Modular ceilings that can be individually accessed, conceal grilles, rest on all four sides, allow for reduced thickness and greater form

Abstract

The present invention discloses a rectangular ceiling module that can be approached one by one. The rectangular ceiling module allows the use of a larger-than-standard, reduced-thickness type. The rectangular ceiling module has a front, a rear, and four edges, where the corners form obtuse angles and a firm geometric shape. The rectangular ceiling module is installed from below without exceeding the height of the standard support grille. The rectangular ceiling module rests on the grille through its four edges or sides and hides the grille. The module can mainly be used as a standard false ceiling in office buildings to hide air-conditioning devices, electrical devices, fire protection systems, low-current systems, etc. located below the floor slab, and at the same time, depending on the materials used, also serves as an insulating and / or sound-absorbing element.

Description

Background Art

[0001] In the construction field, in the case of a device that uses the chamber or space between a false ceiling tile and a floor slab to accommodate all services used at that location (such as electrical, fire protection systems, air conditioning systems, and low-voltage systems, etc.), removable ceiling panels are usually used to give this flat finish and provide access to such equipment. For installation, a standard grid that hangs from the floor slab is used and this standard grid is called a 15 / 16 grid (in inches) or a 24 mm grid (metric). Grids of 61×61 cm or 61×122 cm are assembled, and a modular ceiling is installed on this grid so that the grid can be seen. With the evolution of a more aesthetic presentation, ceiling modules with recessed edges have been developed, where as the name indicates, the module has recesses in its four supporting edges, which allows the frieze or the module to be below the grid, thus eliminating the aesthetic protrusion of the profile. An even more aesthetic alternative is the module with a hidden grid to which the present invention pertains, where the size of the face of these modules is larger than the space left by the supporting grid. The standard 15 / 16 grid (24 mm face) consists of 366 cm main elements and 122 cm and 61 cm auxiliary elements, thus leaving a gap of 586×586 mm or 586×1,196 mm (610 - 24 = 586 mm or 1,220 - 24 = 1,196 mm) between the edges of the profile. Depending on the solution used, they hide the grid, thus leaving a gap in the range of 1 mm to 6 mm between the modules, depending on the system chosen. The smaller the gap between the ceiling tiles, the smoother the modular ceiling is perceived as a whole.

[0002] In the market for accessible modular ceilings that hide the supporting profiles and expose small gaps, there are several alternatives that have the characteristic of being supported on two sides, thus requiring attachment elements such as hooks, ceiling putty, clamps, etc. to act as retaining or safety elements in case a ceiling module releases one of the two supports it has due to manipulation movement or earth movement and the module drops to the ground. (Example: Natura-Sky of Hunter Douglas or Vector of Armstrong). Since it is supported on two sides, it also has the limitation that the distance between the two support points is narrowed because the gravity acting on the bending of these modules causes them to deform due to the action of gravity. To avoid deformation, these types of ceilings must have a maximum width type of 61 cm (between the two supported edges) and a minimum material thickness of 16 mm (for condensates) and 18 mm (for mineral fibers).

[0003] A better solution to the previously described alternatives for a ceiling with a hidden grille is the Chilean patent 200500058 Removable Ceiling Module and the patents US20060162283 and EP1690994. The basic feature of this solution is that it is supported on four sides, and the installation is carried out using recesses on the shorter sides of the module, which cut the geometry of the edges while only maintaining the continuity on the faces in order to install the module. This design is currently on the market and uses a 12 mm medium density fiber panel (mdf = medium density fiber panel) that does not warp due to resting on all four sides as the base plate. This medium density fiber panel has no problems in use because its density is suitable for the design of the edges, their durability, and the dimensions of the module, and the dimensions on the shorter side where the installation recesses are located cannot exceed 61 cm. If it is desired to make a ceiling module with a width of 122 cm, then the length of the installation recesses ( Figure 1 ) has to be increased to an extent that would compromise the effectiveness of the seismic measures because the recesses would be very evident (90 cm out of 122 cm), and leaving a 90 cm recess as the distortion distance of the mdf board due to gravity would mean that a greater thickness would be required, thus meaning a greater weight. Therefore, the practical scope where this design can be used is at most a 12 mm medium density fiber panel ceiling module (61×122 cm), and in the case of low density materials and given the brittleness of their edge shape, it can only be used where removability (or accessibility) is not required but the acoustic properties of a mineral fiber module are needed.

