Electrical connectors – Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use – Compound movement – e.g. – rotary + linear
Patent
1989-08-25
1991-09-17
Dority, Carroll B.
Electrical connectors
Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use
Compound movement, e.g., rotary + linear
439 13, 362250, 362407, 362419, H01R 3900
Patent
active
050490818
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a low-voltage lighting fixture, consisting of a pair of parallel conductor rails and a collector shoe which can slide along the conductor rails and has an insulating feature to prevent current from flowing between the two conductor rails, and a swiveling holder for a lamp socket or similar device which is electrically connected to the two sliding shoe sections that are electrically separated from each other by the insulating feature.
As described by EP-A1 0 171 126, such a low-voltage lighting fixture already exists in connection with a suspension device for pictures etc., where two swivel arms which are insulated from each other are joined to a rigid sliding collector shoe and carry a swiveling lamp housing between their free ends. The swivel arms serve as an electrically conducting connection between the individual conductor rails and the lamp housing. Consequently, the design of this lighting fixture is relatively large and bulky. Morever, it permits swiveling of the light source only around an axis at right angles to the collector shoe guides, and also gives rise to frequent contact problems in the hinging areas between the sliding shoe and the swivel arms, or between the swivel arms and the lamp socket located inside the lamp housing.
Also, a low-voltage lighting fixture has been proposed according to DE-A-3 151 996 that features a block-shaped collector shoe which can slide along the pair of conductor rails and has a receiving trough and a magnet to receive a lamp with a ball-shaped housing. In this case, the electrical connection between the sliding collector shoe and the lamp must be provided by a separate cable, and the attachment of the lamp by means of magnetic forces remains rather uncertain due to the electromagnetic fields caused by the frequently high currents of low-voltage installations. Moreover, the available range of illumination is quite limited due to the collector block itself, in spite of the fact that the ball-shaped housing can swivel freely inside the receiving trough.
Therefore, this invention aims to eliminate these drawbacks by creating a low-voltage lighting fixture of the type described in the introduction, which stands out due to its space-saving, compact design, its robustness and functional reliability, and above all due to its ability to swivel freely as well as its all-round illumination range.
The invention achieves this objective by providing a sliding collector shoe consisting of two collector heads located on the rails and a lamp socket carrier situated between the collector heads which can swivel about an axis at right angles to the direction of the collector shoe guides. The lamp socket carrier is electrically connected to the collector heads in an articulated manner, is subdivided by means of an insulating intermediate element, and also is intended to form a carrier and electrical connection for the lamp socket. The lamp socket, or the lamp itself, is therefore mounted directly on the freely rotating center part of the socket carrier which forms the sliding collector shoe, and thus can be swiveled as desired between the collector heads. No separate swiveling arms and no cable connections are required, and a compact, sturdy lighting fixture is created in the smallest possible space.
In order to add another dimension to the swiveling range of the lamp socket, a particularly advantageous form of implementation of the invention provides the socket carrier holding the lamp socket with a carrier arm which is mounted between one of the socket carrier sections and a mounting bracket electrically connected to the other socket carrier section and can swivel about an axis at right angles to the rotating axis of the socket carrier. The carrier arm, which is supported at both ends in an electrically conducting manner, is divided by an insulating spacer just like the socket carrier, and in turn will carry the lamp socket. The result is a conductive universal joint that acts as a lamp socket holder, so that the lamp can be pointed in any direction and a p
REFERENCES:
patent: 4449172 (1984-05-01), Warshawsky
patent: 4802074 (1989-01-01), Puschkarski
Ribitsch Kurt
Zoufal Andreas
Dority Carroll B.
Kelman Kurt
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