Partition

Abstract

To provide a partition that is easy to handle.SOLUTION: Provided is a partition 20 in which an upper end portion of a partition body is movably guided along a guide rail 5 and a lower end portion is supported on a floor surface F via a wheel 12. The wheel 12 is provided in the center of the lower end portion of the partition body and has a twin-wheel structure in which two individual wheels 120, 121 are attached to an axle 31, and the two single wheels 120, 121 have camber angles θ1, θ2 that form a V-shape, respectively.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a partition having an upper end that is movably guided along a guide rail and a lower end that is supported on a floor surface via wheels. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In indoor spaces such as offices, conference rooms, stores, and exhibition halls, various types of partitions have conventionally been used to realize a desired layout of small sections according to the purpose of use of the space.

[0003] For example, the partition described in Patent Document 1 has its upper end movably guided by a guide rail installed on the ceiling side, and a pair of casters (wheels) on the left and right sides of the lower end of the partition run along the floor surface, allowing multiple partitions to be connected together to divide the interior space. In addition, corner members that form corners and cross members that form crossing parts are connected to the guide rails, allowing the partitions to be turned around. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-2258 A (pages 4 to 6, Fig. 1, Fig. 6 to Fig. 7) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, although the partition described in Patent Document 1 has a pair of casters at the lower end that are configured to rotate freely around a vertical axis, making it easy to change the direction of the partition, the casters are not guided in the direction of travel by the floor surface, so if even the slightest force is applied in a direction that intersects the direction of movement when the partition is moving straight ahead, the partition will tilt from the upper end as a base point, causing it to tend to meander, making it difficult to handle.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and has an object to provide a partition that is easy to handle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the partition of the present invention comprises: A partition in which the upper end of the partition body is movably guided along a guide rail and the lower end is supported on a floor surface via wheels, The wheels are located in the center of the lower end of the partition body and have a twin-wheel structure with two individual wheels attached to an axle, and are characterized in that the two individual wheels have a camber angle that is in a V-shape or an inverted V-shape. According to this feature, a dual-wheel structure wheel is provided in the center of the lower end of the partition body, allowing the partition to change direction smoothly, and because the two wheels each have a camber angle, tilting of the partition body is suppressed when the partition moves straight, improving straight-line movement, making the partition easy to handle.

[0008] The two individual wheels are characterized by having a camber angle that forms a V-shape. According to this feature, since each of the two wheels has a camber angle that forms a V-shape, tilting of the partition body when the partition moves straight can be further suppressed.

[0009] The wheel is characterized in that it is provided with a camber angle varying mechanism that varies the camber angle in accordance with the inclination of the partition body. According to this feature, the camber angle can be varied according to the inclination of the partition body, making it easier for the two wheels to remain in contact with the floor surface even if the partition body is tilted, making it easier to return the wheels to their original trajectory, making the partition even easier to handle.

[0010] The camber angle varying mechanism is characterized by having a support member interposed between the axle and the wheel unit, the support member being made of an elastic material that is more deformable in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. According to this feature, the camber angle of the wheel alone can be changed according to the inclination of the partition body with a simple structure that utilizes the elastic deformation of the support member.

[0011] The two wheels are each attached to both ends of the axle. According to this feature, the dual wheel structure wheels can be configured compactly in the thickness direction of the partition. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a movable partition device equipped with a partition according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is an enlarged view of an L portion (L-shaped intersection) in FIG. 1 as viewed from below. [Figure 4] 2 is an enlarged view of a T portion (T-shaped intersection) in FIG. 1 as viewed from below. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a procedure for moving a partition so that its front and back surfaces are inverted by utilizing a T-section (T-shaped intersection). [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a wheel according to the first embodiment as viewed from the direction of movement. [Figure 7] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a wheel according to the first embodiment, seen from the direction of movement. FIG. [Figure 8] 7 is a diagram showing a state in which an inclination occurs in the partition body from the state in which two wheels are in contact with the ground as shown in FIG. 6 in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a wheel according to a second embodiment, as viewed from the direction of movement. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a side view of a single wheel in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which an inclination occurs in the partition body from the state in which two wheels are in contact with the ground as shown in FIG. 9 in the second embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A mode for carrying out a partition of the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment. EXAMPLES

[0014] A partition according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. As shown in Figure 1, a partition 20 according to this embodiment is used in a spatial structure 1 which is also a movable partition device.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the spatial structure 1 of this embodiment is installed freestanding on a floor surface F in order to divide a large indoor space, such as an office or exhibition hall, into a rectangle, and is used for meetings, work spaces, etc.

[0016] The spatial structure 1 comprises a frame body 2 that is installed in a self-supporting manner on a floor surface F. The frame body 2 comprises six support columns 3 that are aligned at predetermined intervals in the front, back, left and right directions and are lower in the vertical dimension than the ceiling surface, and seven beams 4 that are aligned in the front, back, left and right directions and connect the upper ends of the support columns 3 at right angles to each other to form a "sun" shape in a plan view. The support columns 3 and beams 4 are manufactured by extrusion molding of aluminum material, for example.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, guide rails 5, whose lower ends are bent inwardly and oppositely, and whose cross section is shaped like a downward U, are fixed by a number of screws 6 to the downward concave lower surface formed at the lower end of each beam 4. The guide rails 5 are made, for example, by extrusion molding of an aluminum material or the like, and the lengths of the two guide rails 5 extending in the left-right direction on the front side of the frame body 2 and the three guide rails 5 extending in the front-rear direction are formed to be shorter than the overall length of the beams 4 by a required dimension in order to connect a bridge rail 13, which will be described later (see Figs. 3 and 4). Both side surfaces in the length direction of each beam 4, together with both side surfaces of the guide rails 5, are covered by cover members 7, 7, but such cover members 7 may be omitted.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, at the front side of the frame body 2, a partition 20 is movably supported on two guide rails 5, 5 that extend in the left-right direction facing each other with a central support post 3 in between. That is, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower ends of a pair of left and right support shafts 21a facing in the up-down direction are fixed to the upper surface of the frame 21 of the partition 20, and guide rollers 10 attached to the upper ends of both support shafts 21a so as to be horizontally rotatable are inserted into the guide rails 5 so as to be rollable, whereby the partition 20 is supported movably along the guide rails 5.

[0019] In addition, the wheel 12 that rolls in contact with the floor surface F when moving is attached to the center of the width direction of the lower end of the frame 21 of the partition 20. Note that the "center" here does not mean the mathematical center in the width direction of the frame 21, but means near the center, and can also be referred to as the "center part". In this way, the partition 20 extends from the floor surface F to the guide rail 5 above, and the guide rollers 10 of both support shafts 21a provided at the upper end are guided by the guide rail 5, and the wheel 12 provided at the lower end is provided so as to be able to roll on the floor surface F. Note that, although only two partitions 20 are shown in FIG. 1, three or more partitions 20 may be provided.

[0020] For example, at the ends of the two guide rails 5, 5 at the L-shaped intersection (L part in FIG. 1) on the left front side of the frame body 2, that is, the two adjacent guide rails 5, 5 attached to the two beams 4, 4 connected at right angles to the support 3 in an L-shape from two directions, a bridge rail 13 having a linear shape with the same cross section as the guide rail 5 is installed so as to form 45 degrees in a plan view and a bottom view and to be continuous with the guide rails 5, 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper surfaces of both ends of the bridge rail 13 are fixed to the lower surface of the beam 4 by screws 14. The lower ends of the adjacent cover members 7, 7 are cut out so that the bridge rail 13 can be inserted therethrough. A similar bridge rail 13 is also installed on the guide rails 5, 5 at the L-shaped intersection on the right side.

[0021] In addition, at the intersecting ends of the three guide rails 5, 5, 5 at the T-shaped intersection (T section in Figure 1) in the center of the front of the frame body 2, i.e., the three adjacent guide rails 5, 5, 5 attached to each beam 4 connected at right angles to the support 3 from three directions, both ends of bridge rails 13, 13 similar to those described above are erected so that they form 45 degrees in plan and bottom views and are continuous with the three guide rails 5, 5, 5.

