Driver fixation with cement for LED tubes

Abstract

A light fixture and a method of making a light fixture include a light-permeable tube, at least one end cap pushed onto a free end of the tube for closure, and a driver device received at least partially in the tube and held in the tube by the end cap for driving a light module arranged in the tube. The end cap is fastened on the tube by an expanded adhesive and the driver device is fastened to the end cap or to the tube by the expanded adhesive.

Claims

1. A light fixture comprising: a tube having light-permeable properties; at least one end cap on a free end of the tube; and a driver device connected to a light module arranged inside the tube, wherein the driver device is received at least partially in the tube and held in the tube by the end cap, wherein the end cap is fastened on the tube by an expanded adhesive, wherein the driver device is fastened by the expanded adhesive to the end cap or to the tube, wherein the driver device is in contact with the expanded adhesive.

2. The light fixture according to claim 1, wherein the driver device is at least partially surrounded by the same cohesive application of the expanded adhesive, which fastens the end cap on the tube, wherein the expanded adhesive extends into the tube.

3. The light fixture according to claim 1, wherein the expanded adhesive is a foamed, heat-cured cement.

4. The light fixture according to claim 1, wherein the expanded adhesive at least partially surrounds the driver device and at least partially fills a free space located between the tube and the driver device.

5. The light fixture according to claim 1, wherein the driver device is connected to contact pins extending outwards through the end cap for contacting a lamp socket and a light module driven by the driver device arranged inside the tube.

6. The light fixture according to claim 5, wherein the light module is a LED light module.

7. The light fixture according to claim 1, wherein the driver device is at least partially submerged in the expanded adhesive.

8. A method for producing a light fixture, the method comprising: applying an expandable adhesive to an inner face of an annular overlap region of an end cap; introducing a driver device at least partially into a tube; fitting the annular overlap region of the end cap onto the tube; and expanding the expandable adhesive on the end cap and the tube to fasten the driver device to the end cap or to the tube, wherein the driver device is in contact with the expanded adhesive.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of expanding the expandable adhesive produces a foam cladding that at least partially surrounds the driver device and thereby fastens the driver device to the end cap or to the tube.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the driver device is completely surrounded with the foam cladding.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the expanding step has the expandable adhesive at least partially filling a free space located between the tube and the driver device.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising triggering an expansion of the expandable adhesive by a heat input onto the expandable adhesive.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of expanding further comprises foaming.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: connecting the driver device to contact pins extending outwards from the end cap for contacting a lamp socket; connecting wires of the driver device from an inner face of the end cap into a hollow of the contact pins formed on the inner face; and crimping the wires of the driver device in the hollow of the contact pins.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the expandable adhesive is a foamed, heat-curing cement.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein the driver device is at least partially submerged in the expanded adhesive.

17. The method according to claim 8, wherein the expanded adhesive extends into the tube.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Preferred further embodiments of the invention are explained in greater detail by the following description of the drawings. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows schematically a perspective side view of a light fixture according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows schematically a side view of an end cap of the light fixture according to FIG. 1 before the assembly with a tube of the light fixture; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows schematically a side view of the light fixture according to FIG. 1 before the foaming of an adhesive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(5) Preferred exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the drawings. In this case elements which are the same, similar, or act in the same way are provided with identical reference numerals in the different drawings, and repeated description of some of these elements is omitted in order to avoid redundancies.

(6) A perspective side view of a light fixture 1 according to the invention is shown schematically in FIG. 1. The light fixture 1 comprises a light-permeable glass tube 2 and an end cap 3 made of aluminum fitted on a free end 20 of the tube 2. Therefore, the end cap 3 closes the free end 20 of the tube 2.

(7) A light module (not shown) which is preferably designed in the form of a LED light module or LED chips is arranged inside the tube 2.

(8) Furthermore, a driver device 4 for driving the light module is arranged on an inner face of the end cap 3, wherein the driver device 4 is connected to contact pins 34 extending from the end cap 3 to the outside for contacting of a contact means of a lamp socket and is introduced at least partially into the tube 2.

(9) Furthermore, an expanded, in this case foamed adhesive 5 in the form of a heat-curing cement fastens the end cap 3 on the tube 2. Moreover, the driver device 4 is fixed relative to the end cap 3 and the tube 2 by means of the expanded, in this case foamed, adhesive 5.

(10) In this case the adhesive 5 partially surrounds the driver device 4, wherein the foamed adhesive 5 partially fills a free space located between the tube 2 and the driver device 4.

(11) An adhesive which is already known per se for connecting the end caps and the tubes, preferably an adhesive cement, can be used as the adhesive 5.

(12) A method for producing the light fixture according to FIG. 1 is explained below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

(13) FIG. 2 shows schematically a side view of the end cap 3 of the light fixture 1 according to FIG. 1 before the assembly with the tube 2.

(14) In a first step the driver device 4 is inserted with its connecting wires 40 into contact pins 34 of the end cap 3 which extend outwards from an end face 30 of the end cap 3 and then the contact pins 34 and the connecting wires 40 introduced therein are crimped, so that an initial connection between the end cap 3 and the driver device 4 is achieved.

(15) In a further embodiment (not shown) the driver device 4 can also be pre-fixed in another way to the end cap 3.

(16) Next an expandable, in this case foamable, adhesive 5 is applied to the inner face of an annular collar 32 of the end cap 3, which later forms an overlap region 6 with the tube 2. The adhesive 5 is applied as a cohesive application in an annular or cylindrical shape along the collar 32.

(17) Alternatively, the adhesive can first be applied to the end cap 3 and then the driver device 4 can be inserted in order in this way also to achieve a pre-fixing of the driver device 4.

(18) Subsequently the driver device 4 is introduced into the light-permeable tube 2 and the end cap 3 with the collar 32 is pushed onto the tube 2. FIG. 3 shows schematically a sectional view of the light fixture 1 according to FIG. 1 before the foaming of the adhesive 5 and the overlap region 6 forms between the end cap 3 and the tube 2.

(19) After the fitting of the end cap 3 onto the tube 2 heat is introduced, at least in the overlap region 6, into the adhesive 5 in a manner which is known per se, so that an expansion and preferably a foaming of the adhesive 5 takes place.

(20) In this case, the adhesive 5 expands into the overlap region 6 and also into the interior of the light fixture 1 or the tube 2 and as a result additionally surrounds the driver device 4, as shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates the final state of the expanded adhesive after the foaming. Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail by the depicted exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted thereto and other variations can be deduced therefrom by the person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

(21) In general a or an may be understood as a single number or a plurality, in particular in the context of at least one or one or more etc., provided that this is not explicitly precluded, for example by the expression precisely one etc.

(22) Also, when a number is given this may encompass precisely the stated number and also a conventional tolerance range, provided that this is not explicitly ruled out.

(23) If applicable, all individual features which are set out in the exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another and/or exchanged for one another, without departing from the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(24) 1 light fixture

(25) 2 tube

(26) 20 free end

(27) 3 end cap

(28) 30 end face

(29) 32 collar

(30) 34 contact pin

(31) 4 driver device

(32) 40 connecting wire

(33) 5 adhesive

(34) 6 overlap region