GB2568018A

GB2568018A - Lighting apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2568018A
Application number: GB1712603.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Heard Robert
Original assignee: Pure Dent Removal Ltd
Current assignee: Pure Dent Removal Ltd
Priority date: 2017-08-04
Filing date: 2017-08-04
Publication date: 2019-05-08
Also published as: GB201712603D0

Abstract

A light unit comprises a tray 110, a printed circuit board (400, Fig. 4) mounted within the tray and bearing one or more strips of light emitting diodes (410a-d, Fig. 4) on an exposed side of the printed circuit board, and a diffuser screen 120 mounted over the printed circuit board 400. The printed circuit board 400 comprises an electrical connector (404, Fig. 4) for receiving and releasably engaging with power supply wires.

Description

(57) A light unit comprises a tray 110, a printed circuit board (400, Fig. 4) mounted within the tray and bearing one or more strips of light emitting diodes (410a-d, Fig. 4) on an exposed side of the printed circuit board, and a diffuser screen 120 mounted over the printed circuit board 400. The printed circuit board 400 comprises an electrical connector (404, Fig. 4) for receiving and releasably engaging with power supply wires.

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At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.

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Lighting Apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lighting apparatus, and preferably to a lighting apparatus for paint-less dent removal.

Background

Paint-less dent removal is a technique for removing, or reducing the severity of, dents in the bodywork of a vehicle such as a motor car. To remove a dent, a technician needs to be able to see the dent clearly. This may be achieved using a lighting apparatus which projects a line of light onto the body of the vehicle. The line will be distorted by the shape of the body, and dents can be very clearly identified by a sharp distortion in the line of light. Such a lighting apparatus typically comprises a light unit for generating and projecting the light, a mounting part for attaching the lighting apparatus to a mounting surface, and an articulated, hinged or flexible arm provided between the light unit and the mounting part, for permitting an adjustment of the position and/or orientation of the light unit with respect to the mounting part, and thus with respect to the vehicle bodywork. The mounting part may for example comprise a suction plate for attaching the mounting part to the vehicle body without causing damage thereto. Typically, a power source (for example a battery) is provided in the base, along with any control components such as switches and dimmers for selectively switching on and off or adjusting the intensity of light sources of the light unit. A number of electrical wires carrying electrical power and control signals to operate the light sources are provided between the mounting part and the light unit. The large number of wires results from the need to connect the various switches on the base to the various LED strips within the light unit. Conventional lighting apparatuses suffer from various disadvantages, including a large number of electrical wires both within the light unit and between the light unit and the base, resulting in a large number of solder connections, each of which may fail. The lighting apparatus is time consuming to construct (for the same reason) and difficult to repair due to difficulties in identifying and replacing faulty parts.

The present invention is intended to address certain of these limitations.

Summary of the Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light unit, comprising:

a tray;

a printed circuit board mounted within the tray and bearing one or more strips of light emitting diodes on an exposed side of the printed circuit board; and a diffuser screen, mounted over the printed circuit board;

wherein the printed circuit board comprises an electrical connector for receiving and releasably engaging with power supply wires.

The electrical connector may comprise first and second connector parts each for releasably engaging with a respective power supply wire. The electrical connector is preferably mounted on the exposed side of the printed circuit board.

A first aperture may be provided in the tray and a second aperture provided in the printed circuit board proximate the electrical connector, through which the power supply wires can be passed to connect the printed circuit board to a battery external to the light unit.

The light unit may comprise one or more switches, each switch being associated with a respective strip of light emitting diodes, each switch being removably mounted to the printed circuit board. Each switch may be mounted to the printed circuit board through a respective opening in the tray.

The light unit may comprise a dimmer for controlling the brightness of the light emitting diodes, the dimmer being removably mounted to the printed circuit board. The dimmer may be mounted to the printed circuit board through an opening in the tray.

The diffuser screen is preferably removably attachable to the tray. The light unit may comprise a bezel which clips onto the tray, the diffuser screen being trapped in place between the bezel and the tray.

