Spacer and spacer unit

Abstract

To provide a spacer which is height-adjustable by connection in a thickness direction and also can be attached to an attached part without a fixing member having a length corresponding to the connected thickness.SOLUTION: A spacer to be used by connection in a thickness direction includes: a first through hole and a second through-hole. The first through-hole includes a fixing engagement part to be engaged with an enlarged diameter part of a fixing member in a state where the narrow diameter part of the fixing member put through from one end side in the thickness direction is projected to the other end side when arranged in a first direction. In the second through-hole, the fixing member is put through in the thickness direction by including the enlarged diameter part. When the spacer is connected to the other spacer with the same configuration, the direction of the other spacer is differed by predetermined operation so as to be arranged in a second direction. In the spacer, the first through-hole communicates with the second through-hole of the other spacer and also the first through-hole communicates with the second through-hole of the other spacer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a spacer unit with adjustable thickness.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when attaching a shielding device to an attachment part such as a ceiling or a wall surface, there is a spacer for taking out and attaching a bracket that supports the shielding device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a spacer used when attaching a shielding device other than a curtain rail to a curtain rail bracket.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in order to adjust the thickness of the spacer, it was necessary to prepare a large number of spacers according to the thickness in advance. Also, although it is conceivable to adjust the thickness by connecting a plurality of spacers and using them, in that case, in order to attach the connected spacers to the attachment part, a fixing member (such as a screw) with a length corresponding to the connected thickness is required.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a spacer that can be connected in the thickness direction to adjust the height, and can be attached to the attachment part without a fixing member having a length corresponding to the connected thickness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided. [1]A spacer that can be used by being connected in the thickness direction, comprising a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole, wherein when the first insertion hole is arranged in a first direction, a fixing engagement portion that engages with an enlarged diameter portion of a fixing member with a narrow diameter portion of the fixing member inserted from one end side in the thickness direction protruding to the other end side is provided, the second insertion hole is configured to penetrate the fixing member in the thickness direction including the enlarged diameter portion, and when connecting with another spacer having the same configuration, by arranging the other spacer in a second direction by changing the direction of the other spacer by a predetermined operation, the first insertion hole communicates with the second insertion hole of the other spacer, and the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole of the other spacer are configured to communicate with each other. [2]The spacer according to [1], wherein the predetermined operation is at least one of an operation of reversing the direction in the thickness direction and an operation of rotating about a rotation axis in the thickness direction, and when connecting in the thickness direction, it is arranged in the first direction when arranged at the most other end side, and is arranged in the second direction when arranged at a position other than the most other end side. [3]The spacer according to [1] or [2], further comprising a connection insertion hole for inserting a connection member for connecting with the other spacer. [4]The spacer according to [3], which is fixed to a mounted portion by the fixing member and has a bracket mounting portion for mounting a bracket for supporting a shielding device. [5]The spacer according to [4], wherein the predetermined operation includes an operation of reversing in the thickness direction, the bracket mounting portion is formed at the other end side, and the connection insertion hole has a connection engagement portion that engages with an enlarged diameter portion of the connection member with a narrow diameter portion of the connection member inserted from the other end side in the thickness direction protruding to the one end side. [6]A spacer unit including N (N is a natural number of 2 or more) spacers according to any one of [1] to [5], configured by arranging one spacer in the first direction at the most other end side and arranging the remaining N - 1 spacers in the second direction and connecting them. The spacer unit according to [7][6], wherein the N spacers further include a basic spacer and a fine adjustment spacer thinner than the basic spacer, and the fine adjustment spacer is disposed at a position excluding the position closest to the one end side and the position closest to the other end side, a spacer unit. The spacer unit according to [8][7], wherein the fine adjustment spacer includes an engaging protrusion and a third insertion hole, the engaging protrusion is configured to engage with the first insertion hole or the second insertion hole of the adjacent spacer to restrict relative movement in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, and the third insertion hole is configured to penetrate the fixing member in the thickness direction, a spacer unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, when connecting a plurality of spacers, by arranging the spacer on the most other end side in the thickness direction in a first direction and the remaining spacers in a second direction, the first insertion hole (having a fixing engagement portion) of the spacer on the most other end side and the second insertion hole (penetrating the fixing member) of the remaining spacers communicate with each other. Thereby, since the enlarged diameter portion of the fixing member inserted from one end side in the thickness direction can reach the fixing engagement portion of the spacer on the most other end side, the connected spacers can be attached to the attached portion without a fixing member having a length corresponding to its thickness.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The various characteristic matters shown in the embodiments described below can be combined with each other. Further, an invention can be established independently for each characteristic.

[0010] 1. First Embodiment 1-1. Shielding Device 100 Attached Using Spacer Unit U As shown in FIG. 1, the spacer unit U according to an embodiment of the present invention is used when taking out and attaching the shielding device 100 downward from the top surface of the blind box BB. Here, the shielding device 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a shielding material 106 suspended and supported by a runner 105 movably provided on a hanger rail 101, and the shielding material 106 can be transitioned between an open state and a closed state by operating a tilt operation rod 103 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). It is a shielding device that can be used.

[0011] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1A to 2, this shielding device 100 includes a hanger rail 101, a tilt shaft 102, a tilt operation rod 103, an operation cord 104, a runner 105, and a shielding material 106 composed of a plurality of shielding material units 106U.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1A, the hanger rail 101 is supported by a bracket Br fixed to the spacer unit U, and houses a tilt shaft 102, a plurality of runners 105, etc. inside. A plurality of runners 105 are attached to the tilt shaft 102. When the tilt shaft 102 rotates, each runner 105 rotates.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1A, a tilt operation rod 103 and an operation cord 104 are arranged on the left side as one end side in the width direction of the hanger rail 101. The tilt operation rod 103 is configured to rotate the tilt shaft 102. By operating the tilt operation rod 103 to rotate the tilt shaft 102, the shaft portions of the respective runners 105 shown in FIG. 3 rotate.

[0014] The operation code 104 is configured in a ring shape. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the operation code 104 hangs down from the hanger rail 101 on the left side of the hanger rail 101 and is graspable by the user. The operation code 104 is connected to the leading runner 105A (see FIG. 1A), and each runner 105 is connected via an elongated thin plate-shaped runner spacer 105s (see FIG. 2). For example, when the user operates the operation code 104 to pull out the shielding material 106, the leading runner 105A is pulled out by the operation code 104 and moves to the right side, which is the other end side in FIG. 1A. Then, the subsequent runners 105 move to the right side at equal intervals via the runner spacers 105s. Conversely, when the user operates the operation code 104 to fold the shielding material 106, the leading runner 105A is pulled back by the operation code 104 and moves to the left side in FIG. 1A, and the subsequent runners 105 also move to the left side. In this way, the runners 105 are provided on the hanger rail 101 so as to be movable in the left-right direction. And the runner 105 has a function of being attached to the tilt axis 102 as shown in FIG. 1A and transmitting the rotation of the tilt axis 102 to the shielding material 106 via the screen hanger 110.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, the shielding material 106 is configured by connecting a plurality of shielding material units 106U to each other via the screen hanger 110. Each shielding material unit 106U includes a race portion 160a and a pair of drape portions 160b as shown in FIGS. 1B, 3A, and 3B, and the race portion 160a is provided between the pair of drape portions 160b. The shielding material unit 106U is made of a cloth fabric, and the race portion 160a and the pair of drape portions 160b are integrally formed by sewing.

[0016] The shielding device 100 with such a configuration is such that the screen hanger 110 rotates via each runner 5 by operating the tilt operation rod 103 described above, whereby the shielding material 106 (each shielding material unit 106U) transitions (rotates) between the open state and the closed state (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). Further, when the runner 105 moves to the right or left, the screen hanger 110 moves to the right or left, and the shielding material 106 is pulled out or folded up.

[0017] By the way, when installing the shielding device 100 with the above configuration at an installation location with a blind box BB, in order to avoid interference between the blind box BB and the shielding material 106, it is necessary to take out the hanger rail 101 downward and position the shielding material 106 below the blind box BB. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 4, the spacer unit U of the present embodiment is used to take out and install a shielding device 100 configured such that the shielding material 106 rotates from the top surface C (the portion to be attached) of the blind box BB. And since the depth of the blind box BB (the distance from the ceiling surface to the lower end) varies depending on the product and the site, it is preferable that the spacer unit U is configured to be able to adjust the thickness (height) corresponding to different depths. Hereinafter, the configuration of the spacer unit U with adjustable thickness according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[0018] 1-2. Configuration of Spacer Unit U As shown in FIG. 4, the spacer unit U according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a first spacer 1 as a basic spacer, a second spacer 2 as a basic spacer thicker than the first spacer 1, and a fine adjustment spacer 3 thinner than the first spacer 1 are stacked one on top of the other. Note that the spacer unit U of the present embodiment is used to take a vertical interval, and the vertical direction is the thickness direction of each of the spacers 1 to 3.

[0019] Here, in the illustrated example, a configuration is disclosed in which two first spacers 1 and two second spacers 2 are provided respectively, and one fine adjustment spacer 3 is provided. However, the number of the first spacers 1 and the second spacers 2 can be freely selected so that the spacer unit U has a desired thickness. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the number of the fine adjustment spacers 3 is 1 or 0.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the thickness of the first spacer 1 is 15 mm, the thickness of the second spacer 2 is 25 mm, and the thickness of the fine adjustment spacer 3 is 5 mm. However, this thickness is only an exemplary value, and the thicknesses of the respective spacers 1 to 3 can be appropriately set according to the purpose of use of the spacer unit U. The combination of the thicknesses of the respective spacers 1 to 3 is preferably, for example, [3Z, 5Z, Z (Z is a positive number)]. Also, with Z being a positive number, it is also preferable that the combination of the thicknesses of the respective spacers 1 to 3 be, for example, [2Z, 3Z, Z], [2Z, 4Z, Z], [2Z, 5Z, Z], [3Z, 4Z, Z]. By making the thicknesses of the first spacer 1 and the second spacer 2 an integral multiple of the thickness of the fine adjustment spacer 3, it becomes possible to preferably configure the spacer unit U having a thickness that is a multiple of Z.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, the spacer unit U of the present embodiment is configured to be attached to the top surface C of a blind box BB as a mounted portion by two fixing screws V1 (tapping screws) as fixing members. Further, a bracket Br for supporting the hanger rail 101 is attached to the spacer unit U of the present embodiment by a bracket attachment bolt B1 and a bracket attachment nut N1 (see FIG. 13). In addition, in the spacer unit U of the present embodiment, the respective spacers 1 to 3 are connected by a connection bolt B2 and a connection nut N2 as connection members (see FIG. 13). The method of assembling the respective spacers 1 to 3 will be described later. Hereinafter, each configuration of the first spacer 1, the second spacer 2, and the fine adjustment spacer 3 will be described in detail.

[0022] <The first spacer 1> As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the first spacer 1 has a thin plate-like rectangular parallelepiped shape. The first spacer 1 includes one bracket mounting hole 10, a pair of first insertion holes 11, a pair of second insertion holes 12, and a pair of connection insertion holes 13 that penetrate in the thickness direction. In the following description, among the directions perpendicular to the thickness direction (vertical direction), the direction along the long side is called the longitudinal direction, and the direction along the short side is called the short transverse direction. Further, the first spacer 1 has a cutout on one end side in the thickness direction and is printed with a mark 14 indicating the type of spacer on the other end side. The surface FS with the mark 14 on the one end side (the surface shown in FIG. 7A) is defined as the front surface, and the surface RS with the cutout on the other end side (the surface shown in FIG. 7B) is defined as the back surface.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 7A, the bracket mounting hole 10 is provided at the center position of the front surface FS of the first spacer 1. The bracket mounting hole 10 has a shape in which the center of a long hole extending in the longitudinal direction is expanded into a circular shape, and the threaded portion of a bracket mounting bolt B1 (see FIG. 6) for mounting a bracket Br that supports the shielding device 100 can be inserted into the circular portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, on the back surface RS side of the bracket mounting hole 10, a bracket mounting nut N1 for fixing the bracket mounting bolt B1 can be inserted from the back surface RS side. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, an insertion cylinder 15 that communicates with the bracket mounting hole 10 and has a hexagonal cross-sectional shape is formed on the back surface RS of the bracket mounting hole 10, and a pair of locking claws 15a for fixing the bracket mounting bolt B1 are formed on the front surface FS side of the insertion cylinder 15. By inserting the bracket mounting bolt B1 into the insertion cylinder 15 and locking it to the locking claws 15a, the bracket mounting bolt B1 can be fixed at a position adjacent to the bracket mounting hole 10. The first spacer 1 of the present embodiment is configured with such a bracket mounting hole 10 and a bracket mounting bolt B1 locked to the locking claws 15a to form a bracket mounting portion 16 for mounting a bracket Br that supports the shielding device 100. As shown in FIG. 9A, in the present embodiment, the bracket mounting portion 16 is formed on the back surface RS side in the thickness direction.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the pair of first insertion holes 11 are provided at positions on the diagonal line of the main surface (front surface FS or back surface RS) of the first spacer 1, such that the distances from the bracket mounting hole 10 are the same and the bracket mounting hole 10 is sandwiched therebetween. As shown in FIG. 7B, the first insertion hole 11 includes a diameter-expanded portion 11a formed in a cylindrical shape on the back surface RS side and a diameter-reduced portion 11b formed in a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the diameter-expanded portion 11a on the front surface FS side. As also shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, a stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the diameter-expanded portion 11a and the diameter-reduced portion 11b. The first insertion hole 11 of the present embodiment forms a fixing engagement portion 11s that engages with the head V1h (diameter-expanded portion) of the fixing screw V1 in a state where the shaft portion V1t (diameter-reduced portion) of the fixing screw V1 inserted from the back surface RS side protrudes to the front surface FS side by the stepped portion.

[0025] On the other hand, the pair of second insertion holes 12 are provided at positions on the other diagonal line of the main surface (front surface FS or back surface RS) of the first spacer 1, such that the distances from the bracket mounting hole 10 are the same and the bracket mounting hole 10 is sandwiched therebetween. The second insertion hole 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its inner diameter is set to a diameter that allows the head V1h (diameter-expanded portion) of the fixing screw V1 to penetrate in the thickness direction.

[0026] In the first spacer 1, the distances from the bracket mounting hole 10 to the axial centers of the pair of first insertion holes 11 and the pair of second insertion holes 12 are all equal. As a result, the pair of first insertion holes 11 and the pair of second insertion holes 12 are arranged at positions that are line-symmetric with respect to the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of short sides and the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of long sides of the front surface FS (or back surface RS).

[0027] The pair of connection insertion holes 13 are provided at positions on the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of long sides of the main surface (front surface FS or back surface RS) of the first spacer 1, such that the distances from the bracket mounting hole 10 are the same and the bracket mounting hole 10 is sandwiched therebetween. Further, in the present embodiment, the connection insertion holes 13 are provided so as to be aligned with the first insertion holes 11 and the second insertion holes 12 along the longitudinal direction.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 7A and 9A, the connecting insertion hole 13 includes a diameter-expanded portion 13a on the surface FS side formed in a hexagonal cylindrical shape, and a diameter-reduced portion 13b on the back surface RS side formed in a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the diameter-expanded portion 13a. Since the diameter-expanded portion 13a is formed in a hexagonal cylindrical shape, the connecting nut N2 can be inserted into the diameter-expanded portion 13a in a non-rotatable manner. Further, a stepped portion is formed at the boundary between the diameter-expanded portion 13a and the diameter-reduced portion 13b. And the connecting insertion hole 13 of the present embodiment forms a connecting engaging portion 13s that engages with the head portion B2h (diameter-expanded portion) of the connecting bolt B2 in a state where the shaft portion B2t (diameter-reduced portion) of the connecting bolt B2 inserted from the surface FS side in the thickness direction protrudes to the back surface RS side by the stepped portion.

[0029] As described above, in the present embodiment, the bracket mounting portion 16 and the fixing engaging portion 11s are formed on the surface FS side in the thickness direction, the connecting engaging portion 13s is formed on the back surface RS side in the thickness direction, and the directions of the bracket mounting portion 16 and the fixing engaging portion 11s and the connecting engaging portion 13s are opposite in the thickness direction.

[0030] <Second Spacer 2> As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the second spacer 2 has the same thin-plate rectangular parallelepiped shape as the first spacer 1. The second spacer 2 includes one bracket mounting hole 20, a pair of first insertion holes 21, a pair of second insertion holes 22, and a pair of connecting insertion holes 23 that penetrate in the thickness direction. Further, the second spacer 2 has a cutout on one end side in the thickness direction and printing 24 indicating the type of spacer on the other end side. The surface FS with the printing 24 is defined as the front surface, and the surface with the cutout is defined as the back surface RS. A bracket mounting portion 26 and a fixing engaging portion 21s (see FIGS. 12 and 14) are formed on the surface FS side in the thickness direction of the second spacer 2, and a connecting engaging portion 23s (see FIGS. 13 and 14) is formed on the back surface RS side in the thickness direction. Since the second spacer 2 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the first spacer 1 except for its thickness, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0031] <Fine Adjustment Spacer 3> As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the fine adjustment spacer 3 has a thin plate-like rectangular parallelepiped shape. The fine adjustment spacer 3 includes a central through hole 30, a pair of third insertion holes 32, and a pair of connection insertion holes 33 that penetrate in the thickness direction. The fine adjustment spacer 3 has a cutout on one end side in the thickness direction and printing 34 indicating the type of spacer on the other end side. The surface FS with the printing 34 is defined as the front surface, and the surface with the cutout is defined as the back surface RS. Further, the fine adjustment spacer 3 includes a pair of engaging protrusions 31 that protrude on the front surface FS side in the thickness direction.

[0032] The central through hole 30 is provided at the center position of the fine adjustment spacer 3. The central through hole 30 has a cylindrical shape and is sized to allow insertion of the threaded portion of the bracket mounting bolt B1 (see FIG. 6) described above.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 10A, the pair of engaging protrusions 31 are provided on the diagonal line of the main surface (front surface FS or back surface RS) of the fine adjustment spacer 3 at positions where the distances from the central through hole 30 are the same and sandwich the central through hole 30. The engaging protrusion 31 is a substantially cylindrical protrusion protruding from the front surface FS and has a diameter that can be inserted into the enlarged diameter portion 11a of the first insertion hole 11 of the first spacer 1 and the enlarged diameter portion 21a of the first insertion hole 21 of the second spacer 2. Three position regulating ribs 31a extending in the thickness direction are provided on the side surface of the engaging protrusion 31. The engaging protrusion 31 is configured to regulate relative movement in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the fine adjustment spacer 3 by the position regulating rib 31a coming into contact with the inner surface of the enlarged diameter portion 11a of the first insertion hole 11 of the first spacer 1 or the enlarged diameter portion 21a of the first insertion hole 21 of the second spacer 2 (see FIGS. 12 and 14).

