Electric track connector and system

The electricity taking head with an integrally molded rail connector and mounting base addresses the challenges of messy wire management and unreliable fixing by enabling easy and reliable attachment to power supply rails, improving installation and maintenance.

EP3982493B1Active Publication Date: 2025-12-24SELF ELECTRONICS CO LTD +2

Patent Information

Application Number
EP2021191513
Authority / Receiving Office
EP · EP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2020-10-10
Filing Date
2021-08-16
Publication Date
2025-12-24
Estimated Expiration
2041-08-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing power supply methods for LED lamps on shelves are inconvenient, messy, and difficult to maintain due to the need for perforations or wire management, and current fixing methods for power-taking heads are unreliable and prone to damage.

Method used

An electricity taking head with an integrally molded rail connector and mounting base, featuring swing arms and a press part that allows easy connection and disconnection to a power supply rail using elastic materials, simplifying installation and removal.

Benefits of technology

Facilitates convenient and reliable attachment and detachment of the electricity taking head to the power supply rail, reducing installation complexity and enhancing maintenance efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention discloses an electricity taking head, which comprises a mounting base, an elastic electrical contact connector abutted against a conductive strip on the power supply rail, and a rail connector. the rail connector and the mounting base are integrally molded and manufactured, and the rail connector comprises two swing arms, and their connection point with the mounting base is a rotation fulcrum, and the end of the swing arm is provided with a hook part, and two hook parts are arranged oppositely; and a press part, which is spaced apart from the mounting base to provide a pressing space, and is connected with two swing arms, and drives the swing arm when the press part is pressed swing outward around the rotation fulcrum to make the two hook parts relatively open. The structure is simple, and the electricity taking head is convenient to install and take down.
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Description

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese Patent Application No. CN 202011079283.5, filed on October 10, 2020.FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

[0002] The invention relates to the technical field of power-taking from a shelf, in particular to a electricity taking head and a electricity taking device with the electricity taking head.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In the context of energy saving and environmental protection, LED lamps are increasingly used in the home and commercial lighting fields because of their high light-emitting efficiency and good light-gathering performance.

[0004] At present, the power supply on the shelf is mainly set on the back of the shelf, and supplies power to the LED lamps through interconnection wires. With this kind of power supply method, it is often necessary to set perforations on the shelf or to wind the wire from the back of the shelf to the front of the shelf, which causes inconvenience in installation and difficult maintenance; if multiple LED lamps are installed in the shelf, there will be multiple LED lamps in the shelf. The wires are messy and staggered, occupying more space, and affecting the overall beauty of the shelf and the product display effect.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the prior art, power supply rails are provided to obtain power at different positions. Generally, the power supply rail includes a rail body and a conductive strip arranged on the rail body. The power supply is realized by the power-taking head coordinated with the power supply rail. In order to realize the positioning of the power-taking head, it is necessary to set up a fixed structure, such as magnetic fixing, buckle fixing, and tight-fitting fixing. Among them, magnetic fixing needs to add magnets, and the reliability of buckle fixing is not strong and the buckle is easy to damage, and the tight-fitting fixing is easy to wear. Therefore, how to simplify and improve the above-mentioned power-taking fixing method becomes very important.

[0006] US 5 348 485 A discloses a vertical stringer or rail system which is provided for use with an electronic price display system in a store, warehouse or other application. A vertical rail is made of an insulating material and is of substantially constant cross section along its extent, with ridges along each edge. A channel in the front face of the rail carries a plurality of exposed conductors, and the channel and edges are keyed. Snap-on connectors fit to the rail, and due to the keying it is impossible to snap the connector on backwards. The snap-on connectors each have a flat cable running to a shelf rail at the front of a shelf, and electronic price display labels lie within the shelf rail. U-shaped snap-on cable clamps provide clamping of the flat cable to the vertical rail nearby to the snap-on connectors, and the cable clamps are captive to the flat cable so they are not easily misplaced. Because the snap-on connectors and clamps may be snapped on at a multitude of locations they can easily accommodate shelves at varying heights. Shelf moves are easily accommodated regardless of starting and ending shelf positions.

[0007] US 2020 / 176906 A1 discloses an electronic shelving display system comprising at least one shelf support, at least one electrically conductive track comprising a plurality of electrically conductive elements, mountable to the shelf support, at least one connector for an electrically conductive track, and at least one shelf. The connector comprises one or more cables, at least one electrical contact coupled to each cable; and a housing configured to engage the track and urge the electrical contacts into contact with the electrical conductors. The connector is releasably engageable with the electrically conductive track to provide an electrical connection to allow for the supply of power and / or data to the shelf. A connector for an electrically conductive track, a method of making an electrical connection, and an electrically conductive track are also provided.

[0008] GB 2 344 700 A discloses a connector including a pair of latches for engaging keepers of a counterpart, the latches being connected by a flexible linking bar such that flexing of the linking bar upon movement of the bar in a release direction releases the latches by causing each of them to flex in a direction away from their respective keepers. The linking bar may have a handle or be plain. A raised part of the connector may be engaged by the linking bar when pressure is exerted in the connecting direction when connecting the connector to the counterpart.

[0009] US 6 024 605 A (in particular see Fig. 2) disclosed an electrical connector (2) including a living hinge (40) joining a cover (36) to a main connector housing (10). The cover (36) functions as a terminal position assurance or locking member. When properly positioned, the cover (36) backs up terminal latches (18) securing terminals (70) in housing cavities (14). The living hinge (40) is located on the rear edge of the cover (36) which pivots forward to enclose a housing opening (32) on the mating half of the electrical connector (2). Longitudinally extending projections (52) on the cover extend beside the living hinge (40). Longitudinally extending projections (26) extend from a housing wall (22) beside the living hinge and toward the projections (52). The projections (26, 56) are rotated into overlapping relationship when the cover is closed and interlock the rear of the cover (36) in the event of damage to the living hinge (40). Opposing shoulders (30) and (60) on the housing (10) and cover (36) prevent longitudinal movement of the cover (36) relative to the housing (10) and a cover latch (66) is located on the front of the cover (36). The assembly can be molded with straight pull mold tooling.

[0010] CN 109 888 581 A (in particular see Figs. 3-8) discloses an insert button type electricity getting-based external track power supply system. The system comprises a power supply track and an electricity getting device; the power supply track comprises reverse hooks, a limiting groove and a track groove; the reverse hooks are arranged on the two sides of the track groove and extend upwards to form the limiting groove; the bottom ofthe limiting groove is provided with a conductive copper sheet; the electricity getting device comprises an electricity getting probe, forward hooks and hook grooves; the hook grooves are formed in the two sides below the electricity getting device; the forward hooks and the reverse hooks are matched in an abutted manner; and the electricity getting probe is in contact with the conductive coppersheet to get electricity. The system has the beneficial effects as follows: an independent insert button type electricity getting plug is used for obtaining the electricity from the external track system to provide illumination and display for a display rack, a display cabinet and a display board; and the mounting and dismounting are very simple and quick.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In view of this, the present invention provides an electricity taking head and an electricity taking device with the electricity taking head to solve the above technical problems.

[0012] An electricity taking head includes a mounting base, an elastic electrical contact connector arranged on the mounting base and adapted to abut the conductive strip on the power supply rail, and a rail connector arranged on the mounting base, wherein the length direction of the power supply rail is defined as the longitudinal direction, and the lateral direction of the power supply rail is defined as the lateral direction, and a direction perpendicular to the plane where the power supply rail is located is defined as the vertical direction, characterized in that, the rail connector and the mounting base are integrally molded and manufactured, and the rail connector includes: two swing arms, which are spaced apart along the lateral direction, and their connection point with the mounting base is a rotation fulcrum, and the end of the swing arm is provided with a hook part, and two hook parts are arranged oppositely; and a press part, which is spaced apart from the mounting base to provide a pressing space, and is connected with said two swing arms, and drives the swing arm when the press part is pressed swing outward around the rotation fulcrum to make the two hook parts relatively open. The mounting base comprises an upper box body with an opening at its bottom and a bottom cover, and the elastic electrical contact connector is arranged on the bottom cover and is located in the upper box body, and the elastic electrical contact connector comprises a fixing part for external power supply and an elastic contact, and the bottom cover is provided with an access hole through which the elastic contact extends out. The electricity taking head is characterized by the features of the characterizing portion of claim 1. The rail connector and the mounting base are preferably made of elastic materials.

[0013] Advantageously, the press part is formed by the swing arm extending vertically upward.

[0014] Advantageously, the press part is arranged between two swing arms and moves vertically, and the press part is connected with the swing arm through a rocker arm.

[0015] Advantageously, the swing arm is sheet-shaped, and its width direction extends along the longitudinal direction.

[0016] Advantageously, the rotation fulcrum is on the inner side of the swing arm and is in a point shape along the longitudinal direction.

[0017] Advantageously, corresponding to each swing arm, there are two rotation fulcrums, which are distributed along the longitudinal interval.

[0018] Advantageously, in the vertical projection of the swing arm, the hook part and the rotation fulcrum do not overlap.

[0019] Advantageously, the mounting base includes an upper box body with an opening at its bottom and a bottom cover, and the elastic electrical contact connector is arranged on the bottom cover and is located in the upper box body, and the elastic electrical contact connector includes a fixing part for external power supply and an elastic contact, and the bottom cover is provided with an access hole through which the elastic contact extends out.

[0020] Advantageously, the fixing part adopts a conductive sheet, and the elastic contact is formed by the fixing part extending downward, and the elastic contact is inclined downward and backward to bend and then upward and forward to bend.

[0021] Advantageously, the two swing arms are respectively arranged on both sides of the upper box body and are integrally formed with the upper box body.

[0022] Advantageously, the elastic material is nylon or PC.

[0023] Advantageously, there are two elastic electrical contact connectors.

[0024] An electricity taking device includes a power supply rail, a conductive strip arranged on the power supply rail and extending along its length direction, and the electricity taking head arranged on the power supply rail.

[0025] Advantageously, the hook parts of the two swing arms are respectively snap-connected to both sides of the power supply rail.Technical effects of the present invention:

[0026] The electricity taking head of the present invention and the electricity taking device with the electricity taking head are provided with an integrally molded rail connector and the mounting seat, and the rail connector is provided with a pressing part. The simple strength of external force, can realize the swing of the swing arm, and then connect or loosen the hook, which is convenient for installation and removal of the electricity taking head.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the drawings, in which: FIG.1 is a structure schematic diagram of an electricity taking device of an embodiment. FIG.2 is a structure schematic diagram of the electricity taking head of the embodiment in FIG.1. FIG.3 is an exploded view of an electricity taking head of the embodiment in FIG.1. FIG.4 is an exploded view of the electricity taking head of the embodiment in FIG.1 at another angle. FIG.5 is a cross-sectional view of the electricity taking head of the embodiment in FIG.1 at the swing arm. FIG.6 is a schematic diagram of the use process of the electricity taking head (internal structure is not shown) of the embodiment in FIG.1. FIG.7 is an exploded view of the electricity supply rail of the embodiment in FIG.1. FIG.8 is a schematic diagram of the use process of an electricity taking head (internal structure is not shown) in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail based on the drawings. It should be understood that the description of the embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] As shown in FIG.1~7, the electricity taking head 1000 of this embodiment includes a mounting base 100, an elastic electrical contact connector 200 disposed on the mounting base 100 and abutting against the conductive strip 2001 on the power supply rail 2000, and a rail connector 300 disposed on the mounting base 100.

[0030] The power supply rail 2000 is a flat structure, wherein one side is used for installation on the shelf, and the other side is provided with a conductive strip 2001 for distributing power to the shelf. The main body of the power supply rail 2000 is generally made of insulating material, which is flexible and flat. The electricity taking head 1000 is fixedly connected to the power supply rail 2000 through the rail connector 300, while the elastic electrical contact connector 200 abuts the conductive strip 2001 to achieve conduction, and transmits power to the power taker to supply power to the outside. The electricity taking head 1000 has an external connector 1001, which is a prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0031] For ease of description, in the present embodiment, the length direction of the power supply rail 2000 is defined as the longitudinal direction, the lateral direction of the power supply rail 2000 is defined as the lateral direction, and the direction perpendicular to the plane where the power supply rail 2000 is located is defined as the vertical direction.

[0032] In order to facilitate manufacturing, the rail connector 300 and the mounting base 100 are integrally molded and manufactured using elastic materials. The rail connector 300 and the mounting base 100 can be integrally molded to reduce costs. Generally, injection molding is used. The rail connector 300 includes two swing arms 301 and a press part 304, wherein the two swing arms 301 are spaced apart along the lateral direction. The connection where the swing arm 301 connects with the mounting base 100 is a rotation fulcrum 302. The end of the swing arm 301 is provided with a hook part 303, and two hook parts 303 are arranged oppositely, the connection and disconnection with the power supply rail 2000 are realized by controlling the proximity and separation of the two hook parts 303; the press part 304 is used to control the swing arm 301 to swing, and the press part 304 is spaced apart from the mounting base 100 to provide a pressing space, and is connected to two swing arms 301. When the press part 304 is pressed, the swing arm 301 is driven to swing outward about the rotation fulcrum 302 to make the two hook parts 303 is relatively open, and since it is made of an elastic material, after the external force is released, the two hook parts 303 are relatively closed. As shown in FIG.6, after pressing the two press parts 304, the electricity taking head changes from the upper state to the lower state.

[0033] The positional relationship between the rail connector 300 and the mounting base 100 is related to the structure of the power supply rail 2000. When a snap structure is provided in the middle area of the power supply rail 2000, the two hook parts 303 are located at the bottom of the mounting base 100. When the two hook parts 303 are directly snap-fitted with the two sides of the power supply rail 2000, the hook parts 303 are located on both sides of the mounting base 100 and can be set according to different connection positions.

[0034] The press part 304 is used to drive the swing arm 301, even if the swing arm 301 is subjected to a tangential force, in this embodiment, the press part 304 is formed by the swing arm 301 extending vertically upward. The press part 304 and the swing arm 301 are located on both sides of the rotation fulcrum 302, and when an external force is radially applied to the press part 304, the swing arm 301 swings.

[0035] In this embodiment, the swing arm 301 has a sheet shape, and the width direction of the swing arm 301 extends along the longitudinal direction. In order to make the hook part 303 connect with the power supply rail 2000 more reliably, the swing arm 301 has a certain width, which can increase the contact area between the hook part 303 and the power supply rail 2000 and increase the friction.

[0036] The rotation fulcrum 302 is in the form of a point in the cross section, but may be in the form of a segment or a point along the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the rotation fulcrum 302 is on the inner side of the swing arm 301 and is in a point shape along the longitudinal direction. The smaller the length of the rotation fulcrum 302 is, the easier it is for the press part 304 to drive the swing arm 301.

[0037] In this embodiment, corresponding to each swing arm 301, there are two rotation fulcrums 302, which are distributed along the longitudinal interval.

[0038] In order to facilitate manufacturing, in this embodiment, in the vertical projection of the swing arm 301, the hook part 303 and the rotation fulcrum 302 do not overlap. The above setting is convenient for demoulding after forming.

[0039] The mounting base 100 is used to carry the elastic electrical contact connector 200, the rail connector 300, and other structures conventionally possessed by the electricity taking head. In order to realize the installation and sealing of the elastic electrical contact connector 200, in this embodiment, the mounting base 100 includes an upper box body 101 with an opening at its bottom and a bottom cover 102. The elastic electrical contact connector 200 is arranged on the bottom cover 102 and is located in the upper box body 101. The elastic electrical contact connector 200 includes a fixing part 201 for external power supply and a elastic contact 202,and the bottom cover 102 is provided with an access hole 1021 through which the elastic contact 202 extends out. The upper box body 101 and the bottom cover 102 are fixedly connected, and there are many ways of fixing. In this embodiment, the bottom cover 102 is provided with a column 1022, the upper box body 101 is provided with a matching column hole 1011, and the column 1022 is inserted into the column hole 1011 for fixing connection. The upper box body 101 is also provided with a protrusion 1012 for pressing the fixing part 201.

[0040] The elastic electrical contact connector 200 has various forms in the prior art, such as a shrapnel type, a marble type, etc. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the structure, the fixing part 201 adopts a conductive sheet, and the elastic contact 202 is formed by the fixing part 201 extending downward, and the elastic contact 202 is bent downward and backward, and then bent upward and forward. The elastic contact 202 has an elastic sheet structure, which is simple in structure, convenient and low in manufacturing cost.

[0041] The bottom cover 102 is provided with a card slot 1023 for installing the fixing part 201.

[0042] In this embodiment, the two swing arms 301 are respectively arranged on both sides of the upper box body 101 and are integrally formed with the upper box body 101.

[0043] In order to reduce costs, in this embodiment, the elastic material is nylon or PC.

[0044] Generally, the circuit is divided into positive and negative poles. Therefore, in this embodiment, there are two elastic electrical contact connectors 200. One or more can also be set to adapt to different power supply technologies.

[0045] The electricity taking device of this embodiment includes a power supply rail 2000, a conductive strip 2001 arranged on the power supply rail 2000 and extending along the length direction, and the electricity taking head 1000 disposed on the power supply rail 2000. The hook parts 303 of the two swing arms 301 are respectively snap-connected to the two sides of the power supply rail 2000. One end of the power supply rail 2000 is provided with an end cover 2002, and the other end is provided with an external wiring 2003. The external wiring 2003 is fixed by fastening the upper cover body 2004 and the lower cover body 2005, and is electrically connected to the conductive strip 2001, where the electrical connection is realized by plugging. There are many ways to fix the power supply rail 2000, including magnetic parts or double-sided tape. In this embodiment, the double-sided tape 2006 is provided on the back.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, in another embodiment, the press part 304 is arranged between the two swing arms 301 and moves vertically, and the press part 304 and the swing arm 301 are connected by the rocker arm 305. After the press part 304 is pressed down, the electricity taking head changes from the upper state to the lower state.

[0047] The above disclosure has been described by way of example and in terms of exemplary embodiment, and it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited thereto.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0028]Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail based on the drawings. It should be understood that the description of the embodiments of the present invention is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029]As shown in FIG.1~7, the electricity taking head 1000 of this embodiment includes a mounting base 100, an elastic electrical contact connector 200 disposed on the mounting base 100 and abutting against the conductive strip 2001 on the power supply rail 2000, and a rail connector 300 disposed on the mounting base 100.

[0030]The power supply rail 2000 is a flat structure, wherein one side is used for installation on the shelf, and the other side is provided with a conductive strip 2001 for distributing power to the shelf. The main body of the power supply rail 2000 is generally made of insulating material, which is flexible and flat. The electricity taking head 1000 is fixedly connected to the power s...

Claims

1. A electricity taking head (1000), comprising a mounting base (100), an elastic electrical contact connector (200) arranged on the mounting base (100) and adapted to abut the conductive strip (2001) of a power supply rail (2000), and a rail connector (300) arranged on the mounting base (100), wherein the length direction of the power supply rail (2000) is defined as the longitudinal direction, and the lateral direction of the power supply rail (2000) is defined as the lateral direction, and a direction perpendicular to the plane where the power supply rail (2000) is located is defined as the vertical direction, wherein the rail connector (300) and the mounting base (100) are integrally molded and manufactured, and the rail connector (300) comprises: two swing arms (301), which are spaced apart along the lateral direction, and their connection point with the mounting base (100) is a rotation fulcrum (302), and the end of the swing arm (301) is provided with a hook part (303), and two hook parts (303) are arranged oppositely; and a press part 304, which is spaced apart from the mounting base (100) to provide a pressing space, and is connected with said two swing arms (301), and drives the swing arm (301) when the press part (304) is pressed swing outward around the rotation fulcrum (302) to make the two hook parts (303) relatively open, wherein the mounting base (100) comprises an opening and a bottom cover (102), and the elastic electrical contact connector (200) is arranged on the bottom cover (102), and the bottom cover (102) is provided with an access hole (1021) through which an elastic contact (202) extends out; characterized in that the mounting base (100) comprises an upper box body (101) with the opening at its bottom; and that the elastic electrical contact connector (200) is located in the upper box body (101), and the elastic electrical contact connector (200) comprises a fixing part (201) for external power supply and the elastic contact (202) extending out through the access hole (1021), and that the upper box body (101) is also provided with a protrusion (1012) for pressing the fixing part (201), and that the bottom cover (102) is provided with a card slot (1023) for installing the fixing part (201).

2. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rail connector (300) and the mounting base (100) are made of elastic materials.

3. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the press part (304) is formed by the swing arm (301) extending vertically upward.

4. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the press part (304) is arranged between two swing arms (301) and moves vertically, and the press part (304) is connected with the swing arm (301) through a rocker arm (305).

5. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the swing arm (301) is sheet-shaped, and its width direction extends along the longitudinal direction.

6. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rotation fulcrum (302) is on the inner side of the swing arm (301).

7. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in claim 6, wherein corresponding to each swing arm (301), there are two rotation fulcrums (302), which are distributed along the longitudinal direction.

8. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the vertical projection of the swing arm (301), the hook part (303) and the rotation fulcrum (302) do not overlap.

9. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing part (201) adopts a conductive sheet, and the elastic contact (202) is formed by the fixing part (201) extending downward, and the elastic contact (202) is inclined downward and backward to bend and then upward and forward to bend.

10. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in claim 8 or 8, wherein the two swing arms (301) are respectively arranged on both sides of the upper box body (101) and are integrally formed with the upper box body (101).

11. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic material is nylon or PC.

12. The electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein there are two elastic electrical contact connectors (200).

13. A electricity taking device, comprising a power supply rail (2000), a conductive strip (2001) arranged on the power supply rail (2000) and extending along its length direction, and the electricity taking head (1000) as claimed in any one of claims 1-11 arranged on the power supply rail (2000).

14. The electricity taking device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the hook parts (303) of the two swing arms (301) are respectively snap-connected to both sides of the power supply rail (2000).

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Electricity taking head and electricity taking device with electricity taking head

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