Flexible LED lighting strips including overmolding encasement and attached parallel electrical conductors

• US 7,931,386 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2007
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (f/k/a GE Lighting Solutions, LLC) (American Industrial Partners)
• Original Assignee: GE Lighting Solutions LLC (Savant Systems, LLC)
• Inventors: Stimac, Tomislav, Halley, Douglas R., Xie, Shanshan, Gao, Chunmei, Li, Chenyang, Nall, Jeffrey, Saha, Babi Koushik
• Primary Examiner(s): Cariaso; Alan
• Application Number:
  US11/725,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20080232103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 362/217, 362/219, 362/222, 362/225, 362/249, 362/391, 362/800, 362/646, 362/374, 362/387, 362/249.02, 362/249.03, 362/249.04, 362/249.05, 362/457, 439/56, 439/391, 439/404, 439/399, 439/400, 439/417, 248/499, 248/500, 248/680, 248/68.1
• US Class Current: 362/249.02
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/10 with light sources attached to loose electric cables, e.g. Christmas tree lights
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/002 making direct electrical contact, e.g. by piercing F21V21/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/02 for roads, paths or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/023 for pedestrian walkways
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/33 being semiconductor devices, e.g. diodes

Abstract

A flexible lighting strip includes an insulated flexible electrical power cord and spaced apart modules connected therewith. Each module includes a circuit board with a cavity, indentation, or opening and an encasing overmolding defining a fastener-receiving slot or opening aligned with the cavity, indentation, or opening of the circuit board. Power cord conductors are separated at the connection with each module to define a gap receiving a portion of the circuit board. A separate tiedown is secured to the power cord. Conductive elements receiving electrical power from the power cord and delivering electrical power to the circuit board include an insulation-displacing portion and a recess receiving at least a portion of the power cord and including a retaining barb or hook. An adhesive tape or strip is disposed over at least one overmolding opening to prevent water ingress to the circuit board.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible lighting strip including a plurality of insulated electrical conductors and a plurality of modules spaced apart along and connected with the plurality of insulated electrical conductors, each module including;

a circuit board operatively connected with one or more light emitting diode (LED) packages and electrically connected with the plurality of electrical conductors to receive electrical power from the plurality of electrical conductors, a first edge of the circuit board having a cavity or indentation, and

an encasement substantially encasing at least the circuit board, the encasement including a slot or opening overlapping the cavity or indentation of the first edge of the circuit board such that a fastener passing through the slot or opening to fasten the module to an associated support does not pass through the circuit board.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein at the connection of each module to the plurality of electrical conductors the conductors are spaced apart from each other to define a gap that receives the circuit board of the module, and the module further comprises:

conductive elements disposed on opposite sides of the circuit board and electrically connected with the spaced apart plurality of electrical conductors to convey electrical power from the spaced apart electrical conductors to the circuit board.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the conductive elements include insulation-displacing portions that pierce through insulation of the spaced apart plurality of electrical conductors to connect therewith.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the circuit board includes a notched portion that is received into the gap defined by the spaced apart plurality of electrical conductors, the notched portion of the circuit board being shorter than the circuit board.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each module further comprises:

conductive elements electrically connected with at least some of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors to convey electrical power from the plurality of insulated electrical conductors to the circuit board, each conductive element including;

an insulation-displacing portion that pierces through insulation of plurality of insulated electrical conductors to electrically contact a selected one of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors, and

a barbed or hooked slot defining a recess receiving at least a portion of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors and including retaining barbs or hooks extending into the recess.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a tiedown secured to the plurality of insulated electrical conductors and not connected with and not integral with any of the modules.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the encasement comprises an overmolding.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the overmolding includes at least one opening accessing the circuit board, and each module further comprises:

an adhesive tape or strip disposed over the at least one opening accessing the circuit board, the adhesive tape or strip being effective to prevent water ingress to the circuit board at the at least one opening accessing the circuit board.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible lighting strip including a plurality of insulated electrical conductors and a plurality of modules spaced apart along and connected with the plurality of insulated electrical conductors, each module including;

a circuit board having a front side and an opposite back side, wherein the circuit board is operatively connected with one or more light emitting diode (LED) packages disposed on the front side, there being no LED packages disposed on the back side, first and second electrical conductors of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors being spaced apart from each other at the connection with the module to define a gap that receives the circuit board of the module with the first conductor of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors disposed on the front side of the circuit board and the second conductor of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors disposed on the opposite back side of the circuit board, and

first and second conductive elements respectively disposed on the front side and opposite back side of the circuit board and respectively electrically connecting with the first and second conductors of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors disposed on the front side and opposite back side of the circuit board to deliver electrical power from the plurality of insulated electrical conductors to the circuit board.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the conductive elements disposed on the front side and opposite back side of the circuit board include insulation-displacing portions that pierce through insulation of the respective first and second conductors to electrically connect therewith.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the conductive elements comprise:

conductor-retaining portions configured to receive and hold the spaced apart first and second conductors respectively disposed on the front side and opposite back side of the circuit board.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the conductor-retaining portion of each conductive element comprises:

a barbed or hooked slot defining a recess and including barbs or hooks extending into the recess to retain in the recess the proximate one of the spaced apart first and second conductors of the generally parallel electrical conductors respectively disposed on the front side and opposite back side of the circuit board.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the circuit board includes a notched portion that is received into the gap defined by the spaced apart first and second electrical conductors such that the notched portion of the circuit board over which the spaced apart first and second electrical conductors are disposed on respective front and opposite back sides of the circuit board is shorter than a longest dimension of the circuit board.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

a tiedown secured to the plurality of insulated electrical conductors, the tiedown including a fastening structure having an opening or slot configured to receive a fastener for fastening the flexible lighting strip to an associated support.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein the tiedown further comprises:

said fastener; and

an integrally formed connecting member connecting the fastener and the fastening structure, the connecting member being bendable or breakable to enable the fastener to be received into the opening or slot of the fastening structure.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein each module further comprises:

an overmolding substantially encasing at least the circuit board and the first and second conductors disposed over the respective front and opposite back sides of the circuit board.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein each module further comprises:

conductor retaining features disposed on the first and opposite second sides of the circuit board to secure the first and second conductors of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors to respective front and opposite back sides of the circuit board.

18. A flexible lighting strip comprising:

an insulated flexible electrical power cord including generally parallel electrical conductors that are generally secured together;

a plurality of modules spaced apart along and connected with the insulated flexible electrical power cord, each module including a main body supporting one or more light emitting diode (LED) packages, each module electrically connected with the insulated flexible electrical power cord to receive electrical power from the insulated flexible electrical power cord; and

a plurality of tiedowns spaced apart along and secured to the insulated flexible electrical power cord, wherein the tiedown comprises an integrally formed fastener, fastening structure, and connecting member, the fastening structure having an opening or slot configured to receive the fastener, the connecting member connecting the fastener and the fastening structure, the connecting member being bendable or breakable to enable the fastener to be received into the opening or slot of the fastening structure, and

wherein the tiedowns are integrated with the modules such that each module includes one or more integrated tiedowns each of which tiedowns includes an integrally fowled fastener, fastening structure, and connecting member.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible lighting strip including a plurality of insulated electrical conductors and a plurality of modules spaced apart along and connected with the plurality of insulated electrical conductors, each module including;

a circuit board having a first side and an opposite second side, wherein the circuit board is operatively connected with one or more light emitting diode (LED) packages, first and second electrical conductors of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors being spaced apart from each other at the connection with the module to define a gap that receives the circuit board of the module with the first conductor of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors disposed on the first side of the circuit board and the second conductor of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors disposed on the opposite second side of the circuit board, and

first and second conductive elements respectively disposed on the first and opposite second sides of the circuit board and respectively electrically connecting with the first and second conductors of the plurality of insulated electrical conductors disposed on the first and opposite second sides of the circuit board to deliver electrical power from the plurality of insulated electrical conductors to the circuit board,

wherein the plurality of insulated electrical conductors define a generally planar cord having a cord plane oriented transverse to the first and opposite second sides of the circuit board, and the one or more LED packages are disposed on the first side of the circuit board.