Mounting rails for lighting or electrical units

Abstract

The invention relates to a mounting rail (1) for a lamp (100, 150) or an electrical unit, comprising a mounting rail profile (2), the mounting rail profile having two side walls (4) and a connecting wall (5) connecting the side walls (4) to each other, the walls together enclosing an elongated receiving chamber (3); and having at least one busbar (10, 20), the at least one busbar being arranged on one of the two inner faces of the side walls (4) of the mounting rail profile (2) and comprising a contactable line (15, 25). According to the invention, an additional busbar (30) having a contactable line (35) is arranged on the connecting wall (5) of the mounting rail profile (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a mounting rail for a luminaire or an electrical unit, comprising a mounting rail profile in which at least one busbar extending longitudinally relative to the mounting rail profile is arranged. Furthermore, the invention relates to a light strip system comprising such a mounting rail and a luminaire or an electrical unit arranged for use in such a light strip system. Background Art

[0002] Mounting rails with mounting rail profiles and busbars held in the mounting rail profiles are known in the prior art and are used, for example, to realize elongated so-called light strip systems. A known light strip system is sold by the applicant under the name "TECTON" and is characterized in that lamps or other consumers can be flexibly positioned on the mounting rail over the entire length of the system. This can be achieved by the fact that, due to the special mounting of the lines of the busbars, the consumers can contact them over essentially the entire length of the light strip system, so that contact of the lines can occur not only at fixed predetermined positions, but at any desired position. For example, WO 2001 / 091250 A1 shows such a light strip system.

[0003] In the above-mentioned "TECTON" system, two busbars are arranged opposite each other on the two side walls of a downwardly open U-shaped mounting rail profile. Contacting of the lines of the busbars is then carried out by the luminaire or consumer comprising a rotatable contact element, which is inserted into the mounting rail from the bottom side and subsequently rotated by about 45°. The contacts arranged on the contact element are designed so that they are pivoted laterally outward by rotation and finally contact the lines of the busbars in the rotated state. Summary of the invention

[0004] The problem underlying the present invention is to provide a mounting rail of the above-mentioned type which offers more flexible connection possibilities for consumers, lamps or other units than in the prior art.

[0005] As in the prior art, it is provided that the mounting rail according to the invention comprises a mounting rail profile which, together with two side walls and a connecting wall connecting the side walls, encloses an elongated receiving chamber on the side walls of which a busbar with at least one accessible wire is arranged. According to the invention, an additional busbar is now provided which is arranged on the connecting wall of the mounting rail profile and similarly comprises an accessible wire. This increases the number of available wires, thereby improving the connection possibilities of various consumers or luminaires and, as will be explained in more detail below, also allows a more flexible arrangement of luminaires or other consumers on the mounting rail.

[0006] Therefore, according to the present invention, a mounting rail for a lamp or an electrical unit is proposed, comprising:

[0007] a mounting rail profile having two side walls and a connecting wall connecting the side walls to one another, said walls together enclosing an elongated receiving chamber,

[0008] at least one busbar, which is arranged on one of the two inner faces of the side wall of the mounting rail profile, the at least one busbar having a contact line,

[0009] According to the invention, an additional busbar with contactable wires is arranged on the connecting wall of the mounting rail profile.

[0010] According to a first variant, the additional busbar provided according to the invention is also arranged in an elongated receiving chamber of the mounting rail profile and can be substantially identical in design to the busbar arranged on the inner side wall. In this variant, in particular, the number of available accessible wires is increased, thereby increasing the flexibility of arranging consumers or lamps on the mounting rail.

[0011] Alternatively, however, the additional busbars can also be designed differently from the busbars arranged on the inner face of the side wall, wherein, according to a particularly preferred variant, it is provided that at least some of the lines of the additional busbars can be at least sectionally accessible from outside the receiving compartment of the mounting rail profile. This means that not only can a luminaire or electrical unit inserted into the receiving compartment of the mounting rail profile be brought into contact with the lines of the additional busbars; rather, it is now also possible to arrange additional consumers or other components outside this receiving compartment or generally outside the mounting rail profile, which can then contact the lines of the additional busbars. This not only increases the positioning flexibility of the units to be connected to the mounting rail; rather, completely new components can be connected to the mounting rail in order to expand the functionality of the light strip system.

