U.S. patent application number 16/120306 was filed with the patent office on 2019-03-07 for led light bulb and manufacturing method thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to Liquidleds Lighting Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Liquidleds Lighting Corporation. Invention is credited to Chien-Lang Huang.
Application Number | 20190072237 16/120306 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63283886 |
Filed Date | 2019-03-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190072237 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Huang; Chien-Lang |
March 7, 2019 |
LED LIGHT BULB AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
A LED light bulb includes a bulb envelope, a stem, at least two
conductors, at least one LED light emitting module, and fluid. The
bulb envelope has an opening, and a material of the bulb envelope
includes soda-lime glass. The stem is connected to the bulb
envelope and seals the opening. Here, the stem has a supporting
portion and a pipe, the supporting portion is located in the bulb
envelope, and the pipe has an open end inside the bulb envelope and
a sealed end outside the bulb envelope. The conductors are located
through the stem. The LED light emitting module is assembled to the
supporting portion and coupled to the conductors. The fluid fills
the bulb envelope. The bulb envelope made of soda-lime glass
enhances visual effects produced by the shape, color and light
reflection of the LED light bulb.
Inventors: |
Huang; Chien-Lang; (Taipei,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Liquidleds Lighting Corporation |
Taipei |
|
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
Liquidleds Lighting
Corporation
Taipei
TW
|
Family ID: |
63283886 |
Appl. No.: |
16/120306 |
Filed: |
September 3, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21V 3/061 20180201;
F21V 23/002 20130101; F21Y 2115/10 20160801; F21Y 2107/70 20160801;
F21V 3/02 20130101; F21K 9/232 20160801; H05B 45/40 20200101; F21K
9/90 20130101; F21K 9/66 20160801; Y02W 30/82 20150501 |
International
Class: |
F21K 9/232 20060101
F21K009/232; F21V 23/00 20060101 F21V023/00; H05B 33/08 20060101
H05B033/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 1, 2017 |
TW |
106130001 |
Claims
1. An LED light bulb comprising: a bulb envelope having an opening,
wherein a material of the bulb envelope comprises soda-lime glass;
a stem, the stem and the bulb envelope being melted at a high
temperature, so that a side skirt of the stem is connected to the
bulb envelope and seals the opening, wherein the stem has a
supporting portion, and the supporting portion is located in the
bulb envelope; at least two conductors located through the stem;
and at least one LED light emitting module assembled to the
supporting portion and coupled to the at least two conductors.
2. The LED light bulb of claim 1, wherein the stem has a pipe, and
the pipe has an open end in the bulb envelope and a sealed end
facing an outside of the bulb envelope.
3. The LED light bulb of claim 1, further comprising: fluid filling
the bulb envelope.
4. The LED light bulb of claim 1, wherein the bulb envelope is in a
shape of a bottle with a flat bottom and extends along a central
axis, and a projection length of the LED light emitting module on
the central axis is greater than 40% of a projection length of the
bulb envelope on the central axis.
5. An LED light bulb comprising: a bulb envelope having an opening;
a stem connected to the bulb envelope and sealing the opening, the
stem having a supporting portion located in the bulb envelope; at
least two conductors located through the stem; at least one LED
light emitting module assembled to the supporting portion and
coupled to the at least two conductors; and a supporting bracket
assembled to the supporting portion and leaning against the bulb
envelope, the supporting bracket having a trunk and a plurality of
branches, the trunk extending from the supporting portion, the LED
light emitting module being assembled to the trunk, the plurality
of branches extending from one end of the trunk and respectively
contacting the bulb envelope, wherein the number of contacts
between the supporting bracket and the bulb envelope is equal to or
greater than 2, and a maximum linear distance among the contacts is
greater than a maximum inner diameter of the opening.
6. The LED light bulb of claim 5, wherein the bulb envelope has a
sidewall and a bottom wall connected to the sidewall at an
intersection, and at least one of the contacts of the supporting
bracket and the bulb envelope is located at the intersection.
