Power rail

Abstract

A power rail for arrangement on a pull-out guide for a movable furniture part, wherein the pull-out guide has a body rail and a drawer rail, which are supported such that they are movable relative to each other, wherein the power rail is designed such that it can be arranged on the body rail or on the drawer rail, wherein the power rail is designed, when arranged on the pull-out guide, to extend along the length of the body rail and/or along the length of the drawer rail in a direction of movement of the pull-out guide, wherein the power rail has two contact elements insulated electrically from each other, wherein the contact elements are designed to be electrically conductive, so that a current collector of a power supply unit can come into contact with one of the contact elements in order to produce an electrically conductive connection.

Claims

1. A power rail for arrangement of a pull-out guide for a movable furniture part, wherein the pull-out guide has a body rail and a drawer rail that are supported such that they are movable relative to each other, the power rail comprising: a power supply unit; and two electrically conductive contact elements, electrically insulated from each other, so that when a current collector of the power supply unit contacts one of the two contact elements, an electrically conductive connection is produced, wherein the power supply unit comprises a contact-making unit formed as strip, wherein the contact-making unit can be connected to an external power supply system by cables, wherein the contact-making unit has connecting elements to electrically conductively connect the cables to the contact element of the power rail, and wherein the contact-making unit can be fixed to the power rail by a fixing element in a clamping manner or by a screw connection, wherein, when arranged on a furniture, the contact-making unit applies an electrical voltage to the two contact elements of the power rail, wherein the power rail can be arranged on at least one of the body rail of the pull-out guide and on the drawer rail of the pull-out guide, and wherein the power rail, when arranged on the pull-out guide, extends along a length of the body rail of the pull-out guide and/or along a length of the drawer rail of the pull-out guide in a direction of movement of the pull-out guide.

2. The power rail as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power rail is detachably arranged on at least one of the body rail of the pull-out guide and the drawer rail of the pull-out guide.

3. The power rail as claimed in claim 1, wherein each contact element of the power rail is a wiping contact.

4. The power rail as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact elements of the power rail, when arranged on the body rail and/or when arranged on the drawer rail, are spring-mounted.

5. The power rail as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact elements are a current-conducting coating on the power rail.

6. The power rail as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power rail has a base on which the contact elements are present, wherein the power rail comprises a mounting element to arrange the power rail on at least one of the body rail of the pull-out guide and the drawer rail of the pull-out guide, and wherein the power rail is clamped to the mounting element.

7. The power rail as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power supply unit has a current collector that includes at least two current-collecting elements, wherein, when arranged on the furniture, a respective one of the current-collecting elements and a respective one of the two contact elements are in electrically conductive contact in one position, and wherein the current collector can be arranged on the power rail of the pull-out guide, on the body rail, on the drawer rail of the pull-out guide, on the movable furniture part and/or on a furniture body.

8. The power rail as claimed in claim 7, wherein the current collector of the power supply unit comprises a transmitting element that transmits energy without contacting a current receiving element.

9. The power rail as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the current-collecting elements of the current collector of the power supply unit has a contact-making member to which a spring force is applied to make electrically conductive contact with the contact elements.

10. The power rail as claimed in claim 7, wherein the current collector of the power supply unit is detachably connected to the power rail.

11. The power rail of claim 10, wherein the current collector is detachably connected to a base of the power rail.

12. A pull-out guide comprising the power rail as claimed in claim 1.

13. An item of furniture having a pull-out guide as claimed in claim 12.

14. An item of furniture having a power rail as claimed in claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Several exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail by using the following schematic drawings with the indication of further details and advantages.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a power rail according to the present invention in a perspective front side view from above;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the power rail according to FIG. 1 in a first mounting position relative to a pull-out guide in a further perspective partial front side view from above;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a sectional view through the power rail and the pull-out guide according to FIG. 2 transversely relative to the longitudinal extent of the power rail, wherein the power rail is arranged in a final mounting position on the pull-out guide;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a further variant of a power supply unit when arranged on a pull-out guide in a partial front side view from above;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective partial front side view from above of the current collector of the power supply unit according to FIG. 4;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a contact-making member of a power supply unit;

(8) FIGS. 7 to 9 each show a perspective partial rear side view of a power rail, wherein a contact-making unit is arranged on the power rail;

(9) FIG. 10 shows a perspective partial front side view from above of a power supply unit without power rail when arranged on the pull-out guide and on a corner post of a drawer;

(10) FIG. 11 shows a perspective partial rear side view from above of an item of furniture with an arranged power supply unit;

(11) FIG. 12 shows a rear view of an item of furniture having movable furniture parts, a respective power supply unit being arranged on the movable furniture part, wherein the power supply units are designed differently; and

(12) FIGS. 13 to 15 show detailed views of the power supply units according to FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(13) FIG. 1 shows a power rail 1 having two contact elements 2, 3, which are arranged on a base 4 of the power rail 1. FIG. 1 additionally shows that the power rail 1 is arranged to rest on mounting elements 5, 6.

(14) Advantageously, the base 4 is formed as a circuit board or as a printed circuit board. The contact elements 2, 3 are, for example, in particular, flat conductor tracks. For example, the contact elements 2, 3 are formed as metal strips and are attached to the base 4 and/or embedded in the latter. It is also conceivable that the contact elements 2, 3 are formed as an in particular surface coating on the base 4. Advantageously, the contact elements 2, 3 are arranged on the base 4 so as to be electrically insulated from each other. It is additionally conceivable that the contact elements 2, 3 are formed as wiping contacts. The power rail 1 is, for example, present in the form of meterware. In this way, the power rail 1 can be matched comparatively flexibly to different dimensions of a pull-out guide or an item of furniture, in particular, such that it can be cut to length. Advantageously, the power rail 1 can be cut to an in particular defined length L. For example, the power rail 1 has, in addition to the length L, a height H and a width B.

(15) The power rail 1 is arranged with the base 4 advantageously resting on the mounting elements 5, 6. For example, the power rail 1 is clamped to the mounting elements 5, 6. Advantageously, the mounting elements 5, 6 comprise guide rails 7, 8, on which the power rail 1 can, in particular, be displaceably mounted and/or displaceably guided.

(16) It is also possible to imagine, for example, that the power rail 1 is immovably arranged on a first mounting element 5 of the mounting elements 5, 6. Advantageously, when arranged, the mounting element 5 is immovable relative to the power rail 1. Preferably, in the arranged state, the second mounting element 6 of the mounting elements 5, 6 is designed to be displaceable relative to the power rail 1, in particular, along a longitudinal extent of the power rail 1.

(17) For example, mounting members 9, 10 are formed on the mounting elements 5, 6, in order to fix, for example, to clamp (see FIG. 2) the power rail 1 without tools to a pull-out guide 11. The pull-out guide 11 comprises, for example, a body rail 14, a central rail 15 and a drawer rail 16. The pull-out guide 11 is, for example, designed as a full-extension unit. Advantageously, an attachment element 17 for attaching a drawer front (not shown) is present on the drawer rail 16.

(18) It can be imagined that the guide rails 7, 8 are resiliently connected to the mounting members 9, 10. In this way, springing of the power rail 1 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the power rail 1 can be implemented. It is also conceivable that the base 4 of the power rail 1 is designed to be elastic. In this way, the contact elements 2, 3 are arranged in an elastic and/or sprung manner on the power rail 1.

(19) A mounting operation can be configured, for example, in such a way that, starting from a first mounting position, in which the power rail 1 is, for example, aligned parallel to the pull-out guide 11, the power rail 1 having the mounting elements 5, 6 is plugged on to the pull-out guide 11 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extent of the power rail 1 and transverse to a longitudinal extent of the pull-out guide 11 (see FIG. 2). Advantageously, during this first mounting operation, the first mounting element 5 is clamped to the pull-out guide 11, so that the first mounting element 5 is immovably connected to the pull-out guide 11. For example, in a subsequent mounting operation, the second mounting element 6 is moved relative to the power rail 1 in a direction along the longitudinal extent of the power rail 1 and/or the pull-out guide 11 and clamped and/or clipped (not shown) to the pull-out guide 11.

(20) A sectional view from a direction from behind through the power rail 1 when arranged on the pull-out guide 11 is shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the guide rail 7 is shown. For example, the power rail 1 is guided firstly on the first mounting element 5 by means of the guide rail 7 and secondly because of the bent-over metal tabs 12, 13 of the guide rail 7.

(21) In FIG. 4, a power supply unit 18 is illustrated, which comprises a further variant of a power rail 19, a current collector 20 and a contact-making unit 21. The power supply unit 18 in FIG. 4 is arranged on a further pull-out guide 22.

(22) The power rail 19 according to FIG. 4 comprises a base 23, which is arranged on a rail 24. On the base 23 there are contact elements 25, 26. Advantageously, the rail 24 is formed as a bent sheet metal part or as an extruded profile.

(23) For example, the current collector 20 is fixed to an attachment element 30 for attachment of a drawer rear wall (not shown). By means of the contact-making unit 21, a voltage, for example, energy, can advantageously be applied to the power rail 19. For example, the contact-making unit 21 can be connected to an external power supply system by means of cables 32 (see FIGS. 7 to 9).

(24) The current collector 20 comprises two current-collecting elements 27, 28, which are each in electrically conductive contact with a respective contact element 25, 26 when arranged in at least one relative position of the current collector 20 relative to the power rail 19. Advantageously, the current collector 20 comprises a housing 29. For example, the housing 29 has a fixing member 31, by means of which the housing 29 can be attached, in particular clamped, to the attachment element 30. The fixing member 31 is formed, for example, as a springy lug.

(25) A variant of a current-collecting element 33 is shown in FIG. 6. For example, the current-collecting elements 27, 28 correspond to the current-collecting element 33. The current-collecting element 33 comprises a mounting sleeve 34, by means of which the current-collecting element 33 can be fixed to a housing of a current collector. A contact-making member 35 is supported, advantageously movably supported, in the mounting sleeve 34. For example, the contact-making member 35 is present on the mounting sleeve 34 so as to have a force applied by means of a spring element (not shown). In this way, when there is a pressure in the direction of the mounting sleeve 34, the spring element can give way in the direction of the mounting sleeve 34, for example, into an interior of the mounting sleeve 34, advantageously counter to the force of the spring element. When arranged on the power rail, the contact-making member 35 is, for example, designed to touch a contact element of the power rail and, during a movement of the contact-making member relative to the power rail, to slide and/or to wipe along the contact element in a contacting manner.

(26) Variants of the contact-making unit 21 are illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. For easier understanding, all the variants of the contact-making units are provided with the same designation 21. The fact that the contact-making units 21 can be connected to an external power supply system by means of cables 32 is common to all variants. Likewise common to all variants is the fact that the contact-making units 21 have connecting elements 36 in order to connect the cable 32 electrically conductively to the contact elements of the power rail.

(27) A first variant of the contact-making unit 21 according to FIG. 7 is formed as a strip and comprises a stop element 37 in order to arrange the contact-making unit 21 comparatively simply, reliably and/or repeatably reliably on a power rail 38. The variant of the contact-making unit 21 according to FIG. 7 can be connected to the power rail 38 via a screw 39, for example.

(28) The variant of the contact-making unit 21 according to FIG. 8 comprises a fixing element 40, by means of which the contact-making unit 21 can be clamped to the power rail 41. For example, the fixing element 40 is formed as a stopper which has springy tabs which, in the arranged state, engage behind or snap behind the power rail 41.

(29) The variant of the contact-making unit 21 according to FIG. 9 is constructed similarly to the variant of the contact-making unit 21 according to FIG. 8, wherein, instead of the fixing element 40, the contact-making unit 21 is fixed to the power rail 41 by means of a screw connection 42.

(30) A further variant of a power supply unit 43 when arranged on a rail 44, and a pull-out guide 45 is shown in FIG. 10. For example, a power rail (not shown) can be arranged on the rail 44. The power supply unit 43 advantageously comprises a transmitting element 46, by means of which energy can be transmitted in a wire-free manner to a current receiving element 47. The transmitting element 46 comprises, for example, a coil (not shown) for this purpose, which means that energy can be transferred inductively. The transmitting element 46 is advantageously formed in the housing 48 of the power supply unit 43. The power supply unit 43 can, for example, be fixed to the rail 44 in a fixed position. The current receiving element 47 can be, for example, analogously to the power supply unit 18, arranged on an attachment element 49 for the arrangement of a drawer rear wall. In this way, the current receiving element 47 is movable relative to the transmitting element 46 along a direction of movement of the pull-out guide 45.

(31) The rail 44 is, for example, present in a defined length and, in this variant, forms an unmodified, in particular standardized, contact-making possibility for the power supply unit 43. Advantageously, the rail 44 has predefined mounting points 50 for this purpose, which are matched to a pull-out length of the pull-out guides 45. Advantageously, the transmitting element 45 can be arranged in a fixed position at the mounting points 50.

(32) In FIG. 11, the pull-out guide 45 having the rail 44 and the power supply unit 43 is shown when arranged on an item of furniture 51. The item of furniture 51 comprises a body 52, on which a drawer 53 is movably arranged via the pull-out guide 45. It is shown that the housing 48 of the power supply unit 43 is arranged in a rear region of the body 52. Advantageously, the current receiving element 47 is fixed to a rear side 54 of a rear wall 55 of the drawer 53. In this way, when the drawer 53 on the body 52 is closed, a transmission of energy from the transmitting element 46 to the current receiving element 47 can be implemented.

(33) Three different configurations of a power rail when mounted on an item of furniture 56 are shown in FIG. 12. In the first variant of a power rail according to FIG. 12, a power rail 58 is shown on the upper drawer 57 of the furniture 56, being fixed to a body side wall 59 of a body 60 of the furniture 56. An enlarged detail (detail A) from FIG. 12 is shown in FIG. 13. It is shown that, in this variant, the current collector 61 is arranged on the drawer side wall 62 of the drawer 57.

(34) In the second variant according to FIG. 12, a power rail 63 is arranged on a pull-out guide 64. A current collector 65, which is illustrated enlarged in FIG. 14 (detail B), is preferably fixed to a rear side 66 of a drawer 67 in this variant.

(35) In the third variant according to FIG. 12, a power rail 68 is fixed to an underside 69 of a drawer bottom 70 of a drawer 71. In this variant, a current collector 72, which is displayed enlarged in FIG. 15 (detail C) is, for example, fixed underneath the drawer bottom 70 on a pull-out guide 73.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

(36) 1 Power rail 2 Contact element 3 Contact element 4 Base 5 Mounting element 6 Mounting element 7 Guide rail 8 Guide rail 9 Mounting member 10 Mounting member 11 Pull-out guide 12 Metal tab 13 Metal tab 14 Body rail 15 Central rail 16 Drawer rail 17 Attachment element 18 Power supply unit 19 Power rail 20 Current collector 21 Contact-making unit 22 Pull-out guide 23 Base 24 Rail 25 Contact element 26 Contact element 27 Current-collecting element 28 Current-collecting element 29 Housing 30 Attachment element 31 Fixing member 32 Cable 33 Current-collecting element 34 Mounting sleeve 35 Contact-making member 36 Connecting element 37 Stop element 38 Power rail 39 Screw 40 Fixing element 41 Power rail 42 Screw connection 43 Power supply unit 44 Rail 45 Pull-out guide 46 Transmitting element 47 Current receiving element 48 Housing 49 Attachment element 50 Mounting point 51 Furniture 52 Body 53 Drawer 54 Rear side 55 Rear wall 56 Furniture 57 Drawer 58 Power rail 59 Body side wall 60 Body 61 Current collector 62 Drawer side wall 63 Power rail 64 Pull-out guide 65 Current collector 66 Rear side 67 Drawer 68 Power rail 69 Underside 70 Drawer bottom 71 Drawer 72 Current collector 73 Pull-out guide