[0004] The ceiling module of the present invention allows increasing its size without losing safety features, without warping, and also without reducing the weight per square meter by requiring a smaller thickness, which can be 9 mm for mdf and 12 mm or 15 mm for mineral fiber, depending on the density of the material. In the case of lower density materials such as mineral fiber, given the robustness of their design, they can be used everywhere regardless of the need for removability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corner of a ceiling module in the prior art.

[0006] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a corner of a ceiling module according to the present invention, where the increase in thickness caused by adding the first rectangle and the second rectangle of the edge can be seen.

[0007] Figure 3 is a rear view of the rear surface of a ceiling module according to the present invention, and this rear view (deeper color) extends beyond the view of the front part of the front surface that is greater than the rear surface.

[0008] Figure 4 It is a sectional view of the edge relative to the grille and an enumeration of the recesses.

[0009] Figure 5 It is a view of the starting position of the ceiling module according to the present invention installed in an assembled standard grille.

[0010] Figure 6 It is a view of the position of the ceiling module according to the present invention on the grille when a shift movement is performed and rotation results.

[0011] Figure 7 It is a view of the position of the ceiling module according to the present invention in the grille where it is now accommodated in the grille and before a diagonal movement is applied towards the corner.

[0012] Figure 8 It is a view showing the position of the ceiling panel installed on the grille and supported by the support flange of the rectangle or the rear surface.

[0013] Figure 9 It is a view showing the position of the ceiling panel that is lifted until the rear part of the front surface of the surface is reached and moved diagonally towards the corner.

[0014] Figure 10 It is a view showing the position of the ceiling panel after a translation and rotation movement are applied once the corner of the grille has dropped so as to remain in a free position for removal.

[0015] Figure 11 It is a perspective view of a recessed-edge ceiling panel where the recess is at the corner of the support edge.

[0016] Figure 12 It is a perspective view from below the recessed-edge ceiling panel where the recess is in the corner of the support edge.

[0017] Figure 13 It is a perspective view of a recessed-edge ceiling panel where the recess is at the corner of the support edge and a rectangle protrudes on the front surface and hides the corresponding profile. Detailed Description

[0018] The technical problem solved by the ceiling module with the new accessible hidden profile is to make it possible to use low-density materials without accessibility restrictions for formats larger than standard, and the format has a smaller thickness of up to 12 mm without loss of seismic safety characteristics and without becoming distorted. There is no difference between width and length as its four edges have the same corner design. For materials such as medium-density MDF or fiber panels and other similar materials, it is possible to use a thickness of 9 mm, which represents a significant reduction in the final weight.

[0019] The present invention is a rectangular module having: a front surface (c) visible from below and having four edges (3) of the maximum size, each edge including recesses (3a), (3b), (3c) and (3d); and a rear surface (d) having a size larger than the distance between the edges of the support grille. Generally, this larger size is 5 mm or more on each side and serves as a support (3d). This support profile (3d) has at least two recessed corners from (1) to (2), thus increasing the angle of these corners and being the optimal use of four equal corners. Considering a 610×610 mm module, these recessed corners change from a right angle to an obtuse angle of 94°, where the length of the recess is 10 cm, and the distance from (1) to (2) is the same length as the recess from (1b) to (2b), which corresponds to edge 3b and is parallel to the recess of edge 3d. The lengths of the two recesses must be the same and can vary according to the format of the ceiling module.

