Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
MODULAR LIGHTING SYSTEM USING HANGERS AND POWER BARS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a modular system having components that can be
assembled to form multi-level lights of various sizes, shapes and
configurations. The main
elements are canopies supporting the system, hangers, power bars, and
pendants, preferably
including light engines driving LED bulbs.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Designing lighting for a space has always been an interesting challenge
because
the lighting equipment has to meet utilitarian, technical and esthetic needs.
Thus, any such
endeavor is successful only if combining technical, architectural and artistic
skills.
Several different types of ceiling lights are presently available, including
surface
mounted lights, recessed lights and hanging lights disposed on tracks either
attached to the
ceiling or suspended below the ceiling. The first two light categories are
very conventional and
are disadvantageous because the positions of the lights are fixed and the
configurations
available for each light is very limited. Conventional track lighting provides
a little more flexibility
especially as far as the positions of the lights are concerned. However,
because of power
requirements and other factors, the number, size and shape of light fixtures
that can be used in
such systems is fairly limited.
In some instances it is advantageous to have a plurality of pendants grouped
together
for esthetic purposes and/or to provide more light for a particular space.
However conventional
track systems could accommodate such clusters only if they were factory
assembled. It would
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be very helpful to have a support for a light cluster that could accommodate
several pendants
and that could be assembled in the field.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, a modular lighting system for providing light in a space includes
canopies
connectable to a power source; a plurality of horizontal bars; a plurality of
hangers, including a
first set of hangers supporting bars from said canopy and a second set of
hangers, each said
hangers including a first end disposed between and engaging said bar segment.
The system
further includes a plurality of pendants supported by the second set of
hangers from the bars.
The hangers and bars cooperate to provide electric power to said pendants from
said canopy.
Preferably, each bar includes two bar segments facing each other and being
made of a non-conductive material. Conductive rails are provided on the inner
surface of each
bar segment. The hangers include a base configured to form an interference fit
with the bar
segments. In one embodiment, the hangers are made of conductive rods or cables
that are in
electrical contact with the rails through the respective bases.
In one embodiment, the bars are straight or linear. In another embodiment, the
bars are circular or have some other curvilinear shape.
The bars preferably extend horizontally, however different bars are disposed
at
different heights and are supported from one or more canopies or straight from
a ceiling by
hangers of various configurations or cables.
Preferably, at least one of the canopies is connected to a line voltage and
transformer is used to step down the line voltage to a lower voltage such as
24 vac which is
then distributed to the pendants through the hangers and bars.
The pendants include light emitting elements such as LEDs, electronic
circuitry
for driving the LEDs, and are preferably shaped for heat dissipation. Since
the LEDs have a
long life, they are not replaceable but instead the whole pendant is replaced
as needed.
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These various elements are combined in many different ways resulting in a
virtually infinite number of configurations. One class of configuration may
include several bars
disposed in a vertical plane. In another class of configurations, several bars
extend at different
angles in one plane, and are joined at a common point. Another class of
configurations may
include a combination of the first to classes. Another class of configurations
may include
several bars disposed at different heights or tiers, some bars being
perpendicular to other bars.
In one embodiment, a support arrangement for a modular lighting system
hanging from a structural element and having light generating pendants, is
provided, the said
support arrangement including a first and a second horizontal bar, each
horizontal bar including
a first and a second bar segments extending equidistant from each other to
define a vertical
space, said vertical space having identical top and bottom openings. Also
provided are a first
plurality of hangers supporting said second bar from said first bar, each said
hangers including a
first end engaging the bar segments of said first bar, a second end engaging
the bar segments
of said second bar and first and second rods extending vertically between and
being attached to
said first and second ends. Each end includes a base portion, a first outer
wall, a central wall
and a second outer wall, said walls extending perpendicularly from said base
and defining a first
slot for receiving the respective first bar segments and a second slot for
receiving the respective
second bar segments when the respective end engages one of said bars. The
central wall
extends into the respective space from said top or bottom opening...
In one embodiment, the bars are parallel to each other and the rods extend
between respective outer walls of said ends.
In one embodiment the bars are perpendicular to each other and the rods extend
between the outer walls of one end and the central wall of the other end.
In one embodiment the ends form an interference fit with the respective bars.
In one embodiment, the space is formed between inner walls of said bar
segments, said inner walls forming respective metallic channels extending
horizontally along the
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length of said segments. The ends include metallic clips snapping into said
channels and
creating an electrical contact with said channel while forming an interference
fit between the
respective hanger and bar.
Preferably at least hanger is provided with a top portion for engaging a bar
and two
vertical rods having spade shaped ends that cooperate with structures in a
pendant to allow a
strong positive interlock with the pendant. The rod ends are first inserted
into holes in the
pendant and then twisted around a vertical axis. This action causes the rod
ends to twist as
well and enter a respective gap in the pendant. Once the ends enter into the
pendant past the
gap, the hanger is released to its normal position causing the rods to twist
back to their normal
position. In this position, the rod ends are trapped within the pendant
thereby providing
interlocking support for the pendant. The pendant can be removed by reversing
the operation.
The canopies include a cup-shaped body adapted for attachment to a ceiling.
Ferules
are provided that pass through the cup wall and engage the ends of hangers to
provide both
support and electrical connections thereto. Some hangers are used only for
support and,
accordingly, no electrical connection is provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 shows an isometric view a modular lighting system constructed in
accordance with this invention with two parallel bars suspended from a single
canopy;
Fig. 2 shows an isometric view of another embodiment with bars disposed at an
angle with each other in a single tier and suspended from a single canopy;
Fig. 3 shows an isometric view of another embodiment of the invention in which
six bars disposed at various tiers and angles are suspended from a single
canopy;
Fig. 4 shows an isometric view of another embodiment of the invention in which
several different bars are disposed at right angle and are supported by a
canopy and other
ceiling supports;
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Fig. 5 shows an isometric view another embodiment of the invention in which
two
circular bars are disposed at different tiers and supported by a single
canopy;
Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention in which a single bar
disposed
at a right angle with respect to wall and supported by a wall-mounted canopy;
Figs. 7A-7K show an isometric and a cross-sectional view of a bar used in the
embodiments of Figs. 1-6;
Fig. 7L shows an isometric view of a connector used to connect three bars in
the
embodiments of Figs. 2 and 3;
Figs. 8A-8E show details of a canopy used in the embodiments of Figs 1-6;
Fig. 9A-9J show details of a bar hanger used for interconnecting two bars in
the
embodiments of Figs. 1-6;
Fig. 10 shows a front view of a hanger used for connecting a bar to a pendant
or
a canopy in the embodiments of Figs. 1-6;
Fig. 11 shows an isometric view of a hanger with a single rod for the
embodiment
of Fig. 4;
Figs. 12A-120 show views of a non-conductive hanger with a single rod for the
embodiment of Fig. 4;
Figs. 13A-13C show a top, front and isometric view of a pendant cluster used
in
the embodiment of Fig.1;
Figs. 14A-14P show details of a bayonet-type hanger and a pendant that is
mounted using a twisting of the hanger and is used in the embodiment of Fig.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a modular lighting system having a plurality
of
interchangeable elements that can be combined in many different ways to obtain
a large variety
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of configurations. Figs. 1-6 show four such systems identified respectively as
10A, 10B, 10C,
10D, 10E and 10F. Generally speaking, each system includes one or more
canopies 100, a
plurality of hangers 200, a plurality of power bars 300 and a plurality of
pendants 400. In
addition, some systems may also include optional connectors 500. Unless
otherwise noted, all
the hangers and all power bars consist of two elements that have dual
functions, they support
the pendants 400 and they provide power to the pendants, with one elements
forming the
positive or hot power connection and the other element defining the negative
or ground power
connection.
For example, system 10 in the Fig. 1, system 10A includes a canopy 100 that
supports the system from a ceiling or other similar architectural member in a
conventional
manner. In this case, the canopy also provides power to the system. Canopy 100
includes a
conventional power supply connected to standard AC lines for providing power
to the LED tubes
in the pendants as discussed below. The power supply is hidden within the
canopy.
Two hangers 202, 204 extend downwardly from the canopy. In one embodiment,
each hanger discussed hereinafter consists of two solid bars or rods. These
hangers are termed
the power feed hangers. In an alternate embodiment the hangers are replaced by
multi-strand
twisted cables. As explained above, each hanger is formed of two elements
(e.g., rods or
cables). Preferably only two of the four elements (e.g., the rods of hanger
202) carry power and
the other two elements are used for support.
The hangers 202, 204 are used to support a power bar 302. Two hangers 206,
208 are used to support a second power bar 304 and are termed bar hangers.
Another set of hangers 210-218 are used to support a plurality of pendants 402-
410. These hangers are termed pendant hangers. The pendants 402-410 preferably
include
LED.
Included in canopy 100 is a transformer steps down the line voltage from a
standard power line to 24 VAC for the pendants 402-410. The other hanger 204
may be
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electrically floating. The power from the hanger 202 flows through the bar
segments of bar 302,
hanger 206, bar 304 and hangers 210-212 to the pendants. Thus, in this
embodiment, only
some of the pendants carry power but all the power bars do.
Fig. 2 shows a system 10B in which three bars 306 are connected at a common
connector 308 that keeps the bars at a specific angle with respect to each
other to form a Y-
shaped arrangement. This angle could be 120 , 45 , 135 , etc. and the bars may
but need not
be disposed at a constant angle between each other. Bars 306 are supported by
respective
hangers 202, 204, 206 from the canopy 102 as shown. The pendants and hangers
supporting
them have been omitted in this figure for the sake of simplicity.
Fig. 3 shows a system 10C with pendants arranged at several levels and
extending in different directions from a central point below the canopy 102.
This is achieved by
starting with a Y-shaped bar arrangement of Fig. 2 formed again of three bars
306 supported by
hangers 202, 204, 206 and joined by a connector 308. However, in this case,
each bar 306 is
used to support another bar 310, each bar 310 being supported by a pair of
hangers 208, 210.
Hanging from each bar 310 are a plurality of pendants 410 supported by hangers
212. All of
pendants 410 supported by the same bar 310 can be disposed at different
height, or different
hangers may be disposed at different heights.
Fig. 4 shows yet another system 10D. This system 10D includes a canopy 104
with a transformer 106. Attached to the canopy 104 is a first bar 302A using
two hangers 214.
As opposed to the hangers discussed previously, hangers 214 have a single
extended element,
such as bar, as described in more detail later. Each of the hangers 214
provides power to one
of the elements of bar 302A. However because the bar 302A is not centered
below the canopy
104 but extends in one direction away therefrom, another hanger 216, which may
be referred to
as a ceiling hanger, is used to support a distal end 314 of bar 302. At its
top, hanger 216 is
attached to a sleeve 106 secured to the ceiling in a conventional manner.
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Hangers 218 are used to attach respective pendants 402 from bus 302. Another
hanger 220 is used to support a cluster of pendants 410.
A second bar 304A is also provided. This bar 304A is supported at one end by a
hanger 222 from bar 302A. This hanger 222 also provides power to bar 304A. A
third bar 306
is also provided that is supported from the ceiling by ceiling hangers 216
(only one such ceiling
hanger is being shown for the sake of clarity). Bar 306 supports the second
end of bar 304A
and receives power from said bus 304 through hanger 224. Each of the bars
302A, 304A, 306
can be used to hang pendants of various sizes and shapes and arranged in
different
configurations as desired.
Fig. 5 shows another system 10E having a canopy 100E supporting two ring-
shaped, rather than rectilinear bars 330, 332 arranged at two levels and with
various shapes
and types of pendants 420 extending downwardly from the respective bars 330,
332, each
being supported and powered by a respective hanger 218. Since the diameters of
the ring-
shaped bars 330, 332 are larger than the diameter of the canopy 100E, rods or
cables 221.
Fig. 6 shows a wall-mounted system 1OF with a wall mounted canopy 112. A
horizontal bar 321 attached directly to and extending away from the canopy 112
provides power
and supports a pendant 402 via a hanger 221. Alternately, other horizontal
bars may be
supported from bar 321 for hanging various pendants (not shown).
Details of a generic bar 300 are shown in Figs. 7A -7K. Unless otherwise
noted,
all the bars discussed here have the same configuration. In this Figure, bar
300 is shown as
being straight however, it can be circular ellipsoid or can have other
geometric shape, The bar
300 includes two identical longitudinal segments 352, 354 facing each other. A
cross- sectional
view of segment 354 is seen in Fig. 7B. Segment 354 is formed of a C-shaped
main body 355
made of a non-conductive material, such as a plastic material that is light
weight but strong so
that it can support various pendants, other bars, etc. Imbedded in this main
body 355 is a rail
356 made of a light weight conductive material such as aluminum.. Preferably
rail 356 is formed
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with a rectangular channel 360. The two segments 352, 354 are joined together
at the two ends
by end connectors 362. The connectors 362 are attached to the bars by
conventional means,
such as screws 364, by an adhesive or other means.
Preferably, the two segments 352, 354 have inner surfaces spaced at a nominal
distance d throughout the length of the bar 300. The bar 300 is made in
standard lengths
ranging from to 12 to 48 inches. For very long bars, for example in excess of
24 inches, a
spacer 366 is placed between the segments. The spacer 366 may be held in place
by screws
or other means.
Fig. 70 shows details of a connector 370 used to connect three bars, for
example
for the systems of Figs. 2 and 3. The connector 370 is formed of three arms
372 disposed at an
angle of 120 degrees. The inner surfaces of the arms 372 are provided with
rails 374 having
the size and shape to fit into the channels of the rails of bars 300. Three
bars having the same,
or different length are attached telescopically to the connector 370.
Details of a typical canopy 100 are shown in Figs. 8A-8C. Each canopy 100
includes a cup-shaped housing 120 that can be cylindrical, square,
rectangular, etc. The
housing 120 holds a transformer 122 receiving power from line wires 124 and
outputting power
at a lower voltage on output wires 126. The output wires 126 are connected to
a terminal strip
127 used to distributed the low ac voltage power through a plurality of lines
129. As will be
discussed in more detail below, preferably transformer 122 outputs power at
about 24 vac. On
its bottom surface 128, the housing 120 is provided with a plurality of
ferrules 130. Depending
on the exact required configuration, these ferrules 130 may be arranged single
or in pairs, and a
canopy may be provided with two four, six, eight ferrules, etc. Some of the
ferrules provide
power to the respective hangers or cables and also provide structural support.
Other ferrules do
not provide power but merely provide structural support.
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As shown in Figs. 80 and 8E, each conducting ferrule 130 terminates in a
threaded bolt 132. An eyelet 134 is attached to each bolt 132 using a threaded
nut 133 or other
conventional means. Each eyelet is connected to one of the output wires 129.
As seen in Figs. 8C, 8D and 8E, each ferule 130 further includes cylindrical
sleeve 140 with a ferule body 147 attached to bolt 132 and extending through
the housing 120
and below surface 128. The sleeve 140 is electrically insulated from the
housing 120 and
receives the conductive end of a rod 142 forming a part of a hanger as
described below or a
cable. A set screw 144 is used to secure the rod 142 in the sleeve 140. A
washer 139 is
disposed below nut 133 and is insulated from the housing 120 by an insulating
disc 143. A
second insulating disc 145 is disposed above the ferule body 147 to insulate
it from the housing
120 as well. The rod 142 is preferably covered with an insulator 149.
The non-conductive ferrules have a similar configuration but are not connected
to any output wires 126. The ferrules receive rods similar to rod 142 but
these latter rods do not
provide power.
There are several different types of bar hangers are provided: hangers for
supporting bars from canopies, hangers for supporting bars from ceilings
(without a power
connection), hangers for supporting one bar from another bar and hangers for
supporting
pendants. All these hangers have must be able to interface with a bar at least
at one end as
described below.
There are two types bar-to-bar hangers: parallel hangers for connecting two
parallel bars and perpendicular hangers connecting two bars running
perpendicular two each
other.
Figs. 9A-9G show details of parallel bar hanger such as hanger 206 supporting
bar 304 from bar 302 in Fig. 1. The hanger 206 includes two vertical segments
230A, 230B. At
the top and the bottom, the two segments 230A, 230B have their ends imbedded
in identical W-
shaped bases 232, shown in more detail in Figs. 9B-9E. The base 232 forms two
channels 234,
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236 with a wall 238 separating the two channels. The base 232 is further
formed with two
metallic springs or clips 240, 242. Clip 240 is electrically attached to
segment 230A within the
base 232, and clip 242 is connected to segment 230B. Preferably, base 232 is
made of a non-
conductive material and is overmolded to cover portions of the clips 240, 242
and segments
230A, 2308. In one embodiment, the two bases 232 have a single, unitary
structure. In
another embodiment, at least the top base is made of two sections 232A, 232B
that snap
together along line 232 forming an interference fit therebetween.
As can be seen in Figs. 9F and 9G, the bases 232 as sized and shaped so that
they fit over and engage the bars 302, 304. Importantly, the clips 240, 242
are sized and
shaped so that they engage the rails 356, 358. The clips 240, 242 have a flat
section 244 sized
and shaped to snap into the channels 356, 358 of the bars 302, 304. In this
manner not only do
the clips 240, 242 provide a solid electrical contact with the rails 356, 358
but they also stabilize
the hangers on the bars and insure that the lower bar 304 remains stiff and
does move around
in use. The clips may be made from beryllium copper.
Hanger 208 has a similar configuration however the clips need not be connected
electrically to the hanger segments. In other cases, for example, in the
configuration shown in
Fig. 4, hangers 222 do provide electrical connection to bars 304A and 306.
The hanger segments 230A, 230B are provided in various lengths as required to
obtain the various systems described above, and they are preferably made in
the shape of rods
of a stiff but somewhat springy material having shape memory such as a
phosphor/bronze alloy.
Preferably except where an electrical contact is required, the rods are
covered or painted with
with a thin electrically insulating material.
The hangers can be installed by separating the two segments 230A, 230B,
passing the ends of the respective bars 302, 304... between the segments, then
lowering or
raising the bars toward the respective bases 232 and then snapping the bases
onto the bars
into the configurations shown in Figs. 9F and 9G.
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As discussed above, and illustrated in more detail below, in some instances,
the
power bars extend perpendicularly to each other. For example, in Fig. 4, bars
302 and 304 are
perpendicular to each other. These bars are interconnected using a hanger 222
shown in Figs.
9H-9J. This hanger 222 has two segments 272A, 272B and a base 232 similar to
the base 232
in Figs. 9A-9G. However, at the bottom hanger 222 is provided with a different
base 274. This
base 274 is formed with two side wings 274A, 274B and a center wall 274C.
Clips 276, 278 are
provided on the center wall 274C and are connected electrically with segments
272A, 272B,
respectively as show in Fig. 9J. The center wall 274C is made with two holes
280A, 280B with
the lower ends of segments 272A, 272B extending into the holes and being
secured to the base
222. The base 270 is sized and shaped to engage and support the power bar
segments 304A,
304B of a bar 304A with the segments 272A, 272B providing power to these power
bar
segments. The base 232 engages the segments of the bar 302 in the manner
discussed above.
In addition to the bar hangers, other types of hangers are used in the system
as
well. Fig. 10 shows a side view of a hanger having a base 232 and two segments
252A, 252B.
The difference between this hanger and the hanger in Figs. 9A is that the ends
of segments
252A, 252B are straight bare ends of the conductive rods. This bare ends are
then inserted into
the ferrules 130 as shown in Fig. 80. (Of course, for this use, the hanger is
turned upside
down). Alternatively, the hanger is used a pendant cluster such as cluster 410
in Fig.4 or other
pendants.
Fig. 11 shows a single rod hanger 214. This hanger 214 includes a base 274A
similar to base 274 shown in Figs. 9H, 9J. The base 274A has two clips 276,
278. When the
base 274 is mounted on a bar (such as bar 302A), the clips 276, 278 engage the
rail within the
bar 302A as discussed above. However only one of the clips (say clip 276) is
connected to rod
2720. The free end 272D of the rod 2720 is attached to the ferrule of a
canopy. Two such
hangers 214 are used to support bar 302A (as seen in Fig. 4), with each of the
hangers feeding
power to one of the rails of the bar.
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Fig. 12A-12C show a nonconductive hanger 216 used for supporting a bar, such
as bar 304A in Fig. 4 from a ceiling. This hanger 216 provides only support
and therefore it can
have an elongated member 2720 which may but need not be identical to the rod
2720 in Fig.
11. The member 272D ends in a base 274B that is similar to the base 274 but
need not have
any clips since there is no need to connect to the rails of the bus 304A.
Since there are no clips
provided for the base 274B, a cover 274C is attached to the body 2740 of the
base 274B to
insure that the bar does not slip out. The cover 2740 is attached to the body
274D by screws
274E or other conventional means. The other end of the elongated member 272D
is attached
to a sleeve 277 via a set screw 277A. Preferably, the ferrule 277 is similar
to the ferrules of the
canopy 100 in that it has a similar sleeve for capturing the end of the member
272D. A small
screw (not shown) is used as an attachment means. A large screw 279 or other
conventional
means may be used to attach the sleeve 277 directly to the ceiling or other
architectural surface.
Alternatively, the screw 279 is attached to a mounting post 281 and an anchor
283 (Fig. 120).
Figs. 13A-13C show a top, plan and isometric view of lamp cluster 410. The
cluster 410 includes a distributor 430, and three pairs of connectors 432
connecting the
distributor 430 to three pendants 402A, 402B, 402C. The pendants can have the
same or
different shapes. Importantly, the distributor has to top holes 434, 436. The
ends of the rods
shown in Fig. 9 are inserted into the holes 434, 436 and then set screws on
the sides of the
distributor, such as at 438 are tightened thereby attaching and mechanically
securing the
pendant cluster 410 to the hanger. The hanger and the cluster can now be
hanged from a bar
300.
Other structures may be used for attaching pendants to the hangers. One such
structure is shown in Figs. 14A-140. Fig. 14A shows an orthogonal view of
hanger 210 being
inserted into pendant 402. As shown in Figs. 14A, 14B 140 and 14D, the hanger
210 includes
two vertical segments 602A, 602B joined by standard base 232. The segment 602A
is
terminated at the bottom with a connecting spade 604 that has a generally
flat, rectangular
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cross section (as seen in Fig, 14D) of thickness ti. Spade 604 includes a
narrow shank 606
having a height h1 and a generally square tip having a width w1. Segment 602B
has the same
shape as segment 602A and the two spades 604 are normally aligned in parallel
to each other
and perpendicular to the plane formed by the two parallel segments 602A, 602B,
as seen in Fig.
14A.
Pendant 410 is formed with an upper and a lower section 610, 612 (see Fig.
14L). The upper section 610 contains a light engine (not shown) that is
powered by the 24 vac
source provided by the segments 602A, 602B and generates appropriate power to
light
generators (such as LEDs -not shown) disposed in the lower section 612. The
walls of the
lower section are translucent or transparent to allow the light from the light
sources to be
projected outwardly and provide space illumination. Various pendants may have
sections of
different shapes and sizes. In one embodiment, the upper section 610 includes
a cavity 620 with
two holes 622, 624.
