WO2014053545A1

WO2014053545A1 - Light fitting comprising an orientable lamp head

Info

Publication number: WO2014053545A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/070546
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicolas Pichelin
Original assignee: Nicolas Pichelin
Priority date: 2012-10-02
Filing date: 2013-10-02
Publication date: 2014-04-10
Also published as: FR2996283B1; FR2996283A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection part (41, 43) for forming a mechanical and electrical connection between a tubular lamp body (3) and a lamp head (5), characterised in that it comprises: a fixing portion for fixing the connection part (41) respectively either to the lamp body (3) or to the lamp head (5); first attachment means (27) for cooperating with corresponding second attachment means (29), designed to form a pivoting connection about an axis (A) with said corresponding second attachment means (29), attaching the lamp body (3) to the lamp head (5); and first electrical contacts (11) designed to cooperate by rotary friction respectively with corresponding second electrical contacts (13) for guiding a power supply current towards a light source (17) of the lamp head (5) in such a way that they are continuously conductive during the rotation of the lamp head about the axis (A). The invention also relates to a body and a lamp head comprising such a connection part and to the light fitting produced by the combination thereof.

Description

Luminaire with adjustable lamp head

The present invention relates to a luminaire, comprising a lamp head providing an oriented beam of light, the direction of which is changeable.

The lamps and directional luminaires usually comprise a lamp head and a lamp body associated. The lamp body has a movable element such as an arm, at the end of which is placed the lamp head, preferably in a rotatable manner with respect to the end of the movable element of the luminaire, often by means of one or more joints.

The movable arms have segments articulated from a base and are traversed by a power cable connected to a power source, for example a socket on the sector. The power cable extends into the lamp head, in particular beyond the connection between the body and the lamp head. The freedom of movement of the lamp head, in particular in rotation around said connection is thus limited by the cable and / or the displacement of the joint or joints. For example, office luminaires comprise a base, weighted or fixed to a work plane, from which an arm articulated relative to said base is by double pivot or by ball joint. The arm can be articulated by a bend in the middle for greater freedom of movement, and at its end is attached the lamp head. The lamp head is also articulated relative to the arm by means of either a double pivot or a ball joint. An electric cable runs from the base, where it is connected for example to a charging adapter, itself connected by a plug to the domestic electrical network. This electric cable runs the length of the arm, and is held loose, with some excess length to allow movement of the lamp head. However, the length of the cable allows only a finite number of rotations of the lamp head.

It is also known to use gooseneck lamp bodies, in which a metal strand is wrapped in a plastic sheath, often so that one turn of the winding is engaged with the next turn. These goosenecks allow relative flexibility, but a return effect in the starting position is observed in use: the user has to bend the lamp more than necessary and does not control the subsequent recovery.

In addition, these gooseneck systems rely on the friction, the strand against the sheath or against itself, to maintain it, which involves wear of the materials. The lamp head is also limited in rotation relative to the body.

Gooseneck systems also rely on a cable attached to the lamp head that limits its rotation. Thus, the known models of luminaires have a limited freedom of movement, in particular in rotation, for their lamp heads, which limits the possibilities of use and positioning of the luminaries in question.

In order to at least partially meet the problem mentioned above, the subject of the invention is a connecting piece intended to form a mechanical and electrical connection between a tubular lamp body and a lamp head, characterized in that it has:

An attachment portion for fastening the connecting piece respectively to the lamp body or to the lamp head,

First fastening means for cooperating with second corresponding fastening means, configured to form a pivot connection about an axis with said second corresponding fastening means, attaching the lamp body to the lamp head, and

First electrical contacts configured to cooperate by rotary friction respectively with second corresponding electrical contacts for routing a supply current to a light source of the lamp head so as to be continuously conductive during a rotation of the lamp head around the axis. Such a connecting piece makes it possible to reversibly attach a lamp head to a lamp body while preserving a freedom of rotation of the lamp head that does not present the known luminaires.

The connector piece may further have one or more of the following features, taken alone or in combination.

The fixing portion is extended by a stiffening portion forming a structural reinforcement.

The first electrical contacts are made in the form of a male or female connector type tip-ring-sleeve. The first and second attachment means attract magnetism, the first attachment means being able in particular comprise an annular magnet or a ferromagnetic element.

The connecting piece is made in the form of a hollow tube forming a stiffening portion intended to be in contact with an inner tubular wall of the lamp head or the lamp body, bearing inside said first or second attachment means. and said first or second electrical contacts.

Alternatively, the connecting piece can be made in the form of a hollow tube forming a stiffening portion intended to be in contact with an inner tubular wall of the lamp body or the lamp head, the first hollow tube carrying on its skirt external fixing fastening asperities, and being extended at one end by a ring of greater diameter than the first tube and carrying the first or second attachment means, the ring being extended by a second hollow tube of diameter less than the ring, one of the hollow tubes or the ring carrying in its interior space the first or second electrical contacts.

The first hollow tube, the ring and the second tube may in particular be made in one piece.

The connecting piece comprises an annular housing for receiving the first or second attachment means.

The invention also relates to a lamp body for carrying a lamp head, characterized in that it comprises at one end a connecting piece as previously described.

Said lamp body may in particular comprise a shape memory tube comprising a metal layer surrounded by two layers, respectively inner and outer of flexible insulating material. The thin metal layer may be an aluminum layer and the insulating material of the inner and outer layers of the crosslinked polyethylene.

The feed stream can then be conveyed by the metal layer.

The invention also relates to a lamp head intended to be carried by a lamp body, characterized in that it comprises at one end a connecting piece as described, and a luminaire characterized in that it comprises a lamp body and a lamp head as previously described.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description, given by way of illustrative and nonlimiting example, and the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a luminaire according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a luminaire according to the invention in the position of use, FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view of a lamp head used in a luminaire according to the invention. FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a portion of a luminaire according to the invention, FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of the luminaire portion of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of a luminaire according to the invention.

In all the figures, the same references refer to the same elements. In Figure 1 is shown an embodiment of luminaire 1 according to the invention. This luminaire 1 comprises a lamp body 3 and a removable lamp head 5.

The lamp body 3 here comprises a shape memory tube 7, comprising a thin layer of metal 71, surrounded inside and outside an inner and outer layer 73 and an outer layer 75 of insulating and flexible material such as crosslinked polyethylene.

The tube 7 has a length of the order of a few meters, typically from 0.5 to 7.5 meters and a few centimeters, typically from 1 to 7 centimeters in diameter. The tube 7 here comprises a thin layer of flexible metal 71 with a thickness of the order of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.2 mm, taken between two respectively internal 73 and outer 75 layers of plastic, for example crosslinked polyethylene, of a thickness of the order of 0.5 to 2 mm, preferably 1 mm. The metal is preferably aluminum for cost, lightness and corrosion resistance, but other metals such as copper or low carbon steel are also conceivable. The plastic layers 73, 75 are bonded to the metal layer 71. Such a tube 7 can not in particular be cut by hand because of its strength. The tube 7 has at one of its ends a supply 9 supplying a current for supplying the lamp head 5.

The power supply 9 comprises, in the embodiment shown, an adapter 91, for example transforming an AC 230V of low-voltage DC home network for the supply of diodes. The power supply 9 then comprises a socket 93 for withdrawing power from the home network.

The adapter 91 and the socket 93 are here made in one block. The adapter 91 and the lamp body 7 are connected by a cable, at the ends of which are removable connections 95, forming a mechanical link between the cable and respectively the adapter 91 on the one hand and the lamp body 7 of somewhere else.

The power supply 9 may also include a dimmer, controlled by means of a switch and / or a remote control. For example, the drive can limit the current supplied to reduce the luminous intensity of the luminaire 1 in a controlled manner.

The power supply 9 can, in addition or alternatively, have an accumulator or a battery, to allow installation of the stand-alone luminaire 1 and in particular outside. This gives an easily rechargeable and manipulable embodiment.

