EP0515315A1

EP0515315A1 - Current distributing apparatus for electric lines of the type exhibiting an exposed section member, in particular for low-voltage lighting installations

Info

Publication number: EP0515315A1
Application number: EP92830081A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mauro C/O Tekno-Lit Di Zucchini Lazzaroni
Original assignee: TEKNO-LIT DI ZUCCHINI E LAZZARONI Srl
Current assignee: TEKNO-LIT DI ZUCCHINI E LAZZARONI Srl
Priority date: 1991-05-24
Filing date: 1992-02-25
Publication date: 1992-11-25
Also published as: ITMI910458U1; IT221883Z2; ITMI910458V0

Abstract

A current distributing apparatus for electric lines of the type provided with exposed section member, in particular for low-voltage lighting installations, comprises at least an adapter device (1) to be partly inserted and clamped in a section member of the channel iron type (4) and engaging two main longitudinal conductors (6) at the inside thereof, and at least a rod-like element (2) to be inserted at one end (2a) thereof in a housing (13) arranged in the adapter device (1) and exhibiting a pair of longitudinally-extending auxiliary electric conductors (16) on the surface thereof.

Description

The present invention relates to a current distributing apparatus for electric lines of the type exhibiting an exposed section member, in particular for low-voltage lighting installations.
It is known that in low-voltage electric installations for indoor lighting, for example by means of halogen lamps, exposed metal section members or tracks are often used as the main electric lines from which the light points are shunted, said section members or tracks being fastened to the walls or the ceiling and being adapted to engage two main longitudinal electric conductors.
Generally such section members are of the channel iron type and the longitudinal electric conductors are fitted, upon interposition of suitable mountings of insulating material, in the inner hollow of the channel iron so that they are in mutual facing relationship and have a portion of their surface uncovered for enabling electrical connections.
Therefore the light sources such as for example halogen lamps can be positioned along the whole longitudinal extension of the section members and moved thereon depending on requirements.
However, the electric installations briefly described above are not always completely functional because it often happens that the initial positioning of said section members to be firmly fastened to the walls do not take into account requirements that are unforeseeable at the installation moment.
Therefore when it is necessary to have at one's disposal light points in areas far away from the section members, this requirement may only be complied with by shifting the already installed section members or adding other sections members containing electric conductors. Both of the above solutions involve not only clear practical drawbacks due to the fact that it is necessary to intervene on walls and ceilings, but also additional non negligible costs that often convince a person to give up the idea of having the desired optimal lighting.
Even in the case of a new installation, if both present and future requirements are to be taken into due account, it may be necessary to apply an important number of section members to walls and ceilings. Thus the installation costs may be considerable although said section members often appear useless since the actual use is ultimately moderate and only restricted to some of the areas provided with the same.
Also known are lighting installations in which metal bars are used for supporting the conductive lines instead of metal section members, said metal bars directly defining by themselves the electric conductors. In this case of the known art too, light points are directly shunted from the bars themselves through the use for example of clamp contact terminals or fitted-in contact terminals. Therefore, in this case as well the possibility of having light points located at the desired areas strictly depends on the localization and extension of said bars.
Under this situation, the general task underlying the present invention is to devise a current distributing apparatus for electric lines of the exposed-section member type capable of overcoming the above limits and substantially eliminate the above drawbacks.
Within the scope of this general task, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a current distributing apparatus adapted to rationalize and widen the use of already installed electric lines of the type provided with an exposed section member while greatly restraining the additional installation costs.
Another important object of the invention is to provide a current distributing apparatus adapted to limit the use of electric conductor-containing section members even during the initial installation, while making the easy and quick increase of the already available light points feasible at reduced costs.
The above objects are substantially attained by a current distributing apparatus for electric lines of the type provided with an exposed section member, in particular for low-voltage lighting installations, said section member being substantially of the channel iron type and engaging at the inside thereof two main longitudinal electric conductors disposed in mutual facing relationship, which apparatus is characterized in that it comprises:

at least an adaptor device partly insertable in said channel iron,
at least a rod-like element insertable at one end thereof in said adapter device and exhibiting a pair of longitudinally-extending auxiliary electric conductors on the surface thereof,
said adapter device comprising:
a connecting portion adapted to externally emerge from said channel iron and exhibiting a housing for inserting said end of said rod-like element, and
electric contact elements adapted to enable an electric connection between said main conductors of said channel iron and said pair of auxiliary conductors of said rod-like element fitted in said housing.

The description of a preferred embodiment of a current distributing apparatus in accordance with the invention will be given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an adapter device being part of the apparatus of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 1 and a rod-like element being also part of the apparatus in question;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is an elevational side view corresponding to Fig. 2;
Fig. 5 is a section taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3 showing how the adapter device is fitted in a channel iron; and
Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 correspond to Figs, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively, and show an embodiment of the invention having a different orientation of the rod-like element in relation to the adapter device.

Referring to the drawings, the current distributing apparatus in accordance with the invention consists of two base components, namely an adapter device 1 and a rod-like element 2.
The adapter device 1 comprises a box-shaped body 3 adapted to be at least partly inserted in a section member 4, substantially of the channel iron type. Engaged within the channel iron 4, upon interposition of mountings 5 made of insulating material, are two main electric conductors 6 located in appropriate housings and extending longitudinally along the axial direction of the channel iron 4; said conductors 6 face each other and exhibit an uncovered surface portion for electric connections.
The adapter device 1 further comprises a locking element 7 rotatably engaged in the box-shaped body 3 and operable in rotation by means of a screw driver, insertable in a recess 8 between an insertion position and a locking position of the box-shaped body 3 in the channel iron 4.
In greater detail, the locking element 7 comprises engagement wings 9 located in register with side slots 10 formed in the box-shaped body 3. The engagement wings 9 are adapted to pass through the side slots 10 and enter respective grooves 11 provided in the channel iron 4 when the locking element 7 is clamped in said locking position.
Integral with the box-shaped body 3 is a connecting portion 12 adapted to emerge from the channel iron 4 when the box-shaped body 3 is inserted therein and exhibiting a housing 13 designed to receive one end 2a of the rod-like element 2. Arranged in the housing 13 is a pair of insertion and positioning guides 13a defined by rectilinear extensions for example. The rod-like element has 2 portions or hollows 14 the shape of which matches the shape of said guides 13a and which can be coupled thereto. Guides 13a define an insertion and positioning direction for the rod-like element 2 in the connecting portion 12 lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channel iron 4.
More particularly, in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 one embodiment of the adapter device 1 is shown in which guides 13a are disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the channel iron 4 so as to define said insertion and positioning direction as an intersection between said plane perpendicular to the channel iron axis and a plane of symmetry longitudinal to the latter, the track of which is denoted at 15 in Fig. 5.
According to a second embodiment shown in Figs. 1, 6, 7, 8 and 9 guides 13a are oriented so as to define an insertion and positioning direction of the rod-like element 2 lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channel iron 4, but also perpendicular to the longitudinal plane of symmetry denoted by track 15.
The electric connection between the main conductors 6 of the channel iron 4 and a pair of auxiliary electric conductors 16 extending longitudinally on the rod-like element surface at opposite areas of the rod-like element itself is achieved, when said rod-like element 2 is inserted in the housing IS, by electric contact elements 17 defined by a pair of metal foils disposed within the box-shaped body 3.
The electric contact elements 17 are comprised of first end portions 18 located astride of, and in contact by elastic contrast with a cam-shaped portion 7a of the locking element 7.
The first end portions 18 are provided with end foldings 18a disposed in the region of windows 19 formed in the box-shaped body 3 and adapted to pass through said windows being urged by the cam-shaped portion 7a. Therefore said cam-shaped portion during the rotation of the locking element 7 towards said locking position presses the end foldings 18a against the main electric conductors 6. The contact elements 17 further comprise second end portions 20 located in the region of the housing 13 and spring-urged against the auxiliary conductors 16 by elastic elements or springs 21.
Finally, provided at the housing 18 is a headless screw adapted to clamp the end 2a of the rod-like element 2 within said housing.
Operation of the current distributing apparatus described above mainly as regards structure, is as follows.
When light points need to be distributed in areas far away from the channel irons 4 previously applied to the walls and/or ceiling, an adapter device 1 is inserted in the channel iron 4 at a location which is deemed to be appropriate and is clamped therein by rotating the locking element 7. Due to the rotation of the locking element 7, the end foldings 18a of the electric contact elements 17 are urged against the main electric conductors 6. Subsequently a rod-like element 2 is introduced into the housing 13 and clamped therein by means of the headless screw 22.
Therefore a complete rod-like element 2 is available, from which new light points can be shunted, which rod-like element will be for example hunging from the ceiling and oriented vertically if the channel iron has been applied to the ceiling and the first construction embodiment of the device 1 has been selected.
If the second construction embodiment is used, still in the case of channel irons applied to the ceiling the rod-like element 2 will extend horizontally. By this orientation it is for example possible to electrically interconnect several channel irons disposed spaced apart from each other on the ceiling.
From the foregoing it is therefore apparent that few adapter devices 1 and some rod-like elements 2 make the use of electric lines of the channel iron type very flexible, while greatly enhancing the capability thereof of distributing light points which can be easily and quickly positioned and moved.
Even when new installations are set up, the use of channel irons to be applied to the walls and ceiling can be greatly reduced, because the device 1 and rod-like elements 2 of the invention are capable of effectively helping in the formation of a lighting installation offering a diffuse distribution of light points in all areas in which the availability of lighting units is deemed to be useful.
All of the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements and in practice the materials and sizes may be of any nature and magnitude in accordance with requirements.

Claims

A current distributing apparatus for electric lines of the type provided with an exposed section member, in particular for low-voltage lighting installations, said section member (4) being substantially of the channel iron type and engaging at the inside thereof two main longitudinal electric conductors (6) facing each other, characterized in that it comprises:
- at least an adaptor device (1) partly insertable in said channel iron (4), and

- at least a rod-like element (2) insertable at one end thereof (2a) in said adapter device (1) and exhibiting a pair of longitudinally-extending auxiliary electric conductors (16) on the surface thereof,
said adapter device (1) comprising:

- a connecting portion (12) adapted to externally emerge from said channel iron and exhibiting a housing (13) for inserting said end (2a) of said rod-like element (2), and

- electric contact elements (17) adapted to enable an electric connection between said main conductors (16) of said channel iron (4) and said pair of auxiliary conductors (16) of said rod-like element (2) fitted in said housing (13).
An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said housing (13) exhibits positioning guides (13a) for said rod-like element 2 and in that the rod-like element (2) has portions (14) the shape of which matches the shape of said longitudinally-extending guides (13a), the positioning guides (13a) and portions (14) defining an insertion and positioning direction for said rod-like element (2) in said housing (13) lying in a plane (15) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the channel iron (4).
An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the positioning guides (13a) are such oriented that they define said insertion and positioning direction as the intersection between said perpendicular plane (15) and a longitudinal plane of symmetry of said channel iron.
An apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the positioning guides (18a) are such oriented that said insertion and positioning direction can lie in said perpendicular plane (15) and be perpendicular to a longitudinal plane of symmetry of said channel iron.
An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said adapter device (1) is comprised of a box-shaped body (3) integral with said connecting portion (12) and adapted to be at least partly inserted in said channel iron (4), and in that said locking element (7) is inserted in said box-shaped body (3) and is adapted to be moved between an insertion position of said box-shaped body (3) and a clamping position of the same in said channel iron (4), said locking element (7) being provided, in register with side slots (10) formed in said box-shaped body (3), with engagement wings (9) adapted to pass through said side slots (10) when in said clamping position, and enter respective longitudinal grooves (11) arranged at the inside of said channel irons (4).
An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said electric contact elements (17) comprise a pair of metal foils disposed within said box-shaped body (3) and exhibiting first end portions (18) located astride of and in contact by elastic contrast with a cam-shaped portion (7a) of said locking element (7), and second end portions (20) located close to said housing (13), said first end portions (18) exhibiting end foldings (18a) disposed close to windows (19) formed in said box-shaped body and adapted to pass through said windows (19) being urged by said cam-shaped portion (7a), so as to contact said electric main conductors (6) during the rotation of said locking element (7) to said clamping position.
An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that provided close to said second end portions (20) are spring elements (21) adapted to elastically push said portions (20) against said auxiliary electric conductors (16) of said rod-like element (2).
An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a headless screw (22) is provided in the region of said housing (13), which is adapted to clamp the end (12a) of said rod-like element (12) in said housing (13).