Patent Application
20150211727
Various embodiments relate generally to water-resistant wired electro-magnetic device enclosures and more specifically to light strings for holidays and decorations.
Light strings are widely used during the winter season and during holidays. Wired light strings often adorn holiday trees indoors, and trees and houses outdoors. Such holiday light strings promote a festive atmosphere and bring good cheer to neighborhoods.
Light strings often receive power from a wired source, such as an electrical outlet. Each lighting element of a light string must be connected to the power source via one or more wires. The light string therefore typically consists of light elements such as light bulbs or LEDS and wire elements. In some embodiments the lighting elements are wired in a serial fashion. In some embodiments the lighting elements are wired in a parallel fashion. Some light strings use various serial/parallel combinations to distribute operating power to each lighting element.
Apparatus and associated methods relate to a water-resistant capture device for enclosing wired electro-magnetic components, the capture device having a base module and a connecting cap module, wherein when the base module and cap module enclose an electro-magnetic component and the base module is connected to the cap module, one or more electric wires are compressed within deformable wire apertures formed by the combined base module and cap module. In some embodiments, the base module may be deformable and deform when affixed to the cap module so as to form a compressive water-resistant seal to an interior of the capture device. In an exemplary embodiment, an LED may be captured within the capture device. The cap module may provide a compressing aperture to provide a water resistant seal around the lens of a LED projecting therethrough.
Various embodiments may achieve one or more advantages. For example, some embodiments may provide a method of assembling a light string without the need for molding operations during the assembly process. In some embodiments, the captured electro-magnetic device may be field replaceable. For example, the capture device may be disassembled by hand, and the capture device may be replaced. In some embodiments, the base module may provide strain relief to the wires that reside in the wire apertures. In an exemplary embodiment, the base device may provide for a solderless connection of the electro-magnetic device and wire leads. For example, the base device may have alignment features for positioning a wire assembly for electrical connection to the electro-magnetic device. The alignment features may be topological to provide for tactile feedback as to proper positioning.
In some embodiments, the base device may automatically provide compressive seals to both the wires and to the cap module when coupled to the cap module. This coupling-induced compression may permit the rapid assembly of components. In some embodiments, the coupling between the cap module and the base module may provide for multiple electro-magnetic component sizes. The coupling of various component sizes may provide water resistant capture independent of the component size, within a predetermined component size range. In some embodiments the assembly yield may be improved. Cost reductions may result from such yield improvements. In some embodiments cost reductions may be realized because of the ability to use low cost parts. Inventory methods may be facilitated because, for example, final assembly molding may not be required. Cost reductions may result from manufacturing components at off-site locations from the final assembly locations.
In some embodiments, the sealing feature may have both trough and crest type of interfaces. Such a dual interface may advantageously prevent water penetration in a static configuration. Any water that seeps into a trough may gravitationally be prevented from transgressing the crest. And in another orientation, the trough and crest may exchange relative gravitational roles.
The details of various embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
In some embodiments, a lighting element may include a LED insert and a base. The LED insert may have threads, for example. The base may have complementary threads. The LED insert can be attached to the base via the threads. The LED insert may have an LED that has two conductive leads. The conductive leads may project through a bottom of the LED insert. Electrical wires within the base may provide contacts which are located to contact the projecting LED leads when the LED insert is connected to the base. The threads of the LED insert may have a predetermined configuration so as to ensure that when the LED insert is fully screwed into the base, the LED leads will align with the contacts of the base electrical wires. A proper polarity of the connection may be determined by the thread dimensions, for example.
To assemble the lighting element 500, the wires 525 may be inserted through an aperture in the base 520. The wires 525 may then be aligned to the clam-shell 515 and the clam-shell 515 may then be closed. The wire containing clam-shell 515 may then be retreated back into the base 520. When the clam-shell 515 is inserted into the base 520, the base may put the clam-shell 515 into compression. This compression of the clam-shell 515 may in turn provide compression to wire insulation surrounding the wires 525. This compression may provide for water resistance to water incident upon the wire/clam-shell interface. The LED leads may be inserted into apertures in the top of the clam-shell. The apertures in the top of the clam-shell 515 may be sized to receive the LED leads 525 and direct the leads to the connectors 530. After the LED 510 is attached to the assembly, the LED cap 505 may be inserted over the LED 510 and couple to the base 520. In some embodiments the LED cap 505 may compressibly fit around a base of a lens of the LED. This compression fit around the base of the LED may substantially prevent water from entering the light assembly 500 from without. In some embodiments, the LED cap 505 may compressibly fit around the base 520 so as to facilitate water resistance at the base 520.
