Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
LED LIGHT STRIP
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to LED field, specifically an LED
light strip.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As is known, an existing LED light strip generally include a
flexible
protective sleeve which is provided with an accommodating cavity extending
along a
length thereof, and a soft light panel is embedded in the accommodating
cavity, said
soft light panel being provided with a LED light source which emit light under
electrification.
[0003] The flexible lamp board is configured to omit a copper strand
conductor in
a core wire in order to include a main conductor layer, and is generally
configured to
be wide enough or foldable. However, a soft light panel with considerable
width is not
favorably bendable, while a foldable soft light panel is prone to suffer power
failure
due to a short circuit caused by an end-cutting process thereof. Moreover, the
LEDs
require separate packaging, which requires a bracket to mount the LEDs on the
soft
light panel, and also processes with considerable complexity and poor cost
effectiveness including gold wiring, reflow soldering, etc.
[0004] The flexible protective sleeve is configured to protect the soft
light panel
and the LED light source disposed in the accommodating cavity, thereby greatly
prolonging the service life of the LED light strip and achieving a better
light emission
effect. An existing flexible protective sleeve is generally made of a
transparent
material in order to facilitate the light emitted by the LED light source to
pass
therethrough, while the accommodating cavity is generally made same or
slightly
smaller in size with the soft light panel in order to prevent the soft light
panel from
sliding out of the accommodating cavity. Therefore, a bottom surface of the
soft light
panel embedded in the accommodating cavity abuts against an inner-wall bottom
face
of the accommodating cavity, which causes formation of air bubbles
therebetween
when the soft light panel is embedded in the accommodating cavity. The above
technical problem has caused that said air bubbles and even LED light sources
or
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other electrical parts are easily seen by a user, thus significantly impairing
the
ornamental effect of the LED light string.
[0005] In addition, some of the existing LED light strips are each
provided with a
plurality of LED light sources which are arranged in series on the soft light
panel
thereof. Should one or more of the LED light sources are damaged, the whole
LED
light string will cease operating due to an open circuit. Such a liability of
the existing
LED light strips cripples a convenient use thereof for a user with heavy
burden of
maintenance or replacement.
[0006] Based on the above technical problems of the LED light strips, the
development of an easily maintainable LED light strip that requires a simple
manufacturing process has become an urgent demand in the LED field.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The technical goal of the present invention is to provide an LED
light strip
with a simple structure, which requires significantly reduced frequency of
maintenance and has high durability.
[0008] Another technical goal of the present invention is to prevent air
bubbles
from being seen by a user, said air bubbles being those between a bottom
surface of
the soft light panel and an inner-wall bottom face of the accommodating
cavity.
[0009] Another technical goal of the present invention is to remove said
air
bubbles by effective discharge thereof.
[0010] Another technical goal of the present invention is to improve the
light-
emitting efficiency, prevent failure of the LED light beads due to breakage of
the soft
light panel and so forth.
[0011] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present
invention
provides an LED light strip, comprising: a flexible protective sleeve, an
interior of
which being provided with an accommodating cavity extending along a length
thereof;
a soft light panel, said soft light panel being embedded in the accommodating
cavity;
and a reinforcing panel, said reinforcing panel being embedded in the
accommodating
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cavity, and being bonded with the soft light panel via a fixing glue or
abutting against
the soft light panel in an interior of the accommodating cavity; wherein: the
soft light
panel comprises a first insulating soft film, a second insulating soft film
and at least
one LED light source, wherein the first insulating soft film and the second
insulating
soft film are respectively fixed to two end faces of the LED light source; the
first
insulating soft film or the second insulating soft film is provided with a
plurality of
circuit layers along a length thereof, wherein two adjacent circuit layers are
connected
in an end-to-end manner; the two end faces of the LED light source are
respectively
provided with a first chip electrode and a second chip electrode, wherein the
first chip
electrode is electrically connected to a tail portion of one of the circuit
layers via a
first pin, and the second chip electrode is electrically connected to a head
portion of an
adjacent circuit layer via a second pin; the first chip electrode and the
first pin are
electrically connected via a first conductive layer, and the second chip
electrode and
the second pin are electrically connected via a second conductive layer; the
LED light
strip further comprises a protective circuit, said protective circuit being
connected in
parallel to the at least one LED light source, and said protective circuit
being turned
on when the LED light source is disconnected to maintain the soft light panel
operating; and, the reinforcing panel is a metal plate or a plastic plate.
[0012] Preferably, the protective circuit comprises a Zener diode, said
Zener diode
being connected in reverse parallel to the at least one LED light source, and
a
stabilized voltage of said Zener diode being greater than a terminal voltage
at which
the at least one LED light source connected in reverse parallel to the Zener
diode
operates.
[0013] Preferably, the LED light strip comprises at least two LED light
source
groups, said LED light source group consisting of at least one LED light
source; the
protective circuit comprises a voltage-stabilizing unit, an A-terminal of said
voltage-
stabilizing unit being respectively connected to a cathode of one of the LED
light
source groups and an anode of another LED light source group, a B-terminal of
said
voltage-stabilizing unit being connected to an anode of one of the LED light
source
groups, and a C-terminal of said voltage-stabilizing unit being connected to a
cathode
of another LED light source group.
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[0014] Preferably, the voltage-stabilizing unit comprises a first Zener
diode and a
second Zener diode connected in series with each other, a cathode of said
first Zener
diode being connected to an anode of one of the LED light source groups, an
anode of
said second Zener diode being connected to a cathode of another LED light
source
group, and an anode of said first Zener diode being connected to a cathode of
said
second Zener diode and simultaneously connected to a cathode of one of the LED
light source groups and an anode of another LED light source group.
[0015] Preferably, the LED light strip further comprises a current-
limiting circuit,
said current-limiting circuit being connected in series to the LED light
source.
[0016] Preferably, the first insulating soft film and the second
insulating soft film
are each an elongated structure, and a plurality of circuit layers are
provided on the
second insulating soft film in equidistant intervals, wherein two adjacent
circuit layers
are electrically connected via one LED light source to form an LED light
string
connected in series.
[0017] Preferably, the light strip further comprises a third insulating
soft film, said
third insulating soft film being provided on an outer-side of the second
insulating soft
film; and, two main conductor layers, said two main conductor layers being
provided
between the second insulating soft film and the third insulating soft film,
being
electrically connected to a head and a tail of the LED string, and being fixed
with the
second insulating soft film and the third insulating soft via a insulating
glue.
[0018] Preferably, a bottom of the flexible protective sleeve is provided
with an
opening which is communicating with the accommodating cavity, said opening
being
provided with an opaque baffle which is capable of blocking the opening; and,
an
inner-wall bottom face of the accommodating cavity is provided with at least
one
stripe groove which is extending along a length of the flexible protective
sleeve.
[0019] Preferably, the LED light source comprises at least one LED chip,
an
encapsulant encapsulating the LED chip, and a first optical layer arranged
between the
LED chip and the encapsulant, said first optical layer having a refractive
index of 1.6-
2.0; and, a surface of the flexible protective sleeve is provided with a
second optical
layer, said second optical layer having a refractive index of 1.2-1.4.
[0020] Preferably, the first optical layer is a transparent ceramic film,
preferably a
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transparent aluminum oxide film or a transparent aluminum nitride film; and,
the
second optical layer is one or both of a lithium fluoride film or a magnesium
fluoride
film.
[0021] The present invention has the following advantages:
[0022] The present invention provides a uniquely structured soft light
panel with
high compactness and flexibility, which allows the soft light panel to be
bendable for
use. Moreover, the present invention further provides a protective circuit for
replacing
damaged LED light source(s) in case of such, thereby maintaining
electrification and
light emission. Therefore, the above configuration endows the LED light string
with a
remarkably prolonged service life and strong durability.
[0023] In addition, a bottom of the flexible protective sleeve of the
present
invention is provided with an opening that communicates with the accommodating
cavity, while an opaque baffle that is capable of blocking the opening is
provided at
the opening. In such a way, the opaque baffle blocks the soft light panel
which is
embedded in the accommodating cavity, thereby, for an ornamental effect,
preventing
the air bubbles between a bottom surface of the soft light panel and an inner-
wall
bottom surface of the accommodating cavity from being seen by a user.
[0024] In the present invention, an inner-wall bottom face of the
accommodating
cavity is provided with at least one stripe groove which is extending along a
length of
the flexible protective sleeve. In such a way, when the flexible light panel
is
embedded in the accommodating cavity, at least one stripe groove is arranged
between
the bottom surface of the soft light panel and the inner-wall bottom surface
of the
accommodating cavity, thereby, for an ornamental effect, preventing the
formation of
said air bubbles by discharging them to the outer side of the accommodating
cavity
through the stripe groove.
