Patent Publication Number: US-2022228733-A1

Title: Driver for driving a light engine of a luminaire

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application claims priority from Chinese Patent Application No. 202110074716.6, filed Jan. 20, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The technical field of the present application generally relates to electric drivers. In particular, the present disclosure relates to drivers for driving light engines of a luminaire. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Drivers for driving light engines, in particular, light engines of luminaires are known. Further, LED drivers for converting AC mains current to a DC current for powering LED light engines are known as well. Generally, the drivers are mechanically and electrically connected to the luminaires for driving the light engines. Once mounted in a luminaire, the drivers are not easily exchangeable. Releasing the mechanical and electrical connections of the driver for replacing the driver by another driver may be cumbersome and unsafe. 
     SUMMARY 
     The object of the present application is to provide a driver for driving a light engine which can be easily and safely mounted and replaced if necessary. 
     According to a first aspect, a driver for driving a light engine of a luminaire is provided. The luminaire, in terms of the present disclosure, may be a light fixture, a lamp, or lighting apparatus comprising a light engine with a light source for generating light. In particular, the light source may be an LED light source, and the light engine may be an LED driver configured for driving the LED light source. 
     The driver comprises a driver assembly with a driver circuit for converting an input current provided by a power supply, in particular, an AC current from the mains, into an output current, in particular, a DC current, for driving the light engine. The driver further comprises a housing for receiving the driver assembly and a driver interface. The driver interface is configured to be detachably engageable with a driver bracket and comprises a mechanical interface for mechanically coupling the driver to a mechanical interface of the driver bracket and an electrical interface for electrically coupling the driver to an electrical interface of the driver bracket in such a way that the input current from the power supply to the driver circuit and the output current from the driver circuit to the light engine can flow via the driver interface. 
     The driver bracket may be, in particular, mounted on the luminaire and configured for receiving the driver such that the electrical interface of the bracket is coupled with the electrical interface of the driver and the mechanical interface of the bracket is coupled with the mechanical interface of the driver. 
     Both the mechanical and the electrical interface of the driver are configured as a single interface. Therefore, such a driver can be easily mounted and/or replaced. Furthermore, during the replacement process, no separate steps for taking off the wires from the driver or luminaire and screwing or unscrewing are needed. Hence, the novel driver structure is easily mountable, and the luminaire, in particular, an LED luminaire, with such a driver is characterized by easy maintenance. 
     The driver interface may be configured such that the coupling of the mechanical interface of the driver to the mechanical interface of the driver bracket automatically couples the electrical interface of the driver to the electrical interface of the driver bracket and a de-coupling or releasing of the mechanical interface of the driver from the mechanical interface of the driver bracket automatically de-couples or releases the electrical interface of the driver from the electrical interface of the driver bracket. 
     Thus, the electrical and mechanical coupling of the driver with the driver bracket can be done in one single step, making the mounting and/or dismounting process of the driver particularly simple. 
     The mechanical interface of the driver may be configured such that the mechanical coupling, in particular, the mechanical coupling of the mechanical interface of the driver with the mechanical interface of the driver bracket, is established by pressing or pushing the driver and the driver bracket against each other. The driver can be easily mounted on the luminaire just by pressing the driver against the driver bracket mounted on the luminaire, without using any special instruments. 
     The mechanical interface of the driver may be configured such that the mechanical decoupling, in particular, the mechanical decoupling of the mechanical interface of the driver from the mechanical interface of the driver bracket, is achieved by pressing, in particular, by pressing again, the driver and the driver bracket against each other. Thus, the mounting and dismounting of the driver can be achieved with a simple translational movement of pushing the driver and the driver bracket against each other. 
     The electrical interface may comprise an AC input area with at least one AC input contact and a DC output area with at least one DC output contact. In particular, the AC input area may comprise two AC input contacts, and the DC output area may comprise at least two DC output contacts. By providing separate areas for the AC input and the DC output, the risk of a short circuit or malfunction of the electrical interface can be reduced. 
     At least one of the AC input contact and the DC output contacts may comprise at least one spring plate contact. The spring plate contact, due to its resiliency, may provide a reliable electrical contact with an electrical contact of the driver bracket pressed on it. 
     The mechanical interface of the driver may be configured as a plug, which is insertable in a mechanical interface of a driver bracket configured as a socket. Mounting of such a driver on a luminaire equipped with such a driver bracket is particularly intuitive and simple, since the installer just needs to plug the driver into the bracket. 
     The electrical interface of the driver interface may be formed at a front portion of the plug. By providing the electrical interface at the front portion of the plug, the electrical interface can be protected from direct access from outside and cannot be touched accidentally by installers or users. 
     The driver interface may further comprise a pole for pushing away a protective cover of the bracket. In particular, the protective cover of the bracket may comprise a slant surface and may be configured as a slidable cover with a spring. If the driver interface is not coupled with the bracket interface, the spring keeps the cover in its initial position such that the AC input plate is shielded when no driver is coupled with the driver bracket. During the coupling of the driver interface and the driver bracket interface, the pole of the driver interface presses the slant surface of the cover such that the protective cover slides away towards the spring and the electrical contact between the driver interface and the bracket interface can be established in a safe and reliable way. 
     According to a second aspect, a driver bracket for coupling with a driver according to the first aspect for driving a light engine of a luminaire is provided. The driver bracket comprises a circuit assembly with one or more input contacts electrically connectable to a power supply, in particular, to the mains, and one or more output contacts electrically connectable to the light engine. The driver bracket further comprises a housing for receiving the circuit assembly and a driver bracket interface, the driver bracket interface being detachably engageable with the driver interface. The driver bracket interface is configured such that the input current from the power supply to the driver assembly and the output current from the driver assembly to the light engine can flow via the driver bracket interface. The driver can be easily installed by coupling the driver interface to the driver bracket interface, since the driver bracket interface provides a single interface for both input current and the output current of the driver. 
     The driver bracket interface may comprise a slidably mounted protective cover with a spring for keeping the interface contacts covered by the protective cover when the driver bracket is not coupled with the driver. In particular, the protective cover of the bracket may comprise a slant surface and may be configured such that, in the course of coupling of the driver interface and the driver bracket interfaces, the pole of the driver interface presses the slant surface of the cover such that the protective cover slides away, in particular, towards the spring, and the electrical contacts of the bracket interface become accessible by the electrical contacts of the driver interface. Thus, a safe electrical connection between the driver and the bracket can be established. 
     The driver bracket interface may comprise one or more door release snaps for receiving snapping pins of the driver interface. In particular, the door release snaps may be configured for receiving and locking the snapping pins of the driver interface for securing the coupling between the driver and the driver bracket. 
     The housing of the driver bracket may comprise mounting elements for mounting the driver bracket on the luminaire, in particular, on a surface of the luminaire. The mounting elements may comprise snaps and/or screw holes for mounting the driver bracket on a flat surface of the luminaire. 
     According to a third aspect, a luminaire with a light engine and a driver bracket according to the second aspect is provided. A driver according to the first aspect can be easily mounted by coupling the driver with the driver bracket, as described above. 
     The luminaire may comprise the driver according to the first aspect, coupled with the driver bracket of the luminaire. The driver can be easily removed or replaced (e.g., by a next-generation driver) with better and/or additional functionalities for upgrading the luminaire. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the following description, details are provided to describe the embodiments of the present specification. It shall be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the embodiments may be practiced without such details. 
       Some parts of the embodiments have similar parts. The similar parts may have same names or similar part numbers. The description of one part applies by reference to another similar part, where appropriate, thereby reducing repetition of text without limiting the disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a driver according to an embodiment, 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the driver according to  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a driver bracket according to an embodiment, 
         FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the driver bracket according to  FIG. 2 , 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a stage of mounting of the driver bracket of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 6  illustrates another stage of mounting of the driver bracket of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a final stage of mounting of the driver bracket of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a process of coupling of the driver of  FIG. 1  with the driver bracket of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 9  shows the driver of  FIG. 1  and the driver bracket of  FIG. 3  in the coupled state, 
         FIG. 10  shows a circuit assembly of a driver bracket according to an embodiment, 
         FIG. 11  show as a perspective view of the front portion of the driver of  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 12  shows the circuit assembly of  FIG. 10  in a mounted state, 
         FIG. 13  shows a perspective view of driver bracket of  FIG. 3  from a different perspective, 
         FIG. 14  shows a detailed view of the driver bracket of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 15  shows a cutaway view of the driver bracket of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 16  shows a cutaway view of the coupling region of the driver and the driver bracket, 
         FIG. 17  shows a cutaway view of the coupling region of the driver and the driver bracket with door release snaps according to an embodiment, and 
         FIG. 18  shows a perspective view of a connection between a transfer PCB and a driver PCB according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a driver  1  according to an embodiment. The driver  1  comprises a housing  2  and a driver interface  3  for coupling the driver  1  with a driver bracket  20 . The driver interface  3  comprises a mechanical interface  4  and an electrical interface  5 . The driver  1  further comprises a driver assembly (not shown) with a driver circuit (not shown) for converting an input current provided by a power supply (e.g., the mains) into an output current for driving a light engine of a luminaire. The driver  1  may be configured, in particular, as an LED-driver for driving an LED light engine of an LED luminaire. The mechanical interface  4  and the electrical interface  5  will be discussed below in connection with further Figures in more detail. 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the driver  1  according to  FIG. 1 . The housing  2  comprises a top housing  6  and a bottom cover  7 , with the driver assembly  8  arranged on a driver printed circuit board (PCB)  9  arranged in the housing  2 . The electrical interface  5  comprises a transfer PCB  10  with an AC input area  11  and a DC output area  12 . The mechanical interface  4  comprises snapping pins  13  for engaging with door release snaps of the driver bracket  20  and a pole  14  for pushing away a protective cover of the driver bracket  20 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a driver bracket  20  according to an embodiment. The driver bracket  20  comprises a housing  21  with a top housing  22 , a bottom cover  23 , and a top cover  24 . 
     The driver bracket  20  further comprises a circuitry with input contacts which are electrically connectable to a power supply and output which is electrically connectable to a light engine of a luminaire. The circuitry and the contacts are not shown in  FIG. 3 . The driver bracket  20  further comprises a driver bracket interface  25  with a mechanical interface (not shown) for mechanically coupling the driver bracket  20  with a driver  1  and an electrical interface (not shown) for electrically coupling the driver bracket  20  with the driver  1 . The driver  1  may be configured in accordance with the embodiment of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  also shows an AC cable  26  for connecting the driver bracket  20  to the mains. 
       FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of the driver bracket  20  according to  FIG. 3 . The driver bracket  20  comprises a circuit assembly  27  of the driver bracket  20  with a wire connect PCB  28  electrically connected to the AC cable  26  and DC output wires  29 .  FIG. 4  also shows a protective cover  30  and a spring  31  of the protective cover  30  for keeping the protective cover  30  in its initial “closed” position. The exploded view of  FIG. 4  shows further door release snaps  32  for engaging with the snapping pins  13  of the driver  1 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a stage of mounting of the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3  on a luminaire. In particular,  FIG. 5  shows the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3  without the top cover  24  in the process of mounting of the driver bracket  20  on a flat mounting surface  33  of a luminaire  34 . The driver bracket  20  mounting elements comprising screw holes  35  for receiving screws  36  and snaps  37  are provided at the bottom cover  23  of the driver bracket  20 . The mounting surface  33  of the luminaire  34  can be provided with screw holes  38  and snap holes  39  for mounting the driver bracket  20 . In order to mount the driver bracket  20 , the snaps  37  of the driver bracket  20  can be inserted in the corresponding snap holes  39  of the luminaire, and the bottom cover  23  of the driver bracket  20  can be fixed by inserting the screws  36  in the screw holes  35  of the bottom cover  23  and screwing the screws  36  into the screw holes  38  of the luminaire. The driver bracket  20  can thus be easily and reliably mounted to any flat surface of a luminaire. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates another stage of mounting the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3 . At the mounting stage shown in  FIG. 6 , the bottom cover  23  of the driver bracket  20  is already fixed to the mounting surface  33  of the luminaire  34  and fixed with the screws  36 . The AC cable  26  is connected to a connector  40 , and the DC output wires  29  are threaded through a hole (not shown) in the bottom cover  23  of the driver bracket  20  and a hole (not shown) in the mounting surface  33  of the luminaire  34  and connected to the light engine (not shown) of the luminaire  34 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a final stage of mounting the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3 . At this stage, the top cover  24  of the housing  21 , as well as a luminaire cover  41  which has been removed before in order to connect the DC output wires  28  to the light engine, has been fixed. Thus, after mounting of the driver bracket  20 , all electrical contacts are covered and protected from any unintentional contact. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a process of coupling of the driver  1  of  FIG. 1  with the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3 . The driver bracket  20  has been mounted on the mounting surface  33  of the luminaire  34  as described in  FIGS. 5-6  above. The driver  1  is positioned such that the driver interface  3  of the driver  1  faces the interface  25  of the driver bracket  20 . The coupling of the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  is effectuated by a translational movement of the driver  10  relative to the driver bracket  20  such that the driver interface  3 , which is configured as a plug, engages with the interface  25  of the driver bracket  20 , which is configured as a socket. 
       FIG. 9  shows the driver  1  of  FIG. 1  and the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3  in the coupled state. In particular, the coupled state of the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  corresponds to the situation when the process of coupling of the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  mounted on the mounting surface  33  of the luminaire  34 , according to  FIG. 8 , has been accomplished. The driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  are connected to a single driver-bracket system in a simple way, just plugging the driver  1  into the driver bracket  20 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a circuit assembly of a driver bracket  20  according to an embodiment. In particular,  FIG. 10  shows the circuit assembly  27  of the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3  in more detail. The circuit assembly  27  comprises a driver bracket circuitry with a wire connect PCB  42 . The connector  40  is mounted on the wire connect PCB  42 . The circuit assembly  27  further comprises plate contacts  43  and plate spring contacts  44  mounted on the wire connect PCB  42 .  FIG. 10  also shows the AC cable  26  connected with the connector  40 . 
       FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of the front portion of the driver  1  of  FIG. 1 . In particular,  FIG. 11  shows the mechanical interface  4  and the electrical interface  5  of the driver  1  in more detail. The mechanical interface  4  comprises two snapping pins  13  for engaging with door release snaps  32  of the driver bracket  20  (see  FIG. 4  above). The electrical interface  5  with the transfer PCB  10  comprises two plate spring contacts  45  in the AC input area  11  for electrically contacting the plate contacts  43  of the driver bracket  20  and two plate contacts  46  in the BC output area  12  for electrically contacting the plate spring contacts  44  of the driver bracket  20 . The pole  14  is provided in the AC input area  11  between the two plate spring contacts  45 . The pole has an essentially cylindrical shape and a smooth rounded tip protruding beyond the plate spring contacts  45 . Due to the smooth tip of the pole  14 , by pressing the tip on a slant surface of the protective cover  30 , the protective cover  30  can be easily pushed away, and the electrical connection between the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  can be established. 
       FIG. 12  shows the circuit assembly of  FIG. 10  in a mounted state. In particular,  FIG. 12  shows a detailed view of the circuit assembly  27  of the driver bracket  20 , in the case when the driver  1  is coupled to the driver bracket  20 . The plate contacts  43  of the driver bracket  20  are in contact with the plate spring contacts  45  in the AC input area  11  of the driver  1 , and the plate spring contacts  44  of the driver bracket  20  are in contact with the plate contacts  46  in the DC output area  12  of the driver  1 . 
       FIG. 13  shows a perspective view of driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3  from a different perspective. In particular,  FIG. 13  shows a detailed view of the driver bracket interface  25  in the case when the driver bracket  20  is not engaged with a driver  1 . From the shown perspective, the plate spring contacts  44  of the driver bracket  20  can be clearly seen. The plate contacts  43  of the driver bracket  20  are, however, covered by the slidable mounted protective cover  30 , which is held in the “closed” position by the spring  31 . The protective cover  30  has a slant surface  47  which is configured such that the protective cover  30  can be pushed away against the compression force of the spring by the pole  14  of the driver  1  when the tip of the pole  14  is pressed on the slant surface  47  of the protective cover  30 . After removing the driver  1  from the driver bracket  20 , the spring  31  forces the protective cover  30  to its initial “closed” position. 
       FIG. 14  shows a detailed view of the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3 . In particular,  FIG. 14  shows the sliding mechanism of the protective cover  30  in more detail. The protective cover  30  is mounted in a sliding guide  48  formed in the top housing  22  of the driver bracket  20 . The guide  48  is configured such that there is room for mounting the spring  31 . 
       FIG. 15  shows a cutaway view of the driver bracket  20  of  FIG. 3 . In the cutaway view of  FIG. 15 , further details of the sliding mechanism of the protective cover  30  can be seen. The guide  48  comprises guiding slots  49  for receiving guiding rails  50  of the protective cover  30  such that the protective cover  30  can slide along the guiding slots  49  of the guide  48 . 
       FIG. 16  shows a cutaway view of the coupling region of the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20 . In particular,  FIG. 16  shows the coupling region of the driver bracket  20  and the driver  1  at a coupling stage when the driver is already inserted in the driver bracket  20  but the electrical contact between the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  is not established yet. At the coupling stage of  FIG. 16 , the tip of the pole  14  is touching slant surface  47  of the protective cover  30 , pushing the protective cover  30  against the spring  31 . The spring  31  is getting compressed, and the protective cover  30  begins to slide along the guiding slots  49  of the guide  48 . 
       FIG. 17  shows a cutaway view of the coupling region of the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  with door release snaps according to an embodiment. The driver  1  and the driver bracket  20 , shown in  FIG. 17 , are coupled with each other such that both the mechanical and electrical coupling between the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  is established. The spring  31  is brought to a compressed state by the protective cover  30  which has been pushed to the “open” position by the pole  14  of the driver  1 . The snapping pins  13  of the driver  1  are engaged in the door release snaps  32 . The door release snaps  32  may have a locking mechanism for locking the snapping pins  13  engaged in the door release snaps  32  such that the driver  1  is automatically secured in the coupled position once the snapping pins  13  are pushed into the door release snaps  32 . In some embodiments, the door locking mechanism of the door release snaps  32  is configured such that it is automatically activated by pushing the snapping pins  13  into the door release snaps  32  to lock the snapping pins  13  inside the door release snaps  32 . The door release snaps  32  can be further configured such that the snapping pins  13  are automatically released and ejected from the door release snaps  32  when the snapping pins  13  are pushed again against the door release snaps  32 . Thus, both the coupling and de-coupling of the driver  1  can be achieved with a simple translational movement of pushing the driver  1  and the driver bracket  20  against each other. 
       FIG. 18  shows a perspective view of a connection between a transfer PCB  10  and a driver PCB  9  according to an embodiment. In the cutaway view of the  FIG. 18 , some electronic components  51  of the driver assembly  8 , mounted on the driver PCB  9 , are shown. A connector  52  with contact pins  53  is mounted on the transfer PCB  10  such that an electrical connection between the contact pins  53  of the transfer PCB  10  and electrical contacts (not shown) of the driver PCB  9  can be established. 
     During the operation of the luminaire  34 , the AC input current can be conducted from the mains over the AC cable  26  connected to the connector  40  and the wire connect PCB  42  over the plate contacts  43  of the driver bracket  20  to the plate spring contacts  45  mounted on the transfer PCB  10  of the driver  1 . Over the connector  52 , the AC current is conducted to the driver PCB  9  and can be converted into the DC output current by the driver circuit. The DC output current can flow from the driver circuit over the connector  52  and the transfer PCB  10  through the plate contacts  46  and the plate spring contacts  44  of the driver bracket  20  to the connect PCB  42  of the driver bracket  20 . From the connect PCB  42 , the DC current can be conducted through the DC output wires  29  to the light engine of the luminaire. Thus, both AC input current and the DC output current flow through the driver bracket  20  through the driver bracket interface  25  coupled with the driver interface  3 . This makes the mounting or replacement of the driver  1  particularly easy and safe, since it does not require any special knowledge or tool. 
     While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exists. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. 
     REFERENCE SYMBOLS AND NUMERALS 
     
         
           1  driver 
           2  housing 
           3  driver interface 
           4  mechanical interface 
           5  electrical interface 
           6  top housing 
           7  bottom cover 
           8  driver assembly 
           9  driver PCB 
           10  transfer PCB 
           11  AC input area 
           12  DC output area 
           13  snapping pin 
           14  pole 
           20  driver bracket 
           21  housing 
           22  top housing 
           23  bottom cover 
           24  top cover 
           25  driver bracket interface 
           26  AC cable 
           27  circuit assembly 
           28  wire connect PCB 
           29  DC output wire 
           30  protective cover 
           31  spring 
           32  door release snap 
           33  mounting surface 
           34  luminaire 
           35  screw hole 
           36  screw 
           37  snap 
           38  screw hole 
           39  snap hole 
           40  connector 
           41  cover 
           42  wire connect PCB 
           43  plate contact 
           44  plate spring contact 
           45  plate spring contact 
           46  plate contact 
           47  slant surface 
           48  guide 
           49  guiding slot 
           50  guiding rail 
           51  electronic component 
           52  connector 
           53  contact pin