Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
ROTATING END CAPS FOR LED LAMP TUBE FOR FLUORESCENT LIGHT TUBE
REPLACEMENT
SPECIFICATION
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a novel device in the general field of LED (Light
Emitting Diode) tube
lamps, and more specifically to a means by which one may rotate the main tube
of an LED lamp
to provide illumination at selectable angles of incidence, while maintaining
secure electrical
connection with the lamp holder.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
LED Tube Lamps are rapidly replacing less efficient and more environmentally
problematic
fluorescent tubes. LED Tube lamps are commonly designed to fit into existing
fluorescent tube
fixtures. To replace the lamp a user inserts both ends of a bi-pin tube into
each lampholder
fixture and then turns the tube 90 degrees to engage the pins into the powered
spring contacts.
Illumination from fluorescent tubes is non-directional due to the nature of
fluorescing gases
inside an evacuated tube, whereas LEDs are soldered to a flat surface that
emits light in one
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direction. The problem with existing LED tube lamps is that if the user wants
to rotate the tube
to direct the light at a specific angle of incidence, in all likelihood the
tube will fall out of the
fixture. What is needed is an LED tube lamp that allows the user to rotate the
main tube of the
lamp, while the end caps that ensure electrical contact with the fixture's
lampholders remain
stationary. In addition, any mechanism that maintains electrical contact while
rotating the lamp
tube, may also be used to ensure contact if rotation is not required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The Rotating End Caps for Led Tube for Fluorescent Replacement provides an LED
Lamp Tube
that is rotatable after installation in a formerly fluorescent light fixture,
enabling selectability of
direction of illumination by LED tubes. The invention provides securement of
the LED Lamp
Tube in the fixture, even while a user adjusts the tube's angle of incidence
for optimum results.
A Rotating End Caps for LED Tube for Fluorescent Replacement allows ease of
installation or
upgrading while ensuring both mechanical and electrical securement. By
providing an adjustable
angle of incidence, the user is able to reduce direct glare from an LED tube
by turning the tube
more directly onto the workspace below, as backlighting by projecting light
onto a back wall, or
as direct incident lighting. One possible application may be in hydroponic
gardens which use
LED lights, whereby the angle of incidence can be adjusted as needed during
the growing cycle
of plants to provide optimum light levels as would be provided by the sun
throughout the day.
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The Rotating / rotatable end caps fit onto a lamp tube housing that is thereby
rotatable within the
end caps, while maintaining electrical supply to an illuminator within the
lamp tube. This is
accomplished by each end cap assembly for a lamp tube for fluorescent
replacement,
comprising:
a) an end cap having a key hole for a contact key, and a pair of terminal
holes for a pair of pin
terminals;
b) a contact key assembly, having a pair of pin terminals mounted to
respective terminal
contacts, a contact key with a contact cam that upon rotation of the contact
key presses PCB
(printed circuit board) contacts onto the respective terminal contacts to make
an electrical
connection between the pin terminals and an illuminator within the lamp tube;
c) a declination ring having at least one cap fastener socket and a shaft
socket.
The end cap assembly is rotatably mounted to a first end of a housing for the
lamp tube, and a
like rotatable end cap assembly is likewise rotatably mounted to an opposite
end of the housing
for the lamp tube.
In a preferred embodiment:
a) the lamp tube contains an array of LEDs as an energy-efficient and durable
illumination
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source;
b) the contact key assembly has a ring shaft and the declination ring has a
complementary shaft
socket;
c) the end cap assembly clips into a declination gear of a rotatable housing
for the lamp tube, the
declination ring having a cap fastener socket, a clip segment, and a
declination segment with at
least one declination tooth, allowing the declination ring to rotate
incrementally with declination
segments that flex upon rotation force being applied to the lamp tube within a
latnpholder and
allow the declination tooth to travel around a declination gear;
d) the first end of the housing has declination ring stops and an end cap
fastener guide;
e) at least one of the PCB contacts passes electrical current to an LED
Controller PCB within the
lamp tube.
f) the end cap has declination notches and the first end of the housing has a
declination index
notch;
g) the contact key has a lampholder tab;
h) the lamp tube has an LED track heatsink with a fastener clip, an LED strip
slot and a tube
guide slot;
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i) the declination ring has a housing stop to prevent over-rotation of the
housing;
j) the end cap assembly is secured together by means of cap fasteners which
secure the end cap
through fastener holes to corresponding cap fastener sockets on the
declination ring.
Essentially the invention provides a LED lamp tube for replacement of a
fluorescent tube in a
lampholder, the LED lamp tube having a housing that is rotatable within end
caps mountable in
the lampholder, a first end cap assembly that is mountable to a first end of
the lamp fixture and
having a second end cap assembly that is mountable to a second end of the lamp
fixture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 shows a front isometric exploded view of the end cap assembly and
rotatable housing at
either end of a rotatable LED lamp tube.
Fig. 2 shows a front isometric view of the end cap & rotatable housing
assembly, which enable a
user to rotate a PCB, Lamp Tube, and LED trackTheatsink.
Fig. 3a shows a rear isometric view of the rotatable end cap; Fig. 3b shows
the outside facing
view and Fig. 3c the inside facing view of same.
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Fig. 4a shows a rear isometric view of the declination ring; Fig. 4b shows the
side view; Fig. 4c
shows the inside facing view; and Fig. 4d shows the outside facing view of
same.
Fig. 5a shows a front isometric view of the contact key; Fig. 5b shows the
rear isometric view of
same.
Fig. 6a shows a side isometric view of a pin terminal, terminal contact and
PCB contact. Fig. 6b
shows a facing isometric view of two pin/contact sets and the contact key as
assembled into the
outside facing side of a declination ring. Fig. 6c shows a rear isometric view
of the assembly in
Fig. 6b.
Fig. 7a shows a rear isometric view of a rotatable housing; Fig. 7b shows its
outside facing end,
while Fig. 7c shows its inside facing end including cutaway views of related
lamp tube elements.
Fig. 8a shows an inside facing view of a common bi-pin lampholder with a
transparent facing
view of an end cap, pin terminals and lampholder tab as it is slid between the
lampholder's pin
guides. Fig. 8b shows the same after the end cap elements are rotated into the
pin catches.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
All elements will now be introduced by reference to drawings, then how each
element functions
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and interacts with each other element will be described where relevant.
Fig. 1 shows a front isometric exploded view of the end cap assembly 12,
comprised of a
rotatable end cap 14, with fastener holes 16, fasteners 18, key hole 20,
terminal holes 22, and
declination notches 24; a contact key 26; two sets of pin terminals 34,
terminal contacts 36, and
PCB contacts; and a declination ring 40 with cap fastener sockets 42, a shaft
socket 44, and a
housing stop 52. The end cap assembly 12 clips into the declination gear 56 of
a rotatable
housing 54 with ring stops 58, an index notch 60, a fastener guide 64, and its
internal LED
Controller PCB 76.
Fig. 2 shows a front isometric view of the Rotating End Caps for LED Tube for
Fluorescent
Replacement 10, with the end cap assembly 12 & rotatable housing 54 as
deployed to enable a
user to rotate the attached PCB 76, Lamp Tube 78, and LED track/heatsink 68.
Fig. 3a shows a rear isometric view of the rotatable end cap 14 with its
fastener hole 16 and
declination notch(es) 24. Fig. 3b shows the outside facing view of the
rotatable end cap 14 with
its fastener holes 16, key hole 20, terminal holes 22 and declination
notch(es) 24. Fig. 3c shows
the inside facing view of Fig. 3b.
