CONNECTION CABLE WITH CONNECTOR AND LAMP

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connecting cable for a luminaire and to a luminaire having such a connecting cable.

[0002] A multi-core electrical connection cable for a luminaire is usually fed through an opening in a luminaire housing, e.g. using a cable gland, and electrically connected to a support terminal in the luminaire housing. To do this, the end of the electrical connection cable is stripped after being fed through the housing and the bare wire ends are connected directly (if necessary with a wire sleeve) to the support terminals. This is mostly done by the luminaire manufacturer, as many customers do not want to do this work themselves. The area around the support terminal must be specially protected with non-conductive materials, as it cannot be completely ruled out that an individual core will slip out and the individual cores in front of the support terminal are not supported against each other. The space in front of the support terminal must therefore be lined with suitable foil or plastic components.It's also possible to brace individual wires against each other using cable ties. However, this requires additional work.

[0003] Furthermore, correct polarity must be observed when connecting the connecting cable to the support terminal. Therefore, the wires and the support terminal must be clearly labeled.

[0004] The internal wiring from the support terminal to the luminaire's electronic components, especially the ballast (also called the "driver" in LED luminaires), is carried out using double-insulated single wires in outdoor lighting. Every live component must be doubly protected against electrical arcing, as the luminaire's outer casing is often not grounded, thus providing no safety when touching the casing.

[0005] The connectors between the support terminal and the ballast are preferably also doubly secured, or at least secured with separate cable ties.

[0006] To rule out wiring errors, the luminaire must be tested for electrical faults before delivery.

[0007] The entire process of connecting the connecting cable and internally wiring the luminaire from the support terminal to the ballast is therefore relatively complex and requires many individual parts.

[0008] US 5,110,305 A discloses a device for inserting exposed cable ends of an electrical cable into an electrical connector having a terminal. The connecting cable with the connector disclosed in US 5,110,305 A has the features of the preamble of claim 1. Another electrical connecting cable with the features of the preamble of claim 1 is disclosed in GB 2 415 835 A. US 4,719,321 A discloses a device for holding parallel cables with protruding stripped cable ends. The device further comprises a mounting pin which penetrates an opening in an electrical circuit element to which the cables are installed.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection cable for a luminaire and a corresponding luminaire in order to reduce the effort required to connect the connection cable.

[0010] The problem is solved by an electrical connecting cable according to claim 1 and by a luminaire with a corresponding connecting cable according to claim 10.

[0011] The connecting cable according to the invention allows the wires of the connecting cable to be connected directly to the electronic ballast in the luminaire via the connecting piece. In particular, there is no longer any need to provide a separate support terminal within the luminaire housing. The wiring from the support terminal to the ballast, as is usual in the prior art, can be completely eliminated because the connecting piece according to the invention allows the connecting cable to be inserted with the free wire ends directly into the terminals of the ballast. This is made possible because the connecting piece holds the individual wires at a defined distance from one another. The connecting piece is matched to the corresponding arrangement of the terminals in the electrical ballast, so that the spatial arrangement of the free wire ends is already adapted to the position of the terminals in the ballast.Furthermore, the connector also prevents individual wires from slipping out of the ballast terminals, so that separate insulation around the terminals or separate support elements such as cable ties are not required.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, the connector has a raised portion and / or a recess on the side with the wire ends, which recess is designed to interact positively with an electronic ballast of the luminaire, wherein the raised portion and / or recess is provided asymmetrically with respect to the parallel wires on the connector. The positive fit determines the position of the connector relative to the ballast. The asymmetric design also ensures that the formed piece cannot be inserted backwards. This provides effective protection against polarity reversal. This eliminates the need to test the system. In particular, it is possible to plug in the connecting cable at any point in the production process, possibly even at the very end before packaging.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the connector has one or more projections on the side with the wire ends, with the wire ends projecting further from the connector than a front end of the projection(s), so that the front end forms a depth stop when inserting the wire ends into the terminals of the luminaire's electronic ballast. Providing the depth stop on the connector ensures proper insertion depth of the wire ends into the respective terminals of the ballast. Furthermore, the projections can also serve as anti-tilt protection for the connector.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, the insulated wires outside the connector have a common sheath insulation on the side of the connector where the insulated wires are enclosed. The sheath insulation provides additional electrical and mechanical protection for the connecting cable. Furthermore, the sheath insulation can also help secure the connecting cable to the luminaire using a clamp connection.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the outer sheath insulation has a cable gland, which clamps onto the sheath insulation when screwed in. The cable gland serves to secure the connecting cable to the luminaire, preventing mechanical stress on the connection between the wire ends and the terminals on the ballast. With this design, additional strain relief for the connecting cable is not necessary.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, a protective sleeve is arranged in an area between the sheath insulation and the connector. The protective sleeve provides additional mechanical and electrical protection for the wires of the connecting cable in the area where there is no sheath insulation.

[0017] According to the invention, a removable protective cap is placed over the stripped wire ends, with the protective cap having sheaths around the respective wire ends at defined intervals. The protective cap advantageously serves to protect the stripped wire ends before the wire ends are inserted into the terminals of the electronic ballast. Since the sheaths for the respective wire ends have the same defined spacing as the wire ends after they are installed in the ballast, this also prevents the wires from bending against each other before the connecting cable is installed.

[0018] According to the invention, the protective cap is further formed from an electrically insulating, solid material, which is designed to actuate the pushbuttons of the terminals on the electronic ballast. Thus, the protective cap also serves as an assembly element when connecting the wire ends. Since all wire ends held in a connector are inserted into the terminals simultaneously, an assembly aid in the form of the protective cap is particularly helpful because it allows all pushbuttons of the multiple terminals to be actuated simultaneously.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the connecting piece has grooves on an outer side which improve the feel of the connecting piece for tool-free handling and / or which are designed to interact with corresponding grooves of another connecting piece so that the connecting pieces can be frictionally connected. The improved feel of the connecting piece makes it possible to assemble it by hand without additional tools. Furthermore, according to the preferred embodiment, the grooves can also serve for a frictional connection with grooves on another connecting piece, so that two connecting pieces can be joined together, for example, one above the other, before assembly.This is particularly helpful because the connectors have to be passed through an opening in the luminaire housing and the opening is usually not much larger than the individual connectors, so the connectors can only be passed through the opening close to one another.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the connecting cable has at least one further connecting piece corresponding to the one connecting piece for each group of wires, each group comprising at least two of the individual electrically insulated wires. An advantage of multiple connecting pieces is that they can be joined more closely together when inserting the connecting cable into the housing than when assembled in the ballast. According to the preferred embodiment described above, the two assembly pieces can even be held together by frictional engagement. This significantly simplifies pushing the connecting pieces through an opening in the housing.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the connecting cable has a contacting aid in the area of the insulated wires, which surrounds the wires and fastens the connecting pieces to one another in such a way that the connecting pieces are held at a defined distance with respect to the terminals of the luminaire when the connecting pieces are inserted. The contacting aid ensures that, in the embodiment with two connecting pieces, the position of the connecting pieces to one another is aligned when the wire ends are clamped in the ballast. This simplifies the assembly process. Furthermore, pins, preferably spring-loaded pins, can be provided on the contacting aid in order to open the clamping actuators (for example pushers) on the terminals on the ballast side when the wires are inserted into the terminals, so that the forces required to insert the wire ends into the terminals are reduced.

[0022] The luminaire according to the present invention comprises a connecting cable according to one of the previously described embodiments and further comprises a ballast with a plurality of terminals into which the wire ends of the electrical connecting cable are plugged.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the electrical connection cable is led out of a housing of the luminaire, with the wires being continuous from the wire ends to a region of the electrical connection cable outside the luminaire housing, free of interruptions, in particular free of a support terminal interrupting the wires. According to the invention, the support terminal can be omitted because the connection cable can be connected directly to the ballast using one or more connectors.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment, a maximum diameter of the connector in a sectional plane perpendicular to the parallel wires in the connector is smaller than a through-hole in a housing of the luminaire through which the electrical connecting cable is routed. In this embodiment, it is possible to pass the connector through the through-hole in the housing. The connecting cable can therefore be mounted on the luminaire in a fully pre-assembled state, without the need to pass the entire length of the connecting cable from the free end through the through-hole in the housing.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment, the cable gland is clamped to an opening or cutout of a luminaire housing by screwing. As previously described for the cable gland, in this embodiment the electrical connection cable is clamped to the luminaire housing. For example, the cable gland can define a groove designed to clamp the cable gland to a wall section around the opening.

[0026] Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings show the following. Figure 1 shows a top view of a prior art luminaire housing. Figure 2 shows a top view of a connecting cable. Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the connecting cable according to Figure 1mounted in a luminaire. Figure 4 shows one of the Figure 3 corresponding illustration with two connectors. Figure 5 shows a top view of the electrical connection cable according to Figure 4 with a cable clamp and a housing section. Figure 6 shows the electrical connection cable according to Figure 5 and according to one embodiment of the present invention, with a protective cap shortly after the protective cap has been removed. Figure 7 shows a top view of an electrical connection cable with two connectors and a contacting aid. Figure 8 shows a top view of an electrical connection cable in the area of the connector with a protective sleeve.

[0027] In the Figure 1 A connection compartment in the luminaire housing of a conventional luminaire from the prior art is shown. A support terminal 1 is provided in the connection compartment, which is designed to be connected to an electrical connection cable (in Figure 1not shown). Another internal wiring 2 leads from the support terminal to an electronic ballast 3. To connect the luminaire, it is necessary to lead an electrical connection power, usually a rubber-sheathed cable, through a cable gland 12 in the housing and connect it to the support terminal 1. The construction is relatively complex because the area in front of the cable support terminal 1 has to be insulated in case a live wire slips out of the support terminal 1 and comes into contact with the housing due to a malfunction.

[0028] The embodiments of the invention make it possible to dispense with the support clamp 1 of the prior art by clamping individual wires of the connecting cable directly to the ballast 3. However, this would not be possible without additional stabilization of the wires. The embodiments of the present invention therefore provide a connector that connects the individual wires of the connecting cable to each other and holds them in position.

[0029] An electrical connection cable with connector is included in Figure 2 shown.

[0030] The connecting cable comprises a sheathed cable 5 with, in this example, three individual cores 4. The cores 4 are individually insulated and further surrounded by a common sheath insulation 5, e.g. made of rubber. In the area of the end of the connecting cable intended for connection in the luminaire, the individual cores 4 are held together in parallel by a common connecting piece 6. The connecting piece 6 is made of an insulated material, in particular plastic. The individual cores 4 are encompassed by the connecting piece 6, including their insulation, and held parallel to one another. The cores 4 protrude from the connecting piece with a stripped end 7, wherein a piece of the insulation of the cores may also protrude from the connecting piece, as in Figure 2 The wire ends 7 are held in position relative to each other so that they can be easily inserted into terminals 10 of a ballast, as shown in Figure 3shown. The connector 6 serves to stabilize the flexible wires on the right, where the type of installation requires the use of flexible wires. Furthermore, the connector 6 facilitates the handling of the wire ends 7 intended for connection, because the connector 6 determines the distance to the wires to match the terminals in the ballast, so that all wires can be inserted into the terminal at the same time.

[0031] The connecting piece 6 further comprises a lateral projection 8 which is arranged in such a way that it cooperates positively with an edge section of the ballast in the region of the terminals 10, as shown in Figure 3The projection 8 is provided asymmetrically on only one side of the connector, so that the position of the connector 6 relative to the terminals 10 in the ballast is clearly defined. Reverse polarity by inserting the wire ends 7 in reverse is not possible.

[0032] Furthermore, the connector 6 has several shorter projections 9, which serve as depth stops and tilt protection when plugging into the terminals 10 of the ballast. In the illustrated connector, the projections 9 are located between and to the side of the wires 4, with the wires 4 with the insulation projecting further to the bare ends 7 than the front end of the projections 9. This ensures that the bare wire ends 7 are fully inserted into the terminals 10 when the depth stop is reached.

[0033] The wire ends 7 are free of insulation to ensure electrical contact with terminals 10 on the ballast. The wire ends can be bare. Alternatively, the wire ends can be tinned, hardened, or provided with a metal wire sleeve to further stabilize them when inserted into the terminal.

[0034] In particular, this prevents a single strand of the core from protruding. However, the connector 6 alone, which determines the correct spacing of the cores 4 from each other, ensures that the uninsulated core ends 7 do not touch each other.

[0035] The Figures 4 to 7refer to embodiments of the electrical connection cable that have a second connector 6' in addition to the first connector 6 as in the previous embodiments. In principle, the second connector 6' is designed in the same way as the first connector 6. In the variant shown, however, the second connector 6' only encompasses two wires 4, while the first connector 6 encompasses three wires 4.

[0036] The design with two connectors 6 and 6' has the advantage that the end of the connecting cable can be passed through a smaller housing opening. Therefore, the connecting cable does not have to be passed through the openings in the housing with the free end first over its entire length, which can be, for example, between six and twelve meters.

[0037] The one or more connecting pieces 6 or 6' furthermore have grooves 11, which improve the feel of the connecting piece. This is particularly advantageous when inserting the wire ends 7 into the terminals 10 by hand without additional tools. Furthermore, the grooves 11 are preferably designed such that, for assembly, the two connecting pieces 6 and 6' can be inserted into one another with frictional engagement, similar to two Lego bricks. This is helpful when inserting the two connecting pieces 6 and 6' through an opening in the luminaire housing. After insertion, the two connecting pieces 6 and 6' can be separated again in order to insert them into the terminal 10 of the ballast, as shown in Figure 4 shown.

[0038] The connecting cable is preferably clamped in a housing opening in the area of the sheath insulation 5. For this purpose, a cable gland 12 is provided, which is secured on the inside of the housing with a lock nut. The cable gland thus forms a groove designed to clamp a housing section 14, as shown in Figure 5 is shown.

[0039] In the Figure 6 A further feature of the present invention is shown. The relatively sensitive wire ends 7 are held in shape by a common protective cap 15. In Figure 6The protective cap 15 is shown in the already removed state. The protective cap 15 is further configured according to the invention for the simultaneous actuation of several pushbuttons on the terminals 10 of the ballast. For this purpose, the protective cap 15 is made of a sufficiently strong material, which allows several pushbuttons to be actuated simultaneously across the entire width of the terminal.

[0040] In the illustrated embodiments, contours 17 are further provided in the one or more connecting pieces 6 and 6', into which special contacting aids or assembly aids can engage. With multiple connecting pieces, the distance between the contacting aids can also be adjusted. The contacting aid helps to hold the one or more connecting pieces when inserting the wire ends 7 into the terminals. Furthermore, spring-loaded pins (see pin 18 in the insert in Figure 7) as clamp actuators keep the terminals 10 open when inserting the wire ends 7, so that the forces for inserting the wire ends 7 into the terminals 10 are reduced. For this purpose, spring-loaded pins 18 are provided on the contacting aid, as shown in the insert in Figure 7 As shown, they are arranged side by side according to the number of terminals 10. When inserting the wire ends 7, the pins 18 exert a force on the actuating elements of the terminals 10, reducing the clamping force. This reduces the insertion force required to insert the wire ends 7.

[0041] Finally, the Figure 8a variant in which, in addition to the connecting piece 6 and the end of the sheath insulation 5, a protective sleeve 19 is arranged. This provides additional protection for the wires 4 in the area between the end of the sheath insulation 5 and the connecting piece 6. In further embodiments, it is also possible for the protective sleeve 19 to extend beyond the connecting piece 6 to the stripped wire ends 7 in order to additionally protect the stripped ends and thus offer increased protection for the free wire ends. The protective sleeve 19 also offers kink protection or, in other embodiments, can also be intended to define a defined angle between the end of the sheath 5 and the connecting piece 6. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0042] 1Support terminal 2Internal wiring 3Ballast 4Wires 5Sheath insulation 6, 6'Connector 7Wire ends 8Elevation 9Protrusion 10Terminal 11Groove 12Cable gland 13Lock nut 14Housing section 15Protective cap 17Contour for mounting aid 18Spring-loaded pin 19Protective grommet

Claims

1. Electrical connection line for a luminaire, comprising a multi-core cable with a plurality of individual electrically insulated cores (4), and a connecting piece (6) made of an electrically insulating material, which engages around the cores (4) individually, wherein, on one side of the connecting piece, the cores (4) are engaged around with insulation and, on an opposite side of the connecting piece, the cores protrude with ends (7) which are at least partially free of insulation, wherein the cores (4) are fixed in the connecting piece (6) parallel and at defined distances from one another, and the core ends (7) which are free of insulation are held at a distance from one another by the connecting piece (6) in order to be able to insert said core ends into terminals (10) of an electronic ballast of the luminaire, characterized in that a removable protective cap (15) is fitted onto the core ends (7) which are free of insulation, wherein the protective cap (15) has sheathings of the respective core ends (7) at the defined distances, wherein the protective cap (15) is formed from an electrically insulating solid material and is designed to actuate a plurality of pushers of the terminals (10) on the electronic ballast at the same time.

2. Electrical connecting line according to Claim 1, wherein the connecting piece (6) has, on the side with the core ends (7), an elevation (8) and / or a depression which is designed to interact in a form-fitting manner with an electronic ballast of the luminaire, wherein the elevation (8) and / or depression is provided on the connecting piece (6) asymmetrically with respect to the cores which are arranged in parallel.

3. Electrical connecting line according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting piece (6) has, on the side with the core ends (7), one or more projections (9), wherein the core ends (7) project further from the connecting piece (6) than a front-side end of the projection or projections (6), such that the front-side end forms a depth stop when the core ends are inserted into the terminals (10) of the luminaire.

4. Electrical connecting line according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cores (4) with insulation have a common sheath insulation (5) outside the connecting piece (6) on the side of the connecting piece (6) on which the cores (4) are engaged around with insulation.

5. Electrical connecting line according to Claim 4, wherein the sheath insulation (5) has, on the outer side, a cable gland (12) which, in the screwed-on state, clamps firmly on the sheath insulation (5).

6. Electrical connecting line according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein a protective grommet (19) is arranged in a region between the sheath insulation (5) and the connecting piece (6).

7. Electrical connecting line according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting piece has, on an outer side, grooves (11) which improve the feel of the connecting piece for tool-free handling and / or which are designed to interact with corresponding grooves (11) of a further connecting piece (6') in such a way that the connecting pieces (6, 6') can be plugged together in a frictionally engaging manner.

8. Electrical connecting line according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting line has at least one further connecting piece (6') corresponding to the one connecting piece (6) for in each case one group of the cores (4), wherein each group comprises at least two of the individual electrically insulated cores (4).

9. Electrical connecting line according to Claim 8, wherein the connecting line has, in the region of the cores (4) with insulation, a contacting aid which surrounds the cores and fixes the connecting pieces (6, 6') with respect to one another in such a way that the connecting pieces (6, 6') are held at a defined distance with respect to the terminals (10) of the luminaire when the connecting pieces (6, 6') are plugged in.

10. Luminaire with at least one electrical connecting line according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the luminaire has a ballast with a plurality of terminals (10) into which the core ends (7) of the electrical connecting line are plugged in.

11. Luminaire according to Claim 10, wherein the electrical connecting line is led out of a housing of the luminaire, wherein the cores (4) are formed continuously from the core ends (7) up to a region of the electrical connecting line outside the luminaire housing free of interruptions, in particular free of a supporting terminal interrupting the cores (4).

12. Luminaire according to Claim 10 or 11, wherein a maximum diameter of the connecting piece in a section plane perpendicular to the cores (4) which are arranged in parallel in the connecting piece is smaller than a through-opening in a housing of the luminaire, through which through-opening the electrical connecting line is led.

13. Luminaire according to one of Claims 10 to 12 with reference back to Claim 5, wherein the cable gland (12) is clamped firmly on an opening or a cutout of a luminaire housing of the luminaire by screwing.