[0020] The corners of the present invention make the installation more intuitive, simple and with fewer steps. The angle of the corner increases from 90° to 94° because the upper support flange (3d) with a thickness of 3 mm and a depth of 5 mm (1) drops from a distance of 10 cm to a depth of 0 mm at (2). The recess describes a diagonal of 10 cm from corner (1) to the actual corner (2), where the flange has a depth of 5 mm, along which the depth drops to reach 0 mm. In corner (2), its thickness (3d) is added to the thickness of the second groove (3c), resulting in a support rectangle with a thickness of 7 mm and a depth of 6 mm, which is stronger. In addition to the above, the new ceiling design "hides the grille, is installed from below without exceeding the height of the support profile, can be individually accessed one by one without difficulty or deterioration, and has seismic performance when supported on all four sides."

[0021] The length of the recess of the corner is preferably 1 cm to 15 cm. If the length of the module is 122 cm, 15 cm is reasonable so that its exterior does not get too far from the grille, and a 10 cm recess is sufficient for a lateral length of 61 cm.

[0022] If the module size increases from 61×61 cm to 122×122 cm, the corner design remains unchanged, thus maintaining the simplicity of safe attachment and installation using the same standard grille without having to increase the thickness.

[0023] The edges (3) of the module include recesses (3a), (3b), (3c) and (3d), which are subject to the following constraints: in order to be able to use a spacing gap of 0.5 mm or more between the modules, access can be achieved individually, simply and independently of the remaining ceiling modules. This is done by ensuring that the thickness of the rectangle on the front surface of the ceiling panel (3a) is less than the sum of all the rectangles (3b)+(3c) in the middle of the module plus the thickness of the fixing rectangle (which is 1 mm).

[0024] The condition that each of these rectangles forming the edge must satisfy is:

[0025] 3a. Visible front surface and edge: must have a maximum thickness that, after subtracting the thickness of the profile, allows access to the working space left by two or three rectangles. The maximum thickness should be 2×17 mm in the case of mdf and 5×17 mm for mineral wool with a thickness of 15 mm.

[0026] 3b. Working space: must have sufficient height to allow the manipulation of the internal profile during installation. The height is 2 mm in the case of mdf and 3 mm for 15 mm mineral wool.

[0027] 3c. Spacer between the profile edges: must have a thickness that allows the module to easily find its position between the edges of the grille. The thickness should be 3×6 mm in the case of mdf and 4×6 mm for 15 mm mineral wool.

[0028] 3d. Support above the profile: must be strong enough to support the weight of the module. The support should be 2×5 mm in the case of 9 mm mdf and 3×5 mm for 15 mm mineral wool.

[0029] The module is supported by a continuous inverted T-shaped grille, which is suspended from the roof floor slab using wire or profiles designed for this purpose. These profiles are suspended at a distance of 1220 mm from each other and separated by profile modules of the same inverted T shape, thus forming a grille with a 1220×1220 mm rectangle between the axes. If another auxiliary profile of 1220 mm is installed between two main profiles parallel to the main profiles, a grille with a 1220×610 mm rectangle is formed. If these rectangles are further subdivided by auxiliary profiles of 610 mm between the main profile and the 1220 mm auxiliary profile parallel to the main profile, a rectangle of 610×610 mm is formed, thus having a grille of 610×610 mm. All these grilles are also supported by angled profiles that surround the entire perimeter and are fixed to the walls containing the modular ceiling space and are called perimeter profiles.

[0030] The width of the profile in its visible or lower part is 24 mm (15 / 16 inch). The fixing profile is made of galvanized and painted steel with a thickness of approximately 0.8 mm.

[0031] The four corners (2) of the accessible ceiling module of the present invention allow installation to be carried out using rotational movement and displacement plus straight diagonal adjustment. The installation and disassembly system is part of the requested patent.