7. The LED light bulb of claim 5, wherein a material of the bulb
envelope comprises soda-lime glass.
8. The LED light bulb of claim 5, wherein the stem has a pipe, and
the pipe has an open end inside the bulb envelope and a sealed end
facing an outside of the bulb envelope.
9. The LED light bulb of claim 5, further comprising: fluid filling
the bulb envelope.
10. The LED light bulb of claim 5, wherein the bulb envelope is in
a shape of a bottle with a flat bottom and extends along a central
axis, and a projection length of the LED light emitting module on
the central axis is greater than 40% of a projection length of the
bulb envelope on the central axis.
11. An LED light bulb comprising: a bulb envelope having an
opening; a stem connected to the bulb envelope and sealing the
opening, the stem having a supporting portion and a pipe, the
supporting portion being located in the bulb envelope, the pipe
having an open end inside the bulb envelope and a sealed end
outside the bulb envelope; at least two conductors located through
the stem; at least one LED light emitting module assembled to the
supporting portion and coupled to the at least two conductors; and
fluid filling the bulb envelope, wherein the bulb envelope is in a
shape of a bottle and extends along a central axis, and a
projection length of the LED light emitting module on the central
axis is greater than 40% of a projection length of the bulb
envelope on the central axis.
12. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein a material of the bulb
envelope comprises soda-lime glass.
13. The LED light bulb of claim 11, further comprising: a
supporting bracket assembled to the supporting portion and leaning
against the bulb envelope, wherein the number of contacts between
the supporting bracket and the bulb envelope is equal to or greater
than 2, and a maximum linear distance among the contacts is greater
than a maximum inner diameter of the opening.
14. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the bulb envelope has a
sidewall and a bottom wall connected to the sidewall at an
intersection, and at least one of the contacts of the supporting
bracket and the bulb envelope is located at the intersection.
15. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the supporting bracket
has a trunk and a plurality of branches, the trunk extends from the
supporting portion, the LED light emitting module is assembled to
the trunk, and the plurality of branches extends from one end of
the trunk and respectively contacting the bulb envelope.
16. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein a material of the bulb
envelope comprises soda-lime glass.
17. The LED light bulb of claim 1, further comprising: a bulb head
assembled to the bulb envelope and coupled to the at least two
conductors.
18. The LED light bulb of claim 1, wherein the number of the LED
light emitting module is equal to or greater than 2, and the LED
light emitting modules are connected in series or in parallel.
19. The LED light bulb of claim 1, wherein the LED light emitting
module is a rigid LED light emitting module or a flexible LED light
emitting module.
20. (canceled)
21. (canceled)
22. (canceled)
23. The LED light bulb of claim 1, further comprising: an outer
bulb casing surrounding the bulb envelope, so that the outer bulb
casing and the bulb envelope together form a layered space
surrounding the bulb envelope; and liquid located in the layered
space.
24. The LED light bulb of claim 1, wherein the bulb envelope has a
standing portion providing a standing function.
25. A manufacturing method of an LED light bulb, comprising:
positioning a stem and at least one LED light emitting module of a
supporting portion assembled to the stem in a bulb envelope through
an opening of the bulb envelope, wherein the LED light emitting
module is coupled to and located through at least two conductors of
the stem; pre-heating the opening of the bulb envelope and a
portion of a neck portion adjacent to the opening for a pre-heating
time period, so that a temperature at which the opening and the
neck portion are heated is a pre-heating temperature; after the
pre-heating step, main-heating the opening of the bulb envelope and
the portion of the neck portion adjacent to the opening, so that
the temperature at which the opening and the neck portion are
heated is a main-heating temperature, and a side skirt of the stem
is simultaneously sintered to the bulb envelope to seal the opening
of the bulb envelope, wherein the main-heating temperature is
higher than the pre-heating temperature; after the main-heating
step, pumping residual air from the bulb envelope through a pipe of
the stem; after the air-pumping step, introducing fluid into the
bulb envelope through the pipe of the stem; and after the
gas-introducing step, sealing the pipe, so that the bulb envelope
is in an airtight state.
26. The manufacturing method of claim 25, further comprising: after
sintering the side skirt of the stem to the bulb envelope,
post-heating the opening of the bulb envelope and the neck portion
for a post-heating time period, so that the temperature at which
the opening and the neck portion are heated is a post-heating
temperature.
27. The manufacturing method of claim 26, wherein the post-heating
temperature is lower than or equal to the pre-heating
temperature.
28. The manufacturing method of claim 25, further comprising:
assembling a bulb head to the bulb envelope, the bulb head being
coupled to the at least two conductors.
29. The manufacturing method of claim 25, wherein a material
forming the bulb envelope is soda-lime glass.
30. The manufacturing method of claim 25, wherein a length of the
portion of the neck portion adjacent to the opening is greater than
half a maximum inner diameter of the opening.
31. The LED light bulb of claim 5, further comprising: a bulb head
assembled to the bulb envelope and coupled to the at least two
conductors.
32. The LED light bulb of claim 5, wherein the number of the LED
light emitting module is equal to or greater than 2, and the LED
light emitting modules are connected in series or in parallel.
33. The LED light bulb of claim 5, wherein the LED light emitting
module is a rigid LED light emitting module or a flexible LED light
emitting module.
34. The LED light bulb of claim 5, further comprising: an outer
bulb casing surrounding the bulb envelope, so that the outer bulb
casing and the bulb envelope together form a layered space
surrounding the bulb envelope; and liquid located in the layered
space.
35. The LED light bulb of claim 5, wherein the bulb envelope has a
standing portion providing a standing function.
36. The LED light bulb of claim 11, further comprising: a bulb head
assembled to the bulb envelope and coupled to the at least two
conductors.
37. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the number of the LED
light emitting module is equal to or greater than 2, and the LED
light emitting modules are connected in series or in parallel.
38. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the LED light emitting
module is a rigid LED light emitting module or a flexible LED light
emitting module.
39. The LED light bulb of claim 11, further comprising: an outer
bulb casing surrounding the bulb envelope, so that the outer bulb
casing and the bulb envelope together form a layered space
surrounding the bulb envelope; and liquid located in the layered
space.
40. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the bulb envelope has a
standing portion providing a standing function.
41. The LED light bulb of claim 3, wherein the fluid is
non-conductive fluid.
42. The LED light bulb of claim 3, wherein the fluid is inert
gas.
43. The LED light bulb of claim 3, wherein the fluid is helium
gas.
44. The LED light bulb of claim 9, wherein the fluid is
non-conductive fluid.
45. The LED light bulb of claim 9, wherein the fluid is inert
gas.
46. The LED light bulb of claim 9, wherein the fluid is helium
gas.
47. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the fluid is
non-conductive fluid.
48. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the fluid is inert
gas.
49. The LED light bulb of claim 11, wherein the fluid is helium
gas.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan
application serial no. 106130001, filed on Sep. 1, 2017. The
entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby
incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this
specification.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0002] The disclosure relates to a light emitting diode (LED) light
bulb, and more particularly relates to an LED light bulb and a
manufacturing method thereof.
Description of Related Art
[0003] With the improvement of the light emitting efficiency of
light emitting diode (LED) dies and the advancement of production
technology, the LED dies have gradually become light sources of
lighting fixtures. Although light bulbs with use of tungsten
filaments have been gradually replaced by LED light emitting
modules, the LED light bulbs in the filament shape are still
favored by designers. The LED light bulb of filament shape
basically refer to bar-shaped or spiral LED light emitting modules
disposed in the bulb envelopes. The LED light emitting modules are
applied in the bulb envelopes having different looks and being made
of various materials, and thereby users can get a completely
different visual experience.
SUMMARY
[0004] The disclosure provides a light emitting diode (LED) light
bulb to be an LED light bulb of filament shape.
[0005] The disclosure provides a manufacturing method of an LED
light bulb for manufacturing the LED light bulb in the filament
shape.
[0006] In an embodiment of the disclosure, an LED light bulb
including a bulb envelope, a stem, at least two conductors, at
least one LED light emitting module, and fluid is provided. The
bulb envelope has an opening, and a material of the bulb envelope
includes soda-lime glass. The stem is connected to the bulb
envelope and seals the opening. Here, the stem has a supporting
portion and a pipe, the supporting portion is located in the bulb
envelope, and the pipe has an open end inside the bulb envelope and
a sealed end outside the bulb envelope. The conductors are located
through the stem. The LED light emitting module is assembled to the
supporting portion and coupled to the conductors. The fluid fills
the bulb envelope.
[0007] An LED light bulb of the disclosure including a bulb
envelope, a stem, at least two conductors, at least one LED light
emitting module, fluid, and a supporting bracket is provided. The
bulb envelope has an opening, and a material of the bulb envelope
includes soda-lime glass. The stem is connected to the bulb
envelope and seals the opening. Here, the stem has a supporting
portion and a pipe, the supporting portion is located in the bulb
envelope, and the pipe has an open end inside the bulb envelope and
a sealed end outside the bulb envelope. The conductors are located
through the stem. The LED light emitting module is assembled to the
supporting portion and coupled to the conductors. The fluid fills
the bulb envelope. The supporting bracket is assembled to the
supporting portion and leans against the bulb envelope. The number
of contacts between the supporting bracket and the bulb envelope is
equal to or greater than 2, and a maximum linear distance among the
contacts is greater than a maximum inner diameter of the
opening.
[0008] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the bulb envelope has a
sidewall and a bottom wall connected to the sidewall at an
intersection, and at least one of the contacts between the
supporting bracket and the bulb envelope is located at the
intersection.
[0009] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the supporting bracket
has a trunk and a plurality of branches, the trunk extends from the
supporting portion, the LED light emitting module is assembled to
the trunk, and the branches extend from one end of the trunk and
respectively contact the bulb envelope.
[0010] In an embodiment of the disclosure, an LED light bulb
including a bulb envelope, a stem, at least two conductors, at
least one LED light emitting module, fluid, and a supporting
bracket is provided. The bulb envelope has an opening, and a
material of the bulb envelope includes soda-lime glass. The stem is
connected to the bulb envelope and seals the opening. Here, the
stem has a supporting portion and a pipe, the supporting portion is
located in the bulb envelope, and the pipe has an open end inside
the bulb envelope and a sealed end outside the bulb envelope. The
conductors are located through the stem. The LED light emitting
module is assembled to the supporting portion and coupled to the
conductors. The fluid fills the bulb envelope. The bulb envelope is
shaped as a bottle and extends along a central axis, and a
projection length of the LED light emitting module on the central
axis is greater than 40% of a projection length of the bulb
envelope on the central axis.
[0011] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the LED light bulb
further includes a bulb head assembled to the bulb envelope and
coupled to the conductors.
[0012] In an embodiment, the number of the LED light emitting
module is equal to or greater than 2, and the LED light emitting
modules are connected in series or in parallel.
[0013] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the LED light emitting
module is a rigid LED light emitting module or a flexible LED light
emitting module.
[0014] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the fluid is
non-conductive fluid.
[0015] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the fluid is inert
gas.
[0016] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the fluid is helium
gas.
[0017] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the LED light bulb
further includes an outer bulb casing and liquid. The outer bulb
casing surrounds the bulb envelope, so that the outer bulb casing
and the bulb envelope together form a layered space surrounding the
bulb envelope. The liquid is located in the layered space.
[0018] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the bulb envelope has a
standing portion providing a standing function.
