Beam connection structure

Abstract

To provide a beam connection structure capable of connecting crossed beams with a simple connection means.SOLUTION: The beam connection structure is a beam connection structure in which a second beam 6 is crossed over the first beam 5 having a recess 11 formed on the top and connected by a connecting member 15. The connecting member 15 includes: a connecting portion 151 that is connected to the second beam 6; and a fixing portion 154 is fixed in the recess 11 of the first beam 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beam connection structure that crosses and connects beams. [Background technology]

[0002] Among spatial structures that divide an indoor space such as an office into spaces of a predetermined size, there is one in which the upper ends of four pillars standing on the floor at a distance from each other in the front, back, left and right directions are connected by a first rod (first beam), and a second rod (second beam) is connected to the opposing surfaces of a pair of spaced apart, parallel first rods by crossing them in a T-shape in plan view, as described in Patent Document 1. A locking member consisting of a first locking member attached to the first rod and a second locking member fixed to the first locking member and the second rod is used to connect the pair of first and second rods. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5443183 (page 6, figures 2-4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the rod connecting structure described in Patent Document 1, multiple bolts are used to attach the first locking member to the first rod and to fix the first locking member to the second locking member, and a pair of upper and lower screw seats must be fixed to the second locking member with screws to lock it into the upper and lower locking grooves on the side of the first rod, so there are a large number of parts, and many man-hours are required to attach each part, resulting in problems such as the inability to efficiently connect the first rod to the second rod. Also, because the side of the first rod requires locking grooves to lock the screw seats, if cover members are attached to both sides of the first rod to improve its appearance, it becomes impossible to connect the second rod to the first rod.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and has as its object to provide a beam connection structure that enables crossed beams to be connected by a simple connecting means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the beam connection structure of the present invention comprises: A beam connection structure in which a first beam having a recess formed on an upper portion thereof is crossed by a second beam and connected by a connecting member, The connecting member is characterized by having a connecting portion connected to the second beam and a fixing portion fixed within the recess of the first beam. According to this feature, the second beam that crosses the first beam can be easily connected by a connecting member having a simple configuration including a connecting part and a fixing part. In addition, since the fixing part is fixed inside the recess, for example, to the side or bottom surface of the recess, the fixing part is difficult to see from the outside, resulting in an excellent aesthetic appearance.

[0007] The recess is characterized in that it is formed by attaching a pair of exterior members to both side surfaces of the first beam body. According to this feature, the second beam can be retrofitted and connected to an existing first beam body to which an exterior member is attached and a recess is formed.

[0008] The fixed portion consists of a pair of portions spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first beam, and is characterized in that an outward fixed piece is connected to the lower end and fixed to the upper surface of the first beam body. According to this feature, the connecting member can be stably fixed to the upper surface of the first beam body by a pair of fixing portions spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first beam.

[0009] The connecting member has a bridge portion that straddles one of the exterior members on the second beam side. According to this feature, even if an exterior member that protrudes upward is attached to the first beam body, the second beam can be connected to the first beam later without any hindrance by spanning the exterior member using the bridge portion.

[0010] The first beam body and the second beam body constituting the first beam and the second beam are formed from square tubes of the same cross-sectional shape having a square hollow hole, and the connecting portion has a fitting piece that is fitted into the hollow hole from the end of the second beam body. According to this feature, the first and second beam bodies can be manufactured inexpensively using a common square tube. Also, the connecting member can be easily connected to the second beam by simply fitting the fitting piece into the hollow hole of the second beam body, without using fixing means such as screws or performing special processing on the second beam 6.

[0011] The connecting member is characterized in that a pair of standing portions are formed in the wiring route path above the connecting portion, the standing portions standing apart from each other in the length direction of the first beam. According to this feature, a power cord or the like can be housed between a pair of upright portions at the upper part of the connection between the first beam and the second beam without being exposed, allowing the wiring of the connection to be routed in a neat, aesthetic manner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front perspective view of a partition device to which a beam connecting structure in an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of part A in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 4 is an exploded perspective view of a connecting portion between a first beam and a second beam. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connecting member as seen from the rear.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A beam connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. EXAMPLES

[0014] A beam connection structure according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a partition device (spatial structure) to which the present invention is applied, which is installed on a floor surface to divide a large indoor space such as an office into sections of a predetermined size.

[0015] The partition device 1 comprises a frame body 2 that is installed independently on the floor surface. The frame body 2 comprises four support columns 3 arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-rear and left-right directions with a vertical dimension lower than the ceiling surface, and a frame 4 that connects the upper ends of the support columns 3, 3 to each other, and two left and right second beams 6, 6 are installed later by connecting members 15 described later on the opposing surfaces of a pair of front and rear first beams 5, 5 that are parallel and spaced apart from each other in the frame 4.

[0016] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first beam 5 and the second beam 6 are composed of a first beam body 5A, a second beam body 6A, and cover members 7, 7. The first beam body 5A and the second beam body 6A are formed of steel square tubes of the same cross-sectional shape with a vertically long rectangular hollow hole, and cover members 7, 7, which are exterior members, are attached to both longitudinal side surfaces of the first beam body 5A and the second beam body 6A. Specifically, the cover members 7, 7 are attached as follows. A plurality of fixtures 8 with an upward U-shaped cross section whose width is larger than the width of the first beam body 5A and the second beam body 6A are screwed to the upper surfaces of the first beam body 5A and the second beam body 6A, and the upper parts of the holders 9, 9 whose width is approximately the same as that of the fixtures 8 are fixed to both lower side surfaces of the first beam body 5A and the second beam body 6A below each fixture 8.

[0017] To attach the cover member 7 to the first and second beam bodies 5A and 6A, the upward U-shaped bent portion 7a formed inward at the lower end of the cover member 7 is fitted from below into the lower end of the holder 9, and then the inward piece 7b formed at the upper end of the cover member 7 is abutted against the upper surface of the inward piece of the fixing device 8 and fixed from above with a screw 10. As a result, the cover members 7, 7 are attached so as to protrude upward and downward from the first and second beam bodies 5A, 6A, and recesses 11, 11 that are continuous in the length direction and open upward are formed on the upper surfaces of the first and second beam bodies 5A, 6A. The upward-opening recess 11 of the first beam 5 has both side surfaces defined by the cover members 7, 7 and a bottom surface defined by the upper surface of the first beam body 5A.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3, a guide rail 12 with a downward U-shaped cross section is screwed to the underside of the first beam 5. A guide roller (not shown) at the upper end of the movable partition 13 shown in Fig. 1 is supported by the guide rail 12 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and a large-diameter wheel 14 attached to the center of the lower end runs on the floor surface, allowing the movable partition 13 to move in the left-right direction along the first beam 5.

[0019] Next, the connection structure between the first beam 5 and the second beam will be described. First, the connection member 15 connecting the first beam 5 and the second beam will be described. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the connection member 15 includes a rearward U-shaped connection portion 151 connected to the second beam 6, a pair of standing pieces 152, 152 standing apart in the left-right direction from the upper edge of the front plate 151a of the connection portion 151, crossover parts 153, 153 which are connected to the upper edges of the standing pieces 152 so as to extend in opposite directions, and which are U-shaped and facing downward in a side view and straddle the cover member 7 on the rear side of the first beam 5, and a pair of left and right L-shaped fixing parts 154, 154 which hang down from the outer edges of the crossover parts 153, 153 so as to be largely separated in the length direction (left-right direction) of the first beam 5.

[0020] A pair of left and right fitting pieces 151b, 151b are provided facing rearward on both side edges of the front plate 151a of the connecting portion 151, which fit snugly into the hollow hole of the second beam 6. The opposing edges of the bridge portions 153, 153 are cut out in a V-shape in plan view so as to widen toward the first beam 5, and a pair of left and right wiring management members 16, 16 are fixed to the cut-out opposing edges by welding or the like so as to be spaced apart from each other in the length direction of the first beam 5 (see FIG. 2).

[0021] The left and right wiring management members 16, 16 have standing portions 161, 161 rising from the opposing edges of the crossing portions 153, 153 at a distance from each other in the length direction of the first beam 5, outward pieces 162, 162 extending in opposite directions from the rear edges of both standing portions 161, and hanging pieces 163, 163 hanging down from the front edges of both standing portions 161 to near the upper end of the connecting portion 151. The standing portions 161, 161 are formed in a V-shape in plan view so as to expand in the direction of the first beam 5. The hanging pieces 163, 163 are formed to a length that fits into the recess 11 of the second beam 6 when the connecting portion 151 is connected to the second beam 6 (see FIG. 3).

[0022] Next, a procedure for connecting the second beam 6 to the first beam 5 will be described. First, the pair of fitting pieces 151b, 151b of the connecting member 15 are fitted snugly into the hollow hole of the second beam 6 from the front end thereof, as shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5.

[0023] Next, the front plate 151a of the connecting portion 151 is brought close to or into contact with the cover member 7 on the rear side of the first beam 5, and the left and right fixing portions 154, 154 are inserted into the recess 11 of the first beam 5 so that the bridge portions 153, 153 straddle the rear side cover member 7, and the outward fixing pieces 154a, 154a at the lower ends of both fixing portions are fixed to the upper surface near the rear of the first beam main body 5A by the screws 17. This makes it possible to easily connect the second beam 6 to the existing first beam 5 via the connecting member 15 in a retrofit manner so as to form a T-shape in plan view. Although not shown in the figure, the rear end of the second beam 6 and the front and rear ends of the right second beam 6 can also be connected using the same connecting member 15.

[0024] In addition, the upper part of the connection between the first beam 5 and the second beam 6, i.e., the upper part of the connecting member 15, serves as a wiring route for wiring a power cord C connected to a lighting fixture S (see Figure 1) etc. attached to the second beam 6 to the first beam 5 side, and the upright parts 155a, 155a of the wiring route members 16, 16 are arranged on this wiring route.

