The present invention is directed to a mounting fixture for mounting an LED connector assembly. In particular, the invention is directed to a mounting fixture which do not require additional mounting hardware.
LED are used in many applications, including, but not limited to automotive applications. When mounting or securing the LEDs, mounting hardware, such as nuts, are used to secure the LEDs in position. The use of mounting hardware adds expense and requires additional parts. In addition, as space is often at a premium, the use of mounting hardware may require increased space, which is not desirable.
Mounting hardware may also increase the complexity of the mounting of the LEDs. As LEDs are often mounted in tight spaces, the ability to use tooling to mount the LEDs is limited due to the particular space configurations.
It would be, therefore, be beneficial to provide a mounting fixture for mounting an LED connector assembly which avoids the problems described above. In particular, it would be beneficial to provide a mounting fixture which does not require additional mounting hardware.
An embodiment is directed to a mounting frame for mounting an LED connector assembly. The mounting frame has a mounting opening which extends from a first surface of the mounting frame toward a second surface of the mounting frame. Centering ribs are provided about a circumference of the mounting opening. The centering ribs are spaced from the first surface. Retention projections are provided about the circumference of the mounting opening. The retention projections are spaced from the centering ribs.
An embodiment is directed to an LED assembly. The LED assembly includes a mounting frame and an LED connector. The mounting frame include a mounting opening which extends from a first surface of the mounting frame toward a second surface of the mounting frame. Centering ribs are provided about a circumference of the mounting opening. The centering ribs are spaced from the first surface. Retention projections are provided about the circumference of the mounting opening. The retention projections are spaced from the centering ribs. The LED connector is positioned in the mounting opening. The LED connector has a mounting portion with a positioning portion and a threaded portion. The positioning portion is positioned to cooperate with the centering ribs to center the LED connector in the mounting opening. The threaded portion is positioned to cooperate with the retention projections to secure the LED connector in the mounting opening of the mounting frame.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles of the present invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated as such. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.
Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated by reference to the preferred embodiments. Accordingly, the invention expressly should not be limited to such embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features, the scope of the invention being defined by the claims appended hereto.
As shown in
The frame 10 includes a LED mounting area 14 which extends from a first surface 16 of the frame to an oppositely facing second surface 18. An LED mounting member 20 is provided in the mounting area 14 and extends from the first surface 16 to the second surface 18. In the embodiment shown, the mounting member 20 has a cylindrical configuration, however, other configurations may be used.
As shown in
Centering ribs 24 are provided about the circumference of the mounting opening 22. The centering ribs 24 extend from a side wall 26 of the opening 22 toward a longitudinal axis 28 of the opening 22. As shown in
As shown in
Retention or mounting projections 34 are provided about the circumference of the mounting opening 22. The retention projections 34 extend from the side wall 26 of the opening 22 toward the longitudinal axis 28 of the opening 22. The retention projections 34 are spaced from the centering ribs 24 and are spaced between a distance L2 and a distance L3 (
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
To assemble the LED connector assembly 12 to the frame 10, the LED connector assembly 12 is positioned and secured in the mounting opening 22 of the mounting member 20 of the mounting area 14 of the frame 10. Initially, the LED connector assembly 12 is moved into alignment with the mounting opening 22. The mounting portion 26 of the LED connector assembly 12 is moved into the opening 22. As this occurs, the positioning portion 60 of the LED connector assembly 12 engages the centering ribs 24 of the opening 22, thereby facilitating the proper position of the LED connector assembly 12 in the opening 22 as insertion continues.
As insertion continues, the threaded securing portion 58 of the LED connector assembly 12 is moved into the opening 22. Continued insertion of the LED connector assembly 12 causes the threaded securing portion 58 to engage the centering ribs 24 and the retention projections 34. As the lead-in surfaces 44 of the retention projections 34 are sloped toward the second surface 18, the threaded securing portion 58 can be inserted into the opening 22 without encountering significant force which opposes the insertion. The insertion of the LED connector assembly 12 into the opening 22 is continued until further insertion is prevented by the engagement of the cover 54 with the first surface 16 of the frame 10.
In the fully inserted position, as shown in
In the fully assembled position, the centering ribs 24 also engage the ends of the threads 62 of the threaded securing portion 58 to properly position the LED connector assembly 12 in the opening 22 and to prevent the unwanted movement of the LED connector assembly 12 in the opening 22.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be used with many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials and components and otherwise used in the practice of the invention, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from the principles of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims, and not limited to the foregoing description or embodiments.
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4778409 | Maddock | Oct 1988 | A |
20080100771 | Ableitner | May 2008 | A1 |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20210381677 A1 | Dec 2021 | US |