U.S. patent application number 10/647228 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-03 for method of producing an led rope light.
Invention is credited to Liu, Li-Wen, Liu, Wei-Jen.
Application Number | 20050044703 10/647228 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34194650 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050044703 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liu, Li-Wen ; et
al. |
March 3, 2005 |
METHOD OF PRODUCING AN LED ROPE LIGHT
Abstract
A method of producing a light-emitting-diode (LED) rope light
includes the steps of preparing a plurality of light seats defining
a recess therein and a plurality of metal wires having two
conductive plates connected to two ends thereof; positioning two
conductive plates from two different metal wires in each light
seat; forming the light seats into light-emitting diodes; serially
connecting the light seats to provide an LED light string;
positioning the LED light string into a hollow power cord holder
with two electrodes of the LED light string connected to two power
cords embedded in the power cord holder; and quickly enclosing said
power cord holder with a transparent outer tube by way of injection
molding to form an LED rope light.
Inventors: |
Liu, Li-Wen; (Hsinchu,
TW) ; Liu, Wei-Jen; (Hsinchu, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RABIN & BERDO, P.C.
Suite 500
1101 14th Street, N.W.
Washington
DC
20005
US
|
Family ID: |
34194650 |
Appl. No.: |
10/647228 |
Filed: |
August 26, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/876 ; 29/837;
29/874 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 29/49204 20150115;
Y10T 29/49162 20150115; Y10T 29/49147 20150115; F21Y 2115/10
20160801; F21S 4/26 20160101; Y10T 29/49169 20150115; Y10T 29/49208
20150115; Y10T 29/49139 20150115; Y10T 29/49117 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
029/876 ;
029/874; 029/837 |
International
Class: |
H05K 003/30 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of producing an LED rope light, comprising the steps
of: preparing a plurality of metal wires having two conductive
plates connected to two ends thereof, and a plurality of
open-topped light seats defining a recess therein and being
provided at two transverse ends with two opposite and symmetrical
notches; assembling said metal wires to said light seats, so that
each said light seat has two said metal wires separately extended
through said two notches on said light seat with one said
conductive plate from each said metal wire fitly located in said
recess defined in said light seat; said two conductive plates
located in the same one said recess being separated from each
other; firmly attaching an LED chip to one of said two conductive
plates in said recess of each said light seat by means of a bonding
agent, and then connecting a metal conductor at positive and
negative electrodes thereof to said LED chip and the other said
conductive plate, respectively, so that said a plurality of light
seats are electrically connected at a positive electrode of a first
one to a negative electrode of a next one to provide a light
string; separately positioning said light seats in each said light
string in forming molds and sending said forming molds into an
encapsulating compound injector for encapsulation, sending said
forming molds with said light seats and injected encapsulating
compound into a drying oven, allowing said encapsulating compound
to set and form a mask over each said LED chip, so that an LED
light string is formed; preparing a power cord holder that is
provided in two sidewall portions with two separated power cords
having different polarities for connecting to positive and negative
electrodes at two outmost ends of said LED light string formed from
said light seats; and positioning said power cord holder along with
said LED light string implanted therein into an injection-molding
machine, so that said power cord holder with said implanted LED
light string is quickly enclosed in a transparent outer tube drawn
from said injection-molding machine to form an LED rope light, and
connecting a connector adapted to connect to a power source to an
end of said LED rope light.
2. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 1,
wherein each of said conductive plates is a rectangular plate and
is provided at two lateral. sides with two oppositely projected
teeth for pressing against inner surfaces of two lateral sides of
said recess in said light seat.
3. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 1,
wherein each of said conductive plates is a trapezoidal plate
having a shorter inner transverse end and a longer outer transverse
end.
4. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said transparent outer tube has a round cross section.
5. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said transparent outer tube has a rectangular cross section
and is provided on outer surfaces with a plurality of circles of
axially spaced grooves.
6. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 4,
wherein said power cord holder is a hollow tubular member and cut
at a top thereof to provide a longitudinal V-sectioned opening, via
which said light seat are implanted into an internal space of said
hollow power cord holder, and inner and outer bottom surfaces of
said power cord holder opposite to said V-sectioned opening being
formed into a flat surface and a convex surface, respectively.
7. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 5,
wherein said power cord holder is a hollow tubular member and cut
at a top thereof to provide a longitudinal V-sectioned opening, via
which said light seat are implanted into an internal space of said
hollow power cord holder, and has flat upper and lower outer
surfaces and two convex lateral outer surfaces to correspond to
said rectangular cross section of said transparent outer tube.
8. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 1,
wherein said power cord holder is in the form of a long strip
having a plurality of through holes equally spaced thereon for said
light seats on said LED light string to separately locate in said
through holes.
9. The method of producing an LED rope light as claimed in claim 8,
wherein said transparent outer tube is a substantially
rectangular-sectioned tube having a convex top, a flat bottom, and
two flat sidewalls, and defining a rectangular-sectioned inner
space for drawing said long strip of power cord holder into said
outer tube.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a method of quickly
producing a light-emitting-diode (LED) rope light, and more
particularly to a method of producing an LED rope light at largely
reduced manufacturing cost and shortened time.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A conventional rope light includes a plurality of bulbs as
its light sources. These bulbs are serially connected to one
another to form one or two bulb strings, which are then set in a
long core tube. The core tube is cut at an outer surface to provide
a longitudinal opening, via which the bulb string or strings are
positioned into the core tube. Two power cords having different
polarities are embedded in two opposite sides of a wall of the core
tube. The two embedded power cords are cut at staggered positions
to expose bare wires, to which lead wires of the first and the last
bulb in the bulb strings are separately electrically connected to
emit light. The core tube with bulbs is then drawn into a
transparent outer tube to complete a conventional rope light. In
the case two bulb strings are formed, lead wires of the bulbs must
be covered with insulated sleeves to avoid a short circuit.
[0003] In the above-described conventional rope light, the bulbs
are horizontally set into the core tube via the longitudinal
opening provided on one side of the core tube. The existence of the
longitudinal opening largely reduces an overall structural strength
of the core tube. When the rope light is used on a stage or at
places close to steps and tends to be twisted, deformed, trodden or
impacted, the core tube with reduced structural strength is not
strong enough to bear such external forces, resulting in damaged
bulbs in the core tube. Moreover, it is difficult and requires
increased material and labor costs to mount the insulated sleeves
around the lead wires of two adjacent bulb strings that are set in
the core tube at the same time. The conventional rope light with
two bulb strings therefore requires increased material cost and is
not easy to assemble.
[0004] Another problem with the conventional rope light is that the
bulbs consume high power and generate a large amount of heat to
cause deteriorated core tube and outer tube of the rope light.
Broken bulbs in the deteriorated core tube and outer tube tend to
cause short circuit, and the conventional rope light is therefore
not safe for use.
[0005] It is there fore tried by the inventor to develop a method
of producing an energy saving, safe, and environment friendly LED
rope light at reduced cost and shortened assembling time to
eliminate the problems existed in the conventional rope light.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
method that enables production of an energy saving, safe, and
environment friendly LED rope light at reduced cost and shortened
assembling time.
[0007] To achieve the above and other objects, the method of the
present invention for producing an LED rope light includes the
steps of preparing a plurality of light seats defining a recess
therein and a plurality of metal wires having two conductive plates
connected to two ends thereof; positioning two conductive plates
from two different metal wires in each light seat; processing the
light seats to provide light-emitting diodes (LED); serially
connecting the light seats to provide an LED light string;
positioning the LED light string into a hollow power cord holder
with the metal wires of the LED light string correspondingly
connected to positive and negative electrodes of two power cords
embedded in the power cord holder; and quickly enclosing said power
cord holder with a transparent outer tube by way of injection
molding to form an LED rope light.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates the first step of the method of the
present invention for producing an LED rope light;
[0010] FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 but shows that a differently
shaped conductive plate is used to produce the LED rope light;
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates the second step of the method of the
present invention for producing an LED rope light;
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates the third step of the method of the
present invention for producing an LED rope light;
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates the fourth step of the method of the
present invention for producing an LED rope light;
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates the fifth step of the method of the
present invention for producing an LED rope light;
[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates the sixth step of the method of the
present invention for producing an LED rope light;
[0016] FIG. 8 illustrates a finished product of the LED rope light
produced with the method of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 7 but shows that a differently
sectioned outer tube is used to produce the LED rope light;
[0018] FIG. 10 illustrates another finished product of the LED rope
light produced with the method of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 11 illustrates a differently structured power cord
holder for use in the fifth step of the method of the present
invention for producing an LED rope light;
[0020] FIG. 12 illustrates a further outer tube having a cross
section corresponding to that of the power cord holder of FIG. 11
for producing the LED rope light of the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 13 illustrates another finished product of the LED rope
light produced with the method of the present invention and using
the power cord holder and the outer tube shown in FIGS. 11 and 12,
respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 7, in which different steps
included in the method of the present invention for producing an
LED light rope are illustrated.
[0023] In the first step of the method of the present invention as
shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of metal wires 1 having two
rectangular conductive plates 11 connected to two ends thereof are
prepared. Each of the conductive plates 11 is provided at two
lateral sides with two oppositely projected teeth 12. There is also
prepared a plurality of open-topped light seats 2, each of which
defines a recess 21 therein. Each of the light seats 2 is provided
at two transverse ends with two opposite and symmetrical notches
22. It is to be noted that the conductive plate 1 is not restricted
to a rectangular plate but may be a trapezoidal plate having a
shorter inner transverse end and a longer outer transverse end, as
shown in FIG. 2.
[0024] In the second step of the method of the present invention as
shown in FIG. 3, the metal wires 1 are assembled to the light seats
2, so that each light seat 2 has two metal wires 1 separately
extended through the two notches 22 on the light seat 2 with one
conductive plate 11 from each metal wire 1 fitly located in the
recess 21 defined by the light seat 2. It is to be noted that the
two conductive plates 11 located in the same one recess 21 do not
contact with each other, and the two laterally projected teeth 12
on each conductive plate 11 are pressed against inner surfaces of
two longitudinal sides of the recess 21 to thereby firmly hold the
conductive plate 11 in place in the recess 21.
[0025] In the third step of the method of the present invention as
shown in FIG. 4, an LED chip 3 is firmly attached to one of the two
conductive plates 11 in the recess 21 of each light seat 2 by means
of a bonding agent, and then a metal conductor 4 is connected at
positive and negative electrodes to the LED chip 3 and the other
conductive plate 11 in the recess 21, respectively, with the help
of a microscope, so that the a plurality of light seats 2 are
electrically serially connected at a positive electrode of a first
one to a negative electrode of a next one to provide a light
string.
[0026] In the fourth step of the method of the present invention as
shown in FIG. 5, the light seats 2 in each light string are
separately positioned in forming molds (not shown) and sent into an
encapsulating compound injector (not shown) for encapsulation. The
forming molds with the light seats 2 and injected encapsulating
compound are then sent into a drying oven (not shown) , so that the
encapsulating compound is set to form a mask 5 over each LED chip
3, and an LED light string 6 is obtained.
[0027] In the fifth step of the method of the present invention as
shown in FIG. 6, a hollow power cord holder 7 is prepared. The
power cord holder 7 is cut at a top thereof to provide a
V-sectioned opening, via which the light seats 2 may be implanted
into an internal space of the hollow power cord holder 7. Inner and
outer bottom surfaces of the power cord holder 7 opposite to the
V-sectioned opening are formed into a flat surface and a convex
surface 72, respectively. Two power cords 71 having two different
polarities are separately embedded in two sidewall portions of the
power cord holder 7. When the LED light string 6 formed from the
light seats 2 is implanted into the inner space of the power cord
holder 7, positive and negative electrodes at two outmost ends of
the LED light string 6 are separately connected to the positive and
the negative power cord 71, respectively.
[0028] In the sixth and final step of the method of the present
invention as shown in FIG. 7, the power cord holder 7 along with
the LED light string 6 implanted therein are positioned into an
injection-molding machine (not shown) , so that the power cord
holder 7 with implanted LED light string 6 is quickly enclosed in a
transparent outer tube 8 to form an LED rope light 9. Then, a
connector 91 for connecting to a power source is connected to an
end of the LED rope light 9, as shown in FIG. 8.
[0029] It is to be noted that the transparent outer tube 8 of the
LED rope light 9 is not necessarily a round-sectioned tube as shown
in FIGS. 7 and 8, but may have other different cross sections
depending on actual needs. For example, the transparent outer tube
8 may have a rectangular cross section when it is drawn from the
injection-molding machine, as shown in FIG. 9. In this case, the
power cord holder 7 may have flat upper and lower outer surfaces
and two convex side surfaces to correspond to the rectangular cross
section of the transparent outer tube 8. Moreover, to enable the
rectangular-sectioned LED rope light 9 to be highly flexible and
bendable, the rectangular-sectioned transparent outer tube 8 is
provided on outer surfaces with a plurality of circles of axially
equally spaced grooves 81, as shown in FIG. 10.
[0030] Alternatively, as can be seen from FIGS. 11 and 12, the
power cord holder 7 prepared in the fifth step may be in the form
of a long strip, on which a plurality of through holes 73 are
equally spaced for the light seats 2 on the LED light string 6 to
separately locate therein; and the transparent outer tube 8
produced in the sixth step may be a substantially
rectangular-sectioned tube having a convex top 81, a flat bottom,
and two flat sidewalls, and defining a rectangular-sectioned inner
space for drawing the strip-like power cord holder 7 into the outer
tube 8 to produce a finished product of the LED rope light 9 shown
in FIG. 13.
[0031] With the method of the present invention, the LED rope light
9 may be produced at a largely reduced amount of raw material. The
LED chips 3 of the LED rope light 9 formed with the method of the
present invention are serially connected at a positive electrode of
a first one and a negative electrode of a next one, and may be
tested immediately after the application of the encapsulating
compound. In the event the LED light string 6 is tested and proven
as a good one, it is then assembled to the power cord holder 7.
After the power cord holder 7 with the light string 6 assembled
thereto is sent to an injection-molding machine for enclosing with
the transparent outer tube 8, a finished product of the LED rope
light may be obtained after the connector 91 is connected to an end
thereof. In this manner, it is not necessary to troublesomely check
the LED chips one by one while an energy-saving,
environment-friendly, and safe LED rope light may be produced with
simplified procedures, reduced loss of raw material, and shortened
assembling time.
* * * * *