Base mount for electrical component

Abstract

A base mount for an electrical component includes a base including an attachment portion for receiving one or more fasteners for securing the base to a support. A mount portion extends from the attachment portion and defines a mount area for one of receiving or engaging the electrical component to locate the electrical component relative to the base. The mount portion further defines a plurality of openings communicating an interior space of the mount portion with an exterior of the mount portion for routing conduits or cables into the interior space of the mount portion. A support bracket is releasably attachable to the mount area of the base for securing the electrical component to the base.

Description

BASE MOUNT FOR ELECTRICAL COMPONENTFIELD

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a base mount for an electrical component, and more particularly to a base mount for a lighting pole.BACKGROUND

[0002] Current base mounts for lighting poles are unable to provide the ability to be retrofit in the field with a standard lighting pole (e.g., V Spring pole construction). Referring to Fig. 1, a conventional base mount 1 is shown including a housing or base 3 and support flanges 5 welded to the base. A base plate 7 and a base gasket 9 may be disposed on a bottom of the base 3 to facilitate mounting the base mount 1 on a support (not shown). In particular, fasteners 11 may be received through the base 3, base gasket 9, and base plate 7 to secure the base mount 1 to the support. The base 3 includes a plurality of ports 13 for routing electrical conduits into an interior space of the base. The support flanges 5 are also welded to a pole P of an electrical component, such as a telescopic light, to secure the light to the base 3. The electrical wires (i.e., conduits) may be routed through an opening in the base 3 into the interior space of the base to connect the electrical component to a conduit routed through one of the ports 13. The welding steps are performed during manufacturing such that the fully assembled base mount and electrical component assembly is shipped to the user for installation. For example, the assembly in some cases must be shipped in a vertical orientation on a pallet which makes for difficult transportation.SUMMARY

[0003] In one aspect, a base mount for an electrical component generally comprises a base including an attachment portion for receiving one or more fasteners for securing the base to a support. A mount portion extends from the attachment portion and defines a mount area for at least one of receiving or engaging the electrical component to locate the electrical component relative to the base. The mount portion further defines a plurality of openings communicating an interior space of the mount portion with an exterior of the mount portion for routing conduits or cables into the interior space of the mount portion. A support bracket is releasably attachable to the mount area of the base for securing the electrical component to the base.

[0004] In another aspect, a method of mounting an electrical component to a support at an installation site of the electrical component generally comprises securing a base mount to the support at the installation site. Engaging the electrical component with the base mount at the installation site. Securing the electrical component to the base mount at the installation site.

[0005] In yet another aspect, a base mount assembly generally comprises a base mount comprising a housing including an attachment portion for receiving one or more fasteners for securing the housing to a ground support. A support portion extends from the attachment portion and defines a plurality of openings communicating an interior space of the support portion with an exterior of the support portion for routing conduits or cables into the interior space of the support portion. An underground electrical conduit extends from underground into the interior space of the base mount. An above ground electrical conduit extends through one of the conduit openings in the base mount into the interior space and electrically connects to the underground electrical conduit. The base mount provides the only support for the connection of the above ground electrical conduit with the underground electrical conduit.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective of a prior art base mount attached to an electrical component;

[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective of a base mount of the present disclosure mounting an electrical component on a support;

[0008] FIG. 3 is a top perspective of a base of the base mount;

[0009] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective of the base;

[0010] FIG. 5 is a cross section of the base mount showing a termination cap in a termination opening of the base;

[0011] FIG. 6 is a front perspective of a support bracket of the base mount;

[0012] FIG. 7 is a rear perspective of the support bracket;

[0013] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a base mount assembly;

[0014] FIG. 9 is a perspective of a base mount of another embodiment mounting an electrical component on a support;

[0015] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective of a base mount of another embodiment; and

[0016] FIG. 11 is a perspective of a base mount of another embodiment attached to an electrical component.