The cavity 620 holds two contacts 630, 640 (see Figs. 14E, 14F). Each contact
is connected to the light engine (not shown). Contact 630 is formed with two
facing blades
having flat portions 632, 634. The distance between the blade portions 632,
634 is t2 which is
preferably equal or slightly larger than t1 but smaller than w. Contact 640
has two similar
blades with flat portions 642, 644. The blade portions 632, 634, 642, 644 have
a height h2 that
is slightly smaller than height h1.
The pendant 410 is attached to the hanger 210 as follows. First, the hanger
210
is positioned on top of pendant 410 with the tips of spades 604 inserted into
holes 622, 624 as
seen in Fig, 14A, 14G. In this orientation, the spades 604 come into contact
with the top pf
respective blades 630, 640, as shown in Fig, 14H and stop because they can go
no further.
Next, the pendant 610 and top of the hanger 210 is rotated in direction A by a
quarter turn (90 degrees). This rotation causes the spades 604 to turn by the
same angle so
that they are now in parallel with the blade sections 632, 634, or 642,644
respectively, as seen
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in Figs. 141 and 14J. At this point, the hanger 210 can be and is pushed
further downward so
that the the spades 604 enter into cavity 620 between the blades. This motion
downward can
continue until the tips 608 pass the blade sections 632, 634, 642, 644 (Fig.
14K).
Now the hanger 210 is released and the spring action of the two segments 602A,
602B cause the top of the hanger 210 to rotate back in direction B (Fig. 14L)
toward its natural
or rest configuration. This action causes the spades 604 to rotate as well. As
this action is
completed, the tips 608 become trapped under the blade sections (see Figs. 14M-
140). In this
manner the hanger 210 and pendant 410 become interlocked. The hanger 210 and
pendant
410 can be attached to any bus 300 as required. If necessary, the pendant 410
can be
separated from the hanger 210 by twisting it by a quarter turn and reversing
the sequence
discussed above.
As discussed above, and illustrated in the drawings, the various components or
elements described above can be combined into numerous different kinds of
configurations.
The figures show some systems that include several subsystems that are
attached so that they
can be extend in three dimensions, to create a linear or circular
configurations, or combinations
thereof. Moreover, while the systems discussed above are all suspended from a
ceiling, other
systems are shown and described (together with any special components, if any)
that are
attached to vertical walls¨e.g. sconce-type systems.
Electrically, all these systems have one or more canopies, buses, and hangers
that provide a power supply for the canopies. As discussed above, preferably
power within the
system is distributed at 24 vac to the individual pendants. Light engines
within the pendants the
use this source to generate light via LEDs or other similar efficient, long
life light elements. The
systems do not use any conventional bulbs that need replacement. It is
presently estimated
that the linear distance between a canopy and the furthest pendant can be up
to about 30 feet.
For larger systems, it is advisable to use two or more canopies. As indicated
above, for two or
more source-systems, the bars can be interconnected mechanically but isolated
electrically as
CA 2991970 2018-01-12
needed. As discussed above, in conjunction with Fig. 3, one bar of a system,
for example bar
306 can have two sections 306A, 3068 that are electrically insulated from each
other with the
rails of each section being fed and electrically connected to a different
canopy 100.
In this manner, the modular presented herein can be used to make systems
having different configurations. Because the hangers can be attached easily in
the field to the
canopies, the bars and the pendants, each system can be assembled very quickly
and
efficiently using the various components described above. Moreover, many
different kinds of
pendants can be used with the system. As long as each pendant is capable of
being connected
to any of the hangers described above, it can be incorporated into a system
without any
changes to any of its other components.
Obviously numerous modifications may be made to the invention without
departing from its scope as defined in the appended claims.
16
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