WO2009122325A1

WO2009122325A1 - Tile spacer

Info

Publication number: WO2009122325A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/051218
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chiara Mulas; Maarten M. J. W. Van Herpen; Ferry Zijp
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 2008-03-31
Filing date: 2009-03-24
Publication date: 2009-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 2010-09-30
Also published as: TW201007065A

Abstract

This invention relates to a tile spacer (100) for assembling of electronic tiles (501, 600) on a support surface (10). The tile spacer (100) has an elongated main body (101) with a first and a second end portion (102, 103), on which main body (101) at least one protruding portion (110) is arranged such that each protruding portion in combination with the first and the second end portion forms seating engagements for spacing adjacent corners of a pair of neighboring tiles. The tile spacer comprises a plurality of secondary electrical connectors (115) connectable to power terminals (117) of the electronic tiles.

Description

Tile spacer

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to lighting systems based on electronic tiles and more particularly to a tile spacer and method for assembling electronic tiles on a support surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of light emitting diodes, LEDs, in lighting systems comprising a plurality of lighting panels or light emitting tiles is known. The main idea is to combine a plurality of light emitting tiles to create large light emitting areas. These areas can for instance be utilized to display information or to arrange decorative lighting effects in order to create a desired light atmosphere in a room or building.

A lighting system using a plurality of tiles in which an interior space is lit by LEDs is taught in WO-2004094896. A plurality of tiles are mounted with bracket elements to form a lighting system with a large area. The bracket elements are utilized to interconnect tiles mechanically such that a continuous freestanding assembly is created. The bracket elements furthermore provide attachment and hanging capability to the tile assembly such that it may be mounted on a wall. Moreover, the bracket elements provide spacing between adjacent tiles. The spacing may be utilized to integrate wires channel for power cables to electrically supply the LEDs in the system. It is desirable to be able to use lighting systems such as the one described above to cover large surfaces, such as a floor, ceiling, wall, or building exterior. When installing these lighting systems outdoors or when using them in demanding indoor environments, like for instance bathrooms and kitchens, aspects regarding environmental effects on the lighting systems must be attended to. Electrical safety, resistance to influence of moist and water on the wall covering are main issues that prior art solutions do not provide sufficient technical solutions to.

Furthermore, it is also desirable to provide lighting systems that are easy to install. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tile spacer and a method of mounting electronic tiles that alleviates at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art. This object is achieved by a tile spacer, a system and a method of mounting electronic tiles according to the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Thus, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tile spacer for assembling of electronic tiles on a support surface. The tile spacer has an elongated main body with a first and a second end portion, on which main body at least one protruding portion is arranged such that each protruding portion in combination with the first and the second end portion forms seating engagements for spacing adjacent corners of a pair of neighboring tiles. The tile spacer further comprises a plurality of secondary electrical connectors connectable power terminals of the electronic tiles.

Thus, there is provided a tile spacer which allows for mounting and electrical interconnecting of a plurality of individual tiles in an advantageous way. One advantage with the tile spacer according to the present inventive concept is that the functionality of spacing and electrical interconnecting are now integrated in one element, making installation easier and faster. The tile spacer is constructed so as to support the spatial positioning of adjacent corners of the plurality of adjacent tiles, as well as spacing adjacent tiles resulting in a predetermined interspacing and well defined positioning of the plurality of tiles. The electrical interconnecting of the adjacent tiles to the tile spacer enables an equally distributed power distribution between the plurality of tiles, and when connecting a tile to a group of already connected tiles this may be done without affecting the already connected tiles.

In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the main body comprises a primary electrical connector connectable to a power cable. The primary electrical connector and the secondary connectors are interconnected within the tile spacer. Thus, the tile spacer is arranged to allow for individually connecting each tile to electrical power via the secondary connectors. The secondary connectors are interconnected to the primary electrical connector within the tile spacer, that is, in protection from environmentally challenging conditions, like moist for instance.

In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the primary electrical connector is arranged on the back side of the tile spacer, and the plurality of secondary electrical connectors are arranged on the front side of the tile spacer. This is favorable because it allows having the power cable to which the tiles are to be connected arranged in the back, against the support surface on which the tile spacer and tiles are to be mounted. The tile spacer may then be electrically connected to the power cable via the primary electrical connector before the additional mounting of the tiles. The tiles have to be mechanically mounted onto the support surface, which is preferably done before electrically connecting the tiles. When the mounting of the tiles is completed, they may then be electrically connected to the tile spacer by connecting the power terminals of the tiles to the secondary connectors arranged on the front side of the of the tile spacer.

In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the primary electrical connector comprises sharp metal pins which are arranged to be pressed through the power cable to electrically connect to the power cable.

Thus, the electrical connection to the power cable is done by pressing the tile spacer onto the power cable, such that the sharp metal pins are set in contact with the conducting wires in the power cable. Thus no complicated mounting comprising cutting off or pealing of the conducting wires of the power cable is necessary. This makes the electrical connecting of the tile spacers quick. The position of the tile spacer can be measured out in a convenient way and then the tile spacer is pressed onto the desired position of the power cable without having to cut and peal the power cable. This also has the benefit of allowing for a waterproof connection to the power cable as the sharp metal pins cut through an insulated power cable.

In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the main body is arranged having a cap part arranged to environmentally protect the connection between the primary electrical connector and the power cable, which is advantageous.

In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the main body has a recess on the back side, the recess spanning from the first end portion to the second end portion. The recess is adapted to receive the power cable. This provides a convenient way of letting the power cable continue through the tile spacer so to provide power to yet another tile spacer which is to be mounted to support even more tiles.

In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the at least one protruding portion and the first and second end portions are arranged to form one of a T, an L, and a cross. Different shapes of the tile spacers may be used for supporting tiles that are positioned in a corner or the rim of a system containing a large number of tiles which is advantageous from an esthetic point of view. In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the electronic tiles are light emitting tiles.

In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the electronic tiles comprise light emitting diodes arranged in a glass substrate. This embodiment in which the light emitting tiles are realized as light emitting diodes arranged in a glass substrate has the advantage of providing an embedded LED system, which is water-tight, while at the same time having a high optical transparency for the light. In an alternative embodiment a structure is placed behind the LED in glass, in order to decorate the (now visible) backside of the LED in glass panel. In accordance with an embodiment of the tile spacer, the primary connector and the secondary electrical connectors are further arranged for providing data connections to the electrical tiles, which is advantageous when providing a controllable system of electrical tiles. Each individual electrical tile may be addressed and controlled by a control system. In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a lighting module system, the system comprising: a plurality of tiles, wherein at least one tile comprises at least one light source provided with power terminals; a power supply; at least one tile spacer according to the present invention; and wherein the system is mounted onto a support surface.

Thus, the tile spacer according to the present invention is advantageously used in a system containing a plurality of tiles that are to be mounted onto a support system and which are to be powered with a power supply. The tile spacers allow for a flexible system allowing a user defined mounting of the system. Hence, specific demands set by the user or the mounting location with respect to the total size and shape and electrical connections of the system are met by this type of system. Furthermore, the system supports mixing of tiles with and without need for electrical connection, i.e. ordinary tiles which do not require power is easily integrated amongst tiles with a need for powering.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of mounting tiles, the method comprising: mounting at least one tile to a support surface with at least one corner into engagement with at least one tile spacer according to the present invention; and connecting power terminals of the at least one tile to the secondary electrical connectors of a corresponding tile spacer. The method provides a fast and secure way of installing a number of tiles. The distance between each tile spacer is set to a predetermined distance based on the tile size and the interspacing that the tile spacers provide between adjacent tiles, and thus a number of tile spacers may be mounted in the same step, or alternatively one tile spacer is mounted at a time, followed by the mounting of tiles to that specific tile spacer, which ever is most convenient to the worker performing the mounting. Furthermore, the electrical tiles may be electrically connected to the tiles and alternatively additionally be interconnected with adjacent tiles via the secondary electrical connectors. The tiles may be connected in series or in parallel and a set of tiles can be interconnected so as to when providing one tile with an electrical power supply, the whole set of interconnected tiles are thus connected to electrical power. Furthermore, the method allows for additional electrical tiles may be mounted and provided with electrical power via the secondary electrical connectors of a set of already mounted tiles (which are previously connected to a power supply) which is advantageous.

In accordance with an embodiment of the method, the method further comprises: mounting a power cable on said support surface; and mounting at least one tile spacer according to the present invention onto the power cable, such that the primary electrical connector of the at least one spacer connects to the power cable. When mounting the power cable on the support surface a first adjustment of the alignment of the system is done in a favorable manner. The power cable may act as an aligning guide for the proceeding mounting of tile spacers and tiles.

Furthermore, when utilizing the method of mounting tiles according to the present inventive concept, each panel, or electrical tile, may be individually mounted into the electrical system without affecting the electrical connections to other electrical tiles already present in the system. As each tile may have access to a plurality of tile spacers (i.e. a square shaped tile can have access to four tile spacers), the method allows for a flexibility of the electrical solution of the powering of each tile, since each tile may have its power terminals connected to the secondary electrical connections of a tile spacer of choice. In accordance with an embodiment of the method, the step of mounting at least one tile to the support surface comprises fixating by means of an adhesive, which is convenient.

In accordance with an embodiment of the method, the method further comprising sealing interspaces between adjacent tiles. Sealing the mounted tile system is of great advantage for esthetical reasons, since sealing will hide the tile spacers and power cable. However, the current invention has the advantage that the electrical tiles can be sealed to provide a robust complete wall cover, floor etc. and the tiles are then possible to apply into demanding environments like bathrooms, outdoors, etc. By sealing the system, it can be made waterproof both by means of the electrical structure which is of great importance for safety reasons as well as functioning as a waterproof wall cover.

These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 a) is a perspective view, and b) is a bottom- view of an embodiment of a tile spacer according to the present invention, and c) illustrates an alternative embodiment of a tile spacer according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side-view of an embodiment of a tile spacer according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 illustrates a lighting system utilizing tile spacers in accordance with the present inventive concept;

Fig. 4 a) and b) illustrate alternative internal lay-outs of an electronic tile in accordance with the present inventive concept;

Fig. 5 a) and b) illustrate alternative interconnecting of tiles and tile spacers in accordance with the present inventive concept; and Fig. 6 a) - d) illustrate steps in an embodiment of a method for mounting tiles according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A first aspect of the present invention regards a tile spacer 100, which is intended for use when mounting tiles, and more particularly for assembling electronic tiles, e.g. light emitting tiles, on a support surface. A tile spacer 100, see Fig. Ia) and Fig. 2, comprises a main body 101 for assembling electronic tiles 501 - 504 on a support surface 10, see Fig. 3. Returning now to Fig. 1 a), the tile spacer 100 has an elongated main body 101 with a first and a second end portion, 102 and 103 respectively. In this exemplifying embodiment two spacing and protruding portions 110 and 111 are arranged on the main body 101 such that the main body 101 and the protruding portions 110 and 111 forms a cross. The protruding portion 110 and the first end portion 102 forms a seating engagement A. The protruding portion 110 and the second end portion 103 forms a seating engagement B. In the same manner the protruding portion 111 and the first end portion 102 forms a seating engagement D and the protruding portion 111 and the second end portion 103 forms a seating engagement C. Each seating engagement, A-D, is adapted to support a corner of a tile. (As an example, in Fig. 3, tile 501 has one corner engaged with seating engagement A and an opposite corner engaged in a seating engagement formed on tile spacer 170.) Adjacent corners of a pair of neighboring tiles will residence in A and B, B and D, C and D, and A and C.

The tile spacer 100 has a back side 112, see Fig. 1 b), intended to face the support surface 10 and an opposite front side 113. The main body 101 comprises a primary electrical connector 114 arranged to connect to a power cable 300, see Fig. 2. The power cable 300 typically comprises a plurality of power wires (not shown), such as + and ground. The main body further comprises a plurality of secondary electrical connectors 115. In this exemplifying embodiment the tile spacer 100 is arranged having four secondary connectors 115. The secondary connectors 115 are connectable to power terminals 117 of tiles that are engaged in the seating engagements of the tile spacer 100. The primary electrical connector 114 and said secondary connectors 115 are electrically interconnected within the tile spacer 100.

