Support rail for lights or electrical units

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a support rail for luminaires or electrical units, which has a support rail profile in which at least one busbar is arranged extending along the support rail profile. Furthermore, the invention relates to a continuous-row lighting system having such a support rail.

[0002] Support rails with a support rail profile and a conductor rail held in the support rail profile are known from the prior art and are used, for example, to create elongated so-called continuous lighting systems. One known continuous lighting system is marketed by the applicant under the name "TECTON" and is characterized by the fact that luminaires or other electrical loads can be flexibly positioned on the support rail along the entire length of the system. This is made possible by the fact that, thanks to a special mounting of the conductor rail cables, they are accessible to the loads along essentially the entire length of the continuous lighting system, so that contact between the cables can be made not only at fixed positions, but at any location. WO 01 / 91250 A1, for example, shows such a continuous lighting system.

[0003] In the "TECTON" system mentioned above, two busbars are arranged opposite each other on the two side walls of a downwardly open, U-shaped support rail profile. The contacting of the busbar cables is achieved by the luminaire or load having a rotating contact element, which is inserted into the support rail from below and then rotated by approximately 45°. The contacts arranged on the contact element are designed in such a way that they pivot sideways upon rotation and ultimately contact the busbar cables when rotated.

[0004] A similar system is also known from EP 2 287 978 A1. Here, the mounting rail is designed such that, in addition to the two busbars arranged on the sides, an additional busbar is optionally provided, which is then arranged in the area of ​​the center leg of the mounting rail. In particular, it is provided that the cables of this additional busbar are contacted by units arranged on the top side of the mounting rail.

[0005] Furthermore, DE 10 2006 011 845 A1 and DE 20 2004 020 011 U 1 show busbar configurations in which the U-shaped support element for the cables is formed on its inner sides with receptacles for an insulating material, into which the conductors to be contacted are then embedded. In this case, the insulating material and the associated conductor are inserted separately into each receptacle, resulting in a relatively complex structure and costly manufacturing.

[0006] Finally, further busbars are known from US 2010 / 0126105 A1, GB 1,103,307 A and DE 695 394 C, whereby these publications describe very special designs which differ greatly from the strip lighting system described at the beginning in terms of their structure and possible uses.

[0007] US 4,279,456 A discloses a bipolar bridging device for multi-pole electrical lines, formed by a box-shaped contact unit that can be slidably fitted into substantially U-shaped sections carrying two opposing sets of electrically insulated wires inside. A box-shaped terminal unit is provided outside the sections. The contact unit contains three movable contacts, which are actuated by a lever control arranged outside the terminal unit.

[0008] The present invention is based on the object of providing a support rail of the above-mentioned type which, compared to the prior art, enables even more flexible connection options for electrical consumers, lights or other units and is at the same time characterized by its simple structure.

[0009] The object is achieved by a support rail having the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0010] Just as in the prior art, the mounting rail according to the invention comprises a mounting rail profile which, with two side walls and a connecting wall connecting the side walls, encloses an elongated receiving space, on the side walls of which a busbar with contactable cables is arranged. Furthermore, an additional busbar is provided, which is arranged on the connecting wall of the mounting rail profile and also has contactable cables, thereby increasing the number of available cables and thus expanding the connection options for a wide variety of consumers or lights. The cables of the busbars are mounted in cable support profiles made of an insulating material, which form grooves or channels open towards one contact side, with all busbars using a common cable support profile.The additional busbar is designed differently from the busbar located on the inside of the side wall.

[0011] At least some of the lines of the additional busbar can be contacted, at least in sections, from outside the support rail profile, wherein the additional busbar has at least two adjacently arranged areas with contactable lines. One of the two areas is recessed relative to the other area, viewed transversely to the longitudinal direction, and the connecting wall of the support rail profile is profiled in such a way that an elongated channel is formed that expands the receiving space and in which the recessed area of ​​the additional busbar is arranged.

