LED socket assembly

• US 8,845,130 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Inventors: Gingrich, Charles Raymond III
• Primary Examiner(s): PAYNE, SHARON E
• Application Number:
  US12/634,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20110136390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 257/88, 257/81, 362/249.02, 362/249.04, 362/249.14, 439/110, 439/716
• US Class Current: 362/249.02
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/001 the light sources being semiconductors devices, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/005 for several lighting devices in an end-to-end arrangement, i.e. light tracks
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/745 the fins or blades being planar and inclined with respect to the joining surface from which the fins or blades extend
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/777 the planes containing the fins or blades having directions perpendicular to the light emitting axis
• 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

A socket assembly includes sockets ganged together to form a pod with each of the sockets comprising a socket housing having a first end and a second end. The socket housing has a receptacle and a power track routed along the socket housing between the first and second ends. The power track has a positive rail and a negative rail. The sockets also comprises an anode on the socket housing at the receptacle being electrically connected to the positive rail and a cathode on the socket housing at the receptacle being electrically connected to the negative rail. The power tracks of adjacent sockets within the pod are electrically connected together to form a power circuit. Light emitting diode (LED) packages are received in corresponding receptacles of the sockets, and each LED package has a first contact and a second contact configured to be coupled to the anode and cathode, respectively, when the LED package is received in the corresponding receptacle. Each LED package has a base and an LED mounted to the base and being electrically connected to the first and second contacts. Optionally, the anode may be electrically connected to the positive rail via at least one of the other sockets. The cathode may be electrically connected to the negative rail via at least one of the other sockets.

Claims

1. A socket assembly comprising:

sockets ganged together to form a pod, each of the sockets comprising a socket housing having a first end and a second end, the socket housing having a receptacle and a power track routed along the socket housing between the first and second ends, the power track having a positive rail and a negative rail, the positive and negative rails of the power track each having mating ends at the first and second ends, the mating ends having curved profiles forming spring beams that define deflectable interfaces configured to mate with corresponding adjacent sockets, the sockets comprising an anode on the socket housing at the receptacle being electrically connected to the positive rail and a cathode on the socket housing at the receptacle being electrically connected to the negative rail, wherein the sockets are ganged together such that the first end of one socket housing is directly connected to the second end of an adjacent socket housing to electrically connect the power tracks of adjacent sockets within the pod to form a power circuit; and

light emitting diode (LED) packages received in corresponding receptacles of the sockets, each LED package having a first contact and a second contact configured to be coupled to the anode and cathode, respectively, when the LED package is received in the corresponding receptacle, each LED package having a base and an LED mounted to the base and being electrically connected to the first and second contacts.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the anode and cathode are electrically connected to the positive rail and negative rail, respectively, via at least one of the other sockets.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein mating ends of the positive rail are exposed at the first end and the second end of the socket housing to interface with a corresponding positive rail of an adjacent socket, and wherein mating ends of the negative rail are exposed at the first end and the second end of the socket housing to interface with a corresponding negative rail of an adjacent socket.

4. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a power take-off electrically coupling the positive rail with the anode and a power take-off electrically coupling the negative rail with the cathode.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the positive rail of the power track is continuous along each of the sockets forming the pod, and wherein the negative rail of the power track is continuous along each of the sockets forming the pod.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first end has a first mating interface and the second end has a second mating interface, the first and second mating interfaces having latching features configured to interconnect with one another, wherein the spring beams at the mating ends are deflected and spring biased against the corresponding spring beams of the adjacent socket when the latching features are interconnected.

7. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one positive rail loop creating a path between the positive rail and the corresponding anode and further comprising at least one negative rail loop creating a path between the negative rail and the corresponding cathode.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sockets are ganged together to form a first pod and a second pod, both the first and second pods having a path from the positive rail to the corresponding anode and from the negative rail to the corresponding cathode, the power track from the first rail providing a power circuit beyond the first pod to the second pod.

20. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the socket housing includes a rigid, dielectric body extending between the first and second ends, the dielectric body defining the receptacle.

21. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sockets are ganged together to form the pod without the use of intervening, discrete connectors.

22. The assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the positive rail or the negative rail includes a stamped and formed body, the stamped and formed body being overmolded by a dielectric overmold forming the socket housing such that the stamped and formed body is embedded in the socket housing, the mating ends being exposed at the first and second ends.

23. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the positive and negative rails of the power track each having mating interfaces exposed in the receptacle, the mating interfaces having curved profiles forming spring beams that define deflectable interfaces, the deflectable interfaces defining the anode and the cathode and being configured to mate with the first and second contacts of the corresponding LED package.

9. A socket assembly comprising:

light emitting diode (LED) packages each having a first contact and a second contact, each LED package having a base and an LED mounted to the base and being electrically connected to the first and second contacts; and

a plurality of sockets each comprising;

a socket housing having a single receptacle approximately centered in the socket housing and positioned between a first end and a second end, the receptacle removably receiving a corresponding LED package and positioning the corresponding LED package approximately centered in the socket housing, the socket housing having a first mating interface at the first end and a second mating interface at the second end;

an anode on the socket housing at the receptacle being electrically connected to the first mating interface; and

a cathode on the socket housing at the receptacle being electrically connected to second mating interface;

wherein the sockets are ganged together end-to-end to form a pod with the LED packages aligned in a single row, the pod having one of the sockets defining a front end socket, one of the sockets defining a back end socket, and at least one interior socket flanked by the front end socket and the back end socket, the at least one interior socket being coupled to the second mating interface of the front end socket, the at least one interior socket being coupled to the first mating interface of the back end socket.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the anode and cathode are plated on the socket housing.

11. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the socket includes contacts at the first and second mating interfaces, the contacts being electrically connected to the anode and the cathode.

12. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the first and second mating interfaces have latching features configured to interconnect with one another, and wherein the first and second mating interfaces have contacts having mating ends configured to electrically interface with a corresponding mating interface of an adjacent socket, the mating ends having curved profiles forming spring beams that define deflectable interfaces that mate with corresponding spring beams of the adjacent socket.

13. The assembly of claim 9, wherein each socket housing includes a power track routed along the socket housing between the first and second ends, the power track having a positive rail and a negative rail, the anode being electrically connected to the positive rail and a cathode being electrically connected to the negative rail.

14. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the socket includes side contacts positioned proximate to the sides of the socket housing and end contacts positioned proximate to the ends of the socket housing, wherein each of the side contacts has an inner side contact exposed within the receptacle and an outer side contact coupled to the inner side contact by a removable tab and each of the end contacts has an inner end contact exposed within the receptacle and an outer end contact coupled to the inner end contact by a removable tab, wherein two of the removable tabs are removed to create one of an end-to-end path, a side-to-side path, a side-to-end path or an end-to-side path for power flow through the socket, the inner side or end contacts retaining the corresponding removable tab defining the anode and cathode.

15. A socket assembly comprising:

a light emitting diode (LED) package having a base with opposite ends and opposite sides, the LED package having a first contact arranged on one of the ends and one of the sides and a second contact arranged on the other end and the other side, the LED package having an LED mounted to the base and electrically connected to the first and second contacts; and

a socket comprising a socket housing having opposite ends and opposite sides, the socket housing having a receptacle receiving the LED package, the socket also comprising side contacts positioned proximate to the sides of the socket housing and end contacts positioned proximate to the ends of the socket housing, the first and second contacts being connected to corresponding side contacts and end contacts to create a power flow path through the socket;

wherein each of the side contacts has an inner side contact exposed within the receptacle and an outer side contact coupled to the inner side contact by a removable tab and each of the end contacts has an inner end contact exposed within the receptacle and an outer end contact coupled to the inner end contact by a removable tab, wherein two of the removable tabs are removed to create one of an end-to-end path, a side-to-side path, a side-to-end path or an end-to-side path for the power flow through the socket.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein portions of the side and end contacts are overmolded by the socket housing embedding the side and end contacts within the socket housing, the removable tabs being exposed through access ports in the socket housing for removal after the socket housing is molded.

17. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the outer side contacts are exposed at the first end and the second end of the socket housing to interface with a corresponding outer side contact of an adjacent socket.

18. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the socket housing has a first mating interface at one end and a second mating interface at the other end, the outer end contacts being exposed at the corresponding first or second mating interface to interface with a corresponding outer end contact of an adjacent socket.

19. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the ends of the socket housing have mating interfaces with latching features configured to interconnect with complementary latching features of an adjacent socket to physically secure socket contacts end-to-end.