[0034] The pair of third insertion holes 32 are provided on the other diagonal line of the main surface (front surface FS or back surface RS) of the fine adjustment spacer 3 at positions where the distances from the central through hole 30 are the same and sandwich the central through hole 30. The central through hole 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its inner diameter is sized to allow the head V1h (enlarged diameter portion) of the fixing screw V1 to penetrate in the thickness direction.

[0035] In the fine adjustment spacer 3, the distances from the central through hole 30 to the axes of the pair of engagement protrusions 31 and the pair of third insertion holes 32 are all equal. As a result, the pair of engagement protrusions 31 and the pair of third insertion holes 32 are arranged in positions that are line-symmetric with respect to the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of short sides and the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of long sides of the front surface FS (or the back surface RS).

[0036] The pair of connection insertion holes 33 are provided on the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of long sides of the main surface (front surface FS or back surface RS) of the fine adjustment spacer 3, and are located at positions where the distances from the central through hole 30 are the same as each other so as to sandwich the central through hole 30. Further, in the present embodiment, the connection insertion holes 33 are provided so as to be aligned with the engagement protrusions 31 and the third insertion holes 32 along the longitudinal direction.

[0037] 1-3. Assembly and Usage Mode of Spacer Unit U Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14, a method of using the spacers 1 to 3 having the above-described configuration to form a spacer unit U by connecting them and fixing them to the top surface C of the blind box BB as shown in FIG. 4 to take out the bracket Br of the shielding device 100 will be described.

[0038] As described above, the spacer unit U is configured by appropriately combining the first spacer 1, the second spacer 2, and the fine adjustment spacer 3 having different thicknesses. Hereinafter, an example of configuring a spacer (spacer unit U) having a thickness of 85 mm by combining two 15-mm first spacers 1, two 25-mm second spacers 2, and one 5-mm fine adjustment spacer 3 will be described, but it is possible to configure a spacer having a desired thickness by changing the number of each of the spacers 1 to 3.

[0039] <Connection between Spacers> To configure the spacer unit U from the separate first spacer 1, second spacer 2, and fine adjustment spacer 3, first, all the spacers 1 to 3 are placed with the front surface FS facing upward. Hereinafter, this orientation with the front surface FS facing upward will be referred to as the first orientation.

[0040] Next, place one of the spacers other than the fine adjustment spacer 3, that is, either the first spacer 1 or the second spacer 2 (here, the second spacer 2) on the uppermost side (the side of the top surface C as the mounting portion, see Fig. 4). At this time, keep the orientation of the selected second spacer 2 as the first orientation.

[0041] Next, as shown in the exploded perspective view of Fig. 11, perform an operation of inverting the thickness direction as a predetermined operation on the remaining spacers (here, two first spacers 1, one second spacer 2, and the fine adjustment spacer 3) so that the back surface RS is on the upper side. Hereinafter, the orientation with the back surface RS on the upper side is referred to as the second orientation.

[0042] Note that in the first spacer 1 and the second spacer 2 according to the present embodiment, on their main surfaces (on the front surface FS or the back surface RS), the pair of first insertion holes 11(21) and the pair of second insertion holes 12(22) are respectively arranged at positions that are line-symmetric with respect to the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of short sides and the line connecting the midpoints of the pair of long sides. With such a configuration, when performing the operation of inverting the thickness direction, no matter how it is turned over, the positional relationship between the first insertion hole 11(21) and the second insertion hole 12(22) is the same, and the operation can be easily performed.

[0043] Then, stack these spacers in the second orientation in order. At this time, it is only necessary to arrange the fine adjustment spacer 3 at a position that is not on the lowermost side (the side where the bracket Br is attached), and the order of the first spacer 1 and the second spacer 2 is arbitrary.

[0044] Next, as shown in FIG. 14, insert two connecting bolts B2 from above into a pair of connecting insertion holes 23 of the uppermost second spacer 2, and sequentially insert the connecting bolts B2 into the connecting insertion holes 13 of the first spacer 1, the connecting insertion holes 23 of the second spacer 2, and the connecting insertion holes 33 of the fine adjustment spacer 3. At this time, the head B2h of the connecting bolt B2 engages with the connecting engaging portion 23s of the uppermost second spacer 2, restricting further movement of the connecting bolt B2. Then, insert a connecting nut N2 from below the connecting insertion hole 23 of the lowermost spacer (here, the second spacer 2), and fasten the connecting bolt B2 and the connecting nut N2. At this time, the connecting nut N2 engages with the connecting engaging portion 23s of the lowermost second spacer 2, restricting further movement of the connecting nut N2. As a result, the remaining spacers are sandwiched between the uppermost second spacer 2 and the lowermost second spacer 2, and all the spacers 1 to 3 are connected. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the fine adjustment spacer 3 is restricted from relative movement in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction by engaging its pair of engaging protrusions 31 with the enlarged diameter portion 21a of the first insertion hole 21 of the spacer (second spacer 2) adjacent to it on the lower side.

[0045] When connecting the spacers to each other, as shown in FIG. 8B, insert a bracket mounting nut N1 into the lowermost second spacer 2 from the insertion cylinder 15 and lock it to the locking claw 15a.

[0046] In this way, by setting the uppermost second spacer 2 in the first direction and the lowermost second spacer 2 in the second direction, the connecting engaging portion 23s disposed on the lower side in the thickness direction of the uppermost second spacer 2 engages with the head B2h of the connecting bolt B2, and the connecting engaging portion 23s disposed on the upper side in the thickness direction of the lowermost second spacer 2 engages with the connecting nut N2 respectively. As a result, it is possible to shorten the length of the connecting bolt B2 with respect to the overall thickness of the configured spacer unit U.

[0047] <Fixing the spacer unit U to the top surface C of the blind box BB> Next, attach the spacer unit U to the top surface C of the blind box BB using the fixing screws V1. Here, the spacer unit U connected as described above is connected such that the uppermost second spacer 2 is in the first orientation and the remaining spacers 1 to 3 are in the second orientation. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 12 which is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 11 and FIG. 5B and FIG. 14 which is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F thereof, the first insertion hole 21 of the uppermost second spacer 2 communicates with the second insertion holes 12, 22 and the third insertion holes 32 of the remaining spacers 1 to 3. Thereby, it is possible to pass the fixing screw V1 including the head V1h through the second insertion holes 12, 22 and the third insertion holes of the lower spacers 1 to 3 connected in the second orientation. Therefore, with the shaft portion V1t of the fixing screw V1 protruding upward, the head V1h of the fixing screw V1 is engaged with the fixing engagement portion 21s of the uppermost second spacer 2, and it is possible to fix the spacer unit U to the top surface C of the blind box BB with the fixing screw V1. And with such a configuration, it is possible to shorten the length of the fixing screw V1 with respect to the overall thickness of the connected spacer unit U.

[0048] <Attachment of the bracket Br> As shown in FIG. 13 which is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of FIG. 5B, the spacer unit U connected as described above and fixed to the top surface C has the lowermost second spacer 2 arranged in the second orientation, and the bracket attachment portion 16 of the second spacer 2 is formed on the lower surface of the spacer unit U. Therefore, it is possible to attach the bracket Br to the spacer unit U by arranging the bracket Br below the spacer unit U and fastening the bracket attachment bolt B1 and the bracket attachment nut N1 arranged at the bracket attachment portion 16.

[0049] <Attachment of the shielding device 100> By attaching the shielding device 100 to the bracket Br fixed to the top surface C of the blind box BB via the spacer unit U as described above, it is possible to install the shielding device 100 without interference between the blind box BB and the shielding material 106.

[0050] 2. Second Embodiment Next, the spacer unit U according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15A to 17B. The spacer unit U according to this embodiment is also used when taking out the shielding device 100 from the top surface of the blind box BB and attaching it downward as shown in FIG. 4, but the configuration of the fourth spacer 4 as the basic spacer and the way of connecting it are different. Hereinafter, the spacer unit U according to this embodiment will be described centering on the differences from the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 15A, the spacer unit U according to this embodiment has a configuration in which two fourth spacers 4 having the same thickness are stacked one on top of the other. However, the number of the fourth spacers 4 can be adjusted as appropriate, and it is also possible to add spacers of other thicknesses or provide fine adjustment spacers as in the first embodiment.

[0052] <Configuration of the Fourth Spacer> As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the fourth spacer 4 has a thin plate-shaped rectangular parallelepiped shape that is square in plan view. The fourth spacer 4 is provided with one bracket mounting hole 40, a pair of first insertion holes 41, a pair of second insertion holes 42, and two pairs of connection insertion holes 43 and 44 that penetrate in the thickness direction. The pair of first insertion holes 41 and the pair of second insertion holes 42 are provided on two diagonal lines at positions where the distances from the bracket mounting hole 40 are all the same.

[0053] Also, in this embodiment, a pair of connection insertion holes 43 are provided on a line connecting the midpoints of two opposing sides, and a pair of connection insertion holes 44 are provided on a line connecting the midpoints of the other two opposing sides. And the two pairs of connection insertion holes 43 and 44 are provided at positions where the distances from the bracket mounting hole 40 are all the same.

[0054] In this embodiment, the surface on one end side in the thickness direction (the side shown in FIG. 15A) where the material is removed is defined as the front surface FS. In this case, the fixing engagement portions 41s of the pair of first insertion holes 41 are formed on the front surface FS side in the thickness direction, and the bracket mounting portion 46 (see FIG. 15B) is formed on the back surface RS side. Further, in this embodiment, the connecting engagement portions 43s are provided on the front surface FS side in the pair of connecting insertion holes 43, and the connecting engagement portions 44s (see FIG. 15B) are provided on the back surface RS side in the pair of connecting insertion holes 44.

[0055] <Connection between spacers> In the spacer unit U according to this embodiment, first, all the spacers (two fourth spacers in the illustrated example) are arranged such that the front surface FS is on the upper side, and the positions of the respective holes are aligned (this orientation is defined as the first orientation). Then, for the spacers excluding the uppermost fourth spacer 4 (the lower fourth spacer 4), as shown in FIG. 16, as a predetermined operation, an operation of rotating by 90 degrees about the rotation axis in the thickness direction is performed (the orientation after the operation is defined as the second orientation). By this operation, the uppermost fourth spacer 4 is connected in the first orientation, and the remaining fourth spacers 4 are connected in the second orientation.

[0056] By this operation, in the spacer unit U of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17A, the first insertion hole 41 of the uppermost fourth spacer 4 and the second insertion hole 42 of the remaining fourth spacers 4 communicate with each other. Therefore, also in this embodiment, the fixing screw V1 is passed through the second insertion hole 42 of the lower fourth spacer 4, and the head V1h of the fixing screw V1 is engaged with the fixing engagement portion 41s of the upper fourth spacer 4, so that the spacer unit U can be fixed to the top surface C of the blind box BB by the fixing screw V1. As a result, also in the spacer unit U according to this embodiment, it is possible to shorten the length of the fixing screw V1 with respect to the overall thickness of the connected spacer unit U.

[0057] Also, in the spacer unit U of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17B, the connection insertion hole 44 of the upper fourth spacer 4 and the connection insertion hole 43 of the lower fourth spacer 4 communicate with each other. Thus, it is only necessary to fasten the connection bolt B2 and the connection nut N2 between the connection engaging portion 44s provided on the back surface RS side of the upper fourth spacer 4 and the connection engaging portion 43s provided on the front surface FS side of the lower fourth spacer 4. Therefore, the length of the connection bolt B2 can be shortened with respect to the overall thickness of the configured spacer unit U.

[0058] 3. Modification Note that the present invention can also be implemented in the following aspects.

[0059] The spacer unit U of the above embodiment was used to take out the shielding device 100 of the type that transitions the shielding material 106 between the open state and the closed state by operating the tilt operation rod 103 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) from the blind box BB. However, this spacer unit U may be used to attach the shielding device 100 to a ceiling without a blind box BB. Further, it may be used to attach other types of shielding devices, for example, horizontal blinds, roll screens, pleated screens, vertical blinds, etc. Furthermore, when attaching the shielding device to an attachment surface other than the ceiling (for example, when attaching it frontally to a wall surface), it is also possible to use it to take out the shielding device from the wall surface.

[0060] The spacer unit U of the above embodiment can also be used to attach something other than the shielding device.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the spacer unit U includes the bracket attachment portion 16 and was used to attach the shielding device 100. However, the spacer unit U according to the present invention can be used for any purpose other than attaching the object to be attached. In this case, the spacer unit U does not necessarily have to include the bracket attachment portion 16.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, each of the spacers 1 to 3 of the spacer unit U was connected by a connecting bolt B2 and a connecting nut N2 as connecting members. However, the connecting members are not limited to this, and engaging portions / engaged portions may be provided on each of the spacers 1 to 3, and they may be connected by engaging these. Also, it is possible to connect each of the spacers 1 to 3 by adhering them with double-sided tape or an adhesive. In this case, the connecting insertion holes 13, 23, 33 are unnecessary.

[0063] In the above-described embodiment, the spacer unit U was configured to be connected and used by a connecting member. However, when the spacer unit U is used in a mode in which no force is applied in the tensile direction in the thickness direction (for example, a mode in which an object to be placed in the space above the spacer unit U is placed and a force is applied in the compression direction), the spacers do not have to be connected to each other.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, two first insertion holes 11, 21, 41 and two second insertion holes 12, 22, 42 were provided respectively. However, the number of the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole into which the fixing screw V1 is inserted may be one, or may be three or more.

[0065] In the above-described embodiment, two connecting insertion holes 13, 23, 33, 43(44) were also provided respectively. However, the number of the connecting insertion holes 13, 23, 33, 43(44) for connecting using the connecting bolt B2 and the connecting nut N2 may also be one or three or more. However, in the case of only one, relative rotation between the overlapping basic spacers will occur, so it is preferable to have two or more.

[0066] In the first embodiment, an example of connecting four first spacers 1 and second spacers as basic spacers and, in the second embodiment, an example of connecting two fourth spacers 4 as basic spacers were described. However, the number of basic spacers when configuring the spacer unit U is arbitrary. Among N spacers (where N is a natural number of 2 or more), by arranging the uppermost spacer in a first orientation and the remaining N - 1 spacers in a second orientation and connecting them, it is possible to achieve the same operational effects as in the above embodiments.

Explanation of Signs

[0067] 1: First spacer (basic spacer) 2: Second spacer (basic spacer) 3: Fine adjustment spacer 4: Fourth spacer (basic spacer) 5: Runner 5c: Shaft portion 10: Bracket mounting hole 11: First insertion hole 11a: Enlarged diameter portion 11b: Reduced diameter portion 11s: Fixing engaging portion 12: Second insertion hole 13: Connecting insertion hole 13a: Enlarged diameter portion 13b: Reduced diameter portion 13s: Connecting engaging portion 14: Printing 15: Insertion cylinder 15a: Locking claw 16: Bracket mounting portion 20: Bracket mounting hole 21: First insertion hole 21a: Enlarged diameter portion 21s: Fixing engaging portion 22: Second insertion hole 23: Connecting insertion hole 23s: Connecting engaging portion 24: Printing 26: Bracket mounting portion 30: Central through hole 31: Engaging protrusion 31a: Position regulating rib 32: Third insertion hole 33: Connecting insertion hole 34: Printing 40: Bracket mounting hole 41: First insertion hole 41s: Fixing engaging part 42: Second insertion hole 43: Connecting insertion hole 43s: Connecting engaging part 44: Connecting insertion hole 44s: Connecting engaging part 46: Bracket mounting part 100: Shielding device 101: Hanger rail 102: Tilt axis 103: Tilt operating rod 104: Operating cord 105: Runner 105A: Leading runner 105s: Runner spacer 106: Shielding material 106U: Shielding material unit 110: Screen hanger 160a: Race part 160b: Drape part B1: Bracket mounting bolt B2: Connecting bolt (connecting member) B2h: Head B2t: Shaft part BB: Blind box Br: Bracket C: Ceiling surface (mounting part) FS: Surface N1: Bracket mounting nut N2: Connecting nut (connecting member) RS: Back surface S: Ceiling U: Spacer unit V1: Fixing screw (fixing member) V1h: Head V1t: Shaft part

Claims

1. A spacer that can be used by being connected in the thickness direction, comprising a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole, when the first insertion hole is arranged in a first direction, a fixing engagement portion that engages with an enlarged diameter portion of a fixing member with a narrow diameter portion of the fixing member inserted from one end side in the thickness direction protruding to the other end side is provided, the second insertion hole is configured to penetrate the fixing member in the thickness direction including the enlarged diameter portion, When connecting with another spacer having the same configuration, by arranging the other spacer in a second direction with its direction changed by a predetermined operation, the first insertion hole communicates with the second insertion hole of the other spacer, and the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole of the other spacer are configured to communicate, a spacer.

2. The spacer according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is at least one of an operation of reversing the direction in the thickness direction and an operation of rotating about a rotation axis in the thickness direction, When connecting in the thickness direction, when arranged at the most the other end side, it is arranged in the first direction, and when arranged at a position other than the most the other end side, it is arranged in the second direction, a spacer.

3. The spacer according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a connecting insertion hole for inserting a connecting member for connecting with the other spacer, a spacer.

4. The spacer according to claim 3, which is fixed to a mounted portion by the fixing member, a spacer comprising a bracket mounting portion for mounting a bracket for supporting a shielding device.

5. The spacer according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined operation includes an operation of reversing in the thickness direction, the bracket mounting portion is formed at the other end side, the connecting insertion hole includes a connecting engagement portion that engages with an enlarged diameter portion of the connecting member with a narrow diameter portion of the connecting member inserted from the other end side in the thickness direction protruding to the one end side, a spacer.

6. A spacer unit including N (N is a natural number of 2 or more) spacers according to claim 1 or claim 2, configured by arranging one spacer in the first direction at the most the other end side and arranging the remaining N - 1 spacers in the second direction and connecting them, a spacer unit.

7. The spacer unit according to claim 6, The N spacers further include a basic spacer and a fine adjustment spacer thinner than the basic spacer. The fine adjustment spacer is a spacer unit arranged at a position excluding the position of the most one end side and the position of the most the other end side. **Claim 8** The spacer unit according to claim 7, wherein the fine adjustment spacer includes an engaging protrusion and a third insertion hole. The engaging protrusion is configured to engage with the first insertion hole or the second insertion hole of the adjacent spacer to restrict relative movement in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction. The spacer unit, wherein the third insertion hole is configured to penetrate the fixing member in the thickness direction.

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