Converter housing

The present invention relates to a converter housing 10, in particular for n electronic converter for halogen lamps. The converter housing 10 in this case has a basic housing body 12 for holding electronic components, and a terminating element 14 with a cable support for supporting at least one electric connecting cable. The basic housing body 12 and the terminating element 14 are arranged perpendicular to one another in this case. At the end opposite the terminating element 14, the basic housing body 12 additionally has an end face 18 rounded off towards its underside.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a converter housing, in particular for an 
electronic converter for halogen lamps, having a basic housing body for 
holding electronic components, and a terminating element with a cable 
support for supporting at least one electrical connecting cable. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
There is a need for independent electronic converters in order to be able, 
for example, to operate halogen lamps with the conventional mains supply. 
Two types of converter are normally used for this purpose. These are, on 
the one hand, converters having terminals for the cabling on the supply 
side and lamp side which are spatially separated and situated opposite one 
another and, on the other hand, converters in which the terminals for the 
cabling on the supply side and lamp side are in a close spatial 
relationship and arranged next to one another. Owing to these different 
designs of the two types of converter, they also differ in the design of 
their housings. In the former case, the converter housing has two cover 
caps which each cover one terminal and are arranged at opposite ends of 
the housing. In the latter case, just one cover cap conceals both 
terminals, arranged close to one another spatially, at one end of the 
housing. 
It is true that known converter housings with two cover caps on the one 
hand have sufficient space for mechanized and cost effective mounting of 
the electronic components and for easy mounting of the connecting cables 
with a diameter of up to 11 mm which are normally used in building 
installation. However, on the other hand because of their dimensions 
(length: 152 to 185 mm, width: 40 to 44 mm, height: 32 to 35 mm) and their 
elongated cuboid housing shape, it is impossible to insert these converter 
housings through, for example, ceiling cutouts of built-in luminaires. 
This holds, in particular, when the false ceiling is of low height, the 
spacing between the solid ceiling and the suspended ceiling normally being 
approximately 60 mm. The ceiling cutouts of the built-in luminaires 
normally have a diameter of approximately 55 mm. 
Converter housings for converters with a terminal for the cabling on the 
supply side and lamp side can be designed to be shorter by approximately 
40 mm by omitting one terminal while maintaining the same board area for 
the electronic components. In addition, it is possible to insert some of 
these known converters into low false ceilings. The types of converter 
housing mentioned in Table 1 may be mentioned here by way of example. 
TABLE 1 
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Dimensions and other parameters of known converter housings 
(EREA Ereatronic 60/L, OMNITRONIX OMN60LT, nobile - 110 D, 
TRASFITALIA Mouse 105 DR) 
EREA OMNITRONIX 
nobile TRASFITALIA 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
Dimensions 
127 .times. 41 .times. 36 
123 .times. 36 .times. 28 
123 .times. 36 .times. 25 
122 .times. 38 .times. 28 
mm! 
Insertable into 
no yes yes no 
false ceiling* 
Effective board area 
26 27 26 27 
cm.sup.2 ! 
Effective housing 
89 67 60 70 
volume cm.sup.3 ! 
Suitable for cables 
6 6 6-7 6 
with max .O slashed. mm! 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
*free height of the false ceiling: 60 mm; diameter of the ceiling cutout: 
55 mm 
The converter housings described in Table 1 in accordance with the prior 
art have various disadvantages, however. For one thing, the effective 
board areas and the effective housing volumes are very small. The 
electronic components therefore have to be mounted very closely next to 
one another or even above one another. It is therefore no longer possible 
to mount the components by machine. However, manual mounting of the 
components leads to a higher fault probability and higher mounting costs. 
In addition, the strain reliefs of the known housings are designed only 
for connecting cables with a diameter of up to a maximum of 7 mm. However, 
as already mentioned, the cables which are customary in building 
installation have an outside diameter of up to 11 mm. Because of the 
cuboid construction of these known converter housings, it is likewise 
impossible to retrofit them in false ceilings via the prepared ceiling 
cutouts of built-in luminaires. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a converter 
housing of the type mentioned at the beginning which in the case of 
prescribed mounting properties such as, for example, installation via the 
ceiling cutout of a built-in luminaire, ensures a larger effective board 
area and/or a higher effective housing volume. 
In the converter housing according to the invention, a basic housing body 
and a terminating element are arranged perpendicularly to one another. The 
perpendicular arrangement of these two elements ensures that a larger 
effective board area is produced by accommodating boards of larger area, 
and that a higher effective housing volume is produced. The basic housing 
body in this case has at the end opposite the terminating element an end 
face rounded off towards its underside. Rounding off this end of the basic 
housing body ensures that the converter housing or the converter can be 
mounted in a conventional ceiling cutout of a built-in luminaire in the 
case of low false ceilings. 
In an advantageous refinement of the invention, the basic housing body is 
essentially constructed in the shape of a cylinder. In addition, two 
mutually parallel, flat surfaces can be constructed as base element and 
ceiling element parallel to the cylinder axis of the basic housing body. 
Owing to the cylindrical basic shape of the basic housing body, the 
effective board area and/or the housing volume is further increased. 
In a further advantageous refinement of the invention, the terminating 
element has side walls which are rounded off towards its underside and/or 
cambered outwards. This geometrical construction of the side walls of the 
terminating element further simplifies the mounting of the converter 
housing according to the invention via small ceiling openings or the like. 
In a further advantageous refinement of the converter housing according to 
the invention, the latter has a sealing cap for covering a cable 
compartment formed by the terminating element. In this case, this sealing 
cap can be rounded off in the direction of the underside of the 
terminating element and/or is constructed with a camber. This special 
geometrical construction of the sealing cap likewise serves the purpose of 
easy retrofitting of the converter housing according to the invention. 
The same holds for a further advantageous refinement of the invention in 
which the basic housing body is constructed rounded-off at at least one 
transition between at least one side wall of the basic housing body and 
the base and/or ceiling element. The transition between the end face 18 
and the base and/or ceiling element can also be constructed rounded-off. 
Cambering the side walls of the basic housing body outwards advantageously 
effects a further increase in the effective housing volume and thus in the 
board area to be accommodated in the converter housing. 
In a further advantageous refinement of the converter housing according to 
the invention, a groove is constructed in the base element of the basic 
housing body, which groove extends beyond the base element into the 
underside of the terminating element. A supply-side electric connecting 
cable can advantageously be laid into this groove, the result being 
further to ease the insertion of the converter or of the converter housing 
during mounting in, for example, false ceilings.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
A converter housing 10 represented in an overall perspective representation 
in FIG. 1 has a basic housing body 12, a terminating element 14 and a 
sealing cap 16. The basic housing body 12 and the terminating element 14 
are in this case arranged perpendicular to one another. It is seen that an 
end face 18 rounded off towards its underside is constructed on that end 
of the basic housing body 12 opposite the terminating element 14. Overall, 
the basic housing body 12 has a geometry which is essentially cylindrical. 
In this case, two mutually parallel, flat surfaces are constructed as base 
element and ceiling element 22 and 24 parallel to the cylinder axis of the 
basic housing body. 
The basic housing body 12, which serves to hold electronic components, has 
an opening at the end opposite the end face 18 for receiving the 
terminating element 14. In this arrangement, a cutout partition 32 
connects the basic housing body 12 to the terminating element 14, which 
has a smaller diameter. The basic housing body 12 and the terminating 
element 14 can in this case be detachably connected via a latching 
connection (not represented). 
A printed circuit board and further electronic components (which are 
likewise not represented) are arranged in the interior of the housing 
volume formed by the basic housing body 12 and the terminating element 14. 
It is seen, furthermore, that the terminating element 14 has a cable 
support 46 for supporting at least one electric connecting cable. In 
addition, the terminating element 14 has side walls 48 which are rounded 
off towards its underside and/or cambered outwards. The side walls 48 are 
constructed with ribs in the exemplary embodiment. 
The sealing cap 16 serves to cover the cable compartment 50 formed by the 
terminating element 14 (see also FIG. 3). In this arrangement, the sealing 
cap 16 is rounded off in the direction of the underside of the terminating 
element 14 and/or is constructed with a camber. The sealing cap 16 has a 
first recess 36 at the end averted from the basic housing body 12. This 
first recess 36 corresponds to a corresponding second recess 38 on the 
underside of the terminating element 14. These two corresponding recesses 
36, 38 serve to ease the fastening of the converter housing 10 via a 
fastening element (not represented) to, for example, a ceiling of a 
building or a false ceiling. Furthermore, an opening 28 is constructed in 
the sealing cap 16 to receive a fastening element 30. The sealing cap 16 
is detachably fastened to the terminating element 14 via the fastening 
element 30, which engages in a corresponding receiving opening (not 
represented) of the terminating element. However, the sealing cap 16 does 
not serve only to cover the cable compartment 50 formed by the terminating 
element 14, but also to relieve the strain on the electric connecting 
cable. For this purpose, the sealing cap 16 is constructed to pivot on the 
terminating element 14 and thereby permits the simultaneous relief of 
strain on a cable with an outside diameter of 8 mm (for example silicone 
cable for lamp wiring) and of a cable with an outside diameter of 11 mm 
(for example NYM cable in domestic electrical installation). Fastening the 
sealing cap 16 via only a central fastening element 30 additionally 
produces an advantage in terms of mounting and costs. 
The housing geometry represented in the exemplary embodiment yields the 
housing parameters set forth by way of example in Table 2. 
TABLE 2 
______________________________________ 
Dimensions and other parameters of the converter housing 
in accordance with the exemplary embodiment 
Exemplary embodiment 
______________________________________ 
Dimensions 108 .times. 52 .times. 33 
mm! 
Insertable in yes 
false ceiling* 
Effective board area 
.sup. 31.sup.1 
cm.sup.2 ! 
Effective housing volume 
90 
cm.sup.3 ! 
Suitable for cables 
11 
with max .O slashed. mm! 
______________________________________ 
*free height of the false ceiling: 60 mm; diameter of the ceiling cutout: 
55 mm 
The parameters specified in Table 2 clearly indicate that despite a shorter 
length the converter housing 10 has a plainly increased effective board 
area as well as a plainly increased effective housing volume. In addition, 
the converter housing 10 can be inserted into a false ceiling and is 
suitable for cables with a cable diameter of a maximum of 11 mm. 
FIG. 2 shows a further overall perspective representation of the converter 
housing 10. It is seen that the end face 18 is constructed rounded-off 
towards the underside, that is to say towards the base element 22 of the 
basic housing body 12. The side walls 26 arranged between the base element 
22 and the ceiling element 24 of the basic housing body 12 are constructed 
cambered outwards. It is further to be seen that both the side walls 48 of 
the terminating element 14 and the sealing cap 16 are constructed 
rounded-off towards the underside of the terminating element 14. The side 
walls 48 in this case have ribs 34 which ensure a simplified and reliable 
handing of the terminating element 14. 
The cambers of the end face 18 of the basic body and of the sealing cap 16, 
as well as the bent profile of the side walls 48 of the terminating 
element 14 are matched exactly to inserting the converter housing 10 into 
a false ceiling. The false ceiling in this case has circular ceiling 
cutouts with a diameter of approximately 55 mm. The cylindrical body on 
which the shape of the converter housing is based has a diameter of 52 mm. 
FIG. 3 shows a front view of the converter housing 10. In evidence are the 
cylindrical basic shape of the basic housing body 12 with two side walls 
26 which are cambered outwards, and a flattened base element 22 and a 
flattened ceiling element 24. The basic housing body 12 is adjoined by the 
terminating element 14 with the likewise cambered side walls 48. It is 
seen that in each case two semicircular recesses in the cable support 46 
and also in the sealing cap 16 form two openings 40, 42 for inserting 
electric connecting cables. The terminating element 14 tapers in the 
direction of the side opposite the basic housing body 12. This further 
eases retrofitting, as conditioned by mounting, of the converter housing 
into corresponding ceiling openings. 
FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the converter housing 10. The characteristic 
and already described geometrical shape of the basic housing body 12 is 
again to be seen. In addition, it becomes clear that the basic housing 
body 12 is constructed rounded-off at at least one transition between the 
end face 18 and the base/- and base element 22, 24. This is represented in 
the exemplary embodiment by the transition 20 between the end face 18 and 
the base element 22. 
It is, however, also possible for the basic housing body 12 to be 
constructed rounded-off at at least one transition between at least one 
side wall 26 of the basic housing body 12 and the base and/or ceiling 
element 22, 24. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively show a side view of the converter housing 10. 
The geometry matched to easy mounting of the converter or of the converter 
housing 10 is once again in evidence. Thus, the undersides of the basic 
housing body 12 and of the terminating element 14 are located in a plane 
relative to one another, the terminating element 14 being covered by a 
sealing cap 16. The basic housing body once again exhibits two flattened 
elements 22 and 24, as well as the end face 18 rounded off towards its 
underside. The base element 22 is constructed rounded-off in the 
transition 20 between it and the end face 18. 
The converter housing 10 is represented in a top view in FIG. 7. In 
evidence are the camber of the side walls 26 of the basic housing body 12 
as well as the rounding off of the end face 18 in the direction of the 
underside of the basic housing body 12. It also becomes clear that the 
terminating element 14 tapers towards the end opposite the basic housing 
body 12. The recess 36 in the sealing cap 16 and the corresponding second 
recess 38 in the terminating element 14 serve to receive a fastening 
element (not represented) for fastening the entire converter housing to, 
for example, a ceiling of a building. The converter housing 10 can be 
fastened in this case before or after mounting the sealing cap 16. The 
fastening element 30 serves to fasten the sealing cap 16 to the 
terminating element 14. 
A view from below of the converter housing 10 is shown in FIG. 8. It is 
seen that a groove 44 is formed in the base element 22, this groove 44 
extending beyond the base element 22 into the underside of the terminating 
element 14. The groove 44 serves to receive the supply-side connecting 
cable, as a result of which the mounting of the converter housing 10 or 
the converter is further eased. 
Finally it is pointed out that the electronic components are arranged on a 
continuous printed circuit board in the longitudinal direction and in 
their greatest spatial extent in the converter housing, although this is 
not represented in the drawing.