[0017] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Referring to Fig. 2, one embodiment of a base mount is generally indicated at 20. The base mount 20 includes a housing or base 22 and support brackets 24 releasably attached to the base for supporting an electrical component mounted on the base. The base 22 may be secured to a support S (e.g., concrete base, structural members, etc.) by fasteners 26 extending through the base and into the support. In the illustrated embodiment, each fastener 26 comprises a j-bolt 28 and nut 30 as is customarily used for base mount attachments. However, the base 22 may be secured to the support S by other means without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The support brackets 24 are releasably securable to a pole P of an electrical component, such as a telescopic lighting pole, to secure the electrical component to the base 22. In the illustrated embodiment, there are a pair of support brackets 24 attached to each other around the pole P. However, a single support bracket 24 or more than two support brackets may be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0019] Bolts 32 may attach the support brackets 24 to each other for supporting the pole P of the electrical component. Additionally, bolts 34 may attach the support brackets 24 to the base 22 to releasably attach the support brackets to the base. However, the releasable attachments may be accomplished by other means without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It will be understood that a releasable attachment comprises an attachment that can be undone without causing damage to the attached components or the structure forming the attachment. As such, a weld does not comprise a releasable attachment. Therefore, the base 22 and the support brackets 24 can be manufactured at a manufacturing site and shipped separately (i.e., detached from each other) to a user. The user can then attach the support brackets 24 to the base 22 at an installation site when installing the base mount 20 on the support S. This eliminates the deficiencies in conventional base mounts which are fixedly attached (such as by welds) to the electrical components at the manufacturing sites. Additionally, in the instances where the electrical component comprises a lighting pole, a standard lighting pole can be used since the base mount 20 can be fit around the pole to accommodate the geometry of the pole at the installation site.

[0020] Referring to Figs. 3-5, the base 22 comprises a housing including a support or mount portion 36 and an attachment portion 38 extending from the mount portion. In the illustrated embodiment, the mount portion 36 comprises a generally rectangular (cuboidal) or trapezoidal prism housing section defining an interior space 40, and the attachment portion 38 comprises a flange section extending around a rim of the rectangular housing section. Thus, the attachment portion 38 comprises four (4) continuous flanges 42 connected at right angles to each other. The attachment portion 38 defines structure for receiving the bolts 28 of the fasteners 26 and an engagement surface for seating the base 22 on the support S. In particular, the continuous flanges 42 may collectively define a generally planar engagement surface 44 for seating the base 22 on the support S and a plurality of fastener holes 46 located at comers or junctions between the continuous flanges of the attachment portion. It will be understood that the mount portion 36 nay have other configurations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the mount portion 36 could have other shapes such as cylindrical.

[0021] The mount portion 36 projects upward from the attachment portion 38 when the base 22 is seated on the support S. In particular, the mount portion 36 defines a plurality of side walls 48 extending upward from the attachment portion 36 and an upper wall 50 (broadly, a mount area) extending between and connecting upper ends of the side walls. The shape of the mount portion 36 provides four (4) side walls 48 whereby adjacent side walls extend generally orthogonally to each other. Comers 52 (i.e., junctions between adjacent side walls 48) of the mount portion 36 may define raised portions to provide increased support and structural rigidity to the mount portions for supporting the support brackets 24 as will be discussed in greater detail below. In the illustrated embodiment, three of the four side walls 48 define a conduit opening 54 for communicating an exterior of the mount portion 36 with the interior space 40 for routing electrical conduits into the interior space of the mount portion. The side walls 48 may define embossments or raised portions 56 around the conduit openings 54 to provide further support and rigidity around the conduit openings. In the illustrated embodiment, the conduit openings 54 have a generally circular shape. However, the conduit openings 54 may have over configurations without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0022] The other of the four side walls 48 may, at least in part, define a termination opening 58 (broadly, a cable gland attachment section) for attaching a cable gland (not shown) to the mount portion 36 of the base 22 to route an electrical conduit coupled to the cable gland into the interior space 40 of the mount portion. As such, the termination opening58 may include threads 60 for mating with threads on the cable gland to secure the cable gland to the mount portion 36. A cap 62 (Figs. 2 and 5) may be disposed over (i.e., threaded into) the termination opening 58 to prevent the ingress of fluid (e.g., water) into the interior space 40 of the mount portion 36 through the termination opening. A seal (e.g., O-ring) 64 (Fig. 5) may be disposed between the cap 62 and the mount portion 36, around the termination opening 58, to provide a sealed connection between the cap and the termination opening to further prevent the ingress of fluid into the interior space 40. Projections 65 may be provided on the cap 62 to facilitate grasping and turning the cap to screw the cap into the termination opening 58 and unscrew the cap from the termination opening.

[0023] The upper wall 50 of the mount portion 36 may define an electrical component opening 66 for attaching an electrical component (i.e., pole P) to the base 22. In one embodiment, the electrical component opening 66 comprises a threaded opening for providing a threaded engagement with a mating attachment on the electrical component P. Therefore, the base 22 may provide a releasable attachment mechanism for securing the electrical component P to the base mount 20. Alternatively, the electrical component opening 66 may be free of threads and receive a portion of the electrical component P therein. As previously discussed, this allows for the separate shipping of the base 22 from the electrical component P so that the electrical component can be later retrofit or assembled with the base at an installation site. The upper wall 50 may also define a plurality of bracket openings 68 for securing the support brackets 24 on the base 22 with fasteners 34. Thus, the bracket openings 68 may also be threaded. It will be understood, however, that the base 22, and more particularly, the mount portion 36 and attachment portion 38 could have other configurations without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0024] Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, each support bracket 24 comprises a bracket body 68 including a center portion 70 and a pair of side flanges 72 extending from opposite sides of the center portion. In the illustrated embodiment, the center portion 70 has a semi-circular shape defining a concave recess 74. The recess 74 is sized and shaped to accommodate a segment of an electrical component (i.e., pole P) to position the electrical component in the support bracket 24. The side flanges 72 each define a pair of fastener holes 76 for receiving the fasteners 32 for attaching the support brackets 24 together around the electrical component P.

[0025] Each support bracket 24 further comprises a first leg 78 extending from one of the side flanges 72, and a first foot 80 extending from the first leg. In the illustrated embodiment, the first leg 78 extends downward at an angle from the side flange 72. Forexample, the first leg 78 may extend generally at a 45-degree angle from the side flange 72. However, the first leg 78 may extend at other angles without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The first foot 80 extends laterally from an end of the first leg 78 and defines a fastener opening 82. The fastener opening 82 is configured to receive one of fasteners 34 for attaching the support bracket 24 to the base 22. The first foot 80 may extend from the first leg 78 at an angle such that the first foot extends generally perpendicular to a longitudinal (e.g., vertical) axis of the bracket body 68. In one embodiment, the first foot 80 extends at about a 135-degree angle from the first leg 78. As such, the first foot 80 may extend generally parallel to the upper wall 50 of the base 22 when the support bracket 24 is attached to the base (Fig. 2).

[0026] A second leg 84 extends from an outer surface of the center portion 70 of the bracket body 68, and a second foot 86 extends from the second leg. In the illustrated embodiment, the second leg 84 extends downward at an angle from the center portion 70 of the bracket body 68. For example, the second leg 84 may extend generally at a 45-degree angle from the center portion 70. However, the second leg 84 may extend at other angles without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The second foot 86 extends laterally from an end of the second leg 84 and defines a fastener opening 88. The fastener opening 88 is configured to receive one of fasteners 34 for attaching the support bracket 24 to the base 22. The second foot 86 may extend from the second leg 84 at an angle such that the second foot extends generally perpendicular to a longitudinal (e.g., vertical) axis of the bracket body 68. In one embodiment, the second foot 86 extends at about a 135-degree angle from the second leg 84. As such, the second foot 86 may extend generally parallel to the upper wall 50 of the base 22 when the support bracket 24 is attached to the base (Fig. 2).

[0027] Referring to Fig. 2, installation of the base mount 20 and electrical component P on the support S can be initiated by first securing the base 22 to the support. The J-bolts 28 of the fasteners 26 may be inserted into the fastener holes 46 in the attachment portions 38 of the base 22, and the nuts 30 can be threaded onto the bolts to secure the base 22 in place on the support S. The electrical component P can then be attached to the base 22 by engaging the attachment on the electrical component with the electrical component opening 66 on the base. In particular, the electrical component P can be threaded or received into the electrical component opening 66 (Fig. 3) to provide an initial attachment / location of the electrical component to the base 22. At this time, the electrical component P may be electrically connected to one or more electrical conduits that have been routed into the base 22 through one of the conduit openings 54 or the termination opening 58. Finally, theelectrical component P can be secured to the base 22 by attaching the support brackets 24 around electrical component and bolting the support brackets to the upper wall 50 of the base. In particular, the two bracket bodies 68 of the support brackets 24 can mate with each other to substantially surround a portion of the electrical components P. The support brackets 24 can then be bolted together using fasteners 32 and bolted to the base 22 using fasteners 34. Therefore, the electrical component P is brought to the installation site detached from the base mount 20 and is first secured to the base mount at the installation site.

[0028] Referring to Fig. 8, base mount assemblies are generally indicated at 90. Each base mount assembly 90 comprises a base 22 configured for attachment to a ground support, and a series of electrical conduits connected through the base. In one embodiment, each base mount assembly 90 comprises an underground electrical conduit UC and at least one above ground electrical conduit AC electrically connected to the underground electrical conduit inside the base 22. Thus, the base 22 can be used within the base mount assembly 90 to facilitate and support the electrical connection between the underground electrical conduit UC and at least one above ground electrical conduits AC. In one embodiment, the base 22 may provide the only support for the connection between the underground electrical conduit UC and the above ground electrical conduit AC.

