Patent Publication Number: US-10323805-B2

Title: Modular LED tube lamp

Description:
This application is a non-provisional application of and claims priority from U.S. provisional application 62/533,255 also entitled Modular LED Tube Lamp, by same inventor Kanghong Zhang, filed Jul. 17, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is in the field of lighting. 
     DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
     Tube lighting was popularized when fluorescent lighting was at its zenith. Historically, drivers and ballasts were mounted to the lighting fixture for powering tube lighting. 
     Inventor Chen-Ho Wu describes a lighting system in US Patent publication number US2007/0242466A1 entitled the Retrofitting Of Fluorescent Tubes With Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Modules For Various Signs And Lighting Applications that was published on Oct. 18, 2007. The abstract describes, “A method and device for replacing a fluorescent tube lamp with an LED lamp. The LED lamp includes an elongated electrical assembly having ends terminating in first and second electrical connectors, and a plurality of LEDs mounted to the elongated electrical assembly. Mounting adaptors connect with the first and second electrical connectors, and have protruding pins to connect with conventional lamp Socket connectors. The mounting adaptors have rotating connectors for connecting with the first and second electrical connectors of the LED lamp, so that the LED lamp orientation can be rotated after the LED lamp is fully mounted to the lamp socket connectors.” 
     Inventor John Ivey describes a lighting system in US Patent publication number U.S. Pat. No. 8,596,813 B2 entitled Circuit Board Mount For Led Light Tube that was published on Dec. 3, 2013. The abstract describes, “Disclosed herein are embodiments of LED-based lights for replacing a conventional fluorescent light bulb in a fluorescent light fixture and embodiments of a circuit board mount for an LED-based light tube having an elongate housing with at least one circuit board spanning the housing. One embodiment disclosed herein of a circuit board mount comprises an end cap configured to fit over an open end of the housing. The end cap comprises an end wall, at least one pin connector extending through the end wall and at least one fitted slot extending from the end wall configured to receive an end of the circuit board, the at least one fitted slot having an elastic member within the at least one fitted slot configured to cushion the circuit board.” 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A modular LED tube lamp has a tube lamp having a pair of ends, namely a first end and a second end. The first lamp base has a first driver, and the first lamp base is connected to the first end of the tube lamp. A second lamp base has a second driver. The second lamp base is connected to the second end of the tube lamp. A first socket receives the first lamp base; and a second socket receives the second line base. The tube lamp is linear. The tube lamp is formed in a U-shaped bend. The tube lamp is formed as a circular bend. 
     A modular LED tube lamp includes a tube lamp that has a pair of ends, namely a first end and a second end. The tube lamp includes an array of LED elements. A first lamp base has a first driver. The first lamp base is connected to the first end of the tube lamp. A second lamp base has a second driver. The second lamp base is connected to the second end of the tube lamp. A first socket receives the first lamp base. A second socket receives the second line base. The tube lamp can be linear for U-shaped in a U-shaped bend. The tube lamp can also be formed as a circular bend lamp. 
     The mode selector switch can be hidden from view when the first connector is installed to the first end cap by being sandwiched between the first connector and the end cap. The intermediate driver mount can also have a first switch body and a second switch body being coplanar with the electrical connector, but insulated from the electrical connector. Preferably, the electrical connector is coplanar to the latching mechanism in the first latch. The first latch is magnetic or mechanical and provides a retaining connection between the first endcap and the first connector. The second driver is preferably redundant to the first driver such that either being operational is sufficient to operate the light element. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of a linear configuration the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of a modular lamp base inside face showing the connector and optional selection means. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of a variety of different standard physical connection configurations such as G-13, G-5, FA8, R17-D. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of a variety of different standard shape configurations including straight, bent and circular. 
     
    
    
     The following call out list of elements can be as useful guide in referencing the elements of the drawings.
       21  Tube     22  First Lamp Base     23  First Endcap     24  Second Lamp Base     25  First Socket     26  Second Socket     27  First Driver     28  Second Driver     29  Connector     31  Switch For Voltage Or Current     32  Electrical Connector     33  Modular Lamp Base Inside Face     34  First Latch     35  Second End Cap     36  First Connector     44  first switch body     45  second switch body     46  toggle switch slide     47  first driver housing contact     48  second driver housing contact     49  toggle switch slide   

