Current conductor system

In an insulated electrical conductor system for supplying electric energy to electrically energizable movable work utilities having current collecting shoes movable along the conductors of the system, in combination,

• a plurality of elongated current conductor bars longitudinally alined and joined together in end-to-end relation to provide a substantially continuous conductor of any desired length for supplying current to a slidable collector shoe in contact therewith,
• each of said bars being of a multi-branched transverse cross-section having a centrum body part from which commonly project a top and a bottom pair of laterally spaced branches respectively disposed symmetrically with reference to the longitudinally extending vertical median plane of said bar,
• said bottom pair of said laterally spaced branches being downwardly divergent from said centrum body part to define therebetween a downwardly presenting open-bottomed guide channel of substantially inverted V-shape which serves as a part of said continuous track of the system, and
• an inverted substantially U-shaped covering sheath of electrical insulating material embracingly fitted over each of said conductor bars, said sheath being of a uniform shape in transverse cross-section throughout the full length thereof so as to adapt it to be disposed in end-to-end abutting alinement with an adjoining conductor-bar covering sheath,
• each of said insulating sheaths having laterally spaced side walls and a crowned top closure wall bridging said side walls and being formed of a material having an inherent resiliency enabling its side walls to be sprung into close-fitting engagement with the conductor bar embraced thereby,
• said side walls of said sheath respectively terminating in a pair of opposed skirt portions to provide inwardly presenting channels of generally C-shaped configuration which respectively closely overlie the external surfaces of said downwardly divergent branches of said conductor bar and extend inwardly across the bottom edges of said guide channel of the conductor bar to thereby provide the sheath with a longitudinally extending bottom slot of a width substantially less than the cross-wise distance between said bottom edges of said guide channel and the overall width of the shoe movable therein whereby the sheath, except for its said bottom slot, completely encloses the conductor bar and the current collector shoe in contact therewith and prevents accidental dislodgement of said shoe from within the confines of said insulating sheath,
• the upper portions of the sheath side walls being outwardly and upwardly expanded to conjointly form with said crowned top wall of the sheath a longitudinally extending plenum to provide the sheath with a free space therein located substantially above the uppermost reaches of said top pair of laterally spaced branches of said conductor bar and of a volumetric capacity sufficient to accomodate therein various auxiliary devices which are attachable to said top branches of said conductor bar and have parts projecting vertically above the top horizontal plane thereof,
• said side walls being respectively internally formed to closely embrace and springably receive therebetween the said laterally spaced branches of the conductor bar about which said sheath is fitted.