[0029] Referring to Fig. 9, a base mount of another embodiment is generally indicated at 120. The base mount 120 is similar to the base mount 20 of the previous embodiment. However, the cable gland attachment has been replaced with a conduit opening 154 such that each side wall 148 of the mount portion 136 defines a conduit opening. Additionally, an access opening 192 is formed in the upper wall 150 of the mount portion 136 to provide accesses into an interior space of the mount portion to facilitate connection of the conduits in the base mount 120. A removable cover 194 may also be provided to prevent the ingress of fluid (e.g., water) into the interior space of the mount portion 136 through the access opening 192. A seal (not shown) may be disposed between the cover 194 and the mount portion 136, around the access opening 192, to provide a sealed connection between the cover and the access opening to further prevent the ingress of fluid into the interior space.

[0030] Referring to Fig. 10, a base mount of another embodiment is generally indicated at 220. The base mount 220 is similar to the base mount 120 of the previous embodiment. However, the access opening has been removed.

[0031] Referring to Fig. 11, a base mount of another embodiment is generally indicated at 320. The base mount 320 is similar to the base mount 120 of the previous embodiment. However, the support brackets 324 have a slightly different configuration.

[0032] Having described the invention in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

[0033] As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A base mount for an electrical component comprising: a base including an attachment portion for receiving one or more fasteners for securing the base to a support, and a mount portion extending from the attachment portion and defining a mount area for at least one of receiving or engaging the electrical component to locate the electrical component relative to the base, the mount portion further defining a plurality of openings communicating an interior space of the mount portion with an exterior of the mount portion for routing conduits or cables into the interior space of the mount portion; and a support bracket releasably attachable to the mount area of the base for securing the electrical component to the base.

2. The base mount of claim 1, further comprising bolt fasteners for releasably attaching the support bracket to the mount area of the base.

3. The base mount of claim 1, wherein the mount portion includes a cable gland attachment section for attaching a cable gland to the base.

4. The base mount of claim 3, wherein the cable gland attachment section comprises a termination opening in the mount portion, the base mount further comprising a cap disposable over the termination opening to prevent ingress of fluid into the interior space of the mount portion of the base through the termination opening.

5. The base mount of claim 1, wherein the base includes an access opening for gaining access to the interior space of the mount portion when the base is secured to the support for attaching a conduit to the electrical component.

6. The base mount of claim 5, further comprising a cover over the access opening to prevent ingress of fluid into the interior space of the mount portion through the access opening.

7. The base mount of claim 6, further comprising a seal disposed between the cover and the base.

8. The base mount of claim 1, wherein the support bracket comprises a first support bracket, the base mount further comprising a second support bracket releasably attachable to the mount area of the base for securing the electrical component to the base.

9. The base mount of claim 8, wherein the second support bracket is releasably attachable to the first support bracket.

10. The base mount of claim 1, in combination with the electrical component, wherein the electrical component comprises a lighting pole.

11. A method of mounting an electrical component to a support at an installation site of the electrical component, the method comprising: securing a base mount to the support at the installation site; engaging the electrical component with the base mount at the installation site; and securing the electrical component to the base mount at the installation site.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising electrically connecting the electrical component to a conduit at the installation site.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising accessing the conduit through an access opening in the base mount.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising attaching a cable gland to the base mount to route the conduit into the base mount.

15. A base mount assembly comprising: a base mount comprising a housing including an attachment portion for receiving one or more fasteners for securing the housing to a ground support, and a support portion extending from the attachment portion and defining a plurality of openings communicating an interior space of the support portion with an exterior of the support portion for routing conduits or cables into the interior space of the support portion; an underground electrical conduit extending from underground into the interior space of the base mount; andan above ground electrical conduit extending through one of the conduit openings in the base mount into the interior space and electrically connected to the underground electrical conduit, the base mount providing the only support for the connection of the above ground electrical conduit with the underground electrical conduit.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the support portion includes a cable gland attachment section for attaching a cable gland to the housing.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the cable gland attachment section comprises a termination opening in the support portion, the base mount further comprising a cap disposable over the termination opening to prevent ingress of fluid into the interior space of the support portion of the housing through the termination opening.

18. The assembly of claim 15, where the housing includes an access opening for gaining access to the interior space of the support portion when the housing is secured to the ground support.

19. The assembly of claim 18, further comprising a cover over the access opening to prevent ingress of fluid into the interior space of the support portion through the access opening.

20. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising a seal disposed between the cover and the housing.