[0012] According to the present invention, a support rail for luminaires or electrical units is proposed, which comprises: a mounting rail profile with two side walls and a connecting wall connecting the side walls, which together enclose an elongated receiving space, a busbar with contactable cables arranged on each of the two inner sides of the side walls of the mounting rail profile, wherein an additional busbar with contactable lines is arranged on the connecting wall of the support rail profile, wherein the lines of the busbars are mounted in line support profiles made of an insulating material, which form grooves or channels open towards a contacting side, and wherein all busbars use a common line support profile, wherein at least some of the lines of the additional busbar are contactable at least in sections from outside the support rail profile, wherein the additional busbar is designed differently from the busbar arranged on the inside of the side wall, and wherein the additional busbar has at least two adjacently arranged regions with contactable lines, wherein one of the two regions is set back from the other region when viewed transversely to the longitudinal direction,and wherein the connecting wall of the support rail profile is profiled in such a way that an elongated channel is formed which extends the receiving space and in which the recessed area of ​​the additional busbar is arranged.

[0013] The inventive solution not only enables luminaires or electrical units installed in the mounting space of the support rail profile to contact the cables of the additional busbar, but also allows for the arrangement of additional loads or other components outside this mounting space or generally outside the support rail profile, which can then contact the cables of the additional busbar. This not only improves the flexibility with regard to the positioning of the units to be connected to the support rail, but also allows completely new components to be connected to the support rail to expand the functionality of the continuous lighting system.

[0014] According to the invention, the connecting wall of the support rail profile is profiled in such a way that an elongated channel is formed in which the additional busbar is arranged. This results in the cables of the additional busbar being made particularly easily accessible, particularly for the luminaires or units that make contact from the outside, thus making it particularly easy to arrange the corresponding components outside the support rail.

[0015] The walls of the duct or the mounting rail profile in which the additional busbar is arranged can have openings or openable areas that allow access to the cables that can be contacted from outside the receiving space. These openable areas can be formed, in particular, by punchings or other incisions that form bendable tabs or breakable areas in the wall of the duct or the mounting rail profile. In this case, the contactable cables are initially covered by the walls of the mounting rail profile. If necessary, however, corresponding openings can be created in the walls to then easily create a contacting option.

[0016] In one variant of the invention, it can be provided that the lines of the additional busbar provide a low-voltage supply voltage for connected loads. In this case, it would also be conceivable for the lines of the busbar arranged on the side wall, in contrast, to provide a high-voltage supply voltage, with the additional busbar being supplied in sections by power supplies that contact the busbars arranged on the side walls. This means that the previously available busbar also serves simultaneously as a power supply source for the lines of the additional busbar, so that, for example, loads requiring a suitable low-voltage supply voltage can be directly connected to the corresponding lines.For example, it would be conceivable to use luminaires with LED light sources across these sections of the additional power rail, which would then no longer require their own converter or driver, but could directly use the voltage available on the additional power rail.

[0017] In a further variant according to the invention, the busbars arranged on both side walls of the support rail profile are designed in such a way that the lines of these busbars can be contacted exclusively from the inside of the receiving space.

[0018] Finally, according to the present invention, a light strip system is proposed which has a support rail as explained above and a luminaire or other electrical unit which can be connected thereto.

[0019] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Figure 1a first example of a support rail; Figure 2an example of a support rail according to Figure 1 consumer to be connected with a suitable contacting element; Figure 3 a sectional view of the mounting rail of Figure 1 with a consumer inserted therein; Figure 4 shows a further example of a mounting rail; Figures 5 to 7 show variants of mounting rails, whereby it is possible to contact the lines of the additional busbar from an area outside the mounting rail; Figure 8 shows further conceivable possibilities for implementing a mounting rail, and; Figure 9 shows an example of a mounting rail in which the additional busbar is designed in a particularly advantageous manner.

[0020] The figures show different embodiments of support rails 1 for implementing a strip lighting system to which luminaires or other units can be connected. None of the figures shows a support rail with all the features of the invention. Figure 1The support rail 1 shown here has an elongated support rail profile 2 which delimits an interior space 3. As can be seen from the various illustrations, the support rail profile 2 can have a substantially U-shaped cross-section, seen in the longitudinal direction, with a connecting wall 5 and two side walls 4 which extend away from the connecting wall 5 and preferably parallel downwards, and which together delimit the receiving space 3. The support rail profile 2 therefore has an open longitudinal side or opening 6, via which the receiving space 3 is accessible from the underside. However, deviating from the illustrations, instead of the U-shaped cross-section shown, it could also be provided that the support rail profile 2 is, for example, H-shaped or designed in some other way.It is essential that this, with two side walls 4 and a connecting wall 5, encloses an elongated receiving space 3 which is open on one side and which is used for the arrangement of busbars as explained below.

