Ceiling hanging air conditioning unit and ceiling hanging construction method

Abstract

To adjust a position relation of an air conditioner relative to a hanging position when the air conditioner is installed hung from a ceiling.SOLUTION: At a deck plate 10 of a ceiling, a support column 20 is provided in a vertical direction by a fixing bracket 21. An air conditioning unit 30 includes an air conditioner body 31. Lateral frames 32 and vertical frames 33 are provided intersecting with each other on an upper surface of the air conditioner body 31. The lateral frames 32 are fixed to the air conditioner body 31 by an attachment rod 37. A support column fixing bracket 40 which is fixed to the support column 20 is fixed onto the lateral frames 32. The lateral frames 32 and each vertical frame 33 are fixed through elongated holes by fixing members 38. A relative position relation between the lateral frames 32 / the vertical frames 33 and the air conditioner body 31 in an X-Y direction can be adjusted by releasing fixture etc. by the fixing members 38 temporarily.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit that is suspended from the ceiling of a building and a ceiling-suspended installation method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, air conditioning equipment such as fan coil units that form the air outlets installed in buildings can have a mass of around 100 kg. To install such air conditioning equipment in the ceiling of a room, it is hung from the underside of the floor slab that makes up the ceiling via support members.

[0003] In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a single-point suspension method for ceiling-suspended equipment, which includes the steps of fixing a ceiling-mounted fitting having a hanging hook directly or indirectly attached thereto to the underside of a building's concrete structure, attaching a frame having a sliding mechanism with a support column to the upper surface of the ceiling-suspended equipment by ground assembly to form a ceiling-suspended unit, lifting the ceiling-suspended unit with a lifting device supported by the hanging hook, connecting the support column to the ceiling-mounted fitting, and adjusting the horizontal position of the ceiling-suspended unit with the sliding mechanism to secure the sliding mechanism to the frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3923185 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above made it possible for a single worker to install ceiling-suspended equipment such as air conditioners on a ceiling, which was good workability given the technology available at the time.

[0006] In indoor ceilings, for example in living spaces such as rooms and offices, the underside of the ceiling slab cannot be exposed from a design standpoint, so ceiling panels are installed as needed. These ceiling panels are generally fixed from below to a lattice-shaped panel frame supported at multiple points by hanging fixtures.

[0007] Under such conditions, when installing an air conditioner by suspending it from a ceiling surface, it is necessary to suspend and install the air conditioner correctly within a predetermined frame of a panel frame material set in a lattice pattern. On the other hand, the ceiling surface may be formed of, for example, a deck plate with an uneven cross section. In such cases, the positions for attaching metal fittings and members for suspending the air conditioner on the underside of the deck plate may be limited.

[0008] In light of the above, when air conditioning equipment is suspended from the underside of the ceiling slab and a lattice-like panel frame material as described above is set up, it can be difficult in practice to accurately fit the air conditioning equipment within the specified frame, even though the frame is naturally designed in advance with this in mind, and it has been difficult to easily and quickly respond to misalignment, etc.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has an object to solve the above problems by making it possible to adjust the position of an air conditioner even when the air conditioner is installed by suspending it from the ceiling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an air conditioning unit suspended from a ceiling, comprising an air conditioner main body, a frame material fixed to the air conditioner main body so as to be movable relative to the air conditioner main body in the XY directions on a horizontal plane, and a support pillar for suspending the unit from the ceiling, wherein the ceiling is formed of a deck plate having a corrugated cross-section, an upper portion of the support pillar is fixed to the underside of the deck plate via a mounting bracket, and a lower portion of the support pillar is fixed to the frame material via a support pillar fixing bracket, the mounting bracket has a flat portion which is fixed to the upper portion of the deck plate by a fixing member while spanning multiple lower portions of the deck plate.

[0011] According to the present invention, a frame material is fixed to the air conditioner body so as to be movable relative to the air conditioner in the XY directions on a horizontal plane, and a support column fixing bracket for fixing a support column for ceiling suspension provided on the deck plate which is the ceiling is fixed to this frame material. Therefore, even if the support column for ceiling suspension and the support column fixing bracket are fixed and the air conditioning unit is suspended, the position of the air conditioning unit can be adjusted in the XY directions from the support column, i.e., the suspension position.

[0012] A reinforcing member also serving as a spacer may be disposed between the upper portion of the deck plate and the flat plate portion. In this case, the reinforcing member may be cylindrical, and the fixing member may be inserted through the reinforcing member. The reinforcing member may be a channel steel, one of the opposing surfaces of the channel steel being abutted against the underside of the upper part of the deck plate and penetrated by the fixing member, with the protruding end of the fixing member being tightened with a nut material, and the other of the opposing surfaces of the channel steel being abutted against the flat plate portion and penetrated by another fixing member, with the protruding end of the other fixing member being tightened and fixed with a nut material.

[0013] In these cases, the support column and the support column fixing metal fitting may be fixed so as to be movable in the θ direction on a horizontal plane. This allows not only position adjustment in the XY directions, but also position adjustment in the θ direction on a horizontal plane. An example of a fixing member that allows position adjustment in the θ direction is a loose flange that is bolted.

[0014] An example of the frame material is one which has a plurality of vertical frames and horizontal frames which are fixed to the air conditioner body and arranged perpendicular to the top surface of the air conditioner body, and in which a plurality of long holes are formed in the vertical and horizontal frames along the longitudinal direction, and in which the support column fixing brackets are fixed to the vertical or horizontal frames by fixing members which are inserted through the long holes.

[0015] In this case, the frames are fixed by fixing members inserted through long holes formed along the longitudinal direction of the frames, so that the fixing positions of the fixing members can be moved appropriately within the long holes, thereby making it possible to adjust the relative positional relationship between the support columns and the air conditioner body in that direction. This makes it possible to adjust the position even when the air conditioner is hung from the ceiling. Examples of fixing members include bolts, screws, and combinations of bolts and nuts. Furthermore, the mass of the entire frame material can be reduced by the amount of the long holes formed.

[0016] The vertical and horizontal frames may also be fixed to each other by crossing them in a perpendicular direction, and in such a case, by using the above-mentioned fixing members through long holes along the longitudinal direction of each frame, it becomes possible to adjust the fixing position of the fixing members within the long holes, further expanding the range of adjustment.

[0017] The vertical and horizontal frames may be fixed to each other by fixing members that pass through the long holes. By adopting such a configuration, the upper surface of the air conditioner main body can be effectively utilized.

[0018] Equipment necessary for operating the air conditioner main body may be fixed onto the frame material. For example, by using an elevator-type lifting machine or the like for the air conditioner body, there is no need to hook wires or the like in a cross shape in a plan view for four-point support as described in Patent Document 1, and this makes it possible to effectively use the space above the air conditioner body. Moreover, since the devices used to operate the air conditioner body are installed in the air conditioning unit beforehand, there is no need to install these devices on-site, making work easier. Examples of equipment used in the operation of the air conditioner main unit include a refrigerant switching device and various other devices, such as electrical equipment, signaling equipment, communication equipment such as modems, routers, and antennas.

[0019] The support pole fixing bracket may have a slot formed in the portion through which the fixing member is inserted. This allows the fixing position of the bolt or the like to be easily adjusted, and further increases the range over which the installation position of the air conditioning unit can be adjusted.

[0020] A fixing member that allows for position adjustment in the θ direction between the support column suspended from the ceiling and the support column may be provided on the upper surface of the support column fixing metal fitting. By adopting such a configuration, not only adjustment in the XY directions but also adjustment in the θ direction, i.e., angle adjustment in the horizontal plane, is possible. An example of a fixing member that allows for position adjustment in the θ direction is a loose flange that is bolted.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention is a ceiling hanging construction method for suspending the above-mentioned air conditioning unit from a ceiling, comprising the steps of fixing a support pole to the ceiling, lifting the air conditioning unit, and fixing the lower end of the support pole to the support pole fixing bracket.

[0022] In such a case, after the step of fixing the lower end of the support pillar to the support pillar fixing bracket, a step of relatively adjusting the relative positional relationship between the air conditioner body and the frame material in at least the X or Y direction on a horizontal plane may be included. When the fixing members such as bolts and nuts are used for fixing, such adjustment may be performed by temporarily loosening the fixing members.

[0023] Furthermore, after the step of fixing the lower end of the support column to the support column fixing metal fitting, a step of relatively adjusting the relative positional relationship between the air conditioner main body and the frame material in at least one of the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction on a horizontal plane may be included. For example, when a loose flange is used for fixing so as to enable rotation in the θ direction, the fixing member that fixes the loose flange may be temporarily loosened, and the position of the air conditioning unit may be adjusted in the θ direction. Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, even when an air conditioner is installed by suspending it from the ceiling, it is easy to adjust the positional relationship with respect to the suspension position of the air conditioner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a ceiling suspension structure of an air conditioning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the ceiling suspension structure of the air conditioning unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the ceiling suspension structure of the air conditioning unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner body and a decorative panel in an air conditioning unit according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a front view showing a state in which a support column is fixed to the lower surface of a deck plate, illustrating a procedure of the ceiling suspension construction method according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a front view showing the construction procedure of the ceiling suspension construction method according to the embodiment, illustrating the state in which the air conditioning unit is being lifted. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a front view showing the installation procedure of the ceiling hanging installation method according to the embodiment, illustrating how the decorative panel is attached to the underside of the air conditioner body. [Figure 9]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the procedure of the ceiling suspension construction method according to the embodiment, illustrating how the decorative panel is attached to the underside of the air conditioner body. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the fastening state between the deck plate and the mounting bracket when a channel steel is used as the reinforcing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 3 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view, respectively, showing the outline of the configuration of a ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment. In the following description, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0027] The ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment has an air conditioning unit 30 suspended from a deck plate 10 on the underside of a slab that constitutes a ceiling via support columns 20. The deck plate 10 has a so-called corrugated plate structure in which projections and recesses are continuous in one direction.

[0028] The support column 20 is fixed to the underside of the deck plate 10 via the mounting bracket 21. More specifically, the support column 20 is fixed to the center of the mounting bracket 21 in advance by welding or the like. The mounting bracket 21 also has a flat plate portion 22 and four approximately triangular support plate portions 23 fixed between the flat plate portion 22 and the support column 20. The flat plate portion 22 is fixed to the upper portion 11 of the deck plate 10 by a fixing member 24 consisting of a bolt, a nut, or the like. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, a steel pipe is disposed between the upper portion 11 of the deck plate 10 and the flat plate portion 22 as a reinforcing member H also serving as a spacer, and this steel pipe is used as a sleeve. The flat plate portion 22 of the mounting bracket 21 and the upper portion 11 of the deck plate 10 are fixed to each other by inserting the bolt of the fixing member 24 or the like through the inside of the steel pipe. As a result, the reinforcing member H functions as a spacer that fills the gap between the underside of the upper portion 11 of the deck plate 10 and the upper surface of the flat portion 22 of the mounting bracket 21, and also makes it possible to reinforce the fixed portion of the mounting bracket 21 to the deck plate 10. For convenience of illustration, some of the lines indicating hatching may be omitted in Figure 2 and subsequent figures.

[0029] At the lower end of the support column 20, for example, a loose flange 25 is provided as a member for enabling adjustment of the air conditioning unit 30 in the θ direction.

[0030] The air conditioning unit 30 has an air conditioner body 31, and a horizontal frame 32 and a vertical frame 33, each having an angled cross section, are provided on the upper surface of the air conditioner body 31 so as to intersect at right angles. More specifically, the horizontal frame 32 has a plurality of long holes 32a, 32b of different lengths formed along the longitudinal direction. The vertical frame 33 also has a plurality of long holes 33a, 33b of different lengths formed along the longitudinal direction.

[0031] In this example, for example, three vertical frames 33 are arranged on four horizontal frames 32, and each long hole, for example long holes 32a near both ends of the horizontal frames 32 and long holes 33b located toward the center of the vertical frames 33, are tightened and fixed with fixing members 35 consisting of bolts, nuts, etc., thereby integrating the three vertical frames 33 onto the four horizontal frames 32.

[0032] The four horizontal frames 32 and three vertical frames 33 integrated in this way are fixed to the air conditioner body 31 by inserting a mounting rod 37 with threads on both ends between the long holes 33a at the ends of the vertical frames 33 located at both ends and brackets 36 fixed to the corners of the air conditioner body 31, and tightening nuts 38 to each protruding end.

[0033] A support pole fixing bracket 40 is fixed onto the two horizontal frames 32, 32 located in the center. The support pole fixing bracket 40 has a columnar portion 41 located in the center, a flat plate portion 42, and two approximately triangular support plate portions 43 fixed between the flat plate portion 42 and the columnar portion 41. The support pole fixing bracket 40 is fixed onto the two horizontal frames 32, 32 by inserting and fixing fixing members 44 through elongated holes 42a formed in the vicinity of the four corners of the flat plate portion 42 and elongated holes 32b of the horizontal frame 32.

[0034] At the upper end of the columnar portion 41, for example, a loose flange 45 is provided as a member for enabling adjustment of the air conditioning unit 30 in the θ direction.

[0035] In this embodiment, for example, a refrigerant switching device 50 is provided on the two vertical frames 33, 33 on one side as a device used when operating the air conditioner main body 31. When placing and fixing the refrigerant switching device 50 on the two vertical frames 33, 33, for example, brackets 51 each having a long through hole are fixed to two opposing faces of the refrigerant switching device 50, and a mounting rod 52 having a configuration similar to the mounting rod 37 described above is inserted between the long hole of the bracket 51 and the long hole 33a of the vertical frame 33, and each protruding end is fastened and fixed with a fixing member 53 such as a nut, for example.

[0036] A decorative panel 60 having an air outlet is detachably provided on the underside of the air conditioner main body 31. As shown in Fig. 5, this decorative panel 60 has triangular openings 61 at the four corners, and a support part 62 is provided near the center of the opening 61. A locking member 63 is provided on the support part 62 so as to be rotatable as shown by the reciprocating arrow in the figure. In this case, the locking member 63 may be biased toward the center (the air conditioner main body 31 side) by a spring member or the like.

[0037] The locking member 63 of the decorative panel 60 can be locked to a hook 39 provided on the air conditioner main body 31, and the decorative panel 60 is fixed to the air conditioner main body 31 by locking the locking member 63 to the hook 39. To release the fixation, one can insert a hand through the opening 61 to release the lock of the locking member 63. The opening 61 can be covered with an appropriate cover plate (not shown).

[0038] The ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment has the above configuration, and the method of construction thereof will now be described. First, as shown in Fig. 6, the mounting bracket 21 integrated with the support column 20 is fixed to the deck plate 10 on the underside of the slab by the fixing member 24.

[0039] Next, as shown in Fig. 7, the air conditioning unit 30 is lifted. The air conditioning unit 30 itself is not produced on-site but is prefabricated as a unit, for example, at an assembly factory. That is, the horizontal frame 32 and vertical frame are fixed to the air conditioner main body 31, the support column fixing brackets 40 are fixed to the horizontal frame 32, the refrigerant switching device 50 is fixed, and the refrigerant piping 54 of the refrigerant switching device 50 is connected to the air conditioner main body 31 in advance. Therefore, the completion of the air conditioning unit 30 by assembling these components can be carried out in a place where the work can be easily performed, and the work required after transporting the unit to the site and lifting it is greatly reduced.

[0040] After the air conditioning unit 30 is delivered to the site, it is lifted onto the deck plate 10 using a lifting machine such as a jack. Then, as shown in Fig. 8, the loose flange 25 at the lower end of the support column 20 and the loose flange 45 at the upper end of the columnar portion 41 of the support column fixing bracket 40 are butted together, and the loose flanges 25, 45 are fixed with fixing members 65 such as bolts and nuts.

[0041] Then, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the decorative panel 60 is pushed up and the locking member 63 of the decorative panel 60 is engaged with the hook 39 provided on the corner portion of the air conditioner main body 31, and the ceiling hanging structure 1 is completed as shown in Figure 1.

[0042] As mentioned above, when installing an air conditioner by suspending it from a ceiling surface, it is necessary to suspend and install the air conditioner body 31 correctly within a predetermined frame frame 71 in the panel frame material 70 that is set in a lattice pattern, as shown in Fig. 9. In addition, since the ceiling surface is formed of a deck plate 10 with an uneven cross section, when mounting brackets 21 are attached to the underside, they must be fixed to the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10, and this limits the degree of freedom in the fixing position of the mounting brackets 21. Therefore, it was previously difficult to suspend the air conditioner body 31 correctly within the predetermined frame frame 71 in the panel frame material 70.

[0043] However, with the ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment, the horizontal frame 32 and vertical frame 33 fixed to the air conditioner body 31 are fixed with fixing members via long holes, and the support column fixing brackets 40 are also fixed to the horizontal frame 32 with fixing members 44 via long holes 32a formed in the horizontal frame 32, so that even after the columnar part 41 of the air conditioning unit 30 is fixed to the support column by lifting it up, fine adjustments in the X and Y directions shown in Fig. 1 are possible by once loosening the fixation by these fixing members. Therefore, the position of the air conditioner body 31 in the air conditioning unit 30 can be easily and quickly adjusted on site.

[0044] Furthermore, by temporarily loosening the fixation of the loose flanges 25, 45, it becomes possible to adjust the position of the air conditioner body 31 in the θ direction shown by the reciprocating arrow in Fig. 1. Therefore, with the ceiling suspension structure 1 according to the embodiment, adjustments in the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction on the horizontal plane are possible, and can be performed easily.

[0045] Furthermore, the horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames 33, which realize position adjustment in the X and Y directions, are arranged in perpendicular directions, and bolts or other fixing members are inserted through the long holes 32a, 32b, 33a, and 33b formed in each of them in the longitudinal direction, and the range of adjustment can be set by appropriately adjusting the length of these long holes. Moreover, by forming these long holes in the horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames 33, the mass of the horizontal frames 32 and vertical frames 33 can be reduced accordingly, and the burden when lifting the air conditioning unit 30 is also reduced accordingly.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 etc., a steel pipe is placed between the upper portion 11 and the flat portion 22 of the deck plate 10 as a reinforcing member H. However, instead of a steel pipe, a so-called channel steel may be used as the reinforcing member H, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0047] That is, each is placed between the underside of the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 and the upper surface of the flat part 22 of the mounting bracket 21, one of the opposing surfaces of the channel steel is abutted against the underside of the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10, the bolt material 24a of the fixing member 24 is passed through it, and the protruding end is fastened with the nut material 24b, and the other opposing surface of the channel steel is abutted against the flat part 22, the bolt material 24a of the fixing member 24 is passed through it, and the protruding end of the bolt material 24a is fastened with the nut material 24b to fix it. In this way, the reinforcing member H functions as a spacer that fills the gap between the underside of the upper part 11 of the deck plate 10 and the upper surface of the flat part 22 of the mounting bracket 21, and it is possible to reinforce the fixed part of the mounting bracket 21 to the deck plate 10. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] The present invention is useful when suspending an air conditioner from a ceiling surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Ceiling suspension structure 10 Deck plate 11 Top 20 Support pillar 21 Mounting bracket 24 Fixing member 25 Loose flange 30 Air Conditioning Unit 31 Air conditioner body 32 Horizontal Frame 32a, 32b long hole 33 Vertical Frame 33a, 33b long hole 40 Support column fixing bracket 50 Refrigerant switching device 60 Decorative Panel 70 Panel frame material H Reinforcement member

Claims

1. An air conditioning unit suspended from a ceiling, The air conditioner body, The air conditioner includes a frame member that is fixed to the air conditioner body so as to be movable relative to the air conditioner body in the XY direction on a horizontal plane, and a support column for hanging the air conditioner from a ceiling. The ceiling is made of a deck plate having a corrugated cross section, The upper portion of the support pillar is fixed to the lower surface side of the deck plate via a mounting bracket, and the lower portion of the support pillar is fixed to the frame material via a support pillar fixing bracket, A ceiling-mounted air conditioning unit, characterized in that the mounting bracket has a flat plate portion, which is fixed to the upper part of the deck plate by a fixing member while spanning multiple lower parts of the deck plate.

2. 2. The ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing member, which also serves as a spacer, disposed between the upper portion of the deck plate and the flat plate portion.

3. The reinforcing member is cylindrical.

3. The ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member is inserted through the reinforcing member.

4. The reinforcing member is a channel steel, One of the opposing surfaces of the channel steel is butted against the lower surface of the upper part of the deck plate, penetrated by the fixing member, and the protruding end of the fixing member is tightened with a nut material; The ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit described in claim 2, characterized in that the other surface of the opposing surface of the grooved steel is abutted against the flat plate portion and penetrated by another fixing member, and the protruding end of the other fixing member is tightened and fixed with a nut material.

5. 5. The ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the support column and the support column fixing metal fitting are fixed so as to be movable in a θ direction on a horizontal plane.

6. 6. A ceiling-suspended air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein equipment used to operate the air conditioner main body is fixed onto the frame material.

7. A ceiling suspension installation method for suspending the ceiling suspension air conditioning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 from a ceiling, Fixing the support column to the ceiling; lifting the air conditioning unit; and fixing the lower end of the support pole to the support pole fixing bracket.

8. After the step of fixing the lower end of the support pole and the support pole fixing metal fitting, 8. The ceiling suspension construction method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of relatively adjusting a relative positional relationship between the air conditioner body and the frame material in at least the X or Y direction on a horizontal plane.

9. A ceiling suspension installation method for suspending the ceiling suspension air conditioning unit according to claim 5 from a ceiling, comprising: Fixing the support column to the ceiling; lifting the air conditioning unit; and a step of fixing the lower end of the support pole and the support pole fixing metal fitting, After the step of fixing the lower end of the support pole and the support pole fixing metal fitting, A ceiling suspension construction method comprising a step of relatively adjusting the relative positional relationship between the air conditioner body and the frame material in at least one of the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction on a horizontal plane.

Images