This invention relates to a support for light diffusers.
Lighting appliances are known comprising a support consisting of a rigid frame for suspending from the ceiling, for fixing to a wall, or for resting on a base on the floor, and provided at one end with a light diffuser.
The electrical connection between the diffuser and the electricity mains is made by an electric cable which in some case is passed through the inside of the support (with a considerable time required for its insertion) and in other case is arranged external to the support (to the detriment of the appearance of the appliance).
DE-U-87 121 441 describes a support for light diffusers comprising two glass plates on which at least two conducting tracks are applied, the conducting tracks extending through the whole area of the plates being covered by a layer of insulating material.
These diffusers can operate only at low voltage since the conducting wires reach the side cut sections.
Therefore the lighting capacity is limited to the largest power of the low voltage and furthermore the diffusers requires two distinct supports since the inner net cannot be divided.
These drawbacks are overcome by a light diffuser support as claimed in claim 1.
The present invention is further clarified hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
As can be seen from the figures, the support according to the invention comprises substantially two plates of translucent glass 1,1′, on the inside of which there are provided two tracks 2 of conducting paste, for example based on silver. The ends of the two conducting tracks 2 are connected to the electrical contacts of the light diffuser 3 and to the electrical mains contacts respectively.
The support according to the invention is prepared in the following manner:
two rectangular preferably translucent glass plates are taken and their edges ground. Two tracks of conducting paste, preferably silver based, are then applied along one of the two glass plates by means of a silk-screen frame, after which the plate is dried to solidify the paste.
The plates are then tempered to improve their mechanical characteristics and to bake the paste of the conducting tracks, which thus become fixed to the supports.
After this tempering stage a layer of PVB (polyvinyl butyral) is applied between the two plates, which are then placed together under vacuum so that they become irreversibly joined. The plates prepared in this manner are connected to the diffuser conductors and to the mains leads.
Instead of being glued together with PVB, the plates can be glued with a conventional glue or joined by bolts.
From the aforegoing it is clear that the support according to the invention has numerous advantages, including: