Connecting arrangement for the adhesive connection of a positionally sensitive element to a receiving body

Abstract

A bonding arrangement and a method for the adhesive bonding of a position-sensitive element to a receiving body, in particular of an optical element, such as a semiconductor light source, a reflector, or the like, wherein a UV-curable adhesive is arranged between the position-sensitive element and the receiving body. Provision is made that the bond between the position-sensitive element and the receiving body has at least one cavity for accommodating the UV-curable adhesive and at least one retaining element that extends into the cavity and projects into the UV-curable adhesive. The cavity has a bottom section that is designed to be sufficiently thin-walled that the adhesive can be cured with UV light that can be radiated through the bottom section.

Claims

1. A bonding arrangement for an adhesive bonding of a position-sensitive element to a receiving body of an optical element, the bonding arrangement comprising: a UV-curable adhesive arranged between the position-sensitive element and the receiving body; at least one cavity for accommodating the UV-curable adhesive; and at least one retaining element that extends into the cavity and projects into the UV-curable adhesive, wherein the cavity has a bottom section that is provided at a deepest point of the cavity, and wherein an entirety of the bottom section is configured to be sufficiently thin-walled such that the UV-curable adhesive is cured with UV light that is radiated through the bottom section, and wherein the cavity is fully enclosed except for an opening at an upper end of the cavity, wherein the opening opposes the bottom section.

2. The bonding arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is at least partially filled with the UV-curable adhesive, and wherein a structural adhesive is additionally contained in the cavity.

3. The bonding arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the structural adhesive is added to the surface of the UV-curable adhesive, and wherein portions of the retaining element pass through the structural adhesive.

4. The bonding arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is formed on the receiving body or on the position-sensitive element.

5. The bonding arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the retaining element is formed on the position-sensitive element or on the receiving body.

6. The bonding arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the bottom section has a thickness of 20 μm to 500 μm, or of 50 μm to 200 μm, or of about 100 μm.

7. The bonding arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the bottom section is formed as a single piece with and of uniform material with the receiving body or wherein the bottom section is formed as a single piece with and of uniform material with the position-sensitive element.

8. The bonding arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the receiving body has a polymer-based plastic including a BMC.

9. The bonding arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the optical element is a semiconductor light source or a reflector.

10. A method for producing a bonding arrangement for an adhesive bonding of a position-sensitive element to a receiving body of an optical element, the method comprising: arranging a UV-curable adhesive between the position-sensitive element and the receiving body; forming a cavity on the receiving body or on the position-sensitive element; forming a retaining element on the position-sensitive element or on the receiving body; inserting the retaining element in the cavity; filling the cavity, at least partially, with the UV-curable adhesive so that the retaining element projects into the UV-curable adhesive; and irradiating the UV-curable adhesive via UV light through a thin-walled bottom section of the cavity, wherein the bottom section is provided at a deepest point of the cavity, and an entirety of the bottom section is thin-walled such that the UV-curable adhesive is cured with the UV light that is radiated through the bottom section, and wherein the cavity is fully enclosed except for an opening at an upper end of the cavity, wherein the opening opposes the bottom section.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a structural adhesive is additionally placed in the cavity.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a bonding arrangement with the features of the present invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the bonding arrangement from FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a cavity with a retaining element projecting into the cavity, wherein the cavity is filled with a UV-curable adhesive,

(5) FIG. 4 is another exemplary embodiment of a position-sensitive element arranged on a receiving body, wherein the position-sensitive element is implemented as a reflector,

(6) FIG. 5 is a side view of the reflector from FIG. 4, and

(7) FIG. 6 is another bonding arrangement with a reflector arranged on a receiving body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first exemplary embodiment of a bonding arrangement 1 in a top view (FIG. 1) and in a cross-sectional side view (FIG. 2). The bonding arrangement 1 serves to adhesively bond a position-sensitive element 10, shown as a semiconductor light source 12 by way of example, to a receiving body 11. The bond is accomplished with a UV-curable adhesive 15 that fixes an adjusted position of the semiconductor light source 12 relative to the receiving body 11 by a curing process.

(9) The term “UV-curable adhesive” is understood according to the invention to mean any adhesive that cures under the influence of light, wherein the wavelength of the light is typically in a range from 200 nm to 500 nm. Accordingly, “UV light” is understood to mean, in particular, light with a wavelength in the range from 200 nm to 500 nm.

(10) Formed on the receiving body 11 are cavities 16, four of them by way of example. On the semiconductor light source 12, four retaining elements 17 are likewise implemented that project into the cavities 16, as the cross-sectional view in FIG. 2 makes clear. The cavities 16 are at least partially filled with the UV-curable adhesive 15.