In some embodiments, the light unit 700 is depicted from a side perspective. Here, the wires 720 are shown being located in sandwich captures 715. The sandwich captures 715 may be closed upon the wires 720. A water resistant seal may result near the location where the wires 720 enter into the sandwich captures 715. The sandwich captures 715 may be sized to both squeeze insulation surrounding the wires 720, and to press against each other. The base may be sized to provide compression to the sandwich captures 715. This compression may result in a water resistance seal at the bottom of the sandwich captures 715. The LED 710 may project from the sandwich captures 715 after insertion into the top of the sandwich captures 715. The leads of the LED 710 may contact the wire connectors 730 in the connector-cavity region 740 of the wire captures 715. The cap 705 may be connected to the base 725. When assembled, the cap 705 may compress a cylindrical base 750 of the LED 710. In some embodiments, the cap 705 may compress the wire captures 715. In an exemplary embodiment, the cap 705 may connect to the base 725. The cap 705 may be attached to the base 725 with an adhesive in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the cap 705 may be press fit to the base 725. In an exemplary embodiment, a circumferential ridge on one of the members may mate with a circumferential valley on the other member. In some embodiments, a tactile snap may indicate that the two members have been successfully attached to one another. In some embodiments, both the cap 705 and the base 725 may have complementary screw threads to attachment. In an exemplary embodiment, the screw threads may be of a tapered nature to facilitate a tight seal between the two members. For example, the diameter of the base 725, upon which the threads are formed, may increase with each rotation of engagement. In this way, the cap 705 may increasingly tighten as it is being rotated onto the base 725.
In some embodiments, an exemplary base may have threads at a bottom portion of the base. An exemplary cap may have complementary threads at a bottom portion of the cap. Wire leads may be inserted into the base. Electrical wires may be inserted into an exemplary base. Leads of an LED may be electrically connected to the wires within the base. An exemplary cap may have a lumen through which the LED may be inserted. The cap may attach to the base. When the cap attaches to the base, the cap may compress the LED. Circumferential compression around the LED may provide water resistance at this compressed location. When the cap attaches to the base, the base may be put into compression. The compression of the base may in turn compress insulation surrounding the wires. The compression of the base may also create a circumferential seal between the base and the cap.
In some embodiments, an exemplary lighting unit may include a two-piece wire spacer. The two-piece wire spacer may captured two wires and may be located adjacent to an LED which is connected to the wires. A two-piece wire spacer may have one or more circumferential valleys. The LED husk may have one or more corresponding circumferential ridges on the inside of its lumen. The husk ridges may mate with the spacer valleys when the husk is connected to the two-piece wire spacer. Having one or more ridges and the corresponding valleys may provide a water-resistant seal between the husk and the two-piece wire spacer.
In some embodiments an exemplary LED husk may have one or more circumferential husk ribs near a bottom end of the husk. The husk ribs may mate with substantially complementary circumferential moat features on a base element. The husk has a tapered profile with a wall thickness. The husk may have a micro-flashing feature at a top end of the husk. The micro-flashing feature may be compressed when an LED is inserted into the husk. This compression of the micro-flashing feature may provide a water resistant seal between the husk and the LED.
In some embodiments, a wire compression piece may have one or more elliptical grooves 865. Each elliptical groove 865 may have a varying groove depth with respect to an exterior surface of the wire compression piece. The groove depth varies as a function of the angular location about a wire-end of the wire compression piece. In the depicted embodiment, each elliptical groove 865 may be deepest near a split demarking two halves of the wire compression piece. The elliptical groove may be shallowest at a location approximately ninety degrees from the split. An LED cap having two substantially complementary ribs around the wire end of the cap may be attached to the wire compression piece. In some embodiments, the LED cap may have substantially uniform rib heights with respect to an inside surface of the LED cap. In such an embodiment, the attachment of the LED cap to the wire compression piece may preferentially compress the two halves together. This compression may create a water resistant seal between the two halves of the wire compression piece.
In some embodiment, a split wire space plug may have a crumple feature. The crumple feature may be compressed when the split wire space plug is coupled to an LED cap capturing an LED.
In the depicted embodiment, an exemplary lighting element 950 includes a clear cap 900, an LED 955, and a plug 905. In this embodiment, the LED 955 may be connected to electrical wires located along the plug 905. The assembly may then be inserted into the clear cap 900. The plug 905 and the clear cap 900 may then have a compression interface at a wire end 925 of the plug 905. In some embodiments, only a top cylindrical portion of the clear cap 900 may be translucent or transparent. In some embodiments the entire clear cap may be translucent or transparent.
