Abstract
Electric device with electric connection means suitable for connecting it to an electric power source, comprising a supporting surface for a textile electrically conductive band and retention means for retaining the textile electrically conductive band on supporting surface. Electric connection means comprise piercing means for piercing the textile electrically conductive band which are suitable for conducting an electric current. Textile electrically conductive band is made of double weaving and comprises two mutually parallel electrically conductive guides extending along the band. Each of the electrically conductive guides is located between two layers of textile material of said double weaving.
Claims
1. Electric system comprising a light unit and a textile electrically conductive band, said light unit comprising at least a light source and electric connection means suitable for connecting said light unit to an electric power source, wherein said light unit comprises a supporting surface for said textile electrically conductive band and retention means for retaining said textile electrically conductive band on said supporting surface, said electric connection means comprising piercing means for piercing said textile electrically conductive band, wherein said piercing means are suitable for conducting an electric current; wherein said piercing means comprise two sets of needles emerging from said supporting surface and wherein said textile electrically conductive band is made of double weaving and comprises two mutually parallel electrically conductive guides extending along said textile electrically conductive band, each of said electrically conductive guides being located between two layers of textile material of said double weaving and being formed by a plurality of metal threads which do not have any insulating covering.
2. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein each set of needles comprises between 4 and 12 needles.
3. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein said needles project between 1.5 and 3.5 mm with respect to said supporting surface.
4. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein said retention means comprise an arch arranged on said supporting surface, wherein said arch comprise a lever suitable for rotating around said arch between a release position and a retention position, said lever comprising a cam suitable for pressing said textile electrically conductive band on said supporting surface when it is in said retention position.
5. Electric system according to claim 4, wherein said piercing means are adjacent to said lever.
6. Electric system according to claim 4, wherein when said lever is in said retention position, said lever rests on said textile electrically conductive band covering said piercing means.
7. Electric system according to claim 4, wherein said arch is formed by a C-shaped part with the ends of said C connected to said electric device below said supporting surface.
8. Electric system according to claim 4, wherein said retention means comprise a second arch arranged on said supporting surface, where said arch and said second arch define a passage for said textile electrically conductive band.
9. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein said metal threads are copper threads.
10. Electric system according to claim 9, wherein said copper threads have a cross-section comprised between 0.10 and 0.35 mm.sup.2.
11. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein, each of said electrically conductive guides has a width comprised between 0.3 and 1.5 cm.
12. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein between the two electrically conductive guides, there is a separation comprised between 0.3 and 1.8 cm.
13. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein said textile electrically conductive band is formed with threads of polymer material.
14. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein said textile electrically conductive band has a weft with 10 to 50 threads/cm and/or a warp with 10 to 60 threads/cm.
15. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein the two layers of said double weaving are interlaced to one another by 4 to 21 warp threads per cm.
16. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein each set of needles comprises between 6 and 10 needles.
17. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein said needles project between 2.2 and 2.8 mm with respect to said supporting surface.
18. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein each of said electrically conductive guides has a width comprised between 0.5 and 0.7 cm.
19. Electric system according to claim 1, wherein between the two electrically conductive guides, there is a separation comprised between 0.7 and 1.1 cm.
20. Electric system according to claim 13, wherein said threads of polymer material have 50 to 500 tex.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Other advantages and features of the invention are apparent from the following description, in which, without being a limitation, reference is made to preferred embodiments of the invention, mentioning the attached drawings. The figures show:
(2) FIG. 1, a perspective view of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention.
(3) FIG. 2, a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 before being assembled.
(4) FIG. 3, a side elevation view of the system according to FIG. 1 with the arches being separated.
(5) FIGS. 4 and 5, a perspective and side elevation view, respectively, of the assembly formed by a lever with its corresponding arch.
(6) FIG. 6, a longitudinal cut of the system of FIG. 1 according to a plane comprising one of the piercing means.
(7) FIG. 7, an enlarged view of region “B” of FIG. 6.
(8) FIG. 8, an equivalent view to FIG. 7 but with the lever in a half-open position.
(9) FIG. 9, an upper perspective view of an exploded sub-assembly, of the system of FIG. 1.
(10) FIG. 10, a bottom perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 9.
(11) FIG. 11, a perspective view of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention.
(12) FIG. 12, a perspective view of the connection means of the system of FIG. 11.
(13) FIG. 13, a longitudinal cut of the system of FIG. 11 according to a plane comprising one of the piercing means.
(14) FIG. 14, an enlarged view of region “D” of FIG. 13.
(15) FIG. 15, an equivalent view to FIG. 14, but with the lever in a half-open position.
(16) FIGS. 16, 17 and 18, a bottom plan, side and front elevation view, of a support comprising the supporting surface of the system of FIG. 11.
(17) FIGS. 19, 20 and 21, a side elevation, front elevation and top plan view, respectively, of a set of needles of the system of FIG. 11.
(18) FIG. 22, a perspective view of a third embodiment of a system according to the invention.
(19) FIG. 23, a partial perspective view, of the region of the system of FIG. 22 corresponding to the connection means.
(20) FIG. 24, a partial side elevation view, of the region of the system of FIG. 22 corresponding to the connection means.
(21) FIG. 25, a longitudinal sectional view of the region of FIG. 24.
(22) FIG. 26, a sectional view according to line CC of FIG. 24.
(23) FIG. 27, a weaving draft of a first embodiment of a textile electrically conductive band according to the invention.
(24) FIG. 28, a picture of a textile electrically conductive band made according to the weaving draft of FIG. 27.
(25) FIG. 29, a weaving draft of a second embodiment of a textile electrically conductive band according to the invention.
(26) FIG. 30, a picture of a textile electrically conductive band made according to the weaving draft of FIG. 29.
(27) FIGS. 31 to 36, 6 weaving drafts of different embodiments of a textile electrically conductive band according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
(28) FIGS. 1 to 10 show a first embodiment of a system according to the invention. The system comprises an electric device 1, which is a lighting unit 1, with electric connection means 2 for connecting the lighting unit 1 to a textile electrically conductive band 3, which is an electric power source, as will be described hereinafter. The lighting unit 1 has a support 4, which upper surface has a supporting surface 5 for the textile electrically conductive band 3. Textile electrically conductive band 3 is fixed to supporting surface 5 by retention means comprising a C-shaped arch 6 having its two ends fixed to support 4 by a snap-fitting system enabling the rotation of arch 6 through an axis passing by the two ends. The snap-fitting system is reversible. In the central portion of arch 6, a lever 7 fixed to arch 6 is mounted by a snap-fitting system enabling the rotation of lever 7 around an axis passing by the central section of the C. A second arch 8, also C-shaped but with less height, is also fixed in support 4. Arch 6 and second arch 8 are aligned to one another such that they define a passage above the supporting surface 5 through which textile electrically conductive band 3 extends.
(29) Lever 7 has a cam 9 so that, upon rotating lever 7, cam 9 contacts textile electrically conductive band 3 and presses it against supporting surface 5.
(30) Supporting surface 5 has two holes through which two sets of needles 10 project, these sets of needles being the piercing means. In this embodiment, each set of needles 10 is formed by two mutually parallel rows, with 6 needles each. The two sets of needles 10 are close to the arch 6. In this way, the force exerted by cam 9 pushing textile electrically conductive band 3 against the supporting surface clearly affects the portion of the textile electrically conductive band 3 which is above the sets of needles 10.
(31) When lever 7 is in the retention position (see, for example, FIG. 7), lever 7 is located above the portion of the textile electrically conductive band 3 which is on the sets of needles 10. This portion of textile electrically conductive band 3 is thereby totally protected.
(32) FIGS. 11 to 21 show a second embodiment of a system according to the invention. It shares a plurality of elements (except for, in some instances, geometrical differences which are not relevant for the invention) to which the same reference has been assigned and therefore, are not described again. In this embodiment, it is shown in more detail the sets of needles 10 which, in this case, are each formed by two mutually parallel rows, with two needles in each row. The needles of each set are fixed to a printed circuit board 11, which, in turn, is electrically connected to the rest of electric device 1 (not shown in the Figs.). FIG. 16 shows support 4 seen from below (that is, by the opposite face to supporting surface 5) and there can be seen two spaces 12 provided for housing the printed circuit boards 11 and holes 13 for the passage of the needles.
(33) FIGS. 22 to 26 show another embodiment of a system according to the invention. In this case, electric device 1 is an enlarged straight lighting unit, so that supporting surface 5 is flat (in the previous cases, it was convex). Nevertheless, the operation of the invention is the same. The same references have been used again for equal or equivalent elements to those of the previous embodiments. In this example, support 4 is the whole back portion of the lighting unit (in fact, it is the main body of lighting unit 1) and it is a remarkably elongated rectangle parallelepiped. Supporting surface 5 extends throughout the complete surface of support 4, but lever 7 is again very close to the sets of needles 10, thereby ensuring the effectiveness of the force exerted by cam 9.
(34) FIG. 27 shows the weaving draft of textile electrically conductive band 3 of FIG. 28. It comprises two electrically conductive guides 14, each with 8 metal threads 15 (indicated in dark grey), in particular of bare copper, that is, without any insulating covering. In a certain point (not shown in the Figs.), metal threads 15 of each one of the electrically conductive guides 14 are connected to an electric power source, so that they can transmit electric power to the electric connection means 2 of electric device 1. The details of this example are the following: 88 warp threads used in total 19.5 weft threads per cm weaving reed 50/10 cm, draft 6 threads 100 picks per minute on the right side: warp threads 89 and 90 are not integrated/drawn in shaft 11 without point of interlacing (therefore, the copper threads are not parallel and are more compact in between the two textile layers) shaft 5 without point of interlacing
(35) FIGS. 29 and 30 are another weaving draft with the corresponding textile electrically conductive band 3. The details of this example are the following: 89 warp threads integrated/drawn in in total weft threads per cm weaving reed 50/10 cm, draft 6 threads 100 picks per minute
(36) FIGS. 31 to 36 show 6 additional weaving drafts.
