Full-color flexible light source device

• US 7,140,751 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2004
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lin Yuan
• Original Assignee: Lin Yuan
• Inventors: Lin, Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAY, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US10/971,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20050213321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 362/800, 362250-251, 362221-224, 362/219, 362/231, 362/240, 362/806, 313/512
• US Class Current: 362/249.02
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/24 of ribbon or tape form, e.g. LED tapes
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/26 of rope form, e.g. LED lighting ropes, or of tubular form
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/17 forming a single encapsulated light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4903 Connectors having different sizes, e.g. different diameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49107 on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00011 Not relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/00 Circuit arrangements for operating light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/40 Details of LED load circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode

Abstract

A full-color flexible light source device is disclosed. The device includes a plurality of light source units each comprises a red LED, a green LED, and a blue LED arranged in the shape of a triangle. Each of the R, G, and B LEDs is a bare chip and the R, G, and B LEDs are encapsulated as a C.O.B. type RGB light source unit. The device is able to emit a uniform light. Also, the device has an increased tensile strength and flexibility as well as has waterproof and vibration-proof features. In other embodiments, the device is encapsulated by elongated, flexible, parallelepiped inner and outer fixing members or formed on a strip.

Claims

1. A full-color light source device comprising:

a plurality of chip on board (C.O.B.) type light source units each including a red light emitting diode R LED), a green light emitting diode (G LED), and a blue light emitting diode (B LED);

a controller; and

a plurality of circuit boards each having the R LED, G LED, and B LED formed thereon and comprising three first contacts at one end in electrical connection to three second contacts at the other end of a first adjacent circuit board by three conductors, and three second contacts at the other end in electrical connection to three second contacts at one end of a second adjacent circuit board opposite to the first adjacent circuit board by three conductors;

wherein the contacts at one end of the first light source unit are coupled to R, G, and B main wires of the controller, the contacts at the other end of the last light source unit are coupled together prior to coupling to the controller;

wherein the controller further comprises a voltage stabilizer, an oscillator, a frequency divider, and driving means.

2. A full-color light source device comprising:

an inner fixing member;

a first main wire, a second main wire, a third main wire, and a fourth main wire being disposed in the inner fixing member;

a plurality of light source units each having a first, a second, and a third conductors coupled in series wherein a first light source unit has the first, second, and third conductors connected to the first main wire, second main wire, third main wire, respectively, and a last light source unit has the first, second, and third conductors connected to the fourth main wire; and

an outer fixing member for surrounding the inner fixing member;

wherein

the inner fixing member is formed of an elongated, transparent or semi-transparent, flexible plastic material, the inner fixing member including a lengthwise channel therethrough;

the light source unit further comprises a red light emitting diode R LED), a green light emitting diode (G LED), and a blue tight emitting diode (B LED), as a chip on board (C.O.B.) type RGB LED, the plurality of light source units are inserted into the channel;

the first, second, third, and fourth main wires are parallel each other, spaced from the channel in the inner fixing member, and coupled to an external controller;

the first conductor in a forward end of the first light source unit is inserted into a front end of the inner fixing member to couple to the second main wire, the second conductor in the forward end of the light source unit is inserted into the front end of the inner fixing member to couple to the third main wire, the third conductor in the forward end of the light source unit is inserted into the front end of the inner fixing member to couple to the first main wire, and the fourth conductor in a rear end of the light source unit is inserted into a rear end of the inner fixing member to couple to the fourth main wire for forming an electrical connection;

the outer fixing member is made of an elongated, transparent or semi-transparent, flexible plastic material, the outer fixing member being formed by extrusion with the inner fixing member and the plurality of light source units surrounded therein;

the plurality of light source units are equally spaced.

3. The full-color light source device of claim 2, wherein the light source unit is disposed on a circuit board having a surface mounted (SMD) resistor coupled to the light source unit.

4. The full-color light source device of claim 3, further comprising a peeling strip including a sheet including a plurality of equally spaced openings by punching, and a conductive metal wire cut into a plurality of wire sections by cutting, and wherein each wire section has both ends exposed, the light source unit is disposed in the opening, and the exposed ends of the conductive metal wire sections are interconnected two adjacent light source units by soldering after turning the peeling strip upside down.

5. The full-color light source device of claim 2, wherein the sheet of the peeling strip is secured to the inner fixing member by adhering.