Fig. 4a shows a rear isometric view of the declination ring 40 with cap
fastener socket 42, a clip
segment 46, a declination segment 48 with a declination tooth 50, also a
housing stop 52; Fig. 4b
shows a side view of Fig. 4a; Fig. 4c shows the inside facing view of same
with a view of a shaft
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socket 44; and Fig. 4d shows the outside facing view of same.
Fig. 5a shows a front isometric view of the contact key 26 with its lampholder
tab 28 and contact
cam 30; Fig. 5b shows the rear isometric view of same including a ring shaft
32.
Fig. 6a shows a side isometric view of a pin terminal 34, terminal contact 36
and PCB contact
38. Fig. 6b shows a facing isometric view of two pin/contact sets (see Fig.
6a) and a contact key
26 as assembled into the outside facing side of a declination ring 40. Fig. 6c
shows a rear
isometric view of the assembly in Fig. 6b.
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Fig. 7a shows a rear isometric view of a rotatable housing 54 with a track
fastener support 62 and
its fastener guide 64; Fig. 7b shows the outside facing end of a rotatable
housing 54 with
declination gear 56, ring stops 58 and fastener guide; Fig. 7c shows its
inside facing end
including cutaway views of a track fastener support 62, track fastener 66, the
LED
Track/Heatsink 68 with its fastener clip 70, LED strip slot 72 and tube guide
slot 74, the LED
Controller PCB 76, the Lamp Tube 78 with its tube guides 80.
Fig. 8a shows an inside facing view of a common bi-pin lampholder 82 with a
cutaway abstract
view of a rotatable end cap 14 showing pin terminals 34 and lampholder tab 28
as they are slid
between the lampholder's pin guides 84, in the direction of the segmented
arrow. Fig. 8b shows
the pin terminals 34 rotated 90 degrees into the pin catches 86 (arrow), while
the lampholder tab
28 of the contact key 26 remains stationary. Also shown on the lampholders 82
are its wire 8
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connectors 88.
The preferred embodiment of the Rotating End Caps for LED Tube for Fluorescent
Replacement
will now be described in detail.
Electrical Aspects:
Starting from the inside and working to the ends, the LED Track/Heatsink 68
(Fig. 2) provides
an LED strip slot 72 (Fig. 7c) that both supports and provides heatsinking for
strips of LED
arrays that provide illumination for the tube lamp 10. At one or both ends of
the LED
Track/Heatsink 68 are LED Controller PCBs 76 which convert and regulate power
supplied from
lampholders 82 (Figs. 8a/b) from pin terminals 34 through the end cap assembly
12 when the
lamp tube 10 is rotated into position as shown in Fig. 8b. When the end caps
14 are rotated so
that the terminals 34 engage the conductive pin catches 86, the lampholder tab
28 of the contact
key 26 is locked between the pin guides 84. Rotation causes the contact cam 30
to connect each
set of terminal contacts 36 with each set of PCB contacts 38, which supplies
lampholder 82
power to the PCB(s) 76. (Note: Each PCB contact 38 tab as shown in Fig. 6c is
electrically
connected directly to the adjacent PCB 76) Basically, when a user inserts
(Fig. 8a) the Lamp
Tube 10 into a fixture using hi-pin lampholders 82, and rotates as shown in
Fig. 8b, the tube 10
may be electrically powered, provided the lampholders 82 are energized.
Mechanical Aspects:
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In order to provide the ability for the user to incrementally adjust angle of
incidence of the lamp
tube 10, a means to both lock the end caps 14 into the lampholders 82 and at
the same time allow
rotation of the lamp tube 78 and LED track/heatsink 68 must be provided. The
declination ring
40 is held by means of clip segments 46 (Fig. 4a) inside the declination gear
56 (Fig. 7b) of the
rotatable housing 54. Said ring 40 is able to rotate incrementally as its
declination segments 48
flex and allow declination teeth 50 to fixedly travel around the declination
gear 56. Since LEDs
only project light from one side of their substrate, rotation beyond 180
degrees is prevented
when the housing stop 52 on the ring 40 encounters either ring stop 58 as
shown in Figs. 1 or 7b.