The light unit may comprise an arm mount which is removably attachable to the tray, and to which an arm can be mounted. The arm mount may screw to an aperture in the base of the tray, the arm mount comprising an aperture through which the power supply wires can pass.

The light unit may comprise a base unit, to which the arm is attached, and wherein the arm is hollow and movable, to permit manipulation of the position and/or orientation of the tray with respect to the base unit. The base unit may comprise a power supply, and the power supply wires may extend from the printed circuit board, through the arm, to the power supply. A slip ring may be provided in the electrical path between the electrical connector and the power supply.

The tray may be formed with a non-planar base comprising a plurality of reinforcing ribs. The non-planar base may provide a plurality of cooling chambers behind the printed circuit board.

Each strip of light emitting diodes may comprise a plurality of light emitting diodes in a straight line, a gap between each light emitting diode being smaller than the length of a light emitting diode in the direction of the straight line.

Control circuitry may be provided for controlling the current and/or voltage provided to the light emitting diodes, the control circuitry being provided on the printed circuit board but outside the straight line of light emitting diodes.

The tray may comprise ventilation holes disposed between the diffuser and the printed circuit board.

At least two of the strips of light emitting diodes may emit light having different characteristics, one of the strips of light emitting diodes emitting light which is relatively warmer than the light emitted by the other strip of light emitting diodes.

Two strips of light emitting diodes may be disposed adjacent to each other, the light emitted from the two strips of light emitting diodes and passing through the diffuser defining two bright lines of illumination separated by a distinct but relatively narrow darker region.

While the printed circuit board may be permanently fixed (for example glued) into the tray, preferably, the printed circuit board is removably mounted into the tray. This makes it possible to replace the printed circuit board, or to remove the printed circuit board temporarily to make it easier to replace other parts of the lighting unit.

Preferably, one or more of the strips of light emitting diodes have the light emitting diodes disposed with their longer dimension parallel to the length of the strip, while another one or more of the strips of light emitting diodes have the light emitting diodes disposed with their longer dimension perpendicular to the length of the strip. This results in some of the lines of light emitted by the lighting unit being narrower than others. The thicker lines may be better suited for highlighting bigger dents whereas the thinner lines may be better suited for highlighting smaller dents.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings where like parts are provided with corresponding reference numerals and in which:

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a light unit;

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a view of the front of a light unit panel;

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a view of the rear of the light unit panel of Figure 1; Figure 4 schematically illustrates a printed circuit board provided within the light unit of Figures 2 and 3;

Figures 5A and 5B schematically illustrate a method of removing mounting the printed circuit board into the tray of the light unit panel; and

Figure 6 schematically illustrates an alternative circuit board layout.

Detailed Description

Referring to Figure 1, a light unit 10 can be seen to comprise a panel, or main part 100 which provides illumination from a front diffuser 120, a base part 200 which houses a power supply 210 (for example a battery) and has a suction device 215 for attachment to the body of a vehicle. An articulated arm 300 mechanically connects the base part 200 to the main part 100. The articulation of the arm 300 permits the position and/or orientation of the main part 100 with respect to the base 200 to be adjusted. More generally, the arm 300 need not necessarily be articulated - it could instead comprise two or more hinged members, or be plastically deformable, or utilise any other suitable means for permitting relative movement of the main part 100 with respect to the base part 200. The arm 300 may take the form of a segmented tube, with connectors at either end for attachment to the main part 100 and base 200. The main part 100 comprises light sources (not shown in Figure 1) which are electrically powered by the power source 210 in the base part 100. Electrical power is delivered from the power source 210 to the main part 100 via power supply wires 220a, 220b. The power supply wires 220a and the power supply wires 220b are electrically and mechanically coupled using a slip ring 230, which enables rotation of the main unit 100 with respect to the base 200 about the arm 300 without the power wires therebetween becoming twisted and breaking. The slip ring 230 utilises only two wires at each side, and these are thicker than is conventional. The wires 220a are connected between the power source 210 and the slip ring 230, while the wires 220b are connected between the slip ring 230 and the main unit 100. The use of a slip ring 230 and a small number of thicker wires reduces the likelihood of breakage. The use of only two electrical paths is possible since (as will be discussed below) all control and power conversion/voltage reduction takes place within the main unit 100, so the wiring between the main unit 100 and the power supply 210 can be kept simple. The slip ring 230 could be provided anywhere on the physical/electrical path between the power source 210 and the main unit 100 (and may even be provided within the main unit 100 or the base part 200). Preferably, the slip ring is loose within the interior of the segmented tube of the arm 300.

