UNDERFLOOR INSTALLATION COMPONENT

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an underfloor installation component with a frame part supported on a base plate and a side wall connected to the frame part and extending between the frame part and the base plate, wherein the side wall is composed of at least two side wall parts which are adjustable telescopically relative to each other in a vertical direction, one of which is connected to the frame part and another to the base plate.

[0002] Underfloor installation components are used to create underfloor installation systems, particularly for electrical installations. These components can include channels, channel fittings (e.g., for changing direction), underfloor junction boxes, and similar items. Such an underfloor installation system is integrated into the floor structure and is therefore sometimes embedded in the screed. Underfloor installation components intended to be flush with the screed must be leveled to the screed level before the screed is poured. For this purpose, underfloor installation components requiring leveling have a leveling frame as an upper termination, such as a channel or an underfloor junction box. Device mounting units, media columns, covers, or similar components are attached to the leveling frame within the underfloor junction box.To level such a frame, several leveling screws are arranged on it, which, according to a known embodiment, are supported by a base plate of the underfloor installation component. The base plate, in turn, is expediently fixed to the substrate with screws. To prevent screed from penetrating such an underfloor installation component, side panels are arranged between the leveling frame and the base plate as formwork elements.

[0003] Side panels, including flexible side skirts, are used as end panels. In many cases, these side skirts must be positioned to prevent screed from penetrating the interior of the underfloor installation component. However, with thicker screeds, the pressure exerted by the flowable screed on such a flexible side panel can cause the skirt to dent into the interior of the installation component, thus reducing the volume of the intended installation cavity. Furthermore, in such cases, it is not always possible to completely prevent screed from penetrating the underfloor installation component.

[0004] In addition to flexible side skirts, fixed side panels are also used to avoid the disadvantages outlined above. These are connected to the frame and the base section. They are made of sheet metal. Due to the rigidity of the material compared to flexible side skirts, they can withstand higher pressures exerted laterally by the screed. However, a problem with such underfloor installation components is that, because they are used in screeds of varying thicknesses, the gap between the frame section and the base slab that the side panel must bridge is unknown beforehand. Therefore, side panels with the maximum height are used. The height must be adjusted on-site to the actual planned screed height.

[0005] From DE 20 2006 014 500 U1, another underfloor installation component is known in which a foam formwork frame is arranged between the frame section and the base plate to form the side wall. Due to its compressibility in the vertical direction of the component, this frame can be adjusted to lower side wall heights by compressing it from its maximum height. To exhibit sufficient lateral strength, such a foam formwork frame must have a certain width. This width is then no longer available for the desired installation cavity.

[0006] From EP 1 727 254 A2, an installation box for electrical installations is known. This installation box is designed for flush mounting. To compensate for different plaster thicknesses, this installation box has a lower housing part and a upper housing part. The upper housing part has four guide arms positioned in the corners. Each of these arms carries a guide cam that engages in a guide groove in the lower housing part. The guide grooves of the lower housing part are limited in the direction of the upper housing part, thus limiting the extension movement relative to the lower housing part. As a result of the adjustment of the upper housing part relative to the lower housing part, this installation box can be adapted to different plaster thicknesses. This installation box is not an underfloor installation box.

[0007] US 2015 / 0060441 A1 discloses an installation box whose installation volume can be increased. This box comprises a core segment and two telescopically extendable expansion modules. These modules each have guide cams on their inner sides, which are guided in corresponding guides in the base module. In this way, the width of the installation box can be adjusted to accommodate the volume of electrical / electronic components. However, this installation box is not an underfloor installation box.

[0008] Based on the prior art outlined above, the invention aims to further develop an underfloor installation component of the type mentioned above in such a way that, despite providing rigid and therefore thin side walls, in particular those made of sheet metal, it is not only suitable for installation in a screed of different thicknesses without additional measures regarding adjustment of the height of the side wall, but is also more stable and reliable.

[0009] This problem is solved according to the invention by an underfloor installation component of the type mentioned above, in which a first side wall part is held and guided by the side wall parts with at least two guide hooks spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction to the adjustment direction and open in this direction on a second side wall part, arranged in a section overlapping with the first side wall part, with its guide hooks each extending into a guide track of the second side wall part with a first section, while the hook section of the respective guide hook engages behind the second side wall part from the perspective of the first side wall part.

[0010] In this underfloor installation component, the side wall is composed of at least two telescopically adjustable side wall sections. One of the two side wall sections is connected to the frame and the other to the base plate. A key feature is that the two side wall sections are held against each other and guided in the vertical adjustment direction. This allows the effective height of the side wall to be determined by the height of the two side wall sections minus the overlapping section required for mutual guidance. Alternatively, the effective height can be achieved when the two side wall sections are pushed together, in which case the height of the taller of the two side wall sections, if they are of different heights, is determined by the height of the other side wall section.The telescopic adjustment of the two side wall sections with their mutual connection and guidance is automatic with the height adjustment mechanism and also with the leveling of the frame section relative to the base plate, so that the side wall ultimately always remains closed.

[0011] The guidance of at least the two side wall sections typically limits the adjustability of the upper side wall section relative to the lower side wall section. This explains why the upper side wall section moves the lower side wall section along with it, unless the lower side wall section is the lowest one connected to the base plate. At least two guide hooks serve to guide and connect the first side wall section to the second side wall section, which might be, for example, the side wall section connected to the frame section. These guide hooks are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction of adjustment of the two side wall sections. They are typically located in the lateral edge section of the first side wall section. Accordingly, the guide grooves into which the guide hooks engage are also located in the lateral edge section of the second side wall section.The guide hooks themselves are open in the transverse direction to the adjustment direction and extend through the guide track with a first section, while the actual hook section of the guide hooks engages behind the second side wall section from the perspective of the first side wall section. In this way, the two side wall sections are held and guided against each other. In a configuration where the second side wall section is connected to the frame section of the underfloor installation component, the first side wall section is connected to the base plate or simply rests on it. When adjusting the height of the frame section relative to the base plate, the second side wall section is thus adjusted relative to the first side wall section.The telescopic adjustability means that when the frame part is adjusted in height and leveled, the height of the side wall is simultaneously adjusted by adjusting the second side wall part relative to the first side wall part, without the need for any additional measures.

[0012] In a further development, it is envisaged that the side wall not only has a first and second side wall section, but also a third side wall section or even further side wall sections. These are connected to each other in the same manner as described above for the connection of the first and second side wall sections. More than two side wall sections are used when the underfloor installation component is intended to cover the largest possible installation height range. In this case, the side wall sections can be designed with a sufficiently low height so that, when pushed together, the side wall has a minimal height. When the side wall sections are pulled apart, the side wall reaches its maximum height.

[0013] The inventive underfloor installation component thus exhibits a high degree of flexibility in the adjustable height of its side wall, despite its rigid side wall, whereby such a side wall can also be composed of several individual side wall sections.

[0014] The underfloor installation component can be, for example, a duct, a duct branch, or an underfloor junction box. In an underfloor installation component with several sidewall sections arranged at angles to each other, such as in an underfloor junction box, such a sidewall section comprises several individual sidewall parts that can be combined to form a ring. It is quite possible that the sidewall parts held and guided together in such a configuration are both designed as a ring. According to another embodiment, for example, the second sidewall part, held on the frame part, is designed as a ring, while the several first sidewall parts connected to it are individual, independent sidewall parts that are not connected to each other at their edges.Such a design is advantageous because it allows for easy compensation of any inclinations between the frame part and the base plate.

[0015] It is sufficient if two side panel sections are held and guided together by means of two guide hooks. Of course, it is also possible to use more than two guide hooks for this purpose. The guide hooks are designed so that the hook section projecting from the plane of the first side panel forms a receptacle with the vertically spaced areas of the first side panel into which a section of the second side panel, defining the guide track, engages. Thus, from the perspective of the first side panel, the hook section engages behind the second side panel.

[0016] Preferably, the guide hooks are designed to open in opposite directions. This ensures that the first side panel is captive and securely attached to the second side panel. The first side panel is mounted with a tab extending from the plane, which is not yet fully formed into the guide hook. The tabs extending from the plane can then be inserted through the guide track, and subsequently, the outer section of the extended tab – the hook section to be formed – is bent over to engage the second side panel.

[0017] The recess formed by the guide hook and the upper surface of the first side wall section facing it, into which a section of the second side wall section engages, has a sufficient width to allow the two side wall sections to be adjusted relative to each other without tilting. According to one embodiment, the clear width is provided to be at least 1.5 times the material thickness of the second side wall section.

[0018] The invention is described below with reference to an exemplary embodiment and the accompanying figures. These show: Fig. 1: A perspective view of an underfloor junction box as an exemplary underfloor installation component, showing its side wall and an adjustment of the underfloor junction box for installation in a screed of minimal screed thickness. Fig. 2: the underfloor junction box of the Figure 1in a side view with its side wall extended to its maximum height, Fig. 3: A detailed view of the side wall of the underfloor junction box in an edge area with adjacent side wall sections. Figure 1 From a first perspective, Fig. 4: a detailed view of the side wall of the underfloor junction box Figure 1 from another perspective and Fig. 5: the side wall of the underfloor connection box with its side wall in the extended position according to Figure 2 in a perspective view.

