Patent Application
20150070885
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to light emitting diode (LED) tube lamps, and more particularly to an LED tube lamp configured for installation and use in existing bent tube or two-by-two fluorescent light fixtures.
Fluorescent light sources have dominated the market for indoor light sources in commercial, industrial and to some extent residential applications for decades. The commercial competitiveness of indoor LED light sources relative to fluorescent light sources has rapidly increased in recent years due to the development and refinement of the technology. For example, the luminoscity of LED light sources are now comparable to fluorescent light sources, and upfront and maintenance costs have fallen dramatically since the inception of the technology. Furthermore, consumers' ever increasing consciousness of the environmental impact of their consumption choices has led to increased demand for “green”—i.e., environmentally friendly—technology. These technological and cultural developments have resulted in a need for indoor LED light source products.
Fluorescent technology's saturation of the indoor lighting market has meant that the vast majority of spaces with lighting needs are currently configured with fluorescent light fixtures. In order to further increase the commercial competitiveness of LED light source technology, manufacturers have begun to offer LED fluorescent replacement tubes for installation and use in existing fluorescent light fixtures. Typical fluorescent light fixtures are configured to receive one or more fluorescent tube lamps having end caps with electrical connectors, such as electrodes, for connection to a power source. The electrical receptacles into which the fluorescent tubes are placed are also typically housed within a troffer, box, cover, or other such partial or full enclosure that generally defines the space occupied by the light fixture. The fixtures are commonly mounted in ceiling spaces and come in a very large variety of unique configurations.
A particular type of fluorescent light fixture is referred to commonly as a “two-by-two” fixture. Two-by-two fixtures are frequently deployed in situations with tighter space requirements, such as small offices. Although not limited to those uses, two-by-two fixture troffers are relatively shorter in length than other standard fluorescent light fixtures because they are configured to receive a single fluorescent tube lamp bent into a “U” shape. This configuration can also be advantageous for use in cantilevered light fixtures, for example. The two-by-two fixtures are thus configured with coplanar electrode receptacles at one end of the fixture only. When installed, the two-by-two tube lamps (also referred to as bent tube lamps, U-bent tubes, U-shaped bulbs, U-tubes, etc.) begin at an electrical receptacle at one end of the fixture, extend along the its length to its other end, bend 180 degrees and return to a second electrical receptacle at the original end of the fixture.
Currently, LED replacement tube lamps are manufactured by generally inserting a plurality of LEDs mounted on a printed circuit board into a tube terminating at both ends with end caps designed to fit into existing fluorescent receptacles. Two-by-two replacement tube lamps are made with two such lamps that have a coupling conduit connecting one end of each tube. Those conduits can carry electrical connections between the lamps if desired, and are typically formed of a plastic material. Further disclosure of exemplary prior art methods may be found in United States Publication No. US2013/0010459 A1, for instance.
These prior art methods present several disadvantages in the use of U-shaped LED replacement tube lamps. For example, the use of a U-shaped connector decreases the effectiveness of the lamp by decreasing its total light output potential, and by further creating a discrete longitudinal area from which no light is emitted when compared to the fluorescent tube lamps it is meant to replace. Therefore, there exists a current need in the art for an LED fluorescent replacement tube lamp that emits light along its entire, continuous tube length. No known references, taken alone or in combination, are seen as teaching or suggesting the presently claimed apparatus for holding an electronic device at a work surface.
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to
An object of the present invention
It is an object of this invention to provide a [invention] of the type generally described herein, being adapted for the purposes set forth herein, and overcoming disadvantages found in the prior art. These and other advantages are provided by the invention described and shown in more detail below.
Novel features and advantages of the present invention, in addition to those mentioned above, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein identical reference characters refer to identical parts and in which:
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to U shaped LED tube lamps in which light is emitted along the continuous length of the tube. The embodiments generally do not have U shaped connectors known in the prior art for joining two LED tubes, but may be optionally configured with reinforcing support members for strengthening the lamp structure that do not obstruct light emission along an appreciable longitudinal length of the tube, without departing from the teachings herein.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in perspective view in
First connector 102 is coupled to a first end 112 of the elongate tube 110, which extends lengthwise to a second end 114, terminating at a second connector 104 coupled thereto. The elongate tube 110 element is generally U shaped such that its first 112 and second 114 tube ends and first 102 and second 104 connectors coupled thereto, respectively, are coplanar in plane 5-5 (
The elongate tube 110 is made of an outer shell 122, a portion or all of which being light permeable. The outer shell 122 of tube 110 is shown in
The present invention utilizes U shaped elongate tubes such as 110 shown as an exemplary embodiment. The outer shell 122 defines an elongate tube axis (not shown) that represents the lengthwise U shaped path formed by the elongate tube 110 between the connectors 102 and 104. Any general U shape defined by the tube axis in which the ends 112 and 114 of the tube 110 (and axis) are coterminous in a common plane, thereby enabling the lamp 100 to be installed into coplanar fixture receptacles is considered applicable to the disclosure contained herein.
As an example, the preferred embodiment of the elongate tube 110 (and its corresponding axis) shown in
Alternative to the seam being oriented to be generally coplanar with the PCB, three or more sections of outer shell may optionally be coupled to form the tube at seams along the axial length of the tube. Forming a tube comprised of two or more outer shell sections allows for a single continuous rigid PCB to be manufactured and used in the lamp, eliminating the possibility for electrical connection failures between contiguous PCB sections, and to ensure secure mounting within the tube. The PCB may also optionally be a flexible-type PCB that can be drawn through the tube for installation and mounting therein. The design of such a PCB may be readily accomplished by one skilled in the art. The elongate tube may also be formed of a single continuous outer shell by bending, extrusion, or other comparable methods.
All of the disclosed methods for constructing the elongate tube element 110 allow the lamp to emit light along the entire length of its tube, thereby emitting more light than prior art lamps while also eliminating any “dead” or unlighted portions along the axial length of the tube. The invented lamp does not have any coupling conduit as a result.
The outer shell 122 may optionally be comprised entirely of light permeable material, including but not limited to, for example, clear or frosted material. Alternatively, it could be comprised of a section of light permeable and a section of opaque, reflective or a combination of both types of material. The PCB 200 may be similarly configured with LED elements 202 mounted on one side of the PCB 200, or both sides. The preceding design choices will vary according to application, and each may be made independently of the other. The optional mounting of LED elements 202 on both sides of the PCB 200 allow the lamp 100 to use reflection in combination with the outer shell 122 to increase the luminosity of light in a particular direction as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Fully light permeable outer shell configurations may also, for instance, take advantage of light fixture characteristics to make use of LED elements deployed on both sides of the PCB.
Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the optional or preferred features of the other embodiments of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain some of the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/874,414 filed 6 Sep. 2013, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully recited herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61874414 | Sep 2013 | US |
