A RELEASABLE FASTENING ARRANGEMENT
20220178141 · 2022-06-09
Assignee
Inventors
- Håkan Johan Löfholm (Huddinge, SE)
- Patrik Härnman (Linköping, SE)
- Taisto Kalevi Nyström (Nyköping, SE)
Cpc classification
H01R13/73
ELECTRICITY
F16B5/0607
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
E04F15/02038
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
F24D13/024
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
H01R13/514
ELECTRICITY
H01R12/78
ELECTRICITY
Y02B30/00
GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
E04C2/526
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E04C2002/004
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
International classification
E04C2/52
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
F16B5/06
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F24D13/02
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
H01R12/77
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
A first unit (100) including a first member (110) of a releasable fastening arrangement (300) is presented. The releasable fastening arrangement (300) is arranged to provide a mechanical connection of the first unit (100) to a second unit (200), and an electrical connection of a first electrical circuit (120) included in the first unit (100) to a second electrical circuit (220) included in the second unit (200), when a male profile (115) of the first member (110) is inserted into a corresponding female profile (215) included in a second member (210) of the second unit (200). The mechanical connection is provided based one or more at least partially resilient latching arm members (117) of the male profile (115) engaging with one or more corresponding slots (217) of the corresponding female profile (215). The electrical connection is provided by contact between one or more first flexible conductors (124) arranged on a first flexible and electrically insulating layer (126) of the first electrical circuit (120) and one or more second flexible conductors (224) arranged on a second flexible and electrically insulating layer (226) of the second electrical circuit (220).
Claims
1. A first unit including a first member of a releasable fastening arrangement arranged for providing: a mechanical connection of said first unit to a second unit; and an electrical connection of a first electrical circuit included in said first unit to a second electrical circuit included in said second unit; wherein: said first member has at least one male profile, said at least one male profile including one or more at least partially resilient latching arm members arranged for engaging with one or more corresponding slots of at least one corresponding female profile included in a second member of said second unit when said at least one male profile is inserted into said at least one female profile, whereby said mechanical connection is provided; and said first electrical circuit has at least one first portion, said at least one first portion including one or more first flexible conductors arranged on at least one side of a first flexible and electrically insulating layer, and being arranged between said at least one male profile and said at least one female profile together with a corresponding at least one second portion of said second electrical circuit, said at least one second portion including one or more second flexible conductors arranged on at least one side of a second flexible and electrically insulating layer, whereby said electrical connection is provided by contact between said one or more first flexible conductors and said one or more second flexible conductors when said at least one male profile is inserted into said at least one female profile.
2. A second unit including a second member of a releasable fastening arrangement arranged for providing: a mechanical connection of said second unit to a first unit; and an electrical connection of a second electrical circuit included in said second unit to a first electrical circuit included in said first unit; wherein: said second member includes at least one female profile, said at least one female profile including one or more slots arranged for receiving one or more corresponding at least partially resilient latching arm members included in at least one corresponding male profile of said first unit, when said at least one female profile receives said at least one male profile, whereby said mechanical connection is provided; said second electrical circuit has at least one second portion, said at least one second portion including one or more second flexible conductors arranged on at least one side of a second flexible and electrically insulating layer, and is arranged between said at least one male profile and said at least one female profile together with a corresponding at least one first portion of said first electrical circuit, said at least one first portion including one or more first flexible conductors arranged on at least one side of a first flexible and electrically insulating layer whereby said electrical connection is provided by contact between said one or more first flexible conductors and said one or more second flexible conductors when said at least one female profile receives said at least one male profile.
3. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one male profile includes one in the group: one at least partially resilient latching arm member arranged for being releasably locked in one slot of said female profile; two at least partially resilient latching arm members arranged for being releasably locked in two slots of said female profile, respectively.
4. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one female profile includes one in the group: one slot arranged for releasably locking one at least partially resilient latching arm member of said male profile; and two slots arranged for releasably locking two at least partially resilient latching arm members of said male profile, respectively.
5. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrical connection is achieved by a contact pressure between said one or more first flexible conductors and said one or more second flexible conductors being pressed against each other when said at least one male profile has been inserted into said at least one female profile.
6. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more first and second flexible conductors are arranged on at least one side of said first and second flexible and electrically insulating layers, respectively, as printed electronics.
7. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second flexible and electrically insulating layers include at least one material in the group of: plastic; rubber; paper; and textile.
8. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first or second unit are at least one building panel in the group of: a flooring panel including a heat providing layer, the heat providing layer comprising said first or second electronic circuit, respectively; a wall panel including a heat providing layer, said heat providing layer comprising said first or second electronic circuit, respectively; and a ceiling panel including a heat providing layer, said heat providing layer comprising said first or second electronic circuit, respectively.
9. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein said releasable fastening arrangement is arranged at least partly at panel coupling means of said building panel, said panel coupling means being arranged for coupling adjacent building panels together.
10. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein said releasable fastening arrangement is arranged at one or more of at least one longitudinal side and at least one end side of said building panel for coupling adjacent building panels together and for creating a joint gap width between said adjacent panels.
11. The first or second unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first or second unit is at least one in the group of: a store element; a loudspeaker; a display; a lighting device; a sensor; a camera; a wireless device.
12. (canceled)
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0068] Embodiments of the invention are described in more detail with reference to attached drawings illustrating examples of embodiments of the invention in which:
[0069]
[0070]
[0071]
[0072]
[0073]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0074] According to embodiments of the invention a unit including a member of a releasable fastening arrangement is provided. The releasable fastening arrangement is arranged to provide both a mechanical connection and an electrical connection between the unit and another unit with a corresponding member of the releasable fastening arrangement. Furthermore, a unit assembly is provided. The unit assembly includes at least one of a first unit and a second unit according to any of the below described embodiments. The electrical connection provided by the releasable fastening arrangement can provide electrical power from the first unit to the second unit, or vice versa, to drive a power consuming part in the first unit and/or the second unit.
[0075]
[0076] As described above, the male profile 115 in
[0077] The first unit 100 further includes a first electrical circuit 120. The first electrical circuit 120 includes at least one first portion 122 including one or more first flexible conductors 124 arranged on at least one side of a first flexible and electrically insulating layer 126. In embodiments, the one or more first flexible conductors 124 are arranged on at least one side of the first flexible and electrically insulating layer 126 as printed electronics. The first flexible and electrically insulating layer 126 may e.g. include at least one material in the group of plastic, rubber, paper, and textile. The first portion 122 is arranged to cover at least a part of the male profile 115, e.g. be arranged around or to follow at least a part of the contour/circumference of the male profile 115. In the embodiment shown in
[0078]
[0079] As described above, the female profile 215 in
[0080] The second unit 200 further includes a second electrical circuit 220. The second electrical circuit 220 includes at least one second portion 222 including one or more second flexible conductors 224 arranged on at least one side of a second flexible and electrically insulating layer 226. The second portion 222 is arranged to cover at least a part of the female profile 215, e.g. be arranged around or to follow at least a part of the contour/circumference of the female profile 215. In the embodiment shown in
[0081] In the same way as described above for the first electrical circuit 120, the one or more second flexible conductors 224 may be arranged on at least one side of the second flexible and electrically insulating layer 226 as printed electronics, and the second flexible and electrically insulating layer 226 may e.g. include at least one material in the group of plastic, rubber, paper, and textile.
[0082] The first member 110 of the releasable fastening arrangement 300 is arranged to provide both a mechanical connection and an electrical connection between the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 including the corresponding second member 210 of the releasable fastening arrangement 300. The mechanical connection and the electrical connection are provided based on the engagement between the at least partially resilient latching arm members 117 of the first member 110 and the slots 217 of the female profile 215. When the male profile 115 is inserted into the female profile 215, the at least partially resilient latching arm members 117 of the first member 110 snaps into the slots 217 of the female profile 215. Thereby, engaging/locking the male profile 115 to the female profile 215. The snap lock function is provided by the at least partially resilient/elastic nature of the latching arm members 117, allowing the latching arm members 117 to be compressed/deformed during the insertion and further relax into the slots 217 of the female profile 215 when inserted. The resilience of the latching arm members 117 may be provided by the latching arm members 117 including, at least partly, one or more elastic material such as e.g. plastic, rubber, composite, wood, or metal.
[0083] The electrical connection is provided by contact between the first electrical circuit 120 and the second electrical circuit 220 when the male profile 115 is inserted into the female profile 215. As shown in
[0084] In embodiments, the first unit 100 and/or the second unit 200 may include at least one power consuming part, i.e. at least one part, component, unit, arrangement, assembly and/or function which requires power/energy/electricity to operate. The electrical connection provided by the releasable fastening arrangement 300 may in this case be used to provide electrical power, i.e. distribute electricity, to the first 100 or second 200 unit and thereby supply electric power to the power consuming part in the first unit 100 or the second unit 200. The provided electrical power may be either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). For example, if the first unit 100 includes a power consuming part, the second unit 200 may be connected to an AC or DC electric power supply and may provide electric power to the power consuming part in the first unit 100 through the electrical connection provided by the releasable fastening arrangement 300. The electrical power provided by the second unit 200 through the electrical connection may then be used in the first unit 100 to drive/operate/run the power consuming part. The second unit 200 may be connected directly to the AC or DC electric power supply or be connected to the AC or DC electric power supply via one or more other units, e.g. one or more first 100 and second 200 units.