[0021] For example, the support rail profile 2 can be formed from a sheet metal, in particular as a stamped and bent part, or from a thin metal material, and in this case, for example, can be manufactured using an extrusion process. The support rail profile 2 represents the supporting element of the support rail 1 and can be attached, for example, to a support, for example, to the ceiling of a room to be illuminated or to suspension elements, using brackets not shown in detail.

[0022] To supply power to luminaires or other units that are to be connected to the support rail 1, two busbars 10 and 20 are provided within the receiving space 3 on the inside of the two side walls 4. These busbars each have several lines 15 and 25, respectively, which are arranged one above the other parallel to the side walls 5 and mounted in such a way that they can be contacted from one contact side by units that are to be connected to the support rail 1.

[0023] It should be noted that contacting the lines of a busbar does not necessarily have to serve to supply the connected unit with power. Connection to data lines used for communication would also be conceivable, particularly the connection of sensors, cameras, or similar components that transmit data via the lines of the lighting strip system, which are then used, for example, for automated control of the system. In this sense, the present invention encompasses all conceivable electrical units that can be meaningfully connected to a busbar.

[0024] As is already the case with the above-mentioned, known "TECTON" mounting rail system, the cables 15 and 25 are held by corresponding cable support profiles 11 and 21, respectively, made of an insulating material. These profiles form parallel grooves or channels 12, 22, open toward the interior of the mounting rail profile 2, in which the cables 15, 25 are arranged in the form of wires. The cables 15, 25 are thus accessible over a longer section, ideally over the entire length of the mounting rail system 1, and can thus be contacted by the luminaires or units to be connected. In particular, it can be provided that the cable support profiles 11 and 21 are formed by several interconnectable plastic profile parts arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction, as is known from the prior art.This solution opens up the possibility of creating continuously accessible channels 12 extending over the entire length of the system 1, so that contact can be made between the lines 11 and 21 at any desired location. However, the present invention also encompasses solutions in which the busbar sections are connected to one another at certain transition points in such a way that contact between the lines 15 and 25 is not possible. In this case, the line support profiles 11, 21 could also be manufactured more cost-effectively or simply, for example, using an extrusion process.

[0025] With regard to the previous statements, the Figure 1 The mounting rail 1 shown corresponds to the solutions already known from the prior art.

[0026] According to the invention, however, it is now provided that, in addition to the two busbars 10 and 20 arranged on the side walls 4 of the support 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 space 3 of the support rail profile 2. This additional support rail 30 also serves to accommodate and support longitudinally extending cables 35, which in the illustrated case are in turn arranged in longitudinally extending grooves or channels 32 of a cable support profile 31, which are open towards the interior 3 of the support rail profile 2.

[0027] Analogous to the first two busbars 10 and 20, it can also be provided for the third busbar 30 that the cable support profile 31 is formed by several plastic parts arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction and connectable to one another. In the embodiment as shown in Figure 1As shown, it is provided that the three cable support profiles 11, 21, 31 of the three busbars 10, 20, and 30 are formed from shared plastic parts. These can be manufactured using an injection molding or extrusion process and, prior to being arranged in the support rail profile 20, can be angled or folded accordingly so that their sections rest against the three walls 4 and 5 of the support rail profile 2, respectively, and here form the respective cable support profiles 11, 21, 31 of the three busbars 10, 20, and 30.

[0028] Ultimately, the additional busbar 30 provides additional cables 35 running within the mounting rail 1, which can be used to provide additional supply voltage types or as additional data cables for signal transmission. The different orientation of the receiving channels or grooves 32 for the additional cables 31 also opens up the possibility of connecting loads to the mounting rail that have differently designed contact elements for contacting the various cables of the busbars 10, 20, or 30. This further increases the flexibility of the mounting rail 1 with regard to the use of a wide variety of luminaires and / or other units.

[0029] Ideally, a consumer can be designed in such a way that it can contact all lines of the three busbars 10, 20, 30. An example of this is shown in the Figures 2 and 3 a bar light marked with the reference number 100, which is designed for connection to the support rail 1 according to Figure 1 is intended.

[0030] In a known manner, this luminaire 100 initially comprises a longitudinally extending support 110, which serves to hold lamps (not shown) and, on its underside, also holds an optical element 115, which is provided for influencing the light emitted by the lamps. In the illustrated embodiment, an optical system 115 is shown, which is designed to influence the light from LEDs; in principle, the use of any lamps as well as corresponding optics or other covers would be conceivable.

[0031] The contacting element 120, responsible for contacting the lines 15, 25, 35, is provided on the upper side of the support element 110. It is similar in many details to the contacting elements already known from the prior art and thus has a central, rotatably or pivotably mounted base body 125, on the sides of which several contacts 127 and 128 are arranged. These lateral contacts 127, 128 serve to contact the lines 15 and 25 of the first two busbars 10 and 20 and can be mounted on the base body 125 in a height-adjustable manner, at least in part. This makes it possible to select which lines 15 and 25 of the busbars 10 and 20 are actually to be contacted, which in turn opens up the possibility of assigning the luminaire 100 or the load to be connected to a specific power supply circuit or assigning them a specific function.

[0032] In a known manner, the base body 125 of the contacting element 120 is designed to be rotatable about a vertical axis I, with the contacts 127 and 128 being rotated together with the base body 125. This makes it possible to transfer the contacting element 120 from an open position to a contacting position, with the contacts 127, 128 being in a position in which the insertion of the contacting element 120 into the receiving space 3 of the mounting rail profile 2 is possible. Only in the inserted state is the base body 125 of the contacting element 120 rotated about the axis I, which results in the lateral contacts 127, 128 being pivoted out to the side and now engaging in the corresponding grooves 12, 22 or channels of the busbars 10, 20 in order to ultimately touch, i.e., contact, the lines 15, 25 located therein. This is shown in Figure 3, which shows the arrangement of the bar light 100 on the support rail 1, wherein the contacting element 120 is in the contacting position mentioned above.

[0033] What is now new is that an additional contact carrier 130 of the contacting element 120 with vertically aligned further contacts 131 to 133 is provided on the top side of the base body 125. These additional contacts 131 to 133 serve to contact the lines 35 running in the horizontally aligned busbar 30. It can again be provided that the option of selectively contacting the various lines 35 is enabled by the fact that the contacts 131 to 133 are adjustably mounted in the horizontal plane and / or the vertical plane or can be inserted at different positions in this plane.

[0034] This additional contact carrier 130 of the contacting element 120 should of course not be rotated with the base body 125, so that there is a decoupling between the rotatable body 125 and the additional contact carrier 130. When the contacting element 120 is inserted into the receiving space 3 of the support rail 1, the upper contact carrier 130 with the contacts 131 to 133 first comes into contact with the additional support rail 30, whereby on the one hand the lines 35 are contacted by the corresponding contacts 131 to 133, and on the other hand a guide element provided on the additional contact carrier 130 in the form of a web or a pin 135 engages in a corresponding guide groove 38 of the busbar 30, whereby the guide groove 38 can be formed, for example, in the line holder profile 31 of the busbar 30.This ensures the correct position of the upper contact carrier 130 relative to the additional busbar 30 and provides a so-called anti-twist feature. The inner part of the contacting element 120 is thus rigidly connected to the carrier of the inserted component, while the outer part is rotatably mounted around it.

[0035] A further and preferred variant is to provide a component with two individual, spatially separated (spaced apart) contacting elements, such that the first contacting element contacts the side conductors and the second contacting element contacts the top conductors. In this way, contacting elements known from the prior art can be used, for example, a strip light with a so-called "rotary tap" and an additional so-called "linear tap."

[0036] To connect the luminaire 100 to the support rail 1, the contacting element 120 is first inserted into the receiving space 3, as already explained above, such that the upper contact carrier 130 contacts the lines 35 of the horizontally aligned busbar 30. Subsequently, the rotatable base body 125 with the laterally aligned contacts 127 and 128 is rotated so that the contacts 127, 128 are pivoted out and contact the lines 15, 25 of the busbars 10 and 20. In this case, it can also be provided that additional locking elements 129 are formed on the rotatable base body 125, which engage behind corresponding projections in the support rail profile 2, so that ultimately a mechanical fastening of the luminaire 100 to the support rail 1 is also achieved.

[0037] In the previous explanations, it was assumed that the additional busbar 30 provides additional lines 35, which can be contacted by a single consumer simultaneously with lines 15 and 25 of the first two busbars 10 and 20. Ultimately, this consumer, as previously described with reference to the bar light 100, can contact a multitude of different lines. This provides a wide variety of possibilities for connecting the consumer to power supply circuits and / or communication lines.

[0038] According to the invention, it is further provided that the lines of the additional busbar 30 are used to connect other or additional loads or load types. This concept will be explained below with reference to the additional figures.

[0039] Figure 4shows here first a variant of a support rail 1, in which, in addition to the busbars 10 and 20 arranged on the side walls 4, a third busbar 30 is provided, the lines 35 of which are accessible from the receiving space 3 of the support rail profile 2 and can thus be contacted. In the present case, however, it is provided that a purely schematically illustrated separate consumer is provided exclusively for contacting these lines 35 of the third busbar 30. This additional consumer 150 can, for example, be a sensor provided only at certain points in the longitudinal direction of the system or a communication module which should not impair the accessibility of the lines 15 or 25 of the busbars 10 or 20 intended for the actual consumers.

[0040] The Figure 4The variant shown thus opens up the possibility, for example, of connecting further components to the system with the aid of the additional busbar 30, whereby, however, the continuous contactability of the busbars 10 and 20 is not impaired and, accordingly, luminaires can still be arranged continuously and over the entire length of the system on the support rail 1 in order to achieve a homogeneous light output extending over the entire length.

[0041] A particularly advantageous further training of the Figure 4 The variant shown is in Figure 5shown. Here, it is provided that the lines 35 running in the third busbar 30 can also be contacted at least partially from the top or outside of the support rail profile 2. This possibility is made possible by the fact that the corresponding cross-connection wall 5 is provided with openings, wherein at the same time, in the area of ​​these openings, the lines 35 are also arranged in the line support structure 31 in such a way that they can be contacted from the top.

[0042] In this case, the corresponding bottom sides of the receiving channels 32 of the cable support profile 31 are provided with slots or machined in such a way that the cables 35 can be contacted by a consumer 150 arranged outside the support rail profile 2. The cable support profile 35 can be designed in such a way that, at these points, the cables 35 are also accessible from the underside and thus from the receiving space 3. However, it would also be conceivable that, in these specific sections, contact could actually only be made from the top side of the support rail 1, as shown.

[0043] The aforementioned openings required for this purpose in the connecting wall 5 of the support rail profile 2 can either be permanently provided or optionally created by the consumer by providing the wall 5 with appropriate punchings or slots, forming breakable areas or bendable tabs. Only if a consumer actually intends to contact the cables 35 in this area can the tabs be bent or opened, so that otherwise the cables 35 and the interior are reliably protected from external influences by the walls of the support rail profile 2.

[0044] In a similar way, the embodiments of the Figures 6 and 7provided that the lines 35 of the third busbar 30 are not only accessible from the receiving space 3 of the support rail profile 2, but in particular can also be contacted from a position outside the receiving space 3.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiments, which differ primarily with regard to the number and storage of the available cables 35 (the cable support profiles are not shown in this case for reasons of clarity), it is provided that the connecting wall 5 of the support rail profile 2 is profiled in such a way that an additional elongated channel 8 is formed above the actual receiving space 3, in which the third busbar 30 is positioned. In particular, the side walls 9 of this channel 8 can then in turn be provided at least in sections with corresponding openings or be designed in such a way that openings are created through which contact is made with the cables 35 of the additional support rail 30.The arrows shown symbolize the different directions from which contact can now be made with the lines 35. Contacting from all three directions simultaneously is not necessarily possible at a specific longitudinal position. Rather, it could be provided that the contact direction for the additional busbar 30 changes in sections.

[0046] Both variants are characterized by the fact that, despite the fact that the cables 35 can be contacted from outside the mounting rail profile 2, the risk of accidental contact with the cables 35 is eliminated, since the design of the mounting rail profile 2 and, above all, the busbar allows only the insertion of appropriately designed contact elements. Furthermore, the additional busbar 30 does not take up any space within the actual receiving space 3 of the mounting rail profile 2, so that previously used luminaires or loads can also be used and connected to the mounting rail 1 in the usual way.