[0012] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, provision is made for the connecting wall of the mounting rail profile to be designed to be shaped so as to form an elongated channel in which the additional busbar is arranged. This results in the lines of the additional busbar being particularly accessible to the luminaire or unit contacted from the outside, so that the arrangement of the corresponding components outside the mounting rail can be designed in a particularly simple manner.

[0013] The wall of the channel or mounting rail profile in which the additional busbar is arranged can include openings or areas to be opened, which allow access to the wires accessible from outside the receiving chamber. These areas to be opened can be formed in particular by punching or other cutouts, which form bendable tabs or disconnection areas in the wall of the channel or mounting rail profile. In this case, the accessible wires are first covered by the wall of the mounting rail profile. However, if necessary, corresponding openings can be formed in the wall in order to easily provide the possibility of access later.

[0014] In a variant of the invention, provision can be made for the lines of the additional busbar to provide a low-voltage supply voltage for the consumers to be connected. In this case, it is also conceivable that, by contrast, the lines of the busbars arranged on the side walls provide a high-voltage supply voltage, wherein the additional busbars are supplied in sections by power supply devices, which contact the busbars arranged on the side walls. That is, the busbars available so far also serve as a power supply for the lines of the additional busbars, so that, for example, consumers requiring a suitable low-voltage supply voltage can be directly connected to the corresponding lines. For example, it is conceivable to use lamps with LED light sources on these sections of the additional busbars, which no longer require their own converter or driver, but can directly use the available voltage on the additional busbars.

[0015] Ideally, the busbars are arranged on the two side walls of the mounting rail profile, wherein the wires of these busbars are supported in such a way that they are accessible only from the inner face of the receiving chamber. Preferably, it is provided that the wires of the busbars are supported in a wire holding profile consisting of an insulating material, which forms a groove open towards the contact side. This allows the wires to be designed to be continuously accessible, at least in certain sections, ideally over the entire length of the mounting rail. This makes the arrangement of different consumers particularly flexible, since they can be arranged at any position on the mounting rail. In particular, the wire holding profile can be designed to form a holding portion for the wires of all busbars arranged in the receiving chamber of the mounting rail.

[0016] According to the invention, a lamp or an electrical unit for connection to a mounting rail as described above is also proposed, wherein the lamp or the consumer comprises a contact element for electrically contacting the wires of the busbars. In particular, it is provided that the contact element comprises at least one first contact for contacting the wires of the busbars arranged on the side wall and at least one second contact for contacting the additional busbars arranged on the connecting wall. That is to say, it is also entirely conceivable that the consumer according to the invention has contacts aligned in different directions so as to be able to flexibly contact different busbars in the receiving chamber of the mounting rail. One conceivable solution here is that the contact element comprises a rotatably supported body, the first contact is arranged laterally on the rotatably supported body, and the second contact is additionally arranged on a contact carrier that does not rotate with the body.

[0017] Furthermore, according to the invention, a luminaire or an electrical unit as described above for connection to a mounting rail is proposed, wherein the luminaire or consumer comprises contact means for electrically contacting the wires of the various busbars, and wherein the contact means comprises:

[0018] a) a first contact element having at least one first contact for contacting a line of a busbar arranged on the side wall, and

[0019] b) A second contact element, which is separate from the first contact element and has at least one second contact for contacting a busbar arranged on the connecting wall.

[0020] Finally, according to another aspect, the invention also relates to a special design of a busbar, in which case said busbar is preferably arranged on a connecting wall of a mounting rail. In this context, it must be considered that mounting rails using only a single busbar are known in the prior art, wherein the busbar is then arranged on a connecting wall of a mounting rail profile which is usually U-shaped. In this case, all the wires of the busbar are then supported so that they are correspondingly contactable when fastening the luminaire to the mounting rail, so that contact devices of relatively simple design can be used. However, in this case, the connection possibilities of the mounting rail are also limited, for which reason, according to this further aspect of the invention, it is provided that the busbar comprises two areas with contactable wires arranged adjacent to each other, said areas being arranged offset from each other when viewed transversely from the longitudinal direction of the system.

[0021] According to this further aspect of the invention, a mounting rail for a lamp or an electrical unit is proposed, comprising:

[0022] Mounting rail profiles to enclose elongated receiving compartments, and

[0023] a busbar arranged in the mounting rail profile, the busbar having a contactable wire,

[0024] The generatrix comprises at least two adjacently arranged regions having a contactable line, wherein one of the two regions is designed to be offset rearwardly from the other region when viewed transversely in the longitudinal direction.

