ILLUMINATION DEVICE

• US 3,718,816 A
• Filed: 06/17/1971
• Issued: 02/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gerhard Eversberg, Heinz Seelbach
• Original Assignee: Gerhard Eversberg, Heinz Seelbach
• Inventors: Seelbach, Heinz, Eversberg, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
• Application Number:
  US05/153,980
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 240/52R,52HT,61,73R,73DA,73JC,78R,85R 339/21R,22R,22T,22B,14R 174/99
• US Class Current: 362/394
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/30 Pivoted housings or frames
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/35 with direct electrical contact between the supporting element and electric conductors running along the guiding element

Abstract

An illumination device comprising a support rail, a terminal box insertable therein, and receiving on both sides therein a conduit rail carrier having a plurality of electrical conduit rails. A plurality of spring holding and contact-tongues in the terminal box, operatively cooperating with said conduit rails. A pole contact tongue cooperates in one of the insert positions of the terminal box with a pole conduit of one current circuit of one of the conduit rail carriers of one current circuit, while in another insert position turned 180* relative to the first insert position cooperating with the pole conduit of the other current circuit of the other of the conduit rail carriers. The terminal box has in each insert position one grounding pin of two grounding pins cooperating with a grounding rail of the support rail, while the other grounding pin on an opposite side being free from the grounding rail being pressed into the housing of the terminal box, and support rail securing means for a direct securing of the support rail and hook stays for securing of the support rail over suspension profile rails with securing engagement planes of the latter being on a joint level.

Claims

1. An illumination device, comprising a support rail adapted to be secured in, on, or at a distance from a securing face and open towards one side defining a receiving channel, said receiving channel receiving inside thereof on both sides a conduit rail carrier having therein a plurality of electrical conduit rails, said conduit rails being accessible from the inside of said receiving chamber and disposed in planes in pairs, mirrorsymmetrically to a longitudinal center plane arranged from an insert side to a securing side of said support rail, and in superposition, a terminal box having a set-off head part insertable into said receiving channel of said support rail and carrying lighting units, said terminal box being equipped with a plurality of spring tongues constituting holding tongues and contact tongues and with spring-biased grounding pins in said head part cooperating with a separate grounding rail disposed on said support rail, said spring tongues being disposed in superposed planes, and being switchable selectively into an engaging and contact position, respectively, or into an inoperative position, each of said conduit rails having a flat rectangular cross section, said support rails including holding nose recesses, said conduit rail carriers formed each as a multi-tooth comb profile embedded approximately over the total width of the cross-section into said support rail, said conduit rail carriers being retained in said holding nose recesses of said support rail as independent structural units with said conduit rails therein, in each of said conduit rail carriers said conduit rails constituting each a pole conduit and a zero conduit of a current circuit of each conduit rail carrier being individually and independently switchable and/or controllable from each other, said contact tongue of said terminal box including a pair of zero conduit tongues cooperating with said zero conduit in both of said conduit rail carriers and correspondingly disposed on said terminal box, and including a single pole contact tongue disposed corresponding to the position of said pole conduit, said pole contact tongue cooperating in one insert position of said terminal box with a pole conduit of one current circuit of one of said conduit rail carriers on one side of said receiving channel of said support rail, and said pole contact tongue, in another insert position of said terminal box, in which the latter is insertable turned about 180* into said receiving channel relative to said one insert position, cooperating with the pole conduit of the other current circuit of the other of said conduit rail carriers on the other side of said receiving channel of said support rail, said terminal box having in each insert position one of said spring biased grounding pins performing a grounding connection with said separate grounding rail on said support rail, said grounding pins being disposed on set-off steps respectively formed on said terminal box on both sides adjacent said head part, one of said grounding pins on one of said set off steps in each insert position of said terminal box always cooperating on a bottom side of said support rail in a contacting manner with said grounding rail, the latter disposed insulatingly in a longitudinal channel formed in said bottom side of said support rail, while the other of said grounding pin on the opposite side set-off step being free from said grounding rail and being pressed against the pressure of a biasing spring acting therein in a pin recess formed in the corresponding set-off step of said terminal box into said pin recess, and support rail securing means being arranged on the upper side of said support rail for a direct securing of said support rail with support rail securers and hook stays for an indirect securing of said support rail with profiled suspension rails, and said securing means and said hook stays defining planes on a common level.

2. The illumination device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support rail securing means comprises a center centrally disposed stay bridging over the upper side of said receiving channel, said center stay extends from the center of said support rail over part of the width of said support rail and is thereafter angularly bent downwardly in the direction towards the insert side of said receiving channel, and connecting stay sections between and on both sides of said center stay and said hook stays, the latter each advanced again to the height of said center stay, whereby between each of said hook stays and said center stay, a longitudinal channel is formed open towards the securing face.

3. The illumination device, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a air each of stop noses projecting into said receiving channel defining said holding nose recesses for holding said conduit rail carriers therein within the inside of said support rail on each side spaced apart from each other.

4. The illumination device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support rail defines at its profile a longitudinally extending hollow chamber each at its lower end adjacent both sides respectively of said receiving channel, one of said hollow chambers is formed as a groove open at one side at its bottom, a grounding rail carrier, carrying said grounding rail disposed in said one hollow chamber, the other of said hollow chambers is formed as a chamber closed all around in its cross section and only having break-throughs towards said receiving channel, and longitudinal recesses in said support rail above said hollow chambers for reception of said holding tongues of said terminal box.

5. The illumination device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said conduit rail carriers comprises a three-tooth comb-profile of substantially E-shape, the teeth being reduced towards their fRee ends and conduit rail carriers are retained exclusively within the range of both outer teeth, formed as securing teeth, near their free ends with a stop nose securing means, said flat rectangular conduit rails are embedded within the range between the center tooth of said conduit rail carriers and both outer teeth such, that a portion of said conduit rails remains uncovered as a contact area, corresponding to the spacing between said teeth.

6. The illumination device, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said conduit rails are disposed within said conduit rail carriers at a distance from the ends of said conduit rail carriers assuring a touching protection.