Modular lighting system with a plurality of power bars
A modular lighting system for providing light in various areas includes one or more canopies, a set of bars, a set of hangers for supporting the bars from canopies and, optionally other supports, a set of pendants with light emitting elements and a set of hangers for supporting the pendants from the bars. The bars include two segments with conductive rails disposed or imbedded in their inner surfaces.
1. A support arrangement for supporting and providing power to a plurality of light sources in a modular lighting system, the arrangement comprising a plurality of power bars, a plurality of pendants and a plurality of hangers, including a first set of hangers supporting said power bars and a second set of hangers supporting said pendants, wherein each hanger includes a head having a horizontal wall and two outer walls, said walls cooperating to form two channels therebetween and a first and a second electrically conducting clip disposed at a preselected distance from each other and extending into one of said channels respectively, with each said power bar comprising:
two bar segments disposed equidistantly with respect to each other, each said bar segment including a respective rail made of an electrically conducting material, said bar segments defining a space therebetween with identical top and bottom openings and being sized and shaped to receive the hangers with the outer walls of each head being disposed adjacent to said bar segments, the clips of the first set of hangers extending through said top opening into said space, and the clips of the second set of hangers extending through said bottom opening into said space with all said clips engaging at least one of said rails and form interference fits with said bar segments in order to selectively attach to said bar;
wherein said hangers and bar cooperate to provide electric power to said pendants through the clips and said rails.
2. The support arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said power bars are straight.
3. The support arrangement of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said power bars is circular and the segments of said at least one of said power bar are concentric.
4. The support arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of power bars includes a first power bar disposed below a canopy and a second power bar disposed below said first power bar.
5. The support arrangement of claim 4 , wherein said first and second power bars are disposed at right angles to each other.
6. The support arrangement of claim 4 , further comprising a third power bar disposed below said second power bar.
7. The support arrangement of claim 6 , wherein said first and third power bars are disposed in the same horizontal plane.
8. The support arrangement of claim 6 , wherein said hangers include a first hanger supporting said second power bar from said first power bar and a second hanger supporting said second power bar from said third power bar, wherein electric current flows in sequence from said first power bar to said second power bar through said first hanger and from said second power bar to said third power bar through said second hanger.
9. The support arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said plurality of power bars includes a first, second and third power bar, said power bars being disposed in a star configuration on a common horizontal plane.
10. The arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising a connector system for holding said first, second and third power bars at preselected angles with respect to each other.
11. The support arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the modular system is adapted for connection to at least a first and a second power source, and wherein said plurality of power bars includes a first power bar receiving power from said first power source and a second power bar receiving power from a second power source.
12. The support arrangement of clam 11 , further comprising a split power bar having one end receiving power from the first power source and a second end receiving power from the second power source.
13. The support arrangement of claim 12 , further comprising a second set of hangers, wherein at least one of said power bars receives at least one hanger from said second set of hangers through the top opening, said of least one hanger for supporting one of said pendants from said at least one power bar.
14. The support arrangement of claim 12 , wherein all said power bars have identical structures other than length.