[0032] The installation is completed by introducing the grille into the recess (3b) of the corner (2a) of the module until it reaches the vertical wall of the profile. This corner (2a) is shifted parallel to its profile to the corner of the grille (5), thus ensuring that during the shift of the corner (2b), the grille enters the recess (3b) of the module until it reaches the vertical wall of the profile. In the case where both corners (2a) and (2b) contact the profile on the vertical wall of the profile, the corner (2a) of the module is moved to the corner of the grille (5), causing the module to rotate so that the corner (2b) of the module moves to the corner of the grille (6). In this position, the lengths (7) and (8) of the module are supported on the corresponding profiles in such a way that there is no grille at the level of the rear surface for the relative lengths of the module, such that this corner is higher than the level of the profile. Once this has been completed, the module is moved diagonally towards the corner (9), which positions the ceiling panel in the final position where the module descends, thus remaining fully supported on the flange of the rear surface (3d) and the four lengths remaining at the same distance from the grille.

[0033] The installation process involves performing the opposite process, i.e., lifting the module so that the rear surface of the recess in the front surface (3a) contacts the profile; moving the module diagonally towards the corner of the grille (5) to its maximum position, i.e., the lengths (7) and (8) remain in contact with the profile, while the opposite corner (9) remains free to descend relative to the grille and move parallel to the corresponding profile towards one side of the corner (2a) in contact with the grille, and at the same time the front corner (2b) also moves parallel to its corresponding profile, i.e., two straight vertical movements produce rotation and transfer, which results in the ceiling module being free; then retracting the module when it has rotated approximately 20° relative to the grille.

[0034] Considering that the ceiling module is formed only by the rear surface (d) and the third recess or adjustment part (3c) is a recess retained between the edges of the profiles of the grille, we obtain an accessible ceiling module with a recessed edge, where the spaced recess (3c) has a thickness of 9 mm, the distance from point (1) to (2) corresponds to the recess of the support flange (3d), in this case, the distance does not reach 0 mm at the corner but is 2 mm (4) so as to remain invisible from below through the upper corner. In other words, 0 mm can also be achieved, but this is not the most aesthetic option. The installation and disassembly methods are the same as those of the module of the present invention. It should be remembered that when introducing the profile into the main recess (3b) for the main design of the present invention, for this case, the new surface (c1) of the module will be above the fins of the profile.

[0035] If we add a rectangle (11) with a thickness of 5 mm and a length of 25 mm to one of the edges of the front surface (c1) of the ceiling module with a recessed edge having a 9-mm spaced recess, we will obtain a recessed-edge ceiling module with a hidden profile on one of the sides. We can define such a module as a corridor hidden-profile ceiling module, which is installed one by one to cover the gap profiles and only leave the last one as a traditional recessed edge, so that the same recessed-edge end remains around the entire perimeter of the installed "corridor ceiling", which has a recessed edge and a hidden profile between the module and all the gaps.

[0036] Increasing the type of the accessible ceiling module of the present invention is very simple because the corners remain unchanged and only the length between them increases, thus maintaining its support throughout the desired increased length. This is not the case with the prior art CL200500058 because by increasing the type with the width of the mounting recess, the recessed section has to become longer because otherwise installation is not possible. Thus, if the width is increased to 120 cm such that the mounting recess can function, this will have to increase the length such that the support section (e) to (f) will remain unchanged. This results in the support area of these edges being reduced from approximately 50% to approximately 25%, that is, the recess will be 91.5 cm in a length of 122 cm, and the recess will not be supported or adjusted by the grille, which means a lower safety level during handling and earth movements, that is, the seismic quality will be lost. In addition, by leaving 91.5 cm of the 122 cm length of the module unsupported, it will be affected by the distortion generated by gravity, which will lead to an increase in its thickness and thus its weight in order to compensate.

Claims

1. An accessible ceiling module that can be installed from below, comprising: A surface having a generally rectangular shape with a first set of four vertices, each of the first set of four vertices including a right angle, a back surface disposed opposite the surface and including a second set of four vertices, each vertex of the second set of four vertices including an obtuse angle, and four module edges, wherein each of the module edges includes: A front flange extending from the surface and extending in the same plane as the surface, the front flange having a first thickness; A mounting groove disposed between the surface and the back surface, the mounting groove having a second thickness and a first depth relative to two of the first set of four vertices; A fixing groove disposed between the back surface and the mounting groove, the fixing groove having a third thickness and a second depth relative to two of the first set of four vertices; and A support flange extending from the back surface and extending in the same plane as the back surface, the support flange having a fourth thickness, a third depth, and a fourth depth, the third depth being located in a first portion of the support flange, the first portion extending along an edge of the support flange from two of the second set of four vertices to a second portion of the edge of the support flange, the fourth depth being located in the second portion and being less than the third depth, wherein the third depth and the fourth depth are depths relative to two of the first set of four vertices.

2. The accessible ceiling module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first portion extends along the edge of the support flange from two of the second set of four vertices for 1 to 15 cm.

3. The accessible ceiling module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the second portions is disposed between two of the first portions on each of the module edges.

4. A method for installing the accessible ceiling module according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps in sequence: Insert the installation grooves at the first and second corners of the accessible ceiling module into two profile edges of a rectangle of a support grille, wherein the surface is arranged downward, and the accessible ceiling module is rotated approximately 20° relative to the rectangle of the support grille before insertion; Move the two corners parallel to the support grille and towards the other two corners of the rectangle of the support grille until one or more of the module edges are substantially parallel to one or more of the profile edges; Lift one or more of the third or fourth corners of the accessible ceiling module such that the entire back surface is above the two profile edges, wherein the third and fourth corners are in different positions relative to the first and second corners; and Move the accessible ceiling module diagonally until the two profile edges are received by the fixing grooves.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Further includes disassembling the accessible ceiling module, including performing the steps of claim 4 in reverse order.

6. The accessible ceiling module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first thickness is 2 to 8 mm, the second thickness is 2 to 5 mm, the third thickness is 2 to 8 mm, and the fourth thickness is 1.5 to 6 mm.

7. The accessible ceiling module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first depth is 2 to 22 mm, the second depth is 2 to 12 mm, and the third depth is 0 to 10 mm.

8. The accessible ceiling module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The four module edges include the four edges of the mounting groove and the four edges of the support flange, and each edge of the four edges of the mounting groove is parallel to the corresponding one of the four edges of the support flange.

9. An accessible ceiling module that can be installed from below, comprising: A surface having a generally rectangular shape with a first set of four vertices, each of the first set of four vertices including a right angle, a back surface connected to the surface and including a second set of four vertices, each vertex of the second set of four vertices including an obtuse angle, and four module edges; And Each module edge among the module edges includes a support flange that extends from and lies in the same plane as the back surface, such that the back surface is wider and longer than the surface, the surface having a first depth and a second depth, the first depth being located in a first portion that extends along each of the module edges from each of the first set of four vertices, and the second depth being located in a second portion between the first portions on each of the module edges.

10. The accessible ceiling module according to claim 9, wherein, The first portion extends 1 to 15 cm along each of the module edges from each of the first set of four vertices.

11. A method for installing the accessible ceiling module according to claim 9, the method comprising the following steps in sequence: Insert the surfaces at the first and second corners of the accessible ceiling module into two of the four contour edges of a rectangle adjacent to a support grid, wherein the surfaces are disposed downwardly, and the accessible ceiling module is rotated by approximately 20° relative to the rectangle before insertion; Move the first and second corners parallel to the support grid and towards the other two corners of the rectangle of the support grid until one or more of the module edges are substantially parallel to one or more of the two of the four contour edges; Lift one or more of the third or fourth corners of the accessible ceiling module such that the entire back surface is above two of the four contour edges, wherein the third and fourth corners are in different positions relative to the first and second corners; and Move the accessible ceiling module diagonally until each of the four contour edges supports one of the module edges.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Also included is removing the accessible ceiling module, including performing the steps of claim 11 in reverse order.

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