[0025] Next, the wiring structure of the connection part between the first beam 5 and the second beam 6 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, in order to wire the power cord C connected to the lighting fixture S attached to the second beam 6 from the second beam 6 side to the first beam 5 side, the power cord C accommodated in the recess 11 of the second beam 6 is accommodated between the hanging pieces 163, 163 and between the standing parts 161, 161 of the wiring management members 16, 16, and wired in the recess 11 on the first beam 5 side. At this time, the power cord C is guided by the pair of hanging pieces 163, 163, and also by the pair of standing parts 161, 161 that expand in a V-shape and one (or both) outward pieces 162 that are continuous therewith, and wired in the recess 11 of the first beam 5.

[0026] By wiring in this manner, the power cord C can be easily routed between the first and second beams 5, 6 and can be wired in a good appearance without exposing the power cord C. In addition, the power cord C can be wired by gently bending it along the pair of standing portions 161, 161 that open out in a V-shape, so that the power cord C is prevented from being damaged when wiring. Note that the power cord connected to the lighting fixture S or the like can be inserted into the hollow hole of the second beam 6 and pulled out from the opening 18 formed in the upper surface of the front end portion to be handed over to the wiring management member 155 (see FIG. 3).

[0027] As described above, in the beam connection structure of the embodiment, the second beam 6 can be easily connected to the first beam 5 so as to form a T-shape in a planar view by using a connecting member 15 having a simple configuration including a connecting portion 151 and a fixing portion 154.

[0028] In addition, since the first beam body 5A and the second beam body 6A are formed from square tubes having the same cross-sectional shape with square hollow holes, the first and second beam bodies 5A, 6A can be manufactured inexpensively using common square tubes. Moreover, the connecting member 15 can be easily connected to the second beam 6 simply by fitting the pair of fitting pieces 151b of the connecting part 151 into the hollow holes of the second beam 6 without any play, so there is no need to use fixing means such as screws or to perform special processing on the second beam 6.

[0029] Furthermore, the fixing portion 154 consists of a pair of parts spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the first beam 5, and has an outward fixing piece 154a at its lower end which is fixed to the upper surface of the first beam 5, so that the connecting member 15 can be stably fixed to the upper surface of the first beam 5.

[0030] Furthermore, even if a cover member 7 protruding upward is attached to the first beam main body 5A, the second beam 6 can be retrofitted to the existing first beam 5 without any hindrance by spanning one of the cover members on the rear side using the spanning portion 153 of the connecting member 15.

[0031] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0032] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the second beam 6 is connected to the first beam 5 by a connecting member 15 so as to form a T-shape in a planar view. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a case in which two second beams 6 are connected to the first beam 5 by intersecting them in a cross shape in a planar view using two connecting members 15 that are symmetrical front to back.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the cover members 7 are attached to both side surfaces of the first and second beam bodies 5A and 6A to form the recesses 11, but if continuous recesses are directly formed in the upper surfaces of the first and second beams 5 and 6 in the length direction, the cover members 7 and the bridge portion 153 spanning the cover member 7 can be omitted. In this case, a pair of fixing portions 154 may be provided on both side edges of the upper portion of the connecting portion 151.

[0034] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the connecting member 15 has the wiring management member 16, but if there is no need to manage the wiring of the power cord C or the like, the wiring management member 16 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 Partition device 2 Frame body 3 pillars 4 Border Frame 5 First Beam 5A First beam body 6 Second Beam 6A Second beam body 7 Cover material (exterior material) 8 Fixtures 9 Holder 10 bis 11 Recess 12 Guide rail 13 Movable partition 14 wheels 15 Connecting members 16 Wiring materials 17 Screw 18 Aperture 151 Connection part 151a Front plate 151b Mating piece 152 Standing piece 153 Watanabe Department 154 Fixed part 154a External fixed piece 161 Standing part 162 Extrovert piece 163 Hanging piece C Power cord S Lighting fixtures

Claims

1. A beam connection structure in which a first beam having a recess formed on an upper portion thereof is crossed by a second beam and connected to the first beam by a connecting member, A beam connection structure, characterized in that the connecting member has a connecting portion connected to the second beam and a fixed portion fixed within the recess of the first beam.

2. 2. The beam connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed by attaching a pair of exterior members to both side surfaces of the first beam.

3. The beam connection structure described in claim 2, characterized in that the fixed portion consists of a pair of portions spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first beam, and an outward fixed piece fixed to the upper surface of the first beam body is connected to the lower end.

4. The beam connection structure according to claim 2 , wherein the connecting member has a bridge portion that straddles one of the exterior members on the second beam side.

5. The beam connection structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the first beam body and the second beam body constituting the first beam and the second beam are formed from square tubes of the same cross-sectional shape having a square hollow hole, and the connecting portion has a fitting piece that is fitted into the hollow hole from the end of the second beam body.

6. A beam connection structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the connecting member has a pair of upright portions that rise up and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first beam in the wiring routing path above the connecting portion.

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