Connection for mounting a rail

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of connecting pieces for mounting guide rail, the mounting guide rail includes at least one longitudinally extending side wall, the side wall has at least one row of spaced mounting holes, the connecting piece includes the base plate abutting to the side wall and one vertical to the base plate is arranged for connecting the screw cap of rod element, the base plate is provided with at least two mounting openings, the mounting opening is extended slot, at least one end of the slot has the recess deviating from the extension direction of the slot.The connecting piece of the present application can be simply and conveniently fastened to mounting guide rail, the mounting position of connecting piece is adjusted according to the needs of user, and can be adapted to the mounting hole of different arrangement mode of mounting beam, provide convenient and reliable connection for mounting guide rail and rod element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a connector for building installation engineering, and more particularly to a connector for connecting and installing guide rails and rod elements. Background Technology

[0002] In building installation engineering, mounting rails are frequently used, typically C-channel steel. For some applications with heavy loads, the load-bearing capacity of C-channel steel is insufficient; therefore, mounting beams with a closed rectangular cross-section are commonly used. Mounting beams include longitudinally extending sides with several spaced mounting holes. In many cases, mounting rails are equipped with devices for suspending various components; the screw elements of these devices also require appropriate fastening devices, such as connectors, to secure them to the mounting rail system.

[0003] Existing connectors for connecting mounting rails and rod components, particularly those for connecting mounting beams and rod components, typically consist of a base plate with a nut and two mounting holes. The base plate is secured to the mounting beam by screws passing through these holes. However, the spacing of the mounting holes on the base plate may not match the spacing of the mounting holes on the mounting beam, making it impossible to secure the connector to the beam. Furthermore, since the mounting holes are usually ordinary round holes, even if the spacing is matched, if the user needs to move the connector's installation position, they can only move the mounting holes on the mounting beam by one spacing. Therefore, the mounting position of the base plate depends on the position of the mounting holes on the mounting beam, making it impossible to install it at any position along the longitudinal sidewall of the mounting beam. If the connector is not installed in the most suitable position, the tube bundle may become twisted due to misalignment, preventing it from being arranged in a straight line.

[0004] Furthermore, the four longitudinal sidewalls of the mounting beam may have different widths, and the arrangement of mounting holes on the longitudinal sidewalls can vary. For example, there could be a row of mounting holes spaced longitudinally at the center of the sidewall, two rows of mounting holes spaced longitudinally near the two side edges of the sidewall, or three rows of mounting holes located at the center and near the two side edges of the sidewall, etc. Existing connectors cannot meet the requirements for mounting guides with mounting holes arranged in different ways. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a connector for mounting guide rails, which can be easily and conveniently fastened to the mounting guide rails, and the mounting position can be steplessly adjusted along the longitudinal side wall of the mounting guide rails. It is also applicable to mounting guide rails with various mounting hole arrangements, providing a convenient and reliable connection for mounting guide rails and rod components.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A connector for mounting a guide rail, the guide rail including at least one longitudinally extending sidewall having at least one row of spaced-apart mounting holes, the connector including a base plate abutting against the sidewall and a nut for connecting a rod element disposed perpendicular to the base plate, the base plate having at least two mounting openings, the mounting openings being extending slots, at least one end of the slots having a notch offset from the extending direction of the slots.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate is integrally formed and includes a generally parallelogram-shaped plate-like main body portion and a first end and a second end respectively adjacent to the two short sides of the parallelogram.

[0009] Preferably, the distance between the two long sides of the main body of the parallelogram is not greater than the width of the sidewall.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first end portion includes a first side and a second side that are inclined from one end of the two long sides of the main body portion of the parallelogram toward the center line of the main body portion of the parallelogram, and the first side and the second side intersect to form a first end portion having an angular shape; the second end portion includes a third side and a fourth side that are inclined from the other end of the two long sides of the main body portion of the parallelogram toward the center line of the main body portion of the parallelogram, and the third side and the fourth side intersect to form a second end portion having an angular shape.

[0011] Preferably, the first angle (α) at ​​which the first side is inclined relative to the long side is smaller than the second angle (β) at which the second side is inclined relative to the long side; and the third angle (α') at which the third side is inclined relative to the long side is smaller than the fourth angle (β') at which the fourth side is inclined relative to the long side.

[0012] More preferably, the first end and the second end are centrally symmetrical about the main body of the parallelogram, the first side is parallel to the third side, and the second side is parallel to the fourth side.

[0013] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the spacing of the mounting holes is equal, and the length of the slot is not less than the spacing of the mounting holes.

[0014] Preferably, the nut is located at the center of the main body of the parallelogram, and the slot is symmetrically arranged with respect to the nut, with the extension direction of the slot parallel to the long side of the main body of the parallelogram.

[0015] More preferably, the two ends of the slot have the notches respectively, and the notches at both ends of the slot deviate from the extension direction of the slot at the same angle and are substantially parallel to the first side.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the mounting guide rail includes a second sidewall having two rows of spaced mounting holes, the first row of mounting holes and the second row of mounting holes being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting guide rail and forming a straight line, wherein the angle between the line connecting one of the first row of mounting holes and another mounting hole in the second row that is offset from it in the longitudinal direction and the straight line containing the first row of mounting holes is equal to the first angle (α).

[0017] Preferably, the distance between the first side and the third side is not greater than the width of the second sidewall.

[0018] More preferably, one of the mounting holes in the first row is offset from the other mounting hole in the second row by two or three mounting hole spacings in the longitudinal direction.

[0019] According to the above technical solution, the connector for mounting guide rails of the present invention can be used for connecting various mounting guide rails and rod elements, especially for connecting heavy-duty mounting beams and screws. A nut perpendicular to the base plate is used to connect the screw element. The base plate abuts against the side wall of the mounting guide rail. An extending slot on the base plate allows at least one mounting hole of the mounting guide rail to be located within the extension area of ​​the slot. The connector can be conveniently and securely fastened to the side wall of the mounting guide rail by a screw passing through both the slot and the mounting hole on the guide rail, thus achieving stepless adjustment of the connector's mounting position on the mounting guide rail. The connector of the present invention can be installed at any position along the longitudinal direction of the side wall of the mounting guide rail with the mounting hole, ensuring that the connector is installed in the most suitable position. Therefore, the tube bundle can be arranged in a straight line without twisting due to misalignment of the connector. Particularly advantageous is that when the mounting guide is a mounting beam with a closed rectangular cross section, the connector of the present invention can be adapted to the sidewalls of the mounting beam with different widths and mounting hole arrangements, and has a fault-prevention function during installation. Attached Figure Description

[0020] A better understanding of the embodiments can be achieved by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasized that the various components are not necessarily drawn to scale. In fact, dimensions may be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of discussion. In the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements.

[0021] Figure 1 A perspective view of a connector for mounting a guide rail according to the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a top view of the connector for mounting guide rails according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a connector being fastened to a mounting rail according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a connector being fastened to a mounting rail according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 The connector in the embodiment is fastened to the mounting rail in a partial top view;

[0026] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the connector in the embodiment being incorrectly fastened to the mounting rail. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Below, we will refer to Figures 1 to 6 A connector for mounting a guide rail according to the present invention is described.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the connector 1 of the present invention includes a flat substrate 10 and a nut 11 for connecting a rod element disposed perpendicular to the substrate. The substrate 10 is integrally formed and includes a generally parallelogram-shaped main body portion 12 and portions located on the two short sides of the parallelogram (e.g., ...). Figure 2 The first end 13 and the second end 14 (shown by the dashed lines in the diagram). Preferably, the distance between the two long sides 17 of the main body portion 12 of the parallelogram is not greater than the width of the sidewall, ensuring that the connector 1 of the present invention will not exceed the boundary of the sidewall when it is fastened to any installation position of the sidewall of the mounting guide rail.

[0029] More preferably, the nut 11 is located at the center A of the main body portion 12 of the parallelogram; preferably, the nut 11 is welded to the substrate. The advantage of placing the nut 11 at the center of the substrate 10 is that when a rod element, such as a screw, is threaded to the nut, the load applied to the connector and mounting rail by the screw and its connected elements is relatively balanced.

[0030] The substrate has at least two mounting openings, each being an extending slot 15. At least one end of each slot 15 has a notch 16 offset from its extending direction D. Preferably, the extending direction of the slot 15 is parallel to the long side 17 of the main body portion 12 of the parallelogram, and the length of the slot is not less than the spacing of the mounting holes. This allows for better adjustment of the connector's position when it is fastened to the sidewall of a mounting rail with a row of mounting holes, ensuring that at least one mounting hole is fully exposed within the mounting opening, thereby securing the connector 1 firmly to the mounting rail.