[0019] a manufacturing method of an LED light bulb of the
disclosure includes following steps. A stem and at least one LED
light emitting module of a supporting portion assembled to the stem
are positioned in a bulb envelope through an opening of the bulb
envelope, wherein the LED light emitting module is coupled to and
located through at least two conductors of the stem. The opening of
the bulb envelope and a portion of a neck portion adjacent to the
opening are pre-heated for a pre-heating time period, so that a
temperature at which the opening and the neck portion are heated is
a pre-heating temperature. After the pre-heating step, the opening
of the bulb envelope and the portion of the neck portion adjacent
to the opening are heated, so that the temperature at which the
opening and the neck portion are heated is a main-heating
temperature, and a side skirt of the stem is simultaneously
sintered to the bulb envelope to seal the opening of the bulb
envelope. After the heating step, residual air is pumped from the
bulb envelope through a pipe of the stem. After the pumping step,
fluid is introduced into the bulb envelope through the pipe of the
stem. After the introducing step, the pipe is sealed, so that the
bulb envelope is in an airtight state.
[0020] In an embodiment of the disclosure, after sintering the side
skirt of the stem to the bulb envelope, the manufacturing method
further includes a step of post-heating the opening of the bulb
envelope and the neck portion for a post-heating time period, so
that the temperature at which the opening and the neck portion are
heated is a post-heating temperature.
[0021] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the post-heating
temperature is lower than or equal to the pre-heating
temperature.
[0022] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the manufacturing method
further includes a step of assembling a bulb head to the bulb
envelope, and the bulb head is coupled to the conductors.
[0023] In an embodiment of the disclosure, a material of the bulb
envelope is soda-lime glass.
[0024] In an embodiment of the disclosure, a length of the portion
of the neck portion adjacent to the opening is greater than half a
maximum inner diameter of the opening.
[0025] In view of the above, in the disclosure, the bulb envelope
made of soda-lime glass enhances visual effects produced by the
shape, color and light reflection of the LED light bulb. Besides,
the arrangement of the supporting bracket (especially the
supporting bracket may be deployed after passing through the
opening of the bulb envelope and may lean against an inner surface
of the bulb envelope) allows the LED light emitting module to be
stably positioned in the bulb envelope. Besides, when the bulb
envelope is shaped as a bottle or has an elongated shape similar to
the bottle shape, the length of the LED light emitting module may
be greater than 40% of the length of the bulb envelope, so as to
enhance the visual effects produced by the LED light bulb.
[0026] To make the above features and advantages provided in one or
more of the embodiments of the disclosure more comprehensible,
several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in
detail as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a light
emitting diode (LED) light bulb according to an embodiment of the
disclosure.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the LED light
bulb depicted in FIG. 1 along Line I-I.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an LED light
bulb according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an LED light bulb
according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an LED light bulb
according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
[0032] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an LED light bulb
according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0033] With reference to FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, a light
emitting diode (LED) light bulb 100 includes a bulb envelope 110, a
stem 120, a plurality of conductors 130, an LED light emitting
module 140, and fluid 150. The bulb envelope 110 and the stem 120
are presented in cross-section. The bulb envelope 110 has an
opening 112. The stem 120 (e.g., a side skirt 122 of the stem 120)
is connected to the bulb envelope 110 and seals the opening 112.
The stem 120 has a supporting portion 124 and a pipe 126, the
supporting portion 124 is located in the bulb envelope 110, and the
pipe 126 has an open end 126a inside the bulb envelope 110 and a
sealed end 126b outside the bulb envelope 110. The conductors 130
are located through the stem 120. The LED light emitting module 140
is assembled to the supporting portion 124 and coupled to the
conductors 130.
[0034] In the present embodiment, the conductors 130 may be
constructed by conductors that are of different thicknesses and
soldered to each other or bent so as to be coupled to the LED light
emitting module 140. The fluid 150 fills the bulb envelope 110. The
fluid 150 may be non-conductive fluid 150, e.g., inert gas (such as
helium gas).
[0035] In the present embodiment, the LED light bulb 100 may
further include a bulb head 160 assembled to the bulb envelope 110
and coupled to the conductors 130. In FIG. 1, the bulb head 160 is
also presented in cross-section. In other embodiments not shown in
the drawings, the LED light bulb 100 may not include the bulb head
160, and the conductions are directly connected to the power
source.
