Lamp fitting removal tool and lamp fitting removal method

Abstract

To provide a lamp fitting removal tool which can remove a lamp fitting while inhibiting damage to a ceiling, and to provide a lamp fitting removal method.SOLUTION: A lamp fitting removal tool 100 includes: a pressing piece 10 having a flat top surface 11; a lever 20 having a handle 21 and a claw 22 which extends bending with respect to a longitudinal direction P of the handle 21 and has a tapered claw tip 221. The lever 20 is supported in a manner that the lever 20 can rotate around an axis q which is parallel with the top surface 11 and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle 21 relative to the pressing piece 10. The lamp fitting removal tool 100 includes a connection part 30 which is fixed to the pressing piece 10 and has a guide hole 31 extending in a direction which is parallel with the top surface 11 and perpendicular to the axis q. The axis q is engaged with the guide hole 31 in a manner that enables translation relative to the top surface 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lamp removal tool and a lamp removal method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been tools for attaching and removing lighting fixtures such as fluorescent lamps (Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, conventional lighting fixture installation and removal tools are designed to remove the tube inserted into the socket of a lighting fixture mounting bracket fixed to the ceiling, but are not designed to remove lighting fixtures embedded in the ceiling. Therefore, conventional lighting fixture installation and removal tools cannot remove lighting fixtures embedded in the ceiling, and there is a risk of damaging the ceiling. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-306420 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a lamp removal tool and a lamp removal method that can remove a lamp while minimizing damage to the ceiling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The means for solving the above-mentioned problems are as follows. (1) A lamp attachment according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a push piece having a flat top surface, a handle, and a lever having a claw that extends and bends in the longitudinal direction of the handle and has a tapered tip, and the lever is supported on the push piece so as to be freely rotatable about an axis that is parallel to the top surface and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle. (2) In (1) above, a connecting part may be provided having a guide hole that is parallel to the top surface and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis, and the axis may be supported by the connecting part so as to be movable parallel to the top surface. (3) In the above (1) or (2), the pushing piece may have an arc-shaped tip. (4) In the above (1) or (2), the pressing piece and the lever may be detachably connected. (5) In the above (1) or (2), the pushing piece may have a wall portion that protrudes downward at the rear end. (6) A method for removing a lamp according to one aspect of the present invention includes a step of pulling down the lamp while pressing a peripheral portion of an installation hole in a ceiling board in which the lamp is embedded. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lamp removal tool and a lamp removal method that can remove a lamp while minimizing damage to the ceiling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the lamp attachment and the lamp attached to the ceiling as viewed from below. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the lamp attachment device viewed from above. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram showing the state in which the lamp attachment tool is placed against the underside of the ceiling board and attached to the side of the lamp. FIG. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the state in which the push piece is inserted into the gap between the ceiling board and the flange. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state in which the claw is inserted between the pressing piece and the flange. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the lever is rotated and the flange is pressed with the claw to pull down the lamp fixture. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, a lamp attachment device 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, hereinafter, parts having common functions may be given the same reference numerals or symbols. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the lamp removal device 100 and a lamp L installed on a ceiling C, viewed from below. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the lamp removal device 100, viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the lamp removal device 100 placed against the underside of a ceiling board Cb and attached to the side of the lamp L. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the state in which the pressing piece 10 is inserted into the gap e between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the state in which the claw 22 is inserted between the pressing piece 10 and the flange Lf. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the state in which the lever 20 is rotated to press the flange Lf with the claw 22, thereby pulling down the lamp L.

[0010] 1 to 6, the lamp removal tool 100 according to the embodiment is used to remove a lamp L (also called a lighting fixture or a ceiling light) that is mounted on a ceiling board Cb that constitutes a ceiling C. The lamp removal tool 100 is particularly suitable for use in removing a lamp L that is embedded inside the ceiling C and has a circular shape when viewed from the bottom, such as a so-called recessed LED downlight.

[0011] The ceiling C generally comprises joist supports and joists suspended from the slabs or beams of the building by hanging members, and a plate-like ceiling finishing material attached to the joists with a horizontal underside. The ceiling finishing material comprises ceiling boards Cb such as gypsum board or plywood, and wallpaper attached to the underside of the ceiling boards Cb.

[0012] The lighting fixture L to be removed may be, for example, a downlight or a recessed lighting fixture. If the lighting fixture L is a recessed lighting fixture, it is made up of a locking spring Ls that is locked to the ceiling board Cb, a light source Ll such as an LED, a cylindrical case Lc (housing) that houses the light source Ll, and wiring and a power supply board (not shown) for supplying power to the light source Ll.

[0013] The lighting fixture L is attached to a circular installation hole Ch provided in the ceiling board Cb. The lighting fixture L is engaged in the installation hole Ch while being biased outward from the center of the installation hole Ch by a locking spring Ls. The base end of the locking spring Ls is fixed to the lower part of the cylindrical portion of the case Lc. The other end of the locking spring Ls extends upward from the lower part of the cylindrical portion of the case Lc. The locking spring Ls is, for example, a leaf spring. Multiple locking springs Ls are provided on the periphery of the cylindrical portion of the case Lc, evenly spaced in the circumferential direction. The number of locking springs Ls fixed to the case Lc is often three, but may also be two, four, or more. When the lighting fixture L has three locking springs Ls, the locking springs Ls are provided on the lower periphery of the cylindrical portion of the case Lc, evenly spaced in the circumferential direction at 120-degree intervals.

[0014] The lighting fixture L is attached to the ceiling board Cb so that its lower end does not protrude too much downward from the underside of the ceiling board Cb. This allows the lower end of the lighting fixture L to blend in with the underside of the ceiling board Cb without creating a noticeable step between the lower end of the lighting fixture L and the underside of the ceiling board Cb, making the interior space appear larger and providing a neat and tidy aesthetic.

[0015] The cylindrical case Lc has a ring-shaped flange Lf that extends laterally around the periphery of its lower end. Because the case Lc has the flange Lf, when the case Lc is fitted into an installation hole Ch formed in the ceiling board Cb for installing a lamp, the flange Lf can cover the peripheral edge of the installation hole Ch in the ceiling board Cb and the gap that occurs between the installation hole Ch and the case Lc from the inside of the room. This allows the peripheral edge of the installation hole Ch and the gap that occurs between the installation hole Ch and the case Lc to be hidden so that they are not exposed to the inside of the room, and allows the lower end of the lamp L to blend in with the underside of the ceiling board Cb.

[0016] As described above, particularly when the lighting fixture L is a recessed type, the lighting fixture L is firmly supported by the ceiling board Cb due to the strong biasing force (resilient force, spring reaction force) of the locking spring Ls. Therefore, to remove the lighting fixture L from the ceiling board Cb, it is necessary to pull the lighting fixture L downward with a strong force from inside the room. However, since there is almost no place to apply downward force on the portion of the lighting fixture L exposed to the room, conventionally, it has been necessary to forcibly insert a thin, flat tool such as a spatula into the small gap e between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf, gradually prying open the gap e until the worker's fingertips are able to rest on the flange Lf, thereby manually pulling the lighting fixture L downward, a cumbersome process. Furthermore, if the lamp L is pulled downward with great force from inside the room to remove it from the ceiling board Cb, the strong biasing force of the locking spring Ls on the ceiling board Cb may partially damage the periphery of the installation hole Ch in the ceiling board Cb, which may result in a poor appearance or unevenness on the underside of the periphery of the installation hole Ch, making it difficult to replace the lamp with a new one. Therefore, in order to simplify such work and reduce damage to the ceiling board Cb, it is preferable to use the lamp removal tool 100 according to this embodiment.

[0017] The lamp attachment 100 comprises a push piece 10 having a flat top surface 11, a handle 21 and a lever 20 having a claw 22 that extends in a bent manner relative to the longitudinal direction p of the handle 21 and has a tapered tip 221.

[0018] The push piece 10 may be, for example, a thin flat plate with a thickness of less than 1 mm. The top surface 11 may be flat, particularly at the tip 12 that presses against the underside of the periphery of the installation hole Ch, and preferably has no protrusions, and more preferably has a flat entire surface.

