Abstract:
A apparatus for treating an LED strip includes a warming zone, a dust removal system disposed in the warming zone, a belt transporting the LED strip through the dust removal system, a high temperature zone and a cooling zone. The dust removal system includes an airflow generating device producing an airflow removing dust away from the LED strip when the LED strip passes through the airflow generating. The high temperature zone performs a reflow soldering to the LED strip which has a plurality of LEDs mounted thereon.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a dust removal system, and more particularly, to a dust removal system for cleaning LED (light emitting diode) strips and an apparatus with the dust removal system. 
       DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
       [0002]    LEDs have many advantages, such as high luminosity, low operational voltage, low power consumption, compatibility with integrated circuits, easy driving, long term reliability, and environmental friendliness. Such advantages have promoted the wide use of LEDs as a light source. Nowadays, LED strips are commonly applied in lamps. Generally, the LEDs of the LED strips are encapsulated by resin. However, dust may be adhered on the outer surfaces of the resin encapsulants of the LEDs. As a result, the brightness as well as the appearance of the LED strips are unfavorably affected by the dust. 
         [0003]    What is needed, therefore, is a dust removal system for an LED strip and apparatus with the dust removal system which can overcome the described limitations. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the views. 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an apparatus with a dust removal system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a structure of the dust removal system of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0007]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , an apparatus  100  with a dust removal system  30  for an LED strip  70  in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The apparatus  100  includes an operating zone  10  and a transporting belt  20  extending through the operating zone  10 . The operating zone  10  includes a warming zone  40 , a high temperature zone  50  and a cooling zone  60 . The dust removal system  30  is located in the warming zone  40 . The transporting belt  20  moves along a direction “a” shown in  FIG. 1 . The LED strip  70  with a plurality of LEDs  71  mounted thereon is disposed on the transporting belt  20 . The LED strip  70  is transported by the transporting belt  20  to sequentially pass the warming zone  40 , the high temperature zone  50  and the cooling zone  60  and leave the apparatus  100 . Temperature of the warming zone  40  is lower than 100° C. . 
         [0008]    The high temperature zone  50  can provide a temperature higher than 200° C., so that the LED strip  70  can be reflowed in the high temperature zone  50 . 
         [0009]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the dust removal system  30  includes an upper airflow generating device  301  and a lower airflow generating device  302 . The transporting belt  20  passes through a middle of the dust removal system  30 , between the upper airflow generating device  301  and the lower airflow generating device  302 . The upper airflow generating device  301  includes a blowing port  31  which blows air to the transporting belt  20 . That is to say, the blowing port  31  faces downwardly. The upper airflow generating device  301  includes an electrostatic eliminating bar  311  located at a middle of a bottom end of the blowing port  31 . The electrostatic eliminating bar  311  can be fastened to a top plate or side plates of the blowing port  31 . A cross-sectional dimension of the electrostatic eliminating bar  311  is smaller than that of the blowing port  31 . Thus, the electrostatic eliminating bar  311  will not block the blowing port  31  from blowing air to the transporting belt  20 . The upper airflow generating device  301  includes a brush  312  near the bottom end of the blowing port  31 . The lower airflow generating device  302  includes a sucking port  32  corresponding to the blowing port  31  of the upper airflow generating device  301 , which sucks air from the transporting belt  20 . The lower airflow generating device  302  includes an electrostatic eliminating bar  321  located at a middle of a top end of the sucking port  32 . The lower airflow generating device  302  includes a brush  322  near the top end of the sucking port  32 . Preferably, the dust removal system  30  will not extend to the high temperature zone  50  in order to avoid damage to the upper airflow generating device  301  and the lower airflow generating device  302  under a high temperature environment. Furthermore, the separation of the dust removal system  30  and the high temperature zone  50  can protect the high temperature zone  50  from being affected by air flow produced by the upper airflow generating device  301  and the lower airflow generating device  302 . 
         [0010]    The LED strip  70  enters the operating zone  10  by the transporting belt  20  and arrives at the dust removal system  30  in the warming zone  40 . Due to heating of the warming zone  40  to the LED strip  70 , the LED strip  70  is dried. After that the LED strip  70  has been warmed and dried in the warming zone  40 , adhesion force of the dust on the LED strip  70  becomes poor. The blowing port  31  can easily blow dust away from the LED strip  70 . At the same time, the sucking port  32  sucks the dust blown by the blowing port  31  to leave the operating zone  10 . Therefore, dust attached on the LED strip  70  is cleaned. In the process of the LED strip  70  passing through the dust removal system  70 , the electrostatic eliminating bars  312 ,  322  remove electrostatic charges on the LED strip  70  in order to avoid electrostatic from absorbing dust. The brushes  312 ,  322  of the blowing port  31  and the sucking port  32  disturb the air flow from the blowing port  31  to the sucking port  32 , to enable the dust to more easily float around from the outer surfaces of the encapsulants covering LED chips of the LEDs  71  to thereby obtain a better dust removal effect. 
         [0011]    The dust removal system  30  is not limited to include only one air blowing port  31  and only one sucking port  32 . A plurality of air blowing ports  31  and air sucking ports  32  may be used according to a length of the LED strip  70 . Alternatively, each blowing port  31  may match with several sucking ports  32 , or each sucking port  32  may match with several blowing ports  31 . Furthermore, the dust removal system  30  can include only one of the blowing port  31  and sucking port  32  if only one of the blowing port  31  and sucking port  32  can provide sufficient air flow for cleaning the dust from the LED strip  70 . However, the sucking port  32  is preferable since the sucking port  32  can provide a chamber to collect the drawn dust. 
         [0012]    Alternatively, the brushes  312 ,  322  can be replaced with other airflow-disturbing devices such as fins arranged in parallel or a mesh with small holes. A distance between the two brushes  312 ,  322  can be reduced, so that the brush  312  can directly brush a top surface of the LED strip  70  and the brush  322  can directly brush a bottom surface of the LED strip  70 . As a result, the dust on the LED strip  70  can be cleaned more easily. 
         [0013]    It is believed that the present disclosure and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments.