Connector and feed-in component and lighting arrangement with such a connector and/or feed-in component

1 . A connector,

which, in each case, with a connector portion of the same, can be inserted into rail portions of a lighting system;

wherein the rail portions are each provided with a conductor arrangement for supplying to lighting devices, capable of being coupled to the rail portions, at least an electrical operating current;

wherein the connector is configured to electrically couple the conductor arrangements of at least two of the rail portions to one another;

wherein the connector comprises a printed circuit board having conductive traces, and the connector comprises contact elements, which are each firmly connected to the printed circuit board and are configured in each case to contact a respective conductor of one of the conductor arrangements of the at least two rail portions;

wherein the connector enables an electrical coupling of corresponding ones of the conductors of the conductor arrangements of the at least two rail portions by means of an electrical coupling of associated ones of the contact elements using at least one of the conductive traces;

wherein the connector comprises a housing part, wherein the contact elements, in the absence of an external force acting on the contact element, in each case abut against a region of the housing part in a resiliently prestressed manner; and

wherein the housing part comprises side walls which are each provided with recesses, wherein the contact elements and the recesses are arranged and configured in such a way that a contact portion of one of the contact elements provided for contacting a conductor projects outwards through the recesses in each case.

2 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the contact elements are configured to be elastically resilient.

3 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the printed circuit board is accommodated in an inner region of the housing part.

4 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the contact elements are each configured to have a bearing portion which, in the absence of the external force acting on the contact element, abuts against the housing part on the inside in a resiliently prestressed manner.

5 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in the edge region of the recess assigned to the contact element, in the absence of the external force acting on the contact element, the contact elements abut against the side wall on the inside in a resiliently prestressed manner.

6 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the side walls adjoin a base of the housing part, wherein the printed circuit board is substantially parallel to the base; and wherein the side walls together with the base and with further walls of the housing part form a box-like shape.

7 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the side walls are also configured with latching means for holding the connector in the rail portions in a latching manner.

8 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the connector is configured to have an I-like basic shape, wherein the connector portions are configured as free, mutually aligned end regions of the connector; or wherein the connector is formed to have an X-like basic shape or an L-like basic shape or a T-like basic shape, wherein the connector portions are configured as arm-like extending regions of the connector.

9 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the connector is configured to have an X-like basic shape, the connector portions being configured as arm-like extending regions of the connector, and wherein the connector comprises two printed circuit boards each having a substantially L-like basic shape, a number of the contact elements each being arranged on one of the two printed circuit boards, two of the connector portions each being assigned to one of the two printed circuit boards, and the two printed circuit boards being arranged in such a way that peak regions each of the substantially L-shaped basic shape of the same are adjacent to one another.

10 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the contact elements of the connector comprise contact elements, each being configured to contact conductors to provide a DC operating voltage for the lighting devices.

11 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the conductor arrangement, with which the rail portions are each provided, is furthermore configured to provide a control signal for controlling one or more of the lighting devices capable of being coupled to the rail portions.

12 . Connector according to claim 11 ,

wherein the contact elements of the connector comprise contact elements each of which is configured to contact conductors for providing the control signal.

13 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the contact elements are each soldered to the printed circuit board.

14 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the contact elements are each configured with a fastening portion for the fixed connection to the printed circuit board and a cranked, resilient intermediate portion following the fastening portion.

15 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein the printed circuit board is configured with elongated printed circuit board portions, each of which being assigned to one of the connector portions and extending in the respectively assigned connector portion, and furthermore wherein the printed circuit board portion has a cutout at one edge thereof in each case for receiving an associated one of the contact elements in certain regions.

16 . Connector according to claim 1 ,

wherein a direction along which the contact elements can spring back when the connector is inserted into the rail portions is substantially transverse to a longitudinal extension direction of the connector portion, in which the contact element is arranged, and substantially parallel to a main extension surface of the printed circuit board.

17 . Lighting arrangement comprising at least two rail portions, at least one connector according to claim 1 , and at least one lighting device, wherein the rail portions are each provided with a conductor arrangement and the lighting device is coupled to one of the rail portions and can be supplied with at least electrical operating current by its conductor arrangement; and

wherein the connector with a connector portion thereof in each case is inserted into the rail portions and electrically couples the conductor arrangements of the rail portions to one another.

18 . A feed-in component,

which can be inserted into at least one rail portion of a lighting system;

wherein the rail portion is provided with a conductor arrangement for supplying at least electrical operating current to lighting devices capable of being coupled to the rail portion;

wherein the feed-in component is configured to feed the conductor arrangement of the rail portion at least with the electrical operating current;

wherein the feed-in component comprises a printed circuit board having conductive traces and the feed-in component comprises contact elements each of which being fixedly connected to the printed circuit board and configured to contact a conductor of the conductor arrangement of the rail portion in each case;

wherein the feed-in component enables conductors of the conductor arrangement of the rail portion to be electrically coupled to the corresponding conductors of a feed line using at least one of the conductive traces;

wherein the feed-in component comprises a housing part, wherein the contact elements, in the absence of an external force acting on the contact element, in each case abut against a region of the housing part in a resiliently prestressed manner; and

wherein the housing part comprises side walls which are each provided with recesses, wherein the contact elements and the recesses are arranged and configured in such a way that a contact portion of one of the contact elements provided for contacting a conductor projects outwards through the recesses in each case.

19 . Lighting arrangement comprising at least one rail portion, at least one feed-in component according to claim 18 , and at least one lighting device,

wherein the rail portion is provided with a conductor arrangement and the lighting device is coupled to the rail portion and can be supplied with at least electrical operating current by the conductor arrangement thereof; and

wherein the feed-in component is inserted into the rail portion and feeds the conductor arrangement of the rail portion with at least the electrical operating current.

20 . A connector,

which, in each case, with a connector portion of the same, can be inserted into rail portions of a lighting system;

wherein the rail portions are each provided with a conductor arrangement for supplying to lighting devices, capable of being coupled to the rail portions, at least an electrical operating current;

wherein the connector is configured to electrically couple the conductor arrangements of at least two of the rail portions to one another;

wherein the connector comprises a printed circuit board having conductive traces, and the connector comprises contact elements, which are each firmly connected to the printed circuit board and are configured in each case to contact a respective conductor of one of the conductor arrangements of the at least two rail portions;

wherein the connector enables an electrical coupling of corresponding ones of the conductors of the conductor arrangements of the at least two rail portions by means of an electrical coupling of associated ones of the contact elements using at least one of the conductive traces; and

wherein a direction along which the contact elements can spring back when the connector is inserted into the rail portions is substantially transverse to a longitudinal extension direction of the connector portion, in which the contact element is arranged, and substantially parallel to a main extension surface of the printed circuit board.