LED tube lights with clear bottom base
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by providing an LED tube light with a clear bottom base.
The present invention relates to the design of a light emitting diode (LED) tube light (LTL) with a see-through bottom, and more particularly to an improved LTL that overcomes the difficulty of identifying appropriate cut locations thereon.
LED lamps have been developed to replace conventional incandescent or fluorescent lamps for reducing electrical and maintenance costs, and for increasing reliability. LED lamps consume less electrical energy than conventional lamps whileexhibiting much longer lifetimes. Such LED lamps typically include a power supply and a plurality of LEDs mounted on a flat or curved surface.
In the case of LED border tubes, a few LED emitters are generally laid out on a printed circuit board (PCB). While the LED emitters provide adequate illumination on the front cover of the tube, circuitry on the PCB provides the LTL withelectrical control. The PCB is typically inserted into an enclosed tube and laid on the bottom base (or back cover) of the enclosure. Most PCBs are constructed to have safe cut locations where the PCB can be cut or severed (to reduce the length of thePCB) without damaging any critical circuitry thereon. The back of the PCB, for example, could have marks made for position identification purposes.
The LED tube light of the present invention includes a printed circuit board comprising a plurality of LEDs, a plurality of markings on the printed circuit board, wherein these markings identify safe-cut locations for the LED tube light, and anenclosed tube comprising a clear bottom base.
The tube is often made of plastic materials such as Acrylonitrile Butadine Styrene (ABS), Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate (ASA), Polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC) etc., wherein the tube front surface is often colored to match the desireddisplay color of the tube. The whole tube is often non-clear, especially when the front cover surface is not a clear one, although some tubes are clear and colorless but do not provide safe cut locations on the PCB that will avoid damage of criticalcircuits. And although tubes are usually a one-piece enclosure, some tubes are enclosures comprising multiple pieces.
Current LTLs, however, are limited when physical modifications, such as shortening tube length, are required. This difficulty stems primarily from a lack of PCB visibility in the design of traditional LTLs (i.e., LTL designs with colored tubesand non-see-through bottoms) which makes it difficult to locate safe-cut markings on the PCB, especially when the tube light is not turned on. Shortening tube length of traditional LTLs, thus requires markings to be made on the exterior of the LTL. However, because these markings must be made manually, careful measurement is required to ensure the security of the components inside the tube when the LTL is actually severed. Accordingly, there is a need for an LTL with a clear bottom base whichprovides see-though capability to facilitate a safe cutting of the tube without damaging the circuits therein.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an LED tube light. This method includes inserting a printed circuit board within an LED tube light, wherein the LED tube light comprises a clear bottom base, and marking aplurality of locations on the printed circuit board, wherein the markings identify safe-cut locations for the LED tube light.
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