[0036] Since soda-lime glass is not easy to be processed due to its
property, the bulb envelope is conventionally not made of soda-lime
glass but made of lead silicate glass or borosilicate glass. In the
present embodiment, if certain manufacturing steps are performed,
the bulb envelope 110 may be made of soda-lime glass with
advantages of low manufacturing costs, and after soda-lime glass is
infiltrated into certain element or substance, the soda-lime glass
may be of different crystal clear colors. However, because of the
large coefficient of thermal expansion of the soda-lime glass, if a
certain area receives an excessive amount of heat, the area is
likely to be fractured due to the excessive expansion. Hence, in a
technology requiring thermal process such as manufacturing of light
bulbs, the use of soda-lime glass is not considered. The more
formal name of soda-lime glass is soda-lime-silica glass, and is
also abbreviated as soda glass. The basic ingredients of soda-lime
glass is silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) containing aluminum oxide at a
certain ratio and calcium oxide at a certain ratio. In the present
embodiment, soda-lime glass is manufactured by melting 65%-75% of
SiO.sub.2, 12%-18% of Na.sub.2CO.sub.3, 5%-12% of CaCO.sub.3, and
other materials at a high temperature, shaping them and cooling
them. The soda-lime-silica glass is the oldest glass system in
production history, and is also a kind of glass with highest output
and most versatility. Soda-lime glass is often used in glass
containers, especially bottles for food packaging.
[0037] In the present embodiment, the bulb envelope 110 may be a
container made of soda-lime glass, especially recycled wine
bottles. In addition to the purpose of environmental protection and
energy conservation, the visual effects produced by the shapes,
colors and light reflections of the commercially available wine
bottles are extremely diverse. Hence, when the bulb envelope 110 is
a wine bottle or any other container made of soda-lime glass, the
bulb envelope 110 may provide richer and more diverse visual
effects than the conventional bulb envelope made of lead silicate
glass or borosilicate glass.
[0038] With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the present
embodiment, to position the LED light emitting module 140 in the
bulb envelope 110, the LED light bulb 100 may further include a
supporting bracket 170 assembled to the supporting portion 124 and
leaning against the bulb envelope 110. The number of contacts C
between the supporting bracket 170 and the bulb envelope 110 is
equal to or greater than 2; namely, the stability of the
positioning action may be improved by multi-point contact, thereby
the LED light emitting module 140 may be stably positioned in the
bulb envelope. When the light bulb 100 is shaken, the LED light
emitting module 140 inside the light bulb may be relatively
stabilized, so as to prevent the possibility of breakage or being
bent. The maximum linear distance between the contacts C is greater
than the maximum inner diameter of the opening 112; that is, the
supporting bracket 170 may be deployed after passing through the
opening 112 of the bulb envelope 110 and may lean against the inner
surface of the bulb envelope 110.
[0039] In the present embodiment, the bulb envelope 110 has a
sidewall 114 and a bottom wall 116 connected with the sidewall 114
at an intersection B. At least one of the contacts C of the
supporting bracket 170 and the bulb envelope 110 is located at the
intersection B. Here, the sidewall 114 may, as shown in FIG. 1, be
a flat curved surface; that is, viewed from the side
cross-sectional view, two sides of the sidewall 114 appear to be an
approximately straight line extending upward from the intersection
B. In another embodiment, the sidewall 114 may be a curved surface;
that is, the side cross-sectional view of the sidewall 114, any
side of the sidewall appears to be a curved line extend upward from
the intersection B. Besides, as depicted in FIG. 1, an angle
between the sidewall 114 and the bottom wall 116 at the
intersection B is about 90 degrees, and the form thereof is a
rounded angle; in another embodiment, an angle between the sidewall
114 and the bottom wall 116 at the intersection B may be an acute
angle, an obtuse angle, or in another form. From another point of
view, when the bulb envelope 110 is a wine bottle or a similar
elongated bottle, the bulb envelope 110 has a neck portion 110a
that is tapered in shape to constitute the opening 112, a body
portion 110b following the neck portion 110a, and a standing
portion 110c that follows the body portion 110b but is away from
the neck portion 110a. The contacts C of the supporting bracket 170
and the bulb envelope 110 are located at the standing portion 110c.
