LED assembly with reverse circuit board

• US 7,044,620 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Guide Corporation (Vehicle Lighting Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guide Corporation (Vehicle Lighting Incorporated)
• Inventors: Van Duyn, Paul D.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsidulko, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/836,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20050243558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 362/294, 362/227, 362/235, 362/245, 362/373, 362/543, 362/545, 362/547, 362/800, 361717-719, 361/704, 361/760, 361/761
• US Class Current: 362/294
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/141 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/153 arranged in a matrix
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/192 Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/30 characterised by reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/32 Optical layout thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/14 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/15 Strips of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/195 Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/30 characterised by reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/31 Optical layout thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/47 Passive cooling, e.g. using fins, thermal conductive elements or openings
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/001 the light sources being semiconductors devices, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/75 with fins or blades having different shapes, thicknesses or spacing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/763 the planes containing the fins or blades having the direction of the light emitting axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2107/10 for land vehicles
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0203 Cooling of mounted components H05K1/0272 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/182 associated with components mounted in the printed circuit board, e.g. insert mounted components [IMC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10477 : Inverted
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/1056 : Metal over component, i.e. metal plate over component mounted on or embedded in PCB

Abstract

A lamp assembly and methods of assembling the lamp assembly are provided. The lamp assembly comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having a face surface, a rear surface opposite the face surface, electrical traces on the rear surface, and an opening extending from the face surface to the rear surface, and a light emitting diode (LED) emitter having a dome portion, a body, and a plurality of electrical terminals connected to the body, wherein the body of the LED emitter is adjacent the rear surface, the dome portion of the LED emitter extends through the opening in the PCB to the face surface, and the electrical terminals are connected to the electrical traces on the rear surface.

Claims

1. A lamp assembly comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) having a face surface, a rear surface opposite the face surface, electrical traces on the rear surface, and an opening extending from the face surface to the rear surface, the PCB configured to permit passage of light rays in a 160°

conical manner about an optical axis of a light emitting diode (LED) emitter,

the light emitting diode LED emitter having a dome portion extending through the opening in the PCB to the face surface, a body adjacent to the rear surface, at least one electrical terminal connected to the body and the electrical traces on the rear surface, and the optical axis that extends away from the body and through the dome portion.

2. The lamp assembly of claim 1 further comprising

a heat slug connected to the body of the LED emitter, and

a heat sink having a portion adjacent the rear surface of the PCB and in contact with the heat slug.

3. The lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the heat sink is provided with a plurality of fins.

4. The lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the opening is sized to be only slightly wider than dome portion, and the dome portion is the only portion of the LED emitter readily visible from the face surface of the PCB.

5. The lamp assembly of claim 4 wherein the PCB is no more than 0.6 mm thick.

6. The lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein the PCB has a plurality of additional openings extending from the face surface to the rear surface, and further comprising a plurality of additional LED emitters, each additional LED emitter having a dome portion, a body, and a plurality of electrical terminals connected to the body, wherein the body of each of the additional LED emitters is adjacent the rear surface, the dome portion of each of the additional LED emitters extends through the opening in the PCB to the face surface, and the electrical terminals of each of the additional LED emitters are connected to the electrical traces on the rear surface.

7. The lamp assembly of claim 6 wherein each opening is sized to be only slightly wider than each respective dome portion, and the dome portions are the only portions of the LED emitters readily visible from the face surface of the PCB.

8. A method of assembling an LED lamp assembly comprising the steps of

providing an assembly fixture having a support surface,

placing a printed circuit board (PCB) into the assembly fixture, the PCB having a face surface, a rear surface opposite the face surface, electrical traces on the rear surface, and an opening extending from the face surface to the rear surface, the face surface placed against the support surface,

providing a light emitting diode (LED) having a dome portion, a body, a plurality of electrical terminals, and an optical axis extending away from the body,

placing the dome portion through the opening in the PCB, with the body remaining adjacent the rear surface of the PCB, so that the PCB permits passage of light rays emitted in a 160°

conical manner about the optical axis of the LED, and

attaching the electrical terminals to the electrical traces to create the LED lamp assembly.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

placing a heat sink into the assembly fixture, and

fixing the heat sink to the LED lamp assembly.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the PCB is thin, and the heat sink provides rigidity to the structure to minimize fracturing the electrical terminals from the electrical traces.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the support surface is generally planer and has a recess for receiving a part of the dome portion that extends beyond the face surface of the PCB.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the assembly fixture has sides configured to provide alignment of the PCB and the heat sink.

13. An automotive lamp assembly comprising:

a printed circuit board having a face surface and a rear surface with at least one hole extending through the printed circuit board from the face surface to the rear surface and with a plurality of electrical traces on the rear surface of the printed circuit board, the printed circuit board configured to permit passage of light rays in a 160°

conical manner about an optical axis of at least one light emitting diode (LED);

the at least one LED having a top lens, positioned in the at least one hole and extending through the face surface two electrical terminals connected to the electrical traces on the rear surface of the printed circuit board, and the optical axis extending away from a body adjacent to the rear surface and through the top lens extending through the at least one hole to the face surface.

14. The automotive lamp assembly of claim 13 further comprising a heat sink connected to the at least one LED.

15. The automotive lamp assembly of claim 14 wherein the heat sink includes a first recess for receiving the at least one LED.

16. The automotive lamp assembly of claim 15 further comprising a second recess for receiving the printed circuit board.

17. The automotive lamp assembly of claim 15 wherein at least one LED is secured to the first recess for receiving the at least one LED.

18. The automotive lamp assembly of claim 14 wherein the printed circuit board is secured to the heat sink.

19. The automotive Lamp assembly of claim 13 further comprising a reflector positioned upon the face surface of the printed circuit board.