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Glossary 
     LED Light Emitting Diode 
     As seen in the first figure, a lighting element is formed as a tube. The tube element includes a tube LED lamp shown as a cylindrical tube  21 . The tube  21  is preferably a linear LED lighting tube that can simulate a florescent tube lamp for example. The tube  21  is a lighting element. The cylindrical tube  21  has a pair of end caps. The lighting element has a first end cap  23  and a second end cap  35 . The first connector  36  connects to the first end cap  23  and the second connector connects to the second end cap  35 . The first lamp base  22  connects to the first end cap  23  and the second lamp base  24  connects to the second end cap  35 . The first socket  26  receives the first lamp base  22  and the second socket  25  receives the second lamp base  24 . A first driver  28  is mounted in the first lamp base  22 , and a second driver  27  is mounted in the second lamp base  24 . The first end cap  23  and the second end cap  35  can have a circular what area that forms an electrical connector  29  for connecting to the drivers.  FIG. 1  shows that the mode selector switch  31  for selecting the voltage or current operation is located on an inside face of the first connector  36 . The mode selector switch  31  is hidden from view when the first connector  36  is installed to the first end cap  23 . 
     The drivers are modularly detachable from the cylindrical tube  21 . The cylindrical tube  21  can have an array of individual LED elements. The drivers can be housed in plastic injection molded members that have latching means for receiving the end caps. The drivers are therefore replaceable in case of failure. Since there are a pair of drivers, both of them provide a redundant driver function for maintaining electrical power to the cylindrical tube  21  lighting element. The first driver housing of the first driver  27  additionally has a first driver housing contact  47 . The driver housing of the second driver  28  additionally has a second driver housing contact  48 . The first socket  26  receives the first driver housing contact  47  and makes electrical contact with the first driver housing contact  47 . The second socket  25  receives the second driver housing contact  48  and makes electrical contact with the second driver housing contact  48 . 
     The first lamp base  22  connects to the tube  21  by a first latch  34 . The first latch  34  is preferably mounted at a lower edge of the first driver  27  or the second driver  28 . The first socket  26  can have a cylindrical depression for receiving a cylindrical shaped first lamp base  22 . The first lamp base  22  can have a housing that holds a first driver  27 . The first driver  27  is preferably electrically connected to a terminal of the first lamp base  22 . The first latch  34  can be formed as an extending prong that grips to a first endcap  23  of the tube  21 . The first endcap  23  can be formed as a plastic disc that covers an end of the tube  21 . The tube  21  can be formed of a transparent glass or plastic material. The tube  21  can have a second endcap  35  formed similarly as the first endcap  23 . The second connector  29  connects the second endcap  35  to the second lamp base  24 . The second connector  29  can be formed as a pin extending from the first endcap and being moved into the second lamp base  24 . The second driver  28  can be mounted within the second lamp base  24 . The second socket  25  can formed as a cylindrical hollow for receiving the cylindrically shaped second lamp base  24 . 
     The modular lamp base inside face  33  is formed on an inside face of the first lamp base  22  and on an inside face of the second lamp base  24 . The first lamp base  22  has a first connector  36  which is generally the location where the modular lamp base inside face  33  is. The first connector includes an electrical connector  32 , and a latch  34 . Additionally, a switch  31  for voltage or current can be mounted on a same plane as the electrical connector  32 . The switch  31  can be a multiple position switch that can select power between 5 watts up to 55 watts by way of switching voltage for example. The modular lamp base inside face  33  has an electrical connector and optional selection means such as a switch for selecting a mode of operation. The switch  31  can be a sliding toggle switch that has a toggle switch slide  46  where the installer can actuate the toggle switch by sliding the toggle switch slide  46  from left to right. In  FIG. 2 , the toggle switch is shown as sliding to the right side. 
     There can be more than one switch and each switch can have more than a pair of positions. For example, the switch  31  can be implemented as a pair of binary switches to provide a four position switch, such as by using a first switch body  44  and a second switch body  45 . If the first switch body provides a first pair of modes, and the second switch body provides a second pair of modes, then the switch  31  implemented as a pair of binary switches provides a total of four modes. The first switch body  44  and second switch body  45  face the first endcap  23  and are covered by the first endcap  23 . The first switch body  44  and second switch body  45  are coplanar with the electrical connector  32 , but insulated from the electrical connector  32 . The electrical connector  32  is also preferably coplanar to the latching mechanism in the first latch  34 . The first latch  34  can be magnetic or mechanical and provide a retaining connection between the first endcap  23  and the first connector  36 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 3 , the modular LED tube lamp can be implemented in a variety of different standard physical connection configurations such as G-13, G-5, FA8, R17-D. As seen in  FIG. 4 , the modular LED tube lamp can be implemented as a linear lamp, AU band lamp and a circular band lamp. 
     A key feature of the present invention is that the tube lamp has a selection mode for the driver so that only one set of driver endcaps is necessary and can adapt to a variety of different lights. The user or factory can switch the LED elements while keeping the driver the same. Also, because there are a pair of drivers on each end, this provides redundancy.