AU2002223738B2

AU2002223738B2 - Improved lighting fixture arm

Info

Publication number: AU2002223738B2
Application number: AU2002223738A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Agnes Jullian
Original assignee: Technilum
Current assignee: Technilum
Priority date: 2000-11-08
Filing date: 2001-11-05
Publication date: 2006-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2021-11-05
Also published as: ATE425326T1; CA2428483A1; EP1336019B1; WO2002038893A1; AU2373802A; DE60137958D1; CA2428483C; ES2324021T3; WO2002038893A8; FR2816392B1; EP1336019A1; FR2816392A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a lighting fixture arm (10) fixed on one side of a support element (20), such as a mast or a wall, and connected on the other side to a lighting unit (30), characterised in the said arm 10) comprises a profile produced by spinning a material with high mechanical strength having a particular constant cross-section over the entire length of the arm (10).

Description

(NO

IMPROVED LIGHTING FIXTURE ARM h This invention concerns an improved lamp post arm, and more particularly an arm fixed on the one side to a support element, such as the post of the lamp post of the 0 lamp post or wall, and supporting or being connected to a lighting unit on the other side.

(N 10 Public lighting devices equipped with an arm, D generally attached in a more or less horizontal position to a vertical support such as a lamp post or a support wall, are well know in the art. The functionality, as well as the external appearance of the lighting device, and in particular of the said arm, have led to arms with complex shapes becoming very popular. In order to make such complex structures, fixed cast arms are used, made of cast aluminum or cast iron for example. This technique involves a certain number of disadvantages. Consequently an arm that is cast has defined dimensions, and different arm dimensions are not possible with the same tooling, but on the contrary other moulds of different lengths are required to make cast arms of varying lengths.

Furthermore, the mechanical resistance of a cast part is not always optimal, especially when the structure is complex and features weak areas, as is often the case with lamp post arms.

It would be advantageous if the invention would provide a lamp post arm that does not have the above mentioned disadvantages.

It would also be advantageous if the present invention would provide a lamp post arm that is easy and cheap to make and assemble.

Further, it would be advantageous if the present invention would provide a lamp post arm which allows them to be made to the dimensions and shapes required, with good mechanical resistance.

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It would be advantageous if the invention would provide a modular lamp post arm, which is to say that its 0 shape and functionality can be changed at will, without a C new arm needed to be required each time. This is especially advantageous to satisfy using a same design the various models required for complete equipment of a site o00 Mthat can be provided indifferent heights, numbers of lighting units and therefore arms, and also the length of these arms.

The present invention provides a lamp, post arm fixed Con the one side to a support element, such as a post or wall, and connected to a lighting unit on the other side, characterized in that the said arm has a drawn section made of a material with good mechanical resistance with given transversal section that is constant along the full length of the arm.

Preferably, the said arm comprises internal bosses which define an imaginary cylinder.

In a preferred embodiment, the said imaginary cylinder co-operates with an additional cylindrical projection provided on or connected to the said support element, in order to attach the said arm to the said support element.

In a preferred embodiment, the said arm is assembled on the said support element.

In a preferred embodiment, the said arm has cavities that are adapted in particular to house cables.

In a preferred embodiment, the said cavities are sealed by means of removable sealing means such as cover plates.

In a preferred embodiment, the said arm comprises connection means such as cavities or ribs adapted to accommodate external elements fitted onto it, equipped with connection elements in additional to the said connections means.

In a preferred embodiment, the said arm is attached to a support element such that it forms an angle of H:\lisaE\keep\Speci\retype\P49476.doc 19/10/06

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O between approximately 900 and 1200 with respect to the +support element.

0 In a preferred embodiment, the said arm may by curved C in the longitudinal plane.

This invention also concerns a public lighting lamp post comprising one or more arms as described above.

00 MOther characteristics and advantages will become clearer in the following detailed description of several of its embodiments, given in reference to the appended (1 10 drawings, given by way of non restrictive example and in Cwhich: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of an arm according to a preferred embodiment of this invention, Figure 2 is a similar view to figure 1, showing another embodiment of the invention, Figures 3 to 5 are diagrammatic cross sectional view of other embodiments of this invention, Figure 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing a public lighting device according to one preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the arm has the section represented in figure Figure 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a public lighting device according to another embodiment of the invention, Figure 8 shows yet another embodiment of the invention, in which the arm has the section showing in figure 1, and, H:\lisaf\keep\Speci\retype\P49476.doc 19/10/06

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S- Figure 9 also shows a diagrammatic perspective +view of another embodiment of the invention, in 0 which the arm has the section shown in figure 2.

The public lighting devices of embodiments of the 0 invention traditionally include an arm 10, generally 00 Mcalled a lamp post arm, that is fixed on the one side to a support element 20, such as the post of the lamp post, as shown in figure 6, 8 and 9, or a support 10 wall, as shown in figure 7. On the other side, with Crespect to the support element 20, the arm 10 is connected to a lighting unit 30, which will not be described in further detail here as it is not directly connected to the invention.

According to embodiments of the invention, the arm 10 has a profiled section that is created by drawing or extruding a material with good mechanical resistance, in particular aluminum, and a given transversal section that is constant along the full length of the arm. This technique permits lamp post arms to be produced of any complex shapes or lengths required. In particular, several arms may be manufactured for a same extruded section. The profiled section may also be machined after extrusion. Advantageously, the profile of the arm has several internal bosses 11, which define contact surfaces 20 on their inside radial edge, advantageously forming an imaginary cylinder 13 on the inside of the arm 10. The presence of these bosses 11 improves on the one hand the resistance of the arm 10, and on the other hand allows, by means of the imaginary cylinder 13, to attach the arm onto the support element 20, in particular by sliding the said imaginary cylinder 13 onto a cylindrical projection (not shown) located on or connected to the said support element 20. The said arm may possibly, among il:\1isaf\keep\Speci\retype\P49476 doc 19/10/06 O others, be screwed onto the said support element, for example by means of threads made in the holes 15, and 0 which allow the said arm 10 to be screwed onto the said support element 20. As a variant, it can also be envisaged to glue and/or weld the said are 10 to the said arm 10 to the said support element 20, or to 00 Massemble it inside a connecting bush 60 attached to the post 20, in particular by using the imaginary cylinder to slide a connecting element in it.

(1 10 Due to the fact that any shape is possible for Cthe arm 10, one advantageous characteristic of the invention consists of providing cavities or premachining 16, 17 running along the length of the arm These cavities 16, 17 can be adapted to accommodate cables, in which case these said cavities are advantageously sealed by means of removable sealing means 18, for example such as a plate or covering mat or tarpaulin. As a variant, these cavities 16, 17, can also be used to accommodate and attach additional external elements such as decorations, which allow the external shape of the said arm to be modulated very easily for a single central arm.

More precisely, the arm 10 may comprise connection or attachment means 16, 17, 19, which can either be in the form of the previously mentioned cavities 16, 17, or in the form of ribs 19, as shown in figure 5. The external added elements 50 comprise in this case additional connection or attachment element. Thus in figure 5, the external added element 50, which in this case is a decorative element, has a groove of the same shape as the external rib 19 of the arm 10, so that the element can be clipped on under the arm 10. Thanks to this modularity, a wide variety of shapes can be obtained without the machine tooling of the said arm needing 14 \11saf\keep\Speci\retype\P49476 .doc 19/10/06

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to be modified, by simply adding various external elements that can also be of any shape.

0 It is also possible to provide for the machining of the arm, for example to make orifices as shown in figure 7. In the variant shown in figure 8, the arm forms an angle a of between 900 and 1200 with 00 M respect to the support element 20. This angle a may be less than 90' (in which case the arm 10 will slope downwards) or greater than 1200 if desired. In the (1 10 variant shown in figure 9, the arm 10 is curved in Cits longitudinal plane, whilst maintaining a constant transversal section.

Embodiments of the invention therefore provide an arm structure that simultaneously optimizes the following functions: good mechanical resistance due to extruded aluminum profiled section that has no welds, which is not altered even if the arm is subsequently machined to change its appearance, any external shapes, especially complex geometrical ones, and in particular different from the usual smooth sections such as round, square or rectangular profiled sections, modular external shapes, by means of added external elements, different applications on a same section, according to the length of the section used, easy attachment of the support element by means of the imaginary cylinder inside the arm structure, H \1isaf\keep\Speci\retype\P49476 doc 19/10/06

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improved functionality and in particular cable Sruns that are completely protected and hidden.

0 CA Other modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

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Claims

2. Arm of claim 1, in which the said arm has internal bosses which define an imaginary cylinder.
3. Arm of claim 2, in which the said imaginary cylinder co-operates with an additional cylindrical projection provide on or connected to the said support element, in order to attach the said arm to the said support element.
4. Arm of claim 3, in which the said arm is assembled on the said support element. Arm of any of the above claims, in which the said arm has cavities that are adapted in particular to house cables.
6. Arm of claim 5, in which the said cavities are sealed by means of removable sealing means such as cover plates.
7. Arm of any of the above claims, in which the said arm comprises connection means such as cavities or ribs adapted to accommodate external elements fitted onto it, equipped with connection elements in addition to the said connection means. H:\lisaf\keep\Speci\retype\P49476.doc 19/10/06
8. Arm of any of the above claims, in which the said arm Sis attached to a support element such that is forms 0 an angle of between approximately 900 and 1200 with CA respect to the support element.
9. Arm of any of the above claims, in which the said arm 00 M may be curved in the longitudinal plane. lighting lamp post comprising a support (N 10 element such as a post or a wall, one or more Slighting units and one or more arms as described in previous claims. ll.Lamp post arm substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. H:\1isaf\keep\speci\retype\P49476.doc 19/10/06