Light emitting module and illuminating instrument using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9863617-B2
Application number	US-201314766209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2013
Priority date	Feb 13, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

The light source unit has holding portions for holding a socket on a mounting surface facing the socket, and the socket has an engagement portion for engagement with holding portions. The engagement portion has engagement claws biased in parallel to the mounting surface movably oppositely to each other and engaged with the holding portions, and a holding mechanism that holds the engagement claws while they are adjacent to each other so as not to be engaged with the holding portions. The engagement claws and the holding portions are engaged with each other when the light source unit is disposed in the mounting position to the socket, and the engagement claws held by the holding mechanism is released. For this reason, it is possible to install the light source unit to the socket with a weak force.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A light emitting module comprising:
a flat light source unit; and
a flat socket where the light source unit is detachably mounted,
any one of the light source unit and the socket having a holding portion for holding the other one in a center of a mounting surface facing the other one,
the other one having an engagement portion for engagement with the holding portion,
the engagement portion having a pair of engagement claws biased in parallel to the mounting surface movably oppositely to each other and engaged with the holding portion, and a holding mechanism that holds the pair of engagement claws resisting to a biasing force so as to prevent the pair of engagement claws from being engaged with the holding portion,
the light source unit being disposed in a mounting position to the socket so that the pair of engagement claws and the holding portion are engaged with each other when the pair of engagement claws held by the holding mechanism is released.

2. The light emitting module according to claim 1 , wherein the holding portion has a release portion that releases the pair of engagement claws held by the holding mechanism when the light source unit is disposed in the mounting position to the socket.

3. The light emitting module according to claim 2 , wherein the release portion releases the pair of engagement claws held by the holding mechanism when the light source unit and the socket approach each other by causing corresponding mounting surfaces to face each other, and the light source unit is disposed in the mounting position to the socket.

4. The light emitting module according to claim 3 , wherein a plurality of the release portions are erected on the mounting surface, at least one of the release portions releases one of the pair of engagement claws held by the holding mechanism, and the other release portion releases the other engagement claw held by the holding mechanism.

5. The light emitting module according to claim 2 , wherein each of the pair of engagement claws is movable in an intersecting direction intersecting with a corresponding biasing direction in parallel to the mounting surface, and
the holding mechanism holds the pair of engagement claws by moving the pair of engagement claws in the intersecting direction.

6. The light emitting module according to claim 5 , wherein the holding mechanism has
a pair of protrusions extending from the pair of engagement claws, respectively, perpendicularly to the mounting surface,
a pair of paralleled trenches provided in parallel to the biasing direction to receive the pair of protrusions when they are inserted, respectively, and
a pair of intersecting trenches provided to connect with inward ends of the pair of paralleled trenches, respectively, in the light emitting module and extend along the intersecting direction.

7. The light emitting module according to claim 6 , wherein the pair of protrusions are arranged in a point symmetrical manner with respect to a center of the light emitting module such that the pair of engagement claws are held by the holding mechanism when the pair of protrusions move oppositely to each other.

8. The light emitting module according to claim 6 , wherein the release portions abut on ends of the intersecting direction of the pair of engagement claws held by the holding mechanism when the light source unit is disposed in the mounting position to the socket, and
surfaces of the release portions abutting on the pair of engagement claws from a basal portion to an apex portion have a tapered shape such that they are inclined from an inward side to an outward side of the light emitting module.

9. The light emitting module according to claim 2 , wherein each of the pair of engagement claws is movable in parallel to the mounting surface and the corresponding biasing direction, and
the holding mechanism holds the pair of engagement claws while the pair of engagement claws is adjacent to each other.

10. The light emitting module according to claim 9 , wherein the holding mechanism has
a pair of protrusions extending from the pair of engagement claws, respectively, perpendicularly to the mounting surface,
a pair of paralleled trenches provided in parallel to the biasing direction to receive the pair of protrusions, respectively, when they are inserted,
an elastic extension extending from each of the pair of engagement claws in parallel to the pair of paralleled trenches,
a hooking claw protruding from the basal portion of the extension toward the mounting surface, and
a hooking concave portion engaged with the hooking claw while the pair of engagement claws is adjacent to each other.

11. The light emitting module according to claim 10 , wherein the release portion presses an end of the extension oppositely to the mounting surface to release engagement between the hooking claw and the hooking concave portion when the light source unit is disposed in the mounting position to the socket while the pair of engagement claws are adjacent to each other using the holding mechanism.

12. The light emitting module according to claim 10 , wherein the holding mechanism further has a housing concave portion for housing the hooking claw, the housing concave portion being arranged outward more than the hooking concave portion in the light emitting module along the biasing direction, and
the housing concave portion houses the hooking claw when engagement between the hooking claw and the hooking concave portion is released.

13. The light emitting module according to claim 1 , wherein the engagement portion has a mark indicating a holding state of the pair of engagement claws held by the holding mechanism,
the mark is exposed to the mounting surface side when the holding mechanism holds the pair of engagement claws, and
the mark is concealed by the pair of engagement claws so as not to be exposed to the mounting surface side when the pair of engagement claws held by the holding mechanism is released.

14. The light emitting module according to claim 1 , wherein the socket has a plurality of socket fixtures where screws for fixing the socket to an application surface are inserted, and
one of the plurality of socket fixtures is provided in the center of the mounting surface.

15. The light emitting module according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of engagement claws has convex or concave portions having different numbers or relative positions, and
the holding portion has concave or convex portions fitted to the convex or concave portions of the engagement claws.

16. The light emitting module according to claim 1 , wherein the light source unit has a pair of feeding terminals for feeding the light source unit on the mounting surface,
the socket has a pair of terminal receptacles for receiving the pair of feeding terminals, respectively, and
the pair of feeding terminals is electrically connected to the pair of terminal receptacles, respectively, when the light source unit is mounted to the socket.

17. An illuminating instrument comprising the light emitting module according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hirano Akihiro

Classifications

• F21V19/003

  Fastening of light source holders, e.g. of circuit boards or substrates holding light sources · CPC title

• F21V19/008

  of straight tubular light sources, e.g. straight fluorescent tubes, soffit lamps · CPC title

• F21V21/02 Primary

  Wall, ceiling, or floor bases; Fixing pendants or arms to the bases (F21V21/08 takes precedence; bases for movable standing lamps F21V21/06) · CPC title

• F21Y2115/15

  Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] · CPC title

• F21Y2105/00

  Planar light sources · CPC title