Related subject matter is disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/301,797 and a title of LIGHT TUBE HOLDER, 13/301,799 and a title of ILLUMINATION DEVICE, 13/301,801 and a title of ILLUMINATION DEVICE, 13/301,805 and a title of ILLUMINATION DEVICE, 13/301,808 and a title of ILLUMINATION DEVICE, and 13/301,810 and a title of ILLUMINATION DEVICE, which have the same assignees as the current application and were concurrently filed.
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to illumination devices, and particularly, to a light-emitting diode (LED) illumination device for adapting a LED tube and a fluorescent tube.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a conventional light tube holder for fluorescent tubes can not be used with LED tubes. When attempting to use an LED tube, the conventional light tube holder needs to be replaced. It is desirable and useful if a light tube holder can adapt to both fluorescent tubes and LED tubes.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Referring to
The tube holder 10 includes a base 11 and connectors 12 at opposite ends of the base 11. Each connector 12 includes a cap 13, a retainer 15, and a rotary member 14. The cap 13 is attached to one end of the retainer 15. The cap 13 and the retainer 15 cooperatively define a space to receive the rotary member 14 therein. In the embodiment, a through hole 16 is defined in the retainer 15. The rotary member 14 is smaller in diameter than the though hole 16, thereby allowing the rotary member 14 to be received and to rotate in the through hole 16. The rotary member 14 is in the shape of a hat, including a brim 140, a body 141, and a first groove 142. The brim 140 is larger in diameter than the though hole 16, and abuts the outside end face of the retainer 15 around the though hole 16. The first groove 142 is diametrically defined in the body 141 and divides the body 141 into two substantially equal parts. The first groove 142 can receive the two pins of the tube 20 therein. An opening 150 is defined in the retainer 15, on a line substantially perpendicular to, and furthest from, the base 11, and extends from an external surface of the sidewall of the through hole 16, and communicates with the through hole 16.
Referring to
When installing the tube 20, the rotary member 14 is first rotated to cause the first groove 142 to align with the opening 150. The pins 21 of the tube 20 can then be inserted into the through hole 16 and supported in the first groove 142. The tube 20 can then be rotated to misalign the first groove 142 of the rotary member 14 with the opening 150, and securely retain the tube 20 in the retainer 15.
When the tube 20 is rotated to a predetermined position (indicated by a mark (not shown) on the connector 12), the rotary member 14 is rotated to a first position where the pins 21 of the tube 20 make contact with the elastic pieces 17a, 17b of the elastic member 17. Thus, the tube 20 can be driven by the LED tube drive circuit board 18. When the element 14 is rotated to a second position, the pins 21 of the tube 20 make contact with the elastic pieces 17a, 17c of the elastic member 17, allowing the tube 20 to be driven by the fluorescent tube drive circuit board 19. By virtue of these arrangements, the tube holder 10 can well adapt to any type of the tube 20.
In the first embodiment, the elastic member 17 includes three elastic pieces 17a, 17b, and 17c. The length of the elastic piece 17a is about 0.5 A, where A represents the perimeter of the through hole 16. The lengths of the elastic pieces 17b and 17c are both 0.25 A. The number of the at least one buffer pad 152 is one. Thus, the elastic pieces 17a, 17b, and 17c are separated from each other by the opening 150, the second groove 151 and the buffer pad 152.
In an alternative embodiment, the elastic pieces 17a and 17b may be connected to the fluorescent tube drive circuit board 19, and the elastic pieces 17a and 17c may be connected to the LED tube drive circuit board 18.
Referring to
In the embodiment, the elastic pieces 27a and 27b are connected to the LED tube drive circuit board 18, and the elastic pieces 27c and 27d are connected to the fluorescent tube drive circuit board 19. The first position mentioned above is the position where the pins 21 of the tube 20 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 27a and 27b, and the second position mentioned above is the position where the pins 21 of the tube 20 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 27c and 27d.
Referring to
In the embodiment, the elastic pieces 37a and 37b are connected to the fluorescent tube drive circuit board 19, and the elastic piece 37c is connected to the LED tube drive circuit board 18. The first position mentioned above is the position where one of the pins 21 of the tube 20 stay in contact with the elastic piece 37c, and the second position mentioned above is the position where the pins 21 of the tube 20 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 37a and 37b.
Referring to
When installing the tube 20, the rotary member 14 is rotated to a position where the pins 21 of the tube 20 stay in contact with the elastic piece 47c and the insulation piece 47d, the elastic piece 47c and the insulation piece 47d can tightly press against the two pins 21 of the tube 20, thereby holding the tube 20 in position.
In the embodiment, the elastic pieces 47a and 47b are connected to the fluorescent tube drive circuit board 19, and the elastic piece 47c is connected to the LED tube drive circuit board 18. The first position mentioned above is the position where the pins 21 of the tube 20 stay in contact with the elastic piece 47c and the insulation piece 47d, and the second position mentioned above is the position where the pins 21 of the tube 20 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 47a and 47b.
The illumination device 1 may include two connectors 12 of
Referring to
When installing the LED tube 20, the two pairs of pins 21 and 22 can be inserted into the though holes 16 of the connectors 12a and 12b. The LED tube 20 can be rotated, and when the LED tube 20 is rotated to the first position, the two insulated pins 22 make and stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17a of the connector 12a and the elastic piece 27a of the connector 12b, and the two conductive pins 21 make and stay in contact with the elastic piece 17b of the connector 12a and the elastic piece 27b of the connector 12b, thus allowing the two conductive pins 21 to be connected to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply 51. Thus, the LED tube 20 can be driven by the LED drive circuit board 18 (shown in
When the LED tube 20 is rotated to make the two conductive pins 21 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17a and 27d, and two insulated pins 22 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17c and 27c, this causes one of the two insulated pins 22 to be connected to the negative terminal of the power supply 51, and one of the two conductive pins 21 to be connected to the Page of positive terminal of the power supply 51 via the ballast 53. Thus, the LED tube 20 cannot be driven by the LED drive circuit board 18 (shown in
When the LED tube 20 is rotated to a position to make the two conductive pins 21 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17a and 27a, and the two insulated pins 22 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17b and 27b, this causes one of the two insulated pins 22 to be connected to the negative terminal of the power supply 51, and one of the two conductive pins 21 to be connected to the positive terminal of the power supply 51 via the ballast 53. Thus, the LED tube 20 cannot be driven by the LED drive circuit board 18 (shown in
When the LED tube 20 is rotated to a position to make the two conductive pins 21 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17c and 27c, and two insulated pins 22 stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17a and 27d, this causes one of the two conductive pins 21 to be connected to the negative terminal of the power supply 51, and one of the two insulated pins 22 to be connected to the positive terminal of the power supply 51 via the ballast 53. Thus, the LED tube 20 cannot be driven by the LED drive circuit board 18 (shown in
Referring to
When the fluorescent tube 20 is rotated to a position whereby the two pairs of pins make and stay in contact with the elastic pieces 17a and 17b of the connectors 12a and the elastic pieces 27a and 27b of the connector 12b, this causes two of the pins of the fluorescent tube 20 to be connected to the positive and negative terminals of the power supply 51 respectively. But, the starter 52 is disconnected from the fluorescent tube 20. Thus, the fluorescent tube 20 cannot be driven by the fluorescent drive circuit board 19 (shown in
The illumination device 1 may include the one connector 12 of
It is understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit thereof. Thus, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the disclosure is not to be limited to the details given herein.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130003367 A1 | Jan 2013 | US |