[0025] Meanwhile, a reinforcing panel for the soft light panel is
provided in an
interior of the accommodating cavity, thus increasing the tensile strength of
the LED
light, and thereby improving the reliability of the LED light strip by
advantageously
avoiding circuit break in the soft light panel due to stretching during the
installation
process of the LED light strip.
[0026] The present invention also provides a first and a second optical
layer to
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gradually reduce the refractive indexes of the media through which the light
travels,
thereby improving the light emission efficiency of the LED light strip by
avoiding
total light reflection. On the other hand, since the emitted light is
refracted from a
medium with a higher refractive index to a medium with a lower refractive
index, the
angle of exit of the emitted light increases during its emission through these
different
media, thereby increasing the uniformity of light emission.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an LED light strip in a first
embodiment of
the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic structural exploded view of a soft light
panel of the
present invention;
[0029] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a circuit structure of a soft
light panel
in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a circuit structure of a soft
light panel
in another embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a circuit structure of a soft
light panel
in another embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of the LED light strip in
the first
embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 8 is a lateral view of a flexible protective sleeve in the
first
embodiment of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of an LED light strip in a
second
embodiment of the present invention;
[0036] FIG. 10 is a parts drawing of the flexible protective sleeve of
FIG. 9;
[0037] FIG. 11 is a parts drawing of the soft light panel of FIG. 9;
[0038] FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a shape of a stripe groove of
FIG. 9;
[0039] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 7.
[0040] List of reference numerals:
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10. flexible protective sleeve
11. accommodating cavity
110. stripe groove
12. opening
13. baffle
20. soft light panel
21. first insulating soft film
22. second insulating soft film
23. circuit layer
230. first aperture
24. optical glue
25. third insulating soft film
26. main conductor layer
260. second aperture
30. LED light source
31. first pin
310. first conductive layer
32. second pin
320. second conductive layer
33. LED chip
34. encapsulant
35. first optical layer
40. protective circuit
50. reinforcing panel
60. second optical layer
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0041] The present invention will be further described in conjunction
with the
drawings for a purpose of clarifying the goals, technical solutions and
advantages
thereof. In this regard, the terms "up/upper/above", "low/lower/beneath",
"left",
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"right", "front", "rear/back", "inside/inner side", "outside/outer side" and
the like used
herein are only based on the drawings with no attempt to limit the scope of
the present
invention.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the LED light strip of the present invention
includes a
flexible protective sleeve 10, a soft light panel 20 and a reinforcing panel
50, an
interior of said flexible protective sleeve 10 being provided with an
accommodating
cavity 11 extending along a length thereof, and said soft light panel 20 and
said
reinforcing panel 50 being embedded in said accommodating cavity 11.
[0043] As shown in FIGS. 2-3, in order to simplify the manufacture of the
LED
light strip and to improve the production efficiency thereof, the soft light
panel of the
present invention includes a first insulating soft film 21, a second
insulating soft film
22 and an LED source 30, said first insulating soft film 21 and said second
insulating
soft film 22 being respectively fixed to two end faces of the LED light source
30. The
first insulating soft film 21 or the second insulating soft film 22 is
provided with a
plurality of circuit layers 23 on its surface along a length thereof, said
circuit layers 23
being independent of each other and being arranged successively, and two
adjacent
circuit layers 23 being connected with each other via an LED light source 30.
The two
end faces of the LED light source 30 are respectively provided with a first
chip
electrode and a second chip electrode, said first chip electrode being
electrically
connected to one of the two adjacent circuit layers 23 via a first pin 31, and
said
second chip electrode being electrically connected to the other one of the two
adjacent
circuit layers 23 via a second pin 32. The first chip electrode and the first
pin 31 are
electrically connected via a first conductive layer 310, and the second chip
electrode
and the second pin 32 are electrically connected via a second conductive layer
320.
The first conductive layer 310 are electrically connected to the first chip
electrode and
the first pin 31 via a conductive glue, and the second conductive layer 320
are
electrically connected to the second chip electrode and the second pin 32 via
a
conductive glue.
[0044] Therefore, given the fact that the above configuration is adopted
by the soft
light panel 20, the flexible lamp panel 20 is endowed with structural
compactness and
high flexibility, thereby allowing it to be bendable for use.
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[0045] As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the present invention further provides a
protective
circuit 40 which is connected in parallel to at least one LED light source.