[0025] This specially formed busbar can also be used as an additional busbar according to the first explained aspect of the invention, due to the fact that one of the areas is positioned in a rearwardly offset manner, again opening up the possibility of forming additional connection possibilities for the mounting rail or the light strip system realized thereby.

[0026] According to a preferred embodiment, provision can be made that the generatrix is ​​formed symmetrically and comprises three regions arranged adjacent to one another, wherein the two outer regions extend in a common plane and the middle region is designed offset from the outer regions.

[0027] As already mentioned, provision can be made that the specially designed busbar is arranged in particular on the connecting wall of the U-shaped mounting rail profile. Provision can be made that at least some of the lines of the rearwardly offset region of the busbar are at least sectionally accessible from outside the mounting rail profile, wherein the corresponding wall of the mounting rail profile is in turn preferably designed and shaped so that an elongated channel extending along the receiving chamber is formed, in which the rearwardly offset region of the busbar is arranged. As already described above, provision can be made that the wall of the channel comprises an opening or an area to be opened, which allows access to the accessible lines from outside the mounting rail profile. The area to be opened can be formed in particular by punching, which forms a bendable tab or a disconnection area in the wall of the channel.

[0028] The wires of the busbar designed according to the invention are supported in a wire holding profile made of insulating material, which forms a groove or channel open toward the contact side, wherein different areas of the busbar preferably use a common wire holding profile. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings show:

[0030] Figure 1 is a first exemplary embodiment of a mounting rail according to the invention;

[0031] Figure 2 is connected to the Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of a consumer device for a mounting rail of the present invention, the consumer device having a contact element designed according to the invention;

[0032] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a mounting rail into which a consumer device is inserted;

[0033] Figure 4 is another exemplary embodiment of a mounting rail according to the present invention;

[0034] Figures 5 to 7 is a variant of the mounting rail designed according to the invention, in which the wires of the additional busbars can be accessed from an area outside the mounting rail;

[0035] Figure 8 are further conceivable possibilities for implementing the mounting rail according to the invention; and

[0036] Fig. 9 is a further exemplary embodiment of a mounting rail, in which the busbars are designed in a particularly advantageous manner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The figures show different embodiments of a mounting rail 1 according to the invention for implementing a light strip system, to which lamps or other units can be connected. Figure 1The mounting rail 1 shown in the figure comprises an elongated mounting rail profile 2 which delimits an interior space 3. As can be seen in the various views, the mounting rail profile 2 can have a substantially U-shaped cross section when viewed in the longitudinal direction, with a connecting wall 5 and two side walls 4 extending away from and preferably downwardly parallel to the connecting wall 5, which together define a receiving chamber 3. The mounting rail profile 2 thus has an open longitudinal side or opening 6, through which the receiving chamber 3 can be accessed from the bottom side. However, instead of the U-shaped cross section shown, it can also be provided that the mounting rail profile 2 is formed, for example, in an H-shape or in another shape. It is important that it, together with the two side walls 4 and a connecting wall 5, encloses the elongated receiving chamber 3, which is open to one side and is used for the arrangement of the busbars described below.

[0038] For example, the mounting rail profile 2 can be formed from a metal sheet, in particular as a punched bend or also from a thin metal material and in this case then manufactured, for example, in an extrusion process. The mounting rail profile 2 represents a supporting element for the mounting rail 1 and can be attached, for example, via brackets not shown in greater detail, to a beam, for example a ceiling or a suspension element of the space to be illuminated.

[0039] In order to supply power to a lamp or other unit to be connected to the mounting rail 1, two busbars 10 or 20 are first arranged on the inner surface of the two side walls 4 in the receiving chamber 3. Each of these busbars comprises a plurality of wires 15 or 25 which are arranged parallel to the side walls 5 and supported one on top of the other so that they can be contacted from the contact side of the unit to be connected to the mounting rail 1.

[0040] It should be noted that the wires contacting the busbars are not necessarily used to power the units to be connected. Connections to data lines for communication are also conceivable, in particular, the connection of sensors, cameras or similar components which transmit data via the wires of the lightbar system which are then used, for example, for automatic control of the system. In this sense, the invention includes all conceivable electrical units which can obviously be connected to the busbars.