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two ends of the slot 15 each have a notch 16; more preferably, the notches 16 at both ends of the slot have the same angle of inclination relative to the extending direction D of the slot. For example, as Figure 2 As shown, the notch at the left end of the slot is inclined upwards relative to the extension direction D of the slot, for example, by 30 degrees, while the notch at the right end of the slot is inclined downwards relative to the extension direction D of the slot, also for example, by 30 degrees. Therefore, the two notches 16 located at the two ends of the slot are parallel in their inclination directions. The inclined notches 16 allow for better adjustment of the connector's position when it is fastened to the sidewall of a mounting rail with two or three rows of mounting holes, ensuring that at least one mounting hole is fully exposed within the mounting opening, thereby achieving stepless adjustment of the connector 1's mounting position on the mounting rail.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first end portion 13 includes a first side 18 and a second side 19 that are inclined from one end of the two long sides 17 of the main body portion 12 of the parallelogram toward its center line CC, and the first side 18 and the second side 19 intersect to form a first end portion 13 having an angular shape; the second end portion 14 includes a third side 20 and a fourth side 21 that are inclined from the other end of the two long sides of the main body portion of the parallelogram toward the center line CC, and the third side 20 and the fourth side 21 intersect to form a second end portion 14 having an angular shape.

[0033] The first angle α of the inclination of the first side 18 relative to the long side 17 is smaller than the second angle β of the inclination of the second side 19 relative to the long side 17; the third angle α' of the inclination of the third side 20 relative to the long side 17 is smaller than the fourth angle β' of the inclination of the fourth side 21 relative to the long side 17. Preferably, the first end 13 and the second end 14 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center A of the main body of the parallelogram. Therefore, the first side 18 is parallel to the third side 20, and the second side 19 is parallel to the fourth side 21; the first angle α is equal to the third angle α', and the second angle β is equal to the fourth angle β.

[0034] The following will refer to Figures 3 to 5 The specific implementation method and beneficial effects of fastening the connector 1 of the present invention to the mounting guide rail are further explained.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, the mounting rail 30 is, for example, a mounting beam with a closed rectangular cross-sectional shape, having four longitudinally extending sidewalls. Two relatively narrow first sidewalls 31 and two relatively wide second sidewalls 32 form the rectangular cross-section. Preferably, the first sidewall 31 has a row of spaced-apart mounting holes 33, and the second sidewall 32 has two rows of spaced-apart first-row mounting holes 331 and second-row mounting holes 332. Preferably, the spacing of the mounting holes is equal. The row of mounting holes on the first sidewall 31 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting rail and is in a straight line. The two rows of mounting holes on the second sidewall 32 are also parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting rail and are in a straight line, with the first-row mounting holes 331 and second-row mounting holes 332 respectively located near the longitudinal edge of the sidewall. In addition, the second sidewall 32 may also have several openings in the middle portion of the first-row mounting holes 331 and second-row mounting holes 332 to facilitate the insertion of fingers or tools into the rail for operation.

[0036] according to Figure 3In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate 2 of the connector 1 rests against the first sidewall 31 of the mounting rail, and the spaced-apart mounting holes 33 are arranged in a straight line at the center of the first sidewall 31. Preferably, the distance between the two long sides 17 of the main body of the parallelogram is not greater than the width of the first sidewall 31 of the mounting rail. The mounting opening of the connector 1 is an extending slot 15, the extension direction of which is parallel to the long side 17, i.e., the longitudinal direction of the first sidewall 31. Preferably, the slot 15 is located on the centerline CC of the substrate. Therefore, the ideal mounting position of the connector 1 is that its long side 17 is parallel to the longitudinal side edge of the first sidewall 31, and preferably, the distance between the two long sides 17 should be less than the width of the first sidewall 31. Therefore, when the connector 1 is installed on the first sidewall, it has a certain vertical movement to ensure that even if the mounting position of the connector 1 is moved, the connector 1 cannot exceed the boundary of the first sidewall 31. The slot 15 at least partially coincides with the straight line where the mounting holes 33 are located. Furthermore, since the length of the slot 15 is not less than the spacing of the mounting holes, at least one mounting hole will be completely within the area of ​​the slot. Thus, by having the screw 22 pass through both the slot 15 and one mounting hole exposed within the slot, the connector 1 can be securely fixed to the first sidewall 31 of the mounting guide. Preferably, the mounting hole 33 is a flanged hole, and the screw 22 is a self-tapping screw. This allows the self-tapping screw to be driven into the flanged hole from the outside of the mounting guide, forming a threaded connection within the flanged hole, thus easily and conveniently completing the fastening connection.

