JP7761876B2 - lighting equipment - Google Patents

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a lighting device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are lighting devices that are attached to wiring ducts when used.
In this lighting device, an attachment mechanism for detachably attaching the lighting unit to the wiring duct is integral with the lighting unit, so when attaching or detaching the lighting unit, the attachment mechanism must be operated to attach or detach it from the wiring duct, which makes the attachment and detachment process time-consuming.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-119672

An object of the present invention is to provide a lighting device that can improve the ease of attaching and detaching a lighting unit to a wiring duct.

The lighting device of the embodiment includes a wiring duct mounting unit and a lighting unit. The wiring duct mounting unit has a wiring duct mounting portion attached to the wiring duct and a magnetic force generating portion disposed on the underside . The lighting unit has a cover having side portions on both sides and an opening on the upper surface between the side portions, a light source mounting portion disposed within the cover, a light source attached to the underside of the light source mounting portion, and a magnetic material portion attached to the upper surface of the light source mounting portion and held by magnetic force by the magnetic force generating portion of the wiring duct mounting unit. The width dimension between the inner sides of the side portions on both sides of the cover is wider than the width dimension of the wiring duct mounting unit, and the wiring duct mounting unit is disposed within the cover through the opening .

The wiring duct mounting unit of this embodiment is expected to improve the ease of attaching and detaching the lighting unit to the wiring duct.

1 is a perspective view of a lighting device showing a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the lighting device as viewed from the longitudinal direction. FIG. 2 is a side view of the lighting device with a portion omitted as viewed from the longitudinal direction. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a wiring duct mounting unit on a holding side of the lighting device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a wiring duct mounting unit on the power supply side of the lighting device. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the wiring duct mounting unit on the holding side of the lighting device according to the second embodiment.

The first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

In Figures 1 to 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a wiring duct (lighting duct). This wiring duct 10 is provided in the shape of a long rail and is installed on an installation surface such as a ceiling, allowing electrical equipment to be attached at any position along the length and electrically connected for use.

The wiring duct 10 comprises a duct body 11, a pair of insulators 12 arranged on both sides of the duct body 11 in the width direction, which is the short direction that intersects the longitudinal direction, and a pair of conductors 13 attached to each of these insulators 12.

The duct body 11 is made of a metal such as aluminum, and is elongated and hollow, roughly rectangular. A duct opening 11a is provided longitudinally in the center of the underside of the duct body 11. Support edges 11b are provided on both sides of the duct opening 11a at the bottom of the duct body 11. A polarity protrusion 11c, which indicates the ground side polarity, protrudes downward from one side of the lower part of the duct body 11.

The pair of insulators 12 are made of, for example, resin and are provided in a long length. The pair of insulators 12 support the conductor 13 and are arranged longitudinally within the duct body 11 on both sides of the duct opening 11a.

The pair of conductors 13 are elongated, for example, made of metal plates. The pair of conductors 13 are arranged facing each other on both sides of the duct opening 11a within the duct body 11 by a pair of insulators 12. A predetermined external power, such as AC power or DC power, from an external power source is passed through the pair of conductors 13.

In addition, in Figures 1 to 3, reference numeral 20 denotes a lighting device. The lighting device 20 is attached to any position along the longitudinal direction of the wiring duct 10 and is electrically connected for use. The lighting device 20 is formed long and is a slim lighting device whose width dimension in the width direction, which is the short side direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, is smaller than its height dimension in the height direction. The lighting device 20 corresponds to forming a line light source by arranging multiple lighting devices 20 consecutively along the longitudinal direction of the wiring duct 10.

The lighting device 20 includes a lighting unit 21, a holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 which is an adapter that attaches one end of the lighting unit 21 to the wiring duct 10, and a power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 which is an adapter that attaches the other end of the lighting unit 21 to the wiring duct 10.

The lighting unit 21 comprises a cover 30, which serves as a housing, a light source mounting section 31 arranged within the cover 30, a light source 32 attached to the light source mounting section 31 and arranged within the cover 30, and a power supply section 33.

The cover 30 is made of resin and is long and box-shaped, with its width dimension in the short direction (the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction) being smaller than its height dimension in the height direction. The cover 30 has a front surface 35, side surfaces 36 on both sides in the short direction, and end surfaces 37 on both ends in the longitudinal direction, with an opening 38 formed on the top surface. The cover 30 is constructed by combining the front surface 35 and side surfaces 36 formed integrally with the end surfaces 37 formed separately.

The lower side of the cover 30, i.e., the front surface 35 and the lower sides of the side surfaces 36 and end surfaces 37, are formed as translucent sections 39 that transmit light from the light source 32, while the upper side of the cover 30, i.e., the upper sides of the side surfaces 36 and end surfaces 37, are formed as opaque sections 40 that do not transmit light. The translucent sections 39 and opaque sections 40 of the cover 30 are integrally formed by two-color molding.

