Abstract:
Profile member including a current rail, characterized in that the profile member ( 10 ) forms two profile openings ( 12 ) having internal cross-sections with identical shapes, into which a current rail profile ( 14 ) is detachably insertable.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a profile member including a current rail. 
     Current rails are widely used in electrical installations and have the advantage that the electrical energy can be fed-in by means of a feeder in an arbitrary position and can be tapped by means of adapters, to which electrical loads are connectable, also at arbritary positions. It is also known to integrate such current rails into profile members which at the same time have a supporting function in racks, furniture components and the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a profile member including a current rail and having a variaty of utilities. 
     According to the invention, this object is achieved by the feature that the profile member has two profile openings having internal cross-sections with identical shapes, into which a current rail profile is detachably insertable. 
     In this profile member, one and the same current rail profile may be inserted into either of the two profile openings as desired by the user, so that the feeders and/or adapters can be arranged not only in arbritrary longitudinal positions but also on two different sides of the cross-section of the profile member. Thus, an optimal arrangement of the adapters in accordance with the intended use is made possible. Of course, it is also possible to insert two identical current rail profiles in both profile openings, thereby to form a duplex current rail. 
     The invention therefore relates also to a profile member which is characterized in that two parallel current rails are integrated in the same profile member. 
     Useful embodiments of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims. 
     In the last-mentioned embodiment, the electrical conductors of the two current rails may belong to different circuits. This offers the possibility, for example in illumination installations, to switch or dim the lamps, that are connected to the different current rails, group-wise. 
     In a generalisation of the inventive concept it is also possible that the profile member forms more than two profile openings for current rail profiles and/or accommodates more than two parallel current rails. 
     The different current rails may also be supplied with different voltages. Thus, it is possible for example to use one current rail as a line-current rail for supplying electrical equipment such as hi-fi systems, TV sets and the like with the line voltage of 230V, whereas the other current rail is used as a low-voltage current rail for halogen lamps that are energized with a DC voltage of 12 or 24 V. Preferably, the two or more current rails have nevertheless an identical construction, satisfying the requirements for a line-current rail in terms of insulation, touch pevention and presence of a ground wire, while on the other hand the cross-sections of the conductors are adapted to the generally larger current intensities for low-voltage equipments. 
     The two profile openings and the two current rails, respectively, may be arranged in the profile member such that they are accessible from the same side or from opposite sides. In a preferred embodiment, the profile member, as a whole, has an approximately elliptic cross-section, and the two profile openings are arranged diametrically opposite to one another on the large axis of the ellipse. The profile member may for example be formed by an extruded profile of aluminum or an aluminum alloy and is preferably provided, in addition to the profile openings for the current rails, with one or more installation grooves, arranged for example diametrically opposite to one another on the small axis of the ellipse, for fastening rack shelves or other furniture components. Thus, the profile member may for example be used as an upright for racks or as a supporting upright for cupboards, and the electrical power for lamps and other loads can be tapped on the front side or on the back side of the upright depending upon the demand. 
     When one of the current rails, that are designed for line voltage, is used for a low-voltage system, the ground wire may be utilized for forming, per current rail, two electric circuits which can be switched separately. In low-voltage appliances, an additional circuit may also be formed by utilizing the metal profile member itself as an electrical conductor. 
     The current rail profiles that are detachably inserted in the profile member are preferably formed by extruded profiles of plastic which can be snap-fastened in the profile openings of the profile member and in which the electrical conductors are embedded such that they are insulated from the profile member. 
     Seats for a thrust-in or snap-in cover profile may be formed at the edge of the profile openings. The profile opening that is not used for accommodating a current rail profile may be blindfolded by means of the cover profile. Likewise it is possible that the current rail profile, which is preferably provided in the form of an endless material, is inserted only in certain longitudinal portions of the profile member. The remaining longitudinal portions may then be covered with the cover profile. Optionally, the cover profile may also be provided over the current rail profile, so that parts of the current rail profile which serve only for electrically connecting adjacent parts, that are accessible for adapters, are blindfolded by means of the cover profiles. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Embodiments of the invention will now be explained in detail in conjunction with the drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a profile member according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a section through the profile member according to FIG. 1 in another configuration; and 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rack-type wall unit in which the profile members of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are used as rack uprights. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The profile member  10  which has been shown in cross-section in FIG. 1 is formed by an extruded profile, for example of aluminum, and has an approximately elliptical external cross-sectional shape. Two profile openings  12  having identical shapes, in which an electrically insulating current rail profile  14  may be snap-fastened, are formed mirror-symmetrically and diametrically opposed to one another on the large axis of the ellipse. In the condition shown in FIG. 1, a current rail profile  14  has been inserted only in the top profile opening  12 , whereas the bottom profile opening is closed by a cover profile  16 . In contrast, FIG. 2 shows a configuration in which current rail profiles  14  are inserted in both profile openings  12 . Here, the sectional plane is situated in a longitudinal portion of he profile member  10  in which the lower current rail profile  14  is accessible through the profile opening, which is not closed there, whereas the top current rail profile  14  is hidden behind the cover profile  16 . 
     The base of each profile opening  12  is defined by a web  18  of the profile member, which web forms a snap contour  20  projecting convexly into the profile opening  12 . 
     The current rail profile  14  is formed as an extruded plastic profile, as is known per-se, in which two conductors  22  are embedded such that they are electrically insulated from one another and are each accessible through a slot  24 . The current rail profile  14  is snap-fastened on the snap contour  20  with two lock ribs  26  such that the slots  24  are directed towards the open side of the profile opening  12 . 
     The walls of the profile member  10  delimiting the profile opening  12  are formed with two diametrically opposite grooves  28  which serve for fastening the cover profile  16 . At the same time, the grooves  28  may serve for fastening an adapter, which has not been shown, and which has contact blades engaging into the slots  24  of the current rail profile  14  for tapping the electrical current from the conductors  22 . Adapters which are to be fastened to a current rail in this way are known per-se and are therefore not described in detail herein. The profile member  10  and the current rail profile  14  are preferably designed to be compatible with commercially available adapters. 
     In the shown example the current rail profile  14  has only two conductors  22  for use as a low-voltage current rail. However, in terms of insulation and touch prevention, the current rail profile  14  and its arrangement in the profile member  10  fulfills also the requirements for a line-current rail for a voltage of 230 V for example. In this case, a ground wire may be fitted in a groove  30  of the current rail profile, or the profile member  10  as a whole may be used as ground conductor. 
     On the small axis of the elliptical cross section of the profile member  10 , there are formed diametrically opposite fastening profiles  32  the cross-sections of which are mirror-symmetric to one another relative to the central axis of the profile member  10 , and each fastening profile forms an undercut fastening groove  34  for rack shelves or other functional components as well as a bolt channel  36 . The profile members  10  having the fastening grooves  34  may therefore be used as uprights for a rack-type wall unit, as is known in the art and as has been shown in FIG.  3 . The rack shelves or other furniture components may be fixed in the fastening grooves  34  in a known manner by means of clamp fittings or screws. The bolt channels  36  serve for example for fixing end caps on both ends of the profile members  10 .