Illumination apparatus

• US 10,179,536 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Back, Tyler Jon, Hu, Irving, Smedberg, Darin, Collins, James Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Anh
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, NATHANIEL J.
• Application Number:
  US14/839,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20170059134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/268 on windscreens or windows B60Q1/302 takes precedence; lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for windows B60Q3/208
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/20 with light sources held by or within elongate supports
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/22 flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/26 of rope form, e.g. LED lighting ropes, or of tubular form
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/28 rigid, e.g. LED bars
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/012 Housings with variable shape or dimensions, e.g. by means of elastically deformable materials or by movement of parts forming telescopic extensions of the housing body
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/013 the housing being an extrusion

Abstract

An illumination apparatus is described that includes a set of illumination components. The illumination apparatus also includes a housing structure having an overall width and an overall length. The housing structure includes a cavity to house the set of illumination components, which is defined by, at least, a first lateral wall of the housing structure and a second lateral wall of the housing structure that each extends along the overall length, and a base of the housing structure. The housing structure includes a set of openings on the base, where each opening extends from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

a set of illumination components;

a housing structure having an overall width and an overall length, the overall length being substantially greater than the overall width, the housing structure being shaped to include a cavity to house the set of illumination components;

wherein the cavity is defined by, at least, (i) a first lateral wall of the housing structure and a second lateral wall of the housing structure that each extends along the overall length, and (ii) a base of the housing structure;

wherein the housing structure includes a set of openings on the base, each opening extending from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall; and

a housing over-mold that at least partially encloses the first lateral wall, the second lateral wall, and the base of the housing structure.

2. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing over-mold is molded together with the housing structure to form a housing body.

3. The illumination apparatus of claim 2, wherein the set of openings includes three or more openings, and wherein the set of openings are uniformly distributed on at least a portion of the base such that a spacing between any two adjacent openings on the base is uniform in size.

4. The illumination apparatus of claim 3, wherein the housing body is shaped as an arc such that a first end and a second end of the housing body curves downwards relative to a plane that is tangent to a middle portion of the housing body, and wherein the housing body is structured to be more flexible when force is applied on one of the first end or the second end in a downwards direction away from the plane as compared to when force is applied on one of the first end or the second end in an upwards direction towards the plane.

5. The illumination apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a heat sink that is positioned in the cavity of the housing structure; and

a circuit board that is coupled to the heat sink and is positioned in the cavity of the housing structure;

wherein the heat sink is dimensioned to have a length that is less than but substantially equal to a length of the cavity.

6. The illumination apparatus of claim 5, wherein the set of illumination components is coupled to or mounted on the circuit board, the set of illumination components being positioned to output light in a direction away from the base of the housing structure.

7. The illumination apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a cover or a lens to cover the cavity of the housing structure; and

an enclosure mechanism to fasten the cover or the lens to the housing structure.

8. The illumination apparatus of claim 5, wherein the housing structure has a first end and a second end, the first end including one or more openings, and wherein the circuit board is coupled to one or more contacts that extend out of the one or more openings when the circuit board is positioned in the cavity of the housing structure.

9. The illumination apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a fastening device to couple the illumination apparatus to a surface;

wherein the second end of the housing structure is dimensioned to provide a protrusion that extends from the base of the housing structure, and wherein the protrusion couples to the fastening device using a fastening mechanism.

10. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

a first housing structure;

a second housing structure; and

a third housing structure that couples to the first housing structure and the second housing structure, wherein the third housing structure includes;

(i) a set of illumination components;

(ii) a flexible frame that has an overall width and an overall length, the overall length being substantially greater than the overall width, the flexible frame being shaped to include a cavity to house the set of illumination components;

wherein the cavity is defined by, at least, (i) a first lateral wall of the flexible frame and a second lateral wall of the flexible frame that each extends along the overall length, and (ii) a base of the flexible frame;

wherein the flexible frame includes a set of openings on the base, each opening extending from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall; and

(iii) a housing over-mold that at least partially encloses the first lateral wall, the second lateral wall, and the base of the flexible frame.

11. The illumination apparatus of claim 10, wherein the housing over-mold is molded together with the flexible frame to form the third housing structure.

12. The illumination apparatus of claim 11, wherein the set of openings includes three or more openings, and wherein the set of openings are uniformly distributed on at least a portion of the base such that a spacing between any two adjacent openings on the base is uniform in size.

13. The illumination apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third housing structure further includes:

a heat sink that is positioned in the cavity of the flexible frame; and

a circuit board that is coupled to the heat sink and is positioned in the cavity of the flexible frame;

wherein the heat sink and the circuit board are each dimensioned to have a respective length that is less than but substantially equal to a length of the cavity.

14. The illumination apparatus of claim 13, wherein the set of illumination components is coupled to or mounted on the circuit board, the set of illumination components being positioned to output light in a direction away from the base of the flexible frame.

15. The illumination apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first housing structure includes:

a power interface;

a first connector; and

wherein the third housing structure includes a second connector to mate with the first connector, wherein the power interface is to provide power to the circuit board via the first and second connectors.

16. The illumination apparatus of claim 14, wherein the third housing structure includes:

a cover or a lens to cover the cavity of the flexible frame; and

an enclosure mechanism to fasten the cover or the lens to the flexible frame.

17. The illumination apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first housing structure includes a first fastening device to couple the first housing structure to a surface, wherein the second housing structure includes a second fastening device to couple the second housing structure to the surface, and wherein the third housing structure is coupleable or decoupleable from the first housing structure and the second housing structure.

18. The illumination apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first housing structure is coupleable to a first peripheral end of the third housing structure, and wherein the second housing structure is coupleable to a second, opposing peripheral end of the third housing structure.

19. An illumination apparatus, comprising:

a set of illumination components;

a housing structure having an overall width and an overall length, the overall length being substantially greater than the overall width, the housing structure being shaped to include a cavity to house the set of illumination components;

wherein the cavity is defined by, at least, (i) a first lateral wall of the housing structure and a second lateral wall of the housing structure that each extends along the overall length, and (ii) a base of the housing structure; and

a housing over-mold that at least partially encloses the first lateral wall, the second lateral wall, and the base of the housing structure;

wherein the housing structure includes three or more openings on the base, each opening extending from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall, and wherein the three or more openings are uniformly distributed on at least a portion of the base such that a spacing between any two adjacent openings on the base is uniform in size.