[0085] When the first unit 100 includes a power consuming part, the power consuming part may be connected to the first electrical circuit 120 of the first unit 100 and the second electrical circuit 220 of the second unit 200 may be connected to an electric power supply. Thus, the electrical connection provided by contact between the first electrical circuit 120 and the second electrical circuit 220, when the male profile 115 is inserted into the female profile 215, allows electrical power to be transferred from the electrical power supply through the second unit 200 to the power consuming part in the first unit 100.
[0086] When the second unit 200 includes a power consuming part, the power consuming part may be connected to the second electrical circuit 220 of the second unit 200 and the first electrical circuit 120 of the first unit 100 may be connected to an electric power supply. In this case, the electrical connection provided by contact between the first electrical circuit 120 and the second electrical circuit 220 allows electrical power to be transferred from the electrical power supply through the first unit 100 to the power consuming part in the second unit 200.
[0087]
[0088] In the embodiment shown in
[0089] As shown in
[0090]
[0091] According to embodiments of the invention at least one of the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are a building panel including a heat providing layer, the heat providing layer comprising the first electronic circuit 120 and the second electronic circuit 220, respectively. The building panel may e.g. be a floor panel, a wall panel or a ceiling panel. In such embodiments, the releasable fastening arrangement 300 may provide a mechanical connection and an electrical connection between two adjacent building panels such that the two building panels are mechanically fastened to each other, and electricity is provided between the heat providing layers of the two building panels. The releasable fastening arrangement 300 may be arranged at least partly at panel coupling means of the building panels. The panel coupling means may be arranged for coupling adjacent building panels together and may e.g. be a tongue/groove type of coupling means. Furthermore, the releasable fastening arrangement 300 may be arranged at one or more of at least one longitudinal side and at least one end side of the building panels for coupling adjacent building panels together and for creating a joint gap width between the adjacent panels.
[0092]
[0093]
[0094] With reference to
[0095] In the embodiment shown in
[0096] In embodiments, the second unit 200 may be a rack, shelf, base or similar to which one or more first units 100 can be mounted/connected/fastened using the releasable fastening arrangement 300 according to the invention. The first unit 100 may in such embodiments be any of a store element, a loudspeaker, a display, a lighting device, a sensor, a camera, and a wireless device. In embodiments, the second unit 200 may be a rack e.g. mounted in a ceiling or under a cabinet. The second member 210 of the second unit 200 may include one or more female profiles 215 to which one or more first units 100 including one or more corresponding male profiles 115 can be connected. For example, the second member 210 of the second unit 200 may include a large number of female profiles 215 such that several first units 100 with one or two corresponding male profiles 115 can be mounted to the second unit 200 at different locations along the second unit 200. The first unit 100 may in this case e.g. be a spotlight or a loudspeaker. The second electrical circuit 220 of the second unit 200 may be connected to an electric power supply and hence provide electric power to the first electrical circuit 120 of the first unit 100 through the electric connection provided by the releasable fastening arrangement 300. The provide electric power may be used to operate the first unit 100, e.g. drive a power consuming part in the first unit 100 as previously described. The first unit 100 may e.g. be a lighting device comprising a lamp and the electric power provided from the second unit 200 through the releasable fastening arrangement 300 to the first unit 100 may be used to light the lamp.
[0097] The strength of the mechanical connection provided by the releasable fastening arrangement 300 may be adapted based on at least one of a weight of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200, an orientation of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200, and an environment in which the releasable fastening arrangement 300 is used. The orientation of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200 may be an orientation in which the first unit 100 or the second unit 200 mainly extends and may e.g. be a mainly horizontal or vertical direction. Factors in the environment which may affect a desired strength of the mechanical connection may e.g. be vibrations, temperature, and/or humidity.
[0098] The strength of the mechanical connection may e.g. be adapted to be higher/stronger when the first unit 100 is arranged to hang from the second unit 200, then when both first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are arranged to be supported by e.g. a floor.
[0099] In various embodiments, the strength of the mechanical connection may be adapted by e.g. changing the material and dimensions of the at least one male profile 115 and the at least one female profile 215, as well as by changing the number of male 115 and female 215 profiles.
[0100] In embodiments, the mechanical connection provided by the releasable fastening arrangement 300 is capable of carrying, i.e. can hold/withstand and thus not be released by, a force corresponding to one to five times the gravity force related to the weight of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200. The mechanical connection may hence keep the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 connected as long as the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are not pulled away from each other with a force exceeding a force corresponding to one to five times the weight of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200.
[0101] In various embodiments, the mechanical connection provided by the releasable fastening arrangement 300 is released by a force corresponding to two to five times the gravity force related to the weight of said first unit 100 or said second unit 200. In other words, the mechanical connection between the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 can be released by pulling the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 away from each other with a force exceeding a force corresponding to two to five times the weight of the first unit 100 or the second unit 200.
[0102] The above given forces are non-limiting examples and, as described above, the strength of the mechanical connection may be adapted based on the weight and/or orientation of the first unit 100 and/or the second unit 200, as well as based on the environment in which the releasable fastening arrangement 300 is used.