Traffic signal column

• US 7,705,745 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Severac, Didier, Chue, Thierry, Periot, Jean-Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US11/578,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20080150760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 340/691.1, 340/686.4, 340/693.1, 340/693.5, 340/321, 340/332, 340/333, 405/57, 405/58, 406/12, 362/551, 362/559, 116/63.R, 116/63.P, 116/63.C, 116/63.T
• US Class Current: 340/691.1
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/00 Lighting devices intended for fixed installation F21S9/00, F21S10/00 take precedence; using a string or strip of light sources F21S4/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/06 the elements being coupling devices , e.g. connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2111/02 for roads, paths or the like

Abstract

An optical traffic signal column including stacked levels fixed to one another by rotation. The base of each level includes, distributed along its periphery, oblong passages and fixed connectors. The conductors include rods each having two ends angularly offset from one another, and including a common conducting rod and a stage-specific conducting rod. The connector rods are identical and respectively fix the bottom of a conducting rod of the relevant level and the top of the respective conducting rod of an adjacent level, the angular offset between the two fixing points corresponding to that of ends of the conducting rods. The conducting rods are mutually arranged and mounted to effect, from one level to the next level, an essentially identical angular position of the common conducting rods and an angular offset of the stage-specific conducting rods.

Claims

1. A signal column comprising:

signaling stages mounted in a stacked arrangement along a main axis and fastened to one another by rotation, the signaling stages each including a body that includes a base and a cylindrical wall, and housing a signaling member and conductors distributed over a periphery of the body and that extend parallel to the main axis to provide an electrical connection between a power source and the signaling member,

the conductors housed in the respective stages including conducting rods, the conducting rods housed in each stage comprising a common rod to connect to an adjacent following signaling stage and at least one stage-specific rod not connected to an adjacent following signaling stage,

wherein the common rods are identical in shape to the stage-specific rods, and

from one signaling stage to an adjacent following signaling stage, the common rods have a substantially identical angular positioning relative to one another and the stage-specific rods have an angular offset with respect to one another.

2. The signal column as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base includes connectors and each connector includes two fastening points for respectively fastening a first end of a conducting rod of the signaling stage in question and a second end of the respective conducting rod of an adjacent following signaling stage.

3. The signal column as claimed in claim 2, wherein the conducting rods each include two ends angularly offset from one another.

4. The signal column as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two fastening points of the connector have an angular offset corresponding to that present between the two ends of a rod.

5. The signal column as claimed in claim 2, wherein the conducting rods are in a form of a crank with straight ends, oriented along the main axis of the column so as to cooperate via a foot and a head with the respective connectors, and with an intermediate offsetting segment.

6. The signal column as claimed in claim 5, wherein the common rod housed in a respective signaling stage is arranged with a foot/head angular offset in the opposite direction to the foot/head angular offset of the at least one stage-specific rod housed in the same signaling stage.

7. The signal column as claimed in claim 5, wherein the connectors are identical for the common rod and the at least one stage-specific rod, and each connector extends, between the fastening point for the head of a conducting rod from a lower signaling stage and the fastening point for the foot of the conducting rod of the signaling stage in question, over a distance substantially equal to that of the offset between the foot and head of the rod.

8. The column as claimed in claim 3, wherein each connector includes an element for fastening a first end the conducting rod of the signaling stage in question and an elastic clip for connecting a second end of the respective conducting rod of an adjacent signaling stage.

9. The signal column as claimed in claim 8, wherein the clip of each connector is oriented so as to be substantially tangential and open toward an oblong passage formed in the periphery of the base of the body.

10. The signal column as claimed in claim 3, wherein the connectors are immobilized on the base.

11. The signal column as claimed in claim 10, wherein each connector is fitted or snapped into an insulating stud molded in one piece with the base of the body.

12. The signal column as claimed in claim 5, wherein the body of the stage includes, at the opposite end from the base of the stage, a support provided at its periphery with fastening orifices for rigidly retaining the heads of the conducting rods particular to the signaling stage.

13. The signal column as claimed in claim 12, further comprising in each signaling stage two connection pieces for the signaling member particular to the signaling stage, each connection piece including an opening for passage of the foot of a respective conducting rod.

14. The signal column as claimed in claim 13, wherein the foot of the conducting rod includes a contacting both in the fastening orifice formed in the connector and in the opening in the connection piece.