EP1336019B1 - Lamp with improved lighting fixture arm - Google Patents

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

The present invention relates to a lighting lamp post with an improved lamp post arm, and more particularly to an arm fixed on one side to a support element, such as a lamp post mast or a wall, and supporting or being connected to a lamp post. another side a lighting unit.

Public lighting devices comprising an arm, generally fixed approximately horizontally on a vertical support element such as a lamp post mast or a support wall, are well known in the state of the art. The functionality, but also the external aesthetic appearance of the lighting device, and in particular of said arm, have made that arms having any complex shapes have become in great demand. To produce such complex structures, frozen cast iron arms are used, for example aluminum foundry or cast iron. This implementation has a number of disadvantages. Thus, an arm made in the foundry has defined dimensions, different arm dimensions can not be achieved by means of the same tool, but on the contrary different molds of different lengths are necessary to be able to make foundry arms of varying lengths. In addition, the mechanical strength of a casting is not always optimal, especially when the structure is complicated and has areas of weakness, as is often the case with the lamp arm. The documents EP-0 834 694 . U.S. 4,449,687 , US-3,514,591 and DE-41 16 829 describe devices of the state of the art.

The present invention aims to provide a lamp arm that does not reproduce the aforementioned drawbacks.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a lamp post arm which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lamp post arm, making it possible to easily produce the lamppost arms of any desired size and shape with a high mechanical strength.

The present invention also aims to provide a modular lamp arm, that is to say that its shape and functionality can be transformed at will, without having to manufacture each time a new arm. This is particularly important to cover with the same aesthetics the different models necessary for a global layout and can be declined in different heights, number of lighting units, and thus number of arms, and the length of these arms.

The present invention therefore relates to a device as described in claim 1.

The dependent claims describe advantageous embodiments of the invention.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en section transversale d'un bras selon un mode de réalisation avantageux de la présente invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue similaire à la figure 1, montrant un autre mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• les figures 3 à 5 sont des vues schématiques en section transversale d'encore d'autres variantes de réalisation de la présente invention,
• la figure 6 est une vue schématique en perspective montrant un dispositif d'éclairage public selon un mode de réalisation avantageux de l'invention, dans lequel le bras a la section représentée sur la figure 5,
• la figure 7 est une vue schématique en perspective d'un dispositif d'éclairage public selon une autre variante de réalisation,
• la figure 8 montre encore une autre variante de réalisation de l'invention, dans laquelle le bras a la section représentée sur la figure 1, et
• la figure 9 représente également une vue schématique en perspective d'une autre variante de réalisation de l'invention, dans laquelle le bras a la section représentée sur la figure 2.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly in the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof, which will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples, and on which

• the figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an arm according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention,
• the figure 2 is a view similar to the figure 1 , showing another embodiment of the invention,
• the Figures 3 to 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of yet other embodiments of the present invention,
• the figure 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a public lighting device according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, wherein the arm has the section shown on the figure 5 ,
• the figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of a public lighting device according to another embodiment variant,
• the figure 8 shows yet another variant embodiment of the invention, in which the arm has the section shown on the figure 1 , and
• the figure 9 is also a schematic perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the arm has the section shown in FIG. figure 2 .

Public lighting devices according to the invention conventionally comprise an arm 10, generally called a lamp arm, which is fixed on one side to a support element 20, such as a lamp pole, as shown in FIGS. figures 6 , 8 and 9 , or a support wall, as shown on the figure 7 . On the other side, in relation to the support element 20, the arm 10 is connected to a lighting unit 30, which will not be described in more detail below because not directly related to the invention.

According to the invention, the arm 10 comprises a profile which is made by spinning or extruding a material with high mechanical strength, in particular aluminum, and which has a constant cross sectional any length of the arm. This implementation makes it possible to produce lamppost arms of arbitrary lengths and complex shapes. In particular, several arms can be cut from the same extruded profile. The profile can also be machined after extrusion. Advantageously, the profile of the arm 10 comprises a plurality of internal bosses 11 which define contact surfaces 12 on their inner radial edge, which advantageously form a fictitious inscribed cylinder 13 inside the arm 10. The presence of these bosses 11 improves by on the one hand the resistance of the arm 10, and allows on the other hand, by means of the fictitious cylinder inscribed 13, to fix the arm on the support element 20, in particular by inserting said fictitious inscribed cylinder 13 on a complementary cylindrical projection ( not shown) provided on or connected to said support member 20. Optionally, said arm may further be screwed onto said support member, for example by means of threads made at the holes 15, and which allow said arm 10 to be screwed onto said support element 20. Alternatively, it is also possible to stick and / or weld said arm 10 to said support member 20, or to assemble it in a ring of link 60 fixed on the mast 20, in particular using the dummy cylinder inscribed to slide a connecting element.

