EP3109544B1 - Light insert with a rotary latch mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a luminaire insert, which is adapted for mounting in a rail, in particular a lighting system.

In order to form a light band system, it is known in the prior art to mount a plurality of luminaire inserts one behind the other in a rail. For fastening the lamp inserts in the rail, it is also known to provide a closure mechanism in the form of a rotary latch. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a portion of a lamp insert in the region of the rotary latch from the prior art in the plan. The rotary latch 2 has a closure clip 4, which can be actuated by a lever 6 in order to bring the closure clip into a closed position.

A particular difficulty with these types of luminaire inserts is the wiring. The laying of an electrical cable from a connector to the ballast must be done by hand in the area of the rotary latch, because the cable must be laboriously moved past the rotary latch in the luminaire insert. After manually laying the cables (in FIG. 1 not shown), these are pushed down by plastic strips 8, which are inserted in front of and behind the rotary latch to keep them in the lamp insert.

The DE 100 25 646 A1 and the WO 01/91248 A1 reveal a busbar system for luminaires with several modular interconnected mounting rails. The documents disclose all features of the preamble of claim 1.

The DE 20 2012 100 629 U1 discloses a beam lamp for mechanical and electrical connection to a mounting rail with a power line profile for powering the beam lamp. A rotary handle element is provided in a profile body for establishing an electrical connection to conductors in a mounting position. The Drehabgriffs element can be actuated by a lever which projects through a slot in the profile element on the outside.

Object of the present invention is to provide a lamp insert of the type described above, in which the wiring can be made automatically, and which is inexpensive to produce.

The problem is solved by the article according to claim 1.

A special feature of the present invention is that a retaining element for cables is mounted on the rotary bolt or the lock bracket, which is connected to the rotary latch. As a result, the cable can be attached directly from above by an automatic wiring robot to the rotary latch. It has surprisingly been found that the movement of the rotary bolt, which a displacement of the mounted thereon retaining element causes, which is so small that the laid cables can follow the movement of the holding element readily without being damaged. It is therefore not necessary to fix the cables rigidly to the luminaire insert, as had to be done consuming by hand in the prior art, but the cables can be easily fixed to the rotary latch itself. Another advantage is that the holding element can be manufactured together with the rotary latch as an element, which is easier to manufacture compared to holding elements which are mounted on the lamp insert.

According to a preferred embodiment, the holding element has a U-shaped section, in which the electrical cable from the open side of the U can be inserted. Such a holding element is particularly easy to equip by an electronic wiring robot with the cable.

According to one embodiment of the aforementioned embodiment, the legs of the U-shaped portion are elastically formed, so that after insertion of the cable into the holding element, the legs automatically spring back on each other to hold the cable in the U-shaped section. In this embodiment, the at least one cable only has to be engaged in the holding element from above, without taking further measures to fix the cable in the holding element.

According to a preferred embodiment, the holding element is not further from the axis than the length, preferably half the length, of the closure bar. In general, it is preferable to mount the retaining element as close as possible to the axis, so that the rotational movement of the rotary bolt causes only a small deflection of the cable mounted therein. A distance of up to half or full length of the closure strap causes a displacement of the cable when the rotary latch is actuated to such a small extent that the cable is not damaged.

Preferably, the holding element is arranged at an angle between 30 ° to 60 ° relative to the longitudinal extension of the locking bracket. In this angular position, the holding element comes to lie in the open position of the rotary latch approximately centrally between the longitudinal edges of the lamp insert, so that the cable can be inserted in a straight line in the lamp insert parallel to the longitudinal edges. In the locking position of the rotary latch, the cable is only a few degrees laterally deflected with respect to the longitudinal extent, because the rotational movement of the lever itself between the open position and the closed position is only a few degrees, eg between 10 ° and 20 °.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rotary latch on an actuating lever, which extends through a side wall of the lamp insert to the outside to operate it there manually. A preferred embodiment further provides that the lever is guided through a slot in the outer wall, which has a link which fixes the rotary latch in the locking position, wherein the rotary latch from the locking position is releasable by elastic deflection of the actuating lever perpendicular to the rotational movement and through lateral displacement in the direction of the rotational movement. For example, the scenery may have a depression at the point in which the actuating lever comes to rest in the closed position. From the recess, the operating lever can be lifted by elastic deflection and slide along a slope in the backdrop to the open position of the rotary latch. As a result, the operation of the rotary latch is facilitated.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rotary latch further comprises means for blocking the rotary latch in the open position, in which the lock bracket is moved away from the rail. This blocking has a particular advantage in the manufacturing process of the luminaire insert, namely in the assembly of the retaining element with the cable. In order to be able to equip the cable automatically by a robot, a defined position of the holding element relative to the luminaire insert is necessary. Since the luminaire insert is equipped with the rotary latch in the open position with the cable, it is therefore advantageous to mechanically fix this position, too, in order to be able to perform the assembly fully automatically. After fitting the lamp insert with the cable, this fixation of the open position is then no longer important. It can therefore also be fixed, for example, by an adhesive strip in the open position during manufacture, the rotary latch, wherein the adhesive strip is later completely removed.

The device for blocking the rotary latch in the open position, for example, have a projection on the rotary latch and / or on the lamp insert and a recess on the respective other element, which engage with each other in the open position of the rotary latch. For example, on the base plate of the lamp insert a Recess or a projection and on the base plate facing side of the rotary bolt, a corresponding projection or a corresponding depression may be provided which engage in the open position of the rotary latch. By overcoming a low mechanical resistance of the rotary latch can be brought from the open position to the closed position. In this case, a bevel in the scenery, which cooperates with the actuating lever as described above, facilitate the movement into the closed position when released from the blocked open position.

Figur 1

zeigt eine Aufsicht auf einen Abschnitt eines Leuchteneinsatzes gemäß dem Stand der Technik.

Figur 2

zeigt eine Aufsicht auf einen Abschnitt eines Leuchteneinsatzes gemäß der Erfindung.

Figur 3

zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht des Abschnitts des Leuchteneinsatzes nach Figur 2 von der Seite.

Figur 4

zeigt die Aufsicht auf den Leuchteneinsatz entsprechend der Figur 2, wobei der Drehriegel sich in der Verschlussposition befindet, ohne Kabel.

Figur 5

zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht entsprechend der Figur 3, wobei sich der Verschlusshebel in Verschlussposition befindet, ohne Kabel.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The figures show the following:

FIG. 1

shows a plan view of a portion of a lamp insert according to the prior art.

FIG. 2

shows a plan view of a portion of a lamp insert according to the invention.

FIG. 3

shows a perspective view of the portion of the lamp insert after FIG. 2 of the page.

FIG. 4

shows the top view of the lamp insert according to the FIG. 2 , where the rotary latch is in the closed position, without cables.

FIG. 5

shows a perspective view according to the FIG. 3 , with the locking lever in the locked position, without cables.

Referring to the FIGS. 2 to 5 an embodiment of the invention is shown.

Such as in FIG. 2 can be seen, a luminaire insert on a base plate 1, on which a rotary latch 2 is rotatably mounted about an axis 3. The rotary latch 2 has a closure bracket 4, which in this embodiment is rigidly connected to the remaining parts of the rotary latch 2. Furthermore, the rotary latch 2 an actuating lever 6, which is guided by a side wall of the lamp insert to the outside. By pressing of the operating lever 6, the rotary latch 2 can be rotated at an angle of about 20 °.

When turning the rotary latch 2, the closure bracket 4 passes from an open position, which in the FIGS. 2 and 3 is shown in a closed position, which in the FIGS. 4 and 5 is shown. In the closed position, the closure clip 4 is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the lamp insert and engages with two opposite arms each have an edge on the rail (not shown in the figures) to hold the lamp insert frictionally on the rail.

On the rotary latch 2, a holding element 10 is arranged on the side remote from the base side 1, which defines an approximately U-shaped cross-section in the illustrated embodiment. As in the FIGS. 2 and 3 is shown, at least one, in the illustrated embodiment, two cables 12 can be inserted into the U-shaped portion of the support member. In the open position of the locking lever, as in the FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrated, the holding member 10 is located on a line to the axis 3 of the rotary bolt 2 parallel to the side edges of the lamp insert. As a result, an automatic wiring robot can simply insert the cables 12 from above into the retaining element. The U-shaped portion of the support member 10 closes automatically after the cable is inserted by the elasticity of the legs, so that the cables 12 are held in the holding element. The particular advantage over the prior art is that the cables can be easily inserted from above into the holding element. In contrast, it was in the prior art, as in the FIG. 1 shown, necessary to pass the cables by hand on the rotary bolt 2 and to fix by plastic strips.

The arrangement of the retaining element 10 on the rotary latch 2 itself, the entire element can be made in one piece, which also represents an improvement over the prior art, in which the holding elements in the form of plastic strips had to be made separately from the rotary latch.

Due to the arrangement of the retaining element 10 on the rotary latch 2 at a small distance from the axis 3, only a small displacement of the retaining element 2 between the open position and the locking position of the rotary latch 2 is given. This shift can easily follow the cables 12 without being damaged.

The operating lever 6 is passed through a slot 14 on the side wall of the lamp insert. This slot 14 is, however, as in the Figures 3 and 5 Seen from the side, not exactly executed, but has a backdrop. The backdrop is shaped so that the rotary latch 2 in the closed position, as in FIG. 5 shown blocked in a depression. From the open position, as in FIG. 3 shown, the lever 6 slides laterally on a slope so that it can be easily brought into the closed position. From the closed position, the operating lever 6 can be released by lifting again.

By the backdrop in the slot 14 thus the operating lever 6 and thereby also the closure bracket 4 can be blocked in the closed position, so that unintentional opening of the rotary bolt is prevented.

Furthermore, it is also provided in the embodiment that the locking lever can be blocked in the open position. For this purpose, a projection or a recess is provided on the underside of the rotary latch, which engages in a recess or a projection on the base plate of the lamp insert (not shown in the figures). By means of this mechanical fixation, the rotary latch can be blocked in the open position, so that a defined position of the retaining element 10 with respect to the luminaire insert is ensured during the automatic loading of the cables 12.

Various changes may be made to the preferred embodiment described above without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims. In particular, the shape of the rotary bolt and the closure bracket may differ. Further, the means provided for blocking the rotary latch in the open position and / or the closed position may also vary. For example, the open position of the rotary latch can also be realized by a corresponding recess in the slot 14 of the slot.

reference numeral

1

baseplate

2

Spagnolet

3

axis

4

with clasps

6

actuating lever

8th

Plastic strips

10

retaining element

12

electric wire

14

Slot with backdrop

Claims (10)

1. Light insert, configured for installation on a rail, in particular a light strip system, wherein the light insert comprises a base plate (1), in which a rotary latch (2) is mounted such as to rotate about an axle (3),
   wherein the rotary latch (2) interacts with a locking bar (4), such that, when the rotary latch (2) is rotated manually, the locking bar (4) can be brought into a locking position, in which two arms of the locking bar (4) engage over projections in the rail in order to hold the light insert to the rail in non-positive fit,
   characterized in that the rotary latch (2) comprises a holding element (10) for holding at least one electric cable (12) laid in the light insert.
2. Light insert according to claim 1, wherein the holding element (10) exhibits a U-shaped section, into which the electric cable (12) can be introduced from the open side of the U.
3. Light insert according to claim 2, wherein the limbs of the U-shaped section are configured as elastic, such that, after the introduction of the cable (12) into the holding element (10), the limbs spontaneously spring back onto one another, in order to hold the electric cable (12) in the U-shaped section.
4. Light insert according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the holding element (10) is not further distant from the axle (3) than the length, and preferably half the length, of the locking bar (4).
5. Light insert according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the holding element (10) is arranged on the rotary latch (2) at an angle of between 30° to 60° in relation to the longitudinal extension of the locking bar (4).
6. Light insert according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotary latch (2) comprises an actuation lever (6) which extends outwards through a side wall of the light insert, in order to allow for it to be manually actuated there.
7. Light insert according to claim 6, wherein the actuation lever (6) is guided through a slot (14) in the side wall, which exhibits a link which blocks the rotary latch (2) in the locking position, wherein the rotary latch (2) can be released from the locking position by the elastic deflection of the actuation lever (6) perpendicular to the rotation direction and by lateral displacement in the direction of the rotation direction.
8. Light insert according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotary latch (2) further comprises a device to block the rotary latch (2) in an opened position, in which the locking bar is retracted from the rail.
9. Light insert according to preceding claim 8, wherein the device comprises a projection on the rotary latch and/or the light insert, as well as a recess on the other element in each case, which engage with one another in the opened position of the rotary latch (2).
10. Light insert according to preceding claim 9, wherein the recess and the projection are arranged on the base plate (1) of the light insert and on the side of rotary latch (2) facing towards the base plate.

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