Lighting system

• US 20110075413A1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gregory S. Smith, Thomas T. Nagano
• Original Assignee: Gregory S. Smith, Thomas T. Nagano
• Inventors: Smith, Gregory S., Nagano, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US12/586,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20110075413A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/235
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/20 Light sources comprising attachment means
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/00 Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/22 flexible or deformable, e.g. into a curved shape
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/28 rigid, e.g. LED bars
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/001 the light sources being semiconductors devices, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/04 with provision for changing light source, e.g. turret auxiliary devices for cleaning, placing, or removing incandescent lamps H01K3/32, fluorescent lamps H01J9/006
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/002 making direct electrical contact, e.g. by piercing F21V21/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/00 Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/10 comprising a linear array of point-like light-generating elements
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

The present invention is an improved lighting system. In particular, the present invention is directed to an LED lighting system with replaceable circuit boards. The lighting system comprises a printed circuit board with a set of LEDs on top and two electrical contact surfaces on the bottom that snaps into a module assembly. The module assembly has an exterior element with two contact windows on its surface with a set of fingers extended to hold the circuit board to two electrical contacts. The electrical contacts pierce two electrical leads inside channels in an interior element of the module assembly.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a printed circuit board having at least one light emitting diode attached to a top surface and at least two electrical contact surfaces on a bottom surface;

a module assembly having an exterior element with a plurality of fingers extending from the exterior element and removably holding the printed circuit board to the exterior element, an interior channel, and at least two contact windows on a surface of the exterior element and an interior element insertable into the interior channel and having a plurality of electrical lead channels and having a plurality of electrical contact notches;

a plurality of electrical contacts where an electrical contact is placed each of the plurality of electrical contact notches of the interior element and extends through one of the contact windows of the exterior element to make contact with at least one of the electrical contact surfaces of the printed circuited board; and

,

at least two electrical leads, where one electrical lead passes through the module assembly through the interior channel of the exterior element and through one of the electrical lead channels of the interior element assembly, and where one of the electrical contacts connects to the one electrical lead.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 where the plurality of electrical contacts each have an end that pierces one electrical lead to make electrical contact with the one electrical lead.

3. The lighting system of claim 1 where the plurality of electrical contacts each have an end that is bent so that the end has a contact apex.

4. The lighting system of claim 3 where the plurality of electrical contacts each have an end that is V-shaped.

5. The lighting system of claim 1 where the module assembly further comprises a plurality of wedges, where each wedge is insertable into one of the electrical contact notches against one of the electrical contacts.

6. The lighting system of claim 1 where the printed circuit board also has a photo-sensor for measuring the light output of the at least one light emitting diode.

7. A lighting system comprising:

a printed circuit board having at least one light emitting diode attached to a top surface and two electrical contact surfaces on a bottom surface;

a module assembly having an exterior element and an interior element, where the exterior element has a plurality of fingers extending from the exterior element and removably holding the printed circuit board to the exterior element, an interior channel, and two contact windows on a surface of the exterior element, and where the interior element is insertable into the interior channel and has two electrical lead channels and two electrical contact notches;

two electrical contacts, where one electrical contact is placed in each of the electrical contact notches of the interior element and extends through one of the contact windows of the exterior element to make contact with one of the electrical contact surfaces of the printed circuited board; and

,

two electrical leads, where each of the electrical lead passes through the module assembly through the interior channel of the exterior element and through one of the electrical lead channels of the interior element assembly, and where one of the electrical contacts connects to one of the electrical leads.

8. The lighting system of claim 7 where each of the electrical contacts are flexible and has a first and a second end, where the first end pierces one of the electrical leads and the second end is bent and has a contact apex that makes contact with one of the electrical contact surfaces of the printed circuit board.

9. The lighting system of claim 8 where the second end is V-shaped.

10. The lighting system of claim 7 where the module assembly further comprises two wedges, where each wedge is insertable into one of the electrical contact notches against one of the electrical contacts.

11. The lighting system of claim 8 where the plurality of fingers of the exterior element of the module assembly hold the two electrical contact surfaces of the printed circuit board against the contact apex of the two electrical contacts.

12. A lighting system comprising:

a lighting base having a lens and a module assembly track;

a printed circuit board having at least one light emitting diode attached to a top surface and two electrical contact surfaces on a bottom surface;

a module assembly having an exterior element and an interior element, where the exterior element has a plurality of fingers extending from the exterior element and holding the printed circuit board to the exterior element, an interior channel, and two contact windows on a surface of the exterior element, and where the interior element is insertable into the interior channel and has two electrical lead channels and two electrical contact notches, where the module assembly is insertable into the module assembly track;

two electrical contacts, where one electrical contact is placed in each of the electrical contact notches of the interior element and extends through one of the contact windows of the exterior element to make contact with one of the electrical contact surfaces of the printed circuited board; and

,

two electrical leads, where each of the electrical lead passes through the module assembly through the interior channel of the exterior element and through one of the electrical lead channels of the interior element assembly, and where one of the electrical contacts connects to one of the electrical leads.

13. The lighting system of claim 12 where the module assembly is connected to the module assembly track by the exterior element of the module assembly.

14. The lighting system of claim 12 where each of the electrical contacts are flexible and has a first and a second end, where the first end pierces one of the electrical leads and the second end is bent and has a contact apex that makes contact with one of the electrical contact surfaces of the printed circuit board.

15. The lighting system of claim 14 where the plurality of fingers of the exterior element of the module assembly hold the two electrical contact surfaces of the printed circuit board against the contact apex of the two electrical contacts.

16. The lighting system of claim 14 where the first end of each electrical contact pierces one of the electrical leads with at least one tooth.