By any possible shape for the arm 10, an advantageous characteristic of the invention consists in providing for reservations or pre-machining 16, 17, which extend over the entire length of the arm 10. These reservations 16, 17 may be adapted to receive wiring, in which case said reservations are advantageously closed by removable closure means 18, such as a plate or a fabric finish or termination. As a variant, these reservations 16, 17 can also be intended to receive and fix external elements reported such as decorations, which can very easily modulate the desired outer shape of said arm from a single central arm.

More specifically, the arm 10 can comprise connecting or fixing means 16, 17, 19, which can therefore be made in the form of the reservations 16, 17 above, or in the form of ribs 19, as shown in FIG. figure 5 . In this case, the reported external elements 50 comprise complementary connection or fastening elements. So, on the figure 5 , the outer member 50, which in this case is a decorative element, has a groove corresponding in shape to the outer rib 19 of the arm 10, so that the element 50 can be clipped under the arm 10. Thanks to this modularity, any forms, and very variable can be obtained without having to modify the manufacturing machine of said arm, by simple application of various external elements of any shape.

Optionally, it is also possible to machine the arm, for example to create openings as shown in the figure 7 . In the variant shown on the figure 8 the arm 10 forms an angle α situated between 90 ° and 120 ° with respect to the support element 20. This angle α could be less than 90 ° (in which case the arm 10 would be inclined downwards) or greater than 120 ° if desired. In the variant embodiment of the figure 9 , the arm 10 is bent in its longitudinal direction, while keeping a constant cross section.

• une haute résistance mécanique de par son profil d'aluminium extrudé sans soudure, et qui n'est pas altérée même si le bras est ensuite usiné pour modifier son esthétique,
• des formes extérieures quelconques, notamment géométriquement complexes, et donc différentes des sections habituelles lisses, tels que des profils ronds, carrés ou rectangulaires,
• des formes extérieures modulables, au moyen d'éléments externes rapportés,
• des applications différentes sur une même section suivant la longueur de profil utilisée,
• une fixation facilitée sur l'élément de support au moyen du cylindre fictif inscrit à l'intérieur de la structure de bras,
• une fonctionnalité améliorée, et notamment des passages de câbles totalement dissimulés et protégés.

The present invention therefore provides an arm structure that simultaneously optimizes the following functions:

• a high mechanical strength due to its extruded aluminum profile without welding, and which is not altered even if the arm is then machined to modify its aesthetics,
• any external shapes, particularly geometrically complex, and therefore different from the usual smooth sections, such as round, square or rectangular profiles,
• Modular external forms, by means of external elements reported,
• different applications on the same section depending on the profile length used,
• a facilitated fixation on the support element by means of the fictitious cylinder inscribed inside the arm structure,
• improved functionality, including fully concealed and protected cable runs.

Other modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (7)

1. Lighting lamp comprising:

   - a support element (20), such as a post or a wall,

   - one or more lighting units, and

   - one or more arms (10), fixed on the one side to said support element (20), and connected to a lighting unit (30) on the other side,

   characterised in that the said arm (10) has a profiled section that is extruded from a material with good mechanical resistance, and a given transversal section that is constant along the full length of the arm (10), and geometrically complex, said arm (10) comprising inside a contact surface (12) forming an imaginary cylinder, and cavities (16, 17) forming hidden and protected cable passages, said imaginary cylinder co-operating with an additional cylindrical projection provided on or connected to the said support element (20), in order to attach the said arm (10) to the said support element (20).
2. Lamp of claim 1, in which the said arm has internal bosses (11) which define an imaginary cylinder (13).
3. Lamp of claim 1 or 2, in which the said arm (10) is assembled on the said support element (20).
4. Lamp of any of the above claims, in which the said cavities (16, 17) are sealed by means of removable sealing means (18) such as cover plates.
5. Lamp of any of the above claims, in which the said arm (10) comprises connection means (16, 17) such as cavities (16, 17) or ribs (19) adapted to accommodate external elements (50) fitted onto it, equipped with connection elements in addition to the said connection means (16, 17, 19).
6. Lamp of any of the above claims, in which the said arm (10) is attached to a support element (20) such that it forms an angle of between approximately 90° and 120° with respect to the support element (20).
7. Lamp of any of the above claims, in which the said arm (10) may be curved in the longitudinal plane.

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