Technical Field

The present invention relates to a low-consumption lamp with light sources of the LED type.

Background art

As is known, a current tendency is to make lamps with light sources of the LED type since they enable a substantial reduction in electricity consumption for the same luminous intensity.

Such type of lamp implies the solution to several problems associated with wiring and with the dissipation of the heat produced which, in many cases, come to considerably influence the aesthetic outline of the lamp being implemented.

In a prior patent application by the same Applicant (PCT/EP2011/051207), which is intended as included herein for the purposes of reference, the problem of dissipation of the heat produced is solved, but still left unsolved is the question of the electrical connections of the several electronic components which require long assembly times and which, moreover, impose considerable limitations on the aesthetic interpretation of the lamp.

Disclosure of the invention

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned problems by providing a low-consumption lamp with light sources of the LED type which makes it possible to eliminate the wiring by providing a module in which the several electronic components are directly integrated on the same circuit that powers the LED sources.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a low- consumption lamp in which all the circuitry takes on a form that is predominantly two-dimensional, consequently eliminating all the restrictions on the shape of the lamp being implemented. Another object of the present invention is to provide a low- consumption lamp that, thanks to its distinctive implementation features, is capable of offering the widest guarantees of reliability and safety in use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a low- consumption lamp with light sources of the LED type that can be easily implemented with elements and materials that are readily available on the market and which, moreover, is competitive also from a merely economical viewpoint.

This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a low-consumption lamp with light sources of the LED type, according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises a supporting structure made of a material that dissipates heat, to which a flexible element is connected which supports the LED sources, a wiring for the electric power supply of said LED sources, a power switch and a capacitive luminous intensity regulator activatable by touching, said flexible element being associated with said supporting structure by means of a layer of heat-conducting adhesive.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a low-consumption lamp with light sources of the LED type, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a possible form of the lamp, according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the lamp;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view of the outer layer applied to the flexible element;

Figure 5 is a view highlighting the layer of the capacitive luminous intensity regulator; Figure 6 is a view of the wiring layer;

Figure 7 is a view of the electronic components connected to the flexible element;

Figure 8 is a view of a second embodiment of the lamp according to the invention.

Ways of carrying out the invention

With reference to the figures, the low-consumption lamp, which is generally designated with the reference numeral 1, comprises a supporting structure 2 which advantageously is made of a heat-conducting material for dissipating the heat, for example made of metal.

An important peculiarity of the invention consists in that a flexible element is provided, generally designated with the reference numeral 10, which acts as a supporting element of LED sources 11 , constituted by a plurality of lamps that are associated at the upper end of an arm 12 to which the flexible element is applied.

The flexible element 10 has an outer layer 20, electrically insulating, on which screen-prints 21 and 22 are indicated which represent, respectively, the area of actuation of a capacitive luminous intensity regulator 23 that is provided on a layer 24 of dimmer or luminous intensity regulator, in turn applied to the inner side of the supporting element 10, i.e. to the opposite side to the side on which the screen-prints 21 and 22 are defined.

On the other side of the layer 24 of the flexible element 10 a layer 25 is provided, constituting the printed circuit (for supporting the layers 20, 24 and 30, 40 described hereinafter), on which a layer 30 of wiring is arranged for connecting the LEDs 11 to electronic components 31 that are applied at the opposite end of the flexible element from the end that supports the LEDs.

An important feature of the invention consists in that an adhesive layer 40 is provided for the direct application of the flexible element to the supporting structure, which is of the heat-conducting type, and thus the entire supporting structure, in addition to acting as a mechanical supporting element for the flexible element, also acts as a dissipation element.

Substantially, the adhesive layer 40 is applied upon contact with the wiring layer 30, at the side of the layer 30 opposite to the side on which the wires are defined.

In order to prevent the electric interference deriving from the use of a metal supporting structure, a first ground plane 50 is provided on the regulator or dimmer layer 24, and a second ground plane 51 that concerns the wiring region.

The presence of a first and a second ground plane on two sides in close contact with the sensitive regions leads to a considerable reduction in sensitivity of the system which thus succeeds in creating an adequate insulation from the interference generated by the metal supporting structure.

Another aspect of the invention consists in that all of the lamp is integrated in a single, flexible printed circuit supplied with power at low voltage, and thus the whole is free from wires and from separation of the control circuit from the illuminating body constituted by the LEDs.

Figure 8 illustrates a second embodiment of the lamp according to the invention, in which the supporting body, designated in this case by the reference numeral 60, is a plate-like element made of metal which is adapted to be connected in a modular fashion to similar plate-like elements.

The connection between plate-like elements is achieved by means of connection elements, of different shapes in order to ensure straight couplings, corner couplings and the like.

The powering of the several modules (single plate-like elements 60 constituting distinct illuminating bodies) is achieved by powering the printed circuits of the several modules, which are mutually electrically connected, from a single point, i.e. the power is supplied from a single point to the different printed circuits. However, each module provides, on its printed circuit, means for regulating the current, which are adapted to keep the power supply constant for each module, so as to be able to separately control each module, while powering them all from a single point, without compromising the functioning of the LEDs.

The regulation of the current makes it possible to keep it constant, thus ensuring that the LEDs are not subjected to sudden changes in current, which is a necessary condition for a correct operation of the LEDs proper.

In Figure 8 the reference numeral 61 designates the means for regulating the current.

From the foregoing it can be seen that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular attention is drawn to the fact that a low-consumption lamp is provided in which, in addition to solving the problem associated with the dissipation of heat, it is possible to drastically reduce all of the assembly times, while also giving a considerable margin of freedom to the designer with regard to the aesthetics of the lamp.

The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

In addition, all the details may be replaced by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, as well as the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2010A000634 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference