Electrical adapter, contact rail and system for supplying power to a slatted wall of a product display shelf

Abstract

Electrical adapter (1) for hanging in a slatted wall (3) of a product display shelf, which may already be electrified, comprising: a housing (4) which is designed such that it can be inserted into a slot (5) of a slat profile (2) arranged in the slat wall (3); two electrical contact elements (7, 8) arranged in the housing (4), via which an electrical connection can be established with a contact rail (9) arranged in the slat profile (2), characterized by a locking latch (12), via which one of the two electrical contact elements (7) can be brought into an electrical contact state with the contact rail (9) and locked.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical adapter for hanging in a slatted wall of a product display shelf, which may already be electrified, a contact rail for use with the electrical adapter and a system for supplying current to a slatted wall of a product display shelf, comprising the electrical adapter according to the invention and the contact rail according to the invention. State of the art

[0002] Systems for supplying power to a slatted wall of a product display shelf are widely known from the prior art. For example, EP 3 461 376 A1 describes a device for product display and a corresponding adapter attached to a bracket. The adapter comprises a tapping section provided with spring contacts. The bracket, in turn, has an engagement section and can be hooked into a suspension structure of the profile rail. The bracket and profile rail are operatively connected such that, when the bracket is hooked in, the tapping section of the adapter is at least partially located within the interior of the energized profile rail and can be brought into contact with the current conductor running in the profile rail via its spring contacts.

[0003] Another system is known from DE 20 2010 010 444 U1. This comprises a powered profile rail with an outward-opening passage and a primary carrier with a plug-in section that can be hooked into the profile rail. An adapter is arranged on the plug-in section, which is designed to tap the current from the current conductor in the profile rail. For this purpose, the adapter has spring-loaded contacts that protrude from the housing.

[0004] Although corresponding systems are already known from the state of the art, there is still a need for improved power supply systems among customers of such powered product display shelves.

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a system for supplying current to a slatted wall of a product display shelf which is improved compared to the prior art and which in particular enables improved handling and installation. Description of the invention

[0006] According to a first aspect, the problem is solved by an electrical adapter having the features of claim 1.

[0007] This adapter is intended for hanging in a slatted wall of a product display shelf, which may already be electrified, and comprises a housing designed to be inserted into a slot of a slatted profile arranged in the slatted wall; and two electrical contact elements arranged in the housing, via which an electrical connection can be established with a contact rail arranged in the slatted profile. According to the invention, a locking latch is provided, via which one of the two electrical contact elements can be brought into electrical contact with the contact rail and locked.

[0008] According to the invention, an electrical adapter is thus proposed that is designed as a separate component and can be used independently of the product display shelving systems, as a type of accessory for powering such systems. The electrical adapter is characterized by its simple design. This makes it particularly easy to handle for the user and optimizes manufacturing and acquisition costs.

[0009] The core of the proposed electrical adapter is the locking latch, which is operatively connected to one of the electrical contact elements. When actuated, the electrical contact element, preferably after the adapter has been inserted into a slot in the slat profile, can be brought into contact with a current conductor, and the adapter can also be locked in position within the slat profile. The locking latch is designed so that it can be actuated with the thumb of the hand, which is also used to insert the electrical adapter into the slat profile.

[0010] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. The features listed individually therein can be combined with one another in a technologically expedient manner and can define further embodiments of the invention. The description further specifies and explains the features specified in the claims, and further preferred embodiments of the invention are presented.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment, the locking latch is designed in the form of a clamping slide, which forms part of the housing. The clamping slide more preferably has at least one clamping element extending into the interior of the housing, via which a clamping force acts on one of the two electrical contact elements when the locking latch is in the locked state. In this context, it is particularly preferred that the lockable (first) electrical contact element is designed in the form of a spring contact, which, in the locked state, extends through a front end face of the housing.