Referring to Figure 2, the main part 100 is shown in more detail, in a front view. In particular, the light unit main part 100 can be seen to comprise a tray like body 110, a front diffuser screen 120 and a bezel 130 which traps the diffuser screen 120 between itself and the tray like body 110 to retain it in place. The tray like body 110 defines a backing portion, which may conveniently be vacuum formed. A strengthening plate (not shown) is provided within the inside of the tray to strengthen a mounting point for the arm. A plastic/nylon nut is positioned between the backing plate and the tray 110 to attach the connecter from the outside. The nut has an interior threaded part. Holes 135 are disposed about the bezel, into which pegs or other attachment elements can be inserted to fix the bezel 130 to the body 110. In the present case, plastic pop rivets are used. The pegs can be removed to disassemble the main part 100 of the light unit.

Referring to Figure 3, the main part 100 is shown in a rear view. In particular, the tray like body 110 can be seen in more detail. The body 110 comprises two layers of ribs 150a and 150b. These increase the structural strength of the tray, and also define cooling chambers behind the printed circuit board. Ventilation apertures 165 are provided around the edges of the tray to allow heated air to exit the region behind the printed circuit board, and cooler air to enter. These apertures are located between the interior base of the tray (not shown) and the printed circuit board (not shown). An aperture 160 is provided towards the centre of the base of the tray, to which a mounting unit (not shown) can be attached - preferably by screwing it onto the aperture 160 and into the interior threading of the nut and strengthening plate behind. Power supply wires are able to pass through the aperture 160 to extend between the circuit board (not shown) within the main part 100 and the power source 210 in the base 200. Apertures 170 are provided to receive/expose mechanical switches (not shown) for controlling the operation of the light unit.

Referring to Figure 4, a flexible one-piece printed circuit board 400 is shown, which in use is provided within the tray 110. The printed circuit board 400 has a central aperture 402 through which the power supply wires can pass and a power supply connector 404, for mechanically and electrically connecting the circuit board 400 to the power supply wires. The central aperture 402 is lined up with the aperture 160 and an aperture in the strengthening plate. The power supply connector 404 (and the other components visible in Figure 4) are on a side of the printed circuitry board 400 which is exposed when the printed circuit board 400 is mounted into the tray 110 with the diffuser screen 120 removed. This enables ready access to and removal of such components from the printed circuit board 400 for replacement, potentially even without removing the printed circuit board 400 from the tray 110. The power supply connector 404 can be seen to comprise two parts, each for connection to one of two (positive and negative) power supply wires. The two parts may comprise clips, into which the power supply wires can be inserted and secured. The circuit board 400 also comprises four parallel rows of light emitting diodes 410a, 410b, 410c, 41 Od. The rows are straight lines. The rows 410a, 410b form a first bank of light emitting diodes and the rows 410c, 41 Od form a second bank of light emitting diodes. The light emitting diodes of the first row 410a are substantially of the same brightness and colour as each other, but are brighter, or warmer, than the light emitting diodes of the second row 410b, which are in turn the same brightness as each other. The rows 410a and 410b are spaced apart sufficiently that their light, when diffused through the screen 120 and projected onto the bodywork of a vehicle, will present as two lines of light with relatively dark line, or strip, between. Dents in the bodywork can be readily identified based on distortions of the lines of light and/or of the darker line therebetween. The same principle applies to the second bank of light emitting diodes.

Switches (not shown) can be mounted to contacts 440a, 440b, 440c, 440d on the circuit board 400. The contacts 440a, 440b, 440c, 440d effectively define male connector parts with which female parts of the switches are able to couple to provide both mechanical engagement and an electrical connection. The switches can simply be slid onto the contacts, and can be similarly removed for replacement. The parts of the switches actuated by a user are exposed through the apertures 170 shown in Figure 3. The switches can be used to select which of the rows of light emitting diodes are illuminated. The switch 440a is operable to switch on and off the row 410a, the switch 440b is operable to switch on and off the row 410b, the switch 440c is operable to switch on and off the row 410c, and the switch 440d is operable to switch on and off the row 41 Od. In this way, the different rows can be selectively switched on and of by the operator. Dimmer circuitry 430 is also provided. A dial or knob (not shown) is optionally attached to the dimmer circuitry and exposed through the rear of the tray 110. This simultaneously controls the brightness of all light emitting diodes which are currently illuminated.

Voltage control circuitry 415a, 415b, 415c, 415d is associated respectively with the light emitting diodes of the rows 410a, 410b, 410c, 41 Od, and is integrated into the printed circuit board 400 rather than being provided as a separate unit. The voltage control circuitry 415a comprises 4 groups of circuitry, each for controlling the voltage of a subset of the light emitting diodes in the row 410a. The row 410a comprises 40 light emitting diodes, and each of the four groups of voltage control circuitry 415a controls the voltage applied to a set of 10 of those light emitting diodes. The same principle applies in relation to each of the voltage control circuitry 415b, 415c, 415d. It can be seen that the voltage control circuitry is proximate the light emitting diodes it regulates the voltage to, but is outside of the line of light emitting diodes itself, enabling them to be close together. The light emitting diodes within a line are oriented lengthways, and are close together preferably with the length of each light emitting diode being greater than the gap between each light emitting diode. As a result, the line of light emitting diodes presents (once passed through the diffuser screen 120) as a substantially continuous line.

It will be appreciated that, other than the connection to the power supply wires, there are no other wires used in the present technique - instead, all connections are made using conductive tracks formed on the printed circuit board 400. This reduces the likelihood of failure due to solder joints breaking.

By providing the voltage regulation and all control on the printed circuit board 400, all that is required between the power supply 210 and the printed circuit board 400 is two power supply wires to define a complete electrical circuit. This differs from previous designs in which voltage regulation and/or control functions took place on the base unit, requiring up to six wires to pass between the base unit and the light panel.

The face of the printed circuit board 400 bearing the light emitting diodes is preferably black, or another relatively dark shade/colour. This is to reduce light scatter within the region between the printed circuit board 400 and the diffuser screen 120, which would otherwise reduce the contrast/definition of the lines of light generated by the lines of light emitting diodes. In other words, as a result of the lack of scatter from the printed circuit board 400, light is emitted from the diffuser screen 120 substantially only from the immediate vicinity of the illuminated light emitting diodes.

To assemble the light unit, the printed circuit board 400 is mounted and optionally glued into the backing plate/tray 110. The switches are pushed in through the apertures 170 and clip into place onto the printed circuit board allowing each strip to be individually activated. The power wires and slip ring pass through a hole on the printed circuit board and connect to a positive and negative clip in points to provide power to the printed circuit board. The light bezel and lens are placed onto the front of the light backing case and the plastic pop rivets are located and secured into the manufactured holes in the lens bezel and backing case fixing all three together (this may be removable if required).

Figures 5A and 5B show respectively a tray 505 and a printed circuit board 515, which are equivalent to the tray 110 and circuit board 400 described above. The printed circuit board 515 comprises a plurality of receiving holes/apertures 520. The tray comprises a plurality of pegs/apertures 510. In order to mount the printed circuit board 515 to the tray 505, the printed circuit board 515 is positioned within the tray 505 such that the apertures 520 line up with the pegs/apertures 510. Then, the pegs 510 are pushed from the outside of the tray 505 so that they enter and engage with the apertures 520 within the circuit board 505. In order to remove the circuit board 515 from the tray 505, the pegs 510 can be urged out of the apertures 520.

Figure 6 show a portion of four rows of LEDs which may be mounted on a printed circuit board in accordance with the above. In Figure 6, two adjacent and parallel rows (strips) of LEDs 610 are provided in which the light emitting diodes have the are disposed with their longer dimension parallel to the length of the strip. Another two adjacent and parallel rows (strips) of LEDs 620 are provided in which the light emitting diodes are disposed with their longer dimension perpendicular to the length of the strip. The strips 610 may be beneficial for projecting a thinner line of light onto the bodywork of a vehicle to highlight small dents while the strips 620 may be beneficial for projecting a thicker line of light onto the bodywork of a vehicle to highlight larger dents..

Claims

1. A light unit, comprising:

Claims

a tray;

a printed circuit board mounted within the tray and bearing one or more strips of light emitting diodes on an exposed side of the printed circuit board; and a diffuser screen, mounted over the printed circuit board;

wherein the printed circuit board comprises an electrical connector for receiving and releasably engaging with power supply wires.
2. A light unit according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector comprises first and second connector parts each for releasably engaging with a respective power supply wire.
3. A light unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the electrical connector is mounted on the exposed side of the printed circuit board.
4. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein a first aperture is provided in the tray and a second aperture is provided in the printed circuit board proximate the electrical connector, through which the power supply wires can be passed to connect the printed circuit board to a battery external to the light unit.
5. A light unit according to any preceding claim, comprising one or more switches, each switch being associated with a respective strip of light emitting diodes, each switch being removably mounted to the printed circuit board.
6. A light unit according to claim 5, wherein each switch is mounted to the printed circuit board through a respective opening in the tray.
7. A light unit according to any preceding claim, comprising a dimmer for controlling the brightness of the light emitting diodes, the dimmer being removably mounted to the printed circuit board.

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8. A light unit according to claim 7, wherein the dimmer is mounted to the printed circuit board through an opening in the tray.
9. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the diffuser screen is removably attachable to the tray.
10. A light unit according to claim 9, comprising a bezel which clips onto the tray, the diffuser screen being trapped in place between the bezel and the tray.
11. A light unit according to any preceding claim, comprising an arm mount which is removably attachable to the tray, and to which an arm can be mounted.
12. A light unit according to claim 11, wherein the arm mount screws to an aperture in the base of the tray, the arm mount comprising an aperture through which the power supply wires can pass.
13. A light unit according to claim 11 or claim 12, comprising a base unit, to which the arm is attached, and wherein the arm is hollow and movable, to permit manipulation of the position and/or orientation of the tray with respect to the base unit.
14. A light unit according to claim 13, wherein the base unit comprises a power supply, and the power supply wires extend from the printed circuit board, through the arm, to the power supply.
15. A light unit according to claim 14, comprising a slip ring provided in the electrical path between the electrical connector and the power supply.
16. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the tray is formed with a non-planar base comprising a plurality of reinforcing ribs.
17. A light unit according to claim 16, wherein the non-planar base provides a plurality of cooling chambers behind the printed circuit board.
18. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein each strip of light emitting diodes comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes in a straight line, a gap between each light emitting diode being smaller than the length of a light emitting diode in the direction of the straight line.
19. A light unit according to claim 18, comprising control circuitry for controlling the current and/or voltage provided to the light emitting diodes, the control circuitry being provided outside the straight line of light emitting diodes.
20. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the tray comprises ventilation holes disposed between the diffuser and the printed circuit board.
21 .A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein at least two of the strips of light emitting diodes emit light having different characteristics, one of the strips of light emitting diodes emitting light which is relatively warmer than the light emitted by the other strip of light emitting diodes.
22. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein two strips of light emitting diodes are disposed adjacent to each other, the light emitted from the two strips of light emitting diodes and passing through the diffuser defining two bright lines of illumination separated by a distinct but relatively narrow darker region.
23. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein the printed circuit board is removably mounted into the tray.
24. A light unit according to any preceding claim, wherein one or more of the strips of light emitting diodes have the light emitting diodes disposed with their longer dimension parallel to the length of the strip, while another one or more of the strips of light emitting diodes have the light emitting diodes disposed with their longer dimension perpendicular to the length of the strip.

Intellectual Property Office

Application No: GB1712603.8

Claims searched: 1-24