Fixture design for flexible LED circuit boards

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9587808-B2
Application number	US-201314075001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2013
Priority date	Nov 8, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for designing light fixtures for flexible LED circuit boards. The flexible LED circuit boards include an array of LED packages and the surface of the flexible circuit boards is highly reflective. A flexible LED circuit board may be shaped to conform to a rigid preform and the preform may be concave, convex, corrugated, or have any other custom shape. The shape of the preform, as well as the location of the LEDs within the flexible LED circuit may determine the light distribution of the light fixture. Alternatively, the lighting fixture may have multiple rods held in place with side plates and a flexible LED circuit board may be woven between the rods. A set of hole patterns in the side plates determine the location of the rods and the rods will determine the shape of the flexible LED circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lighting fixture comprising:
a lighting fixture housing having at least two side plates;
a rigid preform mounted to the at least two side plates, the preform having a non-flat shape;
at least one flexible LED circuit board attached to the preform, wherein the shape of the rigid preform is at least one period of a wave.

2. The fixture of claim 1 wherein the rigid preform is concave down when mounted to the housing.

3. The fixture of claim 1 wherein the rigid preform is concave up when mounted to the housing.

4. The fixture of claim 1 wherein the rigid preform is corrugated.

5. The fixture of claim 1 further comprising the flexible LED circuit board conforming to the shape of the rigid preform.

6. The fixture of claim 1 wherein the lighting fixture is configured to provide a customized light distribution pattern by attaching the flexible LED circuit boards having different LED arrangements to the rigid preform.

7. The lighting fixture of claim 1 , wherein the flexible LED circuit board further comprises PET.

8. The fixture of claim 5 wherein the flexible LED circuit board has a reflective surface.

9. The fixture of claim 5 wherein the spacing of LEDs within the flexible LED circuit board is determined by a light distribution pattern produced when the flexible LED circuit board is attached to the preform.

10. A method of fabricating a lighting fixture comprising:
determining a desired light distribution pattern; and
fabricating a housing configured to hold a flexible LED circuit in a non-flat shape, the shape being determined based on the desired light distribution pattern wherein the non-flat shape is a wave having at least one full period of concave up and concave down; and wherein
the housing comprises a rigid preform having the non-flat shape, wherein the flexible LED circuit is attached to the preform, and
the housing comprises at least two side plates to which the rigid preform is secured.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising fabricating the flexible LED circuit wherein the spacing of LEDs within the circuit is determined based on the desired light distribution pattern.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the flexible LED circuit housing is configured to hold the flexible LED circuit in a concave down shape.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the flexible LED circuit housing is configured to hold the flexible LED circuit in a concave up shape.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the housing is configured to hold the flexible LED circuit in a corrugated shape.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the desired light distribution pattern comprises receiving a desired light distribution pattern from a customer.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the flexible LED circuit has a reflective surface.

17. A lighting fixture comprising:
a lighting fixture housing having at least two side plates;
a flexible LED circuit board having a reflective surface; and
a rigid preform mounted to the at least two side plates, the preform having a non-flat shape, wherein the flexible LED circuit board is attached to the preform, and wherein the shape of the rigid preform is at least concave up and concave down.

18. The fixture of claim 17 wherein a spacing of LEDs within the flexible LED circuit board is determined by a light distribution pattern produced by the flexible LED circuit board attached to the preform.

Assignees

• Speer Richard
• Hamby David
• Grossman Ken
• Osram Sylvania Inc

Inventors

• Speer Richard
• Hamby David
• Grossman Ken

Classifications

• H05K2201/10106

  Light emitting diode [LED] · CPC title

• H05K1/189

  characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits · CPC title

• Y10T29/49124

  On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc. · CPC title

• H05K3/0058

  Laminating printed circuit boards onto other substrates, e.g. metallic substrates (H05K1/0281 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title