Illuminating device and methods for making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9903565-B2
Application number	US-201514628845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	Feb 25, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

An illuminating device includes an insulative housing, at least two electrodes and a light source. The insulative housing has opposite front and rear surfaces and is formed with at least two through holes. Each of the through holes is defined by a hole wall and penetrates the front and rear surfaces. Each of the electrodes includes a first conductive segment formed proximate the front surface, a second conductive segment formed proximate the rear surface, and a connecting segment formed inside a respective one of the through holes and interconnecting electrically the first and second conductive segments. The light source is disposed on the front surface and includes first and second connecting terminals each being electrically coupled to the first conductive segment of a corresponding one of the electrodes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An illuminating device, comprising:
an insulative housing including at least substantially oppositely disposed front and rear surfaces and at least two spaced-apart through holes, each of said through holes being defined by a hole wall and penetrating said front and rear surfaces;
at least two electrodes each including a first conductive segment formed proximate said front surface, a second conductive segment formed proximate said rear surface, and a connecting segment formed inside a respective one of said through holes and electrically interconnecting said first and second conductive segments; and
a light source disposed proximate said front surface and including first and second connecting terminals;
wherein each of said first and second connecting terminals is electrically coupled to said first conductive segment of a corresponding one of said electrodes,
wherein each of said electrodes further includes a layered active metal part formed on and extending from said hole wall of the respective one of said through holes to a portion of each of said front and rear surfaces, and a first layered metal part formed on said layered active metal part and extending through the respective one of said through holes, and
wherein said layered active metal part and said first layered metal part of each of said electrodes cooperatively constitute said first and second conductive segments and said connecting segment.

2. The illuminating device according to claim 1 , wherein each of said electrodes further includes a second layered metal part formed on said first layered metal part, so that said layered active metal part, said first layered metal part and said second layered metal part cooperatively constitute said first and second conductive segments and said connecting segment.

3. The illuminating device according to claim 1 , wherein:
said insulative housing further includes a surrounding surface extending around and projecting outwardly from a periphery of said front surface, said illuminating device further comprising a reflective metal cover formed on said surrounding surface for reflecting light generated from said light source; and
said reflective metal cover includes
a first reflective metal layer formed on said surrounding surface and made of a material identical to that of said layered active metal part, and
a second reflective metal layer formed on said first reflective metal layer and made of a material identical to that of said first layered metal part.

4. The illuminating device according to claim 1 , wherein said insulative housing further includes a surrounding surface extending around and projecting outwardly from a periphery of said front surface, said illuminating device further comprising a reflective metal cover formed on said surrounding surface for reflecting light generated from said light source.

5. A method for making an illuminating device, comprising the steps of:
providing an insulative housing including at least substantially oppositely disposed front and rear surfaces and at least two spaced-apart through holes, each of the through holes being defined by a hole wall and penetrating the front and rear surfaces;
forming a pair of layered active metal parts, wherein the layered active metal parts are respectively formed on the hole walls of the through holes and extend from the hole walls to a portion of each of the front and rear surfaces;
forming a pair of first layered metal parts respectively on the layered active metal parts, the first layered metal parts respectively extending through the through holes, wherein the first layered metal parts respectively cooperate with the layered active metal parts to constitute two electrodes, each including a first conductive segment formed proximate the front surface, a second conductive segment formed proximate the rear surface, and a connecting segment formed inside the hole wall and electrically interconnecting the first and second conductive segments; and
disposing a light source proximate the front surface, and connecting a first connecting terminal and a second connecting terminal of the light source correspondingly to the first conductive segments of the electrodes.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the forming of the layered active metal parts includes forming an active metal layer on the hole walls and on the front and rear surfaces, and patterning the active metal layer to form the layered active metal parts.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, prior to the forming of the active metal layer, roughening the hole walls of the through holes and portions of each of the front and rear surfaces to form a pair of spaced-apart roughened zones.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the forming of the active metal layer is conducted by immersing the insulative housing into an aqueous active metal solution, followed by removing the insulative housing from the aqueous active metal solution.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the forming of the active metal layer is conducted by printing.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the forming of the active metal layer into the layered active metal parts includes patterning the active metal layer to form two first electrode-forming regions which in turn form the layered active metal parts, respectively, and a plurality of first non-electrode forming regions spaced apart from the first electrode-forming regions; and
the forming of the first layered metal parts includes forming a patterned first metal layer on the patterned active metal layer by electroless plating, the patterned first metal layer including two second electrode-forming regions which in turn form the first layered metal parts and which are formed onto the first electrode-forming regions, respectively, and a plurality of second non-electrode forming regions onto the first non-electrode forming regions, respectively.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the active metal layer is patterned by etching.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, prior to the connecting of the first and second connecting terminals of the light source, forming a second metal layer on the patterned first metal layer to produce two second layered metal parts respectively on the first layered metal parts by electroplating, wherein each of the second layered metal parts cooperates with a respective one of the first layered metal parts and a respective one of the layered active metal parts to constitute a respective one of the electrodes.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, prior to the connecting of the first and second connecting terminals of the light source, removing the first non-electrode forming regions and the second non-electrode forming regions.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the insulative housing further has a surrounding surface extending around and projecting outwardly from a periphery of the front surface;
during the forming of the active metal layer and the patterned first metal layer, the active metal layer and the patterned first metal layer are further formed on the surrounding surface; and
one of the first non-electrode forming regions and one of the second non-electrode forming regions are formed on the surrounding surface and cooperates with each other to form a reflective metal cover on the surrounding surface.

15. The method of claim 5 , wherein the forming of the layered active metal parts and the forming of the first layered metal parts are conducted by forming an active metal layer on the hole walls and on the front and rear surfaces, forming a first metal layer on the active metal layer, a

Assignees

• Taiwan Green Point Entpr Co

Inventors

• Liao Pen Yi
• Liu Chung Ho
• Chen Hung Chun

Classifications

• Y10T29/49117

  Conductor or circuit manufacturing · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21V15/01 Primary

  Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts (F21V15/02 takes precedence {housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04}) · CPC title

• F21V23/06 Primary

  the elements being coupling devices {, e.g. connectors} · CPC title