The standing portion 110c may provide a standing function and is
thus not limited to be in the flat shape shown in FIG. 1; namely,
the type of the standing portion 110c may be a curved-surface
shape, a multi-claw shape, a concentric-circle shape, and so on. In
another embodiment, the standing portion may not stand on the
ground; namely, in consideration of the type of the lamp stand, the
standing portion 110c may stand in the air and may be spaced from
the ground or the desktop by a height. Besides, compared to the LED
light bulb 100 shown in FIG. 1, the LED light bulb 100 may be
turned upside down, i.e., the bulb head 160 faces down and the
standing portion 110c faces up.
[0040] In the present embodiment, the supporting bracket 170
includes a trunk 172 and a plurality of branches 174. The trunk 172
extends from the supporting portion 124, the LED light emitting
module 140 is assembled to the trunk 172, and the branches 174
extend from one end of the trunk 172 and respectively contact the
bulb envelope 110. The branches 174 may be deployed after passing
through the opening 112 of the bulb envelope 110 and may lean
against the inner surface of the bulb envelope 110. In the present
embodiment, the trunk 172 may be constituted by a portion of the
conductors 130, and the branches 174 are resilient and may be in
contact with the intersection B between the sidewall 114 and the
bottom wall 116 of the bulb envelope 110. In another embodiment, if
the bulb envelope 110 does not have any sidewall 114 nor any bottom
wall 116, e.g., if the top (or bottom) of the bulb envelope is a
curved-surface structure, the supporting bracket 170 may also fix
the position of the LED light emitting module 140 through at least
three branches 174 leaning against the curved surface inside the
bulb envelope.
[0041] In the present embodiment, if the bulb envelope 110 is a
wine bottle or a similar elongated bottle, the bulb envelope 110
appears in bottle shape and extends along a central axis A, and a
projection length of the LED light emitting module 140 on the
central axis A may be greater than 40% of the projection length of
the bulb envelope 110 on the central axis A. As such, the light
from the LED light emitting module 140 may be evenly emitted from
the entire light bulb 100. If the projection length of the LED
light emitting module 140 on the central axis A is less than 40% of
the projection length of the bulb envelope 110 on the central axis
A, the top or bottom of the light bulb may be partially bright and
partially dark, which may disfigure the look of light patterns and
reduce the light emitting efficacy. Besides, if the length of the
LED light emitting module 140 is overly short, that causes the
lengths of the trunk 172 and the branches 174 of the supporting
bracket 170 become overly long, which influences the appearance and
the support stability of the support. After several trials and
tests, the inventor found that the light emitting efficacy, the
look of light patterns, the stability of the light emitting module,
and the appearance of the entire lamp may all be taken care of if
the projection length of the LED light emitting module 140 on the
central axis A is greater than 40% of the projection length of the
bulb envelope 110 on the central axis A.
[0042] In the present embodiment, the LED light emitting module 140
may be a flexible LED light emitting module and therefore may be
bent in different shapes (e.g., a spiral shape), such as the spiral
shape shown in FIG. 1 or a U-shape and a heart shape shown in FIG.
3 and FIG. 4, so as to present the visual effects of filament
shape. Besides, the flexibility of the flexible LED light emitting
module 140 allows the LED light emitting module 140 to be
compressed and deformed when it passes through the neck portion
110a, and the LED light emitting module 140 may then expand in the
bulb envelope 110 after passing through the neck portion 110a. In
other words, the maximum width of the LED light emitting module 140
may be greater than the inner diameter of the neck portion
110a.
[0043] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the LED light
bulb 100 may include a plurality of LED light emitting modules 140
that may be rigid LED light emitting modules. The LED light
emitting modules 140 may be connected in series. In other
embodiments not shown in the drawings, the LED light emitting
modules 140 may also be connected in parallel.
[0044] In still another embodiment, compared to the embodiment
depicted in FIG. 1, the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 provides the LED
light bulb 100 that may further include an outer bulb casing 180
and liquid 190. The outer bulb casing 180 surrounds the bulb
envelope 110 so that the outer bulb casing 180 and the bulb
envelope 110 together fonn a layered space S surrounding the bulb
envelope 110. The liquid 190 is located in the layered space S.
Such settings may produce different visual effects under the
refraction and reflection of light.
[0045] Having described various embodiments relating to the LED
light bulb, for instance, a manufacturing method of an LED light
bulb is further described below in an embodiment of the
disclosure.
[0046] With reference to FIG. 1, the manufacturing method of the
LED light bulb 100 in the present embodiment includes following
steps.
[0047] Firstly, a stem 120 and an LED light emitting module 140 of
a supporting portion 124 assembled to the stem 120 are positioned
in a bulb envelope 110 through the opening 112 of the bulb envelope
110, wherein the LED light emitting module 140 is coupled to and
located through at least two conductors 130 of the stem 120.
[0048] Then, the opening 112 of the bulb envelope 110 and a portion
of a neck portion 110a adjacent to the opening 112 are pre-heated
for a pre-heating time period, so that a temperature at which the
opening 112 and the neck portion 110a are heated is a pre-heating
temperature. In the present embodiment, a length of the portion of
the neck portion 110a adjacent to the opening 112 is greater than
half a maximum inner diameter of the opening 112.
[0049] After the pre-heating step, the opening 112 of the bulb
envelope 110 and the portion of the neck portion 110a adjacent to
the opening 112 are main-heated, so that the temperature at which
the opening 112 and the neck portion 110a are heated is a
main-heating temperature, and a side skirt 122 of the stem 120 is
simultaneously sintered to the bulb envelope 110 to seal the
opening 112 of the bulb envelope 110. In the present embodiment,
the main-heating temperature (e.g., 500.degree. C.-600.degree. C.)
is higher than the pre-heating temperature (e.g., 300.degree.
C.-400.degree. C.). The soda-lime glass is characterized by its
large coefficient of expansion, and therefore partial heating may
easily cause glass cracks and cannot serve as a means of sealing.
However, by using the method of the present embodiment, the
temperature distribution in the soda-lime glass is even while the
soda-lime glass is heated and sintered under the above conditions,
which significantly reduces the cracks caused by uneven
heating.
[0050] After the main-heating step, residual air is pumped from the
bulb envelope 110 through a pipe 126 of the stem 120.
[0051] After the air-pumping step, fluid 150 is introduced into the
bulb envelope 110 through the pipe 126 of the stem 120.
[0052] After gas-introducing, the pipe 126 is sealed, so that the
bulb envelope 110 is in an airtight state.
[0053] In an embodiment, it may further include that, after the
side skirt 122 of the stem 120 is sintered to the bulb envelope
110, the opening 112 and the neck portion 110a is post-heated for a
post-heating time period so that the temperature at which the
opening 112 and the neck portion 110a are heated is a post-heating
temperature. In an embodiment, the post-heating temperature may be
lower than or equal to the pre-heating temperature.
[0054] In the present embodiment, the manufacturing method of the
LED light bulb may further include a step of assembling a bulb head
160 to the bulb envelope 110, and the bulb head 160 is coupled to
the conductors 130.
[0055] To sum up, in the disclosure, the bulb envelope made of
soda-lime glass enhances visual effects produced by the shape,
color and light reflection of the LED light bulb. Besides, the
arrangement of the supporting bracket (especially the supporting
bracket may be deployed after passing through the opening of the
bulb envelope and may lean against an inner surface of the bulb
envelope) allows the LED light emitting module to be stably
positioned in the bulb envelope. Besides, when the bulb envelope is
shaped as a bottle or has an elongated shape similar to the bottle
shape, the length of the LED light emitting module may be greater
than 40% of the length of the bulb envelope, so as to enhance the
visual effects produced by the LED light bulb.
[0056] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made to the structure described
in the disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the
disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the
disclosure cover modifications and variations provided they fall
within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *