Adjustable Light Strip Connector for Tolerance-Compensated Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors for light strips require complex assembly processes and may involve mounting sockets on power supply rails, leading to increased time, cost, and tolerance issues during installation.
Innovation Solution
The connector features adjustable plugs that can be set to either active or passive positions, allowing for independent electrical and mechanical connection of adjacent lights, eliminating the need for sockets on power supply rails and accommodating various circuit configurations, including emergency circuits, with a compact design and enhanced safety features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sockets are mounted on power supply rails to enable electrical connection, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but assembly complexity and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connector integrates both mechanical support and electrical connection functions into a single component. The connecting body with connecting walls provides mechanical support by inserting into support profiles, while the plugs with contact elements provide electrical connection by engaging with rail grooves, eliminating the need for separate sockets on power supply rails.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support through connecting walls that insert into support profiles, establishes electrical connection through plugs with contact elements that engage rail grooves, and compensates for tolerances in the longitudinal direction, all within a single component.
2Ease of manufacture
If plugs are fixed on connector body, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to different circuit configurations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The plugs are designed to be adjustable on the connector body along the longitudinal direction. This dynamic positioning capability allows the contact elements to engage with different rail grooves, enabling adaptation to various circuit configurations while maintaining a unified connector design that does not require separate sockets on power supply rails.
3Ease of operation
If mechanical connection and electrical connection are coupled, then assembly is simplified, but independence of connection establishment is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is segmented into distinct functional components: the connecting body with connecting walls for mechanical support, and separate plugs with contact elements for electrical connection. This segmentation allows the mechanical connection and electrical connection to be established independently - the connecting walls can insert into support profiles first, followed by the plugs engaging with rail grooves.
4Manufacturing precision
If tolerance compensation is implemented in longitudinal direction, then installation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector compensates for tolerances in the longitudinal direction by utilizing adjustment freedom of the plugs along the longitudinal axis. This allows the contact elements to be positioned accurately in the longitudinal direction without requiring complex mechanical tolerance compensation mechanisms, as the plugs can be adjusted to accommodate variations in rail groove positions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a connector (17) for electrically and mechanically connecting two luminaires (1) in a light strip (7) comprising two or more such luminaires (1), wherein the connector (17) has a connecting body (18) with two opposing connecting walls (19) which can be inserted into support profiles (2) of two luminaires (1) that are directly adjacent in the longitudinal direction (X).The handling of the connector (17) during assembly and disassembly is simplified if the connector (17) has a first pair of plugs (22) which has two first plugs (23) each having several contact elements (24) with electrical contact zones (25), if the contact zones (25) of one first plug (23) are electrically connected to the contact zones (25) of the other first plug (23) via first cables (26), and if the first plugs (23) are arranged on the connector body (18) in a height direction (Z) adjustable position between an active position and a passive position.