[0047] The fact that, in at least some of the exemplary embodiments, the lines of the third busbar 30 can now also be contacted from outside the support rail 1 also creates additional possibilities for connecting loads or other components to the system. In particular, loads that are now also arranged on the outside of the system 1 can be used in a simple manner. These can, on the one hand, be luminaires, which can then be used, for example, to implement indirect lighting or accent lighting.Other units that expand the functionality of the system, such as sensors, communication modules, or the like, can now also be connected to the system. This eliminates the problem that these additional components might interrupt the light emission means provided on the underside of the system or require extensive connection to the cables of the first two power rails running inside the support rail. Ideally, the light should be emitted homogeneously and evenly across the entire system, and in particular without interruption, as this results in a particularly appealing appearance for a strip lighting system. This is now easily possible, and additional components can still be connected.

[0048] It would be conceivable for each busbar to be connected to corresponding power supply lines or coupled to communication lines on the input side of the system. Alternatively, however, it would also be conceivable for the lines of the third busbar to form only section-wise power supply circuits, which are fed by the lines of the first or second busbar. In particular, it can be provided that a normal supply voltage is provided via the first and second busbars, while the lines of the third busbar provide a low-voltage supply voltage.However, this is not coupled into the system at the front, but converters or other components are provided in sections that convert the high-voltage voltage of the first or second busbar into a low-voltage supply voltage and then pass this on to the lines of the third busbar. In this way, the third busbar can be used as a low-voltage busbar, which can, for example, be used directly to power LED lighting components. These then no longer require their own converter or driver, but can be connected directly to the corresponding lines. Furthermore, in this case, the risk of unintentional contact with the lines of the additional busbar - which may be permissible in the case of low-voltage lines that are at least partially accessible from the outside - leading to health problems or hazards is also reduced.

[0049] Ultimately, the solution presented leads to a significant increase in the possibilities for connecting and arranging consumers on a support rail compared to previously known support rails.

[0050] As the Figures 8a to 8d show, in which the arrangements of the various busbars are only shown schematically, the support rail can be realized in a wide variety of cross-sectional shapes.

[0051] The variants of the Figures 8b and 8d correspond to the Figures 1 to 5 or in the Figures 6 and 7 examples described in detail, wherein the lines of the additional busbar 30 could in principle be contactable from the inside and / or in the manner described above from the outside of the support rail 1.

[0052] Figure 8aon the other hand, relates to a variant in which the connecting wall 5 connecting the two side walls 4 of the support rail 1 is angled, so that above the two side walls 4 there are initially inclined wall sections 5a which are connected by a horizontal wall section 5b. In the case shown, the additional busbar 30 is arranged on the underside of the horizontal wall section 5a and can again be contacted from the inside and / or outside in the manner described above. Alternatively or in addition to this, it would also be conceivable to arrange one or more additional busbars on the inclined wall sections 4a. These are then primarily suitable for contacting from the outside of the support rail 1 and could be used to supply power to external components of the system, such as luminaires for indirect lighting, individual spotlights, sensors or the like.

[0053] The same applies to the variant according to Figure 8c , in which the connecting wall 5 is again angled and in which, in this case too, the sloping wall sections 5b could be used to arrange additional busbars.

[0054] The various examples show that the shape of the mounting rail 1 can also be selected according to the number and size (i.e., the number of cables running in the busbar) of the busbars used. For example, if system components are to be connected on both sides outside of the mounting rail 1, the variant according to Figure 8d or one of the two variants of the Figures 8a or 8c , in which case additional busbars must be arranged on the sloping wall sections. However, if additional components of the system are to be arranged exclusively on the top, the variant of the Figure 8b be used.

[0055] A variant of a support rail 1 is shown in Figure 9 shown. In this case, a specially designed busbar 30 is arranged on the connecting wall 5 of the U-shaped support rail profile 2. This is designed in such a way that it alone creates improved contacting options compared to previously known solutions. However, the invention provides for the arrangement of further busbars on the side walls 4 of the support rail profile 2 in addition to the shown busbar 30. For these, the same applies as described in connection with the examples of Figures 1 - 8 was explained.

[0056] In the embodiment of the Figure 9 The support rail profile 2 is designed in the same way as in the Figures 6 and 7. The upper connecting wall 5 is thus profiled in such a way that a channel 8 is formed which expands the receiving space 3. In contrast to the embodiment of the Figures 6 and 7 However, the busbar 30 is now not arranged exclusively in this channel 8. Instead, it has two lateral regions 33 and a central region 34, wherein the central region 34 is positioned set back in the channel 8 compared to the lateral regions 33, while the regions 33 are arranged in a plane on the underside of the connecting wall 5. However, all three regions 33, 34 of the busbar 30 are preferably formed by a common cable support profile 31, which, in the manner described above, forms the channels or grooves 32 open toward a contacting side for receiving the cables 35.