A recess 119 is arranged on the backside 112 of the main body 101 of the tile spacer 100. The recess 119 is shaped so as to receive the power wire 300 and preferably spans from the first end portion 102 the whole way to the second end portion 103. Thus, several tile spacers 100, 170, 180 can be mounted subsequently, in series, on the power wire 300 in a convenient way.

In an embodiment of the tile spacer 100 the primary electrical connector 114 comprises sharp metal pins which are arranged to be pressed through the power wire 300 to electrically connect to the power cable 300. In the exemplifying embodiment as described above, four electrical secondary connectors 115 are arranged to provide electrical connection to the tiles. These secondary connectors 115 are interconnected to the sharp metal pins. The number of sharp metal pins in the primary connector 114 are in this exemplifying embodiment two and two secondary connectors 115 are connected to each sharp metal pin. However, depending on how the interconnections to the secondary connectors 115 are arranged, the number of sharp metal pins may be chosen to be for instance four, which in that case allows for each secondary connector to be separately interconnected via an individual sharp metal pin to the power cable.

In an embodiment of the tile spacer 100 the main body 101 is arranged having a cap part 118 which is arranged to further environmentally protect the connection between the primary electrical connector 114 and the power cable 300.

As described above the power cable 300 is arranged in the recess 119 of the tile spacer 100. Electrical connection between the power cable 300 and the primary connector 114 is arranged and the cap part 118 is tightly fixed to the main body 101 to protect this electrical connection. The fixation of the cap part 118 is in this embodiment arranged with two screws 120. However, the cap part 118 may be fixed to the main body in some other convenient way like for instance by gluing the cap part 118 onto the main body 101, or by configuring the cap part 118 as a water proof snap-in lid etc.

In an alternative embodiment of the tile spacer 130 as illustrated in Fig. 1 c) the tile spacer 130 is T-shaped. The main body 101 is arranged having one protrusion portion 110 which is substantially arranged on the middle of the main portion 101.

In an alternative embodiment of a tile spacer according to the present invention, the main body may be arranged having two protrusions similar to the main body. This results for example in a symmetric X shaped tile spacer. Another alternative is a spacer with one protrusion, and the main body being shaped having two legs making it somewhat L shaped. For example, the legs of the main body make an angle of 120 degrees, and the protrusion also makes an angle of 120 degrees with each of the legs. This spacer, which now has three seating engagements, may be used in a honeycomb tile structure. Referring now to Fig. 3, a non- limiting exemplifying lighting module system

500 according to the present inventive concept is presented. The system comprises four square shaped electronic tiles 501, 502, 503 and 504, three tile spacers 170, 100, and 180, and a power cable 300 which is connected to a main power supply 400. The system is arranged on a support surface 10. The tiles, 501 - 504, are mounted onto the support surface 10 while receiving spacing and/or positioning support from tile spacers 170, 100 and 180. Each one of the tiles 501 - 504 has one corner engaged with a corresponding seating engagement that is formed on the tile spacer 100, A, B, C and D, respectively. Tile spacers 170 and 180 further support the opposite outer corners of tiles 501 and 503, and 502 and 504, respectively. Each tile 501 - 504 is thus positioned by means of the tile spacers 100, 170, and 180 and in addition interspaced a distance d, which is set by the widths of the cross tile protrusions, 110 and 111, and by the width of the main body 101. In this example the tiles 501 - 504 are square shaped however other shapes of the tiles are possible and should be regarded applicable to the inventive concept. An electronic tile, which is herein after exemplified with a light emitting tile

600, as illustrated in Fig. 4 a) - b), may comprise a glass plate which has been provided with a number of LEDs 610 and conducting electrodes 617. The tile 600 is provided with a patterned transparent conductive coating (for example Indium Tin Oxide, ITO) to provide the electrodes 617 that are connected to the LEDs 610. The glass plates are further arranged with a laminated layer placing the LEDs inside a thermoplastic layer which seals the tile (not shown). The advantage of this is that the LEDs are embedded within the glass structure and are therefore in a water-tight and optically transparent enclosure. Because the tile 600 is transparent, a decorative layer may be added to the backside of the tile.

Furthermore, the tile 600 is arranged with electrical connectors 117, which comprises insulated copper wires or any other suitable conductor. Preferably the light emitting tile 600 has connector points 618, 619 on each corner side such that the electrodes of two corners of the tile are interconnected. This internal layout has the advantage that the tile can be connected both on the top and on the bottom side. However, to prevent short-circuits, this still requires that the light emitting tile 600 is oriented correctly when mounted into the lighting module system 500.

In an alternative internal layout of the light emitting tile 700, the electrodes are patterned so as to interconnect corners on opposite sides of the light emitting tile 700, see Fig. 4 b). This is advantageous, since with this internal layout the light emitting tile 600 can be rotated in any position while still being connectable to an adjacent tile spacer 100 of choice. This makes the mounting of the lighting system less complicated for the user. Since LEDs only transmit current in one direction this will restrict the orientation of the tiles, even when using the internal layout as described above. However, this may be solved when powering the system 500 with AC in the main power supply 400. Alternatively the light emitting tile is provided with embedded means for converting AC to DC, which may for example be done with a rectifier.

In an alternative embodiment of the lighting module system 500, as illustrated in Fig. 5 a), the power cable 300 is only connected to provide power to a single tile spacer 140. In this embodiment the tile spacers 140 - 143 are used to interconnect adjacent electronic tiles with each other to guide the current through the tile system. This interconnection can be carried out in various ways depending on the internal layout of the individual electronic tiles. An alternative interconnection is illustrated in Fig. 5b). Here, the tile spacers 140 - 142 are connected to the power cable 300, while the electronic tiles are connected to the tile spacers 140 - 142. In this embodiment the electronic tiles are connected in parallel to the power cable.

Alternatively, the light emitting tile 600 can be ceramic plates as wall tiles, floor tiles or even suitable plastic substrates etc.

An embodiment of a method of mounting tiles will now be described with reference to Fig. 6. The method comprises first mounting a power cable 300 on a support surface 10, Fig. 6a). The power cable may be fixated with cable clamps or an adhesive. A first tile spacer 100 is then mounted onto the power cable. The primary connector of the tile spacer 100 is connected to the power cable 300 by, when the primary connector 114 of the tile spacer 100 comprises sharp metal pins, pressing the tile spacer primary electrical connector 114 on to the wire 300 causing the sharp metal pins to electrically connect with the conduct wires of the power cable 300, Fig. 6 b). Thereinafter light emitting tiles are mounted using the tile spacer 100 as spatial support, Fig. 6 b-d). Joints form between adjacent tiles. The tiles 501, 502, 503, 504, and 505 are engaged with the support surface 10 by thin-set mortar, or some other suitable adhesive. A corner of each tile is fitted to engagement with one of the at least one tile spacers. When the tiles are set in their intended positions and the adhesive or set mortar is hardened, the power terminals 117 of the tiles 501 - 505 are connected to the secondary electrical connectors of a adjacent tile spacer. This step may alternatively be done immediately during mounting of the tiles.

Finally, the interspaces, or joints, between adjacent tiles are sealed. A foam rubber grout float, dipped in water, is preferably used to apply grout into the joints. The float is used to push down the grout on and force it into the joints. When excess grout has been removed and the grout has hardened an extra grout sealer may be applied to further protect the lighting system. Alternatively, for example mortar may be used for sealing the joints. In an alternative embodiment of the method the mounting further comprises mounting at least one unconnected tile spacer. The unconnected tile spacer is not electrically connected to the power cable. Unconnected tile spacers may then be used to position tiles and to at the same time electrically interconnect the power terminals of adjacent tiles via the secondary electrical connectors of the unconnected tile spacer. The present invention provides a convenient way to assemble electronic tiles on a support surface. This does not exclude the use of tiles that are not electronic tiles. On contrary, tiles that do not require any electrical powering are possible to integrate with the electronic tiles since the system is mounted on-site and is adaptable to fit to the use and configuration of the specific system. It is an advantageous to integrate areas of electronic tiles in an otherwise ordinary tile wall. Creative atmospheres and lighting of bathrooms, swimming pools and kitchens are thus possible to achieve with the present inventive concept. Further more, the invention is not only suitable for providing power to light emitting tiles, but it may also be used for other tiles that require electricity. For example, electronic tiles may have integrated heating elements, sensors, or loudspeakers. The invention is particularly suited for applications that use many electronic tiles, which is why the invention is particularly suited for light emissive tiles (because a lighting system using light emissive tiles preferably comprises many tiles which all need to be supplied with electricity).

