Patent ID: 12247727

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures show different embodiments of a mounting rail1according to the invention for implementing a light strip system to which luminaires or other units can be connected. The mounting rail1shown inFIG.1comprises an elongated mounting rail profile2, which limits an internal space3. As can be seen in the various views, the mounting rail profile2can have a substantially U-shaped cross-section when viewed in a longitudinal direction, with a connecting wall5as well as two lateral walls4extending away and preferably downwardly parallel from the connecting wall5, which together define the receiving chamber3. The mounting rail profile2thus has an open longitudinal side or opening6, via which the receiving chamber3is accessible from the bottom side. However, instead of the U-shaped cross-section shown, it could also be provided that the mounting rail profile2is, for example, formed in an H-shape or otherwise. What is essential is that it, along with two lateral walls4and a connecting wall5, encloses an elongated receiving chamber3that opens to one side and is used for the arrangement of busbars as explained below.

For example, the mounting rail profile2can be formed from a sheet metal, in particular as a die-cut bending part or also from a thin metal material and, in this case, then produced in an extrusion process, for example. The mounting rail profile2represents the supporting element of the mounting rail1and can, for example, be attached to a beam, for example to the ceiling of a space to be illuminated or to suspension elements, by means of brackets not shown in more detail.

To supply power to luminaires or other units that are to be connected to the mounting rail1, two busbars10or20are initially provided within the receiving chamber3on the inner faces of the two lateral walls4. Each of these comprises a plurality of lines15or25, which are arranged parallel to the lateral walls5and supported one above the other such that they are contactable from a contacting side for units to be connected to the mounting rail1.

It should be noted that contacting the lines of a busbar does not necessarily serve to supply power to the unit to be connected. The connection to data lines used for communication would also be conceivable, in particular, the connection of sensors, cameras or similar components that transmit data via the lines of the light strip system, which are then used, e.g., for automated control of the system, would also be conceivable. In this sense, the present invention encompasses all conceivable electric units that can be sensibly connected to a busbar.

As is already the case with the above-mentioned known mounting rail system “TECTON”, the lines15or25are preferably retained by corresponding, insulating material-line retention profiles11or21, which are parallel, open grooves towards the interior of the mounting rail profile2, respectively channels12,22in which the lines15,25are arranged in the form of wires. The lines15,25are thereby accessible across a longer section, ideally across the entire length of the mounting rail system1, and are thereby contactable for the luminaires or units to be connected. In particular, it can be provided that the line retention profiles11or21are formed by a plurality of plastic profile parts arranged in a longitudinal direction in a succession and connectable to one another, as is known in the prior art. This solution opens up the possibility of creating continuously accessible channels12extending over the entire length of the system1, so that contacting of the lines11and21can occur at any place. However, the present invention also includes solutions in which the busbar sections are connected to one another at certain transition points such that no contacting of the lines15or25is possible here. In this case, the line retention profiles11,21could then also be manufactured in a more cost-efficient manner or in a simpler manner, for example in an extrusion process.

With regard to the embodiments thus far, the mounting rail1shown inFIG.1corresponds to the solutions already known from the prior art.

According to the invention, however, it is now provided that, in addition to the two busbars10or20arranged on the lateral walls4of the mounting rail profile2, a further busbar30is provided, which is arranged on the connecting wall5and thus on the upper side of the receiving chamber3of the mounting rail profile2. This additional mounting rail30also serves to receive and support longitudinally extending lines35, which, in the illustrated case, are arranged in grooves or channels32of a line retention profile31, said grooves or channels extending in the longitudinal direction and opened towards the internal space3of the mounting rail profile2.

Analogously to the first two busbar bars10and20, it can also be provided for the third busbar30that the line retention profile31is formed by a plurality of plastic parts that are arranged one after the other in a longitudinal direction and can be connected to one another. In a particularly preferred embodiment, as shown inFIG.1, it can in particular be provided that the three line retention profiles11,21,31of the three busbars10,20and30are formed by commonly used plastic parts. These can be manufactured by injection molding or extrusion methods and can be angled or folded accordingly before being arranged in the mounting rail profile20, such that they abut the three walls4and5of the mounting rail profile2with their respective sections and here form the respective line retention profiles11,21,31of the three busbars10,20and30.

Ultimately, therefore, lines35that additionally extend within the mounting rail1are provided by the further busbar30, which lines can be used in order to provide further supply voltage types or as additional data lines for signal transmission. The different orientation of the receiving channels or grooves32for the additional lines31also opens up the possibility of connecting consumers to the mounting rail, said consumers having differently designed contacting elements in order to contact the different lines of the busbars10,20and30, respectively. The flexibility of the mounting rail1with regard to the use of a variety of luminaires and/or other units is thereby further increased.

Ideally, it can be provided that a consumer is designed in order to contact, in principle, all of the lines of the three busbars10,20,30.FIGS.2and3show in this regard for example a bar luminaire bearing the reference numeral100, which is provided for connecting to the mounting rail1according toFIG.1.

In a known manner, this luminaire100initially comprises a longitudinally extending beam110, which serves to support illuminants (not shown) and also holds an optical element115at its bottom, which is provided for influencing the light emitted by the illuminants. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, an optic115is shown, which is designed to influence the light of LEDs, wherein the use of any illuminants as well as corresponding optics or other covers would in principle be conceivable.

The contacting element120, which is responsible for contacting the lines15,25,35, is provided on the top side of the supporting element110. In many details, it resembles the contacting elements already known from the prior art and thus comprises a central base body125, which is rotatably and/or pivotably supported, and on whose sides a plurality of contacts127and128are arranged. These lateral contacts127,128serve to contact the lines15and25of the first two busbars10and20and can—at least partially—be mounted in a height-adjustable manner on the base body125. Thus, it can be selected which lines15and25of the busbars10and20, respectively, are actually to be contacted, which in turn opens up the possibility of assigning the luminaire100to be connected or the consumer to be connected to a specific power supply circuit or assigning a specific function to them.

As is known, the base body125of the contacting element120is designed to be rotatable about a vertical axis I, wherein the contacts127and128, respectively, are rotated together with the base body125. This allows the contacting element120to be transferred from an open position into a contacting position, wherein, in an open position, the contacts127,128are in a position in which the insertion of the contacting element120into the receiving chamber3of the mounting rail profile2is enabled. Only in the inserted state is the base body125of the contacting element120then rotated about the axis I, which results in the lateral contacts127,128being pivoted outwardly and now engaging with the corresponding grooves12,22and channels of the busbars10,20in order to ultimately touch, i.e., contact, the lines15,25located therein. This is shown inFIG.3, which shows the arrangement of the bar luminaire100on the mounting rail1, wherein the contacting element120is in the contacting position mentioned above.

It is now provided that an additional contact carrier130of the contacting element120with vertically aligned further contacts131to133is provided at the top of the base body125. These additional contacts131to133serve to contact the lines35extending in the horizontally oriented busbar30, wherein the option can in turn be provided that a selective contacting of the different lines35is enabled in that the contacts131to133are mounted in the horizontal plane and/or the vertical plane in an adjustable manner or can be inserted at different positions in this plane.

Of course, this additional contact carrier130of the contacting element120should not be rotated with the base body125such that there is a decoupling between the rotatable body125and the additional contact carrier130here. When inserting the contacting element120into the receiving chamber3of the mounting rail1, the upper contact carrier130first comes into contact with the contacts131to133with the additional mounting rail30, wherein, on the one hand, the lines35are contacted by the corresponding contacts131to133, and, on the other hand, a guide element provided on the additional contact carrier130in the form of a rib or pin135engages with a corresponding guide groove38of the busbar30, wherein the guide groove38can be formed in the line retention profile31of the busbar30. This ensures the correct position of the upper contact carrier130with respect to the additional busbar30and a so-called anti-rotation protection. The inner part of the contacting element120is thus rigidly connected to the carrier of the inserted component, whereas the outer part is rotatably supported about it.

A further and preferred variant is to provide a component having two individual, spatially separated (spaced apart) contacting elements, such that the first contacting element contacts the lateral conductors and the second contacting element contacts the upper conductors. In this way, contacting elements known from the prior art can be used, for example a light strip luminaire with a so-called “rotation tap” and additionally a so-called “linear tap”.

To connect the luminaire100to the mounting rail1, the contacting element120is first inserted into the receiving chamber3as already explained above, such that the lines35of the horizontally-oriented busbar30are contacted by the upper contact carrier130. Then, the rotatable base body125is rotated with the laterally aligned contacts127and128such that the contacts127,128are pivoted outwardly and contact the lines15,25of the busbars10and20. In this case, it can also be provided that additional detent elements129are formed on the rotatable base body125, which elements engage with corresponding projections in the mounting rail profile2, so that a mechanical fastening of the luminaire100is ultimately also achieved on the mounting rail1.

In the preceding explanations, it was assumed that the additional busbar30provides further lines35, which are can be contacted simultaneously to the lines15and25of the first two busbars10and20by a single consumer. Finally, as previously described using the bar luminaire100, this consumer can contact a plurality of different lines. This provides a variety of possibilities for connecting the consumer to power supply circuits and/or communication lines.

However, it would also be conceivable that the lines of the additional busbar30will be used to connect other or additional consumers or consumer types. This concept will be explained below with reference to the further figures.

FIG.4initially shows a variant of a mounting rail1according to the invention, in which a third busbar30is in turn provided in addition to the busbar10and20arranged on the lateral walls4, the lines35of which are accessible from the receiving chamber3of the mounting rail profile2and thus are contactable. In the present case, however, it is provided that a separate consumer shown purely schematically is provided exclusively for contacting these lines35of the third busbar30. This additional consumer150can be, for example, a sensor or communication module provided only at certain places in the longitudinal direction of the system, which is not to impair the accessibility of the lines15or25of the busbars10or20provided for the actual consumers.

The variant shown inFIG.4thus opens up the possibility, for example, of connecting further components to the system using the additional busbar30, wherein, however, the continuous connectability of the busbars10and20is not affected thereby and, accordingly, luminaires can still be arranged on the mounting rail1continuously and over the entire length of the system, in order to achieve a homogeneous light output extending over the entire length.

A particularly advantageous further development of the variant shown inFIG.4is shown inFIG.5. It is provided here that the lines35extending in the third busbar30are also at least partially contactable from the upper side or outside of the mounting rail profile2. This possibility is opened up in that the corresponding transverse connecting wall5is equipped with openings, wherein at the same time, in the region of these openings, the lines35are also arranged optionally in the line retention structure31such that they are contactable from the top side.

In this case, the corresponding bottom sides of the receiving channels32of the line retention profile31are thus equipped with slots or machined such that the lines35are contactable by a consumer150arranged outside of the mounting rail profile2. In this case, the line retention profile35can be designed such that, at these locations, the lines35are simultaneously also accessible from the bottom and thus from the receiving chamber3. However, it would also be conceivable that in these special sections, a contacting can actually only occur as shown from the top of the mounting rail1.

The aforementioned openings required for this in the connecting wall5of the mounting rail profile2can either be permanently provided or optionally created by the consumer, in that the wall5is equipped with corresponding die-cuts or slots, such that break-away regions or bendable tabs are formed. Only in the event that a contact of the lines35by a consumer is actually provided in this region can the bending or opening of the tabs be carried out, so that otherwise the lines35and the internal space are reliably protected against external influences by the walls of the mounting rail profile2.

Similarly, it is also provided in the exemplary embodiments ofFIGS.6and7that the lines35of the third busbar30are accessible not only from the receiving chamber3of the mounting rail profile2, but in particular can also be contacted from a position outside of the receiving chamber3.

In the exemplary embodiments shown, which differ primarily with regard to the number and the mounting of the available lines35(the line retention profiles are not shown in this case for clarity), it is provided that the connecting wall5of the mounting rail profile2is designed to be profiled such that an additional elongated channel8is formed above the actual receiving chamber3, in which channel the third busbar30is positioned. In particular, the lateral walls9of this channel8can then in turn be equipped at least in sections with corresponding openings or designed such that openings are created through which a contacting of the lines35of the additional mounting rail30is enabled. The arrows shown here symbolize the different directions, which now offer the possibility of contacting the lines35, wherein a contacting from all three directions must not necessarily be possible at a specific longitudinal position simultaneously. Rather, it could be provided that the contacting direction for the additional busbar30changes in sections.

Both variants are characterized in that, despite the connectability of the lines35from outside the mounting rail profile2, the risk of accidental touching of the lines35is excluded, because, due to the design of the mounting rail profile2and above all the busbar, the insertion of correspondingly designed contacting elements is possible at best. Furthermore, the additional busbar30does not take up any space within the actual receiving chamber3of the mounting rail profile2, so that luminaires or consumers used thus far can also be used and connected to the mounting rail1in the customary manner.

Due to the fact that the lines of the third busbar30can now also be contacted from outside the mounting bus1in at least some of the exemplary embodiments, additional possibilities are created for connecting consumers or other components to the system. In a simple manner, consumers which are now also arranged on the outside of the system1can in particular be used. On the one hand, these can be luminaires that are then used, for example, to implement indirect lighting or accent lighting. However, other units that extend the functionality of the system, such as sensors, communication modules, or the like, can now also be connected to the system, in particular, wherein there is no longer the problem that these additional components might interrupt means provided at the bottom of the system for light output or need to be connected with high effort to the lines of the first two busbars that extend within the mounting rail. Ideally, it is desired to perform homogeneously and uniformly throughout the system, but in particular without interruption, a light output, because this results in a particularly appealing appearance of a light strip system. This is now readily possible, wherein additional components can be connected despite everything.

In this respect, it would be conceivable that each busbar is connected on the input side of the system to corresponding power supply lines or coupled to communication lines. Alternatively, however, it would also be conceivable that power supply circuits are only formed in sections with the aid of the lines, which circuits are fed from the lines of the first or second busbar. In particular, it can be provided that a normal supply voltage is provided via the first and second busbars, whereas the lines of the third busbar are provided with a low-volt supply voltage. However, this is then not coupled on the front side of the system, but rather converters or other components are provided in sections, which convert the high-voltage voltage of the first or second busbar into a low-volt supply voltage and then pass it on to the lines of the third busbar. In this way, the third busbar can be used as a low-volt busbar, for example, which is used to directly power LED lighting components. They no longer need their own converter or driver, but rather can be connected directly to the respective lines. Furthermore, in this case, the risk is also reduced that unintended touching of the lines of the additional busbar, which can be permissible in the case of low voltages that at least partially accessible from the outside, will lead to health problems or hazards.

Ultimately, the solution according to the invention results in a significantly increase of the possibilities for connecting and arranging consumers to a mounting rail in comparison to the mounting rails known thus far.

The invention is also not limited to the U-shape of a mounting rail as shown inFIGS.1to7.FIGS.8ato8d, in which the arrangements of the different busbars are only shown schematically, show that the mounting rail can be implemented in a variety of cross-sectional shapes.

The variants ofFIGS.8band8dcorrespond to the exemplary embodiments described inFIGS.1to5or inFIGS.6and7in detail, wherein the lines of the additional busbar30could in principle be contactable from the inner face and/or in the manner described above from the outside of the mounting rail1.

FIG.8a, on the other hand, relates to a variant in which the connecting wall5which connects the two lateral walls4of the mounting rail1is designed to be angled so that oblique wall sections5aare initially produced above the two lateral walls4, which oblique sections are connected by a horizontal wall section5b. In the case illustrated, the additional busbar30is arranged at the bottom of the horizontal wall section5aand can in turn be contactable from the inner face and/or outside in the manner described above. However, alternatively or in addition, it would also be conceivable to arrange one or more additional busbars on the oblique wall sections4a. These are then primarily suitable for contacting from the outside of the mounting rail1and could be used to supply power to external components of the system, such as luminaires for indirect lighting, individual radiators, sensors, or the like.

The same applies to the variant according toFIG.8c, in which the connecting wall5is again angled and in which the oblique wall sections5bcould also be used for the arrangement of additional busbars in this case.

The various examples show that the shape of the mounting rail1can also certainly be selected according to the number and size (i.e., the number of lines extending in the busbar) of the busbars used. If, for example, components of the system are to be connected on both sides outside of the mounting rail1, the variant according toFIG.8dor one of the two variants ofFIG.8aor8ccan be primarily availed, wherein additional busbars must then be arranged on the oblique wall sections. If additional components of the system are to be arranged exclusively at the top side, however, the variant ofFIG.8bcan preferably be availed.

Finally, a further exemplary embodiment of a mounting rail1according to the invention is shown inFIG.9. In this case, a specially designed busbar30is arranged on the connecting wall5of the mounting rail profile2, which is again U-shaped. This is designed to create improved contacting possibilities in comparison to solutions previously known. However, it would in principle also be conceivable to arrange additional busbars on the lateral walls4of the mounting rail profile2in addition to the busbar30shown. In this case, what was explained in connection with the exemplary embodiments ofFIG.1-8then applies.

In the exemplary embodiment according toFIG.9, the mounting rail profile2is designed in the same way as inFIGS.6and7. The upper connecting wall5is thus designed to be profiled such that a channel8extending the receiving chamber3is formed. By contrast to the exemplary embodiment ofFIGS.6and7, however, the busbar30is now not exclusively arranged in this channel8. Instead, it comprises two lateral regions33and a central region34, wherein the middle region34is positioned in the channel8in a position that is rearwardly offset from the lateral regions33, whereas the regions33are arranged in a plane at the bottom of the connecting wall5. All three regions33,34of the busbar30are, however, preferably formed by a common line retention profile31, which in the manner described above comprises the channels and grooves32that open towards a contacting side for receiving the lines35.

The lateral regions33of the busbar30are contactable exclusively from the bottom or the internal space of the mounting rail1, as has previously been known. The middle region34, which extends into the channel8and is rearwardly offset, is designed analogously to the exemplary embodiment ofFIGS.6and7such that it can also be contacted from the receiving chamber3, i.e., from the bottom, but on the other hand, it is possible, at least in sections, to contact the corresponding lines35from the side, as shown by the arrows, in particular from outside the mounting rail1. For this middle region34, there are thus more flexible possibilities for contacting compared to the regions33, such that there are in turn additional possibilities for arranging electric components on the mounting rail1.

In the case shown, that exclusively the busbar30shown inFIG.9is provided within the mounting rail profile2, units to be connected to the mounting rail1from the bottom can in turn be designed with relatively simply designed contacting means, because the contacts do not have to be movable, but rather contact the corresponding lines35within the framework of insertion and fastening to the mounting rail1. As already mentioned, at any rate, further busbars can be arranged on the lateral walls4, wherein the consumers to be connected are designed in the manner described above with corresponding contacting means, which on the one hand can contact the lines of the busbar30as well as on the other hand the lines of the laterally arranged busbars (not shown).

Even when using a single busbar as shown inFIG.9, improved contacting possibilities arise compared to previously known solutions, because, in addition to the lines that are contactable purely from the receiving chamber3, there are also available lines which are contactable in the manner described above by units arranged outside the mounting rail profile2.

The various examples thus make it clear that the present invention enables the implementation of extremely versatile designs for mounting rails, which offer a wide variety of possibilities for contacting.