Electricity: transmission to vehicles – Conductors – At or below ground surface
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-24
2001-06-05
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Electricity: transmission to vehicles
Conductors
At or below ground surface
C191S0330PM, C191S02300R, 33, 33, C439S116000, C439S261000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241064
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a fitting for an electrically conducting conductor rail, for supplying electrical power to lamps etc., where the fitting comprises a housing capable of being mounted on the conductor rail and electric contact elements which contact electrical conductors of the rail when the housing is mounted on the conductor rail.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a conductor rail to be used with such a fitting, as well as to a coupling device for connecting such conductor rails.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
From EP 495 696 A1, a fitting of the type discussed here for a flat conductor rail is known, wherein two electrical conductors are attached to the two flat sides of the rail and are separated from each other by a thin, strip-like insulating web. The housing of the fitting is comprised of two separate housing parts made of an insulating material, the parts being held together by two spring clips provided on opposite sides thereof. In both housing parts, resilient contacts are arranged which contact the conductors and which are connected to connecting cables laterally led out of the housing parts. Attachment of these two spring clips is cumbersome insofar as for this purpose the two housing parts must be held in position and held tightly against slipping off, so that at least for this two hands are required. Moreover, the two spring clips can be mounted only one after the other, thus also requiring separate manipulations.
Furthermore, from DE 39 19 201 A, a power supply for lighting fixtures is known which comprises a conductor rail and fittings which are associated with the lighting fixtures and which are to be fastened to the conductor rail. The conductor rail in that instance consists of two square metal sections interconnected by means of insulators arranged in spaced relationship in blind holes, the insulators simultaneously serving for the attachment of suspending devices. The fitting is designed as a U-shaped housing open on one side and configured like a bow which is insulatingly slipped onto the metal sections from the side; a current is collected via countersunk screws which are screwed therethrough and which contact the metal sections. On the conductor rail, a lighting fixture is attached to which lines are led which are housed in cavities provided in an insulation means of the fitting and which are connected with the screws in a manner not explained in detail. If the conductor rail is under current during mounting or dismounting of this fitting, there is the risk of short circuiting if one of the screws projects and thus conductively bridges the space between the metal sections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a fitting of the initially defined kind which can be mounted and dismounted quickly and easily without requiring the aid of a tool. Furthermore, safe, risk-free contacting of the conductors is to be effected such that the fitting is also suitable for line voltage feeding means (e.g. 230 V).
A further object of the invention is to provide a conductor rail to be used with such a fitting which allows for such a quick, simple and safe mounting and dismounting of the fitting as well as contacting, and which, moreover, enables a connection to a further conductor rail via a coupling device, also in a quick and simple manner and without requiring the aid of a tool.
Accordingly, the invention, in a first aspect, provides a fitting which comprises a housing formed of a first and a second housing part which are articulately interconnected and are capable of being mounted on said conductor rail, said two housing parts being adapted to be releasably closed about said conductor rail when said housing is mounted on said conductor rail, and electrical contact elements adapted to contact the conductors through openings of said conductor rail when said housing is mounted on said conductor rail, said electrical contact elements being arranged on only the first one of said housing parts, on one side of said conductor rail. By articulately interconnecting the two housing parts, handling of the fitting during mounting and dismounting thereof is substantially simplified. Suitably, the housing part comprising the contact elements is laid onto the conductor rail, and subsequently the housing is closed by pivoting the other housing part thereto. The fitting designed according to the invention thus can simply and safely be mounted to a conductor rail, and it can also be dismounted therefrom rapidly and without any problems, e.g. if changes in the attachment of the individual lights are to be made on a previously installed lighting fixture. In the course of surrounding or enclosing the conductor rail, the conductor rails can also be immediately contacted electrically by means of the contact elements, the latter automatically being pressed into the contacting position when the housing parts are closed.
With a view to a mechanically precise and lasting connection, it is advantageous if the articulately interconnected housing parts are made of metal. Here, further, a ground connection of the metallic housing is possible for safety reasons.
Moreover, for a simple closing of the housing parts it is advantageous if the two articulately interconnected housing parts comprise cooperating means for mutual resilient engagement in their closed state. In this way, the housing parts can be particularly simply put onto the conductor rail when the fitting is mounted, and be closed by latching, i.e. snapping together, about the conductor rail. During mounting, the one housing part need only be pivoted onto the other one with the conductor rail enclosed, and snappingly fixed on the other housing part.
To automatically contact the conductors of the conductor rail when the housing is being closed, it is advantageous if a niche-like cavity is provided in one of the housing parts in which a contact piece including the contact elements is housed. By being accommodated in the niche-like cavity, the contact piece can be retained in the respective housing part without any problems before the fitting is mounted, i.e. it may be pre-mounted without getting lost. For this purpose, optionally also insertion of the contact piece may be effected by snapping in or latching in behind rims of the cavity.
To ensure contacting when making an electrical contact with the conductors in the conductor rail when the fitting has been mounted on the conductor rail, even if the contact elements were to have different lengths due to production tolerances and/or the conductors were to have somewhat different positions in the conductor rail, it is particularly advantageous if a spring element is provided between the bottom of the niche-type cavity and the contact piece, which urges the contact piece against the conductor rail. The spring element may, e.g., be a rubber-elastic body which is attached on the bottom of the niche-type cavity; also several springs may be inserted at spaced intervals from each other, yet for reasons of mounting, as a rule, a single spring element will be preferred; this simplifies also production and stock-keeping. In this respect it has furthermore proven suitable if the spring element has a resilient leg projecting, when mounted, to beyond the conductor rail, the resilient leg including a latching projection snapping into a latching indentation of the oppositely arranged housing part. Thus, one and the same spring element may simultaneously be employed for ensuring electrical contacting as well as for resilient latching engagement of the housing parts, which has additional advantages in terms of production and mounting. To ensure a particularly simple and low-cost production, the spring element preferably is a one-piece punched part having angled resilient legs; the resilient legs urge the contact piece against the conductor rail, on the one hand, so as to press the contact elements against the conductors, and, on the other hand, they provide for the resilient latching of the housing part in the closed position of the housing.
To ens
Jules Frantz F.
Ladas & Parry
Morano S. Joseph
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