EP3876365A1 - Light adapter and rail lighting system - Google Patents

Abstract

A track lighting system comprises a mounting rail which is at least partially curved along a longitudinal extension and has at least one mounting slot along the longitudinal extension, as well as a lighting adapter which is selectively designed to be plugged into the at least one mounting slot for electrical contacting of the mounting rail along the longitudinal extension of the mounting rail and a In a first variant, the adapter body is divided into adapter segments along a longitudinal extension, with two adapter segments being connected to one another via a bending area, the adapter body being designed to be bendable at the bending area in relation to the longitudinal extension of the adapter body. In a second variant, the The adapter body is essentially made of an elastomer so that it can be bent continuously along a longitudinal extension Supply rails are designed to be particularly narrow and have mounting slots with a slot width of less than 7.5 mm.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to light adapters for a track light system and a track light system with such light adapters.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Track systems for luminaires offer the possibility of selectively positioning and / or aligning lighting means, e.g. according to the special needs of an illuminated room. Such a lighting system typically includes one or more busbars, each of which carries one or more lighting units and supplies them with electrical energy. The busbars thus serve, on the one hand, for power distribution and, on the other hand, as mechanical assembly means in order to fasten the lights at variable positions, in particular continuously, along a length extension of the respective rail. For this purpose, the rails can be mounted, for example, on a ceiling, a wall and / or another carrier. The luminaires themselves can be designed differently in terms of their lighting parameters, e.g. in terms of intensity, directional characteristics, beam angle, color, etc.

For receiving or fastening the lighting means, the rails of such systems include assembly slots, which typically have widths of 1 cm or more. In addition, track lighting systems generally have an electrical supply rail which is attached to a rear or inner end of the respective mounting slot for contacting the lighting means received. A minimum width for the respective assembly slot is to be selected to be correspondingly large in order to be able to guarantee the necessary minimum distances between the electrical contacts.

Once installed, such track lighting systems offer a high degree of flexibility in terms of the specific arrangement of the individual lights. For example, the lights can be slid along the rail and / or relative to the Rail can be realigned. In typical track lighting systems, the lights attached to the track can also be removed, added, and / or exchanged as required.

The pamphlets WO 2016/132361 A1 and WO 2018/037396 A1 describe examples of such track lighting systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the objects of the invention is to find particularly simple and practical solutions for attaching lights for track lighting systems with curved track profiles.

These and other objects are achieved by a lamp adapter with the features of claim 1, by a lamp adapter with the features of claim 8 and by a track lighting system with the features of claim 17.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a light adapter for a track light system is provided. The luminaire rail system comprises a support rail which is designed to be curved at least in sections along a longitudinal extension and has at least one mounting slot along the longitudinal extension. The lamp adapter is designed to be selectively insertable along the longitudinal extension of the support rail into the at least one assembly slot for electrical contacting of the support rail. The lamp adapter comprises an adapter body which is divided into adapter segments along a longitudinal extension of the adapter body, two adapter segments being connected to one another via a bending area, the adapter body being designed to be bendable in relation to the longitudinal extension of the adapter body at the bending area.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a light adapter for a track light system is provided. The luminaire rail system comprises a support rail which is designed to be curved at least in sections along a longitudinal extension and has at least one mounting slot along the longitudinal extension. The light adapter is selectively along the longitudinal extension of the mounting rail in the at least one mounting slot electrical contacting of the mounting rail is designed to be pluggable. The light adapter comprises an adapter body which is essentially made of an elastomer so that it can be bent continuously along a longitudinal extension of the adapter body.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a track lighting system comprises a mounting rail which is at least partially curved along a longitudinal extension and has at least one mounting slot along the longitudinal extension, and a lighting adapter according to the first or second aspect of the invention.

One idea on which the present invention is based is to design a light adapter in a flexible manner in order to enable it to be introduced into a curved support rail of a track light system in a particularly practical and simple manner. According to the invention, two alternative variants are provided for the light adapter. In a first variant of the invention, the flexibility of the lamp adapter is achieved by dividing the adapter body into flexible bending areas. In a second variant of the invention, on the other hand, the flexibility of the lamp adapter is implemented in that the adapter body of the lamp adapter is made flexible essentially from an elastomer continuously along its length. In both variants of the invention, the luminaire adapter can thus be particularly easily bent in relation to its longitudinal extension to a curvature of the respective mounting rail and then inserted into the mounting rail. Regardless of the specific shape of the mounting rail, the light adapter can also be designed to be displaceable along the entire length or part of the longitudinal extension of the mounting rail, the light adapter adapting to a change in the curvature of the mounting rail due to its flexibility.

Advantageous refinements and developments emerge from the further subclaims and from the description with reference to the figures.

According to a further development of the first aspect, the bending area can be made of plastic.

For example, a relatively soft plastic can be selected so that the bending area can be provided, for example, as a flexible web between adjacent, relatively rigid or rigid adapter segments.

According to a development of the first aspect, the bending area can have a plurality of perforations.

The flexibility of the bending area can also be achieved in that the material of the bending area is interspersed with cutouts, i.e. controlled structural weakening.

According to a further development of the first aspect, the adapter body can essentially consist of plastic.

In particular, the adapter body can be made entirely of plastic.

According to a development of the first aspect, the lamp adapter can comprise a printed circuit board within the adapter body. At least one electronic component for transmitting electrical energy and control signals from the mounting rail can be contained on the printed circuit board. The circuit board can be designed to be bendable in accordance with the adapter body.

In this case, the adapter body serves, so to speak, as a housing for receiving a printed circuit board. For example, the adapter body can be divided into two or more housing parts for this purpose, which can be connected to one another or detached from one another with a suitable mechanism in order to allow access to the circuit board. In order to maintain the flexibility and thus the bendability of the luminaire adapter, the circuit board is designed to be bendable in accordance with the adapter body, i.e. the circuit board is at least as bendable as the adapter body. It follows from this, among other things, that the modulus of elasticity and / or the geometrical moment of inertia of the circuit board must be adapted to that of the adapter body.

The circuit board or the lamp adapter can be supplied with electrical energy and / or with control signals via one or more corresponding supply rails within the mounting slot of the mounting rail. The electronic components and / or parts on the circuit board can in turn supply and control light units which are carried by the light adapter. Control signals can include, for example, signals from a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) system. In particular, illuminants carried by the luminaire adapter can be controlled, for example with regard to a color, an emission characteristic, a brightness, a lighting mode, etc.

The lamp adapter, in particular the adapter body, can have one or more electrical contacting elements which, when the lamp adapter is plugged in, establish electrical contact between the lamp adapter and one or more supply rails of the support rail. For example, contacting elements such as spring contacts and / or pickups can be provided on an outside of the adapter body of the lamp adapter, via which the electronic components inside the lamp adapter (in particular on the circuit board) can be electrically connected to supply rails lying on the side of the plugged-in lamp adapter. In this embodiment with supply rails lying on the side, the rail lighting system can be designed to be particularly narrow. In particular, the mounting slot can be designed with a slot width of less than 7.5 mm, for example 6 mm, whereby the light adapter can also be made correspondingly narrow, so that the result is a track light system that is significantly narrower than corresponding systems from the prior art Technology is.

According to a development of the first aspect, the circuit board can be divided into circuit board segments along the longitudinal extent of the adapter body. Here, two circuit board segments can be connected to one another via a circuit board bending area. The printed circuit board bending areas can be arranged within the adapter body corresponding to the bending areas of the adapter body.

In this exemplary embodiment, the circuit board, like the adapter body, is thus divided into individual segments that are connected to one another by flexible bending areas. The bending areas of the circuit board are arranged within the adapter body corresponding to the bending areas of the adapter body, ie in particular they are spaced apart at the same intervals as the bending areas of the adapter body.

For example, the printed circuit board can also have a large number of perforations in its bending areas, with the necessary flexibility being achieved by eliminating material, similar to the adapter body. In contrast, the circuit board segments can be more or less rigid in this case. In another embodiment, instead of the perforated areas, narrow, e.g. milled, webs can be formed in the bending areas. In this case, the flexibility is also achieved by eliminating material, although the material is not removed from the outside at certain points, but over a large area.

It goes without saying that the person skilled in the art can implement further designs here in order to achieve bending flexibility in the bending areas of the printed circuit board. For example, segment pairs can be connected by means of flexible elements that are soldered on. Rotatable connectors can also be used, etc.

According to a further development of the first aspect, the printed circuit board can be made bendable continuously along the longitudinal extension of the adapter body.

As an alternative, the printed circuit board can thus, for example, be made entirely of a flexible material, for example an elastomer.

According to a further development of the second aspect, the adapter body can essentially consist of rubber.

In particular, the adapter body can be made entirely of rubber. It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that appropriate alternative materials can be used which ensure appropriate flexibility or bendability.

According to a further development of the second aspect, the lamp adapter can comprise a printed circuit board within the adapter body. At least one electronic component for transmitting electrical energy and control signals from the mounting rail can be contained on the printed circuit board. The circuit board can be designed to be bendable in accordance with the adapter body.

Similar to the corresponding development of the first aspect of the invention, the circuit board can also be accommodated in an adapter body serving as a housing in the case of the second variant, the flexibility of the circuit board being selected according to the adapter body in order to make it at least as bendable as the adapter body . Accordingly, the modulus of elasticity and / or the geometrical moment of inertia of the circuit board must be adapted to that of the adapter body.

According to a development of the second aspect, the circuit board can have an elastic band. The at least one electronic component can be attached to the elastic band.

In this case, the elastic band is located together with the electronic components attached to it within the adapter body of the light adapter.

According to a further development of the invention, the lamp adapter can be designed to be displaceable along the at least one assembly slot in an inserted state.

For example, the lamp adapter can have one or more slide elements or slide arms, along which the lamp adapter can slide along in complementary recesses in the support rail. The light adapter can be held in the mounting rail by locking elements.

According to a further development of the invention, the lamp adapter can be designed to be inserted into the at least one assembly slot with a slot width of less than 7.5 mm.

In a specific example, the mounting slot can be about 6 mm wide or narrower. The light adapter can be designed to fit into an opening of 6 mm or less. In particular, the light adapter can thus have an insertion width of 7.5 mm, 6 mm or less. It goes without saying that the person skilled in the art can use other specific slot widths as long as the mounting slot and thus the rail profile remain sufficiently narrow, ie narrower than 7.5 mm. The track lighting system is thus characterized by a particularly narrow design.

In contrast, conventional track lighting systems practically always have significantly wider mounting slots of 10 mm or more.

According to a further development of the invention, the lamp adapter can have locking elements. In the plugged-in state, the light adapter can be latched into the at least one mounting slot of the support rail via the latching elements.

For example, the latching elements can be formed on an outside of the lamp adapter or the adapter body in such a way that when the lamp adapter is inserted into the mounting slot, the latching elements are first pushed into the lamp adapter from the outer edges of the mounting rail and then back out of the lamp adapter into corresponding receptacles in the interior of the mounting rail jump out so that the luminaire adapter can snap into the mounting rail.

According to a further development of the invention, the lamp adapter can have a dismantling device. The dismantling device can be designed to adjust the latching elements in order to release the latched lamp adapter from the mounting rail.

For example, the light adapter can be designed with one or more push buttons or the like. The locking arms can be adjusted by pressing the push buttons, e.g. retracted from an extended / unfolded locking position so that the light adapter can be pulled out of the mounting slot and thus removed from the mounting rail. For this purpose, the pushbutton (s) can be provided on an outside of the light adapter (e.g. on the adapter body) in such a way that an operator can access them even when the light adapter is installed, i.e. plugged in.

According to a further development of the invention, the light adapter can carry at least one light unit for generating light.

For example, the light adapter can be designed with one or more receptacles into which individual light units or lights can be inserted, for example an LED spotlight or another light source. The lighting unit can be electrically connected to the mounting rail via the lighting adapter. According to a further development of the invention, the lamp adapter can terminate flush with the mounting rail in the inserted state.

The luminaire adapter fits discreetly and space-savingly into the mounting rail design. For example, the light adapter can also be designed to hold one or more light units or light sources, which can be plugged into the mounted light adapter from outside the mounting slot, so that only the actual light sources are visible on the mounting rail, while the light adapter is more or less visible in the mounting slots remains less hidden.

According to a development, the mounting rail can have a metal material and / or a plastic.

For example, the mounting rail can essentially be made of metal, a metal alloy and / or a metallic material combination, e.g. aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In this case, the resulting heat can be dissipated directly via the mounting rail. As an alternative or in addition, the mounting rail can also have a plastic material or be made of this.

The above configurations and developments can be combined with one another as desired, provided that it makes sense. Further possible configurations, developments and implementations of the invention also include combinations of features of the invention that are not explicitly mentioned above or below with regard to the exemplary embodiments. In particular, the person skilled in the art will also add individual aspects as improvements or additions to the respective basic form of the present invention.

SHORT CONTENTS OF THE FIGURES

• Fig. 1 eine schematische Schnittansicht eines Schienenleuchtensystems gemäß einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung;
• Fig. 2 eine perspektivische Seitenansicht von Komponenten des Schienenleuchtensystems aus Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 eine perspektivische Seitenansicht eines Leuchtenadapters aus dem Schienenleuchtensystem aus Fig. 1;
• Fig. 4 eine schematische Draufsicht auf den Leuchtenadapter aus Fig. 3;
• Fig. 5 eine schematische Explosionsansicht des Leuchtenadapters aus Fig. 4; und
• Fig. 6 bis 10 schematische Ansichten einer Leiterplatte aus dem Leuchtenadapter von Fig. 1 bis 5.

The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments specified in the schematic figures. It shows:

• Fig. 1 a schematic sectional view of a track lighting system according to an embodiment of the invention;
• Fig. 2 a perspective side view of components of the track lighting system Fig. 1 ;
• Fig. 3 a perspective side view of a light adapter from the track light system Fig. 1 ;
• Fig. 4 a schematic plan view of the light adapter Fig. 3 ;
• Fig. 5 a schematic exploded view of the light adapter Fig. 4 ; and
• Figures 6 to 10 schematic views of a circuit board from the luminaire adapter from Figs. 1 to 5 .

The accompanying figures are intended to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention. They illustrate embodiments and, in conjunction with the description, serve to explain principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the advantages mentioned emerge with a view to the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale with one another. Directional terminology such as "above", "below", "left", "right", "above", "below", "horizontal", "vertical", "front", "rear" and the like are provided for explanatory purposes only Used for purposes and not to restrict the generality to specific configurations as shown in the figures.

In the figures of the drawing, identical, functionally identical and identically acting elements, features and components - unless stated otherwise - are each provided with the same reference symbols.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a track lighting system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention.

In this exemplary embodiment, the track lighting system 100 comprises two identical track half-shells 2, which are each formed on an inner side 20 along a longitudinal extension L1 with a total of three cutouts. One The first plug-in receptacle 5a is formed in each case on a first mounting edge 6a of the rail half-shells 2 along the longitudinal extension L1 (top in FIG Fig. 1 ). In a transverse extent / transverse direction Q of the rail half-shell 2, a second plug-in receptacle 5b is formed on a second mounting edge 6b, the second plug-in receptacle 5b being designed mirror-symmetrically to the first plug-in receptacle 5a. In addition, a central plug-in receptacle 8 is formed between the first plug-in receptacle 5a and the second plug-in receptacle 5b. Overall, the result is a symmetrical arrangement of the first and second plug-in receptacles 5a, 5b along the transverse extent Q between the first mounting edge 6a and the second mounting edge 6b.

The two rail half-shells 2 serve as housing shells or housing halves of a mounting rail 1 that can be equipped on both sides and can be made, for example, of aluminum or another material with good heat conduction. In the exemplary implementation of the Fig. 1 the rail half-shells 2 are formed with a curved outer side 26 which is shaped corresponding to a section of a cylinder surface of a circular cylinder. It goes without saying that this specific embodiment of the outside 26 is purely exemplary and that the person skilled in the art can also use, for example, rectangular rail half-shells 2 with a flat (not curved) outside 26.

In the track lighting system 100, the first and second plug-in receptacles 5a, 5b serve on the one hand as assembly spaces for the introduction of half-shell connectors 3 to connect the two track half-shells 2 to the support rail 1, and on the other hand for the attachment of lamp adapters 4 to the support rail 1, as will be explained below .

The middle plug-in receptacle 8, on the other hand, serves as a receptacle for an electrical supply rail 7, which is designed to be plugged into the middle plug-in receptacle 8 and can supply the lighting means of the attached light adapter 4 with electrical energy and control signals via electrical contacts 14. For this purpose, the light adapter 4 can have electrical contacting elements 24, for example spring contacts, which establish the electrical contact 4 with the supply rail 7.

As already mentioned, the rail half-shells 2 are fixed to one another by one or more half-shell connectors 3 to form the support rail 1. To connect the rail half-shells 2, the respective half-shell connector 3 is brought between the two rail half-shells 2 and inserted into the first plug-in receptacles 5a or second plug-in receptacles 5b. For this purpose, the two rail half-shells 2 are arranged facing one another on the inner sides 20, so that the first plug-in receptacles 5a and the second plug-in receptacles 5b lie opposite one another. The half-shell connector 3 has a significantly shorter length than the rail half-shells 2 and can thus be inserted selectively along the longitudinal extension L1 in order to couple the two rail half-shells 2 to one another at different points or longitudinal sections.

In this example, the half-shell connector 3 comprises two clamping elements 10a, 10b that can be pressed apart and one or more adjusting elements 11, via which the clamping elements 10a, 10b can be pressed apart in such a way that the half-shell connector 3 can be clamped in the plug-in receptacles 5a, 5b for mutual fixation of the rail half-shells 2.

For this purpose, the adjusting element 11 is designed as a screw. By turning the screw in a first direction of rotation, the clamping elements 10a, 10b can be pushed apart in an adjustment direction. By corresponding rotation in a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation, the clamping elements 10a, 10b are drawn together or pressed together again.

An upper clamping element 10a of the half-shell connector 3 has upper joining arms 12a which are designed to be complementary to upper joining areas 17a of the plug-in receptacles 5a, 5b. The upper joining arms 12a and the upper joining areas 17a have a stepped shape which is designed to form a form-fitting clamping connection and can serve as an assembly aid when adjusting the elements.

A lower clamping element 10b of the half-shell connector 3 has lower joining arms 12b which are designed to be complementary to lower joining areas 17a of the plug-in receptacles 5a, 5b. The lower joining arms 12b and the lower joining areas 17a also simulate a form-fitting connection Formation of the clamping connection, the lower joining areas 17a having an undercut shape so that a toothing or half-sided dovetail connection is formed in a clamped state (cf. Fig. 1 above). This means that a form fit both in the transverse direction Q (ie in the vertical direction in Fig. 1 ) and perpendicular to the transverse direction Q (ie in the horizontal direction in Fig. 1 ) is formed.

By fixing the two rail half-shells 2 via one or more of the half-shell connectors 3, a first assembly slot 9a is defined between the first assembly edges 6a and a second assembly slot 9b between the second assembly edges 6b along the longitudinal extension L1 of the rail half-shells 2. In Fig. 1 concretely, an upper assembly slot 9a and an opposing lower assembly slot 9b are formed.

In order to create the narrowest possible rail profile, the assembly slots 9a, 9b can have a slot width B of less than 7.5 mm, e.g. 6 mm or less. The track lighting system 100 is thus distinguished by a particularly narrow design. In contrast, conventional track lighting systems practically always have significantly wider mounting slots of 10 mm or more. In addition, track lighting systems 100 generally have an electrical supply rail which is attached to a rear end of the respective mounting slot for the lighting adapter. Not least because a certain minimum distance is required between the electrical contacts (safety standards, etc.), this increases the minimum width of the mounting slot for the adapter. By attaching the present supply rails 7 to the sides of the lamp adapter 4, the minimum slot width can be further reduced.

The half-shell connector 3 is designed in such a way that, after the two rail half-shells 2 have been connected, it ends flush with the respective mounting edges 6a 6b of the rail half-shells 2. After the mounting rail 1 has been mounted, a rail arrangement with an approximately circular cylindrical shape results, the cylinder having a mounting slot 9a, 9b in the longitudinal direction on two opposite sides, which is only interrupted at the mounting points of the half-shell connector 3.

The half-shell connector 3 can in particular be fixed in its position after installation in the plug-in receptacles 5a, 5b. The connection of the two rail half-shells 2 via the half-shell connector 3 can in particular be (repeatedly) detachable or non-detachable. The connection of the rail half-shells 2 by the half-shell connector 3 takes place in the present case purely mechanically (via a form fit or force fit). As an alternative or in addition, further means can also be used for the connection closure. For example, the half-shell connector 3 can be glued to the rail half-shells 2 in a materially bonded connection. In a further example, the half-shell connector 3 can magnetically couple the two rail half-shells 2 to one another. The person skilled in the art will find further corresponding solutions directly on the basis of the present disclosure and specialist knowledge.

Fig. 2 FIG. 13 shows a perspective side view of components of the track lighting system 100 from FIG Fig. 1 . As Fig. 2 can be removed, the rail half-shells 2 and thus also the support rail 1 are designed to be curved at least in sections along their longitudinal extension L1. For this reason, luminaire adapters 4 are provided in the present case, which are configured flexibly in order to be plugged into the assembly slots 9a, 9b for electrical contacting of the support rail 1, in particular the supply rails 7 arranged therein.

As Fig. 1 and 2 can be removed, the track light system 100 thus further comprises at least one light adapter 4, which is designed to be selectively inserted along the longitudinal extension L1 into the mounting slots 9a, 9b in such a way that the light adapter 4 in an inserted state through the respective mounting slot 9a, 9b between the Supply rails 7 protrudes and is in electrical contact with the supply rails 7. The luminaire adapter 4 can be displaced along the longitudinal extension L1 of the mounting rail 1 (see broad arrows in FIG Fig. 2 ).

As already mentioned, the light adapter 4 is equipped with one or more light units 13, for example LED light elements. As will be explained in more detail below, the interior of the light adapter 4 is designed with corresponding electronic components 23 in order to electrically couple the light units 13 to the supply rails 7, so that these can be supplied with electrical energy and with control signals (indicated schematically in dashed lines in Fig. 3 ).

Basically, at least two options are now available for a suitable flexible configuration of the light adapter 4. In Figures 2 to 5 a lamp adapter 4 is shown which comprises an adapter body 19 which is divided into adapter segments 21 along a longitudinal extension L2 of the adapter body 19. In each case two adapter segments 21 are connected to one another via a bending area 18, the adapter body 19 being designed to be bendable at the bending area 18 in relation to the longitudinal extension L2 of the adapter body 19. This means for example with reference to Fig. 3 that the adapter body 19 and thus the lamp adapter 4, as indicated in the figure, can be bent in each bending area 18 along a vertical axis in the figure. To simplify matters, in Figures 4 and 5 different than in Fig. 2 and 3 only three such adapter segments 21 are shown. It goes without saying that the light adapter 4 can comprise two, three, four, five or more such adapter segments 21 and the number can be varied depending on the application.

For this purpose, the adapter body 19 can be made of a plastic, for example, which can have increased flexibility in the bending areas 18 in particular. In the present example the Figures 2 to 5 the adapter body 19 is perforated in the bending areas in order to make the already basically flexible plastic of the adapter body 19 more bendable due to the omission of material. In principle, however, the plastic material can be selected in such a way that the adapter segments 21 are designed to be relatively rigid, at least with respect to the bending areas 18.

In alternative configurations of the adapter body 19, on the other hand, it is provided that the adapter body 19 is made predominantly or completely from an elastomer so that it can be bent continuously along a longitudinal extension of the adapter body 19. For example, the adapter body 19 can in this case be made of a rubber material or another highly flexible material. In this case, no special bending areas 18 need to be formed.

Because of its bendability, the light adapter 4 can now not only simply be inserted into the curved support rail 1 regardless of a specific curvature that is locally present, but also along the support rail 1 easily displaceable if the curvature of this should change along its longitudinal extension L1. In this case, the lamp adapter 4 automatically curves along with the curvature of the lamp adapter 4.

As a result, a simple and practical solution for attaching lights for track lighting systems 100 with curved track profiles is provided. It goes without saying that the specific structural design of the track lighting system 100 in Fig. 1 and 2 is purely exemplary and the flexible light adapter 4 of the Figures 2 to 5 can also be used in other track lighting systems which have a curved support rail with at least one mounting slot.

For attachment to the mounting rail 1, the lamp adapter 4 is designed with several locking elements 15, via which the lamp adapter 4 can be locked in an inserted state in the respective first plug-in receptacles 5a and / or second plug-in receptacles 5b. In the example of the Fig. 1 the lamp adapter 4 can thus be inserted from below into the lower mounting slot 9b and brought between the supply rails 7, the latching elements 15 engaging in the lower plug-in receptacles 5b, whereby the lamp adapter 4 is held in the mounting rail 1. The light adapter 4 can be designed in such a way that, in the inserted state, it ends flush with the respective mounting edges 6a, 6b of the rail half-shells 2, so that only the light units 13 protrude from the support rail 1. In principle it is of course also possible for the lamp adapter 4 to protrude from the respective assembly slot 9a, 9b even after assembly. Furthermore, the lamp adapter 4 can be designed with a corresponding insertion width of 7.5 mm or less, for example 6 mm, in order to fit into the mounting slots 9a, 9b.

For dismantling, the lamp adapter 4 can have a dismantling device 25, for example one or more push buttons, which can be designed to adjust the locking elements 15. For example, the dismantling device 25 can be designed to retract the latching elements into the lamp adapter 4 in order to release it from the latching and pull it out again from the mounting slot 9a, 9b and thus to dismantle it from the mounting rail.

The light adapter 4 can be in Fig. 1 For example, it can be inserted into the first (upper) mounting slot 9a for generating indirect light and into the second (lower) mounting slot 9b for generating direct light. For example, the track lighting system 100 can be mounted with half-shell connectors 3, which are fixed at a certain distance from one another, for example 1 m, in the upper mounting slot 9a. The half-shell connectors 3 can be designed with assembly elements for suspended assembly of the track lighting system 100, for example assembly openings from which the system 100 can be suspended. In this case, a lamp adapter 4 can now be introduced into the upper mounting slot 9a and moved there, either between the two half-shell connectors 3 or between one of the half-shell connectors 3 and one end of the support rail 1 in the longitudinal direction. Another lamp adapter 4 can be adjusted in the lower assembly slot 9b over the entire longitudinal extension L1 of the support rail 1.

As a result, a track lighting system 100 is created which offers a high degree of flexibility in the arrangement and alignment of lighting units on a mounting rail 1 and at the same time is easy to assemble, since lighting adapters 4 with lighting units 13 can be inserted from different sides in order to use the same rail 1 to produce different lighting. For example, the track lighting system 100 can be mounted on a room ceiling, one of the mounting slots 9a being aligned in the direction of the ceiling and the other mounting slot 9b in the direction of the floor. Lighting units 13 installed in the upper mounting slot 9a can thus be used for indirect lighting, while lighting units 13 can emit direct light in the lower mounting slot 9b.

Referring again to Figures 2 to 5 the lamp adapter 4 comprises a circuit board 22 within the adapter body 1, on which the at least one electronic component 23 for the transmission of electrical energy and control signals from the support rail 1, ie from the supply rails 7, is contained and which can be bent accordingly to the adapter body 19 is trained. The adapter body 19 serves here as a housing for receiving the printed circuit board 22. Specifically, the adapter body 19 is divided into two housing halves 28, which are connected via one or more housing closures 27 can be connected to each other or detached from each other in order to ensure access to the circuit board 22 (cf. in particular Figures 4 and 5 ).

In order to ensure the flexibility and thus the bendability of the light adapter 4, the circuit board 22 is designed to be bendable in accordance with the adapter body 19, ie the circuit board 22 is at least as bendable as the adapter body 19. In the example of FIG Fig. 5 the circuit board 22 is divided along the longitudinal extension L2 of the adapter body 19 into circuit board segments 21a, two circuit board segments 21a being connected to one another via a circuit board bending area 18a and the circuit board bending areas 18a corresponding to the bending areas 18 of the adapter body 19 are arranged within the adapter body 19 .

In the specific implementation of the Fig. 5 the circuit board bending areas 18a of the circuit board 22 as well as the bending areas 18 of the adapter body 19 are provided with a plurality of perforations in order to enable a corresponding elasticity. The circuit board segments 21a, on the other hand, can be made significantly more rigid (comparable to the adapter segments 21).

It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that the specific design of the circuit board 22 in FIG Fig. 5 is purely exemplary. Different possibilities for the design of a corresponding printed circuit board 22 are shown in Figures 6 to 10 shown by way of example (the electronic components 23 located thereon not being shown to simplify the illustration).

The exemplary circuit board 22 of the Fig. 6 corresponds to the one from Fig. 5 , ie this is divided into circuit board segments 21a, which are connected by circuit board bending areas 28a in which the circuit board 22 is perforated. In this case, no electronic components 23 are attached to these printed circuit board bending areas 28a; rather, they are located on the circuit board segments 21a.

In the variant of the Fig. 7 on the other hand, material in the printed circuit board bending areas 28a was milled away from the outside, so that the printed circuit board 22 has narrow webs in these areas. Fig. 8 shows the in Fig. 7 The embodiment shown on the side in a top view, in which the narrow, milled webs in the printed circuit board bending areas 28a can be clearly seen.

Figures 9 and 10 represent further alternative versions. In the variant of Fig. 9 the relatively rigid circuit board segments 21a are connected in the circuit board bending areas 28a by means of soldered-on flexible elements. In the variant of the Fig. 10 rotatable connectors are used for this purpose.

It is further understood that the printed circuit board 22 can alternatively also be made bendable continuously along the longitudinal extension L2 of the adapter body 19. Especially in the alternative, continuously bendable embodiment of the adapter body 19 made of an elastomer, the printed circuit board 22 can for example have an elastic band on which the at least one electronic component 23 is attached.

In the preceding detailed description, various features for improving the stringency of the presentation have been summarized in one or more examples. It should be clear, however, that the above description is merely illustrative and in no way restrictive in nature. It serves to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents of the various features and exemplary embodiments. Many other examples will be immediately and immediately apparent to those skilled in the art on the basis of their technical knowledge in view of the above description.

The exemplary embodiments were selected and described in order to be able to illustrate the principles on which the invention is based and their possible applications in practice as well as possible. This enables those skilled in the art to optimally modify and use the invention and its various exemplary embodiments with regard to the intended use. In the claims and the description, the terms “including” and “having” are used as neutral language terms for the corresponding terms “comprising”. Furthermore, the use of the terms “a”, “an” and “an” should not in principle exclude a plurality of features and components described in this way.

REFERENCE LIST

1

Mounting rail

2

Rail half-shell

3

Half-shell connector

4th

Luminaire adapter

5a, 5b

Plug-in receptacle

6a, 6b

Mounting edge

7th

electrical supply rail

8th

middle plug-in socket

9a, 9b

Mounting slot

10a

upper clamping element

10b

lower clamping element

11

Adjustment element

12a

upper joining arm

12b

lower joining arm

13th

Light unit

14th

electric contact

15th

Locking element

16

Mounting element

17a, 17b

Joining area

18th

Bending area

18a

PCB bending area

19th

Adapter body

20th

inside

21

Adapter segment

21a

PCB segment

22nd

Circuit board

23

electronic component

24

Contacting element

25th

Dismantling device

26th

Outside

27

Housing lock

28

Housing half

100

Track lighting system

L1

Longitudinal extension of the mounting rail

L2

Longitudinal extension of the light adapter / adapter body

Q

Transverse extension

B.

Slot width

Claims (17)

Light adapter (4) for a track light system (100) which comprises a support rail (1) which is curved at least in sections along a longitudinal extension (L1) and has at least one mounting slot (9a, 9b) along the longitudinal extension (L1), the The light adapter (4) can be inserted selectively along the longitudinal extension (L1) of the support rail (1) into the at least one assembly slot (9a, 9b) for making electrical contact with the support rail (1), the light adapter (4) comprising:
an adapter body (19) which is subdivided into adapter segments (21) along a longitudinal extension (L2) of the adapter body (19), two adapter segments (21) being connected to one another via a bending area (18), the adapter body (19) at the bending area (18) is designed to be bendable in relation to the longitudinal extension (L2) of the adapter body (19). Light adapter (4) according to claim 1, wherein the bending area (18) is made of plastic. Luminaire adapter (4) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bending area (18) has a plurality of perforations. Luminaire adapter (4) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adapter body (19) consists essentially of plastic. Light adapter (4) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light adapter (4) comprises a circuit board (22) within the adapter body (1) on which at least one electronic component (23) for the transmission of electrical energy and control signals from the Support rail (1) is included and which is designed to be flexible in accordance with the adapter body (19). Luminaire adapter (4) according to claim 5, wherein the circuit board (22) is divided into circuit board segments (21a) along the longitudinal extension (L2) of the adapter body (19), two circuit board segments (21a) being connected to one another via a circuit board bending area (18a) are, where the Printed circuit board bending areas (18a) corresponding to the bending areas (18) of the adapter body (19) are arranged within the adapter body (19). Luminaire adapter (4) according to claim 5, wherein the circuit board (22) is made bendable continuously along the longitudinal extension (L2) of the adapter body (19). Light adapter (4) for a track light system (100) which comprises a support rail (1) which is curved at least in sections along a longitudinal extension (L1) and has at least one mounting slot (9a, 9b) along the longitudinal extension (L1), the The light adapter (4) can be inserted selectively along the longitudinal extension (L1) of the support rail (1) into the at least one assembly slot (9a, 9b) for making electrical contact with the support rail (1), the light adapter (4) comprising:
an adapter body (19) which is essentially made of an elastomer so that it can be bent continuously along a longitudinal extension of the adapter body (19). Light adapter (4) according to claim 8, wherein the adapter body (19) consists essentially of rubber. Light adapter (4) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the light adapter (4) comprises a printed circuit board (22) within the adapter body (1) on which at least one electronic component (23) for the transmission of electrical energy and control signals from the mounting rail ( 1) is included and which is designed to be bendable in accordance with the adapter body (19). Light adapter (4) according to claim 10, wherein the circuit board (22) has an elastic band on which the at least one electronic component (23) is attached. Light adapter (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 11, the light adapter (4) being designed to be displaceable along the at least one assembly slot (9a, 9b) in an inserted state. Light adapter (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 12, the light adapter (4) being designed for insertion into the at least one mounting slot (9a, 9b) with a slot width (B) of less than 7.5 mm. Light adapter (4) according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the light adapter (4) has latching elements (15) via which the light adapter (4) in the inserted state in the at least one mounting slot (9a, 9b) of the mounting rail (1) is lockable. Light adapter (4) according to claim 14, wherein the light adapter (4) has a dismantling device (25) which is designed to adjust the locking elements (15) in order to release the locked light adapter (4) from the mounting rail (1). Light adapter (4) according to one of Claims 1 to 15, the light adapter (4) carrying at least one light unit (13) for generating light. Track lighting system (100), with:
a support rail (1) which is curved at least in sections along a longitudinal extension (L1) and has at least one mounting slot (9a, 9b) along the longitudinal extension (L1); and a lamp adapter (4) according to one of claims 1 to 16.

Images