LIGHTING SYSTEM

Abstract

 A lighting system (1) comprising a guide (2) extending along at least one path (P); at least one lamp (3), fitted to the guide (2) and movable on the guide (2) and provided with at least one light source (13); a circuit board (20) for controlling and supplying the light source (13) of the lamp (3), comprising at least one conductive track (21) extending along the path (P); the track (21) is defined by a sequence of contact portions (22), made of electric conductive material, and insulation portions (23), alternating with each other along the path (P) ; the lamp (3) is provided with a contact element (24) comprising at least one series of contacts (25) spaced apart from one another along the path (P) and which project from the lamp (3) to contact the track (21).

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] This application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102017000037046 filed on April 4, 2017.

[0002] The present invention relates to a lighting system for lighting objects and/or environments.

[0003] The invention is particularly, but not only, suited to provide a rail lighting system, an example to which specific reference will be made hereinafter, without thereby excluding different applications.

[0004] Rail lighting systems are known, in which one or more lamps, for example of the spotlight type, are mounted and slide on a longitudinal guide typically installed on the ceiling and defining a rail for the lamps, the position of which can therefore be varied along the guide.

[0005] For the power supply and control of the light sources of the lamps (which are currently, increasingly, LED light sources), the use of conductive tracks, usually carried by a printed circuit board, is known. The tracks are located along the rail, for example on a bottom wall of the guide. Each lamp is equipped with a contact element (sliding along the guide with the lamp) that "picks up" via respective contacts (for example, sliding contacts) the signals from the respective tracks.

[0006] If the system includes multiple light sources and/or various modes are provided for controlling the light sources, several tracks insulated from one another are required to transmit the necessary signals to the lamps. Accordingly, appropriate sizes of the printed circuit board and/or the guide are required.

[0007] On the other hand, in the lighting industry the functional requirements must also be reconciled with the aesthetic ones, for which new forms are constantly required, which may not even be compatible with the technical functions.

[0008] One object of the present invention is to provide a lighting system, which allows the drawbacks of the prior art described herein to be overcome.

[0009] In particular, one object of the invention is to provide a lighting system, in particular (but not only) a rail lighting system, which allows a reduction in size (and specifically in width) of the printed circuit board controlling/supplying the light sources of the system, and consequently also of the rail supporting the lamps of the system and housing the printed circuit board.

[0010] The present invention therefore relates to a lighting system as defined in appended claim 1.

[0011] Further preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

[0012] The lighting system of the invention allows efficient control and power supply of the light sources of the system by reducing the number of required tracks on the respective printed circuit board, and consequently also reducing the size of the printed circuit board and the guide or seat housing it.

[0013] Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a non-limiting embodiment thereof, with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

• Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a lighting system according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a view in enlarged scale of a detail of the lighting system of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of another detail of the lighting system of Figure 1;
• Figures 4 and 5 are a schematic bottom plan view and a schematic perspective view of respective components of the system in Figure 1.

[0014] In the figures, reference number 1 indicates, as a whole, a lighting system for lighting objects and/or environments.

[0015] In the non-limiting example illustrated, the system 1 is a rail lighting system and comprises a rail guide 2 extending along a longitudinal axis A, and at least one lamp 3 mounted on the guide 2.

[0016] The guide 2 has a substantially rectilinear body 4 extending along the axis A, for example (but not necessarily) an extruded aluminium body, and is provided with an internal longitudinal seat 5 bounded by a bottom wall 6 and two opposite side walls 7.

[0017] It is understood that the guide 2 can have a different shape. For example, the guide 2 can extend along a curvilinear instead of a rectilinear axis A, for example in the shape of a circle or arc of a circle; in general, the system of the invention comprises a guide 2 extending along a generic path P.

[0018] The lamp 3 can also have various shapes. In the non-limiting example shown, the lamp 3 comprises a slide 11 housed at least partly in the seat 5 and slidable along the axis A and thus along the guide 2 in the seat 5; and a lamp body 12 projecting from the slide 11 and having at least one light source 13 housed in the lamp body 12.

[0019] The slide 11 has sliding blocks 14 projecting from the slide 11 and engaging longitudinal grooves 15 formed on the guide 2 in the seat 5 to constrain the slide 11 (and therefore the lamp 3) to the guide 2.

[0020] Preferably, the lamp body 12 is connected to the slide 11 by an articulated joint 16, which allows the lamp body 12 to be oriented with respect to the slide 11.

[0021] The light source 13, for example, is a LED light source comprising one or more LEDs (not shown), possibly even different from each other, and an optical group (not shown) associated with the LED(s).

[0022] Even more lamps 3 can be mounted on the guide 2, each of which can have multiple light sources 13.

[0023] The guide 2 houses a printed circuit board 20 for controlling and supplying the light source 13 of the lamp 3 (or the light sources 13 of the lamps 3).

[0024] In particular, the printed circuit board 20 is located in the seat 5, for example on the bottom wall 6.

[0025] The printed circuit board 20 comprises at least one conductive track 21 extending along the path P, and in this case along the axis A (or parallel to the axis A).

[0026] In accordance with the invention, the single track 21 operates by replacing two conventional tracks (which would be necessary, in accordance with the prior art, to operate the light sources 13 and should be arranged parallel to one another on the printed circuit board 20).

[0027] In fact, the illustrated example refers to the case in which two tracks, i.e. a positive track and a negative track, are required in order to operate the lamp 3. In accordance with the invention, instead, the printed circuit board 20 bears a single track 21.

[0028] The track 21 is defined by a sequence of contact portions 22, made of electric conductive material, and insulation portions 23, alternating with each other along the axis A (i.e., more generally, along the path P).

[0029] The contact portions 22 are spaced apart from one another along the axis A and are separated from one another by the insulation portions 23, defined by gaps in the conductive material of the contact portions 22 or by an insulating material.

[0030] The insulation portions 23 are interposed between respective pairs of contact portions 22, separating them from one another along the axis A.

[0031] The contact portions 22 and the insulation portions 23 have respective preset axial (i.e. measured along the axis A, or parallel to the axis A) lengths Lpad, Liso.

[0032] In the example shown, but not necessarily, the length Lpad of the contact portions 22 is greater than the length Liso of the insulation portions 23.

[0033] In the non-limiting example illustrated (but not necessarily), the contact portions 22 and the insulation portions 23 are evenly spaced along the axis A, i.e. the contact portions 22 all have the same length Lpad and also the insulation portions 23 all have the same length Liso.

[0034] The contact portions 22 include first contact portions 22A and second contact portions 22B connected to the printed circuit board 20 so as to provide respective signals.

[0035] For example, the first contact portions 22A are positive and the second contact portions 22B are negative.

[0036] In general, the contact portions 22 include two or more sequences of contact portions 22, which are connected to the printed circuit board 20 so as to provide respective signals.

[0037] The lamp 3 is provided with a contact element 24, integral with the slide 11 and therefore sliding along the guide 2 (i.e. along the path P) in the seat 5 together with the lamp 3; the contact element 24 comprises a plurality of contacts 25 (made of electrically conductive material) projecting from a lower face of the slide 11 so as to contact the track 21.

[0038] In particular, the contact element 24 comprises at least one series of contacts 25 axially spaced along the axis A (or parallel to the axis A), i.e., in more general terms, spaced apart along the path P.

[0039] In the example shown, the contact element 24 comprises two series of contacts 25 laterally spaced apart from one another.

[0040] The contacts 25 of each series are arranged on the contact element 24 and therefore on the slide 11 at pre-established axial distances (measured along the axis A or parallel to the axis A) such that the contacts 25 pick up respective signals (in particular two signals) from the sequence of the contact portions 22.

[0041] In fact, the contacts 25 of each series are axially positioned so as to contact at all times a pair of contact portions 22 in any axial position of the slide 11 along the guide 2, i.e. in any axial position of the contact element 24 along the track 21.

[0042] When the contacts 25 move axially in an integral manner, some contacts 25 may be on a positive contact portion 22A, others on a negative contact portion 22B, others on an insulation portion 23, however the two required signals will be picked up at all times.

[0043] For example: the contact element 24 comprises a series of three contacts 25A, 25B, 25C axially spaced from one another at pre-established axial distances (along the axis A):

L12 is the distance between the first contact 25A and the second contact 25B;

L23 is the distance between the second contact 25B and the third contact 25C;

L13 is the distance between the first contact 25A and the third contact 25C.

[0044] It is required that:

[0045] For example, a possible solution (purely by way of example) is as follows:

Lpad = 10 mm

Liso = 2 mm

L12 = 8 mm

L23 = 8 mm

L13 = 16 mm

[0046] Clearly, other solutions are possible.

[0047] Furthermore, although the embodiment described and illustrated herein refers to the simple case where only two signals are picked up by the contact element 24, i.e. with a single track 21 replacing the conventional two tracks required for the operation of the lamp 3, the invention lends itself to applications with different numbers of tracks and signals.

[0048] In general, if the lamp 3 requires N signals (i.e. N conventional tracks), in accordance with the invention, a number of tracks 21 less than the number of required signals is used, i.e. M tracks 21 are used, where M < N.

[0049] Some or all of the M tracks 21 have the discontinuous structure described previously, thus not being continuous but divided (along the path P, for example axially along the axis A) into a (regular or irregular) sequence of contact portions 22 separated by insulation portions 23: the contact portions 22 are alternated so that a number Z of contacts 25 (where Z > N) contacts at all times (i.e. in any position of the contacts 25 on the tracks 21, i.e. of the slide 11 along the guide 2) the contact portions 22 for picking up the N required signals at all times.

[0050] Owing to the suitable distance between the contacts 25 and their number, in particular when Z > N, the contacts 25 are prevented from falling all together into insulation portions 23, and multiple contacts are prevented from falling simultaneously on contact portions 22 having the same signal.

[0051] A suitable electronic circuitry selects the signals picked up by the Z contacts 25, so that N signals are output at all times.

[0052] In addition to linear configurations such as the one described (with rectilinear, but also curvilinear paths P), the same principle can also be applied to two-dimensional configurations, i.e. providing matrices of successive contact portions 22 spaced by insulation portions 23 in two directions perpendicular to each other; the contacts 25, in turn, being suitably spaced in two directions perpendicular to each other and movable along both said directions.

[0053] Lastly, it is understood that the rail lighting system as described and illustrated herein can be subject to further modifications and variations that do not depart from the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A lighting system (1), comprising a guide (2) extending along at least one path (P); at least one lamp (3), fitted to the guide (2) and movable on the guide (2) and provided with at least one light source (13); a circuit board (20) for controlling and supplying the light source (13) of the lamp (3), comprising at least one conductive track (21) extending along the path (P); characterized in that the track (21) is defined by a sequence of contact portions (22), made of electric conductive material, and insulation portions (23), alternating with each other along the path (P); and in that the lamp (3) is provided with a contact element (24) comprising at least one series of contacts (25) spaced apart from one another along the path (P) and which project from the lamp (3) to contact the track (21).

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the contacts (25) are arranged on the contact element (24) at such distances from one another that the contacts (25) pick up respective signals from the sequence of the contact portions (22).

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contacts (25) are positioned so as to contact at all times a pair of contact portions (22) in any position of the lamp (3) along the guide (3), i.e. in any position of the contact element (24) along the track (21).

4. The system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact portions (22) are spaced apart from one another along the path (P) and are separated from one another by the insulation portions (23).

5. The system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact portions (22) include first contact portions (22A) and second contact portions (22B) connected to the circuit board (20) so as to provide respective signals.

6. The system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact portions (22) include two or more sequences of contact portions (22A, 22B), which are connected to the circuit board (20) so as to provide respective signals.

7. The system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the circuit board (20) is configured for transmitting N signals; and comprises M tracks (21), where M < N, at least some tracks (21) being divided into a sequence of contact portions (22) separated by insulation portions (23); the contact portions (22) being connected to the circuit board (20) so as to provide respective signals and being alternated so that a number Z of contacts (25), where Z > N, contacts at all times, i.e. in any position of the contacts (25) on the tracks (21), the contact portions (22) for picking up the N signals at all times.

8. The system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide (2) extends along at least a first, rectilinear or curvilinear axis (A) defining said path (P).

9. The system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact portions (22) follow one another, spaced by insulation portions (23), in two directions perpendicular to each other; and the contacts (25) are spaced in two directions perpendicular to each other and are movable along both said directions.

10. The system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system (1) is a rail lighting system; the guide (2) being provided with an internal longitudinal seat (5) extending along an axis (A) and housing the circuit board (20) with the track (21); the lamp (3) comprising a slide (11), housed at least partly in the seat (5) and sliding along the axis (A) in the seat (5); and a lamp body (12) projecting from the slide (11) and having at least one light source (13) housed in the lamp body (12).

Drawing