Elongate objects such as poles, masts, shafts, posts, pillars, and towers have long been used to promote general illumination by attaching lighting to the object at an elevated position some distance from the supported end of the object (i.e., the base end) toward the remote end of the object. In some instances, the distance may be eight to ten feet or more. The preference for using lights elevated in this manner in industrial applications is well known. Benefits may include keeping the lighting out of the way of general traffic, providing for a wide dispersal of illumination while avoiding glare, avoiding damage to the lighting, and so on. Similarly mounting other items such as security cameras, sensors, loudspeakers, antennas, flags, and the like to an elongate object is also widely known.
Typically, access to these items is regularly required for repair, maintenance, configuration, and so on. Accessing items mounted as above has proven problematic, especially in industrial settings, such as chemical processing facilities, manufacturing plants, refineries, mining operations, and the like. Use of a ladder to access these items is generally unsafe in industrial environments. In many cases, the item is elevated from a suspended walkway, which is itself elevated from surrounding areas, thus exacerbating the perils of balancing on a ladder. In addition, the surrounding areas may also contain further obstacles.
As a result of the perils of ladder use in industrial settings, systems and methods have been developed to lower the remote end of an elongate object opposite the base (e.g., the top end of a light pole). Recently, lowering the remote end has been accomplished by rotating an upper section of the object downward through the use of a rotational joint, or pivot joint, incorporated between the end of the object connected to the base and the remote end, or between two elongate objects. The system including the pivot joint and the coupled upper and lower sections of the elongate object may be called a pivoting pole assembly. Some known systems also have a passage interior to the elongate object extending from the base end, through the joint, to the remote end, and wiring (wires, cables, etc.) running through the passage to the mounted item to provide power, communications, and so on.