EP2019259B1 - Connection system for carrier rails for light elements of a light ribbon - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a connection system for mounting rails of lamp inserts, as they are used to form light bands. Several mounting rails can be connected in series through the connection system and are still movable against each other.

Light bands are usually composed of a variety of elongated lights or lighting inserts, which are mounted frontally adjacent to each other. In order to enable alignment of the lights on the end faces, it is common in the art to connect the lights firmly together. For this purpose connection systems are known.

Luminaires that can be connected to form a light band, for example, from EP 0 710 796 B1 known. The two end faces of adjoining lights are connected to each other with a screw connection in the direction of the lamp longitudinal axis together with a mounting flange for attachment to the wall or to the ceiling. The connection is made by a screw connection in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the lights. The screw connection also makes it possible to pivot the lamp about its longitudinal axis.

A disadvantage of the aforementioned system, however, is that for pivoting the lamp, the screw must be at least partially solved. Furthermore, when pivoting individual lights there is a risk that a through-wiring, which leads from one to the next light, is damaged during pivoting.

Other mechanisms for pivotally mounting lights are, for example, from US 4,779,178 and U.S. 4,849,964 known. Although these luminaire suspensions allow turning the luminaire in its longitudinal axis by up to 360 ° in order to set the light emission of the luminaire in a desired direction. However, the attachment of the lamp is not designed to connect several lights in a light strip together. In particular, frontally adjacent luminaires can not be aligned with each other.

The patent US Pat. No. 6,431,726 B1 discloses an arrangement of two housings for fluorescent tubes, wherein adjacent housing overlap on their longitudinal sides and can be pivoted against each other on a bolt.

The US patent application 2003/0081413 A1 further discloses an array of light housings wherein adjacent light casings are coupled together via a coupling. The coupling is formed by a cylindrical element which is inserted into openings in the end faces of the lamp housing and has to move the lamp housing in the openings game. The coupling is hollow and has a central bore through which electrical lines run.

There is therefore a need for a connection system for luminaires of a lighting system, in particular for mounting rails of such a lighting system that allows adjustment of the lights around its longitudinal axis and yet easy to handle and ensures high reliability with respect to the electrical wiring.

The invention is achieved by a connection system according to claim 1 or by a lighting strip system according to claim 15.

The trunking system or lighting system trunking system includes: two connectors each adapted for attachment to an end portion of a support rail; a movable coupling mounted between the two connectors, the coupling being attached to one side of a connector is rigidly mounted, wherein the coupling has a passage opening through which a through-wiring between the adjacent support rails can be passed.

In particular, the coupling has at least a first and a second bearing part, which engage in a rotatable manner, and each of the bearing parts is rigidly attached to a respective connector.

The movable coupling of the present invention provides the ability to rotate the luminaire in the longitudinal axis. In particular, the coupling can be designed so that a rotation of the lamp by up to 360 ° is possible. By arranging the through-wiring in a through-opening of the coupling, a rotation of the support rail about the longitudinal axis is possible, without the risk of damage to the through-wiring, in particular by shearing. Usually, cable harnesses or ribbon cables are used for wiring the trunking systems, which can be rotated several times without the risk of cable breakage. Since the connection system provides a rotation of the mounting rail of maximum 360 °, the flexibility of a conventional Cable sufficient to follow this movement. By arranging the through-wiring in a through-hole of the coupling, there is no danger that the cable will be damaged anywhere in the moving parts.

Preferably, the passage opening is aligned along the axis of rotation of the bearing parts. The mechanical forces acting on the wiring are lowest at this point.

According to a preferred embodiment, the first bearing part has a tubular portion which extends into a cylindrical opening of the second bearing part. In particular, the tubular portion of the first bearing member may extend beyond the cylindrical opening of the second bearing member and be secured to the portion protruding from the cylindrical opening of the second bearing member. For example, may be provided in the protruding portion, a groove on which a snap ring is pushed. The bearing parts are freely rotatable against each other in the preferred embodiment, but are secured together in the axial direction.

According to a preferred embodiment, the coupling or the first and the second bearing part can be locked against each other. In particular, blocking may be provided by a positive, a frictional or a frictional connection. The blocking of the bearing parts allows the fixing of the mounting rails in the light band. This can prevent inadvertent adjustment of the lights once set, as might occur, for example, during cleaning or maintenance. Furthermore, by the possibility of blocking the rotatable bearing and lamps bring in any rotational position, the focus would cause an independent pivoting back outside the axis of rotation.

In particular, one of the bearing parts may have a locking device, which acts in a locked state of the coupling to the other bearing part positively or frictionally engaged to block the rotation or at least inhibit. The locking device may comprise a screw which directly or indirectly applies a force to the other bearing part in order to block the coupling frictionally or non-positively.

Preferably, the screw axis of the locking screw is arranged perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the coupling. In this position, the locking screw is easily accessible to be opened or closed by a fitter for adjusting the lamp. In particular, the locking screw, for example, a grub screw which is provided in a transverse bore of one of the bearing parts and on the circumference of the second bearing part in the screwed-in state, a force acts.

According to an alternative embodiment, the locking device comprises a spring-loaded element, for example a spring-loaded ball or a pin, which acts under a bias on one of the bearing parts to frictionally or positively lock the coupling.

According to a preferred embodiment of the connection system with locking means locking recesses are provided on one of the bearing parts to cooperate with the locking device on the other bearing part. The detent recesses may be, for example, round depressions into which the end of the locking screw engages positively. In a locking device in the form of a spring-loaded element, for example, a ball can be pressed by a spring in the recess. The latter has the advantage that the locking device for rotating the support rail does not have to be released by hand, but only a mechanical resistance must be overcome, which is defined by the strength of the bias acting on the spring-loaded element. For particularly heavy lights or lights that are rarely adjusted, the embodiment of the Locking device with a screw has the advantage that the adjustment is completely blocked, so that an unintentional or independent adjustment of the support rail is excluded.

According to a preferred embodiment, a bush is arranged between the first bearing part and the second bearing part. The bush may comprise a hardened material so that the wear of the bearing surfaces is reduced with frequent movement.

In the passage opening of the coupling according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a hose, in particular made of an elastic material, is provided. This tube serves to protect the through-wiring passed through the through-hole.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a cover is arranged between one or both of the bearing parts and the respectively attached connector. The cover is adapted to engage over the coupling and the face of the mounting rails mounted on the connector. For this purpose, the cover preferably has an edge along its circumference, which is formed in accordance with the circumference of the mounting rail. The cover not only serves aesthetic reasons, but also serves to prevent the ingress of foreign bodies and to protect against the sharp-edged ends of the support rail, which is made of sheet metal, for example.

According to a preferred embodiment, the connector is adapted to be inserted into a frontal portion of a support rail. For this purpose, the outer contour of the connector is adapted according to the cross section of the interior of the support rail to the frontal end section. In this type of connection in the assembled state, the connector and preferably also the coupling element completely from the mounting rails or possibly covered by the cover. There are no parts, which gives the visual impression of a continuous light band.

According to a preferred embodiment, each connector has at least one clamping element which is adapted for fixing the front-side portion of the mounting rail to the connector. Preferably, the clamping element is arranged in the connector. With a mounting rail slid onto the connector, the clamping element acts against the mounting rail from the inside through an opening in the connector in order to fix the mounting rail to the connector. The clamping element is thus not visible from the outside, so that it does not interfere with the visual impression of the light band.

According to a preferred embodiment, the clamping element is displaceable by a screw, with which it is adjustably attached to the connector, against a portion of the support rail for applying a clamping force to fix the connector in a mounting rail. For example, the clamping element may be a plate which can be displaced outwards by a screw connection perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the light band. The plate can be pressed flat or with thorns from the inside against the mounting rail.

The invention further relates to a light strip system comprising at least one connection system and two support rails, which are attachable to this on two sides of the connection system.

Figur 1

zeigt eine Aufsicht des Verbindungssystems von unten.

Figur 2

zeigt einen Querschnitt durch das Verbindungssystem entlang der Linie A-A in der Figur 1.

Figur 3

zeigt eine Explosionsansicht des Verbindungssystems, wobei zur Übersicht- lichkeit die Durchgangsverdrahtung außerhalb der für sie vorgesehenen Durch- gangsöffnung dargestellt ist.

In the following, the connection system will be explained with reference to a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1

shows a top view of the connection system from below.

FIG. 2

shows a cross section through the connection system along the line AA in the FIG. 1 ,

FIG. 3

shows an exploded view of the connection system, wherein for clarity, the through-wiring is shown outside the passage opening provided for them.

The connection system comprises two connectors 2, which are mounted opposite one another on each side of a coupling 4.

The connectors are formed from an approximately U-shaped bent sheet metal section, which is matched in cross-section to the inner shape of a mounting rail, which is pushed over the connector lengthwise with a portion of the end face (the mounting rail is not shown in the figure). On the mounting rails a through-wiring and electrical connections and / or sockets are attached. The DIN rails are also adapted to accept lamp inserts containing the equipment of the lamps including bulbs, ballast, electrical connections, etc. Alternatively, complete luminaires with a luminaire housing can be attached directly to the connector.

On the coupling side facing the connector 2, a sheet metal section 6 is provided, which forms an end face of the connector on which the coupling can be mounted. For this purpose, holes are provided in the sheet metal section 6.

Further, in the connector, such as in the cross-sectional view of FIG FIG. 2 can be seen, a clamping plate 8 by means of a screw 10 attached. Two longitudinal edges of the clamping plate 8 are angled at 90 ° in the direction of the top of the connector 2 and extend in the mounted state of the clamping plate 8 through two slots 12 in the top of the connector 2 therethrough. The angled edges are provided at the edge with spikes 14, which can be clamped in the mounting rail (not shown). For mounting the mounting rail on the connector 2, the mounting rail is pushed over the front side of the connector 2 and the clamping plate 8 is displaced with the screw 10 upwards so that the spikes 14 protrude through the slots 12 and clinging to one side of the support rail. This connection can be separated at any time by loosening the screw 10 again.

At the facing to the coupling 4 end faces 6 of the connector 2 holes are provided on which the coupling is preferably held positively and non-positively by at least one screw. In the illustrated embodiment, a central bore in the end face 6 is provided, in which the coupling 4 engages positively and in addition a further smaller hole outside the center, in which the coupling is secured against rotation with a further screw.

The coupling 4 comprises two bearing elements 16 and 18. The first bearing element 16 has a tubular portion 20 which can be inserted into a cylindrical bore 22 of the second bearing element 18. Between the tubular portion 20 and the cylindrical opening 22, a bush 24 is still attached, which protects the bearing surfaces of the bearing elements 16 and 18. At the outer edge of the tubular portion 22, a groove 26 is provided in the circumferential direction, in the assembled state of the clutch, a snap ring 28 is pushed. The assembled clutch is held by the snap ring 28 in the axial direction, while a rotational movement about its longitudinal axis is possible.

The first bearing member 16 has along its outer periphery a plurality of notches or depressions 30 which are circular in the illustrated embodiment. The depressions are arranged at narrow angular intervals along the circumference of the first bearing element 16. The bearing element 16 is overlapped on its outer side by the second bearing element 18. In the second bearing element 18 is in the radial direction with an internal thread Provided bore 32 is provided, which lies opposite the recesses 30 in the assembled state of the coupling. In the bore 32, a grub screw 34 is screwed, and can be screwed into the hole 32 until the grub screw 34 engages positively in one of the recesses 30 of the first bearing element 16. By the grub screw 34, which is also referred to as a locking screw, the rotational movement of the coupling element can be blocked by the positive engagement of the grub screw 34 with one of the recesses 30. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of recesses is provided, for example, at angular intervals of less than or equal to 45 °, preferably less than or equal to 15 °, along the circumference of the first bearing member 16 so that the coupling element can be locked almost in any rotation angle.

According to an alternative embodiment, instead of the recesses 30, a continuous groove may be provided, in which the grub screw 34 engages frictionally. In this embodiment of the coupling, the coupling can be blocked at any angle of rotation.

In the first bearing element 16, the second bearing element 18 and in the end faces 6 of the connector 2 4 passages are provided along the axis of rotation of the coupling, through which a through-wiring from a connector 2 to the opposite connector 2 can be pushed through (the exploded view of FIG. 3 shows the through-wiring 36 outside the through-hole for a better overview). Within the passage opening a protective tube 38 is arranged, which protects the through-wiring 36 in the passage opening of the coupling, in particular at the sharp-edged edges of the passage opening. Preferably, the protective tube 38 extends from an end wall 6 of the connector to over the opposite end wall 6 of the second connector, so that all possibly sharp-edged edges are covered.

The through-wiring 36 is a cable bundle or a ribbon cable which may be rolled in width for passing through the coupling 4.

One end of the through wiring terminates in an electrical receptacle 37 which is snapped into holes on the top of the connector 2. At the electrical connection socket 37, the through-wiring 36 can be plugged in to the next luminaire (not shown), and also connect the equipment of a luminaire.

Between the end wall 6 of the connector 2 and the respective adjacent bearing element 16 and 18, a cover 40 is still arranged in the embodiment shown, which is fixedly mounted between the bearing element and the respective connector. For this purpose, tabs 42 are provided on the inside of the cover, which have screw openings which are aligned with the or the corresponding screw openings in the adjacent bearing element 16 and 18 respectively. Thereby, the covers 40 are held together with the bearing member 16 and 18 to the respective connector 2 by screws.

The cover 40 has a wide rim 44 which extends over the coupling 4 towards the connector 2, leaving a space between the outer circumference of the connector 2 and the inside of the rim 44, which is dimensioned so that the outer Edge of a mounting rail, which is pushed onto the connector 2, can be inserted under the edge 44. Alternatively, the support rail can abut the front side and the cover 40 dull. Through the cover 40, both the coupling element and the edges of the mounted mounting rail are laminated. In the region of the locking screw 34 and the hole 32, a recess 46 is disposed in the edge 44 of the cover, so that the locking screw 34 remains accessible from the outside.

Numerous changes can be made to the connection system described above without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims. In particular, it is also possible that the coupling element does not extend in a longitudinal axis, but is angled to form a corner joint between two mounting rails of a light band. For this purpose, for example, two connectors 2 are each provided with a bearing element 18 and the central region is formed by a third bearing element which engages in both adjacent bearing elements. In particular, angles of 45 ° or 90 ° are provided. Also in this embodiment, a through hole is provided through the angled coupling to pass the through-wiring.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

2

Interconnects

4

clutch

6

Front side of the connector

8th

clamp

10

screw

12

slots

14

mandrel

16

First bearing element

18

Second bearing element

20

Tubular section

22

Cylindrical opening

24

Rifle

26

groove

28

snap ring

30

score

32

drilling

34

locking screw

36

Through wiring

37

Electrical connection socket

38

Conduit

40

cover

42

retaining tab

44

edge

46

recess

Claims (15)

1. Connection system for carrier rails of light elements or for lights, said connection system comprising a coupling (4) having a through-opening through which a throughwiring (36) can be passed between the adjacent light rails, characterised by two connectors (2), each provided for attachment to a front-side section of a light rail, wherein the coupling (4) is movable and attached between the two connectors (2), and
   wherein the coupling (4) is rigidly attached on two sides to one of the connectors (2) each such that the two connectors (2) can rotate against each other.
2. Connection system according to claim 1, wherein the through-opening runs along or parallel to the rotation axis of the coupling (4).
3. Connection system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling (4) has at least a first and a second bearing part (16, 18) which rotatably mesh and each of the bearing parts (16, 18) is rigidly attached to one each of the connectors.
4. Connection system according to claim 3, wherein the first bearing part (16) has a tubular section (20) which extends into a cylindrical opening (22) of the second bearing part (18).
5. Connection system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling (4) can be blocked.
6. Connection system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein one of the bearing parts (18) has a locking device which, in the locked state of the coupling (4), acts on the other bearing part by means of positive or frictional locking in order to inhibit or block the rotation.
7. Connection system according to claim 6, wherein the locking device comprises a screw (34) which, directly or indirectly, exerts a force on the other bearing part (16) in order to block the coupling by positive or frictional means, wherein in particular the screw axis of the screw (34) runs vertically to the rotation axis of the coupling (4).
8. Connection system according to claim 6, wherein the locking device has a springloaded element which, under a preload, acts on the other bearing part in order to block the coupling by positive or frictional means.
9. Connection system according to one of the claims 6 to 8, wherein one of the bearing parts (16) has indentations (30) in order to interact with the locking device at the other bearing part (18).
10. Connection system according to claim 3 or a claim retrospectively applied thereto, wherein a bushing (24) is arranged between the first and the second bearing part (16, 18).
11. Connection system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connectors (2) are provided for insertion into a front-side section each of a carrier rail.
12. Connection system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, between one or both sides of the coupling (4) and the respective connector attached thereto, a cover (40) is arranged which overlaps a front-side edge of a light rail mounted to the connector (2).
13. Connection system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connectors (2) each have a clamping element (8) provided for fixing a front-side section of a carrier rail to the connector (2).
14. Connection system according to claim 13, wherein the clamping element can be relocated by a screw connection (10), with which it is attached to the connector (2), against a section of a light rail, to apply a clamping force in order to fix the connector in the light rail.
15. Light ribbon system with at least two carrier rails for light elements or two lights and a connection system according to one of the preceding claims.

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