In the
In these depictions, an exemplary lens cap 1020 is shown. Various sizes and types of lens caps 1020 may be used. For example, standard sized lens caps, such as, for example, C5, C6, or M7 lens caps may be used. Non-standard sizes may be used in some embodiments. A three-millimeter wide-angle lens cap may be used. In some embodiments, one or more annular feature 1025 may encircle the lens near a base region 1040 of the lens 1020. The lens may be concave, flat or convex at an illumination region 1045 of the lens 1020.
This figure shows the mating interface between an exemplary plug 1030 and an exemplary lampholder 1015. In some embodiments an annular ring 1065 may project for the substantially cylindrical surface of the plug 1030. In some embodiments, the annular ring 1065 may project a predetermined distance into lead wire channels 1070 to project into the insulation covering the lead wires.
In an illustrative embodiment, the each LED may be secured the LED 955 may be secured within the cap 900 with epoxy. In some embodiments the LED may be secured to the plug 905 with epoxy. The epoxy may be a transparent epoxy in some exemplary embodiments. In some embodiments, the epoxy may be a translucent epoxy. The epoxy may seal the assembly. In some embodiments the epoxy seal may make the assembly water resistive. The enclosed assembly may securely contain the liquid epoxy until the curing process is complete. The enclosed assembly may advantageously permit automation of epoxied light strings, as the epoxy remains confined within the assembly during curing.
An exemplary manufacturing process may proceed using one or more of the following processing steps. The lampholder 1015 may be mated with the lens 1020 at one particular manufacturing facility. For example, polypropylene lampholders 1015 may be molded onto acrylic lenses. At a second manufacturing site, the LEDs 1005 may be galvanically bonded to the lead wires 1010, in a contiguous chain fashion. A spool of connected LEDs 1010 may be the end product of this manufacturing step. Both of the above manufactured sub-assemblies may then be shipped to a final assembly site, where first a plug 1030 may be inserted into each LED 1010 of the lead-wire 1010 connected chain of LEDs 1010. A controlled dose of an epoxy may be injected in the lampholder/lens assemblies, and then each LED/plug inserted into the lampholder/lens enclosure, capturing the still liquid epoxy. As each LED element is completed, the LED element may be safely moved during the assembly of subsequent LED elements in the chain, as each finished LED element securely captures liquid epoxy within the internal cavity.
Although various embodiments have been described with reference to the Figures, other embodiments are possible. For example, in some embodiments the base may include two sandwich pieces. In an exemplary embodiment, the base may include a single piece with a split to permit the insertion of wires. In some embodiments, the base may be of clam-shell construction. In some embodiments, the wires may be completely circumscribed by the base element. In some embodiments, the wires may be pressed between the base element and a cap element. In some embodiments, a moat/rib structure may provide connection between the base and the cap elements. In an exemplary embodiment, a double moat/rib structure may provide connection. Some embodiments may have three or more moat/rib structures. In some embodiments, an array of parallel moats may circumscribe a member. The two members may be pressed together until the captured LED “bottoms out.” When the captured LED is tightly contained, whatever moat/rib interfaces that are used may provide the connection/seal of the members. For example, a certain lot of LEDs may be modestly longer that the typical lot. Thus, when connected, the rings of moats that interface the rib rings may be one or more ring pitch locations different from the typical build. The resulting ring/moat interface may still provide a good water resistant seal.
In an exemplary embodiment, more than two wires may be compressed each within a deformable wiring aperture. In some embodiments, the cap may be electrically conductive and may carry current along with one or more wires. For example, some embodiments may have 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 . . . or more, such as any practical number of wire apertures, for example.
In various embodiments, different types of electro-magnetic devices may be captured within a capture device. For example, in some embodiments the electro-magnetic device may be a transducer or a sensor. In one exemplary embodiment, a magnetic sensor may be captured within the capture device. In some embodiments, the cap may have a magnetic permeability greater than one. In some embodiments, the cap may have a high dielectric coefficient, for example. In various embodiments the cap may have a transparent portion. In some embodiments the cap may have a colored translucent portion, for example.
