Flexible led lighting strip

Abstract

A flexible lighting device, comprising an elongated flexible tube including a translucent tubular shell with opposed tube ends, a flexible helical circuit board positioned in said tube extending between said opposed tube ends, said flexible helical circuit board having an exterior surface spaced from said tubular shell. Electrical circuitry is mounted to the circuit board and is connected to an external input source and an output source of electrical power. A plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is mounted to the exterior surface of the helical circuit board and is electrically connected to the electrical circuitry. The LEDs are positioned adjacent to the tubular wall. The invention includes a method of making the flexible lighting device including providing a parallelogram-shaped flat circuit board having long edges and short edges with acute angles and obtuse angles and further including a stiffening member embedded with said flat circuit board. Electrical circuitry mounted to the flat circuit board and LEDs mounted to the flat circuit board and to the electrical circuitry thereon, are all rolled and extended into a flexible cylindrical circuit board having spaced spirals and gaps that hold the LEDs, and then inserted into the flexible tubular housing. Power input and power output connectors are added to the electrical circuitry of the flexible helical circuit board, and connector end caps are secured to the opposed ends of the tubular housing.