[0057] The lateral areas 33 of the busbar 30 can be contacted exclusively from the underside or the interior of the support rail 1, as was already known. The recessed central area 34 extending into the channel 8, however, is analogous to the embodiment of the Figures 6 and 7 designed in such a way that, on the one hand, it can also be contacted from the receiving space 3, i.e. from the underside, but on the other hand, at least in some sections, there is additionally the possibility, as indicated by the arrows, of contacting the corresponding lines 35 from the side, in particular from outside the mounting rail 1. For this central area 34, there are therefore more flexible contacting options compared to the areas 33, so that in turn there are additional options for arranging electrical components on the mounting rail 1.

[0058] For the case shown, which is not part of the invention, that within the support rail profile 2 only the Figure 9 illustrated busbar 30 is provided, units to be connected to the support rail 1 from the underside can in turn be designed with relatively simply designed contacting means, since the contacts do not have to be movable, but contact the corresponding lines 35 during insertion or fastening to the support rail 1. As already mentioned, however, further busbars can certainly be arranged on the side walls 4, in which case the consumers to be connected are designed in the manner described above with corresponding contacting means, which can contact the lines of the busbar 30 on the one hand and the lines of the - not shown - laterally arranged busbars on the other.

[0059] Even when using a single power rail, as in Figure 9 However, as shown, improved contacting options are available compared to previously known solutions, since in addition to the lines that can be contacted purely from the receiving space 3, lines are also available which can be contacted in the manner described above by units arranged outside the mounting rail profile 2.

[0060] The various examples therefore illustrate that the present invention makes it possible to realize extremely versatile support rails that offer a wide variety of contacting options.

Claims

1. Mounting rail (1) for luminaires (100, 150) or electrical units, which comprises: • a mounting rail profile (2) having two side walls (4) and a connecting wall (5) connecting the side walls (4), which together enclose an elongate receiving chamber (3), • a busbar (10, 20) that has contactable lines (15, 25) and is arranged on the two inner faces of the side walls (4) of the mounting rail profile (2), an additional busbar (30) having contactable lines (35) being arranged on the connecting wall (5) of the mounting rail profile (2), the lines (15, 25, 35) of the busbars (10, 20, 30) being mounted in line support profiles (11, 21, 31) made of an insulating material, which profiles form grooves or channels (12, 22, 32) which are open towards a contacting side, all busbars (10, 20, 30) using a common line support profile, at least some of the lines (35) of the additional busbar (30) being at least partially contactable from outside the mounting rail profile (2), characterized in that the additional busbar (30) is designed differently from the busbar (10, 20) arranged on the inner face of the side wall (4), and in that the additional busbar (30) has at least two regions (33, 34) arranged next to one another (35) that have contactable lines, one of the two regions (34) being recessed relative to the other region (33) when viewed transversely to the longitudinal direction, and in that the connecting wall (5) of the mounting rail profile (2) is profiled in such a way that an elongate channel (8) is formed which expands the receiving chamber (3) and in which the recessed region (34) of the additional busbar (30) is arranged.

2. Mounting rail according to claim 1, characterized in that walls (5, 9) of the channel (8) in which the recessed region (34) of the additional busbar (30) is arranged have openings or regions to be opened which allow access to the lines (35) which can be contacted from outside the mounting rail profile (2), preferably the regions to be opened being formed by punched regions which form bendable tabs or break-out regions in the wall (5, 9) of the channel (8) or of the mounting rail profile (2).

3. Mounting rail according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the lines (35) of the additional busbar (30) provide a low-voltage supply voltage for consumers to be connected, preferably the lines (15, 25) of the busbars (10, 20) arranged on the side walls (4) providing a high-voltage supply voltage and the additional busbar (30) being supplied at least partially by power supply means which contact the busbars (10, 20) arranged on the side walls.

4. Mounting rail according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lines (15, 25) of the busbars (10, 20) arranged on a side wall (4) of the mounting rail profile (2) can be contacted only from the inner face of the mounting rail profile (2).

5. Light trunking system comprising a mounting rail (1) according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 4 and a luminaire or other electrical unit connectable thereto.