Illumination – Plural light sources – Diverse light generators
Patent
1991-11-14
1994-06-14
Lazarus, Ira S.
Illumination
Plural light sources
Diverse light generators
362391, 362431, 439419, H01R 3306
Patent
active
053215923
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a lighting system for outdoor use. Considerable difficulties attend the installation of lighting systems outside buildings, in parks and gardens, around villas, especially close to swimming pools, near the sea and in similar places, both because of specific differences in these environments and because of the need to ensure that electric cables and lamps are perfectly sealed.
Connections from each lamp to the main electric cable involve complex and delicate operations to avoid damaging the cable and, on completion of the work, to make sure it is once more perfectly sealed against current leakage especially near water or in damp places of any kind. Climatic and ground conditions in the open to which such lighting systems are exposed, apart from the care taken over installation as stated above, make necessary thorough checking and maintenance which can be costly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above invention eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages offering important advantages as well to be explained below.
According to the invention, main current is brought to the lighting means by a substantially flat supply cable, of indefinite length, consisting of two wires placed side by side and coated with highly resistent waterproof plastic material, so as to be suitable for installation purposes by simply laying it on the ground, this cable being connected to the main.
Connection at any point between the supply cable and the one leading off to each lamp is made by an insulating plastic terminal box placed at the end of the latter cable.
The ends of the lamp wires are inserted into the body of the terminal box and fixed to metal contacts having sharp points emerging from the terminal box.
Contact between the points and the wires of the supply cable can therefore be made by simply mounting the cable inside the terminal box which is then closed by hand with no need for tools.
The supply cable is connected to the mains through a transformer preferably placed outside the building whose surroundings are to be illuminated.
Current downstream the transformer is therefore low voltage.
Voltage for the system is preferable 12 V.
The substantially parallelepiped-shaped terminal box has a longitudinal channel of a constant U-shaped cross section, width and depth which are respectively about equal to the width and thickness of the supply cable.
The two sharp points of the internal contacts emerge from the channel, symmetrically, one at each end of its longitudinal axis. The lateral distance across the channel between the two being practically the same as that between the two wires of the supply cable.
Therefore, by simply pressing the supply cable by hand inside the channel, the two sharp points of the collector can be made to penetrate the cable's plastic coating and make contact with its two wires.
The supply cable is held firmly in place inside the channel in the terminal box by a sliding cover put on by hand. The sliding cover has a constant C-shaped cross section in which there are two longitudinal lateral grooves which, on closing the terminal box, fit onto the longitudinal outward-projecting edges of the terminal box, one on each side of the channel.
The width of the grooves diminishes slightly from one end to the other so that, when pushing the cover onto the box, extra elastic pressure is created between the longitudinal outward-projecting edges of the box and said grooves. In this way, when the box is fully closed, connection between box and cover is stabilized and a waterproof seal is formed.
On each side of the longitudinal symmetrical axis inside the cover there are longitudinal ridges whose height increases from the end of the terminal box, where the above grooves are of maximum width, to the other end.
Centre distance between these ridges is substantially the same as that of the wires in the supply cable, consequently as the cover is being pushed onto the terminal box pressure from the ridges on the cable increases thereby making stable the connection betw
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patent: 5065292 (1991-11-01), Aubrey
Fonderal S.r.l.
Lazarus Ira S.
Quach Y.
Striker Michael J.
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