[0022] 3 and 4, a bridge rail 13 is installed on each guide rail 5 constituting the L-shaped intersection and the T-shaped intersection of the frame body 2, so that the partition 20 can be moved around the support 3 between the beam 4 side facing left and right and the beam 4 side facing front and rear via the bridge rail 13. This makes it possible to move the partition 20 from the front beam 4 of the frame body 2 to the rear beam 4.

[0023] Also, as shown in Fig. 5, for example, by moving the partition 20 arranged on the right guide rail 5 to the T-shaped intersection (see T in Fig. 1) side and then moving it once via the right bridge rail 13 to the guide rail 5 extending in the front-to-rear direction, and then switching back and moving it via the left bridge rail 13 to the left guide rail 5 side, the partition 20 can be rotated 180 degrees to invert the front and back sides, and both sides of the partition 20 can be used. Note that for ease of explanation, the beam 4 and cover member 7 are omitted from Fig. 5.

[0024] Next, the configuration of the partition 20 will be described in detail. The partition 20 is mainly composed of a frame 21 and a panel 11 that is provided in the frame 21 and has a generally rectangular shape in front view. A pair of guide rollers 10 of support shafts 21a provided at the upper end of the frame 21 and spaced apart in the width direction are movable along the guide rails 5, and a load is supported on the floor surface F by wheels 12 provided at the center of the width direction of the lower end of the frame 21. The wheels 12 roll in contact with the floor surface F when the partition 20 moves. The frame 21 and the panel 11 constitute the partition main body. The partition main body may be one in which a panel with a monitor, a whiteboard, a felt screen, or the like is provided in the frame 21.

[0025] 6 and 7, the above-mentioned wheel 12 has a twin-wheel structure with an axle 31 that is generally W-shaped when viewed from the front and faces in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the partition body (thickness direction of the partition body), and two wheel units 120, 121 attached to both ends of the axle, and the wheel 12 is fixed to an upper plate-like portion 122b of a horizontal frame portion 22b that connects the lower portions of the vertical frame portions 22a, 22a of the frame 21 by a mounting member 32. The wheel units 120, 121 are formed with a relatively large diameter and made of a light metal such as synthetic resin or aluminum, and are reinforced by providing a plurality of protruding ribs on both sides.

[0026] Moreover, the individual wheels 120, 121 have camber angles that form a V-shape (so-called negative camber) when viewed from the direction of movement. In this embodiment, the camber angles θ1, θ2 of the individual wheels 120, 121 (see FIG. 6: the dashed line in FIG. 6 is a virtual line. The same applies to the following figures) are determined mainly by the inclination of both ends of the axle 31. In this embodiment, the camber angles θ1, θ2 of the individual wheels 120, 121 are the same angle. The camber angles θ1, θ2 of the individual wheels 120, 121 are preferably set in the range of 1 to 22 degrees, more preferably in the range of 2 to 10 degrees, thereby improving straightness while suppressing the occurrence of inclination of the partition body.

[0027] 6 and 7 show a state in which the partition body is not inclined, that is, the partition body is supported perpendicularly to the floor surface F via the wheels 12. Also, when the partition body is not inclined or is only slightly inclined, both wheels 120, 121 are in contact with the floor surface F, resulting in a two-wheel grounding state.

[0028] The wheel 12 is pre-assembled as follows. Referring to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, first, annular fixing members 34 are fixed to both ends of the axle 31, and then the bearings (rolling bearings) 33 are inserted. The ends of the axle 31 with the bearings 33 inserted therein are inserted into the stepped holes 120b, 121b of the wheel units 120, 121, respectively, and a washer-equipped screw 35 is screwed into a female screw hole (shown by a broken line in Fig. 7) formed from the end face of the axle 31 toward the center in the axial direction. As a result, the wheel 12 is a unit in which the two wheel units 120, 121, the axle 31, the pair of bearings 33, and the pair of fixing members 34 are integrally assembled. The wheel units 120, 121 are adapted to rotate independently of the axle 31. The wheel units 120, 121 are assembled so that the minimum distance between the upper ends of the wheel units 120, 121 is slightly larger than the thickness of the partition body.

[0029] As described above, in the partition 20 of this embodiment, the wheel 12 is provided in the center of the lower end of the partition body and contacts the floor surface F at one point, and the individual wheels 120, 121 that make up the wheel 12 are capable of rolling in different directions, so that the partition 20 can be moved smoothly when changing direction.

[0030] In particular, when the partition 20 is moved from the beam 4 facing left and right to the beam 4 facing forward and backward via the bridge rail 13, bypassing the support 3, the extending direction of the guide rail 5 of the beam 4 and the bridge rail 13 differs from the moving direction of the partition 20, and the wheels 12 come into sliding contact with the floor surface F, so that the wheels come into contact with the floor surface F at one point and the wheels 120, 121 are configured to be able to roll in different directions, thereby reducing frictional resistance and enabling smooth direction changes. Also, when moving the partition 20 to be turned 180 degrees, frictional resistance can be reduced and the turning operation can be performed smoothly.

[0031] In addition, in the partition 20 according to this embodiment, the individual wheels 120, 121 have a camber angle that forms a V-shape, which makes it easier to move the partition 20 in a straight line in a stable manner. Even if a force is applied in a direction intersecting the direction of movement when the partition 20 moves in a straight line, for example, a force toward the individual wheel 121, a resistance force toward the individual wheel 120 (in other words, a force in a direction returning the trajectory of the wheel 12) acts on the individual wheel 120 with the camber angle θ1, thereby suppressing the occurrence of tilting of the partition body and improving straightness. It goes without saying that, even if a force toward the individual wheel 120 is applied to the partition 20, a force in a direction returning the trajectory of the wheel 12 acts on the individual wheel 121 with the camber angle θ2, which suppresses the occurrence of tilting of the partition body.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 8, even if the partition body tilts and the wheel unit 121 is separated from the floor surface F and in a one-wheel grounding state, a force (see the solid thick arrow in Fig. 8) acts on the wheel unit 120 that is in contact with the floor surface F in a direction that returns the wheel 12 to its original trajectory, i.e., the trajectory when both wheels of the wheels 120, 121 are in contact with the floor before the tilt becomes too large. It goes without saying that the wheel 12 can be easily returned to its original trajectory in the same way, even if the partition body tilts and the wheel unit 120 is separated from the floor surface F and in a one-wheel grounding state.

[0033] In this way, in the partition 20 of this embodiment, even if the wheels 12 are not guided in the running direction by the floor surface F, the wheels 120, 121 each have a camber angle that forms a V-shape, which suppresses the inclination of the partition body, making the partition 20 less likely to meander and easier to handle.

[0034] In addition, the wheels 120, 121 alone may have a camber angle that is an inverted V shape (so-called positive camber), but by having a V-shaped camber angle as in this embodiment, a stronger force acts on the wheels 120, 121 alone in the direction of returning the wheel 12 to its trajectory, thereby suppressing tilting of the partition body and further improving straight-line running.

[0035] In addition, the individual wheels 120, 121 are attached to both ends of a single axle 31, so that the dual-wheel wheel 12 can be configured compactly in the thickness direction of the partition 20.

[0036] Furthermore, the two individual wheels 120, 121, the axle 31, the pair of bearings 33 and the pair of fixing members 34 are pre-assembled to form the wheel 12 as a unit, and the entire wheel 12 including the axle 31 is attached to the upper plate-shaped portion 122b of the horizontal frame portion 22b by the mounting member 32, so that installation and replacement work of the wheel 12 can be easily performed. EXAMPLES

[0037] Next, a partition according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9 to Fig. 11. Note that a description of the same configuration as in the above embodiment will be omitted.

[0038] In this embodiment, the wheels 12 are provided with a camber angle varying mechanism that varies the camber angle according to the inclination of the partition body.

[0039] 9, the camber angle varying mechanism in this embodiment has a support member 236 interposed between the axle 31 and the individual wheels 120, 121. In detail, the support members 236 are interposed between a pair of bearings 33 fitted into both ends of the axle 31 and the individual wheels 120, 121, respectively.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 10, the support member 236 is formed in an elliptical shape that is longer in the vertical direction from an elastic material that is more deformable in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. For example, the support member 236 can be integrally formed from four blocks (front, rear, upper, and lower) with different hardnesses, thereby making it possible to differentiate the amount of deformation. In detail, the front and rear blocks are made to have a higher hardness than the upper and lower blocks but the same hardness in order to suppress changes in the toe angle, which is the inclination with respect to the moving direction when the wheels 120, 121 are viewed from above, and the upper and lower blocks are made to have a lower hardness than the front and rear blocks in order to vary the camber angle, thereby making it possible to make the support member 236 more deformable in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction.

[0041] In this embodiment, the camber angle of the wheels 120, 121 is determined mainly by the inclination of both ends of the axle 31 and the amount of deformation in the upper and lower blocks of the support member 236.

[0042] As shown in Figure 9, when the partition body is not inclined, that is, when the partition body is supported vertically to the floor surface F via the wheels 12, the same load is applied to the wheels 120, 121 via the axle 31, and therefore the camber angles of the wheels 120, 121 are the same.

[0043] When the partition 20 moves straight, if a force is applied in a direction intersecting the direction of movement, for example a force toward the wheel unit 121, causing the partition body to tilt, the load applied to the wheel unit 120 via the axle 31 increases, the camber angle θ1 of the wheel unit 120 decreases, and the load applied to the wheel unit 121 via the axle 31 decreases, causing the camber angle θ2 of the wheel unit 120 to increase (see Figure 11). Note that the camber angle θ2 of the wheel unit 120 may not change depending on conditions such as the degree of tilt of the partition body and the weight of the partition 20.

[0044] As described above, the wheels 12 of this embodiment are equipped with a camber angle variable mechanism that changes the camber angle according to the inclination of the partition body, so that even if the partition body is tilted, the two wheels 120, 121 can easily maintain a two-wheel grounding state in which they are in contact with the floor surface F, making it easier to return the wheels 12 to their original trajectory, and making the partition 20 even easier to handle.

[0045] Moreover, the camber angle varying mechanism of this embodiment can vary the camber angle of the individual wheels 120, 121 according to the inclination of the partition body, with a simple configuration that utilizes the elastic deformation of the support member 236. Furthermore, the camber angle of the individual wheels 120, 121 can be returned to its original state by the restoring force of the elastically deformed support member 236, making it easy to maintain a state in which there is no inclination in the partition body.

[0046] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and additions and modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0047] For example, in the above embodiment, the individual wheels 120, 121 are supported by a pair of bearings 33 inserted into both ends of the axle 31, but for a lightweight partition 20 with a relatively small vertical dimension, the bearings 33 may be omitted and the individual wheels 120, 121 may be directly supported for free rotation by both ends of the axle 31.

[0048] In addition, in the above embodiment, the wheels 120, 121 are assembled so that the minimum separation dimension at their upper ends is slightly larger than the thickness of the partition body, but they may also be assembled so that it is the same as or smaller than the thickness of the partition body.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the two wheel units 120, 121 constituting the dual-wheel wheel 12 are attached to both ends of a single axle 31, but the two wheel units 120, 121 may be attached to different axles on the front and back sides of the partition 20. In this case, the wheel units 120, 121 may rotate integrally with the axle, or may be supported rotatably on the axle via a bearing (or without a bearing). [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Spatial structure 2 Frame body 3 pillars 4 Beam 5 Guide rail 10 Guide roller Panel 11 12 wheels 13 Bridge Rail 20 Partition 21 Frame 22b Horizontal frame section 31 Axle 32 Mounting material 33 Bearings 34 Fixing member 120,121 Wheel alone 122b Top plate part 236 Support member F Floor

Claims

1. A partition in which the upper end of the partition body is movably guided along a guide rail and the lower end is supported on a floor surface via wheels, The wheel is provided in the center of the lower end of the partition body, and has a twin-wheel structure with two individual wheels attached to an axle, and the two individual wheels have a camber angle that is in a V-shape or an inverted V-shape.

2. 2. A partition as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said two wheels has a camber angle which forms a V-shape.

3. 2. The partition according to claim 1, wherein the wheel is provided with a camber angle varying mechanism that varies the camber angle in accordance with the inclination of the partition body.

4. A partition as described in claim 3, characterized in that the camber angle variable mechanism has a support member interposed between the axle and the wheel unit, the support member being made of an elastic material that is more deformable in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction.

5. 5. A partition according to claim 1, wherein the two wheels are attached to both ends of a single axle.

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