The distance between the insides of the side surfaces 36 on both sides of the cover 30 is wider than the width of the wiring duct mounting units 22, 23, allowing the wiring duct mounting units 22, 23 to be placed inside the cover 30 through the opening 38.

A light source holder 41 is provided on the inner surface of each side surface 36 of the cover 30, at the midpoint in the height direction of the side surface 36, below the opaque portion 40.

The light source mounting portion 31 is made of, for example, metal and is elongated. The light source mounting portion 31 is attached between the light source holders 41 on both side surfaces 36 of the cover 30.

The light source (light source module) 32 is attached to the underside of the light source holding part 31. A roughly L-shaped support part 43 is provided on one width side of the underside of the light source holding part 31, supporting one width side of the light source (light source module) 32. A plurality of screws 44 are threadedly attached to the other width side of the underside of the light source holding part 41 for screwing in the other width side of the light source (light source module) 32.

The light source 32 is a light source module. The light source 32 has a long substrate 46 and a plurality of light-emitting elements 47 mounted at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction on the surface of the substrate 46. The light-emitting elements 47 are LEDs, organic ELs, or the like. The back side of the substrate 46 is attached to the underside of the light source mounting portion 31 and is thermally connected to it. Note that the light source 32 is not limited to a light source module, and can be any device that emits light, such as a lamp.

The power supply unit 33 is attached near the longitudinal center on the upper surface of the light source attachment unit 31. The power supply unit 33 is electrically connected to the power supply wiring duct attachment unit 23 via wiring, and receives external power supplied from the wiring duct 10. The power supply unit 33 converts the input external power into lighting power, such as DC power, required to light the light source 32, and supplies it to the light source 32. The lighting power output unit of the power supply unit 33 and the light source 32 are electrically connected via wiring.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 includes a housing 52 having a main body 50 and an insertion portion 51 protruding from the top surface of the main body 50, a pair of mounting members 53 arranged movably in the width direction within the housing 52 and protruding movably from both side surfaces of the insertion portion 51 in the width direction, a biasing member (not shown) that biases each mounting member 53 in the direction of protrusion from the insertion portion 51, and an operating member 54 arranged to be operable from the end side of the main body 50.

The main body 50 and the insertion portion 51 protruding from the top surface of the main body 50 are shaped like a long rectangular parallelepiped that corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the wiring duct 10 and cover 30. The width of the main body 50 is wider than the duct opening 11a, and recesses 55 are provided on both sides of the top surface of the main body 50 in the width direction, where the polarity protrusions 11c of the wiring duct 10 are positioned. The insertion portion 51 can be inserted into the wiring duct 10 through the duct opening 11a.

The pair of mounting members 53 have wiring duct mounting portions 56 that protrude from the side of the insertion portion 51. The wiring duct mounting portions 56 are claw-shaped, with the upper surface sloping downward toward the tip and the lower surface acting as a locking surface perpendicular to the side of the insertion portion 51. The wiring duct mounting portions 56 of each mounting member 53 can move widthwise from the side of the insertion portion 51 and are removably attached to the support edge portion 11b of the wiring duct 10.

The operating member 54 is arranged on the main body 50 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction, with an operating section 57 provided on one end protruding from one end face of the main body 50. The operating member 54 is configured to interlock with the pair of mounting members 53 via an interlocking mechanism such as a cam or rack and pinion, and when the operating section 57 is pushed into the main body 50 and moves, the pair of mounting members 53 move into the insertion section 51 against the bias of the biasing member.

As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 includes a housing 60, a plug 61 that protrudes from the top surface of the housing 60 and is rotatable horizontally around a vertical axis, and an operating member 62 that rotates the plug 61.

The housing 60 is formed in approximately the same shape as the main body 50 of the housing 52 of the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22. Therefore, similar to the recessed portions 55 of the main body 50, recessed portions 60a are provided on both sides of the width of the top surface of the housing 60, where the polarity protrusions 11c of the wiring duct 10 are positioned.

The plug 61 has a resin plug body 63. The plug body 63 has a diameter (width) smaller than the width of the duct opening 11a of the wiring duct 10, allowing it to be inserted into the duct opening 11a. A pair of wiring duct mounting portions 64 and a pair of terminals 65 protrude from the side of the plug body 63. The pair of wiring duct mounting portions 64 are integral with the plug body 63 and have the same width as the plug body 63. They protrude in opposite directions relative to the center of the plug body 63, allowing them to be engaged and disengaged with the support edge 11b of the wiring duct 10. The pair of terminals 65 protrude in the same direction as the pair of wiring duct mounting portions 64, above the plug body 63, and in the opposite direction relative to the center of the plug body 63. These terminals contact and electrically connect the pair of conductors 13 of the wiring duct 10. The pair of terminals 65 are electrically connected to the power input portion of the power supply unit 33. This electrical connection may be achieved by attaching the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 and the lighting unit 21 so that their terminals come into contact with each other, or by using wiring with a connector.

The operating member 62 is connected to the lower side of the plug body 63, allowing the pair of wiring duct mounting portions 64 and the pair of terminals 65 to rotate together between a disconnected position along the length of the housing 60 and a connected position along the width of the housing 60. The operating member 62 has an operating portion 66 located on one side of the housing 60, and operating the operating portion 66 allows the plug 61 to be rotated.

The cover 30 may also be provided with an operation window that allows the operating member 62 of the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 to be rotated when the lighting unit 21 is attached to the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 is equipped with a magnetic force generating unit 70 that magnetically holds and mounts the lighting unit 21. The magnetic force generating unit 70 is located on the underside of the main body 50 of the housing 52 facing the lighting unit 21. The magnetic force generating unit 70 is equipped with a magnet that generates magnetic force, such as a permanent magnet, and may further be equipped with a contact magnetic body through which the magnetic force from the magnet passes and contacts the magnetic body to be held.

The lighting unit 21 includes a magnetic material portion 71 that is attached and held by magnetic force to the magnetic force generating portion 70 of the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22. The magnetic material portion 71 is formed into a plate shape using a ferromagnetic material such as an iron plate, and is attached to the upper surface of the light source mounting portion 31. One end of the magnetic material portion 71 is bent into a roughly L-shape, with this end attached to the upper surface of the light source mounting portion 31 and the other end positioned above and away from the light source mounting portion 31 so that it abuts against the magnetic force generating portion 70 and is held by magnetic force at the position where the lighting unit 21 is attached to the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23, like the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 described above, is equipped with a magnetic force generating unit 70 that magnetically holds and mounts the lighting unit 21. The magnetic force generating unit 70 is located on the underside of the housing 60 facing the lighting unit 21.

As described above, the lighting unit 21 also has a magnetic material part 71 that is attached by magnetic force to the magnetic force generating part 70 of the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23.

As a first example of an installation method for installing the lighting device 20 in the wiring duct 10, first the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 and the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 are attached to the wiring duct 10, and then the lighting unit 21 is attached to the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 and the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23. In this case, the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 and the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 are attached to the wiring duct 10 with a predetermined distance between them corresponding to the positions of the magnetic material portions 71 on both ends of the lighting unit 21.

The insertion portion 51 of the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 is inserted from below into the duct opening 11a of the wiring duct 10. During the insertion process, the inclined upper surfaces of the wiring duct mounting portion 56 of the mounting member 53 abut against the support edges 11b on both sides of the wiring duct 10, and the wiring duct mounting portion 56 retracts toward the insertion portion 51 against the bias of the biasing member. When the wiring duct mounting portion 56 is pushed up above the support edges 11b on both sides of the wiring duct 10, the bias of the biasing member causes the wiring duct mounting portion 56 to protrude from the side of the insertion portion 51 and engage with the support edges 11b on both sides of the wiring duct 10, and the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 is attached to the wiring duct 10.

The power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 is constructed by inserting the plug 61 into the duct opening 11a of the wiring duct 10 from below, and then operating the operating portion 66 of the operating member 54 to rotate the plug 61 while the top surface of the housing 60 is in contact with the wiring duct 10. When the plug 61 is rotated, the pair of wiring duct mounting portions 64 engage with the support edge portions 11b on both sides of the wiring duct 10 and are fixed by engaging between the support edge portions 11b and the insulator 12, and the pair of terminals 65 come into contact with the pair of conductors 13 of the wiring duct 10, thereby establishing an electrical connection.

Lift the lighting unit 21 and move it upward so that the wiring duct mounting units 22, 23 attached to the wiring duct 10 can enter the cover 30 through the opening 38 on the top side.

As a result, the magnetic material parts 71 located on both ends of the lighting unit 21 face the magnetic force generating parts 70 of the wiring duct mounting units 22, 23, and as they approach each other, the magnetic force generated by the magnetic force generating parts 70 attracts the magnetic material parts 71, bringing them into contact and holding them in place. When the magnetic force generating parts 70 and magnetic material parts 71 are in contact with each other, the magnetic holding force is at its maximum.

As a result, both ends of the lighting unit 21 are attached to the wiring duct 10 via the wiring duct mounting units 22, 23. Note that the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 and the power supply unit 33 may be electrically connected by having their terminals come into contact when the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 and the lighting unit 21 are attached, or they may be electrically connected by wiring with a connector.

In this way, the installation of the lighting device 20 is completed, and it can be easily done by a single worker.

As a second example of an installation method, the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 can be attached to the wiring duct 10, the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 can be attached to one end of the lighting unit 21 by magnetic force, and the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 attached to one end of the lighting unit 21 can be attached to the wiring duct 10 while the other end of the lighting unit 21 is attached to the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 by magnetic force. In this case, the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 can be attached to the wiring duct 10 without having to consider the distance from the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23, making installation easier.

On the other hand, when removing the lighting device 20 from the wiring duct 10, first move the lighting unit 21 downward against the magnetic force, and then move the magnetic material portions 71 on both ends of the lighting unit 21 away from the magnetic force generating portions 70 of the wiring duct mounting units 22, 23, thereby removing the lighting unit 21 from the wiring duct 10.

Then, in the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22, the operating portion 57 is pushed in from the end of the main body 50, and the pair of wiring duct mounting portions 56 is moved back from the duct main body 11 into the insertion portion 51, thereby removing the pair of wiring duct mounting portions 56 from above the support edge portions 11b on both sides of the wiring duct 10, and the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 is moved downward to remove it from the wiring duct 10.

In the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23, the operating part 66 is operated to rotate the plug 61, moving the pair of wiring duct mounting parts 64 from above the support edge parts 11b on both sides of the wiring duct 10 onto the duct opening 11a, and moving the pair of terminals 82 from a position contacting the conductors 13 on both sides of the wiring duct 10 onto the duct opening 11a, thereby moving the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 downward and removing it from the wiring duct 10.

In the first embodiment, the wiring duct mounting units 22, 23 attached to the wiring duct 10 are equipped with a magnetic force generating unit 70, and the lighting unit 21 is equipped with a magnetic material unit 71. This allows the lighting unit 21 to be attached by magnetic force and can be removed by resisting the magnetic force, improving the ease of attaching and detaching the lighting unit 21 to the wiring duct 10.

Also, as in the second embodiment shown in Figure 6, the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 may include a magnetic material portion 71, and the lighting unit 21 may include a magnetic force generating portion 70. In this case, a magnetic force generating portion mounting member 72 is used to attach the magnetic force generating portion 70 to the light source mounting portion 31, and this magnetic force generating portion mounting member 72 is used to position the lighting unit 21 at a position where it is attached to the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22, and the magnetic force generating portion 70 abuts against the magnetic material portion 71, allowing it to be held by magnetic force. The power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 may also be configured in a similar manner.

In addition, one of the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 or the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23 may be used as an adapter to hold the lighting unit 21 in place using magnetic force, while the other may be fixed to the lighting unit 21.

Alternatively, the wiring duct 10 may be attached using either the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 or the power supply wiring duct mounting unit 23. When only the holding wiring duct mounting unit 22 is attached to the wiring duct 10, power may be supplied via a feeder wiring from another adjacent lighting device, or a separate power supply unit may be used to receive power from the wiring duct 10.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments may be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

10 Wiring duct 20 Lighting device 21 Lighting unit 22, 23 Wiring duct mounting unit
30 covers
31 Light source mounting part
32 light sources
36 side part
56, 64 Wiring duct mounting portion 70 Magnetic force generating portion 71 Magnetic material portion

Claims (2)

a wiring duct mounting unit having a wiring duct mounting portion to be mounted on the wiring duct and a magnetic force generating portion disposed on the lower surface side ;
a lighting unit having a cover having side portions on both sides and an opening on an upper surface side between the side portions, a light source mounting portion disposed within the cover, a light source mounted on a lower surface side of the light source mounting portion, and a magnetic body portion mounted on the upper surface side of the light source mounting portion and held by magnetic force to the magnetic force generating portion of the wiring duct mounting unit, wherein a width dimension between the inner sides of the side portions on both sides of the cover is wider than a width dimension of the wiring duct mounting unit, and the wiring duct mounting unit is disposed within the cover through the opening ;
A lighting device comprising: a wiring duct mounting unit having a wiring duct mounting portion to be mounted on the wiring duct and a magnetic portion disposed on the lower surface side ;
a lighting unit having a cover having side portions on both sides and an opening on an upper surface between the side portions, a light source mounting portion disposed within the cover, a light source mounted on a lower surface side of the light source mounting portion, and a magnetic force generating portion mounted on the upper surface side of the light source mounting portion and holding and mounting the magnetic material portion of the wiring duct mounting unit by magnetic force, wherein the width dimension between the inner sides of the side portions on both sides of the cover is wider than the width dimension of the wiring duct mounting unit, and the wiring duct mounting unit is disposed within the cover through the opening ;
A lighting device comprising: