Power-rail adapter and power rail

• US 7,320,610 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 01/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ERCO GmbH (Maack GmbH)
• Original Assignee: ERCO Leuchten GmbH
• Inventors: Boike, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams; Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONGCHI T
• Application Number:
  US11/409,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20070015388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 439/121, 439/110, 439/122
• US Class Current: 439/121
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/447 Shutter or cover plate
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/14 Rails or bus-bars constructed so that the counterparts can be connected thereto at any point along their length supporting elements for lighting devices, displaceable along guiding elements and making electrical contact with conductors running along the guiding elements F21V21/35
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/142 Their counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/945 Holders with built-in electrical component
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/95 with fuse; with thermal switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/955 with switch operated manually and independent of engagement or disengagement of coupling

Abstract

A power-rail adapter (39) for mechanical and electrical connection of a light fixture (10) and/or of an operating unit (15) of the light fixture with a power rail (28), comprising at least a switch shaft (41) that can be pivoted between a removing position in which the adapter is removable from the power rail and an installing position in which the adapter is fixed to the power rail is illustrated and described.

A specific feature is amongst others that a coding stud (66) is provided on the switch shaft and that a coding groove (77) is provided at the power rail in which the coding stud can be introduced only with a single relative orientation of the adapter (39) with respect to the power rail (28) with pivoting of the switch shaft from the removing position into the installing position.

Claims

1. In combination:

a power rail comprising

a generally longitudinally extending profile having a pair of transversely confronting sides only one of which is formed with a longitudinally extending and inwardly open coding groove, the sides forming a longitudinally extending and open slot, and

a pair of upper longitudinally extending and transversely spaced conductors on the profile sides; and

an adapter comprising

a body fittable to the rail,

a switch shaft extending from the body along an axis and pivotal thereabout relative to the body between a removing position and an installed position, the shaft extending into the slot when the body is fitted to the rail,

a pair of radially projecting contacts, and

a radially projecting coding stud on the shaft, the shaft being rotatable in a first predetermined orientation of the body relative to the rail into the installed position with the coding stud engaging in the coding groove and the contacts engageable with the conductors, the other side of the profile being shaped so as to engage and prevent rotation of the shaft from the removing position into the installed position when the body is not in the first predetermined orientation relative to the rail.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the switch shaft is formed unitarily with the coding stud.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the switch shaft is connected for synchronous movement with the coding stud.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the adapter has at least two switch shafts.

5. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the light fixture or the operating unit for the light fixture can be supplied with operating voltage and with control information through the adapter.

6. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein the body is fittable in a second orientation different from the first orientation to the power rail, the coding stud being blocked by the other side of the profile in the second orientation.

7. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein the contacts project radially from the shaft.

8. The combination according to claim 1, further comprising

a light fixture or operating unit for the light fixture having a first connection for a power-supply line and at least a second connection for a signal line for receiving of control information.

9. The combination according to claim 8 wherein the control information corresponds to the DALI protocol.

10. In combination:

a longitudinally extending power rail provided with a first longitudinally extending conductor and a second longitudinally extending conductor both capable of carrying line voltage;

a supply feeding line voltage to the first conductor;

a controller feeding low-power control information to the second conductor;

an adapter fittable to the rail and having a first contact engageable with the first conductor and a separate second contact engageable with the second conductor;

a light fixture mountable on the adapter; and

an operating circuit connected to the light fixture for controlling line-voltage flow from the supply through the first conductor to the light fixture in accordance with the control information fed by the controller to the second conductor.

11. The combination according to claim 10 further comprising

a tag on the power rail that indicates that at least one of the conductors is used for transmitting the control information.

12. The combination according to claim 11 wherein the tag can be removably mounted the power rail.

13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein the tag can be clipped to the power rail.

14. In combination:

a longitudinally extending power rail provided with a pair of first transversely spaced and longitudinally extending conductors and a pair of second transversely spaced and longitudinally extending conductors; and

an adapter having first and second switch shafts rotatable about respective offset first and second axes and provided with respective pair of first and second contacts, the first and second shafts each being rotatable in the adapter into a position with the respective contacts engaging the respective conductors.

15. The combination defined in claim 14, further comprising

an operating circuit connected between the light fixture and the contacts for controlling high-power current flow from the supply through the first conductors and terminals to the light fixture in accordance with the control information fed by the controller to the second conductors and contacts.

16. The combination defined in claim 14, further comprising

supply means feeding high-power electrical power to the first conductors.

17. The combination defined in claim 16, further comprising

control means for feeding low-power control information to the second conductors.