laminar mounting abutment plate  33  by adjusting the height of the laminar transition portion  312  so that the angle of the first mounting surface  11  with respect to the laminates can be adjusted, and then the light emitting direction of the LED strip lamp  100  with respect to the laminates can further be adjusted. The laminar V-shaped groove engaging portion  32  includes a laminar engaging edge connecting with the laminar connecting portion  34 , the angle between the laminar engaging edge and the laminar connecting portion  34  is less than or equal to 90 degrees, the laminar engaging edge is clamped into the V-shaped groove, the laminar mounting abutment plate  33  is coupled to the first mounting surface  11  of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 . When assembling, the laminar U-shaped groove engaging portion  31  should be engaged with the U-shaped groove and the laminar mounting abutment plate  33  is fitted to the first mounting surface  11  so that the laminar connecting portion  34  can be attached to the second mounting surface  12 , at last the laminar mounting abutment plate  33  presses the first mounting surface  11  so that the laminar engaging edge of the laminar V-shaped groove engaging portion  32  can be clamped into the V-shaped groove, to achieve the aim that the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  can be assembled into the laminar mounting clip  30 . The height of the laminar connecting portion  34  should be greater than the height of the laminar transition portion  312  so that the V-shaped groove engaging portion  32  can be firmly clamped into the V-shaped groove and then the V-shaped groove engaging portion  32  can be more resilient. The laminar mounting abutment plate  33  includes a laminar spring  331  extending toward the first mounting surface. The laminar spring  331  abuts against the first mounting surface  11  so that the laminar V-shaped groove engaging portion  32  and the laminar U-shaped groove engaging portion  31  are respectively clamped into the V-shaped groove and the U-shaped groove. 
     The laminar mounting clip  30  includes a blocking portion  35  extending vertically from one end of the laminar mounting abutment plate  33  and at least one laminar mounting hole  36  mounted on the laminar mounting abutment plate  33 . When mounting the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 , at first, the fastener, such as a screw, should pass through the layer mounting hole  35  and be fastened on the laminates, and then the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  is clamped into the laminar mounting clip  30  according to the way as described above. The blocking portion  35  can prevent the false engaging position of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  and can suspend the laminar mounting clip  30  and the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  to a device such as the arm on the shelf. 
     The lampshade  40  includes a light-emitting portion  41 , and two insertion portions  42  respectively provided on both sides of the light-emitting portion  41  which is a plate type lampshade made of a translucent material. The cross-sectional shape of the light-emitting portion  41  is that the side of the contour line of the light-emitting portion  41  which is in contact with the light-barrier reflective strip  16  is tangent to the light-barrier reflective strip  16 . The side of the contour line of the light-emitting portion  41 , which is in contact with the second lampshade groove  18 , is tangent to the second lampshade groove  18 . The side of the contour line of the light-emitting portion  41  is in contact with the light-barrier reflective strip  16  and the outer end of the second lampshade groove continuously transits. The structure of the LED strip light  100  is made more beautiful by the structure of the light emitting portion  41  as described above, and the light emitting portion  41  is further moved away from the light source module  20  to achieve the purpose of forming a line light source. When the LED strip light  100  works, even one luminous LED chip  22  will not be seen from the outside of the light. 
     As described above, as the LED strip light  10  includes the first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12  and U-shaped and V-shaped mounting groove  14  respectively installed in the first and second mounting surfaces  11 ,  12 , it is easier to install the LED strip light  100  and can be more installations. Meanwhile, as the angle between the light source mounting surface and the first mounting surface  11  is an acute angle between 30 to 40 degrees, the LED strip light  100  is more suitable for cabinet lighting such as shelves laminates, vertical freezers, horizontal freezers, etc. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 5  is a schematic view of the structure of a horizontal mounting clip  300  suitable for installation in a horizontal freezer provided by the second embodiment of the present invention. It is conceivable that different mounting clips are suitable for different applications without changing the structure of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  to improve adaptability and replaceability of the light. The horizontal cabinet mounting clip  300  is mounted on the side wall of the horizontal freeze, and it includes a horizontal cabinet U-shaped groove engaging portion  301 , a horizontal cabinet V-shaped groove engaging portion  302 , a horizontal cabinet mounting abutment plate  303  connecting with the horizontal cabinet U-shaped groove engaging portion  301  and the cabinet V-shaped groove engaging portion  302 , and a horizontal cabinet connecting portion  304  connecting with the horizontal cabinet V-shaped groove engaging portion  302  and the horizontal cabinet mounting abutment plate  303 . 
     The horizontal cabinet U-shaped groove engaging portion  301  includes a horizontal cabinet transition portion  3011  vertical to the horizontal cabinet mounting abutment plate  302 , and an L-shaped structure  3012  connecting with the horizontal cabinet transition portion  3011 . One side of the L-shaped structure  3012  is connected to the horizontal cabinet transition portion  3011  and the other is inserted into the U-shaped groove of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 . 
     And same as the laminar mounting clip  30 , the height of the sleeper transition portion  3011  can be set according to the actual requirement such as the thickness of the first mounting surface  11  and the like. In addition, since the horizontal cabinet U-shaped groove engaging portion  301  is clamped into the U-shaped groove, a support function may be provided. Since the horizontal cabinet V-shaped groove engaging portion is clamped into the V-shaped groove, a buckle function may be provided. It is also possible to adjust the angle of the first mounting surface  11  with respect to the horizontal cabinet mounting abutment plate  303  by adjusting the height of the horizontal cabinet transition portion  3011  so that the angle of the first mounting surface  11  with respect to the one side of the horizontal cabinet can be adjusted, and then the light emitting direction of the LED strip lamp  100  with respect to the one side of the horizontal cabinet can further be adjusted. The horizontal cabinet V-shaped groove engaging portion  302  includes a horizontal cabinet engaging edge connecting with the horizontal cabinet connecting portion  303 . The angle between the horizontal cabinet engaging edge and the horizontal cabinet connecting portion  303  is less than or equal to 90 degrees, and the horizontal cabinet engaging edge is clamped into the V-shaped groove. 
     The horizontal cabinet mounting abutment plate is coupled to the first mounting surface of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  and includes a horizontal cabinet spring lamination  3031  extending toward the first mounting surface  11 . The horizontal cabinet spring lamination  3031  abuts against the first mounting surface  11 . The horizontal cabinet spring lamination  3031  is mounted on the horizontal cabinet connecting portion  304 , and the horizontal cabinet connecting portion  304  is coupled to the second mounting surface  12  of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 . 
     Further, the horizontal cabinet mounting clip  300  further includes a blocking portion  305  extending vertically from one end of the horizontal cabinet mounting abutment plate  303 , and at least one horizontal cabinet mounting hole  306  mounted on the horizontal cabinet mounting abutment plate  303 . The horizontal cabinet mounting hole  306  and the horizontal cabinet U-shaped and V-shaped groove engaging portions  301 ,  302  are respectively located on both sides of the blocking portion  305 . It is well known that, due to the structure of the horizontal freezer itself, the horizontal freezer generally has a push-pull freezer flip and the edge of the freezer cover is opaque. The opaque portion of the freezer flip can be partly overlapped with the horizontal cabinet mounting hole  306  so that it is easy to install, meanwhile the position of the blocking portion  305  can be appropriately adjusted to adjust the position of the entire LED strip light  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the structure of a post mounting clip  400  suitable for installation in a vertical freezer provided by the third embodiment of the present invention. The post mounting clip  400  includes a U-shaped groove engaging hook  401 , a light-barrier engaging hook  402  and a first post mounting abutment plate  403  connecting with the U-shaped groove engaging hook  401 , and a second post mounting abutment plate  404  coupled to the second mounting surface  12 . 
     The U-shaped groove engaging hook  401  is hook up in the U-shaped groove of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 . The light-barrier engaging hook  402  is hook up at the free end of the light-barrier reflective strip  16 . The first post mounting abutment plate  403  is fitted to the first mounting surface  12  of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 . The second post mounting abutment plate  404  is fitted to the second mounting surface  12  and includes a post spring lamination  405  extending toward the second mounting surface  12 . The post spring lamination abuts against the second mounting surface so that the strip-shaped lamp holder  10  can be engaged with the position between the U-shaped groove hook  401  and the light-barrier engaging hook  402  and the post spring lamination  405 . The strip-shaped lamp holder  10  can be prevented from loosening due to the elasticity of the post spring lamination  405 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 ,  FIG. 7  is a schematic view showing the structure of the LED strip light  500  provided in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The LED strip light  500  includes a strip-shaped lamp holder  501 , and a light-emitting module  502  provided in the strip-shaped lamp holder  501 , and a polarizing lens  504  mounted on the strip-shaped lamp holder  501 . In the fourth embodiment, the strip-shaped lamp holder  501 , the light-emitting module  502  and the laminar mounting clip  503  have the same structure as those of the first embodiment and will not be described in detail here. The difference between the fourth embodiment and the first embodiment is that the lampshade is a polarizing lens  504 , the polarizing lens  504  has the same structure as the conventional plate type lampshade. It is necessary to introduce some optical terms to explain it in detail. The light source module  502  includes a circuit board  5021  and a plurality of LED chips  5022  disposed on the circuit board  5021 . Each of the LED chips  5022  has an optical axis which is an optical design guide so that the plurality of LED chips  5022  form a face, i.e., an optical axis surface  5023 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 8 , the polarizing lens  504  includes a plane incidence plane  5041  perpendicular to the optical axis surface  5023 , a first convex lens exit surface  5042  and a second convex lens exit surface  5043  provided on both sides of the optical axis, and a third concave lens exit surface  5044 . It is conceivable that the polarizing lens  504  is also strip. In order to explain the structure of the polarizing lens  504 , the present invention explains the polarizing lens  504  in via of the cross section of the polarizing lens  504 . The cross-sectional structure of the polarizing lens  504  determines the direction and intensity of the light exit. In addition, in the present embodiment, the polarizing lens  504  further includes two engaging portions  5045  respectively provided on both sides of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  and the third concave lens exit surface  5044 . The two engaging portions  5045  are respectively clamped into the first and second lampshade grooves  17 ,  18  of the strip-shaped lamp holder  10 . It is conceivable that the engaging portion  5045  is provided so as to mount the polarizing lens  504  conveniently, and the engaging portion  5045  has no optical effect. In the present embodiment, the polarizing lens  5045  is integrally molded by an injection molding process. A dotted line is introduced to  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  to distinguish the engaging portion  5045  and the first convex lens exit surface  5042  and the third concave lens exit surface  5044 . 
     It is further noted that the “convex” and “concave” of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  and a second convex lens exit surface  5043  is defined with respect to the optical axis of each of the surface  5023 , and the direction of the light determines the convergence or divergence direction of the lens. 
     The incident surface  5041  may be a plane such that the incident angle of the incident light is regular to design the light exit conveniently. 
     The arc length and the radius of curvature of the cross section of the contour line of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  perpendicular to the optical axis surface  5023  are larger than that of the corresponding contour line of the second convex lens exit surface  5043  and the irradiation distance of the light emitted from the first convex lens exit surface  5042  is smaller than that from the second convex lens exit surface  5043 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , the arc length and the radius of curvature of the cross section of the contour line of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  perpendicular to the optical axis surface  5023  are L 1  and R 1  respectively. And the arc length and the curvature of the corresponding contour lines of the second convex lens exit surface  5043  are L 2  and R 2  respectively. As L 1  is greater than L 2  and the reciprocal of R 1  is greater than the reciprocal of R 2 , it is conceivable that both the first convex lens exit surface  5042  and the second convex lens exit surface  5043  have a light collection performance. The larger the radius of curvature is, the stronger the converging performance is, and the second convex lens exit surface  5043  which irradiates distantly has a weaker light collection performance with respect to the first convex lens exit surface  5042  which irradiates nearly. In actual applications, the exit light of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  is emitted to the laminates of the first mounting surface  11  which is the cargo area closest to the user, therefore, a strong light is required. Since the exit light of the second convex lens exit surface  5043  is emitted to a side of the shelf according to the second mounting surface  12 , and the side of the shelf does not require too much light, the arc length of the second convex lens exit surface  5043  is smaller than that of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  to allow the first convex lens exit surface  5042  to receive more light. 
     The third concave lens exit surface  5044  is used to diffuse the light arriving at a further distance from the light source module  502  for compensating the area where the second convex lens exit surface  5043  fails to provide sufficient light while the polarizing lens  504  may also use the light of the edge of the LED chip  22 . The light emitted from the third concave lens exit surface  5044  is emitted to the side of the second mounting surface  12 . 
     It should be noted that the arcs on the first convex lens exit surface  5042 , the second convex lens exit surface  5043 , and the third concave lens exit surface  5043  may be a smooth curve or may be connected with a plurality of curves. 
     It should be noted that the term “arc length” mentioned in the present invention means the length of the curve of the contour line of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  and the second convex lens exit surface  5043  which are intersected to the cross section of the polarizing lens  504  along the optical axis surface  5041 . Similarly, the “radius of curvature” mentioned in the present invention means the radius of curvature of the contour line. In the present embodiment, the polarizing lens  504  is an elongated shape, the cross-section of the vertical optical axis surface  5041  is a cross section of the polarizing lens  504 . The arc length and the radius of curvature of the cross section of the contour line of the first convex lens exit surface  5042  perpendicular to the optical axis surface  5023  are larger than the arc length and the radius of the corresponding contour line of the second convex lens exit surface  5043 , and the light collection power of the second convex lens exit surface  5043  is smaller than that of the first convex lens exit surface  5042 . It is conceivable that taking the same irradiation distance into consideration, the smaller the irradiated area from the light source with higher light collection is, the stronger the light energy per unit area is. And the light beam has a divergence, so the farther the irradiation distance is, the larger the irradiation area is. That makes the light energy dispersion. It can be seen that the light source with strong light collection can compensate for the energy dispersion caused by long-range irradiation. 
     The above disclosure has been described by way of example and in terms of exemplary embodiment, and it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited thereto. Rather, any modifications, equivalent alternatives or improvement etc. within the spirit of the invention are encompassed within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.