The
protective circuit 40 is turned on when the LED light source 30 is
disconnected to
maintain the soft light panel operating, namely, the protective circuit 40
replaces the
damaged LED light sources in case of such, thereby maintaining electrification
and
light emission. Therefore, the above configuration endows the LED light string
with a
remarkably prolonged service life and strong durability.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the protective circuit 40 in one embodiment
includes
at least one Zener diode, said Zener diode being connected in reverse parallel
to at
least one LED light source, and a stabilized voltage of said Zener diode being
higher
than aterminal- voltage at which the at least one LED light source connected
in
reverse parallel to the Zener diode operates. As shown in FIG. 4, the
protective circuit
40 of this embodiment includes two Zener diodes, while the number of the Zener
diodes is also adjustable as the length of the light strip increases. Each
Zener diode is
connected in reverse parallel to three LED light sources 3, wherein a
stabilized voltage
of the Zener diode is Ud, and a voltage across both ends of the three LED
light source
is Ua, Ud being slightly higher than Ua. Since Ua is lower than Ud, the Zener
diode is
in a non-electrified state, and a circuit connected in parallel with the Zener
diode is in
an open state when any LED light source 30 is damaged. At the instant of
opening, a
voltage across both ends of the Zener diode is equal to a voltage of the power
supply,
and since the latter is higher than the stabilized voltage Ud of the Zener
diode, the
Zener diode is reversely punctured and then electrified. The above
configuration
allows the Zener diode to form a circuit loop by being connected in series
with the
remaining LED light sources 30, thereby advantageously maintaining the
remaining
LED light sources 30 usable, reducing need for maintenance and providing an
excellent overall durability.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 5, the protective circuit 40 in another
embodiment
includes at least two LED light source groups, each of which consists of at
least one
LED light source 30. The protective circuit 40 includes a voltage-stabilizing
unit, an
A-terminal of said voltage-stabilizing unit being connected to a cathode of
one of the
LED light source groups and an anode of another one of the LED light source
groups,
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a B-terminal of said voltage-stabilizing unit being connected to an anode of
one of the
LED light source groups, and a C-terminal of said voltage-stabilizing unit
being
connected to a cathode of another one of the LED light source groups. The
above
configuration maintains the voltage-stabilizing unit electrified when any LED
light
source group is disconnected, thereby allowing the entire circuit to continue
operating.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 6, the voltage-stabilizing unit of the protective
circuit 40
in another embodiment includes a first Zener diode 40a and a second Zener
diode 40b
which are connected in series with each other, a cathode of said first Zener
diode 40a
(i.e., the B-terminal of the voltage-stabilizing unit) being connected to an
anode of one
of the LED light source groups, an anode of said second Zener diode 40b (i.e.,
the C-
terminal of the voltage-stabilizing unit) being connected to a cathode of
another one of
the LED light source groups. An anode of the first Zener diode 40a is
connected to a
cathode of the second Zener diode 40b (forming the A-terminal of the voltage-
stabilizing unit), and is simultaneously connected to a cathode of one of the
LED light
source groups and an anode of another one of the LED light source groups.
[0049] In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the present invention further
provides a
current-limiting circuit which is connected in series with the LED light
source 30, a
current-limiting circuit herein being a current-limiting resistor. The current-
limiting
resistor reduces the current flowing through the LED light source 30 to ensure
a safe
and stable operation of the LED Light source 30.
[0050] Preferably, for a purpose of simplifying and facilitating the
manufacture of
the soft light panel 20, the first and second conductive layers 310/320 and
the first and
second insulating soft films 2 1/22 are all made of a transparent or
translucent material.
The first conductive layer 310 is made of a heat conductive material to
transfer the
heat generated by the LED light source 30 to the first insulating soft film 21
or to an
exterior.
[0051] Preferably, the first conductive layer 310 and the second
conductive layer
320 are both made of graphene or ITO. In this embodiment, the first conductive
layer
310 and the second conductive layer 320 are both grapheme, said grapheme being
optionally a single layer of graphene or a plurality of layers of graphene.
The
conductive layers made of graphene have a high conductivity and can serve as a
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conductive path. Meanwhile, the graphene layer has a light transmittance of up
to
97.7%, which advantageously improves light emission efficiency. An optical
glue 24
for encapsulating the LED light source 30 is filled between the first
insulating soft
film 21 and the second insulating soft film 22, said optical glue 24 being a
glue with
high transmittance which further improves the light emission efficiency of the
LED
light source 30. The optical glue 24 is connected via an insulating glue to
both the first
insulating soft film 21 and the second insulating soft film 22.
[0052] The first
insulating soft film and the second insulating soft film are each an
elongated structure, and a plurality of circuit layers are provided on the
second
insulating soft film in equidistant intervals, wherein two adjacent circuit
layers are
electrically connected via the at least one LED light source to form an LED
light
string connected in series.
[0053] The first
insulating film 21 and the second insulating film 22 are each an
elongated structure, and a plurality of circuit layers 23 are provided on the
second
insulating soft film 22 in equidistant intervals, wherein two adjacent circuit
layers 23
are electrically connected via one LED light source 30 to make these LED light
sources 30 form an LED light string connected in series.
[0054] The soft light
panel 20 of the present invention further includes a third
insulating soft film 25 arranged on an outer side of the second insulating
film soft 22,
and two main conductor layers 26 arranged between the second insulating soft
film 22
and the third insulating soft film 25. The two main conductor layers 26 are
electrically
connected to two ends of the LED light string respectively, and are fixed with
the
second insulating soft film 22 and the third insulating soft film 25 via an
insulating
glue.
[0055] In this
embodiment, the circuit layers 23 at both ends of the LED light
string are provided a first aperture 230 for conducting electricity, and the
two main
conductor layers 26 are provided with a second aperture 260 opposite to the
first
aperture 230, said first aperture 230 and said second aperture 260 being
electrically
connected via solder.
[0056] As shown in FIG.
1 and FIGS. 7-8, the LED light strip of the present
embodiment includes a flexible protective sleeve 10, an interior of which
being
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provided with an accommodating cavity 11 extending along a length thereof. A
soft
light panel 20 is embedded in the accommodating cavity 11, and is provided
with a
plurality of LED light sources 30 thereon, said LED light sources 30 being
arranged in
series on the soft light panel 20. A bottom of the flexible protective sleeve
10 is
provided with an opening 12 which is communicating with the accommodating
cavity
11, said opening 12 being provided with an opaque baffle 13 which is capable
of
blocking the opening 12.
[0057] Preferably, for a purpose of facilitating the manufacture and
processing of
the flexible protective sleeve 10, the flexible protective sleeve 10 is a
transparent
silicone sleeve, and the baffle 13 is a sanded silicone plate. Therefore, the
flexible
protective sleeve 10 and the baffle 13 can be integrally processed by
extrusion
molding, which is followed by a sanding processing of the baffle 13 for
opaqueness.
[0058] Alternatively, other structures can also be adopted to make the
baffle 13
opaque apart from the sanding processing. For example, the flexible protective
sleeve
is a transparent silicone sleeve, and the baffle 13 is a colored plate, the
color being
selected as one or more color from but not limited to white, black, red,
yellow, green,
purple, orange and blue.
[0059] In the present invention, since the bottom of the flexible
protective sleeve
10 is provided with the opening 12 communicating with the accommodating cavity
11,
and the opaque baffle 13 capable of blocking the opening 12 is arranged at the
opening 12, the following advantages are provided: the opaque baffle 13 blocks
the
soft light panel 20 when the latter is embedded in the accommodating cavity
11,
thereby, for an ornamental effect, preventing the air bubbles between the
bottom
surface of the soft light panel 20 and the inner-wall bottom surface of the
accommodating cavity 11 from being seen by a user.
[0060] Moreover, for a purpose of facilitating the manufacture and
processing of
the LED light strip of the present invention, the flexible protective sleeve
10 and the
baffle 13 are preferably an integral structure, namely, the flexible
protective sleeve 10
and the baffle 13 can be manufactured via integral injection molding or
extrusion
molding.
[0061] Alternatively, the flexible protective sleeve 10 and the baffle 13
can also be
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arranged as two independent parts, so that the baffle 13 is removably mounted
at the
opening 12 of the accommodating cavity 11.In order to allow the baffle 13 to
be better
mounted at the opening 12 of the accommodating cavity 11, the baffle 13 is
preferably
fixed to the opening 12 of the accommodating cavity 11 via a glue.
Alternatively, the
baffle 13 can also be wrapped at the opening 12 of the accommodating cavity 11
via a
transparent tape, specific way to mount the baffle 13 being variable according
to
actual needs.
[0062] Correspondingly, in order to allow the soft light panel 20 to be
better
fixated in the accommodating cavity 11, the accommodating cavity 11 in a
preferred
embodiment is shaped convex in a cross section, the soft light panel 20 being
embedded in a lower portion thereof, and the LED light source 30 being
embedded in
an upper portion of thereof. The convex shape allows the soft light panel 20
and the
LED light source 30 to be better fixated, and thus preventing the soft light
panel from
shaking in relative to the flexible protective sleeve 10.
[0063] As shown in FIGS. 9-12, the LED light strip of the present
embodiment
includes a flexible protective sleeve 10, an interior of said flexible
protective sleeve 10
being provided with an accommodating cavity 11 in which a soft light panel 20
is
embedded. The flexible light board 20 is provided with a plurality of LED
light
sources 30 arranged in series thereon. In the present invention, an inner-wall
bottom
face of the accommodating cavity 11 is provided with at least one stripe
groove 110
which is extending along a length of the flexible protective sleeve 10.
[0064] In order to facilitate the light emitted by the LED light source
30 to better
pass through the flexible protective sleeve 10 and to facilitate the
production and
manufacture of the flexible protective sleeve 10, the flexible protective
sleeve 10 is
preferably a transparent protective sleeve.
[0065] Since the inner-wall bottom face of the accommodating cavity 11 is
provided with at least one stripe groove 110 which is extending along a length
of the
flexible protective sleeve 10, at least one stripe groove 110 is arranged
between the
bottom surface of the soft light panel 20 and the inner-wall bottom face of
the
accommodating cavity 11 when the soft light panel 20 is embedded in the
accommodating cavity 11. The above configuration allows the air between the
bottom
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surface of the soft light panel 20 and the inner-wall bottom face of the
accommodating
cavity 11 to be removed via the stripe groove 110 to the exterior of the
accommodating cavity 11, thereby effectively preventing air bubbles from
forming
therebetween for an ornamental effect.
[0066] Therefore, in order to allow said air to be better removed, the
inner-wall
bottom face of the accommodating cavity 11 is preferably provided with a
plurality of
stripe grooves 110, said stripe grooves 110 being uniformly arranged
therealong. More
preferably, the stripe groove 110 is a straight-stripe groove, a plurality of
which are
arranged in parallel along a length of the flexible protective sleeve 10. The
above
configuration further provides a stripe pattern of the bottom surface of the
LED light
stripe for an ornamental effect. Alternatively, the stripe groove 110 may be
provided in
other shapes, such as an s-shape (see FIG. 11). Therefore, the above
configuration
provides an ornamental effect achieved not only by removal of air bubbles, but
also by
choices for various stripe patterns based on the demand of a user.
[0067] For a purpose of facilitating the manufacture of the flexible
protective
sleeve 10, the stripe groove 110 of the present invention is preferably v-
shaped in a
cross section. Alternatively, the cross-sectional shape of the strip groove
110 is also
variable (e.g., a u-shape).
100681 Furthermore, in order to improve the illumination effect of the
LED light
strip of the present invention, the soft light panel 20 is preferably provided
with a
plurality of LED light sources 30 which are uniformly arranged along a length
thereof.
[0069] LED light strips are generally made considerably long in length
for
improving the manufacture efficiency thereof, followed by a cutting of the
manufactured LED light strips for suitable lengths. This however lead to a
series of
problems due to circuit break inside the soft light panel caused by
unintentional
stretching during the manufacturing process, said problems including power
failure of
the LED light sources, and eventually a waste of resources, production cost
and
installation cost. In order to solve this technical problem, the present
invention further
provides a reinforcing panel inside the accommodating cavity.
[0070] As shown in FIGS. 1, 7 and 13, the reinforcing panel 50 is in
contact with
one side of the soft light board 20 inside the accommodating cavity 11, said
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reinforcing panel 50 being fixed to the soft light board 20 via a fixing glue
or being
abutting against the soft light board 20 inside the accommodating cavity 11.
The
above configuration increases the tensile strength of the LED light strip to
prevent
circuit break inside the soft light panel 20 due to stretching, thereby
eventually
ensuring that the LED light source 30 operates normally.
[0071] Specifically, the reinforcing panel 50 can be a metal plate (e.g.,
aluminum,
copper, etc.) or a plastic plate (e.g. PVC, silicone, PP, PS, PET, PI plate,
etc.),
depending on actual needs for arranging the reinforcing panel. In this
embodiment, the
reinforcing panel 50 is a metal plate which increases both the heat
dissipation
efficiency and tensile strength of the LED light strip.
