Lamp Mounting

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an adjustable mounting assembly for a lamp or other components, enabling it to be easily adjusted over a wide range of attitudes.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There have of course been many proposals for mounting various components through universal joint mountings, but they have tended to be either rather expensive, or rather unreliable, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a swivel mounting which is easy and stable to use but which is yet quite economical to produce.

According to the present invention, an adjustable mounting for a lamp or other component, includes a support having at least one slot in an external face and an arcuate member carrying the lamp and being snugly fit in the slot, and a fastener retaining the arcuate member in the slot but permitting the lamp to be adjustable by longitudinal or rotational movement of the arcuate member along or through the slot. Preferably there are two slots in the external face, the second slot being parallel to, and in side-by-side relationship with the one slot, and a further arcuate member parallel with the first, and carried by the lamp and being a snug fit in the second slot.

Even if the slot is a simple rectangular slot cut in sheet material constituting the external face if its width is equal to that of the arcuate member, and the arcuate member is partly circular, adjustment about an axis through the centre of the part circle and at right angles to the length of slot can be quite simple and yet quite precise. While a single arcuate member in a single slot may be arranged to prevent movement about the axis of the length of the slot, the preferred arrangement with the second arcuate member and slot can eliminate any tendency for movement about such an axis.

The fastener is conveniently a spring steel strip or other resilient member merely acting to hold the arcuate member or members firmly in the slot or slots.

The lamp or other component is conveniently positioned within the arc defined by the arcuate member or members, and mounted for pivoting about an axis parallel with the plane of an arcuate member by virtue of a pair of journal bearing housings held one at each end of the arcuate member or members, and housing a corresponding journal at each side of the lamp.

In one arrangement there are two lamps mounted on respective external faces of a single body, the faces being in different planes, and that gives a very wide range of possible arrangements.

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a sheet metal body 10 with two lamps 12, 12A mounted on it; and

FIG. 2 is a sketch from the back of one lamp mounting.

Each lamp is mounted on the body 10 by a pair of rods 14 of circular arcuate shape. For convenience only the mounting for one lamp 12 is shown. The arcuate or partly circular rods 14 each fit snugly in one of a pair of slots 16 formed in a face 18 of the body 10. The rods are retained in the slots 16 against the ends of the slots by a single resilient spring strip 20, which lies underneath the face 18, on either side of the slots as shown in chain lines, and passes over the arcuate rods 14 where they lie in the slots 16 as is shown in FIG. 2. The strip 20 has to be sprung into position so that its resilience holds the rods 14 against the ends of the slots. The rods can be adjusted against frictional spring restraint about a vertical axis containing the centres of the circular area, which is on a horizontal pivot axis 24.

The arcuate rods 14 are connected at either side of the lamp 12 to a housing 22. The lamp is mounted to turn about bearings in the housings 22 which define the pivot axis 24.

When the body 10 is mounted on a wall, for example, each lamp 12 can be rotated about its pivot axis 24, and the arcuate members 14 can slide in the slots 16, in the directions shown by the arrow 26, until the desired area is illuminated.

The lamp 12A is mounted on a face 18A of the body 10, the face 18A being in a different plane from the face 18, thus enabling a greater possible combination of illuminating position to be achieved.

The device is particularly useful for battery-operated emergency lighting systems which are designed to operate as soon as the mains supply fails. The power for the lights comes from a battery housed inside the body 10, and the lamps are used to illuminate areas of particular importance for example exits from a room or hazardous areas.

The body 10 carries a volt-meter and a indicator switch (not shown).

Although the arrangement is very simple requiring for each lamp only two rectangular slots in the face 18, the spring strip 20, and the housings 22 into which the ends of the rods 14 fit, there is a wide range of positions of adjustment. After removal of a screw at position 28, the front of the body 10 can be pivotted downwards about a horizontal axis 29 in relation to the rest of the body to allow access to the battery.

There may be a casing concealing much of the rods 14 and bearing housings 22. The mounting will be quite firm if the thickness of the face 18 is substantial, say 1/10 or 1/4 of the diameter of the rods.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.