(11) Once the position-sensitive element 10, which is to say the semiconductor light source 12, for example, has been brought into the required position relative to the receiving body 11, for example by a suitable manipulator, then the adjusted position is fixed with the UV-curable adhesive 15. To this end, the UV-curable adhesive 15 is irradiated with UV light, for which purpose the cavities 16 have, according to the invention, a bottom section 18 that is designed to be sufficiently thin that the UV light can radiate through the bottom section 18 into the adhesive 15.

(12) For this purpose, FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the cavity 16 in the receiving body 11, and the retaining element 17 located on the semiconductor light source 12 has been inserted into the cavity 16. The cavity 16 is filled with UV-curable adhesive 15. Additionally shown is a UV light source 21 for providing UV light 19 that radiates through the thin bottom section 18 of the receiving body 11. Radiation of the UV light 19 into the adhesive 15 takes place as a result, so that the latter is cured. As is indicated in FIG. 3, the UV-curable adhesive 15 can additionally be illuminated with UV light 19 that is radiated in from the side of the position-sensitive element 10. Once the UV-curable adhesive 15 has cured following exposure to the UV light 19, the bonding arrangement 1 can be removed from the manipulator, with the position of the position-sensitive element 10 relative to the receiving body 11 being fixed by the cured adhesive 15.

(13) FIG. 4 shows another exemplary embodiment of a bonding arrangement 1 with a position-sensitive element 10, which is implemented as a reflector 13 as an example. Formed on the underside of the reflector 13 are retaining elements 17, which can be implemented as retaining fins 24, as shown in detail in FIG. 5.

(14) The retaining elements 17 project into cavities 16 that have been made in the receiving body 11. The cavities 16 are at least partially filled with UV-curable adhesive 15, into which the retaining elements 17 project.

(15) Shown on the left-hand cavity 16 by way of example is the arrangement of the UV light source 21 for providing UV light 19 that radiates through the bottom section 18 in the receiving body 11 in order to irradiate and cure the adhesive 15.

(16) FIG. 6 shows a variant of the bonding arrangement 1 with cavities 16 that are formed on the position-sensitive element 10. The position-sensitive element 10, shown as an optical element in the form of a reflector 14 by way of example, is arranged such that the openings of the cavities 16 face upward opposite the force of gravity. The UV-curable adhesive 15 can thus be dispensed into the cavities 16. After that, the retaining elements 17 on the receiving body 11, composed of a heat sink 22 for example, are plunged into the adhesive 15. On the bottom side, the cavities have the bottom sections 18, through which the UV light 19 can be radiated into the adhesive 15 by means of the UV light sources 21.

(17) The bonding arrangement 1 is held on a carrier 23. The reflector 14 points downward so that the cavities 16 are open to the top. Located above the cavities 16 is the receiving body 11, for example in the form of a heat sink 22, on which a light source is also mounted, for example an LED semiconductor light source or a laser light source. Such light sources require precise alignment relative to the reflector 14. To this end, the UV-curable adhesive 15 is first placed in the cavities 16. While the adhesive 15 is not yet cured, adjustment of the heat sink 22 or of the light source takes place relative to the reflector 14. Once the adjustment is complete, the adhesive 15 is cured by irradiation with the UV light, by which means the relative alignment of the heat sink 22 or of the light source and the reflector 14 is fixed. After that, a structural adhesive 20, which can cure over a longer period of time independently of the already-cured UV-curable adhesive 15, is additionally dispensed into the cavities 16. The precisely positioned arrangement of the reflector 14 on the receiving body 11, for example on the heat sink 22, does not change in this process. Alternatively, the two adhesives 15 and 20 can also be dispensed into the cavities 16 to start with, and the retaining elements 17 can be inserted into the cavities 16 subsequently. If an exposure of the UV-curable adhesive 15 to the UV light 19 takes place after that, then the UV-curable adhesive 15 cures regardless of whether or not the structural adhesive 20 has already been introduced. In this case, the structural adhesive 20 serves primarily to provide, e.g., the final, load-bearing adhesive bond between the position-sensitive element 10 and the receiving body 11, whereas the fast-curing UV-curable adhesive 15 serves mainly to fix the adjusted position. Consequently, the result is achieved that it is not necessary for the adjusted position to remain in, e.g., an adjustment device or a manipulator during a relatively long curing period for the structural adhesive 20. Instead, due to the fast curing of the UV-curable adhesive 15, the bonding arrangement 1 can be moved on to a handling system even while the structural adhesive 20 is still curing.

(18) The invention is not limited in its implementation to the preferred exemplary embodiments provided above. Instead, a number of variants are possible that make use of the described solution even in embodiments that are fundamentally different in nature. All features and/or advantages, including design details and spatial arrangements, that derive from the claims, the description, or the drawings, can be essential for the invention individually as well as in a wide variety of combinations.

(19) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.