[0012] The electrical adapter comprises two electrical contact elements, via which an electrical connection can be established with a contact rail arranged in the slat profile and having a current conductor. In a preferred embodiment, the first lockable electrical contact element can be designed in the form of a spring contact. A spring contact in the sense of the present invention consists of an electrically conductive sheet metal part that has been formed and has an inherent stress. This is designed to be lockable, such that a partial section can assume two spatial positions. In an unlocked state, no external force acts on the spring contact, whereby it is in its formed, manufactured state.In the locked state, however, a front section of the spring contact extends through a recess arranged in the front end face of the housing and assumes a second spatial position outside the electrical adapter, where it can then establish an electrical connection with the current conductor. In other words, the locked state is characterized by the fact that an external force, preferably a clamping force, acts on the spring contact. This is caused by the at least one clamping element of the locking latch or the clamping slide.For this purpose, the locking latch, designed in the form of a clamping slide, is preferably designed to be linearly displaceable between the front and a rear end face of the housing, and the lockable contact element, designed in the form of a spring contact, is preferably arranged directly below the at least one clamping element, so that actuation of the locking latch can consequently apply a clamping force to the lockable electrical contact element. Furthermore, the at least one clamping element is particularly preferably provided with a locking lug, which enables a snap-in closure between the locking latch and the housing or a cover element of the housing.

[0013] The second electrical contact element can preferably be designed in the form of a compression spring contact, which particularly preferably also extends through the front end face of the housing. This second electrical contact element is advantageously preloaded via a spiral compression spring, so that, when the electrical adapter is plugged in, a secure electrical contact with another current conductor of the contact rail can be permanently ensured.

[0014] In another advantageous embodiment, the electrical adapter has at least one plug connection for establishing an electrical connection. A load can be connected to the electrical adapter particularly easily via the plug connection. In another embodiment, the electrical adapter can have two or more plug connections, via which several electrical loads can then be connected, possibly simultaneously.

[0015] According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a contact rail for use with the electrical adapter according to the invention in a slatted wall of a goods display shelf, wherein the contact rail has a first electrical counter-contact element which is designed in the form of a rigid or flexible contact and is configured to establish an electrical contact with one of the two electrical contact elements, particularly preferably with the lockable electrical contact element, of the electrical adapter in its locked state.

[0016] The contact rail consists of a plastic profile and is preferably designed to fit into the slat profile of the slatted wall with a force-fitting and / or positive fit. This allows the consumer to retrofit their slatted wall as desired.

[0017] Furthermore, the contact rail advantageously has a second electrical mating contact element for electrical connection to the second electrical contact element of the electrical adapter. This can be arranged on the inside of a web-shaped element. When the contact rail is installed, the second electrical mating contact element advantageously runs approximately at the level of the plug-in slot opening.

[0018] Preferably, both electrical counter-contact elements extend almost the entire length of the contact rail. This gives the user maximum flexibility in the arrangement of the shelves and their power supply.

[0019] In a further aspect, the present invention also relates to a system for supplying current to a slatted wall of a goods display shelf, comprising at least one electrical adapter according to the invention and at least one contact rail according to the invention. Character description

[0020] The invention and the technical environment are explained in more detail below with reference to figures. It should be noted that the invention is not intended to be limited by the exemplary embodiments shown. In particular, unless explicitly stated otherwise, it is also possible to extract partial aspects of the facts explained in the figures and combine them with other components and findings from the present description and / or figures. In particular, it should be noted that the figures and in particular the illustrated proportions are only schematic. The same reference numerals denote the same objects, so that explanations from other figures can be used as a supplement if necessary. They show: Fig. 1a a variant of the electrical adapter in a perspective view in a non-locked state, Fig. 1b the electrical adapter according to Fig. 1a in a locked state, Fig. 2a a further illustration of the Fig. 1a shown electrical adapter without the base housing, Fig. 2b a further representation of the Fig. 1b shown electrical adapter without the base housing, Fig. 2c shows an arrangement of the cover element and the locking latch according to the Fig. 1a shown variant, Fig. 2d shows an illustration of an arrangement of the cover element, the locking latch and the first electrical contact element according to the Fig. 1a shown variant, Fig. 3a a first embodiment of the contact rail in a perspective view, Fig. 3b a second embodiment of the contact rail in a perspective view, Fig. 4a shows an illustration of the insertion process of the electrical adapter into a slatted wall, Fig. 4b a representation with the electrical adapter plugged into the slatted wall, and Fig. 4c a representation of a slatted wall of a product display shelf with the system according to the invention.

[0021] First, the Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b, which explains the basic structure of the electrical adapter 1. The electrical adapter 1 serves as a current collector and can be installed as an accessory at a desired location within a slatted profile 2 of a slatted wall 3 (cf. Fig. 4a to 4c) of a product display shelf in order to supply power to an electrical consumer such as a glass and / or wooden shelf holder.

[0022] The electrical adapter 1 has a housing 4 that is specifically adapted to the dimensions of the slatted profile 2, in particular its insertion slot 5, so that it can be plugged into it. The housing 5 consists of several components, some of which are visible in the figures. The base is formed by a basic housing 6, which is approximately trough-shaped to accommodate additional components of the electrical adapter 1. The basic housing 6 has a base 6.1, a front and a rear end face 6.2, 6.3, and two side walls 6.4, 6.5, and is open at the top. The basic housing 6 can be made of a conventional plastic.

[0023] Two electrical contact elements 7, 8 are arranged in the base housing 6, via which an electrical connection can be established with a contact rail 9 arranged in the slatted profile 2. In the present embodiment, the first electrical contact element 7 is designed in the form of a spring contact. This is designed to be lockable, such that a section can assume two spatial positions. Fig. 1a, the electrical contact element 7, which is designed in the form of a spring contact, is in a non-locked state. This state is characterized by the fact that no external force acts on the spring contact and that it is therefore in its formed manufacturing state. In this non-locked state, the first electrical contact element 7 is still positioned within the base housing 6, as can be seen from the illustration of Fig. 1a is evident. Fig. Figure 1b, on the other hand, shows the electrical contact element 7, designed in the form of a spring contact, in its locked state. In this state, a front section of the spring contact extends through a first recess arranged in the front end face 6.2 of the base housing 6 in order to close the electrical connection with the contact rail 9 (see Figure 1b). Fig. 4b). The recess is approximately rectangular in shape. Compared to the unlocked state, this locked state is characterized by the fact that an external force, preferably a clamping force, acts on the spring contact. In the present embodiment, the second electrical contact element 8 is designed in the form of a compression spring contact. This second electrical contact element 8 is preloaded by a spiral compression spring 8.1 (cf. Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b), so that when the electrical adapter 1 is plugged in, a secure electrical contact to the contact rail 9 can be permanently ensured (cf. Fig. 4b). How this can be seen from the two Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b, a front section of the second electrical contact element 8 also extends through the front end face 6.2, which for this purpose has an approximately round recess.

[0024] Another component arranged in the base housing 6 is a plug connection 10, which is electrically connected to the two electrical contact elements 7, 8. The electrical load can be electrically connected to the adapter 1 via the plug connection 10. In the present embodiment shown, the electrical adapter 1 has a single plug connection 10, which is arranged in the side wall 6.4 of the base housing 6. The installation of additional plug connections is fundamentally possible, so that two or more electrical loads can be connected to such an electrical adapter 1, possibly simultaneously.

[0025] The base housing 6 is provided with a cover element 11 on the top, which closes it. The cover element 11 is also made of a conventional plastic and, in the presently illustrated embodiment, is firmly connected to the base housing 6 via a snap-in closure (not shown).

[0026] Above the cover element 11, the electrical adapter 1 is equipped with a locking latch 12, with which the first electrical contact element 7 can be brought into electrical contact with the contact rail 9 and locked. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking latch 12 is designed in the form of a clamping slide, which is designed to be linearly displaceable between the front and rear end faces 6.2, 6.3 of the base housing 6. This can also be made of a conventional plastic. The locking latch 12, designed in the form of a clamping slide, has two clamping elements 12.1, 12.2 extending into the interior of the base housing 6. Fig. 2c shows that the two clamping elements 12.1 and 12.2 extend through an elongated slotted opening 11.1 in the cover element 11 into the interior of the base housing 6. Each of the clamping elements 12.1 and 12.2 is provided with a locking lug 12.3, 12.4, which enables a snap-in closure between the locking bar 12 and the cover element 11. Fig. The illustration shown in Figures 2a to 2d also illustrates that the first electrical contact element 7 is arranged below the two clamping elements 12.1 and 12.2, such that its longitudinal axis runs parallel to the elongated slot opening 11.1 of the cover element 11. By actuating the locking latch 12, a clamping force is applied to the first electrical contact element 7, so that it can be brought into the locked state.

[0027] It is now time to Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b, which show two different embodiments of a contact rail 9 which can be inserted into the slat profile 2 and is intended for use with the electrical adapter 1.

[0028] Both embodiments have a profiled base body 9.1, which is adapted to the inner dimensions of the slatted profile 2, such that they can be inserted into it in a force-fitting and / or form-fitting manner. A plastic is preferably used as the material. Furthermore, each of the two contact rails 9 has a web-shaped element 9.2, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the base body 9.1 and perpendicular thereto. On the inside of this web-shaped element 9.2, a second electrical counter-contact element 13 is arranged, via which the second electrical contact element 8 of the electrical adapter 1 is in electrical contact when plugged in. Furthermore, each of the Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b, a first electrical counter-contact element 14, which is in electrical contact with the first electrical contact element 7 of the electrical adapter 1 in the plugged-in state. In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3a, the first electrical counter-contact element is designed in the form of a rigid wire, whereas in Fig. The embodiment shown in Figure 3b shows a first electrical counter-contact element 14 in the form of a flexible spring contact. Both embodiments of the first electrical counter-contact element 14 are, as can be seen from the illustrations, arranged in a longitudinal groove formed in the base body 9.1 and extend—like the second electrical counter-contact element 13—almost over the entire length of the contact rail 9.

[0029] In Fig. 4a and Fig. Figure 4b illustrates the insertion process of the electrical adapter 1 into the slat wall 3 or into the plug-in slot 5 of the slat profile 2 arranged in the slat wall 3. It can be seen that the locking latch 12 of the electrical adapter 1 is in a rearward position, whereby the first electrical contact element 7 is in its unlocked state. As soon as the electrical adapter 1 is plugged in and the second electrical contact element 8 is in contact with its mating contact element 13, the locking latch 12 is actuated by a sliding movement, for example, with the thumb of the hand, which is also used to plug in the adapter 1. Subsequently, the first electrical contact element 7 changes to the locked state and contacts its mating contact element 14.

[0030] Fig.4c shows an embodiment of the system according to the invention for supplying power to the slatted wall 3 of a product display shelf, comprising the electrical adapter 1 and the contact rail 9. List of reference symbols 1 electrical adapter 2 slat profile 3 slatted wall 4 housings 5 slot 6 basic housings 6.1 Soil 6.2 front face 6.3 rear frontal surface 6.4 side wall 6.5 side wall 7 (first) electrical contact / spring contact 8 (second) electrical contact / pressure spring contact 8.1 spiral compression spring 9 Contact rail 9.1 profiled base body 9.2 web-shaped element 10 plug connection 11 Cover element 11.1 Slot opening 12 locking latches 12.1 Clamping element 12.2 Clamping element 12.3 Locking lug 12.4 Locking lug 13 second counter contact element 14 first counter contact element QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 3 461 376 A1

[0002] DE 20 2010 010 444 U1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Electrical adapter (1) for hanging in a slatted wall (3) of a product display shelf, which may already be electrified, comprising: a housing (4) which is designed such that it can be inserted into a slot (5) of a slat profile (2) arranged in the slat wall (3); two electrical contact elements (7, 8) arranged in the housing (4), via which an electrical connection can be established with a contact rail (9) arranged in the slat profile (2), characterized by a locking latch (12), via which one of the two electrical contact elements (7) can be brought into an electrical contact state with the contact rail (9) and locked. [2] Electrical adapter (1) according to claim 1, wherein the locking latch (12) is designed in the form of a clamping slide which forms part of the housing (4), wherein the clamping slide preferably has at least one clamping element (12.1, 12.2) extending into the interior of the housing (4), via which a clamping force acts on one of the two electrical contact elements (7) in the locked state of the locking latch (9). [3] Electrical adapter (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lockable first electrical contact element (7) is designed in the form of a spring contact which, in the locked state, preferably extends through a front end face (6.2) of the housing (4). [4] Electrical adapter (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second electrical contact element (8) is designed in the form of a compression spring contact, which preferably extends through a front end face (6.2) of the housing (4). [5] Electrical adapter (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein it further comprises at least one plug connection (10) for establishing an electrical connection. [6] Contact rail (9) for use with an electrical adapter (1) according to one of the preceding claims in a slatted wall (3) of a goods display shelf, wherein the contact rail (9) has a first electrical counter-contact element (13) which is designed in the form of a rigid or flexible contact and is adapted to establish an electrical contact with one of the two electrical contact elements (7) in its locked state. [7] Contact rail (9) according to claim 6, wherein it further comprises a second electrical counter-contact element (14) for electrical connection to the second electrical contact element (8) of the electrical adapter (1). [8] Contact rail (9) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein both electrical counter-contact elements (13, 14) extend almost over the entire length of the contact rail (9). [9] Contact rail (9) according to one of the preceding claims 6 to 8, wherein it is designed such that it can be inserted into the slat profile (2) of the slat wall (3) in a force-fitting and / or form-fitting manner. [10] System for supplying power to a slatted wall (2) of a goods display shelf, comprising at least one electrical adapter (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 5 and at least one contact rail (9) according to one of the preceding claims 6 to 9.

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