[0019] An underfloor junction box 1 has a frame part 2 which has several leveling screws 3, only of which are located in the Figure 1 The front part, identified by this reference symbol, is supported on a base plate 4. The frame part 2 is fitted with a cover in the Figure 1The side wall is closed in the position shown. A side wall, designated by reference numeral 5, extends around the perimeter between the frame part 2 and the base plate 4. Due to the square outline geometry of the underfloor junction box 1, the side wall 5 of the illustrated embodiment also has a square base. The side wall 5 is identical in each of its four sections formed by the four sides. The structure of the side wall 5, and of each side wall section, is explained below with reference to side wall section 6.

[0020] Figure 1Figure 5 shows the side wall 5, and thus the side wall section 6, at a minimum height that determines the distance between the frame part 2 and the base plate 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the side wall 5, or rather the side wall section 6 itself, is composed of three side wall parts. These are telescopically adjustable relative to each other. Figure 1 The three side wall parts are shown in their inserted position, and thus only the outermost side wall part 7 is visible, since the two other side wall parts are arranged on the inside of this side wall part 7, is in Figure 2 The side wall section 6 with the side wall sections 7, 8 and 9 extended relative to each other is shown. The height of the frame section 2 relative to the base plate 4 is shown in the Figure 2 shown position of side wall 5 in relation to the side wall height of the Figure 1more than doubled. The side wall sections 7, 8, and 9 are telescopically adjustable relative to each other. Side wall section 9, together with the upper side wall sections of the adjacent side wall segments connected to frame section 2, forms a ring. Thus, side wall sections 9 are connected to each other. The same applies to side wall sections 7. Side wall sections 8 are individual parts that are not connected to each other in adjacent side wall segments. Side wall section 8 of side wall segment 6 is located between the outer side wall section 7 and the inner side wall section 9. In this description, side wall section 8 is also referred to as the first side wall section.This carries two pairs of guide hooks, with two guide hooks each serving to hold the side wall part 8 to the side wall part 7 and to guide it adjustably in the vertical direction relative to the latter, and with two further guide hooks serving the same purpose relative to the inner side wall part 9. The guide hooks with which the first side wall part 8 is connected to the outer side wall part 7 are in . Figure 2 Identified by reference numerals 10, 10.1. The guide hooks 10, 10.1 each engage with a guide track 11, 11.1, which extends through the side wall section 7 and in a vertical direction. The guide hooks 10, 10.1 are tabs projecting from the plane of the side wall section 8 and formed into a hook shape.

[0021] Similarly, the side panel has eight guide hooks projecting in the opposite direction. These are in Figure 2not discernible, as these engage the side wall part 9 with their hook section. To guide the side wall part 8 along the side wall part 9, the latter also has two guide tracks 12, 12.1, which extend in a vertical direction.

[0022] The connection of side wall part 8 to the outer side wall part 7 and the inner side wall part 9 is shown in the detailed drawing of the Figure 3 This is evident. In this illustration, not only is the passage of the guide hook 10 through the guide track 11 of the side wall part 7 visible, but also the fact that the hook section 13 engages the side wall part 7 from the perspective of the side wall part 8. The guide hooks 10, 10.1 are, as Figure 2 The opening direction of the guide hooks 10, 10.1 is perpendicular to the vertical adjustability of the side wall parts 7, 8 relative to each other.

[0023] Due to the changed perspective, in Figure 3 One of the two guide hooks 14 of the side wall part 8, which engages the guide track 12 of the inner side wall part 9, is also visible. It is clearly evident in this illustration that the guide hook 14 is notched out of the material in the plane of the side wall part 8. Figure 3 This also makes it clear that the side wall parts 7, 9 of the side wall section 6 are connected to the adjacent inner and outer side wall parts by forming an edge, while the side wall part 8 of the side wall section 6 is an independent component and is not connected to that of the adjacent side wall section.

[0024] Figure 4The figure clearly shows the engagement and engagement of the guide hook 14 of the side wall part 8 with respect to the inner side wall part 9. It is also clearly visible that a sufficient width is provided in the gap between the guide hooks 10, 14 or the respective hook section 13 and the respective surface of the side wall part 8 so that the engaging section of the side wall part 9 or 7 can be guided therein in a vertical direction without tilting. In the illustrated embodiment, the clear width of this guide is approximately 1.5 times the material thickness of the engaging side wall part 9 or 7.

[0025] The aforementioned design of the side wall 5 allows for stepless height adjustment between the two end positions, namely the minimum side wall height, as shown in Figure 1 shown, and the maximum sidewall height, which is shown in Figure 2 shown.

[0026] Figure 5shows a representation of side wall 5 at its maximum height in a perspective view. This allows both the side view of the Figure 2 recognizable with the side wall parts 7, 8, 9 as well as the rear view of the opposite side wall section with the side wall parts 7.1, 8.1, 9.1.

[0027] The maximum extension position is limited in the guide guides 11, 11.1, 12, 12.1 of the side wall parts 7, 9 by stops, namely by the fact that the guide guides 11, 11.1, 12, 12.1 are closed at the ends.

[0028] Although the above-described embodiment describes the adjustability of the height of the underfloor installation component using an underfloor junction box 1, it is easy to see that the same advantages apply equally to other underfloor installation components, such as ducts or the like.

[0029] The invention has been described using exemplary embodiments. Without departing from the scope of the applicable claims, numerous further possibilities for implementing the invention would arise for a person skilled in the art, without the need to describe these in detail within the scope of these explanations. Reference sign list

[0030] 1. Underfloor junction box 2. Frame part 3. Leveling screw 4. Base plate 5. Side wall 6. Side wall section 7, 7.1. Side wall part 8, 8.1. Side wall part 9, 9.1. Side wall part 10, 10.1. Guide hook 11, 11.1. Guide track 12, 12.1. Guide track 13. Hook section 14. Guide hook

Claims

1. An underfloor installation component comprising a frame part (2) supported on a base plate (4) and a side wall (5) connected to the frame part (2) and extending between the frame part and the base plate, wherein the side wall (5) is composed of at least two side wall parts (7, 7.1; 8, 8.1; 9, 9.1) that are adjustable telescopically relative to each other in the vertical direction, one side wall part (9, 9.1) being connected to the frame part (2) and another side wall part (7, 7.1) being connected to the base plate (4), wherein of the side wall parts (7, 7.1; 8, 8.1; 9, 9.1) a first side wall part (8, 8.1) is held and guided with at least two guide hooks (10, 10.1; 14) spaced apart from each other transversely to the adjustment direction and open in this direction, on a second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1) arranged so as to overlap the first side wall part (8, 8.1) in a section, with its guide hooks (10, 10.1, 14) each passing with a first section through a guide track (11, 11.1; 12, 12.1) of the second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1), while a hook section (13) of the respective guide hook (10, 10.1; 14) engages behind the second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1) when viewed from the first side wall part (8, 8.1).

2. The underfloor installation component according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide hooks (10, 10.1; 14) are each provided by a tab projecting from the plane of the first side wall part (8, 8.1) in the direction of the second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1), such that a section delimiting the guide track (11, 11.1; 12, 12.1) of the second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1) engages between the projecting hook section (13) of the guide hook (10, 10.1; 14) and the regions of the first side wall part (8, 8.1) adjacent to the guide hook (10, 10.1; 14) in a vertical direction.

3. The underfloor installation component according to claim 2, characterized in that the opening of the two guide hooks (10, 10.1; 14) points in opposite directions.

4. The underfloor installation component according to claim 3, characterized in that the opening direction of the two guide hooks points in opposite directions.

5. The underfloor installation component according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the guide tracks (11, 11.1; 12, 12.1) of the second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1) are designed as guide slots.

6. The underfloor installation component according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the clear width between the hook section (13) of the guide hooks (10, 10.1; 14) and the vertically adjacent regions of the first side wall part (8; 8.1) corresponds to at least 1.5 times the material thickness of the section of the second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1) engaging therein.

7. The underfloor installation component according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the side wall (5) has multiple second side wall parts (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1) arranged at an angle to each other, forming a ring body, and in that a first side wall part (8, 8.1) is held and guided on each second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1).

8. The underfloor installation component according to claim 7, characterized in that the ring body formed from the second side wall parts (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1) has four side wall part sections (6), in particular adjoining each other at right angles.

9. The underfloor installation component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the side wall (5) has three side wall parts (7, 7.1; 8, 8.1; 9, 9.1), which three side wall parts (7, 7.1; 8, 8.1; 9, 9.1) are held and guided adjacent to each other, as described in one or more of claims 1 to 8 in relation to the first and second side wall part.

10. The underfloor installation component according to claim 9, characterized in that the first side wall part (8, 8.1) carries, at a horizontal and vertical distance to the first guide hooks (10, 10.1) engaging with the second side wall part (7, 7.1; 9, 9.1), second guide hooks (14) projecting from the plane of the first side wall part (8; 8.1) in the opposite direction, which engage in a respective guide track (12, 12.1) of the third side wall part (9, 9.1).

11. The underfloor installation component according to claim 10 in its back-reference to any one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the side wall (5) has a number of third side wall parts (9, 9.1) corresponding to the number of second side wall parts (7, 7.1), which also form a ring body.

12. The underfloor installation component according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the underfloor installation component is an underfloor junction box (1) that can be closed with a cover.