CONNECTION DEVICE FOR LIGHTING UNIT DRIVERS

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for connecting a lighting unit driver (3) to a voltage supply, having a plug (1) comprising: an electric connection terminal (12) for a current supply cable; a housing (11) for receiving the electric connection terminal (12); a plug element (14) on one side of the housing (11) for producing a plug connection, wherein the plug element (14) is electrically connected to the electric connection terminal (12); and a corresponding plug element (2) which is formed directly on a housing (4) of the lighting unit driver (3) and corresponds to the plug element (14) in order to allow a form-fitting and electrically conductive plug connection between the plug element (14) of the plug (1) and the corresponding plug element (2).

Claims

1. A device for connecting a lighting unit driver (3) to a voltage supply, having a plug (1) comprising an electric connection terminal (12) for a current supply cable; a housing (11) for receiving the electric connection terminal (12); a plug element (14) on one side of the housing (11) for establishing a plug connection, wherein the plug element (14) is electrically connected to the electric connection terminal (12); and a corresponding plug element (2), which is formed directly on a housing (4) of the lighting unit driver (3) and corresponds to the plug element (14) in order to enable a form-fitting and electrically conductive plug connection between the plug element (14) of the plug (1) and the corresponding plug element (2).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug (1) furthermore has a mechanical strain relief clamp (13) for the current supply cable, and the housing (11) of the plug (1) is furthermore designed to receive the mechanical strain relief clamp (13).

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing (11) of the plug (1) has a hinged cover (16) in order to enable access to the electric connection terminal (12).

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the hinged cover (16) is transparent in order to enable visual inspection of the contact of the current supply cable with the electric connection terminal (12).

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing (11) has fastening elements (13) in order to fasten the device to a surface, especially to a wall.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug element (14) is shaped in such a way as to prevent a rotated connection of the plug element to the corresponding plug element (2) on the lighting unit driver (3).

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the plug element (14) has structures and/or recesses or projections (17) which prevent a rotated connection of the plug element (14) to the corresponding plug element (2) on the lighting unit driver.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the corresponding plug element (2) on the lighting unit driver (3) has complementary structures and/or recesses (22) or projections (23) in order to prevent a rotated connection of the corresponding plug element (2) to the plug element (14).

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electric connection terminal (12) has an additional contact in order to enable a feed-through wiring or additional voltage supply.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the additional contact is designed to enable the additional power supply of an emergency luminaire, or to enable the feed-through wiring in the event that the connected luminaire is not used as an emergency luminaire.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug element (14) has a fixing element (18) in order to enable a mechanical latching between the plug element (14) and the corresponding plug element (2) on the lighting unit driver (3).

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the fixing element (18) has a tongue which, at the end, is formed into a wedge in order to engage in a groove (24) of the corresponding plug element (2).

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug element (14) has contact pins (15) that are designed to enable a form-fitting connection to contact sockets (21) of the corresponding plug element (2) on the lighting unit driver (3).

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug element (14) has contact sockets that are designed to enable a form-fitting connection to contact pins of the corresponding plug element (2) on the lighting unit driver (3).

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the corresponding plug element (2) is adapted in a form-fitting manner to the driver housing (4).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The invention is described in the following using the accompanying drawings. Shown herein are:

[0022] FIG. 1 an exemplary embodiment of the connection device according to the invention, in an overview presentation;

[0023] FIG. 2 the connection device in a detail view, with an open housing cover;

[0024] FIG. 3 the connection device in a further detail view, with closed housing cover and visible plug bars.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] First, the basic design and the functioning of the connection device according to the invention is illustrated using FIGS. 1 and 2. Finally, the plug structure of an exemplary embodiment of the plug is discussed further using FIG. 3. Identical elements are, in part, not repeatedly illustrated and described in similar illustrations.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows the connection device consisting of a plug 1 with plugged-in driver-side components 2 and 3, in a view from above. The plug 1 represents the supply cable-side connection component and has a housing 11 on which a cover 16 is provided. The cover 16 preferably has a hinged design in order to ensure convenient access to the connection terminal and strain relief clamp, and is shown in the closed state in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the cover 16 is preferably designed to be transparent, in order to enable the connection of the current supply cable and the connection terminal to be visually inspected before the final connection of a luminaire or the lighting unit driver.

[0027] Shown in FIG. 2 is the plug connection according to the invention in a separate configuration, wherein the lighting unit driver 3 is shown with a clearly visibly corresponding plug element 2 unplugged next to the plug 1. The folded-open cover 16 of the plug housing 11, which includes a connection terminal 12 for connecting a current supply cable (not shown), can be seen here. Furthermore, strain relief devices 13 provided in the housing 11 are shown which also mechanically fix the current supply cable to the plug 1.

[0028] An advantageous embodiment of the connection terminal 12 may consist in that the connection terminal 12 has an additional contact exceeding the number of conductors of a conventional current supply cable, which additional contact is used for supplying current to luminaires specifically used as emergency lighting luminaires. In a larger system, it is typical that not all luminaires are used as emergency luminaires, but rather only a certain portion thereof, for example every fifth luminaire. In this event, it is now provided that the additional contact of the connection terminal 12 is used to realize the feed-through wiring for the power supply of the emergency luminaires. Only for the luminaires that are actually used as emergency luminaires is this corresponding contact then also accordingly electrically coupled to the lighting unit driver 3 upon being connected thereto. By contrast, for all other luminaires, the additional contact at the connection terminal 12 serves exclusively to enable the feed-through wiring.

[0029] According to the invention, the corresponding plug element 2 is, on its rear side 25, arranged directly on the driver housing 4 which comprises the lighting unit driver 3. In contrast to previously known achievements, the plug element 2 is therefore now an integral component of the driver housing 4 or of the driver 3 and is coupled internally to the electronic components of the driver 3, without further measures being required here to establish an electrical connection.

[0030] FIG. 3 shows a further view of the plug connection according to the invention, with special focus on the plug bar 14 of the plug 1 and the corresponding socket 2 on the lighting unit driver 3. Especially, the direct arrangement of the corresponding plug 2 on the lighting unit driver 3 contributes significantly on the one hand to the reduction of the number of required components and, on the other hand, to the reduction of the effort when connecting the lighting unit driver 3 to the power supply.

[0031] The plug element 14 of the plug 1 preferably comprises a row of plug pins or contact pins 15 in order to enable a form-fitting and electrically conductive connection to corresponding plug openings or contact openings 21 on the plug element 2 of the lighting unit driver 3, without being dependent on the use of tool or professional experience. In an alternative embodiment and as required, plug pins and corresponding plug openings can be exchanged with one another so that the plug element 14 has partly or only plug openings and the plug element 2 on the lighting unit driver 3 has the corresponding counter-configuration.

[0032] Preferably, the plug element 14 also has a fixing element 18 in order to enable mechanical latching between the plug element 2 on the lighting unit driver 3 and the supply cable-side plug element 14. In one embodiment, the fixing element 18 has a tongue which, at the end, is formed into a wedge in order to engage in a groove 24 of the corresponding plug element 2.

[0033] The plug element 14 can also have structures and/or recesses or projections 17 which prevent a rotated connection of the plug element 14 to the corresponding plug element 2 on the lighting unit driver. The plug pins 15 of the plug element 14 preferably have projections 17 which engage in corresponding recesses 22 of the plug element 2 of the lighting unit driver in a form-fitting manner. Here too, in an alternative embodiment and as required, projections and recesses can be exchanged with one another so that the plug element 14 has partly or only recesses on the plug pins 15 and the plug element 2 on the lighting unit driver 3 has the corresponding counter-configuration. The plug element 14 can also have plug pins which are not all attached in a row but rather are partially offset on the surface of the plug element 14 in order to likewise prevent a rotated connection of the plug element 14 to the corresponding plug element 2 on the lighting unit driver.

[0034] The invention is thereby not limited to the illustrated exemplary embodiments. Especially, the lighting unit driver can be a wide variety of types of lighting unit drivers or electrical converters. The plug element of the plug according to the invention can also be attached to different sides of the housing. Different orientations of the axis of rotation about which the hinged cover rotates are also conceivable. Likewise, the shown shapes of the connection terminal or strain relief clamp are not limited by the invention as long as they correspond to their purpose. Likewise, the structures and/or recesses on the plug element and on the corresponding plug element of the device/plug according to the invention are not limited by the embodiments described above. Especially, all the described structures and/or recesses on the plug element and the side of the corresponding plug element facing toward it are also conceivable for the rear-side connection of the corresponding plug element to an end face of the lighting unit driver or its housing. All features described above or features shown in figures can advantageously be combined with one another as desired within the scope of the invention.