[0037] Figure 4 and Figure 5 An embodiment of the present invention is shown where the connector 1 is fastened to the second sidewall 32 of the mounting rail 30. The second sidewall 32 includes a first row of mounting holes 331 and a second row of mounting holes 332 spaced apart parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting rail. The first row of mounting holes 331 and the second row of mounting holes 332 are respectively arranged in a straight line near the longitudinal side edge of the second sidewall 32. (See attached image.) Figure 4-5 The diagram illustrates the second sidewall 32 with two rows of mounting holes for mounting the guide rail, particularly... Figure 4 The four side walls of the mounting guide rail 30 are all second side walls with two rows of mounting holes. However, it should be noted that the mounting guide rail 30 of the present invention is not limited to... Figure 4 In one embodiment shown, the mounting rail 30 can actually be as follows: Figure 3 The mounting beam shown includes both the first and second sidewalls, or it can be as follows: Figure 4The mounting beam shown may include only the second sidewall, but it could also be a mounting beam including only the first sidewall (not shown in the figures), or the sidewall of the mounting guide rail may have three rows of mounting holes. Furthermore, the mounting guide rail 30 may, if necessary, be a C-shaped or U-shaped channel steel, as long as the mounting sidewall of the channel steel has spaced mounting holes. Therefore, the connector 1 of the present invention has wide adaptability and can be used with various types of mounting guide rails or those with various mounting hole arrangements.

[0038] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 When connector 1 is fastened to the wider second sidewall 32, unlike when it is fastened to the narrower first sidewall 31, connector 1 is placed at an angle on the second sidewall 32. The long side 17 of the main body 12 does not coincide with the longitudinal side edge of the second sidewall 32. Instead, the first side 18 and the third side 20 of connector 1 are respectively adjacent to the two longitudinal side edges of the second sidewall 32. Preferably, the distance between the first side 18 and the third side 20 is less than the width of the second sidewall 32. In this way, connector 1 can be adjusted in its installation position along the longitudinal direction of the second sidewall, but will not exceed the longitudinal edge of the second sidewall. Since the connector 1 includes at least two extended slot-shaped mounting openings, the two slots near the first end 13 and the second end 14 will at least partially overlap with the first row of mounting holes 331 and the second row of mounting holes 332, respectively. That is, at least one mounting hole in the first row of mounting holes 331 and the second row of mounting holes 332 can be exposed within the range of the mounting opening, thereby making it possible to fasten the connector 1 and the second sidewall 32 by passing the screw 22 through the mounting opening and the mounting hole 33.

[0039] Preferably, the first angle α of inclination of the first side 18 relative to the long side 17 is equal to the angle between the line connecting one of the first row of mounting holes 330 and another mounting hole in the second row that is longitudinally offset from it, and the straight line containing the first row of mounting holes. Furthermore, since the first end 13 and the second end 14 are symmetrical, when the connector 1 is tilted and placed against the first sidewall 31, the first side 18 and the third side 20 will be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the second sidewall 32. Preferably, one of the mounting holes in the first row is longitudinally offset from the other mounting hole in the second row by a distance of two or three mounting holes. The appropriate first angle α for the connector 1 is determined based on the spacing of the mounting holes in the applied mounting guide. This ensures that the connector 1 can be arbitrarily adjusted in its mounting position along the longitudinal sidewall of the mounting guide.

[0040] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the two ends of the slot 15 are respectively provided with the notches 16, and the notches at both ends of the slot 15 are offset from the extension direction D of the slot 15 at the same angle. Preferably, the notches 16 are parallel to the first side 18. More preferably, the distance between the projections of the notches 16 at both ends of the slot 15 and the first side 18 is not less than the spacing of the mounting holes. Therefore, the notches 16 inclined parallel to the first side 18 enable better adjustment of the position of the connector 1 when it is fastened to the side wall of the mounting guide rail with two rows of mounting holes, ensuring that at least one mounting hole can be fully exposed within the range of the mounting opening, thereby realizing stepless adjustment of the mounting position of the connector 1 on the second side wall of the mounting guide rail.

[0041] Furthermore, the connector 1 of the present invention also has an installation error prevention function. (See reference) Figure 6 Since the first angle α of inclination of the first side 18 relative to the long side 17 is smaller than the second angle β of inclination of the second side 19 relative to the long side 17, and the third angle α' of inclination of the third side 20 relative to the long side 17 is smaller than the fourth angle β' of inclination of the fourth side 21 relative to the long side 17, preferably, the second side 19 is substantially perpendicular to the first side 18, and the fourth side 21 is substantially perpendicular to the third side 20. When the connector 1 is incorrectly placed on the second side wall, the second side 19 and the fourth side 21 will protrude from the longitudinal side edge of the second side wall 32, indicating to the worker that an installation error has occurred.

[0042] Thus, when the connector 1 of the present invention is placed on one of the side walls of the mounting rail, the extending slot coincides with at least one spaced mounting hole on the side wall of the mounting rail. The recess, inclined relative to the extension direction of the slot, allows for stepless adjustment of the mounting position of the connector 1 on the side wall of the mounting rail. In other words, when the connector of the present invention is placed on any side wall of the mounting rail, as long as that side wall has spaced mounting holes, at least one mounting hole will always be located within the range of the slot. Therefore, the connector of the present invention does not require careful selection of its fastening position on the mounting rail, greatly facilitating the user to achieve the desired fastening connection according to the application of the rod element and the mounting rail.

[0043] As mentioned above, although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in the specification with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and there may be many other embodiments. The scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A connector for mounting a guide rail, the guide rail comprising at least one longitudinally extending sidewall having at least one row of spaced-apart mounting holes, the connector comprising a base plate abutting against the sidewall and a nut perpendicular to the base plate for connecting a rod element, the base plate having at least two mounting openings, characterized in that, The mounting opening is an extended slot, at least one end of which has a notch offset from the extending direction of the slot. The substrate is integrally formed and includes a generally parallelogram-shaped flat body portion and a first end and a second end portion respectively adjacent to the two short sides of the parallelogram. The nut is located at the center of the parallelogram-shaped body portion. The slot is symmetrically arranged with respect to the nut, and the extending direction of the slot is parallel to the long side of the parallelogram-shaped body portion.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the two long sides of the main body of the parallelogram is not greater than the width of the sidewall.

3. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first end portion includes a first side and a second side that are inclined from one end of the two long sides of the main body of the parallelogram toward the center line of the main body of the parallelogram, and the first side and the second side intersect to form a first end portion having an angular shape; the second end portion includes a third side and a fourth side that are inclined from the other end of the two long sides of the main body of the parallelogram toward the center line of the main body of the parallelogram, and the third side and the fourth side intersect to form a second end portion having an angular shape.

4. The connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first angle (α) at ​​which the first side is inclined relative to the long side is smaller than the second angle (β) at which the second side is inclined relative to the long side; the third angle (α') at which the third side is inclined relative to the long side is smaller than the fourth angle (β') at which the fourth side is inclined relative to the long side.

5. The connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first end and the second end are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the main body of the parallelogram, the first side is parallel to the third side, and the second side is parallel to the fourth side.

6. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The spacing between the mounting holes is equal, and the length of the slot is not less than the spacing between the mounting holes.

7. The connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The slot has a notch at each end, and the notches at both ends of the slot deviate from the extension direction of the slot at the same angle and are parallel to the first side.

8. The connector according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The slot has a notch at each end, and the notches at both ends of the slot deviate from the extension direction of the slot at the same angle and are parallel to the first side.

9. The connector according to claim 8, characterized in that, The mounting guide rail includes a second sidewall with two rows of spaced mounting holes. The first row of mounting holes and the second row of mounting holes are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the mounting guide rail and are in a straight line. The angle between the line connecting one of the first row of mounting holes and another mounting hole in the second row that is offset from it and the straight line containing the first row of mounting holes is equal to the first angle.

10. The connector according to claim 9, characterized in that, The distance between the first side and the third side is not greater than the width of the second sidewall.

11. The connector according to claim 10, characterized in that, One of the mounting holes in the first row is offset from the other mounting hole in the second row by two or three mounting hole spacings in the longitudinal direction.

Images