Patent Publication Number: US-11378268-B2

Title: Luminaire having a plug contact, the use of a luminaire of this kind, and a connector for a luminaire of this kind

Description:
The invention relates to a luminaire having a plug contact, the use of a luminaire of this kind, and a connector for a luminaire of this kind. 
     Luminaires, especially luminaires that are intended to be attached to the ceiling of a large room or hall such as an open-plan office or a machine or production hall usually have to be installed in such a way that they meet two basic conditions at the same time. Firstly, the luminaire should illuminate the corresponding workplace as well as possible. Secondly, it should be connected to the power supply, which is usually structurally predetermined, as directly as possible. 
     In order to be able to meet these goals at the same time, luminaires of this kind have so far been offered with different connection configurations. Therefore, a given type of luminaire, for example, variants with connections for the power supply on the back of the luminaire or connections that are arranged in different arrangements and with the connection directions on the side of the luminaire, can be used. 
     This approach has disadvantages for both the customer and the manufacturer of the luminaires. Customers repeatedly place incorrect orders, because the correct connection direction must be observed when ordering. Furthermore, when the work-stations are reorganized, luminaire have to be rearranged, but are then oriented such that their connection no longer points in the correct direction. For the manufacturer, this means that different housings are required, which entails more complex assembly. 
     Therefore, the aim of the invention is to provide a luminaire having a plug contact and a plug connector for a luminaire of this kind, which allow a luminaire of this kind to be connected in different directions in the room without the use of tools. 
     This aim is achieved by a luminaire with the features of claim  1  and by a plug connector with the features of claim  8 . The respective dependent claims disclose advantageous embodiments of the invention. 
     The luminaire according to the invention has a light exit region that is preferably plate-shaped. The light exit region is surrounded by a rectangular luminaire frame that spans a first plane and has a frame height that is perpendicular to the first plane. Said luminaire 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 a luminaire frame of this kind is, in effect, cut away and replaced by the beveled surface that is subsequently formed by the cut surface. 
     Beveled preferably means that a surface normal of the beveled surface is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the first plane and that none of the edges of the beveled surface extends in parallel with one of the edges that are associated with one of the other frame surfaces and do not abut the beveled surface. 
     The arrangement of the plug contact in a beveled corner of this kind allows a cable to be led away from the luminaire in different spatial directions by means of an angled plug. If the luminaire is to be supplied with power from a different direction, the angled plug simply has to be plugged into the plug contact in a different orientation. 
     It is particularly preferable for the beveled surface to extend 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° being particularly preferable. The reason for this is that, by choosing a suit-ably angled plug, this angular range makes it possible for the directions from which the luminaire can be supplied with power to be almost perpendicular to one another. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the beveled surface is trapezoidal when viewed from above (or, in other words, has a peripheral line that defines such a shape) in such a way that the shorter face of the trapezoid faces toward the light exit region and the longer face of the trapezoid faces away from said region. 
     A surface of this kind is obtained when the beveled surface corresponds with a cut surface with which two of the normally eight corners of the luminaire frame are cut away by cutting lines that are at a different distance from the cut corner. One ad-vantage that is achieved in this way is that the surface that is provided for connecting or contacting the plug contact inside the luminaire is larger. This is particularly advantageous when the luminaire has control electronics that are arranged in the interior of the luminaire on a printed circuit board or plate and when the plug contact is integrated on said printed circuit board. 
     In order to arrange control electronics of this kind in the interior of the luminaire, it can also be useful if one face of the luminaire frame which abuts the beveled surface has a U-profile, having a bottom of the U that extends in parallel with the frame height and having limbs that are situated in the plane of the light exit region and in the plane of the rear face of the luminaire which is opposite the light exit region. The frame thus forms a housing portion on this face, in which portion the control electronics, which are subsequently virtually located in the interior of the U-profile, are integrated. 
     If, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the beveled surface comprises an opening or recess in which the plug contact is located, this can help ensure that the cables can be run at a small distance from the frame. In particular, if this opening or recess is a polygon, preferably a hexagonal pocket, a series of discrete, defined plug positions corresponding with different cable run directions can be predetermined by the geometry of said polygon. However, such geometry can also be used to provide a counter bearing for adjusting the cable run direction of the plug when 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 located in the recess or opening comprises sliding contacts. This also allows for unlimited rotation of the plug without an end stop and does away with the need for stranded wires or cables. 
     It is particularly preferable to use a luminaire according to the invention. 
     An electromechanical plug connection according to the invention comprises a plug for arranging on a cable and a mating plug for arranging on an electrical device, which mating plug can be designed, in particular, as a plug contact. In particular, the electrical device can be a luminaire according to the invention. 
     The plug comprises a contact region for establishing mechanical contact with the mating plug and for establishing electrical contact between contacts of the plug and contacts of the mating plug and additionally comprises a connection region for connection to the cable, which region extends at an angle from the contact region. 
     The plug and the mating plug also comprise means for forming a form fit when force is applied to said means and when the plug and mating plug are connected, which are designed such that the form fit can be established in different positions that each lead in different extension directions of the connection region of the plug (and therefore also of a cable connected thereto) in the room. 
     The plug and/or the mating plug also comprise means for resiliently applying a force to the means for forming the form fit so that the form fit can be transferred from a first position of the different positions to a second position of the different positions by the force being temporarily overcome. 
     Finally, the contacts of the plug and/or the contacts of the mating plug are designed such that, in all positions in which the form fit is established, electrical contact is established at least between some contacts of the mating plug and some contacts of the plug. 
     In this way, an electromechanical plug connector that is small in size can be easily connected, and a plurality of different orientations can be provided. 
     It is preferable for the contact area and the connection region to extend at an angle of at most approximately 45°, a range between approximately 30° and approximately 45° being particularly preferable. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of an electromechanical plug connector of this kind, it is designed to be rotatable so that the form fit can be transferred from a first position of the different positions to a second position of the different positions by the force being temporarily overcome by rotating. 
     It is also advantageous if this electromechanical plug connector, as a means for forming a form fit when force is applied to said means and when the plug and mating plug are connected, which are designed in such a way that the form fit can be established in different positions that each lead in different extension directions of the connection region of the plug (and therefore also of a cable connected thereto) in the room, has a plurality of latching positions, the latching positions each being assigned to a different rotational position of the plug. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for resiliently applying a force to the means for forming the form fit are realized in that the latching connection is in operative connection on the plug and an assigned insert groove in the opening or recess of the luminaire frame by means of an annular spring. 
    
    
     
       The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to drawings that disclose embodiment examples. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is an embodiment example of a luminaire; 
         FIG. 2  shows the plug contact of the luminaire from  FIG. 1  in an enlarged view with the plug removed; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially opened view of the connection between the plug contact and plug of an embodiment of an electromechanical plug connector for a luminaire of this kind; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the plug of the electromechanical plug connection from  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows control electronics of a luminaire having a plug contact that is shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 6  shows the luminaire from  FIG. 1 , for which different positions of the plug are shown schematically. 
     
    
    
     The same components are shown with the same reference symbols throughout the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is an embodiment example of a luminaire  1 . The luminaire  1  has a substantially flat light exit region  2 , which is enclosed by a substantially rectangular luminaire frame  10 . The luminaire frame  10  spans a first plane E on which the frame height H is perpendicular. In order to supply the luminaire  1  with power a plug  40  is provided, which is electrically connected to a plug contact  30  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) of the luminaire  1  which is provided on a beveled surface  12  that is arranged at one of the corners  11  of the luminaire  1 . 
     It is particularly clear in  FIG. 2 , in which this portion of the luminaire  1  is shown with the plug  40  removed, that the beveled surface  12  extends at an angle W of at least approximately 45° to the first plane E. The beveled surface  12  is trapezoidal when viewed from above, the shorter side  14  of the trapezoid facing toward the light exit face, that is, the face on which the light exit region  2  is located, and the longer face  16  of the trapezoidal shape facing away from said region. 
     The plug contact  30  is located in an opening  15  or recess, which is a hexagonal pocket, and comprises sliding contacts  31 . As is shown by way of example in  FIG. 4 , said contact can be integrated, in particular, on a printed circuit board  32  which carries the control electronics  33  for the luminaire  1 . In order to arrange such control electronics  33  in the interior of the luminaire, it can also be useful for a face  10   a  of the luminaire frame  10 , which abuts the beveled surface, to have a U-profile having a base  17  of the U that extends in parallel with the frame height and having limbs  19  that are situated in the plane of the light exit region and in the plane of the rear face of the luminaire  1  which is opposite the light exit region. This allows the luminaire frame  10  to form with its face  10   a  a housing portion in which the control electronics  33 , which are subsequently virtually located in the interior of the U-profile, are integrated. 
       FIG. 3  is a partially opened view of the connection between plug contact  30  and plug  40  of an embodiment of an electromechanical plug connector, such as that which can be used with a luminaire  1 . 
     The electromechanical plug connector comprises a plug  40  for arranging on a cable  60  and a mating plug, which, in the embodiment shown, is formed by the plug contact  30  having sliding contacts  31  (not shown in  FIG. 30 ) and the region of the beveled surface  12  that surrounds said contact and forms the walls  18  of the opening  15 . 
     The plug  40 , which is shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 4 , to which reference is also made, comprises a contact region  50  for establishing mechanical contact with the mating plug and for establishing electrical contact between the contacts of the plug  40  and the contacts of the mating plug that are formed by the sliding contacts  31  of the plug contact  30  and additionally comprises a connection region  70  for connection to the cable  60 , which region extends at an angle from the contact region  50 . 
     The angle w, at which the contact region  50  is angled relative to the connection region  70 , is selected here by way of example such that, with a center axis A of the connection region  70  aligned in parallel with the height H of the luminaire frame, the center axis M of the contact region  50  is perpendicular on the beveled surface  12  and thus extends in the plugging direction. Correspondingly, the angle w results from the above-defined angle W by the relationship w=90°−W. Correspondingly, angles that are at most approximately 45° are preferable and angles between approximately 30° and approximately 45° are particularly preferable. 
     The contacts of the plug  40  can be designed, in particular, as a group of spring-loaded contact pins  57  that are fastened in the interior of a tubular portion  51  of a plug housing  52  to a printed circuit board that is oriented perpendicularly to the plug-in direction of the plug  40  and is arranged in the contact region  50  inside the plug housing  52  and are pressed against the sliding contacts  31  by the springs of said contact pins when they are inserted. The spring-loaded contact pins can then be brought into electrical contact inside the plug housing  52 , directly or via conductor track connectors provided on the circuit board, with the angled end portions  59   a  of connection pins  59  of a contact support  71  that is arranged in the angled connection region  70  or forms said connection region  70 . The connection pins  59  are then in turn connected to the wires of the cable  60  via the cable-side end portions  59   b  of said pins. 
     The plug  40  and the mating plug also comprise means for forming a form fit when force is applied to said means and when the plug  40  and mating plug are connected, which are designed such that the form fit can be established in different positions that each lead in different extension directions of the connection region of the plug  40  in the room. On the side of the mating plug, said means is the opening  15  designed as a hexagonal pocket. On the side of the plug  40 , the tubular portion  51  is surrounded in its end region opposite the plug-in direction by a peripheral hexagonal projection  53 , which is adapted to the geometry of the hexagonal pocket and comprises a bevel  53   a  for aiding insertion into the hexagonal pocket. When the hexagonal projection  53  is inserted into the hexagonal pocket and fixed there by a force, a form fit is established between these components that prevents the plug  40  from rotating relative to the mating plug. There are, of course, six different positions in which this form fit can be established. 
     The tubular portion  51  has two circumferential grooves  54   a ,  54   b  in its outer wall. An O-ring  55  that produces a sealing effect when the electromechanical plug connector is assembled is arranged in the groove  54   a . In the groove  54   b , an annular spring  56  is mounted that, by interacting with a circumferential insert groove  18   a  in the wall  18  of the opening  15  of the beveled surface  12  associated with the frame  11 , which opening is formed by the hexagonal pocket, resiliently applies a force to the described means for forming the form fit so that said force holds the hexagonal projection  53  in the hexagonal pocket or pulls it into said pocket. 
     Therefore, a latching connection is formed here by means of the annular spring  56  on the plug  40  and an associated insert groove  18   a  in the wall  18  of the opening  15  or recess in the luminaire frame  11 , which is designed as a hexagonal pocket, which are each operatively connected to one another. 
     When a rotational movement of the plug  40  about the center axis of the hexagonal pocket starting from a latched position is initiated, the interaction of the bevel  53   a  with the outer edge of the hexagonal pocket generates a force that, as soon as it temporarily overcomes the resilient force of the plug  40  thanks to the interaction of the annular spring  56  and insert groove  18   a  in the wall  18 , 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 in a snug fit in the hexagonal pocket is reached, the interaction of the bevel  53   a  with the edge of the hexagonal pocket does not occur, and the plug  40  is pulled back into the hexagonal pocket, said plug then being transferred from a first position of the different positions to a second position of the different positions by the resilient force being temporarily overcome. 
     Correspondingly, the six positions in which the hexagonal edge  53  can be received in a snug fit in the hexagonal pocket form six latching positions of the electromechanical plug connector that can be transferred into one another when the electromechanical plug connector is plugged in. 
     The contacts of the plug  40 , in this example the spring-loaded contact pins  57 , are also rotated and come into contact with the sliding contacts  31  again at a different point on the sliding contacts  31 , the geometry of which is designed such that, in all positions in which the form fit is established, electrical contact is established at least between some contacts of the mating plug and some contacts of the plug. 
     It should also be noted that this in particular not only achieves a change in the cable run direction starting from the luminaire, as shown schematically in  FIG. 5  with the different aligned plugs  40 ,  40 ′, and  40 ″ that are each identical to the plug  40  and are merely set in another one of the latching positions relative to the mating plug. 
     It also makes it possible, in principle, to achieve a switching function. A switching effect of this kind occurs, for example, if the point of the sliding contacts  31  that is contacted after a change of this kind in the latching position is not electrically conductively connected to the point of the sliding contacts  31  that is contacted before the change, and therefore another component of the control electronics  33  is then supplied with power and/or another spring-loaded contact pin  57  is brought into contact with the sliding contact  31 , and therefore 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  luminaire 
           2  light exit region 
           10  luminaire frame 
           10   a  face 
           11  corner 
           12  beveled surface 
           14  shorter face 
           15  opening 
           16  longer face 
           17  base 
           18  wall 
           18   a  insert groove 
           19  limb 
           30  plug contact 
           31  sliding contact 
           32  printed circuit board 
           33  control electronics 
           40 ,  40 ′,  40 ″ plug 
           50  contact region 
           51  tubular portion 
           52  plug housing 
           53  hexagonal projection 
           53   a  bevel 
           54   a ,  54   b  groove 
           55  O-ring 
           56  annular spring 
           57  contact pin 
           58  printed circuit board 
           59  connection pin 
           59   a  angled end portion 
           59   b  cable-side end portion 
           60  cable 
           70  connection region 
           71  contact support 
         E plane 
         M center axis 
         W angle 
         w angle