In an exemplary embodiment, a water-resistant capture device for enclosing a wired electro-magnetic component may include a base module. In some embodiments, the capture device may include a cap module that is configured to connect to the base module. The base module may have two connected halves being defined by a split. The split may permit the wire apertures to be opened so as to permit the introduction of a wire, without having to cut the wire. In some embodiments, the wire apertures may be split into two substantially equal halves. The wire apertures of the base module may be compressed when the base module is connected to the cap module. This wire-aperture compression may be configured to compress a wire having a predetermined diameter when introduced into the wire aperture. When the base module is connected to the cap module, an interior cavity may be sized to accommodate an electro-magnetic component of a predetermined size and geometry. In some embodiments, a device aperture in the cap module may provide an enclosed electro-magnetic component fluid communication with the ambient. In some embodiments, the aperture may have a deformable sealing surface against which the component is compressed when the cap module as attached to the base module.
In some embodiments, an exterior lens may be attached over the LED lamp. For example, in some embodiments, the LED cover may have a lens connector to which a lens may be affixed. In some embodiments a C6 type lens may substantially surround an illuminated portion of an LED, for example. In some embodiments other lens sizes and/or designs may be attached to a light string. In some embodiments, the exterior lenses may be replaceably attached to the LED assemblies. In an exemplary embodiment a C9 type lens may be attached. The replaceable lenses may permit an end user of a light string to select the color and/or shape and/or size of the exterior lens, for example. In some embodiments, the lens may attach in an attachment aperture that is slightly undersized so as to provide a water tight seal. Various embodiments may attach the exterior lens using a variety of couplers. For example, an exterior lens may be threaded and secured to a lamp assembly by screwing it to threads manufactured on the assembly. In some embodiments, the LED may be secured in the husk in a water resistant manner. In such embodiments, the exterior lamp may not use a water resistant coupler. In some embodiments, however, the lamp may be coupled in a water resistant manner providing a second barrier to water.
Apparatus and associated methods relate to a water-resistant capture device for enclosing wired electro-magnetic components, the capture device having a base module and a connecting cap module, wherein when the base module and cap module enclose an electro-magnetic component and the base module is connected to the cap module, one or more electric wires are compressed within deformable wire apertures formed by the combined base module and cap module. In some embodiments, the base module is deformable and deforms when affixed to the cap module so as to provide compressive a water-resistant seal to an interior of the capture device. In an exemplary embodiment, an LED may be captured within the capture device. The cap module may provide a compressing aperture to provide a water resistant seal around the lens of an LED projecting without the capture device.
In an exemplary embodiment, a water-resistant LED capture device may include a base module and a cap module. The cap module may be configured to assemble to the base module. In some embodiments, an internal cavity may be formed by the cap module and the base module when the cap module is assembled to the base module. The internal cavity may be configured to receive a light-emitting device therein. In some embodiments, the cap module may provide light transmissivity from a received light-emitting device to an outside of the water-resistant LED capture device.
Various embodiments may include a deformable sealing member that deforms as the cap module is assembled to the base module. In some embodiments, when the cap module is assembled to the base module and the deformable sealing member is deformed, the deformable sealing member may form a water resistant seal between the cap module and the base module along a substantially annular path.
In some embodiments, an assembly comprising the cap module and the base module may include two lumens. Each lumen may be configured to provide a pathway for an insulated conductor from the outside of the water-resistant LED capture device to the internal cavity to supply electrical energy to a light-emitting device therein.
Assembling the cap module to the base module may introduce a radial compression that reduces the mean cross-sectional area of each of the two lumens to form a water-resistant seal circumscribing each of the insulated conductors in the corresponding two lumens. In some embodiments, the lumens may have a reduced cross section at one or more locations along a longitudinal dimension of the lumen. In some embodiments, the mean cross-sectional area may be defineds as the average cross-sectional area along a longitudinal dimension perpendicular to the cross-section. In some embodiments, the lumens may have a conical geometry, for example. In some embodiments, the lumens may have a substantially cylindrical geometry.
Various embodiments present various means for sealing a cap module to a base module. Some embodiment provide a water-resistant seal using an epoxy. In some embodiments, a compressible sealing member may compress between a cap module and a base module. In some embodiments a cap module may be deformable. A deformable cap module may expand when coupled to a base module. The expanded cap module may tightly engage the base module providing a water-resistant coupling. In some embodiments a raised annular ridge my couple to an annular depression of the complementary member, for example. In some embodiments a plurality of coupling features may present a series or water-resisitive barriers.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, advantageous results may be achieved if the steps of the disclosed techniques were performed in a different sequence, or if components of the disclosed systems were combined in a different manner, or if the components were supplemented with other components. Accordingly, other implementations are contemplated.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/931,360, titled “Water-Resistant Wired Electo-Magnetic Component Capture,” filed by Jason Loomis on Jan. 24, 2014. The entirety of the foregoing application is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61931360 | Jan 2014 | US |