[0072] It is to be noted that, existing LED chips are made of gallium
nitride with a
refractive index of 2.2 or higher, while the refractive indexes of the
encapsulants used
for packaging are usually 1.4-1.5. Encapsulants with high refractive indexes
are
commonly used for packaging in order to reduce light loss, a problem yet to be
solved
as the difference between the refractive indexes of the encapsulant and the
LED chip
still remains large. Further light loss also occurs when the emitted light is
refracted
from the encapsulanet into air as the difference in refractive index also
exists for the
two. As a result, the light emission efficiency of these LED light strips is
considerably
impaired.
[0073] In this embodiment, the LED light source 30 includes at least one
LED
chip 33 and an encapsulant 34 encapsulating the LED chip 33. Existing LED
chips are
generally made of gallium nitride with a refractive index of about 2.2, while
the
encapsulant has a refractive index of about 1.5. Such a gap between the
refractive
indexes of the two results in total reflection of the light emitted by the LED
chip (i.e.,
the emitted light is trapped inside the LED chip), thereby impairing the light
emission
efficiency. To solve the above technical problem, the LED light source 30
further
includes a first optical layer 35 which is arranged between the LED chip and
the
encapsulant, a refractive index thereof being between a refractive index of
the LED
chip and a refractive index of the encapsulant. Specifically, the first
optical Layer 35 is
a transparent ceramic film having a refractive index of 1.6-2.0, specifically
1.7, 1.8 or
1.9. In this embodiment, the transparent ceramic film is a transparent
aluminum oxide
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film or a transparent aluminum nitride film.
[0074] In this embodiment, a transparent ceramic film having a refractive
index
between the refractive indexes of the LED chip 33 and the encapsulant 34 is
arranged
on a surface of the LED chip 33, thereby greatly improving the light emission
efficiency of the LED chip 33. Secondly, given the advantage of a good
compactness
of the transparent ceramic film, a dense optical layer is formed between the
LED chip
33 and the encapsulant 34 to prevent external moisture from entering an
interior of the
LED light source 30 and getting in contact with the LED chip 33, thereby
prolonging
the service life of the LED chip 33 and eventually that of the LED light
source 30.
Furthermore, since the heat dissipation efficiency of the transparent ceramic
film is
advantageously high, heat accumulation is prevented as the light emitted by
the LED
chip 33 is rapidly diffused to surrounding areas through the transparent
ceramic film,
thereby further prolonging the service life of the LED chip 33.
[0075] The flexible protective sleeve 10 is generally made of a
transparent silicone
having a low refractive index of about 1.4. Since the refractive index of air
is 1, a
large gap exists between the refractive indexes of the flexible protective
sleeve 10 and
the air, which significantly impairs the light emission efficiency of the LED
light strip.
In order to solve the above technical problem, the surface of the flexible
protective
sleeve 10 is provided with a second optical layer 60, a refractive index
thereof being
between the refractive indexes of the flexible protective sleeve 10 and the
air, thereby
improving the light transmittance of the LED light strip.
[0076] Specifically, the second optical layer 60 has a refractive index
of 1.2-1.4,
and is one or both of a lithium fluoride film and a magnesium fluoride film.
In this
embodiment, the second optical layer 60 is a lithium fluoride film with a
refractive
index of 1.3.
[0077] In the LED light strip provided by the present invention, the
light emitted
by the LED chip 33 sequentially passes through the first optical layer 35, the
encapsulant, the flexible protective sleeve 10 and the second optical layer
60,
refractive indexes thereof being respectively about 1.6-2.0, 1.5, 1.4 and 1.2-
1.4.
Namely, the refractive indexes of the media through which the emitted light
passes
reduce gradually, thereby avoiding a total reflection of the light, and
improving the
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light emission efficiency of the LED light strip. On the other hand, since the
emitted
light is refracted from a medium having a higher refractive index to another
medium
having a lower refractive index, the angle of exit of the light increases
during its
emission through these different media, thereby increasing the uniformity of
light
emission.
[0078] The
above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. It is to
be noted that various improvements and modifications are also both conceivable
and
achievable for those skilled in the art without departing from the principle
of the
invention, and these improvements and modifications shall also be within the
scope of
the present invention.
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