By these means, the declination ring 40 and the remainder of the end cap
assembly 12 allow the
user to rotate the lamp tube 78 (usually by means of each housing to avoid
smudging the tube)
without disengaging the pin terminals of the lamp 10. Basically, each end cap
assembly 12 is
locked into each lampholder 82, while each housing 54 and its associated lamp
tube 78 can be
rotated incrementally by means of the declination ring 40.
The contact key 26 is the means by which the electrical contacts are made
within each end cap
assembly 12. The ring shaft 32 (Fig. 5b) of the contact key 26 inserts into
and freely rotates
within the shaft socket 44 (Figs. 1 & 6c) of the declination ring 40. Fig. 6b
is the reverse side of
the elements shown in Figs. 8a, wherein the lampholder tab 28 is in line with
the pin terminals
34, and neither contact is made. Fig. 8b shows the lampholder tab 28 secured
between pin guides
84, so that by rotating the end cap 14 (and therefore the declination ring
40), the contact cams 30
press together both sets of contacts (36 to 38). By this means, rotating the
end cap assembly 12
engages electrical contact between pin terminals 34 and the PCB 76, while
still permitting
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incremental rotation of the housings 54 and lamp tube 78 by means of the
declination ring 40.
Additional Aspects:
As seen in Figs. 8a & b, once the end caps 14 are engaged, its declination
notches 24 may be
used in conjunction with the index notch 60 on the housing 54 to select
specific increments of
angle of incidence up to approximately 180 degrees, 90 degrees each side of
the axis
perpendicular to the LED track 68. The user can thereby adjust the lamp tube
78 by means of
either housing 54 to select the specific direction of illumination required.
As shown in Figs. 1 & 2, the end cap assembly 12 is secured together by means
of cap fasteners
18 which secure the end cap 14 through fastener holes 16 to corresponding cap
fastener sockets
42 on the declination ring 40. When secured, the remaining elements of the end
cap assembly 12
are held inside the end cap 14 by the declination ring 40. As mentioned above,
the assembly 12
then snaps into the declination gear 56 of the housing 54 and is secured by
means of clip
segments 46 and declination segments 48. As shown in Fig. 7a, the Track
Fastener Support 62 is
embedded in the bottom of the Rotatable Housing 54 in order to provide a means
to secure the
LED track/heatsink 68 within the lamp tube 78. Fig. 7c shows the end of a
track fastener 66 (a
long bolt) inserted through the fastener guide 64 (Fig. 7b), and threaded into
the fastener clip 70
in the bottom of the LED Track/heatsink 68. Fig. 9b of an alternate embodiment
shows cutaway
detail of the fastener guide 64. By this means, the track fastener 66 pins
each end of the LED
track/heatsink 68 to the support 62 at the bottom of each housing 54 and the
length of each lamp
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tube 78.
The preferred materials for constructing rotatable LED lamp tubes will now be
described.
Terminals and contacts are made from conductive, non-corrosive metal. The LED
Track/Heatsink is formed from extruded aluminum or equivalent material capable
of supporting
LED arrays and allowing sufficient heatsirtking capabilities. All other
elements excluding the
PCB and possibly fasteners are made from extruded or molded polyearbonate or
plastic like
material with sufficient strength and mechanical resiliancy to operate
reliably. Fasteners are
likely made from metal. The lamp tube may bc either transparent or translucent
depending on
user requirements. Other materials are not excluded if they provide similar or
improved
capabilities for the same ends.
The foregoing description of the preferred apparatus and method of
installation should be
considered as illustrative only, and not limiting. For example, a lamp tube
with an illuminator
other than LEDs could usefully be rendered rotatable with this invention.
Other forming
techniques and other materials may be employed towards similar ends. Various
changes and
modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from
the true scope of the
invention as defined in the above disclosure, and the following general
claims.
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