In an embodiment of the tile spacer, the primary connector 114 and/or the secondary connectors 115 are further arranged to provide data connections to the electric tiles. This allows for data communication to and from the electrical tiles. The communication signal may be adapted to the respective sort of electrical tile that is used. For lighting tiles it may be convenient to provide lighting sequences, for tiles comprising loud speakers the data connection may provide a music signal, for tiles comprising some sensor the data connection may collect data from the sensor etc.

Further, it should be noted that in addition to electric power connections, also data connections may be added.

Above, embodiments of the tile spacer according to the present invention as defined in the appended claims have been described. These should be seen as merely non- limiting examples. As understood by a skilled person, many modifications and alternative embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention.

It is to be noted, that for the purposes of this application, and in particular with regard to the appended claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, that the word "a" or "an", does not exclude a plurality, which per se will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A tile spacer (100) for assembling of electronic tiles (501, 600) on a support surface (10), comprising: an elongated main body (101) with a first and a second end portion (102, 103), on which main body (101) at least one protruding portion (110) is arranged such that each protruding portion in combination with said first and said second end portion forms seating engagements for spacing adjacent corners of a pair of neighboring tiles, and a plurality of secondary electrical connectors (115) connectable to power terminals (117) of said electronic tiles.

2. A tile spacer (100) according to claim 1, wherein said main body (101) comprises a primary electrical connector (114) connectable to a power cable (300), and wherein said primary electrical connector and said secondary connectors (115) are interconnected within the tile spacer.

3. A tile spacer (100) according to claim 2, wherein said primary electrical connector (114) is arranged on the back side (112) of the tile spacer, and said plurality of secondary electrical connectors (115) are arranged on the front side (113) of the tile spacer.

4. A tile spacer (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said primary electrical connector (114) comprises sharp metal pins which are arranged to be pressed into said power cable (300) to electrically connect to said power cable.

5. A tile spacer (100) according to any one of claims 2 - 4, wherein said main body (101) is arranged having a cap part (118) arranged to environmentally protect said connection between said primary electrical connector (114) and said power cable (300).

6. A tile spacer (100) according to any one of claims 2 - 5, wherein said main body (101) has a recess (119) on the back side, said recess spanning from said first end portion (102) to said second end portion (103), which recess is adapted to receive said power cable.

7. A tile spacer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one protruding portion (110) and said first and second end portions (102, 103) are arranged to form one of a T or a cross.

8. A tile spacer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said electronic tiles (501, 600) are light emitting tiles.

9. A tile spacer (101) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said electronic tiles (501, 600) comprise light emitting diodes arranged in a glass substrate.

10. A tile spacer (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said primary connector (114) and/or said secondary electrical connectors (115) are further arranged for providing data connections to said electrical tiles.

11. A lighting module system (500) comprising: a plurality of tiles (600), wherein at least one tile comprises at least one light source (610) provided with power terminals (117); a power supply; at least one tile spacer according to any one of claims 1 - 10.

12. A method of mounting tiles comprising : - mounting at least one tile (600) to a support surface (10) with at least one corner into engagement with at least one tile spacer (100) according to any one of claims 1 - 10; and connecting power terminals (117) of said at least one tile to said secondary electrical connectors (115) of a corresponding tile spacer.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising: mounting a power cable (300) on said support surface (10); and mounting at least one tile spacer (100) according to any one of claims 1 - 10 onto said power cable, such that said primary electrical connector (114) of said at least one spacer connects to said power cable.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said step of mounting at least one tile (600) to said support surface (10) comprises fixation by means of an adhesive.

15. A method according to any of claims 12 - 14, further comprising sealing interspaces between adjacent tiles.