Lamp Comprising a Driver Circuit Board and a Base

Abstract

Disclosed is a lamp (1) comprising a driver circuit board (16) and a base (2) which are electrically connected to one another by a plug connector (3, 17). The invention applies to semiconductor lamps, for example, especially LED lamps, in particular retrofit lamps, e.g. to replace conventional incandescent lamps or halogen lamps.

Claims

1. A lamp having a driver circuit board and a base that are connected together electrically by a plug-in connection.

2. The lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein a male part of the plug-in connection is formed by at least one plug-in protrusion that protrudes from the edge of the driver circuit board .

3. The lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein a female part of the plug-in connection comprises at least two contact elements, which are encapsulated in an electrically insulating potting compound such that they are separate from one another.

4. The lamp as claimed in claim 3, wherein the contact elements are designed as a clamping connection and/or piercing connection.

5. The lamp as claimed in claim 3, wherein the female part of the plug-in connection comprises precisely two contact elements.

6. The lamp as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one of the contact elements is connected to a corresponding connecting contact of the base.

7. The lamp as claimed in claim 6, wherein the base MANCHESTER, NH 03101 is a screw-base, a first contact element is electrically connected to a metallic screw-thread of the base, which screw-thread acts as a first connecting contact, and a second contact extends through the potting compound as a central contact of the base, which contact acts as a second connecting contact.

8. The lamp as claimed in claim 5, wherein the two contact elements extend out of the insulating potting compound to the outside as connecting pins.

9. The lamp as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two contact elements are punched/bent parts.

10. The lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lamp is a semiconductor retrofit lamp.

Description

[0034] The following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which is explained in greater detail in conjunction with the drawings, will clarify and elucidate the above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention, and the manner in which they are achieved. For the sake of clarity, the same reference signs may be used in the drawings to denote identical or equivalent elements.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows, as already described in the introduction, a semiconductor retrofit lamp according to the prior art in an oblique sectional view;

[0036] FIG. 2 shows in an oblique view from the front a base of a semiconductor retrofit lamp according to the invention; and

[0037] FIG. 3 shows in an oblique view from behind a side contact of the base from FIG. 2;

[0038] FIG. 4 shows in an oblique view from the front a first contact element of the base from FIG. 2;

[0039] FIG. 5 shows in an oblique view from the front a second contact element of the base from FIG. 2;

[0040] FIG. 6 shows in an oblique view from the front the base from FIG. 2, where a side contact is shown semi-transparent;

[0041] FIG. 7 shows in a side view the base from FIG. 2, where a side contact is shown semi-transparent;

[0042] FIG. 8 shows as a sectional view from the side a cutaway of the semiconductor retrofit lamp according to the invention in the region of the base from FIG. 2;

[0043] FIG. 9 shows as a sectional oblique view another cutaway of the semiconductor retrofit lamp according to the invention in the region of the base from FIG. 2; and

[0044] FIG. 10 shows as a sectional oblique view yet another cutaway of the semiconductor retrofit lamp according to the invention in the region of the base from FIG. 2.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows in an oblique view from the front a base 2 of a semiconductor retrofit lamp 1 according to the invention (see FIGS. 8 to 10). The base 2, which is in the form of an Edison screw-base, comprises the side contact 112, which is shown in isolation in FIG. 3. This contact may be a conventional side contact 112 and, for instance, be in the form of a sleeve-like metallic screw-thread having an end side aperture 112a.

[0046] Inserted in a form-fit into the end side aperture 112a is a socket 3 as a female part of a plug-in connection. The socket 3 consists of electrically insulating potting compound 4 made of a plastics material, in which are encapsulated in a form-fit a first contact element 5 and a second contact element 6 made of metal. The first contact element 5 and the second contact element 6 are electrically isolated from one another by the potting compound 4.

[0047] The potting compound 4 provides a receptacle 7 having a first receptacle region 7a and a second receptacle region 7b for a plug (see FIGS. 8 to 10). The two adjacent receptacle regions 7a and 7b are separated from one another by a dividing wall 8 of the potting compound 4. Contact edges 9 of the first contact element 5 and of the second contact element 6 protrude from above and below into the first receptacle region 7a and into the second receptacle region 7b respectively.

[0048] FIG. 4 shows an oblique view of the first contact element 5. The first contact element 5 is made as a punched/bent part from a metal sheet (e.g. made of aluminum or copper) and comprises a jaw-shaped region 10 containing the top and bottom contact edges 9. The contact edges 9 form a mouth that widens outwards in order that a plug can be introduced securely into the jaw-shaped region 10. The jaw-shaped region 10 is open to the front with respect to the semiconductor retrofit lamp 1. Both contact edges 9 have protrusions or teeth 11 extending into the jaw-shaped region 10. The contact edges 9 can be designed to make a clamping connection and/or a piercing connection.

[0049] A rear tab-shaped portion 12 of the first contact element 5 is bent laterally and acts as a contact region to an inner face of the side contact 112.

[0050] FIG. 5 shows an oblique view of the second contact element 6. The second contact element 6 comprises a jaw-shaped region 10 of similar design to the first contact element 5. A rear region 13 comprises a rear contact region 14, which is bent laterally and is intended as the bottom contact. An end region 15, which is bent forwards again, is joined to the contact region 14, which end region is provided for the form-fit encapsulation in the potting compound 4 in order to prevent the rear contact region 14 from being bent back.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows an oblique view from the front of the base 2, where the side contact 112 and the potting compound 4 are now shown semi-transparent. The contact region 14 of the second contact element 6 acts as the bottom contact of the base 2, whereas the tab-shaped portion 12 of the first contact element 5 makes contact with the side contact 112.

[0052] Thus whereas an electrical connection between the driver circuit board 107 and a first external connecting contact (namely the side contact 112) is a two-piece connection, the electrical connection between the driver circuit board 107 and a second external connecting contact (namely the bottom contact 14) is a single-piece connection. The second contact element 6 extends through the potting compound 4 for this purpose.

[0053] The potting compound 4 encircles the edge of the end side aperture 112a of the side contact 112 from both sides and is thus arranged in a form-fit with the side contact 112.

[0054] FIG. 7 shows a side view of the base 2, where the side contact 112 and the potting compound 4 are shown semi-transparent. The tab-shaped portion 12 of the first contact element 5 makes contact with the side contact 112 on its inner edge region of the end side aperture 112a.

[0055] FIG. 8 shows as a sectional view from the side a cutaway of the semiconductor retrofit lamp 1 according to the invention in the region of the base 2. In this view, an associated driver circuit board 16 is shown cut-through. FIG. 9 shows as a sectional oblique view another cutaway of the semiconductor retrofit lamp 1 in the region of the base 2, but in this case with the potting compound 4 shown semi-transparent. Again in this case, the driver circuit board 16 is shown cut-through. FIG. 10 shows as a sectional oblique view yet another cutaway of the semiconductor retrofit lamp 1 in the region of the base 2, showing in this case a view onto a planar face of the driver circuit board 16.

[0056] With reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, the semiconductor retrofit lamp 1 comprises a plug-in connection between the driver circuit board 16 and the base 2, and the socket 3, respectively. The plug-in connection is implemented by a plug of the driver circuit board 16 being formed by two plug-in protrusions 17 that protrude from the edge of the driver circuit board 16. The two plug-in protrusions 17 are arranged at a lateral separation from one another such that they are plugged or inserted into the receptacle regions 7a and 7b respectively of the potting compound 4 and are separated from one another by the dividing wall 8. The two plug-in protrusions 17 both have an elongate rectangular shape and comprise a segment of a conductor 18 at least on the planar side shown in FIG. 10.

[0057] The conductors 18 of the plug-in protrusions 17 inserted into the receptacle regions 7a and 7b make contact with the teeth 11 of the corresponding contact edges 9. The teeth 11 hold the associated conductors 18 at least in a press-fit, if applicable also in a piercing connection. The insertion of the plug-in protrusions 17 into the receptacle regions 7a and 7b is achieved by a simple linear movement, and can be performed in an automated manner It is possible to dispense with using wires or the like.

[0058] In the assembled condition, the side contact 112 is plugged or pushed externally on a housing 19 of the semiconductor retrofit lamp 1, and may be fastened to the housing 19 in a friction-fit, form-fit and/or integral manner.

[0059] The semiconductor retrofit lamp 1 can in other aspects have the same design as the semiconductor retrofit lamp 101.

[0060] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in greater detail using the preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited thereto, and a person skilled in the art can derive other variations therefrom that are still covered by the scope of protection of the invention.

[0061] In general, “a” or “an” can be understood in the singular or plural sense, in particular in the sense of “at least one” or “one or more” etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise, e.g. by the expression “precisely one” etc.

[0062] In addition, where a number is specified, the stated number can include exactly that number and also a typical tolerance band unless explicitly stated otherwise.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0063] 1 semiconductor retrofit lamp [0064] 2 base [0065] 3 socket [0066] 4 potting compound [0067] 5 first contact element [0068] 6 second contact element [0069] 7 receptacle [0070] 7a first receptacle region [0071] 7b second receptacle region [0072] 8 dividing wall [0073] 9 contact edge [0074] 10 jaw-shaped region [0075] 11 tooth [0076] 12 tab-shaped portion of the first contact element [0077] 13 rear region of the second contact element [0078] 14 contact region of the second contact element [0079] 15 end region of the second contact element [0080] 16 driver circuit board [0081] 17 plug-in protrusion of the driver circuit board [0082] 18 conductor [0083] 19 housing of the semiconductor retrofit lamp [0084] 101 semiconductor retrofit lamp [0085] 102 bulb [0086] 103 LED module [0087] 104 LED chip [0088] 105 substrate [0089] 106 optical element [0090] 107 driver circuit board [0091] 108 driver component [0092] 109 driver cavity [0093] 110 rear aperture of the driver cavity [0094] 111 base [0095] 112 side contact [0096] 112a end side aperture of the side contact [0097] 113 bottom contact [0098] 114 protective resistor