EP3805639A1 - Light with plug contact, use of such a light and connector for such a light - Google Patents

Abstract

A lamp (1) is provided with a preferably plate-shaped light exit area (2) which is surrounded by a rectangular lamp frame (10), the lamp frame (10) spanning a first plane (E) and one perpendicular to the first plane (E) has standing frame height (H) and at one of its corners (11) has a beveled surface (12) in which a plug contact (30) is arranged and an electromechanical plug connection for such a lamp.

Description

The invention relates to a lamp with a plug contact, the use of such a lamp and a connector for such a lamp.

Luminaires, especially luminaires that are attached to the ceiling of a large room or a hall such as an open-plan office or a machine or production hall, must generally be installed in such a way that they simultaneously meet two boundary conditions: First, the luminaire should be illuminate the corresponding workplace as well as possible. Second, it should be connected to the power supply, which is usually structurally specified, as directly as possible.

In order to be able to meet these goals at the same time, such luminaires have been offered with different connection configurations. You can order a given type of luminaire, e.g. in variants with connections for the power supply on the back of the luminaire or connections that are arranged in different arrangements and connection directions on the side of the luminaire.

This approach has disadvantages for both the customer and the manufacturer of the luminaires. Customers repeatedly order incorrectly because the correct connection direction must be observed when ordering. In addition, when workplaces are reorganized, luminaires have to be rearranged, but are then oriented in such a way that their connection no longer points in the right direction. For the manufacturer, this means that different housings are required which entails a more complex assembly.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a lamp with a plug contact and a connector for such a lamp, which enable the tool-free connection of such a lamp in different directions in the room.

This object is achieved by a lamp with the features of claim 1 and by a plug connector with the features of claim 8. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the respective dependent claims.

The lamp according to the invention has a light exit area which is preferably plate-shaped. The light exit area is surrounded by a rectangular lamp frame which spans a first plane and has a frame height that is perpendicular to the first plane. This lamp frame has a beveled surface at one of its corners, in which a plug contact is arranged.

In other words, one of the normally eight corners of such a lamp frame is, so to speak, cut off and replaced by the beveled surface, which is then formed by the cut surface.

Beveled means preferably that a surface normal of the beveled surface is aligned neither parallel nor perpendicular to the first plane and that none of the edges of the beveled surface is parallel to one of those edges that lead to belong to one of the other frame surfaces and do not adjoin the beveled surface.

The arrangement of the plug contact in such a beveled corner enables a cable with an angled plug to be led away from the lamp in different spatial directions. If a power supply for the lamp is required from a different direction, the angled plug simply has to be plugged into the plug contact in a different orientation.

It is particularly preferred if the beveled surface is at an angle of at least approximately 45 ° to the first plane, i.e. at an angle of approximately 45 ° or more than 45 ° to this plane, an angle from the range between approximately 45 ° ° and about 60 ° is particularly preferred. The reason for this is that in this angular range, by choosing a suitable angled plug, it can be achieved that the directions from which the light can be supplied with power are almost perpendicular to one another.

In a preferred development of the invention, the beveled surface is trapezoidal when viewed from above (or, in other words, has a circumferential line that defines such a shape) so that the shorter side of the trapezoidal shape faces the light exit area and the longer one Side of the trapezoidal shape opposite to this.

Such a surface is obtained when the beveled surface corresponds to a cut surface with which two of the normally eight corners of the lamp frame are cut off with cutting lines that have a different distance from the cut corner. An advantage that is achieved by is that the area that is available for the connection or the contacting of the plug contact within the luminaire becomes larger. This is particularly advantageous if the lamp has control electronics which are arranged in the interior of the lamp on a printed circuit board or circuit board and if the plug contact is integrated on this circuit board or circuit board.

In order to arrange such control electronics in the interior of the luminaire, it can also be useful to have one side of the luminaire frame that is adjacent to the beveled surface in the form of a U-profile with a base of the U that runs parallel to the frame height and with legs that are in the plane of the light exit area or lie in the plane of the rear side of the lamp opposite the light exit area. The frame thus forms a housing section on this side in which the control electronics, which are then located in the interior of the U-profile, are integrated.

If, according to a preferred development of the invention, the beveled surface has an opening or recess in which the plug contact is seated, this can contribute to the fact that the cables can be guided at a small distance from the frame. In particular, if this opening or recess is designed as a polygon, preferably as a hexagonal pocket, a series of discrete, defined plug positions can be predetermined by its geometry, which correspond to different cable run directions. Such a geometry can, however, also serve to provide an abutment for adjusting the direction of the cable run of the plug in the state connected to the plug contact.

In particular if such an adjustment of the cable run direction is to be possible, it is advantageous if the plug contact seated in the recess or opening has sliding contacts. This also enables unlimited rotation of the connector without an end stop and avoids the use of stranded wires or cables.

Use of a lamp according to the invention is particularly preferred.

An electromechanical plug connection according to the invention comprises a plug for arrangement on a cable and a mating plug for arrangement on an electrical device, which can in particular be designed as a plug contact. The electrical device can in particular be a lamp according to the invention.

On the one hand, the plug has a contact area for making mechanical contact with the mating connector and for making electrical contact between contacts of the plug and contacts of the mating connector and, on the other hand, a connection area, angled from the contact area, for connection to the cable.

Furthermore, the plug and the mating connector have means for forming a form fit when these means are acted upon by force when the plug and mating connector are connected, which are designed in such a way that the form fit is in different positions, each in different directions of the connection area of the plug (and thus also a connected cable) in the room, can be produced.

Furthermore, the plug and / or the mating plug have means for elastically applying a force to the means for forming the form fit, so that the form fit can be transferred from a first of the different positions to a second of the different positions by temporarily overcoming the force.

Finally, the contacts of the plug and / or the contacts of the mating connector are designed so that electrical contact is made at least between some contacts of the mating connector and some contacts of the connector in all positions in which the form fit is established.

In this way, an electromechanical connector that is small in size, can be easily connected and allows several different orientations, can be provided.

It is preferred if the contact area and the connection area are angled at an angle of at most approximately 45 °, an area between approximately 30 ° and approximately 45 ° being particularly preferred.

According to a preferred development of such an electromechanical plug connection, it is designed to be rotatable, so that the form fit can be transferred from a first of the different positions to a second of the different positions by temporarily overcoming the force by rotating.

It is also advantageous if this electromechanical plug-in connection is used as a means for forming a form fit when these means are acted upon by force when the plug and mating plug are connected which are designed in such a way that that the positive fit can be established in different positions, each leading to different directions of the connection area of the plug (and thus also of a cable connected to it) in space, has several latching positions, the latching positions each being assigned to a different rotational position of the plug.

In a preferred development of the invention, the means for elastically applying a force to the means for forming the form fit are realized in that the latching connection is in operative connection by means of an annular spring on the plug and an associated recess in the opening or recess of the lamp frame.

Fig.1:

Ein Ausführungsbeispiel einer Leuchte,

Fig.2:

den Steckkontakt der Leuchte aus Figur 1 in vergrößerter Darstellung bei entferntem Stecker,

Fig.3:

eine teilweise geöffnete Darstellung der Verbindung zwischen Steckkontakt und Stecker eines Ausführungsbeispiels einer elektromechanischen Steckverbindung für eine solche Leuchte,

Fig.4:

eine Explosionsdarstellung des Steckers der elektromechanischen Steckverbindung aus Figur 3,

Fig.5:

eine Steuerelektronik einer Leuchte mit einem Stecckontakt, wie er in Figur 2 dargestellt ist, und

Fig.6:

eine Darstellung der Leuchte aus Figur 1, bei der unterschiedliche Positionen des Steckers schematisch gezeigt sind.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to figures which represent exemplary embodiments. It shows:

Fig. 1:

An embodiment of a lamp,

Fig. 2:

the plug contact of the light Figure 1 in an enlarged view with the connector removed,

Fig. 3:

a partially opened representation of the connection between the plug contact and plug of an embodiment of an electromechanical plug connection for such a lamp,

Fig. 4:

an exploded view of the plug of the electromechanical connector Figure 3 ,

Fig. 5:

control electronics of a lamp with a plug contact, as shown in Figure 2 is shown, and

Fig. 6:

a representation of the luminaire Figure 1 , in which the different positions of the connector are shown schematically.

The same components are shown with the same reference symbols in all figures.

Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a lamp 1. The lamp 1 has an essentially plate-shaped light exit region 2 which is surrounded by a lamp frame 10 running essentially in a rectangular shape. The lamp frame 10 spans a first plane E on which the frame height H is perpendicular. In order to supply the lamp 1 with power, there is a plug 40 which is connected to an in Figure 1 The plug contact 30 of the lamp 1, which is not visible and is provided on a sloping surface 12 which is arranged at one of the corners 11 of the lamp 1, is in electrical connection.

How to be particularly good at displaying the Figure 2 sees, in which this section of the lamp 1 is shown with the plug 40 removed, the beveled surface 12 is at an angle W of at least approximately 45 ° to the first plane E. The beveled surface 12 is trapezoidal when viewed from above, with the shorter side 14 the trapezoidal shape faces the light exit side, that is, the side on which the light exit area 2 is located, and the longer side 16 of the trapezoidal shape is opposite to this.

The plug contact 30 sits in an opening 15 or recess which is designed as a hexagonal pocket and has sliding contacts 31. As exemplified in Figure 4 is shown, in particular integrated on a printed circuit board or circuit board 32 which carries the control electronics 33 for the lamp 1. In order to arrange such control electronics 33 in the interior of the luminaire, it can also be useful to have a side 10a of the luminaire frame 10, which is adjacent to the beveled surface, in the form of a U-profile with a base 17 of the U that runs parallel to the frame height and with legs 19 that lie in the plane of the light exit area or in the plane of the rear side of the lamp 1 opposite the light exit area. The lamp frame 10 thereby forms with its side 10a a housing section in which the control electronics 33, which are then located quasi in the interior of the U-profile, are integrated.

Figure 3 shows a partially opened representation of the connection between plug contact 30 and plug 40 of an exemplary embodiment of an electromechanical plug connection, such as can be used with a lamp 1, for example.

The electromechanical plug connection has a plug 40 for arrangement on a cable 60 and a mating plug, which in the exemplary embodiment shown by the plug contact 30 with sliding contacts 31 not visible in Figure 30 and the surrounding area of the beveled surface 12, which the walls 18 of the opening 15 forms, is formed.

The connector 40, which is shown as an exploded view in Figure 4 is shown, to which reference is also made, on the one hand has a contact area 50 for making mechanical contact with the mating connector and for making electrical contact between contacts of the connector 40 and the contacts of the mating connector formed by the sliding contacts 31 of the plug contact 30 and, on the other hand, one of the Contact area 50 angled connection area 70 for connection to the cable 60.

The angle w by which the contact area 50 is angled relative to the connection area 70 is selected here by way of example so that with a center axis A of the connection area 70 aligned parallel to the height H of the lamp frame, the center axis M of the contact area 50 is perpendicular to the beveled surface 12 and thus runs in the plugging direction. Correspondingly, the angle w results from the angle W defined above by the relationship w = 90 ° -W. Correspondingly, angles which are at most approximately 45 ° and are particularly preferably between approximately 30 ° and approximately 45 ° are preferred.

The contacts of the plug 40 can in particular be designed as a group of spring-loaded contact pins 57 which are fastened in the interior of a tube-like section 51 of a plug housing 52 to a printed circuit board which is oriented perpendicular to the plug-in direction of the plug 40 and which is arranged in the contact area 50 within the plug housing 52 and are pressed against the sliding contacts 31 by their springs in the plugged-in state. The spring-loaded contact pins can then be brought into electrical contact with the angled end sections 59a of connection pins 59 of a contact carrier 71 arranged in the angled connection area 70 or forming this connection area 70 within the connector housing 52 directly or via conductor track connections provided on the circuit board. The connection pins 59 are then in turn connected to the wires of the cable 60 with their cable-side end sections 59b.

The plug 40 and the mating plug also have means for forming a form fit when a force is applied Cooperation of these means when plug 40 and mating plug are connected, which are designed such that the form fit can be produced in different positions, each leading to different directions of the connection area of the plug 40 in space. On the side of the mating connector, this means is the opening 15 designed as a hexagonal pocket. On the side of the connector 40, the tube-like section 51 is surrounded in its end region opposite the plug-in direction by a circumferential hexagonal projection 53, which is adapted to the geometry of the hexagonal pocket and has a bevel 53a as an insertion aid into the hexagonal pocket. When the hexagonal projection 53 is inserted into the hexagonal pocket and fixed there by a force, there is a form fit between these components, which prevents the connector 40 from rotating relative to the mating connector. Obviously there are six different positions in which this form fit can be produced.

The tube-like section 51 has two circumferential grooves 54a, 54b in its outer wall. In the groove 54a an O-ring 55 is arranged, which develops a sealing effect when the electromechanical plug connection is plugged together. An annular spring 56 is mounted in the groove 54b, which, in cooperation with a circumferential recess 18a in the wall 18 of the opening 15 of the beveled surface 12 belonging to the frame 11, which is formed by the hexagonal pocket, elastically applies a force to the means just described for forming the form fit , so that it holds the hexagonal projection 53 in the hexagonal pocket or pulls it into it.

Thus, a latching connection by means of the annular spring 56 on the plug 40 and an associated recess 18a of the wall 18 is here Executed as a hexagonal pocket opening 15 or recess of the lamp frame 11, which are in operative connection with one another, formed.

When a rotary movement is initiated on the plug 40, starting from a locked position around the center axis of the hexagonal pocket, the interaction of the bevel 53a with the outer edge of the hexagonal pocket creates a force which, as soon as the elastic force is applied to the plug 40 by the interaction of the ring spring 56 and Overcomes puncture 18a in the wall 18 temporarily, pushes the plug 40 out of the form fit so that the plug 40 can rotate relative to the mating plug.

If the next position, in which the hexagonal edge 53 can be received precisely in the hexagonal pocket, is reached, the interaction of the bevel 53a with the edge of the hexagonal pocket is omitted, and the plug 40 is pulled back into the hexagonal pocket, whereby it is now temporarily overcome the elastic force has been transferred from a first of the different positions to a second of the different positions.

Correspondingly, the six positions in which the hexagonal edge 53 can be received precisely in the hexagonal pocket form six latching positions of the electromechanical plug connection, which can be converted into one another when the electromechanical plug connection is plugged in.

In the process, the contacts of the plug 40, in this example the spring-loaded contact pins 57, are also rotated and come into contact again at a different point on the sliding contacts 31 to the sliding contacts 31, the geometry of which is designed so that in all positions in which the form fit is established, an electrical contact is made at least between some contacts of the mating connector and some contacts of the connector.

It should also be noted that in particular not only a change in the cable run direction starting from the lamp can be achieved in this way, as shown in FIG Figure 5 is shown schematically with the different aligned plugs 40, 40 'and 40 ", which are each constructed identically to the plug 40 and are only set in another of the latching positions relative to the mating plug.

In addition, a switching function can in principle also be achieved. Such a switching effect occurs, for example, when the point of the sliding contacts 31 contacted after such a change in the latching position is not electrically conductively connected to the point of the sliding contacts 31 contacted before the change, so that another component of the control electronics 33 is now supplied with power and / or another spring-loaded contact pin 57 is brought into contact with the sliding contact 31, so that a different signal or a current with different parameters is fed to a given component of the control electronics 33.

List of reference symbols

1

lamp

2

Light exit area

10

Lamp frame

10a

page

11

corner

12th

beveled face

14th

shorter side

15th

opening

16

longer side

17th

Base

18th

wall

18a

Puncture

19th

leg

30th

Plug contact

31

Sliding contact

32

Printed circuit board or circuit board

33

Control electronics

40, 40 ', 40' '

plug

50

Contact area

51

tubular section

52

Connector housing

53

hexagonal protrusion

53a

chamfer

54a, 54b

Groove

55

O-ring

56

Ring spring

57

Contact pin

58

Circuit board

59

Connection pin

59a

angled end section

59b

cable-side end section

60

electric wire

70

Connection area

71

Contact carrier

E.

level

M.

Central axis

W.

angle

w

angle

Claims (12)

Lamp (1) with a preferably plate-shaped light exit area (2) which is surrounded by a rectangular lamp frame (10), the lamp frame (10) spanning a first plane (E) and a frame height ( H) and at one of its corners (11) has a beveled surface (12) in which a plug contact (30) is arranged. Light (1) according to claim 1,
characterized in that the beveled surface (12) lies at an angle (W) of at least approximately 45 ° to the first plane (E) and particularly preferably at an angle (W) between approximately 45 ° and approximately 60 ° to the first plane (E ) lies. Light (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that the beveled surface (12) is trapezoidal when viewed from above, the shorter side (14) of the trapezoidal shape facing the light exit area (2) and the longer side (16) of the trapezoidal shape opposite thereto. Light (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 3,
characterized in that the beveled surface (12) has an opening (15) or recess in which the plug contact (30) sits. Light (1) according to claim 4,
characterized in that the opening (15) or recess is designed as a polygon, preferably as a hexagonal pocket. Light (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5,
characterized in that the plug contact (30) seated in the recess (15) or opening has sliding contacts (31). Use of the lamp according to one of Claims 1 to 6 as a machine lamp. Electromechanical plug connection with a plug (40) for arrangement on a cable (60) and with a mating plug (50) for arrangement on an electrical device, in particular a lamp according to one of Claims 1 to 7, the plug (40) on the one hand having a contact area ( 50) for making mechanical contact with the mating connector and for making electrical contact between contacts of the connector (40) and contacts of the mating connector and, on the other hand, a connection area (70) extending at an angle from the contact area (50) for connection to the cable (60) ,
wherein the plug (40) and the mating connector have means for forming a form fit when these means are acted upon by force when the plug (40) and mating connector are connected, which are designed in such a way that the form fit is in different positions, each in different directions of the connection area (70) of the plug (40) lead in the room, can be produced,
wherein the plug (40) and / or the mating plug further have means for elastically applying a force to the means for forming the form fit, so that the form fit can be transferred from a first of the different positions to a second of the different positions by temporarily overcoming the force , and
wherein the contacts of the connector (40) and / or the contacts of the mating connector are designed so that in all positions in which the form fit is established, an electrical contact is made at least between some contacts of the mating connector and some contacts of the connector (40) . Electromechanical plug connection according to claim 8,
characterized in that the contact area (50) and the connection area (70) are angled from one another at an angle (w) of at most approximately 45 ° and particularly preferably the angle (w) between the contact area (50) and the connection area (70) between about 30 ° and about 45 °. Electromechanical plug connection according to Claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the electromechanical plug connection can be rotated. Electromechanical plug connection according to claim 10,
characterized in that the electromechanical plug connection has several latching positions, the latching positions each being assigned to a different rotational position of the plug (40). Electromechanical plug connection according to claim 11, characterized in that the latching connection is in operative connection by means of an annular spring (56) on the plug (40) and an associated recess (18a) on the opening (15) or recess of the lamp frame (11).

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