[0041] As in the case of the known mounting rail system "TECTON" described above, the wires 15 or 25 are preferably held by a corresponding insulating material wire holding profile 11 or 21, which is a parallel open groove towards the inside of the mounting rail profile 2, respectively a channel 12, 22, in which the wires 15, 25 are arranged in the form of threads. The wires 15, 25 can thus be accessible over a longer section, ideally over the entire length of the mounting rail system 1, and thus be contactable for the luminaire or unit to be connected. In particular, it can be provided that the wire holding profile 11 or 21 is formed by a plurality of plastic profile parts arranged continuously in the longitudinal direction and connectable to each other, as is known in the prior art. This solution opens up the possibility of producing a continuously accessible channel 12 extending over the entire length of the system 1, so that contacting of the wires 11 and 21 can occur anywhere. However, the invention also includes solutions in which the busbar sections are connected to each other at certain transition points, so that contacting of the wires 15 or 25 is not possible here. In this case, the wire holding profile 11 , 21 can then also be produced in a more cost-effective manner or in a simpler manner, for example in an extrusion process.

[0042] Regarding the embodiments so far, Figure 1 The mounting rail 1 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to a solution known from the prior art.

[0043] However, according to the invention, provision is now made that, in addition to the two busbars 10 or 20 arranged on the side walls 4 of the mounting rail profile 2, a further busbar 30 is provided which is arranged on the connecting wall 5 and thus on the upper side of the receiving chamber 3 of the mounting rail profile 2. This additional mounting rail 30 also serves to receive and support longitudinally extending wires 35 which, in the illustrated case, are arranged in grooves or channels 32 of a wire holding profile 31 which extend in the longitudinal direction and are open towards the interior 3 of the mounting rail profile 2.

[0044] Analogously to the first two busbars 10 and 20, a wire holding profile 31 formed from a plurality of plastic components can also be provided for the third busbar 30, which are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction and can be connected to one another. Figure 1 In particular, it can be provided that the three wire holding profiles 11, 21, 31 of the three busbars 10, 20 and 30 are formed from conventional plastic components. These can be produced by injection molding or extrusion methods and can be angled or folded accordingly before being arranged in the mounting rail profile 20, so that they adjoin the three walls 4 and 5 of the mounting rail profile 2 with their corresponding sections and form the corresponding wire holding profiles 11, 21, 31 of the three busbars 10, 20 and 30 therein.

[0045] Thus, finally, additional lines 35 extending within the mounting rail 1 are provided by the further busbars 30, which lines can be used to provide further supply voltage types or as additional data lines for signal transmission. Different orientations of the receiving channels or recesses 32 for the additional lines 31 also open up the possibility of connecting consumers to the mounting rail, which consumers have contact elements of different designs in order to contact the different lines of the busbars 10, 20 and 30 accordingly. The flexibility of the mounting rail 1 with respect to the use of various lamps and / or other units is thereby further increased.

[0046] Ideally, provision can be made for the consumer to be designed to contact in principle all lines of the three busbars 10 , 20 , 30 . Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this respect, a strip-shaped luminaire is shown, for example, with reference numeral 100, which is provided for connection to a light source according to Figure 1 Mounting rail 1.

[0047] In a known manner, the luminaire 100 initially comprises a longitudinally extending beam 110 for supporting a light source (not shown) and also holding an optical element 115 at its base, which is provided for influencing the light emitted by the light source. In the exemplary embodiment shown, an optical device 115 is shown which is designed to influence the light of an LED, wherein in principle it is conceivable to use any light source and corresponding optical device or other cover.

[0048] The contact element 120 responsible for contacting the wires 15, 25, 35 is arranged on the top side of the support element 110. In many details, it is similar to the contact elements known from the prior art and therefore comprises a rotatably and / or pivotably supported central base 125, on the sides of which a plurality of contacts 127 and 128 are arranged. These lateral contacts 127, 128 are used to contact the wires 15 and 25 of the first two busbars 10 and 20 and can be mounted on the base 125 in a height-adjustable manner at least in part. It is thus possible to select which wires 15 and 25 of the busbars 10 and 20, respectively, are actually to be contacted, which in turn opens up the possibility of assigning the luminaires 100 to be connected or the consumers to be connected to specific supply circuits or assigning specific functions to them.

[0049] As is known, the base body 125 of the contact element 120 is designed to be rotatable about a vertical axis I, wherein the contacts 127 and 128 respectively rotate together with the base body 125. This allows the contact element 120 to be transferred from an open position to a contact position, wherein in the open position the contacts 127, 128 are in a position enabling the contact element 120 to be inserted into the receiving chamber 3 of the mounting rail profile 2. Only in the inserted state is the base body 125 of the contact element 120 then rotated about the axis I, which causes the lateral contacts 127, 128 to pivot outwards and now engage with the corresponding grooves 12, 22 and channels of the busbars 10, 20 in order to finally touch, i.e. contact, the wires 15, 25 located therein. This is Figure 3 , which shows the arrangement of the strip-shaped lighting fixture 100 on the mounting rail 1 , wherein the contact element 120 is in the above-mentioned contact position.

[0050] Provision is now made for an additional contact carrier 130 of the contact element 120 with vertically aligned further contacts 131 to 133 to be arranged at the top of the base body 125. These additional contacts 131 to 133 are used for contacting the wires 35 extending in the horizontally oriented busbar 30, wherein again the option can be provided so that different wires 35 can be contacted selectively, wherein the contacts 131 to 133 are mounted in an adjustably manner in the horizontal and / or vertical plane or can be inserted at different positions in this plane.

[0051] Of course, this additional contact carrier 130 of the contact element 120 should not rotate together with the base body 125, so that there is a decoupling between the rotatable body 125 and the additional contact carrier 130. When inserting the contact element 120 into the receiving chamber 3 of the mounting rail 1, the upper contact carrier 130 is first contacted with the contacts 131 to 133 via the additional mounting rail 30, wherein, on the one hand, the wires 35 are contacted by the corresponding contacts 131 to 133 and, on the other hand, guide elements in the form of ribs or pins 135 provided on the additional contact carrier 130 engage with corresponding guide grooves 38 of the busbar 30, wherein the guide grooves 38 can be formed in the wire holding profile 31 of the busbar 30. This ensures the correct position of the upper contact carrier 130 relative to the additional busbar 30 and the so-called anti-rotation protection. The inner part of the contact element 120 is thus rigidly connected to the carrier of the insertion component, while the outer part is rotatably supported around it.

[0052] A further and preferred variant is to provide the component with two separate, spatially separated (spaced) contact elements, so that the first contact element contacts the lateral conductor and the second contact element contacts the upper conductor. In this way, contact elements known from the prior art can be used, for example light strip luminaires with so-called "rotary taps" and additionally with so-called "linear taps".

[0053] In order to connect the luminaire 100 to the mounting rail 1, the contact element 120 is first inserted into the receiving chamber 3, as already explained above, so that the wire 35 of the horizontally oriented busbar 30 is contacted by the upper contact carrier 130. Then, the rotatable base 125 is rotated together with the laterally aligned contacts 127 and 128, so that the contacts 127, 128 are pivoted outwards and contact the wires 15, 25 of the busbars 10 and 20. In this case, provision can also be made for additional detent elements 129 to be formed on the rotatable base 125, said elements engaging with corresponding projections in the mounting rail profile 2, so that ultimately a mechanical fastening of the luminaire 100 is also achieved on the mounting rail 1.

[0054] In the previous explanation, it was assumed that the additional busbar 30 provided an additional line 35, which could be contacted simultaneously by a single consumer with the lines 15 and 25 of the first two busbars 10 and 20. Finally, the consumer could contact a plurality of different lines, as previously described with the strip luminaire 100. This provides a variety of possibilities for connecting the consumer to the power supply circuit and / or the communication lines.

[0055] However, it is also conceivable that the lines of the additional busbar 30 will be used to connect other or additional consumers or consumer types. This concept will be explained below with reference to further figures.

[0056] Figure 4 Initially, a variant of the mounting rail 1 according to the invention is shown in which, in addition to the busbars 10 and 20 arranged on the side wall 4, a third busbar 30 is provided, the wires 35 of which are accessible and therefore contactable from the receiving chamber 3 of the mounting rail profile 2. In the present case, however, provision is made for a separate consumer, which is only schematically shown, to be provided exclusively for contacting these wires 35 of the third busbar 30. This additional consumer 150 may be, for example, a sensor or a communication module which is provided only at certain positions in the longitudinal direction of the system, without impairing the accessibility of the wires 15 or 25 of the busbar 10 or 20 provided for the actual consumer.

[0057] therefore Figure 4 The variant shown in opens up the possibility of connecting other components to the system, for example using an additional busbar 30, wherein the continuous connectability of the busbars 10 and 20 is however not affected thereby, so that the luminaires can still be arranged continuously on the mounting rail 1 over the entire length of the system in order to achieve a uniform light output extending over the entire length.

[0058] Figure 4 A particularly advantageous further development of the variant shown in Figure 5. It is provided here that the wires 35 extending in the third busbar 30 are also at least partially accessible from the upper side or the outer side of the mounting rail profile 2. This possibility is opened up in that the corresponding transverse connecting walls 5 are provided with openings, wherein at the same time, in the region of these openings, the wires 35 are also optionally arranged in the wire holding structure 31 so that they are accessible from the top side.

[0059] In this case, the corresponding bottom side of the receiving channel 32 of the wire holding profile 31 is therefore provided with a groove or is processed in such a way that the wire 35 can be contacted by the consumer 150 arranged outside the mounting rail profile 2. In this case, the wire holding profile 35 can be designed so that in these positions, the wire 35 is also accessible from the bottom at the same time and therefore also from the receiving chamber 3. However, it is also conceivable that in these specific sections, the contact can actually take place only from the top of the mounting rail 1, as shown in the figure.

[0060] The above-mentioned opening required for this purpose in the connecting wall 5 of the mounting rail profile 2 can be permanently provided by the consumer or can be produced optionally in that the wall 5 is provided with a corresponding punching or slot, so that a breakaway region or a bendable tab is formed. The bending or opening of the tab can only be carried out if contact of the consumer with the wire 35 is actually provided in this region, so that the wire 35 and the interior space are reliably protected from external influences by the wall of the mounting rail profile 2.

[0061] Similarly, in Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the exemplary embodiment of , it is also provided that the wire 35 of the third busbar 30 is accessible not only from the receiving chamber 3 of the mounting rail profile 2 , but in particular also from a position outside the receiving chamber 3 .

[0062] In the exemplary embodiment shown, which differs mainly in the number and installation of the available wires 35 (for the sake of clarity, the wire holding profile is not shown in this case), it is provided that the connecting wall 5 of the mounting rail profile 2 is designed to be shaped so that an additional elongated channel 8 is formed above the actual receiving chamber 3, in which the third busbar 30 is located. In particular, the side walls 9 of this channel 8 can in turn be provided at least in sections with corresponding openings or designed so that openings are produced, through which the wires 35 of the additional mounting rail 30 can be contacted. The arrows shown here indicate different directions, which now provide the possibility of contacting the wires 35, wherein contact from all three directions is not necessarily possible at the same time in a specific longitudinal position. Instead, it can be provided that the contact direction of the additional busbar 30 changes in sections.

[0063] Both variants are characterized in that, although the wire 35 can be connected from outside the mounting rail profile 2, the risk of accidental contact with the wire 35 is excluded, since the insertion of a correspondingly designed contact element is at most possible due to the design of the mounting rail profile 2 and in particular of the busbar. Furthermore, the additional busbar 30 does not take up any space in the actual receiving chamber 3 of the mounting rail profile 2, so that lamps or consumers used hitherto can also be used and connected to the mounting rail 1 in a conventional manner.

[0064] Due to the fact that in at least some exemplary embodiments the lines of the third busbar 30 can now also be contacted from outside the mounting busbar 1, additional possibilities for connecting consumer devices or other components to the system are created. In a simple manner, it is especially possible to use consumer devices that are now also arranged outside the system 1. On the one hand, these can be luminaires that are then used, for example, to achieve indirect lighting or accent lighting. However, other units that extend the functionality of the system, such as sensors, communication modules, etc., can now also be connected to the system, in particular, where there are no longer any of these additional components that could interrupt the devices arranged at the bottom of the system for light output or that need to be laboriously connected to the lines of the first two busbars extending within the mounting rail. Ideally, it is desirable to perform the light output uniformly and consistently throughout the system, but in particular without interrupting the light output, because this leads to a particularly attractive appearance of the light strip system. This is now easily achieved, where additional components can nevertheless be connected.

[0065] In this respect, it is conceivable that each busbar is connected to the corresponding power supply line or is connected to the communication line on the input side of the system. However, alternatively, it is also conceivable that the power supply circuit is formed in sections only with the help of lines, which are fed from the lines of the first or second busbar. In particular, it can be provided that the normal supply voltage is provided by the first and second busbars, while the lines of the third busbar provide the low-voltage supply voltage. However, this is not connected to the front side of the system, but a converter or other component is provided in sections, which converts the high-voltage voltage of the first or second busbar into a low-voltage supply voltage and then transmits it to the lines of the third busbar. In this way, the third busbar can be used as a low-voltage busbar, for example, which is used to directly power LED lighting components. They no longer need their own converters or drivers, but can be directly connected to the corresponding lines. In addition, in this case, the risk of accidentally contacting the lines of the additional busbars is also reduced, which is allowed in the case where the low voltage that is at least partially accessible from the outside will cause health problems or hazards.

[0066] Finally, the solution according to the invention results in a significant increase in the possibilities for connecting and arranging consumers to a mounting rail compared to mounting rails known hitherto.

[0067] The present invention is not limited to Figures 1 to 7 The U-shaped mounting rail shown in FIG. The arrangement of different busbars is only schematically shown. Figure 8 a to Figure 8 d shows that the mounting rail can be realized in various cross-sectional shapes.

[0068] Figure 8 b and Figure 8 The variant of d corresponds to Figures 1 to 5 or Figure 6 and Figure 7 , in which the lines of the additional busbars 30 can in principle be contacted from the inside and / or from the outside of the mounting rail 1 in the manner described above.

[0069] on the other hand, Figure 8 a relates to a variant in which the connecting wall 5 connecting the two side walls 4 of the mounting rail 1 is designed to be angled so that an inclined wall section 5a is initially produced above the two side walls 4, which are connected by a horizontal wall section 5b. In the case shown, the additional busbar 30 is arranged at the bottom of the horizontal wall section 5a and can then be contacted from the inside and / or from the outside in the above-described manner. However, alternatively or additionally, it is also conceivable to arrange one or more additional busbars on the inclined wall section 4a. These are then mainly suitable for contacting from the outside of the mounting rail 1 and can be used to supply external components of the system, such as luminaires for indirect lighting, individual radiators, sensors, etc.

[0070] The same applies to Figure 8 c, in which the connecting wall 5 is again angled and in which the inclined wall section 5b can also be used to arrange an additional busbar in this case.

[0071] The various examples show that the shape of the mounting rail 1 can of course also be selected depending on the number and size of the busbars used (i.e. the number of wires extending in the busbars). For example, if components of the system are to be connected on both sides outside the mounting rail 1, then it is possible to mainly use a shape according to Figure 8 Variations of d or Figure 8 a or Figure 8 c, in which the additional busbars must then be arranged on the inclined wall sections. However, if the additional components of the system are arranged only on the top side, it is preferably possible to use Figure 8 A variant of b.

[0072] Finally, another exemplary embodiment of a mounting rail 1 according to the invention is Fig. 9 . In this case, specially designed busbars 30 are arranged on the connecting wall 5 of the mounting rail profile 2, which is also U-shaped. This is intended to produce an improved contacting possibility compared to previously known solutions. However, it is also conceivable in principle to arrange additional busbars on the side walls 4 of the mounting rail profile 2 in addition to the busbars 30 shown. In this case, in combination Figures 1 to 8 What was explained in connection with the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 applies subsequently.

[0073] In accordance with Fig. 9 In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the rail profile 2 is installed to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The upper connecting wall 5 is thus designed to be shaped so as to form a channel 8 extending along the receiving chamber 3. However, Figure 6 and Figure 7 Compared to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the busbar 30 is now not arranged exclusively in this channel 8. Instead, it comprises two lateral regions 33 and a central region 34, wherein the central region 34 is located in the channel 8 at a position offset to the rear from the lateral regions 33, while the regions 33 are arranged in the plane of the bottom of the connecting wall 5. However, preferably all three regions 33, 34 of the busbar 30 are formed by a common wire holding profile 31, which comprises a channel and a groove 32 open towards the contact side for receiving the wire 35 in the above-described manner.

[0074] As is known previously, the lateral regions 33 of the busbar 30 are accessible only from the bottom or the interior space of the mounting rail 1. The middle region 34 extending into the channel 8 and offset rearwards is similar to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The exemplary embodiment of the present invention is designed so that it can also be contacted from the receiving chamber 3, i.e. from the bottom, but on the other hand, the corresponding wires 35 can be contacted at least in sections from the side, as indicated by the arrows, in particular from the outside of the mounting rail 1. For this intermediate region 34, there are therefore more flexible contact possibilities compared to the region 33, so that there are additional possibilities for arranging electronic components on the mounting rail 1.

[0075] In the case shown, Fig. 9 The busbar 30 shown in FIG. 1 is only arranged in the mounting rail profile 2, and the unit to be connected to the mounting rail 1 from the bottom can again be designed with a contact device of relatively simple design, because the contacts do not have to be movable, but contact the corresponding wires 35 in a frame inserted and fastened to the mounting rail 1. As already mentioned, in any case, further busbars can be arranged on the side wall 4, wherein the consumer devices to be connected are designed with corresponding contact devices in the above-mentioned manner, which can contact the wires of the busbar 30 on the one hand and the wires of the laterally arranged busbars (not shown) on the other hand.

[0076] Even when using Fig. 9 When a single busbar is shown in FIG. 1 , an improved contacting possibility also occurs compared to previously known solutions, since in addition to the lines which can be fully contacted from the receiving chamber 3 , there are also available lines which can be contacted in the manner described above by a unit arranged outside the mounting rail profile 2 .

[0077] The various examples thus clearly show that the invention enables an extremely versatile design for a mounting rail, which offers a multitude of contacting possibilities.

Claims

1. A mounting rail for a lamp or an electrical unit, the mounting rail comprising: • a mounting rail profile having two side walls and a connecting wall connecting the side walls to one another, the side walls and the connecting wall together enclosing an elongated receiving chamber, • at least one busbar, which is arranged on one of the two inner faces of the side walls of the mounting rail profile, the at least one busbar having a contact line, Features An additional busbar with a contact line is arranged on the connecting wall of the mounting rail profile, wherein the additional busbar comprises at least two adjacently arranged areas with a contact line, wherein one of the at least two adjacently arranged areas is designed to be offset rearwardly from the other area when viewed transversely in the longitudinal direction.

2. The mounting rail according to claim 1, Features The additional busbars are substantially identical in design to the busbars arranged on the inner face of the side wall.

3. The mounting rail according to claim 1, Features The additional busbars are designed differently from the busbars arranged on the inner surface of the side wall.

4. The mounting rail according to claim 3, Features At least some of the wires of the additional busbars are at least sectionally accessible from outside the mounting rail profile.

5. The mounting rail according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Features The connecting wall of the mounting rail profile is designed and shaped in such a way that an elongated channel extending along the receiving chamber is formed, in which channel the additional busbar or the rearwardly offset region of the additional busbar is arranged.

6. The mounting rail according to claim 5, Features The wall of the channel or of the mounting rail profile in which the additional busbar or the rearwardly offset region of the additional busbar is arranged comprises an opening or a region to be opened which allows access to a line accessible from outside the mounting rail profile.

7. The mounting rail according to claim 6, Features The area to be opened is formed by punching, which forms a bendable tab or a breakaway area in the channel or in the wall of the mounting rail profile.

8. The mounting rail according to claim 3, Features The lines of the additional busbar provide a low-voltage supply voltage for the consumers to be connected.

9. The mounting rail according to claim 8, Features The lines of the busbars arranged on the side wall provide a high voltage supply voltage, wherein the additional busbars are supplied with power in sections by power supply means which contact the busbars arranged on the side wall.

10. The mounting rail according to claim 1, Features The busbars are arranged on two side walls of the mounting rail profile.

11. The mounting rail according to claim 1, Features The lines of the busbars arranged on the side walls of the mounting rail profile are only accessible from the inner face of the mounting rail profile.

12. The mounting rail according to claim 1, Features The wires of the busbar are supported in a wire holding profile made of insulating material, which forms a groove or channel which is open toward the contact side.

13. The mounting rail according to claim 12, Features All busbars use a common wire holding profile.

14. A light strip system comprising a mounting rail according to any one of claims 1 to 13 and a lighting fixture or an electrical unit.

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