The lamp body 3 may comprise in addition to the power supply 9 ballast elements, dense and heavy, in order to stabilize the luminaire. In particular, if the power supply 9 comprises a heavy battery, it can play the role of ballast element. In addition or alternatively, metal ballast parts may be inserted into the tube 7. It is in particular provided to integrate the power supply 9 of the lamp body 3 into the tube 7, in particular so as not to have a clearly defined base of the luminaire. The tube 7 is intended to form said base by forming a loop or by a flow around a piece of furniture, a beam or a column.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of such a luminaire 1 in a use configuration.

In Figure 2, an end portion 7a of the tube 7 is folded on itself in a loop, which forms the base of the fixture resting on the ground. The base-forming portion 7a is in particular that opposite to the lamp head 5.

Part 7b of the tube near the lamp head 5 forms a deformable arm at the end of which is placed the lamp head 5.

The luminaire 1 may further comprise an E-shaped part 10 for maintaining a base-forming flow. Said E-shaped piece 10 maintains the winding by holding the tube 7 in two places between the parallel bars of the E forming two housings, in particular by dimensioning said housings so that the tube 7 comes clipping therein. The power supply can alternatively be integrated at the level of the grid connection plug.

An end plug 77 may be attached to the end of the tube 7. The end cap 77 may in particular comprise a screw thread or asperities for fixing to the tube 7, and a hole through which an electric cable passes for the power supply. , or a jack type connection, in which the electrical contacts usually used to transmit the signal are used to convey the current Power.

The other end of the tube 7 carries first attachment means of the removable lamp head, and a first set of electrical contacts 11, visible in Figure 1. In particular, the first electrical contacts 11 are rotating friction electrical contacts Here, in particular, the first electrical contacts 11 are configured to work with a second set of electrical contacts 13 carried by the lamp head 5. first and second electrical contacts 11, 13 cooperate by rotary friction, being configured so that the rotation of the lamp head 5 about the axis of revolution A does not interrupt the circulation of the supply current.

These electrical contacts 11, 13 may for example comprise solids of revolution, circular, tubular, conical or annular, concentric and centered on the longitudinal axis A of the tube 7, which is also the axis of revolution of the lamp head 5 and conductive brushes pressed against said solids of revolution, or two circular contacts (or in a circle portion) rubbing against each other. In this way, said contacts 11, 13 are continuously conducting during a rotation of the lamp head 5 with respect to the body 3, independently of the number of turns that the lamp head 5 makes.

These contacts, and therefore the pattern that they form as a whole, are advantageously invariant by rotation around the central axis A of the tube 7.

The first electrical contacts 11 of the lamp body 3 form here a female connector. In said female connector, the contacts are arranged in hollow recesses which makes said electrical contacts less accessible under normal conditions of use. The fact that the contacts are less accessible makes it possible to avoid an electrocution of the user by accidental contact.

The power supply 9 and the electrical connector 11 are connected by a cable 15, possibly to a plurality of parallel electrical lines, conveying the power supply current from the power supply 9 to the electrical connector 11 inside the tube 7. The lamp head 5 comprises light sources 17, here in the form of light-emitting diodes, carried by a rigid tubular section 19 and chosen here of the same diameter as the tube 7 forming the lamp body 3. In this way, the transition between the lamp head 5 and the body 3 is continuous, without asperity, in the assembled state, to avoid PTO at this location as well as for aesthetic reasons.

The lamp head 5 also comprises second corresponding attachment means associated with that of the body 3.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the lamp head 5. The tubular section 19 is here an alumiriium cylinder, partly hollowed out in a tube, so as to comprise a solid upper part, and a part of the tube is open on a portion of its periphery, said opening being made at least over the portion of the length of tubular portion 19 carrying the light sources 17. This aperture concentrates and directs the light beam emitted by the sources 17.

The light sources 17 are carried by a central bar 21. The central bar 21 has a flat surface on which are placed the light sources 17. In the case of light emitting diodes, they are glued on the flat surface at regular intervals. If the diodes are integrated circuit 23, said circuit 23 carrying the diode 15 will be glued on the flat surface.

The strip is dimensioned so as to fit in the circular profile of the tubular section 19 by pressing against the upper solid part for better dissipation of the heat produced by the light sources 17. The central bar 21 is advantageously made of metal, for example aluminum for the conduction of the heat produced by the light source or sources 17.

Guide rails (not shown) may be provided to assist insertion and maintenance of the bar 21.

The current carried by the second electrical contacts 13 of the lamp head 5 is conveyed via a circuit inside said lamp head 5 and distributed to the light sources 17 so that they provide light.

The pivot connection and the electrical contacts 11, 13 are interruptible in that by exerting a sufficient force or a specific action, the user can separate the body 3 from the lamp head 5, then interrupting the electrical contacts, which makes the lamp head 5 removable from the lamp body 3.

In particular, the pivot connection and the electrical contacts 11, 13 are advantageously configured so as to create a connection which is disengaged by the application of a force greater than the weight of the lamp head 3, in order to avoid that the only weight of the lamp head 3 does not detach the latter and thus contribute to the maintenance of this last.

Other forms and embodiments of the lamp head 5 are of course possible. In particular it is possible to provide lamp heads with lighting properties adapted to different uses: white lighting, clear and directed for the illumination of a defined surface (worktop, desk, book, etc.), or good warm, diffuse and anisotropic lighting for mood lighting.

The connection between the body 3 and the lamp head 5 is shown in more detail in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4 are shown in section the end portions of the body 3 and the lamp head 5.

A particular embodiment of the electrical circuit is also shown in FIG. 4.

The attachment means of the lamp head 5 here comprise an annular groove 27 for first fastening means and at least one protrusion 29 which engages in the annular groove 27 freely sliding in said groove 27 for second fastening means .

Said fastening means 27, 29 form a pivot connection which can in particular be made torsion-resistant by placing said first and second attachment means 27, 29 respectively on the skirt of a finger and on the inner wall of a housing in which the finger is inserted in the assembled state.

The at least one protrusion 29 may in particular comprise a deformable plastic ring, in particular by crushing, or one or more deformable fingers, for example leaf spring folds or retractable fingers in associated housing and brought in the engagement position by elastic means such as springs.

In the embodiment shown, the protuberance 29 is a deformable ring and the annular groove 27 is carried by an outer skirt of a finger of the lamp head 5.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of pivot connection between the body 3 and the lamp head 5, in which the lamp head 5 carries an annular groove 27 on its outer skirt and the lamp body 3 carries a hoop 30 in arc of a circle at the end of an articulated arm. The arm switches between a locking position, in which the hoop 30 is engaged in the groove 27, for example by clipping, and a release position, in which the hoop 30 is out of the groove 27. In said positions, the lamp head 3 is respectively locked and free in translation along the axis A. The electric circuit shown in FIG. 4 comprises the power supply 9, here schematically represented in the form of a battery, and a light source 17, here schematically represented in the form of a diode.

One of the poles of the power supply 9 is connected to the thin layer of metal 71, which acts as an electrical conductor along the tube 7. At the level of the first electrical contacts 11, the thin layer of metal 71 is at its The other pole of the power supply 9 is connected to a first central contact 33 of the connector 11, via the cable 13. One of the poles of the light source 17 is connected to a terminal 13. second annular contact 35 of the lamp head, and located on the central axis A of the tube 7. The other pole of the light source 17 is connected to a second central contact 37.

In the assembled state, the first and second annular contacts 31, 35 and first and second central contacts 33, 37 are respectively connected two-to-two, which closes the circuit, and allows the power supply 9 to supply current at the light source 15.

A tubular protective skirt 39 made of insulating material and placed in continuity with the tube 7 makes it possible to avoid accidental contact of the user with the electrical contacts 31, 33 connected to the power supply 9, and thus to reduce the risk of electrocution. At least a portion of the electrical contacts 31, 33, 35, 37 may be magnetized to form or strengthen the pivot connection between the lamp body 3 and the lamp head 5 by forming an alternative or addition to the annular foliage 27 and the protuberance 29.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the connection between the lamp body 3 and the lamp head 5.

The lamp body 3 comprises a first connecting piece 41, and the lamp head 5 comprises a second 43, of complementary shape. A dotted line distinguishes the boundary between body 3 and lamp head 5, and the first and second connector pieces 41, 43 are marked with thicker lines.

The first connecting piece 41 is made in the form of a first hollow tube 45 forming a stiffening portion intended to be in contact with an inner tubular wall of the tube 7 of the lamp body. This first hollow tube 45 extends a fastening portion 47, located at its base on its outer skirt in the form of attachment asperities 47 intended to engage with the inner layer 73 of the tube 7, in this case in particular a set of annular protuberances . Other forms such as a thread, pins or ridges are also possible.

The first tube 45 is extended at one end by a ring 49 of greater diameter, forming a main body. In this ring 49 are placed the first electrical contacts, here integrated in a base 51.

The base 51 is here a female connector type tip-ring-sleeve, or Jack. In particular, the Jack connector is a mono-type connector, with two contacts 51a, 51b, corresponding to the terminals of the supply circuit.

The ring 49 carries the first attachment means 27, which are in the illustrated embodiment intended to cooperate by magnetic attraction with the second attachment means 29. The first attachment means 27 comprise for this purpose a magnet 53, annular and inserted in a housing also annular. The magnet 53 forming first attachment means 27 is intended to cooperate with a corresponding ferromagnetic element, here a ferromagnetic ring 55 forming the second attachment means 29.

The ring 49 is extended by a second tube 57 of smaller diameter than the ring 49, intended to be inserted into a correspondingly shaped housing of the lamp head 5 or the corresponding second connecting piece 47.

The ring 49 and the first 47 and second 57 hollow tubes are in particular advantageously made in one piece, for example by boring a thick aluminum tube.

The base 51 is advantageously located in the interior space of one of the two tubes 45, 57 or the ring 49. alternative embodiment not shown, said tube may carry at its free end the first or second electrical contacts 27, 29.

The base 53 and the corresponding male connector may in particular be commercially available "Jack" type sockets, of known format 2, 5mm, 3.5mm or 6.3mm, preferably 6.3mm for its increased diameter and therefore its superior strength.

Alternatively, connectors derived from the RCA connectors (Radiophonie Company of America) may be used. These connectors have a central finger forming a first contact and a ring surrounding the finger and forming a second contact, which are relatively widespread.

The second connecting piece 43 is tubular and intended to be inserted in a correspondingly shaped housing of the lamp head 5, here the inside of the tubular section 17 of the lamp head 5. The ferromagnetic ring 55 is then disposed of to face, in the assembled state of the body 3 and the lamp head 5, to the annular magnet 53.

The second connecting piece 43 is intended to be inserted into the lamp head 5 in order to form a reinforcement thereof at the connection with the lamp body 3. In particular, the second connecting piece 43 carries the second attachment means 29, here the ferromagnetic ring 55.

The second connecting piece 43 encloses the second tube 57, which increases the torsional strength of the connection between the body 3 and the lamp head 5 at the connecting pieces 41, 43. If the shape and rigidity of the head 5 permit the second connecting piece 43 can be omitted, in which case the first connecting piece 41 is then directly connected with the section tubular 17 or an equivalent part of the lamp head 5.

Of course, an alternative embodiment may be provided in which the second connector piece 43 is carried by the lamp body 3, while the first connector piece 41 is carried by the lamp head 5.

The magnet 53 and the ferromagnetic ring 55 attract each other, which allows axial retention of the lamp head 5 while allowing the rotation thereof. In particular, the dimensions of the magnet 53 and the ferromagnetic ring 55 are chosen so that a force greater than the weight of the lamp head is necessary to detach them, to prevent said lamp head 5 from coming off the body 3 under the effect of its own weight and thus ensure its maintenance in all positions.

The magnet 53 may also be annular, and cooperate with the end of the tubular section 17 for the axial retention of the lamp head 3.

Alternatively or in addition to the magnet 53, it is possible to place a friction skirt 59 on the removable holding portion 55. The friction skirt 59 is then preferably tubular and made of polyoxyethylene material for its tribological properties (coefficients friction and wear resistance).

It is also possible to make the connecting piece without apparent ring 49, integrating the base 51 in the other portions of the connecting piece 41.

The use of such connecting pieces 41 and / or 43 makes it possible to mount the contacts 11, 13 and the attachment means 27, 29 on the lamp body 3 by affixing to the end of the tube 7 by means of the fixing portion 47. The connecting piece 41 or 43 reinforces the structure of the luminaire 1 at the connection between the body 3 and the lamp head 5 in that it is rigid and thus allows to distribute and dissipate the torsional forces applied to its level. The use of a tube 7 with a thin tubular metal layer

21 allows to obtain a lamp body 3 with greater flexibility.

The free pivot connection in a number of complete revolutions of rotation placed at the end of the lamp body 3 consisting essentially of a flexible tube 7 as previously described makes it possible to orient the light beam produced by the lamp head 3 in all possible directions without having to pay attention, for example, to a hinge or cable which could potentially give way under the force applied to orient said beam. In addition, the electrical contacts 11, 13 and attachment means 27,

29 of the body 3 and the lamp head 5 can interchange various lamp heads 5 of different shapes and properties on the same lamp body 3 without having to reposition it.

Claims

Connecting piece (41, 43) for forming a mechanical and electrical connection between a tubular lamp body (3) and a lamp head (5), characterized in that it comprises:

A fixing portion (47) for attaching the connecting piece (41) to either the lamp body (3) or the lamp head (5),

First attachment means (27) intended to cooperate with corresponding second fastening means (29), configured to form a pivot connection about an axis (A), with these corresponding second fastening means (29); attaching the lamp body (3) to the lamp head (5), and

• first electrical contacts (11) configured to cooperate by rotary friction respectively with corresponding second electrical contacts (13) for routing a supply current to a light source (17) of the lamp head (5) so as to be continuously conductive during a rotation of the lamp head about the axis (A).

Connecting piece according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing portion (47) is extended by a stiffening portion (45) forming a structural reinforcement.

Connecting piece according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first electrical contacts (11) are made in the form of a male or a female type connector. tip-ring-sleeve.

Connecting piece according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the first and second attachment means (27, 29) attract each other by magnetism.

Connecting piece according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first attachment means (27) comprise an annular magnet (53) or a ferromagnetic element (58).

Connecting piece according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is in the form of a hollow tube (45) forming a stiffening portion intended to be in contact with an inner tubular wall of the lamp head (5). ) or the lamp body (3), carrying inside said first or second attachment means and said first or second electrical contacts (11, 13).

Connecting piece according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is in the form of a hollow tube (45) forming a stiffening portion intended to be in contact with an inner tubular wall of the lamp body ( 3) or the lamp head (5), the first hollow tube (45) bearing on its outer skirt mounting bores (47) forming a fixing portion, and being extended at one end by a ring (49) of diameter greater than the first tube (45) and carrying the first or second attachment means (27, 29), the ring (49) being extended by a second hollow tube (57) of smaller diameter than the ring (49), the one of the hollow tubes (45, 57) or the ring (49) carrying in its interior space the first or second electrical contacts (11, 13).

8. Connecting piece according to claim 7, characterized in that the first hollow tube (45), the ring (49) and the second tube (57) are made in one piece.

9. Connecting piece according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it comprises an annular housing for receiving the first or second attachment means (27, 29).

10. Lamp body (3) for carrying a lamp head (5), characterized in that it comprises at one end a connecting piece (45) according to one of the preceding claims. 11. lamp body (3) according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a tube (7) shape memory comprising a metal layer (71) surrounded by two layers, respectively inner (73) and outer (75). ) of flexible insulating material.

Lamp body (3) according to claim 11, characterized in that the metal thin layer (71) is an aluminum layer and that the insulating material of the inner (73) and outer (75) layers is crosslinked polyethylene.

13. Lamp body (3) according to one of claims 10, 11 or 12, characterized in that the supply current is conveyed by the metal layer (71).

Lamp head (5) intended to be carried by a lamp body (3), characterized in that it comprises at one end a connecting piece (45) according to one of claims 1 to 9.

15. Luminaire characterized in that it comprises a lamp body (3) according to one of claims 10 to 13 and a lamp head (5) according to claim 14.