[0019] The lever 20 is supported by the push piece 10 so as to be rotatable about an axis q that is parallel to the top surface 11 and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle 21. The handle 21 is the part that applies a force pushing up toward the ceiling C when held in a vertical position by the user's hand, so it may be rod-shaped to fit the shape of the hand ergonomically. The claw 22 is the part that applies a force pushing down by engaging the flange Lf of the lamp L, so it preferably has a thickness of 3 mm or more and a structure with higher rigidity than the push piece 10. The tip 221 is preferably tapered. This makes it easier to insert the claw 22 into the narrow gap e between the ceiling board Cb (or push piece 10) and the flange Lf.

[0020] As described above, the lamp attachment tool 100 includes a push piece 10 with a flat top surface 11. This allows the push piece 10 to be inserted between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf of the lamp L. Furthermore, even when the locking spring Lb exerts a strong biasing force on the installation hole Ch of the ceiling board Cb when the lamp L is removed, the flat top surface 11 holds the underside of the periphery of the installation hole Ch of the ceiling board Cb to prevent deformation. This reduces damage to the ceiling board Cn. Furthermore, the lamp attachment tool 100 includes a lever 20 having a handle 21 and a claw 22 that extends and bends relative to the longitudinal direction p of the handle 21 and has a tapered tip 221. This allows the claw 22 to be inserted between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf. The bending angle between the handle 21 and the claw 22 is preferably approximately 90°. When this bending angle is 90°, the claw 22 is in a horizontal position when the handle 21 is in a vertical position, so that the user can easily apply force to the handle 21, the claw 22 can easily press the pressing piece 10 upward, and the claw 22 can easily be inserted into the gap e by striking the handle 21 laterally from the side. Furthermore, in the lamp removal tool 100, the lever 20 is supported relative to the push piece 10 so as to be rotatable about an axis q that is parallel to the top surface 11 and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction p of the handle 21. Therefore, when the lever 20 is pushed toward the ceiling C with the toe 221 of the claw 22 inserted into the gap e between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf, the claw 22 moves downward and, based on the principle of leverage, pushes the flange Lf downward with a large force that corresponds to the ratio of the length from the point of application of the lever 20 (the place where the user applies force by hand) to the axis q to the length from the toe 221 of the claw 22 to the axis q. This makes it possible to widen the gap e between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf with a small amount of force, allowing the lamp L to be easily removed. Therefore, the lamp removal tool 100 according to the embodiment allows the lamp L to be removed while minimizing damage to the ceiling C.

[0021] The lamp attachment device 100 preferably includes a connecting portion 30 fixed to the push piece 10 and having a guide hole 31 extending parallel to the top surface 11 and perpendicular to the axis q. The axis q is engaged in the guide hole 31 so as to be movable parallel to the top surface 11. Specifically, the axis q may be, for example, a bolt inserted into a pipe fixed to the bent portion of the lever 20, which is the boundary between the handle 21 and the claw 22. That is, the pipe, which is part of the lever 20, serves as a bearing for the axis q, and the pipe and the axis q form a hinge structure. The connecting portion 30 may be, for example, two angle bars, each having an L-shaped cross section, arranged facing each other and formed by bending a long plate 90 degrees along its extension direction and having two face plates. One face plate of each angle bar is fixed to the push piece 10 with a screw or the like, and the other face plate has a guide hole 31. The guide hole 31 extends parallel to the top surface 11 of the push piece 10 toward the tip 12 of the push piece 10. The width of the guide hole 31 (the dimension perpendicular to the extension direction of the guide hole 31) is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the axis q. The axis q is suspended through each of the pair of opposing guide holes 31 and is supported so as to be freely movable in parallel with the ceiling surface 11. As described above, the lamp attachment device 100 includes the connecting portion 30 fixed to the push piece 10, which connects the push piece 10 and the lever 20. The force acting upward from the lever 20 as a reaction force when the claw 22 presses down the flange Lf can be transmitted to the push piece 10. Therefore, the push piece 10 presses down on the underside of the ceiling board Cb around the installation hole Ch, suppressing deformation, while the lamp L is pulled down. Furthermore, the connecting portion 30 has the guide hole 31 extending in a direction parallel to the ceiling surface 11 and perpendicular to the axis q. Therefore, the push piece 10 can be first inserted between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf and advanced toward the center of the installation hole Ch, and then the claw 22 can be advanced toward the center of the installation hole Ch. Even if the lever 20 is tilted to tilt the claw 22 downward, the tip 221 of the claw 22 can be prevented from coming off the state of being caught on the flange Lf by further advancing the axis q.

[0022] The push piece 10 preferably has an arc-shaped tip 12. This allows the tip 12 of the push piece 10 to be pressed against the periphery of the installation hole Ch. This effectively prevents damage to the ceiling board Cb caused by the locking spring Ls when the lighting fixture L is pulled out. The tip 12 is preferably tapered. This makes it easier to insert the tip 12 of the push piece 10 into the gap e.

[0023] It is preferable that the push piece 10 and the lever 20 are detachably connected. This allows the push piece 10 to be replaced with one having a different arc curvature at the tip 12, for example, while leaving the lever 20 as is. In other words, the push piece 10 can be freely replaced as an attachment to the lever 20. Therefore, the push piece 10 suitable for the diameter of the installation hole Ch can be replaced depending on the diameter of the installation hole Ch. Furthermore, when removing the lighting fixture L, the push piece 10 suitable for the diameter of the installation hole Ch can reliably prevent deformation of the underside of the periphery of the installation hole Ch.

[0024] It is preferable that the push piece 10 has a downwardly protruding wall 13 at its rear end. This allows the wall 13 to be easily pushed with a fingertip or another tool, making it easier to move the tip 12 of the push piece 10 laterally and insert it into the gap e.

[0025] The push piece 10 is preferably biased by a spring (not shown) toward the tip 12 of the push piece 10 with respect to the axis q. In other words, the lever 20 is preferably biased by a spring via the axis q in a direction away from the tip 12 relative to the push piece 10. This allows the position of the toe 221 to be set back laterally from the position of the tip 12 of the push piece 10 when no force is applied to the lamp attachment device 100. For example, the position of the toe 221 can be returned from the state shown in FIG. 5, in which the position of the tip 12 of the push piece 10 and the position of the toe 221 of the pawl 22 of the lever 20 are aligned, to the state shown in FIG. 4, in which the position of the toe 221 is set back laterally from the position of the tip 12 of the push piece 10. This reduces the burden on the user and makes repetitive work more labor-efficient.

[0026] It is preferable that the lever 20 be biased by a spring (not shown) around the axis q in a direction in which the pawl 22 contacts the push piece 10 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3). This allows the position of the pawl 22 to be in contact with the push piece 10 when the lamp attachment device 100 is in a free state in which no force is acting on it. For example, it is possible to return from a state in which the pawl 22 is separated from the push piece 10 (a state in which the push piece 10 and the handle 21 are not perpendicular) as shown in FIG. 6 to a state in which the pawl 22 is in contact with the push piece 10 and the push piece 10 and the handle 21 are perpendicular as shown in FIG. 5. This reduces the burden on the user and makes repetitive work more labor-efficient.

[0027] Next, the operation of the lamp removal tool 100 according to the embodiment and the lamp removal method according to the embodiment will be described while showing the procedure for removing the lamp L from the ceiling C using the lamp removal tool 100.

[0028] (1) First, as shown in FIG. 3, the top surface 11 of the push piece 10 of the lamp attachment 100 is placed against the underside of the ceiling board Cb of the ceiling C, and the push piece 10 is attached to the side of the flange Lf of the lamp L.

[0029] (2) Next, as shown in Figure 4, place your fingertip or other object on the raised wall portion 13 at the rear end of the push piece 10 and push the push piece 10 sideways toward the center of the lighting fixture L (the center of the installation hole Ch) to insert the tip 12 of the push piece 10 into the gap e.

[0030] (3) Subsequently, or almost simultaneously with the above step (2), as shown in Fig. 5, the handle 21 of the lever 20 is pushed laterally toward the center of the lamp L (the center of the installation hole Ch) to insert the tip 221 of the claw 22 between the tip 12 of the push piece 10 and the flange Lf. When the handle 21 is pushed, the claw 22 integrated with the handle 21 moves together with the axis q guided by the guide hole 31 formed in the connecting part 30 integrated with the push piece 10.

[0031] (4) Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the lever 20 is tilted, and the claw 22 pulls the flange Lf downward. When the handle 21 is tilted, the claw 22, which is integrated with the handle 21, rotates around the axis q, acting in a direction that pulls the flange Lf downward. At this time, a reaction force acting in the pulling direction is transmitted by the push piece 10 as a force that pushes upward the peripheral portion of the installation hole Ch in the ceiling board Cb. Here, while the claw 22 pulls the flange Lf downward, the push piece 10 simultaneously presses down the peripheral portion of the installation hole Ch in the ceiling board Cb to prevent it from deforming downward. In this way, the lamp L is pulled down while pressing down the peripheral portion of the installation hole Ch in the ceiling board Cb in which the lamp L is embedded.

[0032] (5) Steps (1) to (3) are repeated by changing the position in the circumferential direction of the installation hole Ch. The peripheral portion of the installation hole Ch of the ceiling board Cb, which is locked by the locking spring Ls, is fixed relatively firmly and is easily damaged, so when the gap e widens and that portion becomes visible, it is effective to change the position of that portion and attach the lamp attachment device 100 to that portion.

[0033] (6) When the gap e becomes large enough, the worker directly grasps the flange Lf with his fingertips and pulls the lamp L out of the ceiling C against the biasing force of the locking spring Cs. With the lamp removal tool according to this embodiment, this procedure makes it possible to easily pull out the lamp L while minimizing damage to the peripheral portion of the installation hole Ch in the ceiling board Cb.

[0034] In this way, the method for removing the lighting fixture L includes the step of pulling down the lighting fixture L while pressing the peripheral portion of the installation hole Ch of the ceiling board Cb in which the lighting fixture L is embedded.

[0035] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical common sense of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0036] As described above, the lamp removal tool 100 according to the embodiment includes the push piece 10 having the flat top surface 11, the handle 21, and the lever 20 having the claw 22 that extends and bends relative to the longitudinal direction p of the handle 21 and has a tapered tip 221. The lever 20 is supported relative to the push piece 10 so as to be rotatable about an axis q that is parallel to the top surface 11 and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction p of the handle 21. This allows the push piece 10 to be inserted between the ceiling board Cb and the flange Lf of the lamp L, and when the lamp L is pulled out, even if the biasing force acting on the installation hole Ch of the ceiling board Cb by the locking spring Lb is strong, the flat top surface 11 can hold the underside of the periphery of the installation hole Ch of the ceiling board Cb so as not to deform. Therefore, the lamp removal tool 100 according to the embodiment allows the lamp L to be removed while minimizing damage to the ceiling C.

[0037] In the method for removing a lighting fixture according to the embodiment, the lighting fixture L is pulled down while pressing the peripheral portion of the installation hole Ch of the ceiling board Cb in which the lighting fixture L is embedded. Therefore, according to the method for removing a lighting fixture according to the embodiment, the lighting fixture L can be removed while minimizing damage to the ceiling C. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 100 Light fixture removal tool 10 Push pieces 11 Top 12 Tip 20 Lever 21 patterns 22 Nails 221 Toes 30 Connecting part 31 Guide hole L lamp Lf Tsuba Ls Locking spring LCD Case Ll light source C Ceiling Cb ceiling board Ch installation hole e Gap p Longitudinal direction q-axis

Claims

1. A push piece having a flat top surface; a lever having a handle and a claw extending in a bent manner relative to the longitudinal direction of the handle and having a tapered tip, The lever is supported by the pressing piece so as to be rotatable about an axis that is parallel to the top surface and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle. Lighting removal tool.

2. a connecting portion fixed to the pressing piece and having a guide hole extending in a direction parallel to the top surface and perpendicular to the axis; The shaft is engaged with the guide hole so as to be movable in parallel with the top surface. The lamp attachment device according to claim 1 .

3. The pressing piece has an arc-shaped tip. The lamp removal tool according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The pressing piece and the lever are detachably connected. The lamp removal tool according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The pushing piece has a wall portion at its rear end that protrudes downward. The lamp removal tool according to claim 1 or 2.

6. and pulling down the lamp while holding down the peripheral portion of the installation hole of the ceiling board in which the lamp is embedded. How to remove the light fixture.

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